Sailor from Red Hook serving while brother attends Naval Academy
PEARL HARBOR, HI - Ensign Kathryn Kelly, a native of Red Hook, New York, and a 2021 graduate of Red Hook High School, serves aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guid
PEARL HARBOR, HI – Ensign Kathryn Kelly, a native of Red Hook, New York, and a 2021 graduate of Red Hook High School, serves aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120), participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands.
At the same time, her brother is attending the U.S. Naval Academy.
Kelly joined the Navy in 2025.
“My grandfather served in the Navy as a cryptologist during the Korean War, and his service inspired me from a young age,” Kelly said. “Growing up near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, I was surrounded by a community that valued service, volunteerism, and giving back. Visiting the U.S. Naval Academy confirmed that the Navy was the right path for me.” Kelly’s brother, Danny Kelly, is currently a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy and will commission in 2027.
Citing lessons learned from her upbringing, Kelly said, “Growing up, I learned the importance of hard work, discipline, and teamwork,” Kelly said. “From the age of four through 16, I trained in Irish step dancing and performed throughout my community, which taught me dedication and perseverance. I also participated in school sports, where my coaches emphasized teamwork and accountability; lessons that made the transition to Navy life much easier.”
Kelly serves as a surface warfare officer aboard the USS Carl M. Levin. The destroyer honors Michigan’s longest-serving senator, the late Carl M. Levin, for his years of service as a longtime member and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Levin began his career as an attorney, professor, and assistant attorney general in Michigan and was elected to the Senate in 1979. Levin chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2001 – 2003 and from 2007 until his retirement. He was Michigan’s first Jewish senator and the state’s longest-serving senator, serving for 36 years before retiring in 2015.
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, 31 nations, approximately 40 surface ships, five submarines, 14 national land forces, over 140 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel will participate in RIMPAC 2026. This exercise provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2026 marks the 30th exercise in a series that began in 1971.
Comments