JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII – Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Russell is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile destroyer, USS Chung-Hoon.

The destroyer, designed as forward deployed and within the Arleigh Burke-class, operates out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Chung-Hoon measures approximately 500 feet and is powered by four gas turbines that allow the destroyer to achieve more than 30 mph in open seas.

Russell graduated from Huntsville High School in 2009 and from the University of South Alabama in 2015. He is working as a Navy operations specialist.

Russell credits his success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Huntsville. “My hometown taught me the values of responsibility and resiliency,” he said.

“I apply those lessons every day in the Navy, and it has propelled me to success thus far,” Russell said. “I will continue to use these values to better my life.”

As a Navy operations specialist, Russell searches for, tracks and identifies other ships and aircraft in the ship’s vicinity. Russell is most proud of graduating from boot camp and finishing in the top three during his operational specialist school.

“I’m also very proud of receiving my Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Qualification. Obtaining this qualification took months of hard work, sleepless days and a ton of studying,” Russell said.

“Serving the Navy means I get to travel the world and experience things I never thought possible and see different cultures. That is one of the reasons I joined this prestigious branch,” Russell said.

“It’s also rewarding to meet people who are willing to carry out the same mission as myself, which played an important role in my decision to join the Navy. We are able to fight the fight with the U.S.A. behind us. There’s no better feeling than that.”

The Navy Office of Community Outreach or NAVCO produced this information and photograph. Employees in the outreach office travel the globe to collect and distribute photos to their hometown media.

Lt. Courtney Prizer documented Russell’s work.

The Media Outreach Department with the Navy Office of Community Outreach is located in Millington, Tenn. For more information, visit outreach.navy.mil, Facebook/Navy Outreach, Twitter @NavyOutreach or Instagram @US_Navy_Outreach.