SASEBO, Japan – Seaman Dustin Elwess, a native of Brighton, Colorado, said military service had been his dream “ever since I was little.” He thought the Navy would be a perfect fit.
Now, only a year after enlisting and half a world away, Elwess serves aboard one of the Navy’s newest and most advanced amphibious ships at Fleet Activities Sasebo, patrolling one of the world’s busiest maritime regions as part of U.S. 7th Fleet.
“There's some struggles, but being with people you trust, your friends, helps a lot,” said Elwess.
Elwess, a 2016 graduate of Face High School, is a culinary specialist aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay in Sasebo, Japan.
“I cook for the whole crew, lunch and dinner,” Elwess said. “I like making it my own. If people look at it and see it and love it, they're going to eat it. Looks are the main thing.”
Elwess credits some of his success in the Navy to lessons learned since setting out from Brighton.
“I’ve learned what it means to be a teammate, what it means to be a friend and what it means to be a sailor,” he said. “It means picking up someone who is down and always being there for them.”
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.
“The experience of living in another country is very different,” he said. “You have to learn about a different culture and how they do things.”
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 Elwess 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. Elwess is proud simply to wear the uniform.
“It took me about a year to get in,” he said. ‘I basically just love the idea of serving my country.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Elwess and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“There are some challenges,” he said. “But the teamwork the Navy has, the love for one another, people here are always giving back here, no matter what job they're in. It's one team, one fight.”
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| Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward |
“There's some struggles, but being with people you trust, your friends, helps a lot,” said Elwess.
Elwess, a 2016 graduate of Face High School, is a culinary specialist aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay in Sasebo, Japan.
“I cook for the whole crew, lunch and dinner,” Elwess said. “I like making it my own. If people look at it and see it and love it, they're going to eat it. Looks are the main thing.”
Elwess credits some of his success in the Navy to lessons learned since setting out from Brighton.
“I’ve learned what it means to be a teammate, what it means to be a friend and what it means to be a sailor,” he said. “It means picking up someone who is down and always being there for them.”
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.
“The experience of living in another country is very different,” he said. “You have to learn about a different culture and how they do things.”
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 Elwess 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. Elwess is proud simply to wear the uniform.
“It took me about a year to get in,” he said. ‘I basically just love the idea of serving my country.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Elwess and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“There are some challenges,” he said. “But the teamwork the Navy has, the love for one another, people here are always giving back here, no matter what job they're in. It's one team, one fight.”