YOKOSUKA, Japan – Seaman Cyrus Perez, a native of Elysburg, Pennsylvania, said he had always wanted to join the military, and there was one service in particular that came highly recommended by family who had served in it.
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| Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward |
Now, only a year later and half a world away, Perez serves aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam, patrolling one of the world’s busiest maritime regions as part of the leading-edge of U.S. 7th Fleet.
“The ship is interesting, like a small town, everyone knows everyone, everyone's friends, from officers down to the junior enlisted," said Perez. "It's just kind of like a small family.”
Perez, a 2015 graduate of Lewisburg High School, is a culinary specialist aboard the Yokosuka, Japan-based ship, one of three cruisers forward-deployed to the region.
“I serve as cook on watch, make the food, cook the eggs,” he said. “We’re who everyone sees when they're going through the chow line.”
Perez credits his success in the Navy to lessons learned in since setting out from Elysburg.
“You have to have a thick skin, learn from your mistakes and learn how to take constructive criticism,” Perez said. “If you’re criticized a lot, you just have to take it, learn from it, try to get better.”
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 different here,” he said. “It’s clean, people are really nice, everyone's really kind, you deal with the language barrier, you get used to it and learn how to do hand signals and use basic words.”
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 Yokosuka 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."
A Navy cruiser is a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with a vertical launching system, tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns, and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
Approximately 300 men and women serve aboard the ship. Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the cruiser running smoothly, according to Navy officials. They do everything from maintaining gas turbine engines and operating the highly sophisticated Aegis weapons system to driving the ship and operating small boats.
Serving in the Navy means Perez 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.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Perez 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 is worthwhile and it’s a challenge,” he said. “The benefits and the travel, you learn a lot of new things. It can be challenging to follow the chain of command, working from the bottom up, keeping your head on straight when completing so many tasks thrown at you at once.”