PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 3rd Class Ignacio Perez, a native of Temecula, California, serves aboard USS Fitzgerald, a U.S. Navy warship operating out of San Diego, California, and participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jerome Fjeld |
Alvarez graduated from Palo Verde High School in 2016.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Temecula.
“I was raised to treat everyone with respect,” said Alvarez. "My hometown taught me that you get back what you give and the people skills I developed made me very adaptable, which is a great skill to have in the Navy."
Alvarez joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Alvarez serves as a fire controlman (AEGIS).
“I joined the Navy because I was sick of dead-end jobs,” said Alvarez. "I couldn't afford college on my own and I knew the Navy could assist me with that, so here I am."
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, approximately 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will participate in RIMPAC 2024. This exercise provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 marks the 29th exercise in a series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2024 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.” The participating nations and forces exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.
Alvarez plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is a great opportunity to bond with our allies and see the amazing state of Hawaii,” said Alvarez. "I'm working in the galley right now, so my job is to keep everyone fed during this exercise."
Alvarez serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means learning to work hard with the people around you,” said Alvarez. "For me, it is not the job I'm doing, but the people I'm doing it with. These are the most amazing people I've ever been around and they are my friends for life."
Alvarez is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my brother, Ivan, who has been the one to ground me when I'm far from home and lonely,” added Alvarez. "He tells me that I am resilient and I've never given up and now is no time to start."
“I am looking to get into the cyber security field, which has always been a goal of mine,” said Alvarez."I want to get a degree in computer science eventually."
Hosted by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2024 will be led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. John Wade, who will serve as Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. For the first time in RIMPAC history, a member of the Chilean Navy, Commodore Alberto Guerrero, will serve as deputy commander of the CTF. Rear Adm. Kazushi Yokota of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will serve as vice commander. Other key leaders of the multinational force will include Commodore Kristjan Monaghan of Canada, who will command the maritime component, and Air Commodore Louise Desjardins of Australia, who will command the air component.
During RIMPAC, a network of capable, adaptive partners train and operate together in order to strengthen their collective forces and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. RIMPAC 2024 contributes to the increased interoperability, resiliency and agility needed by the Joint and Combined Force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all domains and levels of conflict.More information about RIMPAC is available here: https://www.cpf.navy.mil/RIMPAC/