MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Petty Officer 2nd Class Ramiro Coronado, a Weslaco, Texas, native serving aboard USS Roosevelt, recently earned a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for bringing a vital point defense weapon system back to readiness condition.
"This exponentially assured the safety of Roosevelt and its crew against air-to-surface missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and small craft attacks," Coronado said. "It also kept Roosevelt in its full capacity to defend and support the best percentile completion of our missions in the Red Sea."
The Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal is awarded to members of the Navy and Marine Corps for meritorious service or achievement.
"Being awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal means our work didn't go unnoticed," Coronado said. "Our sacrificed time with our families back home, long days of work and mental stressfulness, and greasy and bloody knuckles putting all these units together to bring a complex weapon system important to the mission back together, was all worth it. Weapons on board Roosevelt are the teeth of the sheep dog, and the teeth are sharp!"
Coronado graduated from Weslaco High School in 2011 and joined the Navy three years ago.
Today, Coronado serves as a fire controlman responsible for operating and maintaining combat and weapon direction systems.
Roosevelt is a Navy destroyer, a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with Tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a Phalanx close-in weapons system.
More than 300 sailors serve aboard Roosevelt. Their jobs are highly specialized, requiring both dedication and skill. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry, along with a multitude of other assignments that keep the ship mission-ready at all times, according to Navy officials.
Roosevelt is the first ship so named to honor both Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
As Coronado and other sailors continue to perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the U.S. Navy and protecting the American way of life.