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PHILIPPINE SEA— A Sacramento native and 2010 Oakmont High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile destroyer, USS Mustin.
Lt. j.g. Connor Gunning is the assistant supply officer 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.
An assistant supply officer is second-in-command to the supply department on board, led by the supply officer, which contains 45-50 sailors and three supply divisions to include Logistics Specialists, Culinary Specialists, Retail Specialists, and food service attendants.
“I have the opportunity and privilege, every day, to put on the uniform of my country and gain experience leading the most inspiring, hard-working, and motivated sailors I've ever worked with in the Mustin supply department.,” said Gunning. “My junior Supply sailors inspire me daily to do my best and I can rely on my senior enlisted Supply leadership for their council, mentorship, and broad expertise in their respective career fields.”
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.
“Being a part of forward deployed naval forces allows us to receive the complete Navy experience. We see, do, and encounter situations daily that other ships around the world may never face on deployment,” said Gunning. “It's never easy being at the tip of the spear, but it is a challenging experience myself and others on board are grateful to have received.”
Sailors serving abroad in Japan are highly motivated and quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained Navy officials.
“Our actions in defense of freedom of the seas typically have far-reaching effects on global political events,” said Gunning. “Sailors out here typically qualify and advance faster than their contemporaries in continental United States commands.”
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: | 08.16.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2020 03:38 |
| Story ID: | 376091 |
| Location: | PHILIPPINE SEA |
| Hometown: | SACRAMENTO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sacramento, 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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