By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – A Reno, Nevada, native and 2016 Demonte Ranch High School graduate is serving in Japan in the U.S. Navy aboard USS Germantown.
Seaman Charlotte Hill is a yeoman aboard the ship operating out of Sasebo, Japan.
A Navy yeoman is responsible for performing administrative and clerical work aboard the ship. They deal with visitors, coordinate worldwide travel, submit passport applications, and handle various forms of military correspondence.
Hill is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Reno.
“My aunt Elaine, she taught me hard work ethic and how to multitask,” said Hill. “What she taught me helps me get through the day. There’s a lot of different things you need to get done in one day. You have to stay on track and get it done.”
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 Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
Commissioned in 1986, Germantown is the second Navy ship named after the Revolutionary War Battle of Germantown. With a crew of more than 900 sailors and Marines, Germantown is 609 feet long and weighs approximately 16,000 tons. Designed specifically to operate landing craft air cushion small craft vessels, Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships have the largest capacity for these landing craft out of any U.S. Navy amphibious ship.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Hill and other Sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means that I’m part of something bigger. There’s not many who can serve so I feel proud to serve,” said Hill. “It’s everything that we stand for, the humanitarian efforts and the bigger mission.”