Sailors assigned to the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) visited students at Mayport Coastal Sciences Middle School for career day in Jacksonville, Fla., March 20, 2019.

Sailors were able to speak on the opportunities and career paths that the Navy has to offer.

“A lot of our students don’t know the many benefits that the Navy has, such as college and career preparedness,” said Heather Wakefield, a counselor at Mayport Coastal Sciences Middle School. “A lot of our students don’t know that there is so much more to the military. That’s why I like them to see a variety of personnel, so that they can experience everybody from the entry mode to somebody who is very high up and has a variety of skill sets.”

Mayport Coastal Sciences Middle School is approximately a mile away from Naval Station Mayport; therefore, there are many students there that are from military families. Even they got to learn something about the Navy.

“I liked being able to learn about the different jobs in the Navy,” said Jake Nagy, a student at Mayport Coastal Sciences Middle School. “Being a military child, I only got to see a couple of jobs, so today I was able to widen my perspective of the different jobs and what they do in the Navy.”

At the career day, Sailors displayed the different types of gear and equipment that is used on the ship. Students were able to try some of the gear on and ask questions regarding how and when they are used.

“I enjoyed walking around and looking at all the tables set up,” said Nagy. “I thought the equipment that was brought in by the Navy was really cool because it gave a physical perspective of what the Navy does and uses.”

Attending Career Days are just one of the things the USS Iwo Jima does as a part of community outreach, which is important to help spread the Navy’s message and to help out around us.

“A lot of folks think they know what the Navy does based on unrealistic things they see on television or in movies,” said Captain Darrell S. Canady, commanding officer of the USS Iwo Jima. “It’s always great to put a face with a name and talk to the community, answer their questions about exactly what it is that we do both when we’re here in port and overseas on a mission.”

Iwo Jima is homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida with a mission to provide the Marine Corps with a means of ship-to-shore movement by helicopter in addition to movement by landing craft. The ship is capable of vertical/short take-off and landing, short take-off vertical landing, vertical take-off and landing tilt-rotor and rotary wing aircraft operations and contains a well deck to support use of landing craft air cushion and other watercraft.

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For more news from USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), visit www.navy.mil/.