Submitted by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Storm Henry
USS Stockdale Public Affairs
A Cedar Springs, Michigan, native will return to San Diego from a seven-month deployment serving aboard USS Stockdale, a U.S. Navy warship that recently conducted operations in the Middle East.
Chief Petty Officer Joseph Flores, a 2011 graduate of Cedar Springs High School, joined the Navy 12 years ago.
“I joined the Navy to find something better for myself and become a better person with a sense of service,” Flores said. “I was headed down a bad path before the Navy, and I truly needed the discipline and structure the Navy had to offer. My grandfather was in the Army. It was something new, I didn’t know much about it, but it was something more unique to my family.”
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Cedar Springs.
“Playing football growing up, being a part of a team and a sense of brotherhood, along with my coaches at every level pushing me to be better,” Flores said.
Serving on the seas
While on its seven-month deployment, USS Stockdale conducted combat operations against the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden, maintaining free and open sea lanes and regional stability. Stockdale also built continuing relationships with the militaries of Egypt and the Republic of Maldives, important partners of the United States.
“Months of training, preparing day by day, for what we knew of heading into harm’s way and then executing flawlessly, allowing us to complete our mission and making it back home safely to our loved ones,” Flores said.
Homeported in San Diego, Stockdale is a guided-missile destroyer and the third U.S. Navy ship named in honor of Vice Adm. James Bond Stockdale, an aviator who was awarded the Medal of Honor based on his service in the Vietnam War, during which time he was a prisoner of war for over seven years.
A Navy destroyer is a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
Taking pride in serving America
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Flores can take pride in serving America through military service.
“The Navy means everything to me,” Flores added. “I have become a better person with a better head on my shoulders, on a way better path than before. It gives and continues to give me the chance for new goals, and a way to serve my country and protect my family. I have had some of the greatest mentors who I met within, that have guided me always.”
