Life on the Nimitz: Exploring Asian culture, and building teamwork at sea

USS NIMITZ, PACIFIC OCEAN — It wasn’t easy for newly-married Harrison Young of Bremerton to be apart from his wife and hometown for deployment — his first time going on deployment with the USS Nimitz. But Young, 24, and nearly 3,000 sailors accomplished the journey together after Sunday's arrival at Naval Base Kitsap, living up to the quote painted on the wall of the warship’s Hangar Bay, “Teamwork, A Tradition.”

Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Young worked as a leading petty officer in the post office on the Nimitz, coordinating mails sending out and from the ship. The Olympic High graduate and Olympic College student, who joined the Navy at the age of 19, said the deployment with Nimitz has given him opportunities to explore the culture in Asia and develop his career in the Navy.

"I'm actually a quarter Japanese, too, so I was really happy I went to Japan," Young said. Young's grandmother was a Japanese and his grandfather served in the Navy, who influenced him to follow the steps to serve the nation.

The Bremerton-based aircraft carrier USS Nimitz completed a global deployment from November to June. Mostly operating in the Indo-Pacific region, the ship visited ports in four Asian countries: Singapore (Jan. 21 to 26), South Korea (March 28 to April 2), Thailand (April 24 to 29) and Japan (May 19 to 23). The Kitsap Sun embarked with the Nimitz at sea on its way returning to Puget Sound from San Diego and interviewed sailors on the ship about their growth during the seven month of journey.

Approximately 67% of the sailors on the USS Nimitz, 2,000 of the 2,978 people, like Young, were deployed overseas for the first time when the Nimitz departed Bremerton last fall.

The average age of a sailor on the Nimitz is about 24.

Cultural experiences on port visits

Ramen and oden. Young recalled some Japanese food he tasted when the crew visited Sasebo, a city on Japan's Kyushu Island. Young said he appreciated the culture.

Operations Specialist 3rd Class Cameron Lawrence, 22, mentioned the same. The Kennesaw, Georgia native, also deployed for the first time, was in charge of tracking contacts from other aircrafts or ships around the Nimitz to ensure navigation and safety of the carrier at sea.

Lawrence said he's a big fan of Japan, and learned to speak a little bit of Japanese.

During a port visit in May, after having duty in the first day, Lawrence spent most of the time exploring Fukuoka, a city some miles away from Sasebo. He and a friend tried Japanese wagyu steak, did some shopping and went to bars to experience the nightlife in Japan. Lawrence bought a kimono, a traditional Japanese garment, some t-shirts, and paintings from the Edo period, which is between 1603 and 1867, when Japan was under the rule of Tokugawa Shogunate.

The wagyu steak was one of the culinary highlights of the trip, he said.

"I'm very big into Asian culture. I have a Japanese tattoo, so getting to go to Japan was really big for me," Lawrence said. He showed the tattoo on his arm, the word "kazoku" in Kanji script, meaning family.

The nicest part about deployment is getting to see new countries for the first time, said 26-year-old Mitchell Brady. Air Traffic Controller 3rd Class Brady communicated with aircraft during flights from the Nimitz deck.

Brady likes history and learning, he said. As his first time deployed overseas and visiting Asia, Brady enjoyed the time in Singapore the most, as he got to learned the roots of the city and how Singapore became where it was today through different morale, welfare and recreation tours, he said.

"I spent a lot of time experiencing the history and culture of Singapore," Brady said. "I've learned the most about the history there."

Brady joined the Navy in his 25 and the Nimitz crew in the fall last year. The deployment motivated him to develop his career, he said.

"Beforehand, I chose my job initially to just get the training and then leave the Navy, but then deployment really showed me what the Navy can offer," Brady said. "It was an amazing experience. Even though it's hard work, it was very enjoyable to work hard and then be rewarded by seeing another country."

The Nimitz's previous deployment was conducted during the global pandemic. The ship sailed through 99,000 miles between June 2020 and March 2021 as one of the Navy's record-long journey for a carrier after World War II — three more months and 34,000 more miles compared with the most recent trip.

By opening up port visits without COVID-19 restrictions during this deployment, junior sailors could experience the world and do what they join the Navy to do, said Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Joshua Dingman, 35, who's served in the Navy for over 17 years and on the Nimitz for three years. Dingman's sailors drive the rescue boats, and load supplies like fuel, ammo, and meals.

Though not new to overseas Navy life, 32-year-old Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Ashley Walicki, from Jacksonville, Florida, said the deployment was her first time visiting Asia. Previously deployed to the Fifth Fleet area of operations, Walicki had visited several countries in the Middle East, like Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, but not South Korea, Singapore, Japan or Thailand.

Walicki managed 120 sailors and their daily operations in a devision responsible for the storage of conventional ordnance and small ammunition, she said.

"It's definitely nice to see something different," Walicki said. "One of the reasons I joined the Navy was just get out into the world."

Walicki was impressed by the Japanese culture of respecting others, even for strangers, she said.

"It was very eye-opening, so different from our culture. Everything is so clean and structured...it was all a whole new world," she said.

Inspiration for Navy careers

Sailors on the Nimitz grew professionally during the deployment, the said.

When deployed, Young focused on getting several qualifications required in the Navy. He received his ESWS (Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) and EAWS (Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist) pins, which sailors were authorized to wear on their uniform after completing qualification programs to demonstrate their professional skills.

"That was my big push," Young said. The Logistics Specialist from Bremerton planned to apply for Officer Candidate School (OCS) after finishing his Bachelor's degree to become a commissioned officer.

Sometimes, life on the ship during the deployment could be hard as work tasks can be repetitive, but the sailors found their ways to adjust stress and set themselves up for success, they said.

"As an OS (operational specialist), we stand, watch, and during the watch, if nothing's really going on, it can get really monotonous, so trying to stay motivated is probably what I would say the toughest part of deployment," Lawrence said.

Sailors had a more rigorous work schedule when deployed, Air Traffic Controller Brady said.

"You're working a lot more, pretty much always on work. Even when you're off work, if something happens, you have to be ready to respond, wake up, get to where you're going," Brady said.

Brady relaxed himself during the deployment via studying Korean and going to the gym on the ship, he said.

"It's kind of breaking from the monotony, the repetitiveness of the day," Brady said.

In some low points, Lawrence would recall the reasons why he joined the Navy to himself, he said.

"Just reminding myself of why I came here, the reasoning for joining overall, and reminding myself that I still have so much more that I can do and that I need to do to set myself up for making rank, or doing whatever I'm trying to accomplish," Lawrence said.

'Sense of Pride' for the Seventh Fleet

In the past seven months, Nimitz conducted deterrence and presence operations in the Seventh Fleet area of operations. The ship did multinational exercises and operated with allies, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, France, Singapore and the Philippines in the Indo-Pacific area.

As regional tension has risen around Taiwan Strait and with the Nimitz making headlines on the international media for operating in the South China Sea while Chinese Navy was operating in the same waters, Young of Bremerton said he was proud to be part of the warship's crew.

"I feel a great sense of pride to be with the Nimitz crew. I feel safe, knowing that the United States Navy is the most powerful force in the world, that we can protect those back home and do something significant out here," Young said.

Brady encouraged those who considered joining the Navy.

"There's a lot of opportunities to be had by joining the service. And if you join, no matter what age, early or late, if you're motivated and have a goal in mind, you'll succeed within the Navy," Brady said.

Reporter Peiyu Lin covers the military and South Kitsap for the Kitsap Sun. She can be reached at pei-yu.lin@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: USS Nimitz deployment opens experiences in Asia for crew