By
Navy Office of Community Outreach
PEARL HARBOR – A 1998 Erie, Pennsylvania McDowell High
School graduate and Detroit native is serving in the U.S. Navy and is
participating in the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise,
the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC).
Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Thompson is a boatswain's mate
aboard USS San Diego, currently operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A Navy boatswain's mate is responsible for all things topside
on the ship including the anchors, boats, line, cranes, block and tackle. He also oversees all topside evolutions like
underway replenishments, anchoring mooring and more.
“This is truly a unique opportunity to work internationally
with allied partners to conduct joint operations at sea,” said Thompson. “For a lot of the younger sailors it will be
their first opportunity to meet foreign sailors, and so there is a level of
ambassadorship for them as well as the chance to see that the U.S. Navy is not
unique on the high seas."
According to Navy officials, RIMPAC provides a unique
training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative
relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and
security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series
that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2016 is "Capable, Adaptive,
Partners," Navy officials explained. The participating nations and forces
will 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 amphibious operations, gunnery,
missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as counter-piracy,
mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage
operations.
The Department of the Navy's Great Green Fleet yearlong
initiative will also play a major role in RIMPAC. The initiative highlights
global operations using energy conservation measures and alternative fuel blends
to demonstrate how optimizing energy use increases resiliency and operational
readiness. During RIMPAC, almost all participating units will operate using an
approved alternate-fuel blend.
26 nations, 45 surface ships, 5 submarines, 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, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, People's Republic of
China, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“This is a great opportunity for us to come together as a team within the ship doing the mission the nation expects us to be able to accomplish,” said Capt. Carl Meuser, commanding officer aboard USS San Diego. “I enjoy leading young sailors and watching them develop, and not just as sailors, but as young men and women. RIMPAC has tremendous resources to support all of the platforms involved. Cruisers and destroyers will be shooting weapons, the air wing has evolutions going on and the Marines are out with us conducting amphibious operations.”
“The crew is remarkably tight and close knit,” said
Thompson. “The relatively smaller crew
size allows us to know each other on a more personal level. Additionally as someone who works primarily
on the topside of the ship, it is as true now as when I first came in. I’m the first in my family to be able to
claim to have an office with a view. This is a unique a vessel where
boatswain’s mates can do anything the rate entails.”
Challenging living conditions build strong fellowship among
the crew, Thompson explained. The crew is highly motivated, and quickly adapt
to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches, and
drills.
“I've learned the real voyage of discovery is not seeing new
lands, but seeing through new eyes,” said Thompson. “I've kissed the floor of the coliseum and
kissed the feet of Jesus in Rio. I've
sailed on the seven seas, and the world is still bigger and bigger then it even
was in my youth. My vision has seen past
the boarders of Michigan and Pennsylvania and I now think with a global mind.”
“The human condition
isn't unique to individual boarders,” said Thompson. “Laughter is the same in every language. Sorrow is as well, and you realize that this
isn't about ships and aircraft and imaginary lines, but really about the human
conditions. What truly maters is the
human interaction and experience that we share with one another. It takes humans to man this ship and they are
like any others with their good days and bad and it is the people we do this for. When any nation loses site of that they lose
site of themselves.”
Additional information about Rim of the Pacific Exercise is
available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/