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PHILIPPINE SEA— A Temecula native and Tahquitiz High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile destroyer, USS Mustin.
Airman Carlos Perez is an Aviation Ordinanceman, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 51, serving 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 Aviation Ordinanceman maintains aircraft armament and are in charge of storing, servicing, inspecting and handling of all types of weapons and ammunition carried on naval aircraft.
“I feel like what I do is making a difference out here,” said Perez. “It doesn’t get more real than being where we are. I like being where the action is.”
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.
“I have the best rate in the Navy and the best sailors come to seventh fleet,” said Perez. “We are out so much we can’t help but be the best at what we do.”
Sailors serving abroad in Japan are highly motivated and quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained Navy officials.
“This is really my first time away from the states,” said Perez. “Getting to see the culture and how different the world can be has really been an eye opening experience.”
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.
For more information on Mustin and other forward-deployed ships in Japan, visit https://www.facebook.com/DESRON15.
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2020 02:55 |
| Story ID: | 376088 |
| Location: | PHILIPPINE SEA |
| Hometown: | TEMECULA, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Temecula, Calif. native serves aboard USS Mustin, by PO2 Cody Beam, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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