A 2011 American High School graduate and Miami native is serving on one of the world’s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Petty Officer 3rd Class Reginald Cross is a yeoman aboard the San Diego-based ship, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and one of only ten operational aircraft carriers in the Navy today.
“My responsibilities are administrative. Making sure the Sailors are here and are getting paid,” said Cross.
Named in honor of former President Ronald Reagan, the carrier is longer than 3 football fields, at nearly 1,100 feet long. The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons. Two nuclear reactors can push the ship through the water at nearly 35 mph.
“My favorite part of serving on this ship is the experience and leadership skills I have learned,” said Cross. “I enjoy the educational benefits of the Navy. Before the Navy I never knew how I was going to pay for school.”