SASEBO, Japan – A Carson, California, native and 2016 Carson High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with the forward-deployed unit, Naval Beach Unit 7.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Terryl Laguitan is a culinary specialist operating in Sasebo, Japan.
A Navy culinary specialist is responsible for operating and managing Navy messes and living quarters established to subsist and accommodate Navy personnel.
Laguitan is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Carson.
“The biggest thing I took from my hometown is to treat others like you want to be treated and it's always good to accept other people because Carson is a diverse city,” said Laguitan.
Laguitan’s proudest moment, so far, is his advancement to petty officer third class when he graduated Navy “A” school.
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.
Commissioned in August of 2012, Naval Beach Unit 7 was formed to combine the three forward deployed naval forces detachments in Japan.
Personnel from the command are responsible manning and operating either the landing craft—such as the landing craft air cushion or the landing craft utility—or manage landing operations from the beach.
NBU 7 landing craft serve an important function for the Amphibious Force 7th Fleet in being able to move personnel and equipment from ship to shore.
“Being part of a forward deployed unit allows me to explore the beautiful country of Japan and it gives me plenty of opportunity to visit nearby countries,” said Laguitan. “The Navy has taught me to not be as shy as I was before. Being in the Navy you are forced to communicate with others and in the Navy everyone's opinion matters.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Laguitan and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means, as a culinary specialist, I support everyone else by cooking for them and I feel like I am doing something for the morale of the crew and to make my country safe,” said Laguitan.
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.