Blountsville Native
Participates in World’s Largest International Maritime Warfare Exercise
By Mass Communication
Specialist 1st Class Electa Berassa, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo by Mass Communication
Specialist Senior Chief Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2014 J. B.
Pennington High School graduate and Blountsville, Alabama native is serving in
the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare
exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Petty Officer 2nd Class
Hunter Etheredge is a gas turbine systems technician (mechanical) aboard USS
Lake Champlain, currently operating out of San Diego, California.
A Navy gas turbine systems
technician (mechanical) is responsible for repair and maintenance of the
propulsion engines on the ship.
Etheredge applies the lessons
he learned from Blountsville to his work in the Navy.
“I learned that hard work and the time
that you put into
something, it will pay off as long as you stick
with it,” said Etheredge.
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
looking forward to meeting people from different countries and seeing how their
militaries operate,” said Etheredge.
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 most proud of making second class petty officer,” said Etheredge.
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,
Etheredge and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last
beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“It is cool to be in the Navy to learn and establish new
relationships with others. I was really blind
to things going on and have learned to establish better relationships with people,” said
Etheredge. “It is cool to do something for my country that I never thought that I would do.”