By Lt. Jake Joy, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – Seaman Recruit Anthony Mack II, a native of Dallas, Texas, gave college a try, but said he “wasn’t feeling it.” He wanted to forge a different path for himself. He found it in the U.S. Navy.
Now, just six months later and half a world away, Mack serves aboard one of the Navy’s newest and most advanced amphibious ships at Fleet Activities Sasebo, patrolling one of the world’s busiest maritime regions as part of U.S. 7th Fleet.
“I like it,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work. You get used to it. I feel like it’s a big deal, you get to work on the flight deck, you pick up the Marines, the ship deploys a lot. As a team, it already feels like a family.”
Mack, a 2016 graduate of Lakeridge High School, is a yeoman aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay in Sasebo, Japan.
“I take care of the ship’s plan of the day, handle mustering, and I help people with personnel questions,” he said.
Mack credits some of his success in the Navy to lessons he learned in Dallas.
“At home, I stuck to myself a bit, just trying to stay out of trouble,” he said, noting that he became adept at avoiding negative influences. “When I first got here, I was able to find people that helped me learn the right way to do things and help me keep out of trouble.”
U.S. 7th Fleet spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of operations encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors.
“I like the culture of Japan,” Mack said. “The scenery is beautiful. I like how they do things, they’re very clean.”
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. The Navy’s presence in Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment.
“The Navy is forward-deployed to provide security and strengthen relationships in a free and open Indo-Pacific. It’s not just the ships and aircraft that have shown up to prevent conflict and promote peace,” said Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “It is, and will continue to be our people who define the role our Navy plays around the world. People who’ve made a choice, and have the will and strength of character to make a difference.”
These ships support missions from sea to shore, special operations and other warfare missions. They also serve as secondary aviation platforms. Because of their inherent capabilities, these ships have been and will continue to be called upon to support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice, according to Navy officials.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Green Bay. More than 400 men and women make up the ship’s crew, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly, from handling weaponry to maintaining the engines. An additional 700 Marines can be embarked. Green Bay is capable of transporting Marines and landing them where they are needed using helicopters, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and other water-to-shore craft.
Serving in the Navy means Mack is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Mack II and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“It’s a great path if you’re not going to school and have nothing else for yourself,” he said. “I got here, I liked it. You travel in the Navy and the benefits are great. All you have to worry about is working hard, and you’ll get to the place you want to be.”
