Cana Native Awarded Champ of the Week Aboard USS Lake Champlain

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan Serpico | 170309-N-FT178-142 SASEBO, Japan (March 17, 2017) Capt. Chris Cegielski, commanding officer of Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), from Cheektowaga, New York, left, poses for a portrait with Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Jesse Pedrero, from Cana, Virginia, after naming him Champ of the Week for the week of Feb. 27-March 3. Lake Champlain is on a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of the U.S. 3rd Fleet in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific regularly and routinely for more than 70 years. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan K. Serpico/Released)  

SASEBO, JAPAN

03.09.2017

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Serpico 

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

Pedrero was selected for the week of February 27 – March 3 for his outstanding work performance while underway during Carl Vinson Strike Group’s Western Pacific Deployment.

“Petty Officer Pedrero stepped up to the plate as the Lake Champlain’s primary aviation supervisor and knocked it out of the park,” said Capt. Chris Cegielski, commanding officer of Lake Champlain. “His dedication to job and motivation to be the best has helped him to stand out from the already talented crew we have onboard.”

Pedrero was given a certificate to mark his achievement and was also presented with a challenge coin from Cegielski.

“He personally inspected 135 pieces of critical aviation equipment that ensured Lake Champlain maintained the highest standards of safety and readiness for the conduct of aviation operations,” said Cegielski. “Furthermore, he led a team of three Sailors executing over 128 man hours of preservation over the course of three days that not only allowed Lake Champlain to look good, but ensured the continuous conduct of safe flight operations in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility.”

Pedrero firmly believes in working hard and working together to accomplish a mission.

“The Sailors I lead are hard driving men and women,” said Pedrero. “Without them nothing would truly get done. I’m honored to have the respect and loyalty of the people under me. They are the true champs.”

Pedrero graduated from Carroll County High School in 2011 and joined the U.S. Navy in 2012.

Lake Champlain is on a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of the U.S. 3rd Fleet in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have regularly patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific for more than 70 years and will continue to do so. Carl Vinson has deployed to the region several times, starting with a deployment to the Western Pacific in 1983, a year after commissioning. Most recently in 2015, Vinson conducted port visits and exercises with regional navies in the South China Sea.


U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. Third Fleet constantly coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security, and stability throughout the entire Pacific theater of operations.

Commissioned August 12, 1988, Lake Champlain is named after the Battle of Lake Champlain, also known as the Battle of Plattsburgh. The Battle of Lake Champlain ended the final invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812 and denied the British leverage to demand exclusive control over the Great Lakes and any territorial gains against the New England states.

For more information please visit the ship’s website:
http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg57/Pages/default.aspx or
http://www.facebook.com/UssLakeChamplain/

-USN-

• Date Taken: 03.09.2017
• Date Posted: 03.24.2017 18:48
• Story ID: 227644
• Location: SASEBO, JP
• Hometown: CANA, VA, US