SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 10, 2024) An Orange, New Jersey native and 2016 graduate of North Star College Prep High School is serving aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83), which is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Genesis Bass is a Sonar Technician (Surface). According to The Bluejacket Manual, Sonar Technicians operate sonar and other oceanographic systems. Sailors in this rate manipulate, control, evaluate, and interpret data for surface operations, but they may also coordinate submarine and auxiliary sonar and underwater fire-control interface.
“My rate is all about tracking, localizing and hunting submarines,” Bass said. “My rate is also pretty math heavy and math has always been my strong suit.”
Bass joined the Navy in August 2020. She was assigned to Howard in August 2021. Bass said that she joined the Navy to travel the world and gain financial stability. Howard is currently homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
“Japan has always been one of the countries that I’ve always wanted to explore, so I’m living my dream out here,” Bass said. “I love visiting Akihabara since it feeds my anime fangirl mode. I absolutely fell in love with Kyoto. While out there, I walked around all the sights in a kimono and I swear that it felt like that moment was always meant to be.”
Bass is a council member for the Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions, vice president of the Junior Enlisted Association and a member of the Multicultural Committee. According to Bass, the Multicultural Committee is all about bringing awareness and inclusivity to all the diverse groups of people that serve in the Navy.
“We are here to educate and shed light on social differences that not everyone is aware of,” Bass said.
The Multicultural Committee hosted a Pride Celebration on June 28 to recognize Sailors that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Bass helped make a pride flag out of cake pops, distributed pins and stickers and participated in a PowerPoint presentation, provided by the Department of Defense, that highlighted the changes and progression that the LGBTQ+ community has pushed to cultivate and nurture over the years. The Multicultural Committee’s Pride Celebration had multiple guest speakers that touched upon different aspects on what the experience in the Navy has been like for gay men and women.
“We are a small but mighty committee that is all about pushing for all the people in the Navy to be treated equally by properly educating others on different communities,” Bass said. “
Bass said that her family is proud of her being in the Navy and seeing all that she has accomplished with her job. Her favorite part about being in the Navy is getting to meet different people who teach her something new every day, but her favorite part about serving onboard Howard is that the command cares for its Sailors mental health by ensuring that there are plenty of uplifting events for Sailors to enjoy during deployments.
“I am very thankful to have the support of my shipmates and chain of command,” Bass said. “I hope that my work within the community helps bring even a small bit of happiness or a smile to someone’s face.”
Howard 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.
Date Taken: | 07.10.2024 |
Date Posted: | 07.17.2024 06:27 |
Story ID: | 476402 |
Location: | SOUTH CHINA SEA |
Hometown: | ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, US |
Web Views: | 88 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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