U.S. Navy sailors serve and protect from around the globe, and every sailor got their start somewhere.

Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Zander Jenkins, from Bardstown, Kentucky, assigned to the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) deck department, tightens the anchor chain turn buckle in the fo’c’sle during a sea and anchor evolution, May 5, 2023.

Gerald R. Ford is the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer Newsome)