Concord native on U.S. guided-missile destroyer

Petty Officer 3rd Class Aries Socrates, a Concord native, is serving on the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon.

Socrates works as a Navy fire controlman AEGIS aboard the Arleigh Burke-class ship operating out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. He is responsible for the computers and servers that provide the ship’s overall navigation and combat picture.

Socrates is serving in a part of the world taking on a new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

The 2006 Contra Costa Christian High School graduate credits his success to lessons learned in Concord. “My hometown taught me the value of hard work and patience,” he said.

“Dedication and persistence to my personal goals and family helped to push me through to reach where I am now,” added Socrates, who graduated from Diablo Valley College in 2013.

Chung-Hoon, measuring about 500 feet, features four gas turbines that allow the destroyer to achieve more than 30 mph in open seas. About 30 officers and 300 enlisted men and women make up the ship’s company.

Lt. Courtney Prizer works with the Navy’s Office of Community Outreach.