John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
After nearly a full year of enlistment in the U.S. Navy, one of Madison's own is now out to sea. Marvin Alexander, a 2019 graduate of Madison County High School, is currently aboard the USS America, docked out of Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan, where he is stationed. Commissioned in October of 2014, the USS America is the fourth U.S. warship to be named after its motherland. Alexander's deployment in the Pacific Ocean will last approximately three months, according to his father, Clyde.
The USS America weighs over 45,000 tons and is 844 feet in length. The ship can carry 65 officers, nearly 1,000 enlisted personnel and over 1,500 marines, along with helicopters, V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, supported by F-35B Lightning II aircraft.
Alexander began his naval career in Great Lakes, Ill., where he began boot camp on Aug. 19, 2019. He graduated and was shipped to Pensacola, where he became an E-2 Airman Apprentice, training as an aircrew survival equipment-man. There, he learned to work on parachutes, life rafts, preservers, survival items and any other necessities pilots or airmen need for survival.
In a spring interview with Alexander, he stated that being a part of the U.S. Navy is like being a part of a big family. "Yes, it is not always good, but knowing your shipmates have your back makes everything better," Alexander noted, adding that he also feels he has gained a sense of motivation. "I remember back home, I wasn't really motivated and was sluggish in everything that I did, but now, I'm always getting things done without hesitation."
The former MCHS Cowboy's enlistment term expires in September of 2023, but he has plans to re-enlist before returning stateside. He is the son of Clyde and Claudette Alexander.