A native of Gloucester, serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile cruiser, USS Cowpens. Seaman Cameron Carpenter, a 2020 Gloucester High School graduate, joined the Navy one year ago.\

“I was in Junior ROTC in high school,” said Carpenter. “My senior chief there played a big role in me joining the Navy.”Today, Carpenter serves as a gunner’s mate. A gunner’s mate is responsible for maintaining and training people on the proper and safe way to use weapons onboard. Carpenter relies upon skills and values from lessons learned in Gloucester to succeed in the military.

“Growing up, I learned to follow orders and pay attention to detail,” he said. Homeported in San Diego, the USS Cowpens is named after the Revolutionary War Battle of Cowpens, a major American victory near Cowpens, South Carolina. The historic battle weakened British attempts to wrest the southern colonies from American control.

Serving in the Navy means Carpenter is part of a world that is taking on new imp...