Petty Officer 2nd Class Maria Sanchez-Vazquez, a Sarasota native, serves in the U.S. Navy assigned to USS Harry S. Truman, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and centerpiece of America’s naval forces operating out of Norfolk, Virginia.
“Before joining the Navy, I was a CNA, which taught me how to create and nurture relationships with people from all walks of life,” said Sanchez-Vazquez, a 2021 Booker High School grad who earned an associate’s degree in general education from the State College of Florida..
Sanchez-Vazquez serves as an electrician's mate (nuclear power).
“No one in my family has ever served in the military, so I joined to be able to create a new legacy within my family while also making them proud,” Sanchez-Vazquez said.
For more than 100
years, aircraft carriers 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, the 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.
“I am most proud of graduating first in my class in 'A' School and first in my rating in Power School,” Sanchez-Vazquez said. “Coming into the pipeline, I was really nervous and afraid of failing out, so to see my efforts pay off meant everything to me.”
This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence.
“Serving in the Navy means I’m making my family proud, and that means everything to me,” Sanchez-Vazquez said. “I want to thank my mom, Julia Vazquez, and my siblings for their unconditional support."
Submitted by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Osborne, Navy Office of Community Outreach
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota native finds new path in the US Navy
