By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – A Salisbury, North Carolina, native and 2016 Jesse C. Carson High School graduate is serving in Japan in the U.S. Navy aboard USS Germantown.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Zarod Tucker is an information systems technician aboard the ship operating out of Sasebo, Japan.
A Navy information systems technician is responsible for electronic mail systems, shipboard control systems, special intelligence (SI) systems. They have a broad range of responsibilities, including network administration, database management and computer hardware and software implementation.
Tucker is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Salisbury.
“I’ve always had a strong work ethic. I always try my hardest in everything that I do. My family was always hard workers, I watch and learn from them,” said Tucker. “I’m always eager to learn everything about my job and willing to help others.”
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.
Tucker has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My family served in the Navy," said Tucker. "I saw how they carried themselves, so I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I think deploying here reinforces the work ethic to get things done. It’s a good opportunity to get out of your comfort zone, discover something new.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Tucker and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Since serving, it has showed me how to respect others. You have to work hard and achieve your goals as a ship,” said Tucker. “I joined the Navy because I wanted to serve my country. I wanted to look at the bigger picture instead of just focusing on myself. I felt like it was my duty to join.”
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.