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North Smithfield native receives Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal aboard USS Charleston

 

PHILIPPINE SEA (July 19, 2021) Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Erica Reiter, right, from North Smithfield, R.I., receives the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal from Cmdr. Joseph Burgon, from Cottonwood, Calif., aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), July 19. Charleston, part of Destroyer Squadron Seven, is on a rotational deployment, operating in the U.S. 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam Butler)

 

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.