Scottsbluff Native Serves Aboard USS Pearl Harbor

Scottsbluff Native Serves Aboard USS Pearl Harbor
October 16th, 2021 | Media Release

Petty Officer 2nd Class Emily Yanke, a native of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, serves aboard USS Pearl Harbor, a U.S. Navy warship that transports and launches Marines from sea to shore as part of amphibious assault operations.

Yanke, a 2014 Scottsbluff Public High School graduate and Southern New Hampshire University 2021 graduate. Yanke joined the Navy over six years ago to make family proud.

“I was originally going to a Western Nebraska Community College but was not sure what I was doing with my future,” said Yanke. “When my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer I wanted to do something that would make my family proud and out of the blue a recruiter called me and I took that as a sign that I should join.”

Yanke is currently serving as a fire controlman.

“I work on really smart guns and their radars and cooling systems,” said Yanke. “My main goal is to protect the ship and educate my peers on how to reconfigure systems for a real-world combat systems scenario to ensure we can do our best to fight.”

According to Yanke, the values required to succeed in the military are similar to those found in Scottsbluff.

“I learned leadership from positions I held in my high school class along with being the female team captain for the swim team,” said Yanke. “This helped me develop a foundation that I have continued to build off of as I work to lead and train others in my day to day life. I also attribute the strong morale fiber that my parents instilled in me to help me ensure I do what is right- integrity which has helped me excel in the Navy.”

Pearl Harbor is a he Harpers Ferry-class amphibious dock landing ship designed to deliver Marines and their equipment in support of amphibious operations including landings via Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC), conventional landing craft and helicopters, onto hostile shores.

Homeported in San Diego, Pearl Harbor is longer than two football fields at 610 feet. The ship is 84 feet wide and weighs more than 16,000 tons. It has four diesel engines that can push the ship through the water in excess of 25 mph.

Serving in the Navy means Yanke is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

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.

Yanke and other sailors have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

“When I was stationed in Europe I was recognized by the Ambassador to Greece as a junior sailor,” said Yanke. “I was one of the first people at that command to qualify as Combat Systems Officer of the Watch in my job field. Which paved the way for the sailors who are still there today.”

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Yanke as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.

“Serving in the Navy means that I am here to help serve the country and prepare those who will one day assume my job to be the best sailors they can be,” added Yanke.

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