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2011 Lehigh Senior High School graduate and Lehigh Acres, Fla., native is serving on one of the world\u2019s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).<\/p>\n
Airman Jimson Alphonse is an aviation boatswain\u2019s mate (handling) aboard the Norfolk-based ship, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and one of only ten operational aircraft carriers in the Navy today. Named in honor of former President Harry Truman, the carrier is longer than 3 football fields, at nearly 1,100 feet long.\u00a0 The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons.\u00a0 Two nuclear reactors can push the ship through the water at more than 30 mph.<\/p>\n
As a 21 year-old with numerous responsibilities, Alphonse said he followed in his brothers footsteps when he joined the military. \u201cIt sparked my interest when my brother was stationed in Germany.\u00a0 He talked to me about all the benefits and opportunities,\u201d said Alphonse. \u00a0\u201dIt meant a lot coming from my brother.\u00a0 He and my mom are really proud of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also said he is proud of the work he is doing as part of the Truman\u2019s 5,500-member crew, protecting America on the world\u2019s oceans.\u00a0 \u201cWe are a ready warship if anything happens, they call us,\u201d \u00a0Alphonse explained.\u00a0 He added the Truman recently won the Battle Effectiveness Award, known as the Battle E which is awarded to selected ships for battle readiness after a yearlong evaluation.\u00a0 \u201cWe are the go to ship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sailors\u2019 jobs are highly varied aboard USS Harry S. Truman. Approximately 3,000 men and women make up the ship\u2019s company, which keeps all parts of the aircraft carrier running smoothly \u2014 this includes everything from washing dishes and preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the nuclear reactors. Another 2,500 or so form the air wing, the people who actually fly and maintain the aircraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never cease to be impressed with the type and quality of work that goes on aboard Truman each day,\u201d said Capt. S. Robert Roth, the carrier\u2019s commanding officer.\u00a0 \u201cOur team is filled with highly qualified young adults \u2013 in many cases, 19 and 20 years old \u2013 and they\u2019re out here running a complex propulsion system safely, serving as air traffic controllers, operating sophisticated electronics, launching and recovering aircraft when we\u2019re underway, and keeping this floating city alive and functioning. I can\u2019t express how proud I am to be a part of this team. They performed at the highest level, day in and day out during our recent 9-month combat deployment and are continuing to do so here at home. Their professionalism, dedication and commitment to excellence are second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n
USS Harry S. Truman, like each of the Navy\u2019s aircraft carriers, is designed for a 50-year service life.\u00a0 When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 60 attack jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land aboard the carrier at sea.\u00a0 Powerful catapults slingshot the aircraft off the bow of the ship.\u00a0 The planes land aboard the carrier by snagging a steel cable with an arresting hook that protrudes from the rear of the aircraft.\u00a0 All of this makes the Harry S. Truman a self-contained mobile airport and strike platform, and often the first response to a global crisis because of a carrier\u2019s ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world\u2019s oceans.<\/p>\n
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy\u2019s most relied upon assets, Alphonse and other USS Harry S. Truman sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Navy could be a career for me.\u00a0 It\u2019s what you decide to make out of it,\u201d said Alphonse. \u00a0\u201cGo in with a plan and stick with it.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get deterred or lose focus.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lt. Ana Maring, Navy Office of Community Outreach 2011 Lehigh Senior High School graduate and Lehigh Acres, Fla., native is serving on one of the world\u2019s largest warships, the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31565"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31565\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}