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Waukegan native serves aboard guided-missile destroyer in Pearl Harbor

Submitted by the Navy Office of Community Outreach

A 2012 Reuther Central High School graduate and Waukegan native is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Miguel Gutierrez is a culinary specialist aboard the forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer operating out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

A Navy culinary specialist is responsible for preparing large quantities of food; providing healthy and nutritious meals for a large group of people.

"I recently moved into working in the engineering field aboard the USS Chung-Hoon," Gutierrez said. "I feel like I am doing something meaningful for the Navy. Cooking is a constant cycle, people are always hungry. In engineering we know victory and in the galley we know continued success, which both feel rewarding."

USS 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.

According to Navy officials, destroyers are tactical multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, as well as humanitarian assistance. Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, destroyers provide the required warfighting expertise and operational flexibility to execute any tasking overseas.

"Our Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific guided-missile destroyers are poised, trained, equipped and ready to deploy forward and support the Fleet," said Rear Adm. John Fuller, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific. "Working with friends and allies, our MIDPAC sailors provide sea control, advance maritime security, enhance regional stability, and foster continued prosperity in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region."

Approximately 30 officers and 300 enlisted men and women make up the ship's company. Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the cruiser running smoothly, according to Navy officials. The jobs range from maintaining engines and handling weaponry to washing dishes and preparing meals.

"I have met a lot of good people while serving here," Gutierrez said. "It is really the people on board that you serve with that makes you like the ship you are on."

Challenging living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew, Navy officials explained. The crew is highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches and drills.

"The Navy means having a real opportunity that I can make my own depending on how much I give of myself," Gutierrez said. "As a young child, I always wanted to be in the Navy and in uniform. I wanted to be able to reinforce the patriotic part me and give to my country in the best way that I could and succeed in the fields to which I entered."

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