Idaho Falls native proud to serve his country half a world away
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SASEBO, Japan – – An Idaho Falls native who graduated from Lincoln High School in 2014 is serving with the U.S. Navy in Guam aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Emory S. Land.
Seaman Ramon Karn is a ship’s serviceman aboard the Guam-based submarine tender, one of two submarine tenders in the U.S. Navy. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships, and respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.
A Navy ship’s serviceman is responsible for providing direct personal services by operating and managing resale activities such as ship’s stores.
Karn is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Idaho Falls.
“Growing up, I learned how to deal with a lot of people and interacting with people on a general basis is what I’m used to,” said Karn.
Karn’s proudest accomplishment in the Navy is the variety of things his job entails and being able to interact with a wide range of people.
The Emory S. Land made a routine port visit in Sasebo, Japan while conducting an exercise.
Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world’s shipping tonnage and a third of the world’s crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy’s presence in Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
With a crew of 42 officers and 600 enlisted, submarine tenders are 649 feet long and weigh approximately 23,493 tons. Their mission is to provide maintenance, repairs, hotel services, weapons reload and logistics support to deployed guided-missile and fast-attack submarines. Both of the U.S. Navy’s submarine tenders are homeported in Apra Harbor, Guam, and rotate between deployment to support the forward-operating in the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility and in port in Guam to support in-port and visiting units.
Submarine tenders are additionally capable of providing repair and logistic services to deployed surface ships.
“Being forward deployed is nice because we are finally going other places and exploring different territories,” said Karn. “The Navy gave me more of the capability to understand where people are coming from and made me better at handling multiple situations and scenarios.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Karn and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means doing more than just helping yourself because it’s one big team,” said Karn. “Before I joined the Navy, I didn’t understand how close the Navy is as a community.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet’s area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors in the 7th Fleet.