Theresa Kilian
Memorial Day is dedicated as a time to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. More than one million Americans have made that sacrifice and many more serve every day, knowing what is on the table for their service. This is a small profile of just one of those serving from the Atlanta area.
Theresa Kilian is a native of Roswell and knew she wanted to continue the family tradition of military service. Kilian was an honors student at Roswell High School and then later at Georgia Tech. She was in the Navy ROTC program at Georgia Tech, and with her degree in mechanical engineering, took her expertise to the USS Curtis Wilbur, part of the Fleet Activities Yokosuka, patrolling one of the world’s busiest regions for shipping and an important part of the forward deployment of the U.S. Navy.
“I’ve had some amazing and cool experiences like visiting foreign ports and shooting our weapons,” said Kilian. “One of the best experiences is spending time with the crew. We are a small, tight-knit community.”
Kilian is the division officer for the combat missile division and works on the tomahawk and harpoon weapon systems and the vertical launch system. Kilian and the Curtis Wilbur are part of the 7th Fleet, with a range that spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line (somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for those far removed from a geography class) to the India/Pakistan border. The area of operations encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population. Some 20,000 sailors are scattered across anywhere from 50-70 ships and submarines, plus 140 aircraft.
“Being forward deployed here, I’ve been able to experience a lot the ship cycles,” said Kilian. “I’ve been in the shipyard, the training cycle, the operational cycle, and back to the shipyard so the 7th Fleet has given me an opportunity to learn the life cycle of the ship. I believe this will help prepare me with my career.”
A third of the world’s crude oil passes through the region, along with more than 50 percent of the world’s shipping tonnage. “The Navy is forward-deployed to provide security and strengthen relationships in a free and open Indo-Pacific. It’s not just the ships and aircraft that have shown up to prevent conflict and promote peace,” said Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “It is, and will continue to be our people who define the role our Navy plays around the world. People who’ve made a choice, and have the will and strength of character to make a difference.”
Destroyers are among the most-advanced and sensitive ships in the U.S. Navy. Armed with tomahawk missiles, Standard Missile-3s or newer variants, they are 510 feet long and operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups. The Curtis Wilbur also has anti-aircraft capability armed with long range missiles to counter threats from manned aircraft, anti-ship, cruise and tactical ballistic missiles.
“I enjoy my job,” said Kilian. “I mainly just like being there for the crew. Everything I do is for them. I feel like we have a reason to be out here, doing what we are doing. That is why I serve in the Navy.”
