Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2012 Pasquotank County High School graduate and Elizabeth City, North Carolina, 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 Elene Newhook is a culinary specialist attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 2, The Bounty Hunters, currently operating out of Lemoore, California. A Navy culinary specialist is responsible for the morale of the ship and providing dining services to fellow sailors.
“Everyone's gotta eat,” said Newhook. “I am responsible for running the galley and making sure everything is properly cooked.”
Newhook applies the lessons she learned from Elizabeth City to her work in the Navy.
“I learned my work ethic from my parents,” said Newhook. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice things you want to do in order to get the job done.”
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.
“I am looking forward to meeting a lot of different people,” said Newhook. “I can see how other nations' navies work and gain new experiences. I will be a part of history.”
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.
“I have achieved a lot of personal and professional goals,” said Newhook. “I did not think I would get to where I am.”
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, Newhook and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I have learned a lot since joining the Navy,” said Newhook. “I have become more assertive with helping people.”
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil