Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Settle, a native of Columbus, is serving in Yokosuka, Japan, aboard the self-contained mobile airport and the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan.
Equipped with a full flight deck and more than 60 aircraft including attack fighter jets and helicopters, aircraft carriers are one of the largest warships in the world.
Settle graduated from Columbus North High School in 2012 and said the skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found back home.
“I started detasselling corn when I was 13,” said Settle. “It was tough. You worked eight hours a day in 100-degree temperatures and near 100% humidity. It’s like flight deck life. But it gave me a good work ethic at a young age.”
Settle joined the Navy 10 years ago. Today, he serves as an aviation boatswain’s mate.
“I joined the Navy because I didn’t like the situation I was in back home,” said Settle. “I wanted to travel, I wanted the benefits of service, and I wanted to be able to retire in my 40s.
“I was proud to become a first-class petty officer in six years,” he said. “That’s pretty quick for an aviation boatswain’s mate.”
