A Greer native is serving aboard one of the U.S. Navy's largest aircraft carriers. Petty Officer Second Class Emily Coker, a 2022 graduate of Blue Ridge High School, serves as an information systems technician aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, based in Norfolk, Virginia.
Coker says her grandfather, a Vietnam Marine veteran, inspired her military mindset, and she joined the Navy to experience life beyond her hometown.
The Harry S. Truman is home to more than 5,000 sailors and supports missions around the world. For more on this story, visit our website.
Navy Office of Community Outreach full press release below:
NORFOLK, Va. - Petty Officer 2nd Class Emily Coker, a native of Greer, South Carolina, serves in the U.S. Navy assigned to USS Harry S. Truman, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operating out of Norfolk, Virginia.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jonas Kott. |
Coker graduated from Blue Ridge High School in 2022. The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Greer.
“My grandfather was a Marine who served in Vietnam, and he passed his military mindset to me, which helped prepare me for the environment that I now work in,” Coker said.
Coker joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Coker serves as an information systems technician.
“I joined the Navy to experience things outside of my hometown, and I’ve done that,” Coker said.
Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s naval forces. For more than 100 years, they have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintained enduring commitments worldwide.
Among the largest warships in the world, USS Harry S. Truman is longer than three football fields at 1,092 feet. The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons. More than 5,000 sailors serve aboard these self-contained mobile airports.
According to Navy officials, aircraft carriers are versatile and have unique mission capabilities that make them a more strategic asset for the Navy than fixed-site bases. They are often the first response in a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. In addition, no other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility and combat capability of its air wing.
Coker has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I'm very proud of the deployment I completed,” Coker said. “The deployment was stressful, but I feel like the people I work with helped me make it through. I'm also very proud of earning my ‘Bluenose’ qualification.”
The “Bluenose” qualification refers to a maritime rite of passage for sailors who cross the Arctic Circle. Earning the title "Bluenose" involves enduring icy trials and having a smear of blue paint or foam on the nose, and earning an exclusive certificate.
This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence. According to Navy officials, for more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity. With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
“Serving in the Navy means a lot to me,” Coker said. “It is a great feeling to help provide that peace of mind to the American public.”
Coker is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my fiancé,” Coker said. “I wouldn’t have made it through deployment without him.”
Written by: By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Osborne, Navy Office of Community Outreach
