Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A 2016 Prince George High School graduate and Prince George, Virginia, native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Fireman Braden Nicol is a hull maintenance technician aboard USS O'Kane, currently operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. A Navy hull maintenance technician is responsible for operating and maintaining the waste system onboard the ship as well as welding.
Nicol applies the lessons he learned from Prince George to his work in the Navy.
“Hard work ethic is something I learned from my father growing up,” said Nicol.
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 looking forward to experiencing the local culture and seeing different attractions while I am working in this exercise in Hawaii,” said Nicol.
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.
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, Nicol and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I'm proud to carry on my family's legacy of service while growing as a person both personally and professionally,” said Nicol.
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil