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U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS – Everyone knows the structure of a good story; the hero must overcome adversity and come out on top if they ever hope to lead a good life. Life in the real world, not without its fair share of adversity, can sometimes start to align with this basic story organization and become a little hard to believe. This is exactly the case for one Sailor aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5).
Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raymond Minami was born in Massapequa, New York but has his roots firmly planted in Palm Coast, Florida, where he spent a majority of his life prior to joining the Navy in June of 2013.
During his senior year at Matanzas High School, Minami had his mind set on a life of politics. To facilitate his then life goal, Minami took some time off from school to assist in running the campaign of a prospective Florida Governor. Following the campaign, Minami hadn’t had his fill yet and set his sights on running for mayor of Palm Coast, Florida at just 18 years-old, when he didn’t win the election he moved on to attend college.
While attending Daytona State College, his desire to lead a life of politics began to take a backseat, and Minami set his sights on serving his country in a different way and enlisted in the United States Navy.
“When I think of the ideal leader, they have a military background,” said Minami. “So when running for mayor didn’t pan out as I planned, I still wanted to do some type of civil service and joining the military felt like a way to accomplish two goals at one time; I could serve my country and build a political resume simultaneously.”
Minami joined with the intention of being a Submarine navigation electronics technician, but that didn’t work our as planned and he was re-rated to an undesignated seaman serving aboard Bataan’s deck department.
“It really felt like I had hit rock bottom,” said Minami. “I had been training for submarines for so long and suddenly I was needle-gunning and chipping paint. It made me realize my path to success wasn’t going to be an easy one to walk.”
Nearly eight months after arriving aboard Bataan, an opportunity arose for Minami to improve his situation. Representatives from Navy Personnel Command’s fleet engagement team held a job seminar, providing a chance for Norfolk-area undesignated Sailors to acquire a rate, and as soon as Minami heard about it, he knew he had to be there. That was the day Minami became a Mass Communication Specialist (MC).
“It was the greatest moment of my life up to that point,” said Minami. “In my eyes, it was like I had risen from the dead. When I got sent undesignated, I didn’t know what my future entailed. The day I picked up MC was the day my life got back on track.”
Minami shared that there is a kind of stigma about people who strike into a rate without receiving formal training, that they are second rate compared to people who complete “A” school.
“Even though I was no longer undesignated, I still felt like I was constantly having to prove myself,” said Minami. “Through hard work and dedication, I developed the skills and know-how necessary to be competitive in my field.”
Two and a half years later, Minami is a dual warfare qualified third class petty officer working as the material maintenance work center supervisor for the ship’s executive department, performing well above his paygrade and proving that no obstacle is too great for someone with a good attitude.
“I see the Navy as an organization that any one person can change for the better,” said Minami. “All it takes is knowing when to push for what you think is right and not letting people discourage you.”
Like the hero of any good fable, Minami rolled with the punches and never let a bad day get the better of him. With his time aboard Bataan coming to a close, Minami intends to give this story a happy ending and make a name for himself elsewhere in the fleet.
Bataan and its amphibious ready group are deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations to reassure allies and partners, and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2017 07:44 |
| Story ID: | 246684 |
| Location: | U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY |
| Hometown: | PALM COAST, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, BLAZING PATH TO SUCCESS, by PO1 Evan Thompson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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