SASEBO, Japan – Petty Officer 3rd Class Henry Clark, a native of Fresno, California, said there weren’t a whole lot of jobs available here he lived, so he turned to service in the U.S. Navy.
“At first, I just wanted to see how it would go,” he said.
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| Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward |
“It's busy,” he said. “Being forward deployed, we do a lot of operations, and when we're out to sea, every day is something new. The crew becomes like a second family. We've all got each other's backs here. If anyone needed anything, we'd be right there for them.”
Clark, a 2015 graduate of Washington Union High School, is a damage controlman aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay in Sasebo, Japan.
“I perform maintenance on firefighting equipment and I’m on standby to deal with fires,” he said. “We don't have many, but we have floodings every other month or so. We have dewatering equipment we rig up and shoot it overboard.”
Clark credits some success in the Navy to lessons learned since venturing out far from Fresno.
“No matter how hard it gets, it's just a job,” he said. “Every job is different, this one just takes a little more.”
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.
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 Clark 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. Clark is proud to have helped during a crash response when he was working on the flight deck. He said the crew’s quick action saved dozens of lives.
“It felt good, like I was making a difference,” he said, noting that he could not remember certain parts of the ordeal. “It could have been much worse. [The Osprey] was about to crash into the flight deck, and we all had to go run and hide. The rotor blades hit the deck and exploded and then it skidded over the side. We were throwing anything we could out there to help them as they were sinking.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Clark and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“When you join, you're welcomed into a brotherhood where everyone’s there for you,” he said. “Everyone's got different jobs, but we're all here together. They're not only helping you in the work world, they're helping in your home world, too.”