Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Rawad Madanat | 210602-N-JW440-1077 PHILIPPINE SEA (June 2, 2021) Side boys salute Vice Adm. Bill...... read more read more
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PHILIPPINE SEA (June 2, 2021) – U.S. 7th Fleet Commander, Vice Adm. Bill Merz visited the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), June 2, which is currently deployed as part of Task Force 70/Carrier Strike Group 5.
While aboard, Merz highlighted the important work Shiloh Sailors provide to the Navy and their contribution in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“I congratulate you for coming through your maintenance period and getting on the field on time,” said Merz. “This is still the toughest neighborhood in the world - you guys are tough, and that’s what I need. I need 67 tough.”
Shiloh is currently operating in the Philippine Sea in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific following bilateral exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. The exercises included cross-deck helicopter operations and anti-submarine warfare exercises. Merz praised the Shiloh crew for their preparations leading up to their engagements in the Indo-Pacific.
“There’s a lot of people that depend on us,” said Merz. “There are 35 maritime nations in our region you may never see or visit, but understand that they watch your every move and they depend on you absolutely.”
He also highlighted the collective effort of Shiloh in maintaining mission readiness during the last year in the wake of COVID-19.
“You guys were one of the leading drivers for us on the vaccine front,” said Merz. “You led the charge to normalize operations despite COVID-19 and allowed me to focus on readiness and warfighting. We demonstrated we can fix our own gear, stay on the field, and fight through it.”
Capt. Sharif Calfee, Shiloh’s commanding officer, greeted Merz on the flight deck of Shiloh and the Chief Petty Officer’s mess hosted a lunch.
“We were honored with the opportunity to show Admiral Merz around our ship and demonstrate how our investment in material readiness, sailor readiness, and effective training has allowed us to sustain our combat readiness and support the fleet during a dynamic and demanding year of forward deployed operations,” said Calfee, “We know that these same convictions will be what carries us through the operations still to come.”
The 7th Fleet commander toured the ship’s combat information center and engineering central control station, which included discussions with a number of Sailors aboard the ship. Yeoman Second Class Austin Toth, From Troy, Ill., explained his appreciation for the visit.
“Most people are not used to a three-star admiral coming up to them and greeting them on personal level,” said Toth.” Seeing our top leadership from back home on board with us helps us see that we are in good hands.”
Merz concluded his visit with a message for the crew via the ship’s loudspeaker communication system (1MC).
“I’m very proud of what you’ve done,” said Merz. “And I will leave you with our common theme: know your role and play hard. It’s how we do what we do, and better than anyone else. So play hard 67 and take care of Reagan.”
Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 is made up of aircraft from the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97), and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67).
The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability, and prevent conflict.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2021 04:11 |
| Story ID: | 398119 |
| Location: | PHILIPPINE SEA |
| Web Views: | 527 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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