By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jerry Jimenez, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 2nd Class Caylee Wright, a native of Wallace, South Carolina, serves the U.S. Navy aboard a U.S. Navy warship operating out of San Diego, California.
SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 2nd Class Caylee Wright, a native of Wallace, South Carolina, serves the U.S. Navy aboard a U.S. Navy warship operating out of San Diego, California.
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Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sang Kim, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West |
Wright joined the Navy five years ago. Today, Wright serves as a fire controlman aboard USS Princeton.
“I joined the Navy because I wanted to travel and my dad was also in the Navy so I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” said Wright. “I was also in Reserve Officers' Training Corps and my instructor inspired me to join the military.”
Wright attended Cheraw High School and graduated in 2017. Today, Wright relies upon lessons learned in Wallace to succeed in the military.
“Growing up, I learned to treat everyone with mutual respect and to try to keep an open mind because not everyone has the same background as you,'' said Wright.
These lessons have helped Wright while serving aboard USS Princeton.
USS Princeton is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser and the sixth ship in a proud series of U. S. Navy ships to honor the name Princeton. The sixth USS Princeton was commissioned in 1989 in Pascagoula, Mississippi on February 11, 1989.
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers are tactical multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, as well as humanitarian assistance, according to Navy officials.
Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, cruisers provide the required warfighting expertise and operational flexibility to execute any task overseas.
Serving in the Navy means Wright is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“The Navy supports national defense by keeping our presence known around the world,” said Wright. “We're ready to support in any way possible with whatever the nation needs from us.”
More than 90 percent of all trade travels by sea, and fiber optic cables on the ocean floor carry 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic.
Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to ready sailors and a strong Navy.
“Maintaining the world’s best Navy is an investment in the security and prosperity of the United States, as well as the stability of our world,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. “The U.S. Navy – forward deployed and integrated with all elements of national power – deters conflict, strengthens our alliances and partnerships and guarantees free and open access to the world’s oceans. As the United States responds to the security environment through integrated deterrence, our Navy must continue to deploy forward and campaign with a ready, capable, combat-credible fleet.”
“The Surface Force will continue to meet the challenge of strategic competition and respond to the realities of the modern security environment,” said Commander of Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener. “Our efforts are critical to preserve freedom of the seas, deter aggression and win wars.”
Sailors like Wright have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.
“I come from a really big family, and I’m proud of making them proud, especially my mom and my dad,” said Wright.
As Wright and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy means you're making a huge sacrifice of your time and your energy by being away from family to protect them and the county,” added Wright. “A lot of people don't see how much work goes into having the Navy battle ready. Serving in the Navy takes a lot of courage in a person. We work in really extreme environments for the sake of our loved ones and our country and I think that's very honorable.”