U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rusty Pang
PEARL HARBOR – There’s a U.S. Navy ship unlike most floating in the waters of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. It's a Navy warship that honors the name of a female who has set the standard of excellence for those who have followed.
During this Women’s History Month of March, a Houston sailor and 2018 Sterling Aviation High School graduate is serving aboard USS Hopper, named for Rear Adm. Grace Hopper.
Seaman Recruit Dashauna Doyle has served in the Navy for one year and works as a Navy operations specialist aboard the Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile destroyer.
Doyle credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Houston.
“Growing up in Houston I learned that hard work pays off,” said Doyle. “This lesson has really helped me in the Navy. Being a section leader in 'A' school, this lesson helped me by learning to lead other sailors and has really set me up for success.”
The sailors’ jobs aboard USS Hopper are highly specialized, requiring dedication and skill. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignments keeping the ship mission-ready at all times.
As a Navy operations specialist, Doyle is responsible for navigating the ship through waterways and open oceans.
More than 300 sailors serve aboard the ship named for the pioneering computer scientist who served in the Navy for 43 years.
Though Rear Adm. Hopper joined the Naval Reserves in 1943 after being an associate professor of mathematics at Vassar College, retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of commander at the end of 1966. She was recalled to active duty in August 1967 for a six-month period that turned into an indefinite assignment. From 1967 to 1977, Hopper served as the director of the Navy Programming Languages Group in the Navy's Office of Information Systems Planning and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1973. Hopper was promoted to commodore by special Presidential appointment in 1983. In 1985, the rank of commodore was renamed rear admiral lower half. She retired from the Navy on August 14, 1986. Owing to the breadth of her accomplishments and her naval rank, she is sometimes referred to as "Amazing Grace."
“Serving aboard a ship named for a female who was a pioneer computer scientist means a lot to me," said Doyle. "It’s an honor to serve aboard one of the only ships in the Navy named after such an incredible woman.”
Navy guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission ships, equipped with tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons systems, that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea.
Being stationed in Pearl Harbor, often referred to as the gateway to the Pacific in defense circles, means Doyle is serving in a part of the world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances, and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world's population, many of the world's largest and smallest economies, several of the world's largest militaries, and many U.S. allies. The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Doyle is most proud of graduating from “A” school.
“It really meant a lot when I graduated because I went through a lot of training to become an operations specialist, I finally earned a Navy career field to work towards,” said Doyle. “I really liked graduating because it meant that I could start my Navy career and finally go out to my ship and be a part of the fleet.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Doyle and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy has provided me with opportunities that most people never get the chance to experience," added Doyle. "Not a lot of people could say they have traveled as much as I have been able to, especially at such a young age. The opportunities the Navy has provided has been one of the best perks of joining.”