United States Navy

            In November 1997, the Secretary of the Navy announced plans for the creation of  the Navy’s most technologically advanced warships.   By April 2003 the ship was complete and the USS Mason (DDG8F) took its place among the Navy’s fleet of destroyers.

            Now, six years after its birth, the ship and its crew are working to build teamwork and create the identity and personality of the USS Mason.    Sailors like Chief Petty Officer Howard Alexander, son of Kenneth Alexander of Wynne, Arkansas, make up the highly trained crew.    Howard, a 1986 graduate of Moorpark Memorial High School, Moorpark, California, enlisted in June of the same year.    He joined the Navy for more opportunities and to get away from a small town.

            As a sonar technician, his primary responsibilities include underwater surveillance and aiding in search, rescue, and attack operations.    He also operates and repairs sonar equipment and jam enemy sonars.

            Preparing a ship to enter the fleet involves many dedicated hours of work but the end result leaves sailors with a sense of  accomplishment and memories that will last them far beyond their Navy careers.

            Howard married Nikki Willams and they are parents of two children.

            The above information was taken from an article printed in the Wynne Progress newspaper 20 June 2003.

                                            06 November 2007              /20/