Sailor from Columbus gives US Navy speech

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Chief Fire Controllman (Aegis) Maurice Groves, from Columbus, Ohio, gave a speech prior to the cake cutting in honor of the birthday of Pfc. Ralph Johnson, the ship’s namesake.

A photo taken aboard the ship shows Groves reading the speech — a glimpse of Navy life.

The USS Ralph Johnson is assigned to Task Force 71/DESRON 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th fleet’s principal surface force.

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy, the US Navy said in a media release.