Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jalen Walton | BREMERTON, Wash. (October 25, 2019) Quartermaster 3rd Class Joel Lopez, assigned to...... read more read more
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BREMERTON, Wash - After graduating from Camino Nuevo High School in 2016, Quartermaster 3rd Class Joel Lopez, a Sailor stationed aboard aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), was the first in his family to steer his life into the military.
"I thought it would be better if I grew up a bit and got some experience under my belt while learning things along the way," said Lopez. "I liked the idea of being a Sailor and exploring new places."
The Los Angeles native's course led him to the Vinson in July 2017 leading into Western Pacific Exercise 2018 and Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2018, which allowed him to grow in his job as a quartermaster as well as explore other countries before the ship's Dry-docked Planned Incremental Availability period began earlier this year.
"When we first got to Bremerton, I knew I wanted to do community service, but I had no idea where to start," said Lopez. "I told myself I'm going to be in Bremerton for a while, and I want to use that time wisely."
Lopez started volunteering with Kitsap County Search Dogs, a nonprofit organization of volunteers and their dogs dedicated to the search and rescue of missing persons, for six hours every Saturday during the group's trainings.
"We'll go somewhere in the woods, or more urban areas like a high school," said Lopez. "We use their parking lot or some structure so we can train the dogs to look for any potential victims that could be lost there. The more training for the dogs, the better."
Lopez works as a hider for the dogs during the trainings. Hiders bring scent articles, a handkerchief for example, which are used to track their location.
"My job is to simply stay very quiet so the dog can do their job," said Lopez. "When they reach me, I can't pet the dog or acknowledge it until it goes back for its rescuer. When they both return, I can touch the dog and give him or her treats so they feel like they've done a good job."
Lopez noted that volunteering with the dogs has been easy to stick with because it serves a grander purpose. If he or a loved one ever went missing, he could feel confident knowing the right people were up for the job.
"It makes me feel a sense of pride," said Lopez. "I'm actually doing something for others, and that always brings me peace and happiness."
Lopez said he feels like community service has been a great way to connect with the Bremerton community while doing something for himself at the same time. He doesn't plan to stop helping the unit, and they're always looking for more volunteers.
| Date Taken: | 12.30.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2019 20:56 |
| Story ID: | 357568 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Carl Vinson Sailor Connects with Community, by PO2 Jalen Walton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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