Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2012 United High School graduate and Laredo, Texas, 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 Antonio Cervantes is an aviation machinist's mate attached to Electric Attack Squadron136, currently operating out of Oak Harbor, Washington.
A Navy aviation machinist's mate is responsible for reparing and maintaining jet engines.
Cervantes applies the lessons he learned from Laredo to his work in the Navy.
“I have learned integrity,” said Cervantes. “You admit when you mess up. No one is perfect. I've made mistakes but I own up to them. That makes me feel like a better sailor.”
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 want to meet a lot of people from different countries during this exercise,” said Cervantes.
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 am proud of becoming a thrid class petty officer,” said Cervantes.
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, Cervantes 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 to have the courage to do what's right even when no one is looking,” said Cervantes
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil