Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2016 Morning Star Academy graduate and Bettendorf, Iowa, native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Rebecca Turnquist is a midshipman attending Iowa State University Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in Ames, Iowa. She is participating in the RIMPAC exercise.She is in training to become a public affairs officer. Public affairs officers deliver news through various tyes of media. They also respond to reporters and provide support to top-level Navy decision makers.
Turnquist applies the lessons she learned from Bettendorf to her work in the Navy.
“I was in martial arts in high school,” said Turnquist. “Integrity was a big part of it, so that has carried into my military service.”
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2018 is Capable, Adaptive, Partners. The participating nations and forces exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.
“I’m interested in seeing the Navy side of things as I’m currently working on the Marine side,” said Turnquist.
This is the first time Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are participating in RIMPAC. Additional firsts include New Zealand serving as sea combat commander and Chile serving as combined force maritime component commander. This is the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation (Chile) will hold a component commander leadership position.
“I’m proud of joining the military, though I won't be commisioned until 2020,” said Turnquist.
Twenty-six nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise. This year's exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Turnquist and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I have learned that it takes a great deal of self motivation and discipline to achieve things, and that is something I will work on while in the Navy,” said Turnquist
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil