PETTY Officer 2nd Class Davena Campbell from Clarendon, Jamaica, serves aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Equipped with a full flight deck and more than 60 aircraft including attack fighter jets and helicopters, aircraft carriers are one of the largest warships in the world.

Campbell graduated from Evans High School in 2021. She joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Campbell serves as a logistics specialist.

“I joined the Navy for the opportunity to grow as a person,” said Campbell. “I wanted the chance to focus on my goals and who I am as a person. My brother is also in the Navy, and that was a huge motivator for me.”

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those she learned growing up in Jamaica.

“A lesson I learned growing up is that there are people out there who are in worse situations than I am in,” said Campbell. “Other lessons that stick with me are to never forget where you come from, and that the situation you are currently in may not be the situation you are in tomorrow.”

Aircraft carriers are the centrepiece of America’s naval forces. For more than 100 years, they have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintained enduring commitments worldwide.

According to navy officials, aircraft carriers are versatile and have unique mission capabilities that make them a more strategic asset for the Navy than fixed-site bases. They are often the first response in a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. In addition, no other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility and combat capability of its air wing.

With 90 per cent of global commerce travelling by sea and access to the Internet relying on the security of undersea fibre optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasise that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Campbell has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“I’m most proud of advancing in rank to petty officer second class,” said Campbell. “I am also very proud of earning Sailor of the Quarter 2nd quarter for 2024 aboard the
USS Ronald Reagan.”

She added: “Serving in the Navy means putting others before yourself. You understand that you aren’t doing this just for yourself and that everyone is working towards a common goal. Everything you do is a part of that goal.”

Campbell is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I would like to thank my family and friends for moulding me into who I am today. I especially want to thank my mom and brother for listening to me and being there for me on deployment. Being forward deployed, they have been a shoulder to lean on and always believed in me.”