Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – Petty Officer 1st Class Raveen Davenport, a Wagener, South Carolina, native, joined the Navy wanting to explore the world.
Now, nine years later and half a world away at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Davenport serves at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) / U.S. 5th fleet.
“The best part has been experiencing the different cultures and food,” said Davenport.
Davenport, a graduate of Wagener-Salley High School, is a logistics specialist at U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.
“I handle processing mail, financials, ordering and receiving material and so much more,” said Davenport.
Davenport is a part of Task Force 57, which provides airborne maritime patrol and reconnaissance throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. The task force supports three task groups comprised of over 500 personnel, operating from three countries with three variants of P-3 Orion aircraft and the remotely-piloted Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator (BAMS-D).
Davenport credits success at U.S. 5th Fleet, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Wagener.
“Growing up in a small town, I learned the value of hard work and a dollar,” said Davenport. “I use these values everyday while serving in the Navy and they have made me a better sailor and person.”
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.
“You cannot fly without supplies for aircraft to keep the up and running,” said Davenport.
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 Davenport 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.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Davenport is most proud of advancing in rank.
“I was accelerated to the rank of third class in 2010, and I was meritoriously advanced to the rank of first class,” said Davenport. “I am mostly proud of these because I was hand selected out of several sailors for these promotions. Someone saw that I was hard charging and ready for the next rank.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Davenport and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“My ancestors were forced into slavery and did not have the freedom to serve in the military,” said Davenport. “Serving in the Navy means so much to me because people such as Susie King Taylor fought so hard for women of my color to have that right.”
“The best part has been experiencing the different cultures and food,” said Davenport.
Davenport, a graduate of Wagener-Salley High School, is a logistics specialist at U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.
“I handle processing mail, financials, ordering and receiving material and so much more,” said Davenport.
Davenport is a part of Task Force 57, which provides airborne maritime patrol and reconnaissance throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. The task force supports three task groups comprised of over 500 personnel, operating from three countries with three variants of P-3 Orion aircraft and the remotely-piloted Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator (BAMS-D).
Davenport credits success at U.S. 5th Fleet, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Wagener.
“Growing up in a small town, I learned the value of hard work and a dollar,” said Davenport. “I use these values everyday while serving in the Navy and they have made me a better sailor and person.”
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.
“You cannot fly without supplies for aircraft to keep the up and running,” said Davenport.
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 Davenport 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.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Davenport is most proud of advancing in rank.
“I was accelerated to the rank of third class in 2010, and I was meritoriously advanced to the rank of first class,” said Davenport. “I am mostly proud of these because I was hand selected out of several sailors for these promotions. Someone saw that I was hard charging and ready for the next rank.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Davenport and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“My ancestors were forced into slavery and did not have the freedom to serve in the military,” said Davenport. “Serving in the Navy means so much to me because people such as Susie King Taylor fought so hard for women of my color to have that right.”