By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – An Allentown, Pennsylvania, native and 2015 William Allen High School graduate is serving in Japan in the U.S. Navy aboard one of the forward-deployed mine countermeasures ship, USS Patriot.
Seaman Christopher Ruiz is a quartermaster aboard the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship, operating out of Sasebo, Japan. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships, and be ready to respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.
A Navy quartermaster is responsible for operating electronic navigation equipment to conduct weather observations, determine compass and gyro error, compute tide and tidal current data, keep navigational and oceanographic publications, and keep logs and records. They send and receive visual messages and serve as petty officers in charge of small craft. They serve as assistants to officers of the deck and the navigator and as helmsman and perform ship control. They render “honors and ceremonies” in accordance with national observance and foreign custom.
Ruiz is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Allentown.
“I learned from home to not stay stagnant where you're at, don’t get comfortable, if you get too comfortable you're not going to make it far,” said Ruiz. “I also learned a lot from my brother, he’s like a role model to me.”
Ruiz thus far likes his job and is excited to see what he can do in the future while being stationed on the ship.
Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy's presence in Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
With a crew of more than 80, USS Patriot is 224 feet long and weighs approximately 1,300 tons. USS Patriot is one of the Navy’s 11 Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships that are designed to neutralize mines from vital waterways and harbors. There are four minesweepers in Sasebo as part of the forward-deployed mine countermeasures force that are on-call to respond in the event of a mine-clearing operation in the Indo-Pacific.
MCMs in Sasebo routinely operate with allies and partners to build mine countermeasures proficiency and sustain our alliances.
“It's hard being away from my wife and family, but I like the pace of the workload, the day to day work," said Ruiz. "I like how it's a smaller tight knit community here. It's given me more responsibility being in the Navy. Back home I was stuck on my ways and I had no direction in what I wanted to do. It's made me a better person for sure. I now have something to give myself and my family.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Ruiz and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“At first I joined because I wanted to follow in my brother's footsteps by joining the military, he joined the Marines," said Ruiz. "Now I serve more for my family. I want my wife and my family to be comfortable, that's my main motivation to be out here, is for her and our future family.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors in the 7th Fleet.
A Navy quartermaster is responsible for operating electronic navigation equipment to conduct weather observations, determine compass and gyro error, compute tide and tidal current data, keep navigational and oceanographic publications, and keep logs and records. They send and receive visual messages and serve as petty officers in charge of small craft. They serve as assistants to officers of the deck and the navigator and as helmsman and perform ship control. They render “honors and ceremonies” in accordance with national observance and foreign custom.
Ruiz is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Allentown.
“I learned from home to not stay stagnant where you're at, don’t get comfortable, if you get too comfortable you're not going to make it far,” said Ruiz. “I also learned a lot from my brother, he’s like a role model to me.”
Ruiz thus far likes his job and is excited to see what he can do in the future while being stationed on the ship.
Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy's presence in Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
With a crew of more than 80, USS Patriot is 224 feet long and weighs approximately 1,300 tons. USS Patriot is one of the Navy’s 11 Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships that are designed to neutralize mines from vital waterways and harbors. There are four minesweepers in Sasebo as part of the forward-deployed mine countermeasures force that are on-call to respond in the event of a mine-clearing operation in the Indo-Pacific.
MCMs in Sasebo routinely operate with allies and partners to build mine countermeasures proficiency and sustain our alliances.
“It's hard being away from my wife and family, but I like the pace of the workload, the day to day work," said Ruiz. "I like how it's a smaller tight knit community here. It's given me more responsibility being in the Navy. Back home I was stuck on my ways and I had no direction in what I wanted to do. It's made me a better person for sure. I now have something to give myself and my family.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Ruiz and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“At first I joined because I wanted to follow in my brother's footsteps by joining the military, he joined the Marines," said Ruiz. "Now I serve more for my family. I want my wife and my family to be comfortable, that's my main motivation to be out here, is for her and our future family.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors in the 7th Fleet.