By Lt. Omari Faulkner, Navy Office of Community Outreach 

NORFOLK, Va. - A Riverside, California, native is participating in the Large-Scale Exercise (LSE 2021) aboard USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41). This U.S. Navy warship transports and launches Marines from sea to shore as part of amphibious assault operations.

Seaman Marcus Davenport, a 2017 Martin Luther King High School graduate, joined the Navy two years ago. 

"I joined the Navy for security and to see who I could be outside of my family," said Davenport.  "I knew the Navy would provide me with an amazing opportunity."

According to Davenport, the values required to succeed in the military are similar to those in Riverside.

"I learned always to be honest, and if there is something I want, keep working at it," said Davenport.

LSE 2021 demonstrates the Navy's ability to employ precise, lethal, and overwhelming force globally across three naval component commands, five numbered fleets and 17 time zones. LSE 2021 merges live and synthetic training capabilities to create an intense, robust training environment. It will connect high-fidelity training and real-world operations to build knowledge and skills needed in today's complex, multi-domain, and contested environment.

"During Large Scale Exercise 21, USS Whidbey Island demonstrated enhanced medical capabilities while seamlessly integrating our Fleet Surgical Team," said the commanding officer of USS Whidbey Island, Cmdr. Kristel Anne O'Canas. This critical mission set will allow dynamic force employment in the Surface Fleet by expanding medical care capacity across various surface combatants."  

Whidbey Island is designed to deliver Marines and their equipment to amphibious operations, including landings via Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC), conventional landing craft and helicopters, onto hostile shores.

Homeported in Little Creek, Virginia, Whidbey Island 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 above 25 mph. 

Serving in the Navy means Davenport is part of a world 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.

"We patrol the sea, and we are there to protect it," said Davenport.

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 are directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Davenport and 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.

"It represents a lot of growth by serving my country and making something positive out of myself," added Davenport.