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Jones, of UHS class of 2004, serving in U.S. Navy


The following story was written by Theodore Quintana, mass communication specialist for the Navy Office of Community Outreach.

Uvalde native and 2004 Uvalde High School graduate William Jones is serving in Guam in the U.S. Navy aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Emory S. Land.

Petty Officer 1st Class William Jones is a hull maintenance technician aboard the Guam-based submarine tender, one of two submarine tenders in the U.S. Navy. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships, and respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.

A Navy hull maintenance technician is responsible for planning and performing tasks necessary for fabrication, installation, maintenance and repair of shipboard structures.

Jones is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Uvalde.

“Growing up in Uvalde, the biggest thing I learned is staying humble,” said Jones. “It also taught me patience.”

Jones’ proudest accomplishment in the Navy is serving for 12 years.

The Emory S. Land made a routine port visit in Sasebo, Japan, while conducting an exercise.

Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world’s shipping tonnage and a third of the world’s crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy’s presence in Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.

With a crew of 42 officers and 600 enlisted, submarine tenders are 649 feet long and weigh approximately 23,493 tons. Their mission is to provide maintenance, repairs, hotel services, weapons reload and logistics support to deployed guided-missile and fast-attack submarines. Both of the U.S. Navy’s submarine tenders are homeported in Apra Harbor, Guam, and rotate between deployment to support the forward-operating in the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility and in port in Guam to support in-port and visiting units.

Submarine tenders are additionally capable of providing repair and logistic services to deployed surface ships.

“Being forward deployed is a necessity,” said Jones. “Somebody has to do it and I have no problem filling up that position. The Navy has made me a better person. It’s made me a stronger person overall.”

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Jones and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.

“Serving in the Navy means serving God and country,” said Jones. “I am here to protect my family and overall make myself a better person.”

Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet’s area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors in the 7th Fleet.

Uvalde native and 2004 Uvalde High School graduate William Jones is serving in Guam in the U.S. Navy aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Emory S. Land.

Uvalde native and 2004 Uvalde High School graduate William Jones is serving in Guam in the U.S. Navy aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Emory S. Land.

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