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The officers and crew of the USS Monterey missile cruiser were awarded the USS Arizona Trophy at a recent naval ceremony held at Norfolk Naval Base in January 2020. This trophy is awarded every two years to the best performing combat ready crew in the surface fleet and is one of the Navy’s most prestigious trophies. The USS Monterey is the U.S. Navy warship that fired 30 Tomahawk missiles at suspected Syrian chemical weapon sites in 2018. The Monterey crew was lauded for leading coalition strike operations against chemical weapons research, production, and storage sites in Syria in the absence of a carrier strike group during the April 14, 2018 attack.

Serving aboard the USS Monterey as Logistics Specialist is Linden native Petty Officer 1st Class Dalton K. Etheridge. Etheridge is the son of Patrick and Michelle Etheridge, formerly of Linden. He is the grandson of Watson and the late Hazel Etheridge and Billy and Billie Boggs of Linden.

During his naval service, Etheridge has received the Good Conduct Award, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and has been recognized as a Logistics Management Executive. Etheridge has served aboard the missile cruiser for nearly six years. He is currently stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. When his enlistment is completed in April 2020, he and his wife and two daughters plan to return to the Knoxville, Tennessee area.

(This article originally appeared in the Wednesday, February 26 issue of the Demopolis Times.)