By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jesse Hawthorne, Navy Office of Community Outreach
NORFOLK, Va.- A 2015 Friendswood High School graduate and Friendswood, Texas, native returned home Aug. 9, marking the end of a seven-month deployment aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Since departing its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia in January 2020 for the ship’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), the aircraft carrier remained underway and deployed to the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Devin Cooper is a damage controlman aboard the carrier. As a damage controlman, Cooper is responsible for combating shipboard casualties such as fire-fighting, flooding and defense against chemical biological and radiological attacks.
“My favorite thing about my job is working on all of the equipment and training to handle shipboard casualties,” said Cooper.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, USS Eisenhower continued to conduct operations underway, minimizing the potential spread of the virus aboard in order to maintain maritime stability and security and ensure access, deter aggression and defend U.S., allied and partner interests.
USS Eisenhower, along with the USS San Jacinto (CG 56), one of the other ships within Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, remained continuously at sea with no port visits, setting a new record for the U.S. Navy, breaking the previous record of 160 days set in 2002 by USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).
“I’m so proud of the young men and women I see on the deck plates each and every day,” said Capt. Kyle Higgins, Ike’s commanding officer. “Their dedication to the mission is what makes our Navy the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen.”
Sailors assigned to Eisenhower and San Jacinto transited to the equator and participated in a unique crossing the line ceremony, becoming the Navy’s first ‘Iron Shellbacks,’ with more than 100 days at sea May 14. Ike petitioned Naval History and Heritage Command to commemorate this feat in conjunction with crossing the equator as a new title: ‘Iron Shellback.’
“My proudest accomplishment during deployment was getting my junior sailors qualified in their enlisted surface warfare service,” said Cooper.
USS Eisenhower participated in multiple exercises with allies and partners and dual-carrier operations. The ships within CSG-10 also completed multiple strait and choke point transits, to include the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal and the Bab-el Mandeb Strait, while operating under two Combatant Commanders – U.S. European Command (EUCOM), and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
“We provide expert damage control training to the crew that allows everyone to combat any type of shipboard casualty,” said Cooper. “Every sailor is a firefighter and damage controlman.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Cooper, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Cooper is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“I have had many family members serve in the military,” said Cooper. “My brother and father were both Marines, my uncle was in the Army, my grandfather was in the Navy and the list goes on for generations.”
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Cooper, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.
“I joined the Navy to serve my country honorably and to continue the family tradition of serving in the military,” added Cooper.
