Japan Stripes
A USS Shiloh (CG 67) Sailor was recognized as the Japan Missile Defender of the Year at a ceremony held Feb. 9.
Fire Controlman 1st Class Carl R. Morinville, from Bronx, New York, was named as the missile defender of the year for his superior work calibrating one of the radar systems while assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser.
“In August 2016, our Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) team performed an ‘external calibration’ of our radar system,” said Morinville. “Our mission was to track a sphere device attached to a 20 foot balloon while the balloon was flying 70,000 feet in the air.”
During the beginning of the calibration the first balloon used popped, resulting in a mess and an inconclusive test.
“The entire Combat Fire Control (CF) division came together, determined to succeed, on the second calibration test. We worked together to remove any errors from the radar system,” said Morinville.
By tracking the sphere device attached to the balloon, Shiloh was able to re-calibrate its radar system and return the system to function more effectively than it had in 5 years.
During the ceremony Morinville was presented the award from the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA). MDAA is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Riki Ellison. Its mission is to make the world safer by advocating for the development and deployment of missile defense systems to defend the United States, its armed forces and its allies against missile threats…
