By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Theodore Quintana, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – A Gaylord, Michigan, native and 2014 Gaylord High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo (CFAS).
Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Walker is a master-at-arms serving with the security department at Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo, operating out of Sasebo, Japan.
“Growing up in a small town, I am used to the close-knit camaraderie that the Navy has,” said Walker. “It made me into a very social person.”
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.
“I like being overseas,” said Walker. “You get to travel and experience different countries and cultures that you are not used to being around.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Walker 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 has given me a greater purpose,” said Walker. “It has made me more structured and more disciplined. I joined at the age of 18 and the structure of the Navy humbled me.”
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.