SAN DIEGO – Lt. j.g. Adam Tounkara, a native of Rockville, Maryland, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operating out of San Diego, California.
Tounkara graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in 2019. Additionally, Tounkara graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2022 with a bachelor's degree.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Rockville.
“The people are what make the Navy,” Tounkara said. “Bringing a new perspective to the table allows for creativity and outside-the-box problem solving.”
Tounkara joined the Navy four years ago.
“I joined to grow as a person and a leader, while expanding my career opportunities,” Tounkara said.
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.
Tounkara has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I am proud of the effort I put into helping get my first ship operational and chop into the 7th Fleet,” Tounkara said. “Being an air warfare area lead and building maintenance of the ship’s combat system in the department for an arduous 7th Fleet deployment is a satisfying accomplishment.”
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.
“The Navy is important to me because it allows me to hone my skills as a leader and develop into the kind of person I want to be, while being an example for others,” Tounkara said.
Tounkara is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my dad, Grey Pagura, and my mom, Maria Pagura, for their support,” Tounkara said. “I wouldn’t be here today without them.”