SASEBO, Japan – Seaman Amani Simms, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, said he wanted something better from his life and wanted to attend college eventually. He said a military recruiter came to his high school and he “thought it didn't sound too bad.” Later, he met a Navy chief logistics specialist who sold him on joining the service.
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| Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward |
“There's a lot of people on board,” Simms said. “It can be stressful sometimes, but all in all, you make a lot of friends, so I wouldn't say it’s bad.”
Simms, a 2017 graduate of Severna Park High School, is a logistics specialist aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay in Sasebo, Japan.
“I handle money for ordering parts and for making off-ship purchases, and I receive, issue and process parts to different workstations around the ship,” said Simms.
Simms credits some success in the Navy to lessons learned since trekking off from Baltimore.
“I’ve learned how to work harder,” he said. “Being lazy gets nothing done at all. If you want to get something done, you have to do it yourself.”
U.S. 7th Fleet spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors.
“It's Japan,” Simms said. “I've always wanted to go, mostly from watching anime. I’ve tried sushi and all the different food here, it's good. You get to compare a different lifestyle to how you have lived. You get to go a lot of places here - Australia, Thailand, that's pretty cool.”
With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy's presence in Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment.
"The Navy is forward-deployed to provide security and strengthen relationships in a free and open Indo-Pacific. It's not just the ships and aircraft that have shown up to prevent conflict and promote peace," said Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. "It is, and will continue to be our people who define the role our Navy plays around the world. People who've made a choice, and have the will and strength of character to make a difference."
These ships support missions from sea to shore, special operations and other warfare missions. They also serve as secondary aviation platforms. Because of their inherent capabilities, these ships have been and will continue to be called upon to support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice, according to Navy officials.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Green Bay. More than 400 men and women make up the ship's crew, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly, from handling weaponry to maintaining the engines. An additional 700 Marines can be embarked. Green Bay is capable of transporting Marines and landing them where they are needed using helicopters, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and other water-to-shore craft.
Serving in the Navy means Simms 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 the nation needs 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.”
There are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career. Simms is most proud of learning to handle the ship’s financial transactions.
“When I first started, I struggled with it, and it didn’t think I was going to be able to handle it,” Simms said. “But I've been happy to figure out that part of the job.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Simms and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“You get to help people in the Navy,” he said. “There's also a lot of things you might not be able to do in the civilian world that you can do here. And it helps you pay for college.”