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A Cayey native is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile destroyer, USS Mustin, maintaining radar systems and network systems.
Petty Officer Third Class Diana Mendozadiaz is an Electronics Technician aboard the forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer operating out of Yokosuka, Japan. Mustin is one of six destroyers forward-deployed to Yokosuka.
Approximately 300 men and women serve aboard the ship. Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the destroyer running smoothly, according to Navy officials. They do everything from maintaining gas turbine engines and operating the highly sophisticated Aegis weapons system to driving the ship and operating small boats.
A Navy Electronics Technician is responsible for electronic equipment used to send and receive messages, computer information systems, and calibration of test equipment. They maintain, repair, calibrate, tune, and adjust electronic equipment used for communications, detection and tracking, recognition and identification and navigation.
“Electronics Technician was out of my comfort zone, before I joined the Navy I didn’t even know what a capacitor looked like,” said Mendozadiaz . “I’ve learned so much, from the complexity of our equipment to how it is integrated into so many other systems.”
With more than 50 percent of the world’s shipping tonnage and a third of the world’s crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world.
Forward-deployed Sailors are crucial to the success of the global navy mission and earn high praise from their leaders.
“The forward deployed operation tempo is definitely a challenge,” said Mendozadiaz. “We are always at it. You have to know your stuff because if our gear goes down it is go time for us.”
Sailors serving abroad in Japan are highly motivated and quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained Navy officials.
“It’s awesome being able to come so far from home and represent a place I love,” said Mendozadiaz. “Working alongside all these other countries, it really makes you feel like you are doing something important.”
A U.S. Navy destroyer is a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with a vertical launching system, tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and Phalanx close-in weapons systems.
Sailors play a vital role in the overall military mission around the world.
Mustin is operating as part of the Ronald Reagan Strike Group in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of its allies and partners in the region.
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| Date Taken: | 08.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2020 02:27 |
| Story ID: | 376065 |
| Location: | PHILIPPINE SEA |
| Hometown: | CAYEY, PR |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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