La Familia de Broward Una herramienta útil para las necesidades de las familias hispanas
SANTA RITA, Guam – A 1994 Palm Beach Lakes High School graduate and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, native is providing a critical maintenance capability to the U.S. Navy’s submarine force in the Pacific as part of a hybrid crew of sailors and civilian mariners working aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Frank Cable.
Lt. Wilking Jean is a chaplain on temporary duty from USS Emory S. Land, and currently aboard the Guam-based submarine tender, Frank Cable, one of only two such ships in the U.S. Navy. The Frank Cable and its crew provides maintenance and resupply capabilities both in port and at sea.
“As a Navy chaplain, I am responsible for those who serve our great nation,” Jean said.
“I enjoy the confidentiality that we have with service members. They can come and talk to us without reservation. It is a sacred trust.”
Jean credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Ft Lauderdale.
“My ministry begans in Ft. Lauderdale,” Jean said. “It is where I began my pastoral training. It gave me the skills I needed to help people and help my service members,”
Guam is also home to four Los Angeles-class attack submarines, Frank Cable’s primary clients, but the ship can also provide repair and logistic services to other Navy ships like cruisers and destroyers. The submarine tenders provide maintenance, temporary berthing services and logistical support to submarines and surface ships in the Pacific Ocean as well as the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
With a crew of more than 600, Frank Cable is 649 feet long and weighs approximately 23,493 tons.
According to officials at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the ships, submarines, aircraft and Navy personnel forward-deployed to Guam are part of the world’s largest fleet command and serve in a region critical to U.S. national security. The U.S. Pacific Fleet encompasses 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. All told, there are more than 200 ships and submarines, nearly 1,200 aircraft, and more than 130,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in the Pacific.
The integrated crew of sailors and civilian mariners builds a strong fellowship while working alongside each other. The crews are highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches and drills.
“The Emory S. Land truly lives up to their name – The Land of Opportunity,” said Jean. “I represent a command and three different villages in Guam. I am the liaison for Dedeo, Asan, and Maritzo.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Jean is most proud to serve the men and women who sacrifice their lives for the nation.
“They are the pearl of our nation,” Jean said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Jean and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“My service means everything to me,” Jean said. “Being able to serve God and country. Serving the greatest Navy of the world as a minister is the ultimate call-within-a-call to duty.”
By Lt. Cmdr. Marie Tillery, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown
