Filtered By: Pinoyabroad
Pinoy Abroad

US ship's Pinoy crew: Working with fighter planes not easy but 'fun'


Holding one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, the Filipino crew of the nuclear-powered USS George Washington said working for an aircraft carrier was very challenging but also "fun." In an interview with GMA News Online last week, 24-year-old California-born Marvin Balbuena, said it was exciting to be part of the crew that helps launch the United States top fighter planes. "We hook up the bird (fighter plane) and launch them,” said Balbuena, who works on the flight deck of the Nimitz carrier that is as tall as a 24-storey building. The USS George Washington docked in Manila on October 24 for a five-day goodwill visit. Balbuena is one of some 900 Filipinos working in the USS George Washington, comprising about 20 percent of the ship's total crew. Balbuena described his job as "fun" and "really exciting" and said “it’s the hours that are the hardest.” “Working on top (of the ship), sometimes it gets really hot, sometimes it rains so it gets pretty crazy,” he said. The website "Navysite" said "working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world." "On the flight deck it is loud, crowded and the whole atmosphere is often referred to as 'controlled chaos': Jets are catapulted into the air while others are landing, bombs and missiles are transported from the 'bomb farm' to parking aircraft while other planes are taxiing to the catapults or to their parking locations," the site said. 
The USS George Washington can accommodate as many as 75 aircraft at one time.
The ship has a length of 1,092 feet and a height (from keel to mast) of 244 feet (equivalent to a 24-story building).
It has around 5,500 sailors serving on board and can accommodate up to more than 6,200 people.  Around 18,000 meals are served on the ship daily.
 
The USS George Washington said to be a "self-contained city" that has stores, gyms, dental facilities, aircraft repair center, and even its own television station.  
Missing the family
 
Francis Clarete, a 21-year-old Filipino who has been working aboard the USS George Washington for over two years, told GMA News Online: “The hardest part of my job is being away from my family.” 
 
Clarete, of San Juan, Batangas, said having been born and raised in the Philippines, he misses many things about the country such as the food.  
“I miss a lot of things especially food — adobo, sinigang, especially street food like isaw, fishball, and kikiam,” he said.
 
Despite this, Clarete said he enjoyed working in the USS George Washington.
 
“Kung gusto niyo pong sumali sa US Navy, okay po siya, maganda,” he said.
 
“But suggest ko lang po kung ayaw niyo malayo sa inyong pamilya, just stay na lang kayo sa Pilipinas and serve our own country,” he continued.
 
Filipino-American crew of the USS George Washington (from left to right) Spencer Rhoads, Ramon Go, Marvin Balbuena and Francis Clarete. Photo by Joe Galvez
Challenging job
 
Another Filipino, Ryan Regondola, 26, born and raised in Davao, said working for the USS George Washington was very challenging.
 
“So far it’s different from the previous command that I’ve been to. It’s very challenging because this is a forward deployed [ship],” he said.
 
Forward deployed ships are the first to respond when an area encounters some trouble.
 
Regondola started with the US Navy last year in Japan.
 
He said he was proud to represent the Philippines in one of the biggest navies in the world.
 
“I feel great especially na nandito kami sa Pilipinas and were here to represent our nation,” he said.
 
He admits that he misses many things.
 
“I miss my family, I miss my friends. I miss the feel at home [feeling],” he said.
 
He also misses Filipino food like adobo, pancit, and his mom’s ginataang langka.
To Filipinos aspiring to join ght US Navy, he said: “Sa lahat ng gustong sumali sa navy, believe in yourself. Hindi mahirap sa ating mga Pilipino na sumali sa US Navy.”
 
"Very hardworking"
 
Meanwhile, USS George Washington's Captain Gregory J. Fenton commended the Filipino sailors for their work attitude.
 
“Well I’ll tell you what, all of my sailors are very hardworking,” he said.
 
“In the US Navy we are very proud of the diversity so I would say that our Filipino sailors make up about 15-20% of the crew,” he added.
 
Fenton said this diversity allows the US Navy to solve any problem with different kinds of approach.
 
“One of the great strengths of our organization is our ability to bring together this diversity of ideas and different ways of approaching problems and maximizing those differences for us to carry out a mission,” he explained. - VVP, GMA News
 
LOADING CONTENT