NORFOLK, Va. - Seaman Apprentice Leslie Gomez Alvarado, a native of San Leandro, California, serves aboard USS George H.W. Bush, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operating out of Norfolk, Virginia.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sylvie Carafiol Navy Public Affairs Support Element East |
Gomez Alvarado graduated from San Lorenzo High School in 2022.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in San Leandro.
“I learned that even though I didn't have support in my hometown, I could still achieve my goals,” Gomez Alvarado said. "My mother was scared for me when I joined the Navy, but now she is proud, even though she wants me back home."
Gomez Alvarado joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Gomez Alvarado serves as a culinary specialist.
“I joined the Navy because my hometown didn't have a lot of opportunities, and I was working two jobs while trying to go to school,” Gomez Alvarado said. "I wanted to learn to be independent and not live off my parents. I have already achieved more in my short time in the Navy than I would have as a civilian."
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.
Gomez Alvarado has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment has been learning so much from my job,” Gomez Alvarado said. "I did not know how to cook, and I had no clue what a culinary specialist did. I've gone from knowing nothing about preparing meals to holding my own with everyone else, and that makes me proud."
Gomez Alvarado 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 means sacrifice,” Gomez Alvarado said. "We have to leave our families, and a lot of people don't see that side of what we do, but we do it well, and we all should be proud to wear this uniform."
Gomez Alvarado is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank Culinary Specialist Kimairys Rodriguez for pushing me to be a better Sailor and teaching me the different techniques of being successful in my career,” Gomez Alvarado added. “I would like to thank my husband, Fredy Azael, for being supportive and understanding when I have to leave.”
"Not everyone can be a Navy spouse and understand why their loved one has to be gone so much, but he does, and I love him so much for that," Gomez Alvarado said.