Staff Report | DFW Newsflash | July 2018
PEARL HARBOR – A 2013 C.F. Brewer High School graduate and Fort Worth, Texas, native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Petty Officer 3rd Class Aaliyah Terrell is a boatswain’s mate aboard USS Dewey, currently operating out of San Diego.
A Navy boatswain’s mate is responsible for life saving equipment and flight deck operations as well as the overall presentation of the ship.
Terrell applies the lessons she learned from Fort Worth to her work in the Navy.
“I learned respect and hospitality and to always look out for your people,” said Terrell. “It has helped me a lot. I’m in charge of a lot of seamen. I feel like I always have to step up and have the same drive that I received.”
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2018 is Capable, Adaptive, Partners. The participating nations and forces exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.
“I am looking forward to all the countries competing and seeing the layout of the other ships,” said Terrell. “This is an overall experience that you don’t get all the time.”
This is the first time Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are participating in RIMPAC. Additional firsts include New Zealand serving as sea combat commander and Chile serving as combined force maritime component commander. This is the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation (Chile) will hold a component commander leadership position.
“I am most proud of making third class petty officer and completing all of my flight deck qualifications,” said Terrell.
Twenty-six nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise. This year’s exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Terrell and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I have learned that I am a nurturing person,” said Terrell. “The Navy brought out the leader in me, and that has made a huge impact on me.”
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil
SOURCE US Navy Outreach
