Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 1996 Washington Irving High School graduate and Brooklyn, New York, native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jumah Abdulwahhab is a culinary specialist aboard USS Carl Vinson, currently operating out of San Diego.A Navy culinary specialist is responsible for cook and food service manager duties.
Abdulwahhab applies the lessons he learned from Brooklyn to his work in the Navy.
“Overcoming obstacles, doing the right things, timeliness and attention to detail are important aspects I've learned and use in my everyday life,” said Abdulwahhab.
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2018 is Capable, Adaptive, Partners. The participating nations and forces exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.
“During RIMPAC, I want to have a variety of different experiences and try different foods from various cultures,” said Abdulwahhab.
This is the first time Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are participating in RIMPAC. Additional firsts include New Zealand serving as sea combat commander and Chile serving as combined force maritime component commander. This is the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation (Chile) will hold a component commander leadership position.
“My proudest Navy accomplishment has been obtaining my surface warfare pin because you have to know all of the details of ship operations as a whole and by doing so it improves your overall knowledge of all the ship's departments,” said Abdulwahhab.
Twenty-six nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise. This year's exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Abdulwahhab and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy has taught me the importance of believing in yourself as a person and working hard to achieve your dreams,” said Abdulwahhab.
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil