Apalachicola native serves aboard warship in Mayport
Seaman Jamal Robinson, a native of Apalachicola, serves aboard USS Lassen, a U.S. Navy warship operating out of Mayport.
Robinson, who graduated from Franklin County High School in 2022, believes the skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Apalachicola.
“My hometown taught me not to let things that are bothersome interfere with your work,” said Robinson. “My family also instilled a hard work ethic in me.”
Robinson joined the Navy one year ago.
“I joined the Navy to have new opportunities and to change for the better,” he said. “My uncle and my grandfather also served in the military. When my grandfather passed away, it made me want to join the military.”
A Navy destroyer is a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
More than 300 sailors serve aboard Lassen. Their jobs are highly specialized, requiring both dedication and skill. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignments that keep the ship mission-ready at all times, according to Navy officials.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”
Robinson has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I’m most proud of being awarded ‘Sea Devil of the Month’ on board my ship,” said Robinson. “It felt good to know that my hard work wasn’t going unnoticed.”
Robinson serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“I joined the Navy to help our country,” he said. “Serving in the Navy means I have a job that helps myself and my family.”
Robinson is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my Uncle Michael for guiding me along my Navy career,” he said. “He gave me good advice on how to enter the Navy along with tips for once I was in the military.”
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.
Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tracey Bannister is with the Navy Office of Community Outreach
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.