Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Athena M. Williams Fields, a 1999 graduate of Liberty County High School, is deployed. Fields, along with fellow sailors and Marines aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway with a ceremony.

The previous USS Enterprise and her wing played a role in the World War II battle that took place June 4-7, 1942. Alongside three other carriers, the USS Enterprise and the U.S. Strike Forces defeated an Imperial Japanese navy carrier task force. The Enterprise and her wing were credited with sinking three of the four Japanese carriers at Midway.

As part of the commemoration, Enterprise’s first class petty officers performed a wreath-laying ceremony on the fantail of the ship. The fallen sailors and Marines were also honored with a 21-gun salute and the sounding of “Taps.”

Aircraft assigned to CVW-1 performed a missing-man flyover formation to commemorate the aviators who were lost during the battle. Throughout the day, a recounting of the events of the Battle of Midway was broadcast on the ship’s announcing system.

Fields joined the Navy in September 2000.

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