SASEBO, Japan – A Cumberland, Maryland, native and 2006 Fort Hill High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with the forward-deployed unit, Naval Beach Unit 7.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Hubbard is a hospital corpsman operating forward in Sasebo, Japan.
A Navy hospital corpsman is responsible for the prevention and treatment of disease and injury, assisting health care professionals in providing medical care to personnel, conducting preliminary physical examinations, performing medical administrative, supply and accounting procedures, and maintaining treatment records and reports.
Hubbard is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Cumberland.
“Once you have a goal you should always follow it through and to never lose site. I learned this from my father,” said Hubbard. “I always remember to keep pushing forward, every goal I set for myself I want to accomplish it.”
Hubbard thus far is most proud of his job as a hospital corpsman. He is also proud of being attached to the command. He feels as though this is the right job for him and that the command is the right place for him to be. With his hard work he contributes to the overall mission.
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.
“The operational tempo here is different. I’m used to working with Marines so this is the first time working blue side,” said Hubbard. “The Navy has made me a better person overall. My personal life and family life is where I want it to be.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Hubbard and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I wanted to get stationed here. I enjoy learning the culture,” said Hubbard. “Serving in the Navy has given me opportunities that I’ve never had, the exploring, the education, and the feeling that I’m part of something bigger.”
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.