SASEBO, Japan – Petty Officer 3rd Class Erika Garden, a native of Grants, New Mexico, was looking to make a fresh start somewhere new. She found it in the U.S. Navy.
Now, two years later and half a world away, Garden 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.
“It's busy, especially with being underway a lot,” Garden said. “It can be very stressful, especially since you're far away from home. But you make close friendships because of how difficult the environment can be at times.”
Garden, a 2016 graduate of Grants High School, is an electronics technician aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay in Sasebo, Japan.
“I work on communication equipment,” she said. “I perform preventive and corrective maintenance on our radio equipment to ensure we have stable communications with shore commands and the other ships around us.”
Garden credits some of her success in the Navy to lessons learned since venturing out away from Grants.
“I learned to work even when I didn't want to,” she said. “To always give my best, even when I feel inadequate. As long as I'm living up to my personal standards, that's enough.”
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 strict,” Garden said. “We're in a foreign country and need to try and adhere to their rules. But living in Japan is definitely rewarding, and you get used to it to the point that going back to the U.S. can get a little weird at times.”
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 Garden 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. Garden said she takes pride in the knowledge base she has developed to handle the maintenance of the equipment she works so hard to maintain.
“Not a lot of people understand it or know anything about it,” she said. “It's nice to be someone that people go to for that expertise, especially when you're not high ranking.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Garden and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“It's worthwhile, if you're willing to challenge yourself,” Garden said. “It's not for the faint of heart. You have to really know it's what you want. You get a lot of benefit out of it, as long as you use it to your full advantage. You always have a place to live and a consistent paycheck.”
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| Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward |
“It's busy, especially with being underway a lot,” Garden said. “It can be very stressful, especially since you're far away from home. But you make close friendships because of how difficult the environment can be at times.”
Garden, a 2016 graduate of Grants High School, is an electronics technician aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay in Sasebo, Japan.
“I work on communication equipment,” she said. “I perform preventive and corrective maintenance on our radio equipment to ensure we have stable communications with shore commands and the other ships around us.”
Garden credits some of her success in the Navy to lessons learned since venturing out away from Grants.
“I learned to work even when I didn't want to,” she said. “To always give my best, even when I feel inadequate. As long as I'm living up to my personal standards, that's enough.”
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 strict,” Garden said. “We're in a foreign country and need to try and adhere to their rules. But living in Japan is definitely rewarding, and you get used to it to the point that going back to the U.S. can get a little weird at times.”
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 Garden 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. Garden said she takes pride in the knowledge base she has developed to handle the maintenance of the equipment she works so hard to maintain.
“Not a lot of people understand it or know anything about it,” she said. “It's nice to be someone that people go to for that expertise, especially when you're not high ranking.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Garden and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“It's worthwhile, if you're willing to challenge yourself,” Garden said. “It's not for the faint of heart. You have to really know it's what you want. You get a lot of benefit out of it, as long as you use it to your full advantage. You always have a place to live and a consistent paycheck.”