NORFOLK, Virginia - As we celebrate Veterans Day and the men and women who bravely serve our country, 21 News Anchor Derek Steyer recently got exclusive access to Naval Base Norfolk in Virginia as part of the U.S. Navy's Sailor for a Day program.

Over the course of the next week, we have stories on U.S. Navy readiness, the roles different ships play and he took a trip to an aircraft carrier at sea.

With ships defending American interests all around the globe, the heartbeat of the U.S. Navy are its sailors.

Derek caught up with several sailors from the Mahoning Valley including Petty Officer Jeffrey Melnek, a Youngstown native who is an Operations Specialist on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

"We conduct operations, we conduct search and rescues, we track air contacts, track surface contacts," Melnek said. "We are the first in line of the fight."

Much of his work is so secretive, that our cameras weren't allowed to record him in action.

"I can't show you to much of what we do, a lot of it is secret information but I can tell you that our job is very important and 5,000 sailors depend on us to protect them," Melnek said.

A graduate of Fitch High School, Melnek joined the Navy in 2017.

"I had a difficult time growing up, significant things happened to me in my life and being supported by my family, my friends, the jobs I worked for, they did so much for me that made me the person I am and I think they encouraged me to do something better in life and that is what I am doing here now," Melnek said.

He calls his U.S. Navy experience incredibly rewarding.

"I wanted to make a difference for the country and definitely make a difference for myself," Melnek said.
"It's rewarding because knowing that what I do every single day, being able to fight the fight when necessary and being able to go to work knowing that I am making a difference for myself but also protecting my family and this country, every single day."

Petty Officer Vincent Bailey is a Fire Controllman on the destroyer, USS Porter.

"I do maintenance on the Harpoon Weapons System and so that is an anti-ship missile, so I have to make sure those are ready to launch at a moment's notice," Bailey said.

Bailey has been in the Navy for five and a half years and says preparation is the key, training everyday for the unknown.

"It's just a mental mindset, you're going to hope for the best but you do expect the worst sometimes and with everything that is going on right now, it's are you mentally prepared for what is about to happen?"

Bailey loves working for the Navy, a military branch that is forward deployed around the globe.

"We have ships all over the world and we're all ready for a moments notice and its important especially now, that if something does happen, we can get to the fight and support our troops and all other branches as well and just be there for them as a backup," Bailey said.

Lt. Brandon Foor works with what the Navy calls the Landing Craft Air Cushion or LCAC. It's a fully amphibious vehicle for transporting personnel, weapons, equipment, pretty much anything ship to shore.

"This is definitely one of the more fun jobs in the Navy," Foor said. "It will hover and could do about 25 knots on land and go over stuff. We actually bring marines to the beach, or evacuate people in some places hit by a hurricane or some places under fire and its incredible. There are so many different mission sets in the Navy and this is right here is A&W, Amphibious Warfare and lot of people forget or think that because we haven't done a D-day landing since the 40's that this program isn't important but it is coming back full circle how important this program is."

With fourteen years in the Navy, Foor says the service has transformed his life and he does it for love of country.

"At the end of the day, you can't just do this for a paycheck, you have to have patriotic in you, you have to be doing this for a reason," Foor said. "The time when I came in back in 2009, we were still in conflict with Iraq and Afghanistan, so for all those kids at the time to raise their right hands and say I do, that is a big deal and so it is very important to me, I love this country and I want to keep it safe every chance I can."

Three Valley sailors putting their lives on the line and serving a purpose bigger than themselves.

21 News exclusive series Serving on the High Seas continues Sunday morning on WFMJ Weekend Today where these Valley sailors talk about what they miss most while away from home.