SASEBO, Japan – A Paranaque, Philippines, native and 2003 Westbury School, New York, graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with the forward-deployed unit, Naval Beach Unit 7.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Edgar Gerard Rodriguez is a culinary specialist operating in Sasebo, Japan.
A Navy culinary specialist is responsible for operating kitchen and dining facilities, budgeting for food service management, and ensuring morale aboard the ship.
Rodriguez is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Paranaque.
“My parents taught me to trust in God and to be respectful. What I learned from them helped prepare me for the military, helps with how we handle ourselves in the military,” said Rodriguez. “My dad would always tell me to dream big and stay humble.”
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.
“I feel honored being at this command because not everyone gets the opportunity to come out here and be a part of Seventh Fleet missions,” said Rodriguez. “It’s challenging but at the same time you learn so much, it builds you as a person.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Rodriguez and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Joining the Navy has definitely made me more responsible. Even when I joined late in my life, it’s given me structure and direction in life,” said Rodriguez. “One of the reasons why I joined was to be a better provider to my wife and our future family, and the Navy has given me the opportunity to do that. There’s a low percentage of people serving the country, so I feel proud of that and feel like I’m making my family proud.”
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.