By Mass Communication
Specialist 1st Class Electa Berassa, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication
Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2017 Lemon
Bay High School graduate and Englewood, Florida, native is serving in the U.S.
Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise,
Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Seaman Cassandra Price is an
operations specialist aboard USS William P. Lawrence, currently operating out
of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
An operations specialist is
responsible for working the computer equipment that
locates other ships.
Price applies the lessons she
learned from Englewood to her work in the Navy.
“I learned that you don't
expect anything to be handed out to you and to always
help others,” said Price. “I also learned to stay motivated.”
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 hope to gain new
experiences and I am looking forward to seeing
what is to come,” said Price.
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 am proud to have gotten all of my qualifications
really quickly,” said Price. “It makes me feel better about what I've done.”
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,
Price 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 staying
positive is better while being in the Navy,”
said Price. “The Navy means a lot to me, and I
feel good about serving.”