YOKOSUKA, Japan – Fireman Joshua Koester, a native of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, said becoming a sailor was just something he’d always wanted to do. His father, who was a nuclear mechanic on submarines in the 90s, said it was the greatest decision he ever made, so Joshua followed suit.
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| Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward |
“Overall, everybody is fantastic, the crew is awesone and it just makes the work a lot better,” said Koester.
Koester, a 2018 graduate of Red Lion Area Senior High School, is a machinist's mate aboard the Yokosuka, Japan-based ship, one of several in its class forward-deployed to the region. Right now, Koester is going through the time-honored requirement for new sailors to spend time as a temporary food service attendent, where he’s cleaning dishes, serving the crew and keeping the mess deck clean. Once he pays his dues on the mess deck, he’ll have the opportunity to really begin working on the Navy’s complex vessel propulsion systems.
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 interesting, learning about their daily lives, learning to adapt from America to Japan is going to teach me a lot to bring home," said Koester. "It's on the other side of the world, I never thought I'd be out here.”
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 Koester 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. Koester is most proud of being able to learn something new every day.
“I came into the Navy knowing nothing,” Koester said. “The knowledge I have gained, just in these couple months I’ve been in, it's more than I thought I was capable of, and I'm proud to have been able to do it as well as I have.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Koester and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“Giving all to my country is what I've always been about, and if I can help keep people at home safe, then I feel like I can keep anybody safe,” said Koester.