Wills serves on Navy’s amphibious warfare unit

NORFOLK – Petty Officer 2nd Class Sharun Wills, who graduated from Madison County High School in 2008, is serving in the U.S. Navy.

She is aboard Assault Craft Unit TWO (ACU 2), one of the Navy’s most advanced amphibious warfare units. Wills works as a Navy electronics technician and is responsible for repairing and maintaining the craft’s electronic equipment. Her vessel is known as “Workhorse of the Fleet.”

Wills is assigned to a group operating out of Virginia Beach, Va. “We’re a very versatile unit that gets to go to many places around the world,” she said.

She credits her success in the Navy to many lessons learned in her hometown of Huntsville. “Stay true to yourself and never forget where you came from,” Wills said. “You hear it a lot, but it’s the truth.”

ACU 2 is one of the components of Naval Beach Group TWO (NBG 2). Commissioned in 1948 just after World War II, NBG 2 trains and equips military forces for deployment overseas.

Exercises and real-world operations for ACU 2 sailors include evacuation of American citizens from hostile territory, delivery of food and medical supplies after a natural disaster and many other tasks for moving ships offshore to the beach, according to Navy officials.

“The Sailors, Chiefs and Officers of Assault Craft Unit 2 work in conjunction with other Naval Beach Group elements to grant our Amphibious Ships heavy lift and over-the-horizon, extended-duration ship-to-shore movement with the Landing Craft Utility and Maritime Pre-positioning Force boats,” Cmdr. Thomas Mays said. Mays is Commanding Officer, Assault Craft Unit 2.

Although sailors can earn distinction in many ways, Wills is most proud of making second-class petty officer in only two years of Navy service. “If I can do it, anybody can do it. You just have to put in the work,” Wills said.

“It’s like a big family here. Everyone knows one another. We look out for each other,” Wills said. “It makes accomplishing the mission that much easier. It’s really rewarding to serve my country and be part of a dynamic unit like ACU 2,” Wills said.

Note: Headquartered in Millington, Tenn., the Navy Office of Community Outreach travels the globe and collects sailors’ stories. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steve Watterworth wrote Wills’ story.

For more information, visit outreach.navy.mil.