Photo By Staff Sgt. Richard Hoppe | Seaman Morgan Pilgreen stands in front of the MK45 5”/62 Caliber gun aboard the USS...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba— Voices echo shallowly across confined, bluish-grey, metal halls and stairwells as shoulders tightly squeeze by, grazing one another in passing. For some service members, imagining a deployment in these conditions may cause slight anxiety. For others, like Morgan Pilgreen, a U.S. Navy Operations Specialist Seaman assigned to USS JASON DUNHAM, it’s just another league in the sea.
USS JASON DUNHAM (DDG 109), an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer home ported in Norfolk, Virginia, recently made a port visit to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The destroyer, named after Cpl. Jason Dunham, United States Marine Corps, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his service during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and its crew are being deployed to support U.S. Naval operations in the 4th and 6th Fleet area of responsibility.
Pilgreen, a 20-year-old from Savannah, Georgia, works in the ship’s Combat Information Center tracking radar systems, other ships and vessels in the area and identifying friend or foe. Pilgreen said she joined the Navy in order to travel and wanted to do something honorable but different. With her father having previously been in the U.S. Army and her sister getting ready to be deployed, Pilgreen adds to her family’s growing capacity of honor and service.
After “A” School, or Apprentice School, where Sailors begin learning their job before joining the fleet, Pilgreen was assigned to USS JASON DUNHAM. Pilgreen will celebrate two years aboard the destroyer in August. In such a small amount of time, Pilgreen has already travelled up and down the East Coast of the U.S., made port visits in the U.K. and has gained much experience aboard the destroyer.
“I feel like I’m learning a lot,” Pilgreen said. “I’m learning how to do maintenance on a ship … how to firefight … I feel like I have all these things that I know at a young age.”
Many young adults her age are going to college; some are forced to take out loans or pay out-of-pocket for their classes. U.S. Navy ships offer college courses, assistance and other educational opportunities, so Sailors don’t have to worry about missing out while away from home or during their time at sea. Pilgreen said she plans on taking college courses in the future as well as seeing where her career in the Navy will take her.
“I’m planning on seeing how far I can get,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of opportunity within my rate, so I’m looking forward to seeing
what more I can do.”
Pilgreen said one of her favorite experiences was conducting live-fire Naval Surface Fire Support during an exercise in which the crew of USS JASON DUNHAM worked with U.S. Marines and NATO forces off the coast of Northern Scotland. Pilgreen played an essential part of the crew’s success during the exercise, which utilized the ships MK-45 5”/62 Caliber gun, firing 5-inch rounds at targets on a nearby beach, clearing a path and making way for the Marines.
“All that work we had to do and all the stress … and actually getting to see it happen, and making something go boom,” Pilgreen said, “that was the coolest thing.”
Pillgreen’s eyes lit up when she pointed out the MK45 on the deck of the ship and explained her enthusiasm during the exercise. With such enthusiasm and dedication, many young Service members today honor fallen heroes like Cpl. Jason Dunham.
“Always Faithful Always Strong” – Motto of the USS JASON DUNHAM (DDG 109)
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2015 11:07 |
| Story ID: | 155792 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 197 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sailor discovers opportunity aboard Destroyer USS Jason Dunham, by SSG Richard Hoppe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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