By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – A Long Beach, California, native and 2016 Summit High School graduate is serving in Japan in the U.S. Navy aboard USS Germantown.
Seaman Carlos Rivas is a yeoman aboard the ship operating out of Sasebo, Japan.
A Navy yeoman is responsible for performing administrative and clerical work aboard the ship. They deal with visitors, coordinate worldwide travel, submit passport applications, and handle various forms of military correspondence.
Rivas is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Long Beach.
“My aunt, she and I were really close, she always told me before she passed to always have a smile on your face,” said Rivas. “Everyone who knows me, knows that I’m always smiling and happy.”
Rivas thus far has taken over as work center supervisor for the administration department. He is proud to be in charge of the admin team. He has a sense of ownership. He feels more involved with the department as well as 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.
Commissioned in 1986, Germantown is the second Navy ship named after the Revolutionary War Battle of Germantown. With a crew of more than 900 sailors and Marines, Germantown is 609 feet long and weighs approximately 16,000 tons. Designed specifically to operate landing craft air cushion small craft vessels, Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships have the largest capacity for these landing craft out of any U.S. Navy amphibious ship.
“There’s always ups and downs in our work schedule. This type of work and stress can define if you are ready for the Navy or not,” said Rivas. “But the overall experience of it all, it’s an experience I think everyone should have. I’ve become more independent since joining the Navy. Also, serving in the Navy means that I’m proud to serve my country.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Rivas and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I enjoy the people I work with,” said Rivas. “Some people keep me motivated to work harder take on more tasks.”
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.