Kahuku native serves at Camp Smith in Hawaii
by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Erica R Gardner, Navy Office of Community Outreach
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – A Kahuku, Hawaii, native and 1995 Kahuku High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with Joint Interagency Task Force West.
Chief Petty Officer Fae McClafferty, a yeoman, is serving at Camp H. M. Smith in the area of operations where U.S. Pacific Fleet Headquarters is located. According to Navy officials, the U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 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.
As a yeoman, McClafferty is responsible administrative duties assisting the command chief of staff.
“Adaptability is what I brought with me to my military career,” said McClafferty. “We are so diverse where I am from, and so is the military.”
Being stationed near Pearl Harbor, often referred to as the gateway to the Pacific in defense circles, means that Mcclafferty is serving in a part of the world that is taking on new importance in America’s national defense strategy.
The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades, according to Navy officials. The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world’s population, many of the world’s largest and smallest economies, several of the world’s largest militaries, and many U.S. allies.
The Navy has plans, by 2020, to base approximately 60 percent of its ships and aircraft in the region. Officials say the Navy will also provide its most advanced warfighting platforms to the region, including missile defense-capable ships; submarines; reconnaissance aircraft; and its newest surface warfare ships, including all of the Navy’s new stealth destroyers.
McClafferty’s proudest accomplishment was earning a 2017 Federal Excellence Award for administrative and clerical duties.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, McClafferty and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Being a part of the Navy allows me to experience all the world has to offer,” added McClafferty.
