NCCM Sara L. Drake
NCCM Sara L. Drake is a native of Indiana, Pennsylvania, and a 1997 graduate of Penns Manor High School. She enlisted in the United States Navy during her senior year, reporting to Recruit Training Command on November 4, 1997.
Navy announces E-6 sailors of the year, meritorious chief advancements
The U.S. Navy this month announced a slate of E-6 personnel the service is recognizing as their respective commands’ sailors of the year, with each soon advancing to join the chiefs mess. First class petty officers from each command will take their place in the Goat Locker on Sept. 16, 2026, after each sailor completes their CPO initiation, according to a release from Chief of Naval Operations Adm...[Read More]
NAVSUP FLC Puget Sound Supports Portland Fleet Week Visit
PORTLAND, Oregon—Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center (NAVSUP FLC) Puget Sound personnel were on hand to provide pierside support for the Navy’s participation in the annual Portland Rose Fest Fleet Week June 2-8.
Military families paying $1,000 out of pocket for moves, survey shows
More than 60% of active-duty families who made moves in the past two years paid more than $1,000 out of pocket for expenses related to their move, according to a new survey. “The data continue to show that military moves create disruption across nearly every aspect of life. … A military-directed move shouldn’t be creating avoidable expenses that military families must absorb,” said Shannon R...[Read More]
Gunfight at the Veracruz Custom House led to six Medal of Honor recipients
On April 9, 1914, amid the chaos of Mexico’s revolutionary conflicts, nine U.S. Navy seamen had been detained by the dictatorship of Gen. Victoriano Huerta. Although they were released on April 21, the United States learned that the steamship Ypiranga had entered the port of Veracruz with a cargo of German weaponry. In response, the U.S. Navy confiscated Ypiranga and landed an occupation force in ...[Read More]
Just one in four Americans believes the Iran war was worth its costs
Just one in four Americans believes President Donald Trump’s war with Iran was worth its costs and a majority worry that a truce with Tehran is unlikely to last, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The five-day poll, which closed on Monday, also showed the war weighing heavily on Trump’s popularity, with his approval rating dropping to 34%, a return to the lowest level of the Republican’s second term that...[Read More]
US Coast Guard helicopter crashes in Alaska with four onboard
Editor’s note: This is a developing story. A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter carrying four members crashed during a training flight Monday in Sitka, Alaska, the service announced. Coast Guard search-and-rescue teams, along with crews from the Sitka Fire Department, responded to the scene near Harbor Mountain at about 11:00 a.m. and transported the service members to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical...[Read More]
NASCAR San Diego Weekend connects Sailors, community for Navy 250
Naval Base Coronado welcomed upward of 100,000 visitors, race fans, service members, military families and community partners during the inaugural NASCAR San Diego Weekend, June 19-21.
Allies come together in the Indo-Pacific: Valiant Shield 26
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – U.S. Pacific Command joint forces, along with allied and partner forces, are scheduled to participate in exercise Valiant Shield (VS26) 2026, June 22–July 1, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Japan, and at sea around the Mariana Islands Range Complex.
USS Fitzgerald returns to San Diego following three months underway
SAN DIEGO (June 19, 2026) – Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) returned to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego following a three-month underway to the U.S. 3rd Fleet and 7th Fleet areas of operations, June 19.
Philippine, U.S. forces conduct Maritime Cooperative Activity
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces conducted a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone June 14-19 2026. This activity demonstrated a collective commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The unlikely role of Operation Epic Fury in a Mississippi AI data center lawsuit
A Defense Department official disclosed that U.S. forces used Elon Musk’s Grok AI tool to help deploy “over 2,000 munitions to 2,000 distinct targets” during the first four days of combat operations in Iran. The disclosure offered a glimpse into how generative AI is being used by the military. It came in a court filing supporting the Justice Department’s effort to dismiss a lawsuit targeting a Mis...[Read More]