By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Theodore Quintana, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA – A Weatherford, Texas, native and 2011 Weatherford High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur.
Lt. j.g. Kristina Goldstein is a combat fire control division officer aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer operating out of Yokosuka, Japan. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships, and be ready to respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.
A Navy combat fire control division officer is responsible for making sure Aegis Combat system is maintained and personnel are trained for ballistic missile defense.
Goldstein is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Weatherford.
“Weatherford is a small church town so teamwork was very important,” said Goldstein. "I was also taught to always remember my roots and to have patience and faith.”
Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy's presence in Yokosuka is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
“Being forward-deployed is stressful but very rewarding,” said Goldstein. “I am getting a lot of experience out here that I can share with my peers in my next command.”
Destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. They are 510 feet long and armed with tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, Standard Missile-3 and newer variants of the SM missile family, advanced gun systems and close-in gun systems. Destroyers are deployed globally and can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, or amphibious readiness groups. Their presence helps the Navy control the sea. Sea control is the precondition for everything else the Navy does. It cannot project power, secure the commons, deter aggression, or assure allies without the ability to control the seas when and where desired.
Curtis Wilbur has anti-aircraft capability armed with long range missiles intended for air defense to counter the threat to friendly forces posed by manned aircraft, anti-ship, cruise and tactical ballistic missiles.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Goldstein and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"The Navy has allowed me to be less shy,” said Goldstein. “I’m more outgoing and my shipmates are my family. The teamwork and camaraderie taught me to become a better person and leader. Serving in the Navy means that I am doing something bigger than myself.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors in the 7th Fleet.