Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – Petty Officer 1st Class Karen Lee, a Beaumont, California, native, joined the Navy to do something different.
Now, 15 years later and half a world away at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Lee serves at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) / U.S. 5th fleet.
“I am responsible for getting the awards and evaluations and other administrative tasks done not only for our command, but for the Coast Guard as well,” said Lee.
Lee, a graduate of California State University Fullerton, is a yeoman at U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.
“I am responible for administrative and personnel support,” said Lee. “I assist with over 2,000 sailors' and Coast Guardsmens' administrative matters to ensure their records are up to date and accurate.”
Lee credits success at U.S. 5th Fleet, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Beaumont.
“I believe one of the most valuable lessons from my hometown is that I care and apply each day is how to communicate,” said Lee.
U.S. 5th Fleet directs naval operations to ensure maritime security and stability in the Central Region, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean through the western Indian Ocean. They work with partner nations to ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in international waterways.
The Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of ocean, and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 20 countries, includes three critical choke points; the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
Serving in the Navy means Lee is part of a 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.
A key element of the Navy is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“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.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Lee and other Sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy has afforded me with an indescribable experience and opportunity I would not have imagined possible if not I had joined,” said Lee. “As a reservist, I am able to serve my country while continuing to maintain my civilian job which allows me to travel and meet a lot of great people and visit new places.”
“I am responsible for getting the awards and evaluations and other administrative tasks done not only for our command, but for the Coast Guard as well,” said Lee.
Lee, a graduate of California State University Fullerton, is a yeoman at U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.
“I am responible for administrative and personnel support,” said Lee. “I assist with over 2,000 sailors' and Coast Guardsmens' administrative matters to ensure their records are up to date and accurate.”
Lee credits success at U.S. 5th Fleet, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Beaumont.
“I believe one of the most valuable lessons from my hometown is that I care and apply each day is how to communicate,” said Lee.
U.S. 5th Fleet directs naval operations to ensure maritime security and stability in the Central Region, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean through the western Indian Ocean. They work with partner nations to ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in international waterways.
The Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of ocean, and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 20 countries, includes three critical choke points; the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
Serving in the Navy means Lee is part of a 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.
A key element of the Navy is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“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.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Lee and other Sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy has afforded me with an indescribable experience and opportunity I would not have imagined possible if not I had joined,” said Lee. “As a reservist, I am able to serve my country while continuing to maintain my civilian job which allows me to travel and meet a lot of great people and visit new places.”