YOKOSUKA, Japan – Petty Officer 1st Class Purnell Richardson Jr., a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said that joining the Navy was the first major decision he ever made for himself. He had attended college because his parents wanted it, and when he decided to switch gears, he said it was rough.
 |
| Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward |
Now, 11 years later and half a world away at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Richardson serves aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur, patrolling one of the world’s busiest maritime regions as part of the leading-edge of U.S. 7th Fleet.
“It’s very busy, especially here, where there’s lots of drills, inspections all the time, more than I had ever previously experienced,” he said.
Richardson, a 2001 graduate of Harrisburg Christian High School, is a ship's serviceman aboard the Yokosuka, Japan-based ship, one of several in its class forward-deployed to the region.
“I handle customer services – retail, the ship store, the barber shop, and the laundry. I’m the leading petty officer for a division with nine sailors,” he said. “That's fun and challenging. I love helping people in general, you get to leave a mark as a leader. They either like it or they don’t, you help either make or break their career. I like the challenge.”
Richardson credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned since his days in Harrisburg.
“You have to be always trying to better yourself and willing to seek out mentors,” he said. “The Navy helped me with public speaking, and how to help a bunch of strangers work together to achieve a common goal. Coaching junior varsity basketball, I learned how to seek out and figure out who can do what to contribute to the team.”
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 culture here is great, it's safe,” Richardson said. “Where I'm from, you don't feel safe every day. Someone lost their wallet when I first got here, the taxi brought it back to them, it's different than what's on TV.”
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."
Destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. They are 510 feet long and armed with tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, Standard Missile-3 and newer variants of the SM missile family, advanced gun systems and close-in gun systems.
Destroyers are deployed globally and can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, or amphibious readiness groups. Their presence helps the Navy control the sea. Sea control is the precondition for everything else the Navy does. It cannot project power, secure the commons, deter aggression, or assure allies without the ability to control the seas when and where desired.
Curtis Wilbur has anti-aircraft capability armed with long range missiles intended for air defense to counter the threat to friendly forces posed by manned aircraft, anti-ship, cruise and tactical ballistic missiles.
Serving in the Navy means Richardson 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. Richardson is most proud of earning the rank of first class pretty officer quickly in a rate where that's difficult to do.
“There were only five of us who advanced, and I was only in the Navy for six years at that point,” he said. “I was very proud of that moment.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Richardson and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“I get asked about the Navy all the time,” he said. “Do it for yourself. Realize the sacrifice. Yes, you want to travel the world, but it's mission first. Set goals for yourself, whether you're a short timer or not, it's what you make of it, so make the best of it.”