NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Seaman Vanessa Cuellar, a native of San Antonio, Texas, serves aboard USS John C. Stennis, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operating out of Newport News, Virginia. Aircraft carriers are among the largest warships in the world.
Cuellar graduated from Harlendale in 2023.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in San Antonio.
“My dad taught me to keep my head down and keep moving forward,” Cuellar said. When I face a difficult challenge, I think back to that lesson, and it helps me push through.”
Cuellar joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Cuellar serves as an operations specialist.
“I wanted to explore the world and see what it had to offer,” Cuellar said. “The idea of visiting foreign ports and sailing the ocean was so appealing that it wasn’t long before I found myself at the Navy recruiter’s office.”
Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s Naval forces. For more than 100 years, they have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintained enduring commitments worldwide. USS John C. Stennis is longer than three football fields at 1,092 feet. The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons. More than 5,000 sailors serve aboard these self-contained mobile airports.
According to Navy officials, aircraft carriers are versatile and have unique mission capabilities that make them a more strategic asset for the Navy than fixed-site bases. They are often the first response in a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. In addition, no other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility and combat capability of its air wing.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Cuellar has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“Graduating from boot camp was my biggest accomplishment because it was a mentally challenging adjustment,” Cuellar said. “Successfully completing it proved that anything is possible if I work hard enough.”
Cuellar serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means constantly growing and learning new skills,” Cuellar said. “I appreciate that I have been able to develop both as an individual and as a team alongside my shipmates.”
Cuellar is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.“I would like to thank my dad, stepmom, brothers and sisters, and my best friend Honestie and her family,” Cuellar added. “Even though I am far away, I know I can always depend on them for support.”
