Aurora native Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Michael is a long way from home.
Michael is currently serving aboard the USS Arleigh Burke in the United States Navy Sixth Fleet. The guided-missile destroyer departed Naval Station Rota, Spain on November 22, 2023 to begin its 4th patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, which includes Europe and Africa.
“For me, the holidays mean being with family, the feast at dinner, the laughs and special church service,” said Michael. “It’s the ability to spend an annual holiday with the ones you hold dear to you.”
Michael wants family back home to know they are missed this holiday season.
“I would like to say ‘hi’ to my mom, Bob, Joey, Jimmy, Tini, Mela and Molly,” added Michael. “I dearly miss you all and wish we could spend this time together. No doubt, my mom has already made the house look like a Home Goods Winter Wonderland. I hope next Christmas I’ll be able to take leave and visit you all. Tell Nana and Diana that I miss them and Merry Christmas as well.”
Arleigh Burke is one of four Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe destroyers assigned to support to NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense system. These ships demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s flexibility to operate throughout Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, supporting security and stability in the maritime domain.
Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach, contributed to this article.
