By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – An El Paso, Texas, native and 2016 Springville Academy, Owosso, Michigan, graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo (CFAS).
Seaman Jafet Hernandez is a master-at-arms serving with the security department at Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo, operating out of Sasebo, Japan.
A Navy master-at-arms is responsible for providing anti-terrorism and physical security force protection, while conducting law enforcement on Navy installations and assets.
“I went to a boarding school in another state, so being away from home got me ready for being in a different country,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez has received great results in weapons training and feels successful in his job rating.
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 Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
“It’s interesting being deployed here because of the different culture,” said Hernandez. "Serving in the Navy has taught me to have respect for others and the discipline to do my job to the best of my ability.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Hernandez and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Traveling with the Navy has allowed me to grow so much as a person and I continue to learn things in my career and become more of a leader everyday,” said Hernandez.
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.