SOUTH CHINA SEA (Nov. 7, 2024) – A Jacksonville, Florida, native and graduate of Duncan U. Fletcher High School is serving aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105).

Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Mehki Edwards joined the Navy in 2022 and is now forward-deployed aboard Dewey to Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.

“I joined the Navy for family, future and finances,” said Edwards. “I just wanted a way to help out my current family and my future family, and the Navy provides opportunities in terms of saving and investing in more ways than I could find in the civilian world.”

As a boatswain’s mate, Edwards works in the ship’s deck department, where he and his team are responsible for maintaining the ship inside and out, standing bridge and lookout watches, and repairing, maintaining and stowing hundreds of pieces of shipboard equipment. In addition, he serves as a small boat operator and flight deck crewmember, positions vital to daily shipboard operations.

“I really didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk,” said Edwards. “I wanted to do something I’m good at, and I’ve always been a hands-on type of person. I used to paint houses and fences and do other types of odd jobs, and boatswain’s mate just seemed like a perfect fit to me.”

Edwards comes from a family with a history of military service. His father and grandfather both served as boatswain’s mates, something he said influenced his own military career path.

“That factored in quite a lot,” he said. “I definitely wanted to follow in their footsteps, but at the same time, I want to be better at what they did and help enrich the evolution of the rating, as well as the Navy as a whole.”

According to Edwards, the best part about being a boatswain’s mate is the freedom.

“A lot of people work inside, crammed up in rooms somewhere, but I get to go outside and walk around,” he said. “I get to do things that others can’t do. I get to hang off the side of the ship, go 15 feet in the air to paint a spot on the side of the ship or drive the RHIB (rigid-hull inflatable boat).”

Edwards offered some advice to others thinking about a career in the Navy.

“Do it,” he said. “It’s going to be hard at first, but once you get some time, some experience and some qualifications, it gets easier. I got here and worked hard, and now I am in a great position to make the best contributions to the division. What’s really satisfying about that is when new Sailors get here, they really look up to you because you know what you’re doing.”

Dewey is forward-deployed and assigned to Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.