Amityville, NY - February 20, 2019 - An Amityville, New York, native and 2009 Amityville Memorial High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile cruiser, USS Port Royal.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Kymmar Taylor has served in the Navy for five years and is a U.S. Navy logistics specialist aboard guided-missile cruiser operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A Navy logistics specialist, Taylor is responsible for supplying parts and supplies to the ship.
Taylor credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Amityville.
“I really brought my work ethic into the Navy with me because back home if you sat around doing nothing you would eat...plain and simple,” said Taylor.
Approximately 300 men and women serve aboard the ship. According to Navy officials, their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the cruiser running smoothly. They do everything from maintaining gas turbine engines and operating the highly sophisticated Aegis weapons system to driving the ship and operating small boats.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Taylor is most proud of earning the enlisted surface warfare specialist pin in 2017.
“It was crazy hard to get so I am very proud I worked for it,” said Taylor.
A Navy cruiser is a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea Navy officials explained. The ship is equipped with a vertical launching system, tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons systems.
Being stationed in Pearl Harbor, often referred to as the gateway to the Pacific in defense circles, means Taylor is serving in a part of the world taking on a new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances, and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades. The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world's population, many of the world's largest and smallest economies, several of the world's largest militaries, and many U.S. allies.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Taylor, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Taylor is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“My older sister is in the Army,” said Taylor. “One day she sat me down to grill me about my life because I wasn’t doing anything and floated the idea of the military and that was it.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Taylor and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means a better life for me and my family,” added Taylor.
By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Erica R. Gardner, Navy Office of Community Outreach