Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2014 Columbia High School graduate and Decatur, Georgia, 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 Duntavious Compton is a damage controlman aboard USS Carl Vinson, currently operating out of San Diego.A Navy damage controlman is responsible for firefighting and maintenance duties as well as responding to a variety of casualty situations.
Compton applies the lessons he learned from Decatur to his work in the Navy.
“I’ve learned personal responsibility and ownership as well as accountability and maturity," said Compton. "These aspects helped me adapt quickly and keep an open mind to learn as much as I can.”
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’m looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing new cultures to broaden my horizons,” said Compton.
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 achievement has been obtaining the rank of petty officer second class in such a short period of time,” said Compton.
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, Compton and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy means a great deal to me because it's such a great opportunity to grow both personally and professionally,” said Compton. “The experiences help you grow as a person and gives you a better understanding of life.”
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil