NORFOLK, Va. - Petty Officer 2nd Class Cerin King, a native of Lancaster, Texas, serves aboard USS George H.W. Bush, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operating out of Norfolk, Virginia.
 |
| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sylvie Carafiol Navy Public Affairs Support Element East |
King graduated from Lancaster High School in 2020.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Lancaster.
“I learned leadership skills as my class president,” King said. "I also learned how to talk to people and develop communication skills, which are key to being successful in the Navy."
King joined the Navy four years ago. Today, King serves as a cryptologic technician (collection).
,“I joined the Navy to travel and to get financial assistance with school to become an X-ray technician,” King said. "My father was in the Navy for 20 years and my stepfather was in the Marines, so getting to carry on this family tradition is very important to me."
Commissioned in 2009, the aircraft carrier is named for George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States and a former naval aviator. The ship was the first aircraft carrier to have its namesake participate in its christening.
Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s naval forces. For more than 100 years, they have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintained enduring commitments worldwide.
The Navy’s aircraft carriers are among the largest warships in the world. Bush is longer than three football fields at 1,092 feet. The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons. More than 5,000 sailors serve aboard these self-contained mobile airports.
According to Navy officials, aircraft carriers are versatile and have unique mission capabilities that make them a more strategic asset for the Navy than fixed-site bases. They are often the first response in a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. In addition, no other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility and combat capability of its air wing.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
King has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment is teaching junior Sailors the skills they need to be successful,” King said.
King serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy has opened up opportunities to a bigger world and has taught me how to relate to so many different people on many different levels,” King said.
King is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank CTRC Beulah Montague and CTR1 Timothy Smith for helping me learn the skills to become a successful CTR and for teaching me how to teach others,” King added. "I also want to thank my parents, Andriana Debnam and Francois Cummings, for being supportive and pushing me to be my best in pursuing my Navy goals. I especially want to thank my husband, Israel Watson, for supporting me throughout the changes and ups and downs that come with the Navy. He is amazing, and I couldn't imagine life without him."
“I am halfway to earning my certification as an X-ray technician through Western Governors University, and when I separate after this enlistment, I am going to stay in the Navy Reserves,” King said.