Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Heidi Cheek
SAN DIEGO – A Kenai, Alaska, native and 2014 Kenai Central High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island.
Weeks credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Kenai.
“I was taught to work hard growing up,” said Weeks. “I was taught to be accepting to all walks of life. I was eager to meet new people when I came into the Navy.”
Makin Island, one of the Navy’s most advanced and largest amphibious ships, is designed to deliver Marines and their equipment where they are needed to support a variety of missions ranging from amphibious assaults to humanitarian relief efforts.
The ship, which resembles a small aircraft carrier, is longer than two football fields at 847 feet, is 106 feet wide and weighs more than 41,000 tons fully loaded. It has gas turbine engines and two variable speed electric motors that can push the ship through the water in excess of 20 knots. It can carry more than 12 helicopters and six fixed-wing aircraft.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Makin Island. More than 1,000 men and women make up the ship's crew, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly, from handling weaponry to maintaining the engines. An additional 1,700 Marines can be embarked. It is capable of transporting Marines and landing them where they are needed via helicopters, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and landing craft.
“Makin Island is one of the most advanced warships on the waterfront, but she’s nothing without her crew,” said Capt. David Oden, commanding officer of Makin Island. “They’ve proved themselves time and time again, and their level of professionalism and dedication is second to none.”
These amphibious assault ships project power from the sea serving as the cornerstone of the amphibious ready group. Makin Island was delivered to the Navy in April 2009 and is the first U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship to be equipped with both gas turbines and auxiliary propulsion system instead of steam boilers.
These ships support special operations and expeditionary warfare missions, transporting U.S. Marines from sea to shore through a combination of aircraft and water landing craft. Because of their inherent capabilities, these ships have been and will continue to be called upon to support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice.
Weeks has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My mother and grandfather were both in Navy,” said Weeks. “It was a family heritage thing hearing about the Navy. My grandfather spent his whole career in the Navy. His influence made it seem like the greatest choice. So far, it has been the best choice I have made. I wanted to live up to that family heritage and be able to hold my head high.”
Weeks has found many great rewards in the Navy, and is particularly proud of being a part of the crew that earned the ship a Battle E award in 2017 during deployment.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Weeks and other Makin Island sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“Serving in the Navy means being able to be a part of something bigger than myself,” added Weeks. “It means I can give back to this great nation of the United States. I have my hand in the world and the ability to change it.”