SOUTH CHINA SEA — A Clarksville, Tennessee native and 2022 graduate of Northeast High School is serving aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105).
Damage Controlman Fireman Kyley Sykes joined the Navy in 2022 and is now forward-deployed aboard Dewey to Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.
“I joined the Navy because I didn’t really have any plans after high school and I wanted to get away from the small-town cycle,” said Sykes. “I wanted to get out and see the world.”
As a damage controlman, Sykes is responsible for helping to maintain the ship’s firefighting equipment and is a member of the “flying squad,” Dewey’s first responders in the event of fire, flooding or other shipboard emergencies.
“I chose damage controlman because I wanted to do something hands on,” said Sykes. “My favorite part about the job is knowing that something could happen at any time, and when it does, knowing I will be the one holding the nozzle and (that I) did my part to stop it.”
According to Sykes, one of the more rewarding things about serving aboard Dewey is the camaraderie among the Sailors within her department.
“I like how tight the Engineering Department is,” said Sykes. “As a department, we have each other’s backs. We all work so closely together on different things and that really results in a tight, family-like bond.”
Sykes offered some advice to others thinking about a career in the Navy.
“You won’t ever know if it’s right for you if you don’t try it,” said Sykes. “Even if it’s not something you want to make a career of, there are still a lot of different benefits. For example, I’ve only been aboard a few months and I’ve already seen two countries and I’m about to see a third one. I don’t know how many 19-year-olds can say that.”
Dewey is forward-deployed and assigned to Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.
U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.