PHILIPPINE SEA – A North Smithfield native serving abroad in the U.S. Navy received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal this month, as seen in a photo and release sent out from the Navy Office of Community Outreach.
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Erica Reiter from North Smithfield received the medal from Cmdr. Joseph Burgon, from Cottonwood, Calif., aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston on Monday, July 19.
Charleston, part of Destroyer Squadron Seven, is on a rotational deployment, operating in the U.S. 7th fleet, according to a release from the Navy outreach office. The fleet’s aim is to, “enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
“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 release noted.
A photo of Reiter receiving the medal was taken by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam Butler.
