Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – A Harrison, Georgia, native and 1999 Washington County High School graduate is serving in Japan in the U.S. Navy aboard one of the forward-deployed mine countermeasures ship, USS Chief.
SASEBO, Japan – A Harrison, Georgia, native and 1999 Washington County High School graduate is serving in Japan in the U.S. Navy aboard one of the forward-deployed mine countermeasures ship, USS Chief.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Ladarrell Sampson is a logistics specialist 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 logistics special is responsible for ordering, receiving, inspecting, stowing, preserving, packaging, shipping, and issuing materials and cargo. They perform postal counterwork, including sale of stamps and money orders and process incoming and outgoing mail. They process claims and inquiries, account for government materials, and prepare and maintain required forms, records, correspondence, reports, and files.
Sampson is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Harrison.
“My parents instilled in me the value of hard work," said Sampson. "My dad is the hardest working person I know. I grew up on a farm where we grew fruits and vegetables and sold fire wood in the winter. It was hard work, we would wake up early mornings to work the farm. That hard work I learned helps me today in the Navy.”
Sampson thus far is proud of being a leader to his junior sailors. It makes him proud that they listen to him because of his leadership and knowledge. He feels he does make a difference in the young sailors' lives. One of his recent achievements that he is most proud of is knowing that he can leave his expertise and what he knows about the supply office and leave it with the two people he works with. He has confidence that when he leaves they can operate the supply office the way he did.
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, Chief is 224 feet long and weighs approximately 1,300 tons. Chief 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.
“Forward deployed is very fast paced but I love living in Japan,” said Sampson. “Since joining the Navy I’ve learned a lot about myself over the years. I realize that nothing comes easy, you have to work for everything. You have to give your everything, no matter how big or small the task.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sampson and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I enjoy serving on this ship, the young people I work with, they keep me young,” said Sampson. “I serve to make my family proud, to make my parents proud knowing that I’m doing something positive. Also, I want to be a positive role model to my kids.”
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 logistics special is responsible for ordering, receiving, inspecting, stowing, preserving, packaging, shipping, and issuing materials and cargo. They perform postal counterwork, including sale of stamps and money orders and process incoming and outgoing mail. They process claims and inquiries, account for government materials, and prepare and maintain required forms, records, correspondence, reports, and files.
Sampson is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Harrison.
“My parents instilled in me the value of hard work," said Sampson. "My dad is the hardest working person I know. I grew up on a farm where we grew fruits and vegetables and sold fire wood in the winter. It was hard work, we would wake up early mornings to work the farm. That hard work I learned helps me today in the Navy.”
Sampson thus far is proud of being a leader to his junior sailors. It makes him proud that they listen to him because of his leadership and knowledge. He feels he does make a difference in the young sailors' lives. One of his recent achievements that he is most proud of is knowing that he can leave his expertise and what he knows about the supply office and leave it with the two people he works with. He has confidence that when he leaves they can operate the supply office the way he did.
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, Chief is 224 feet long and weighs approximately 1,300 tons. Chief 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.
“Forward deployed is very fast paced but I love living in Japan,” said Sampson. “Since joining the Navy I’ve learned a lot about myself over the years. I realize that nothing comes easy, you have to work for everything. You have to give your everything, no matter how big or small the task.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sampson and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I enjoy serving on this ship, the young people I work with, they keep me young,” said Sampson. “I serve to make my family proud, to make my parents proud knowing that I’m doing something positive. Also, I want to be a positive role model to my kids.”
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.