Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexandria Esteban | 250808-N-CV021-1012 SOUTH CHINA SEA (Aug. 8, 2025) — Damage Controlman 3rd Class...... read more read more
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JAVA SEA — An Anaheim, California native and 2022 graduate of Savanna High School is serving aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113), currently forward-deployed in the Indo-Pacific and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Sarai Martinez is a Damage Controlman. According to Martinez, Damage Controlmen are the crew’s teachers and subject matter experts in regards to shipboard casualties. Everything that a Damage Controlman does is for the safety of the ship and crew.
“At the end of the day, the crew looks to us to save the day if any casualty were to happen,” Martinez said. “We prepare the ship to fight the monster inside the box, we’re all we have when we’re in the middle of the deep blue.”
Martinez joined the Navy in June 2022 to build a career and help her mother obtain a U.S. citizenship. The John Finn is her first command, and she joined the crew in January 2023.
“My greatest Navy accomplishment is the Navy [and Marine Corps] Achievement Medal I earned during an engineering inspection,” Martinez said. “I was able to tell my mom I received my first NAM and that meant a lot to me.”
A strong desire to see the world also motivated Martinez to join the Navy. She always wanted to visit Japan, and was delighted to find out that it would be her first duty station. Despite going out to sea aboard John Finn for frequent deployment periods, Martinez has managed to maximize her time ashore to explore Japanese sights, from its famous cities to the country’s lush mountains. Her favorite part about being in the Navy is getting to visit so many interesting places. And yet, even stationed half a world away, Maritnez is able to find connections to her roots.
“Getting here as a Mexican American, I was afraid I’d never get to eat my traditional food again, but I was wrong,” Martinez said. “Japan is very diverse and it’s not hard to find authentic foods of any kind out here.”
Martinez loves the people that she has met aboard the John Finn. Her fellow Damage Controlmen have been her team throughout every underway, and she hopes to gain a better sense of leadership in the Navy.
“Be prepared to step up to the plate,” Martinez said when asked to give advice to aspiring Damage Controlmen. “Being shy is not a thing for Damage Controlmen. Be prepared to do a lot of maintenance. We can’t do our job if our equipment doesn’t work properly. Keep your head in the books. There’s a lot that goes into damage control; familiarize and master. Have fun, be enthusiastic and motivate the team to learn.”
John Finn is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo and story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alexandria Esteban)
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2025 19:18 |
| Story ID: | 548226 |
| Location: | JAVA SEA |
| Hometown: | ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Anaheim, California Native Serves Aboard USS John Finn (DDG 113), by PO2 Alexandria Esteban, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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