Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Samantha Oblander | SOUTH CHINA SEA (March 22, 2022) Operations Specialist Seaman Jazmin Rodriguez, from...... read more read more
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An Inland Empire, California native and 2019 graduate of Colony High School is serving aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114).
Seaman Jazmin Rodriguez is an Operations Specialist (OS) serving aboard USS Ralph Johnson, forward-deployed to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.
“As an OS we are essentially the eyes of the ship,” said Rodriguez. “We track and identify surface and air contacts on our radars while keeping situational awareness out at sea. I work in CIC (Combat Information Center), which is manned around the clock while underway. Those watches in CIC are vital to the ship’s safety.”
OS’ serve on every ship the Navy has to offer and maintain the ship’s displays of strategic and tactical information in CIC and Rodriguez explained why she chose to join the Navy.
“I joined the Navy because I looked around and there wasn’t a single person in my neighborhood whose life I wanted,” said Rodriguez. “I needed something quick that would change my life and get me out of a bad environment.”
USS Ralph Johnson recently shifted homeports from Everett, Wash. to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka and for Rodriguez, coming to Japan is fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“Growing up, I’ve always just stayed in one neighborhood,” said Rodriguez. “Me and my family would take little trips locally but I’ve always wanted to travel further and experience a completely different culture. Japan was for sure at the top on my bucket list because I grew up loving the Japanese culture like anime, ramen, sushi, their style, their manners etc. there’s so much to love! the list goes on! Being here is a dream come true.”
Rodriguez joined the Navy directly after high school and has learned some important life lessons since then.
“Some things I’ve learned in the Navy is how I approach my outlook on life and on myself,” said Rodriguez. “I joined the Navy when I was still a teen and I’m in my early 20s now. The Navy has been a great stepping stool and I’ve grown a lot in the past few years. I’ve learned that I can endure more than I thought I could and that I can rise from anything. I’ve learned how to be completely independent and to value a lot of things most people take for granted, like being able to sleep in a bed that’s not constantly moving underneath you or see your family and friends every day. This isn’t an easy life and there’s times where the stress gets to me, but at the end of the day, I’ve got myself which I’ve learned is always enough.”
Ralph Johnson is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet and routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect critical regional partnerships.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2022 22:10 |
| Story ID: | 417235 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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