Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2015 Cheltenham High School graduate and Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 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 3rd Class Roslee Went is an aviation electronics technician attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 34, currently operating out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. A Navy aviation electronics technician is responsible for taking care of the avionics equipment of the aircraft.
Went applies the lessons learned from Elkins Park to working in the Navy.
“I definitely learned to be open minded while growing up,” said Went. "Everyone has different backgrounds, and they can teach you so much."
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'm glad to be back in Hawaii,” said Went. "I'm most looking forward to going skydiving while I get some free time here."
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'm proud of making third class petty officer my first time taking the test,” said Went. "It's incredibly rewarding."
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, Went and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I've learned patience and admiration for my country since I've been in the Navy,” said Went. “Serving in the Navy means everything. Without it, I wouldn't be able to experience all the cultures I have, or meet all the great people I have.”
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil