SAN DIEGO - Petty Officer 2nd Class Luis Melendez, a native of Oviedo, Florida, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operating out of San Diego, California.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Caleb Kissner, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
Melendez graduated from Colonial High School in 2014.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Oviedo.
“I didn’t work before I joined, but I did interact with all sorts of people while I was in high school and that taught me to always keep an open mind,” Melendez said. “What I’ve come to learn is that some people have abrasive personalities, and not everyone is as open to change as you may think. Being able to have an open mind and be open to communication helps me navigate through this job.”
Melendez joined the Navy 10 years ago. Today, Melendez serves as an aviation ordnanceman.
“I joined the Navy because I felt like it would be something I could excel at,” Melendez said. “I didn’t really have any prospects of going to college or picking up a trade. One day, I was going through my drawer in my room, and I saw a pamphlet for the Navy. I went to the recruiting station, and that was it.”
Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s naval forces. For more than 100 years, they have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintained enduring commitments worldwide.
Among the largest warships in the world, Theodore Roosevelt is longer than three football fields at 1,092 feet. The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons. More than 5,000 sailors serve aboard these self-contained mobile airports.
“This aircraft carrier is one of the most powerful warships in the world, but it is our sailors that give the U.S. Navy our warfighting advantage,” said Capt. Will Mathis, commanding officer of Theodore Roosevelt. “For over 250 years, sailors have built the foundation of our readiness and resolve, enabled us to keep America safe and ensured the U.S. Navy remains the strongest and most capable maritime force in the world.”
According to Navy officials, aircraft carriers are versatile and have unique mission capabilities that make them a more strategic asset for the Navy than fixed-site bases. They are often the first response in a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. In addition, no other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility and combat capability of its air wing.
Melendez has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“The Engineering Department recognized me for my hard work when I helped remanage their problem worksheet program while I spent time temporarily assigned to that department and Maintenance Support Control,” Melendez said. “I work hard, and I don’t always get recognized for it. That task specifically was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to tackle, and I was very proud of the job I’d done with it. So it meant a lot when I got praised for it.”
This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence. According to Navy officials, for more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity.
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.
“Serving in the Navy is an opportunity,” Melendez said. “Anyone can join to show off who they want to be as a person, and whether you have an idea or not of who that person is, the Navy gives you the tools to hone it.”
Melendez is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my mom, Denise Cece, because I love her,” Melendez said.