Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David Wyscaver
BREMERTON, Wash. – A Brooklyn, New York, native and 2008 Long Island City High School graduate is serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, a floating airport at sea.
Petty Officer 1st Class Marcel Beckford is a culinary specialist serving aboard the carrier. A Navy culinary specialist is responsible for feeding the crew with well-balanced, nutritious meals.
“I'm in charge of the upkeep of the wardroom mess operations,” said Beckford.
Approximately 3,200 men and women make up the crew of John C. Stennis, with an additional 2,000 sailors assigned to the ship’s embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 9.
Named in honor of former Senator John C. Stennis from Mississippi, the carrier is longer than three football fields, measuring nearly 1,100 feet. The ship, a true floating city, weighs more than 100,000 tons and has a flight deck that is 252 feet wide.
When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land aboard the carrier at sea.
Powerful catapults slingshot the aircraft off the bow of the ship. The planes land aboard the carrier by snagging a steel cable with an arresting hook that protrudes from the rear of the aircraft.
Beckford combines the lessons learned from both the Navy and Brooklyn to take personal responsibility in performing assigned tasks and leading others.
“A quote I learned growing up in Brooklyn is, ‘Go hard or go home,” said Beckford. “I learned that it’s important to be true to yourself and don't be afraid to stand up for something you believe in.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Beckford and other John C. Stennis sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Where I came from I never thought I'd meet tons of celebrities, work in the British embassy, the Pentagon, work with famous chefs like Robert Irvine, and work with all branches of the military,” Beckford said. “The Navy opened those doors for me.”