Bonne Terre native serves aboard USS Nimitz

PACIFIC OCEAN - Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Malachi Crump, from Bonne Terre, son of Jerry & Chelsea Bingham, welds a quick acting water tight scuttle aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is underway conducting routine operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kenneth Lagadi)

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.

Currently serving on the U.S.S. Nimitz and has been on the carrier for about a year. This is the third carrier he has served on, the first was the Theodore Roosevelt and the second was the Harry S Truman.

He has been in for almost ten years, going in to the service in June of 2012. He said, “At the beginning I went to Chicago for basic and then on to Virginia for a five year rotation.” He went on to say, “I spent about 8 months in the yards and then went to sea trials for about 8 to 9 months. After that you’re on to a post.”

When asked about serving during conflict, he said, “We were involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, usually with a carrier, it’s more as a deterrent than action. We have spent a lot of time in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.”

He is a nuclear welder with experience in several types of welding. He said, “I’m grandfathered in to the 20 year plan, and I plan on retiring with 20 years. My wife is an active duty electrician and we’re on the same time frame. It should work out pretty well.”

The military has gone to a co-location process for couples that are married in the service. While they can not serve under the same command, the military now tries to put them within 100 miles of each other when stationed.

He said they’ve been married a year and seen each other probably about a month of that, total. When asked if that was good or bad, he said, “Really it just works, for us at least. We’re so busy with our duties the time goes quickly, and we still can keep in touch while out to sea.”

It has been a year and four months since he’s been home, and he said it was great to see everyone. He said, “Whenever I come home, it seems like I always have something to do or take care of, right now, my wife and I are getting our co-location lined out and on our way to Washington.”

In closing, he said, “One thing I guess I should say is my wife out ranks me, and hear about it often!”

Good luck to the new couple and thanks to both of them for their service.