HOWELL – Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Michael Sisolak, 22, of Howell, is serving on the USS Carney and recently took part in Exercise Sea Breeze, which was a land, sea and air exercise involving multiple nations and thousands of troops in the Black Sea.
The USS Carney is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
Exercise Sea Breeze 2019 brought together 19 nations, 32 ships, 24 aircraft and more than 3,000 troops to participate in a maritime, air and land exercise to enhance capabilities, improve interoperability and build upon decades of partnership/friendship, according to the public affairs office of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and the U.S. Sixth Fleet.
The field training exercise had a focus on protecting critical infrastructure, force protection and maritime security operations, according to the public affairs office.
Exercise Sea Breeze took place from July 1-21. Participants included Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Georgia, Germany, Moldova, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States; with Algeria, Bangladesh, Israel, Portugal, Qatar, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates as observers.
Sisolak, who joined the U.S. Navy on May 14, 2017, responded to questions sent to him via email by the Tri-Town News with the assistance of the public affairs office.
“Since I joined the Navy, I have been stationed on the USS Carney out of Rota, Spain. I have been on three FDNF (forward-deployed naval forces) patrols, participating in many exercises with foreign allies, the most recent one being Sea Breeze 2019,” Sisolak said.
He said joining the Navy was the best thing for him and explained what his current job entails.
“I am a Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Petty Officer. The job, or rate as well call it, involves many different things. Some of those things are driving the ship, preservation, small boat operations, anchoring, underway replenishments, helicopter operations and many more.
“Like every job, some parts of it are much more enjoyable than others. My choice to join the Navy is the best thing I could have done for myself and every day I am lucky to have the opportunities I do,” Sisolak said.
“Sea Breeze 2019 was a lot like other exercises we do with our allies, it was very exciting, very busy, a little hectic, but a lot of fun. It is always cool to have a bunch of ships and aircraft from other countries working with us for the same goals.
“We conducted a lot of small boat operations with the ships around us, which I am heavily involved in,” he said. “Overall the exercise was a success and I look forward to the next time we enter the Black Sea.”
Sisolak offered a message to his friends and family members: “To all my friends and family back home, I am always thinking about you guys and I hope things are going well while I am away. As much as I have enjoyed traveling and learning about different cultures, I can’t wait to be back in the States will all of you. Reach out to me whenever you guys can.”