YOKOSUKA, JAPAN. - Hospitalman Maria Roepke, a native of Acworth, serves in Japan aboard a forward-deployed U.S. Navy warship.

Roepke graduated from North Cobb High School in 2011 where she learned many of the skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy.

”I learned the importance of having a strong work ethic and to never stop growing and learning,” said Roepke.

Roepke joined the Navy two years ago and today serves as a hospital corpsman.

”My family is in the Navy, and I am following in my family’s footsteps,” said Roepke. “My grandfather served in the Army during Korea, and my dad served in the Army. That’s how my parents met. He was stationed in Panama and my mom was a doctor there. The rest is history. My brother was in the Navy as an officer, and once I saw him I knew I needed to be in that uniform.”

Roepke serves on the USS Rafael Peralta, a guided-missile destroyer that provides a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments. Like all Navy destroyers, Rafael Peralta is a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons system.

More than 300 sailors serve aboard Rafael Peralta with jobs that are highly specialized, requiring both dedication and skill. According to Navy officials, these jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignments that keep the ship mission-ready at all times.

Roepke serves in Japan as part of the forward-deployed naval forces. These naval forces operate with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Service members in this region are part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which has the largest area of responsibility in the world.

Roepke has had many accomplishments during her military service including being selected as Sailor of the Week.

“I am proud to serve my country and to protect the rights of those I care for,” she said. “I want to be a positive influence to those around me. I specifically chose to be a hospital corpsman so I can help my fellow sailors.”

Roepke is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I would like to thank my family,” said Roepke. “They are my biggest supporters; especially my mom. She is the strongest woman I have ever met. She’s a strong lady, and I want to be like her. She’s someone who cares for others around them and always works hard.”

“It is never too late to start your life’s journey,” she added. “I joined when I was 29 but I made it. I am one year away from a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and my ultimate goal of being a physician assistant.”

Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jerry Jimenez, Navy Office of Community Outreach contributed to this story.