Dallas Native Serves Aboard Navy Warship in Norfolk

NORFOLK, Va. - A Dallas, Georgia, native and North Paulding High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason.
Seaman Michael Ray is a ship's serviceman aboard the destroyer operating out of the Navy’s largest base. A Navy ship's serviceman is responsible for providing support to the ship’s crew by operating the ship's store and barbershop.
“I was taught by my dad to respect other people and to take pride in what I do,” Ray said.
More than 300 sailors serve aboard the ship, and their jobs are highly specialized. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignments that keep the ship mission-ready at all times, according to Navy officials.
Navy guided-missile destroyers like USS Mason are multi-mission ships that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. They are equipped with Tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a Phalanx close-in weapons system.
Ray has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition. “My grandfather was in the Coast Guard,” Ray said. “I also had an uncle and cousin who both served in the Army.”
“Working here on Mason allows me to better focus on what I might do in life after the military,” said Ray. “I’m learning the business, and how to manage things.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Ray and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs. “The people I work with are friendly and help each other out,” said Ray. “It’s really a tight-knit group.”

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By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tom Gagnier, Navy Office of Community Outreach Photo by Dusty Good.