PHILLIPINE SEA – Lieutenant (junior grade) Jamie Ary from Hazel Green is serving aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), which is the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier.

Away from her daily duties, Ary assisted with the presentation of a mental health awareness event. She instructed fellow sailors about knitting, while on the Ronald Reagan’s mess decks.

Numerous other sailors also participated with the session focused on mental health. Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Maggie Flatt from Graham, Wash. played violin, while Aviation Machinist’s Mate Airman Anthony Knoll from Jacksonville, Fla. performed with his guitar.

The USS Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ary has the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, or LTJG, which is the second commissioned officer rank in the Navy. LTJG is equivalent to the rank of First Lieutenant in other branches of the Armed Services. An LTJG usually leads a group of sailors and petty officers in specific divisions, like Engineering or Intelligence.

Lieutenant Junior Grade is the 17th rank in the U.S. Navy, ranking above Ensign and directly below Lieutenant. Promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade from Ensign usually occurs about two years after an officer has received his or her commission as an Ensign.

Sailors may receive earlier or later promotions at the discretion of their commanding officers, based on their experience and display of leadership skills.

Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is linked directly to a strong and ready Navy. This need is imperative with more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic is carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor.

The Media Outreach Department with the Navy Office of Community Outreach in Millington, Tenn. produces these profiles. For more information, visit outreach.navy.mil, Facebook/Navy Outreach, Twitter @NavyOutreach or Instagram @US_Navy_Outreach.