Petty Officer Third Class Kimberly Yantis, U.S. Navy: Deploying on USS Boxer – “You Call, We Haul”

Every servicemember knows the GI Bill is a great way to help pay for an education. The benefits, however, are hard earned, sometimes involving long periods away from home and even deployments into harm’s way. Such was the case with Petty Officer Third Class Kimberly Yantis, U.S. Navy, who enlisted with a goal of using the GI Bill to help pay for her bachelor’s degree. She earned her benefits by participating in two deployments supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and one to the Western Pacific, all the time working in extremely dangerous conditions on her ship’s flight deck. Now she channels her experience into her lifelong passion of helping veterans and their families in Central Illinois.

Kimberly was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1983. She was the youngest of her parents’ three children and the only girl. She attended Southeast High School and spent her free time waitressing at local restaurants as soon as she turned sixteen. She also focused on her studies, qualifying her to graduate in December 2000, although she participated in the June 2001 ceremony with all her classmates who were on the normal graduation timeline.

After high school, Kimberly enrolled at Lincoln Land Community College and began taking classes in the fall. To help pay for books and tuition, she waitressed at Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill and worked a second job as a temporary employee for the Illinois Department of Family and Child Services. Her goal was to earn her bachelor’s degree, but her family could not afford it. Accordingly, in the spring of 2002, she looked to the Navy and the educational benefits it offered to help her achieve her goal.

Kimberly enlisted in the Navy’s Delayed Entry Program, which allowed her to continue working in Springfield until her active-duty report date in November 2002. When that date arrived, she took a bus to the Military Entrance Processing Station in St. Louis, where she passed her final physical and raised her right hand, swearing to support and defend the Constitution. Then, together with other new Navy recruits, she flew to Chicago to begin boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, located just north of the city.

Kimberly Yantis’ company at boot camp. Kimberly is fourth from the left in the second full row from the bottom.

Boot camp lived up to its reputation. As soon as Kimberly and the others got off the bus from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, petty officers started screaming at them and getting in their faces. Kimberly was prepared for that, even cutting her hair short in anticipation of the stress-filled in-processing. Not satisfied, the Navy barbers chopped away at her hair anyway, making sure she did not miss out on the full recruit experience.

Despite the rigorous training schedule, Kimberly excelled. At nineteen, she was in good physical shape, so she did not find the running and other physical training difficult. Swimming, however, posed a bigger challenge. She and her fellow recruits spent a lot of time in the water learning the swimming and survival skills they needed to know but hoped never to use. On the positive side, Kimberly found the food good, especially since she was always hungry from all the physical activity and had limited time to eat her meals.

Two specific aspects of boot camp proved difficult. First, on Christmas Eve 2002, Kimberly had her wisdom teeth extracted. While the procedure ensured she would not have any problems with those teeth while deployed on a ship where a dentist might not be readily available, it made for an unpleasant holiday where she could only eat soft foods. Second, the ramp-up during the last week of boot camp was intense, preparing the recruits for their final training event. During this event, they had to stay up all night employing the swimming, firefighting, and other skills they learned during their eight weeks of training. After Kimberly passed the event, she felt ready for her first assignment on a ship at sea, which she already knew would be the USS Boxer (LHD-4).

With her parents in attendance, Kimberly graduated from boot camp on January 17, 2003. That same day, the USS Boxer deployed from San Diego on its way to the Persian Gulf carrying over 1,500 Marines and their equipment. Before Kimberly could join the ship, however, she had to complete airman apprentice training at the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) in Pensacola, Florida. At NATTC, Kimberly learned the skills she would need for her assignment as an undesignated airman apprentice onboard the Boxer—a ship with an 844-foot flight deck from which helicopters and AV-8B Harrier jets could take off and land. Kimberly was considered “undesignated” because she had not yet been assigned a career field, or rating in Navy parlance. Accordingly, NATTC taught her the basic skills she would be expected to perform working on the flight deck of a ship. These skills included placing chocks under the wheels of helicopters and tying the aircraft down with chains, all the time with the helicopters’ rotors whirring above her head. She also received extensive firefighting training because fires onboard Navy ships loaded with aviation gasoline and ordnance could prove deadly if not quickly brought under control.

Kimberly completed her training at NATTC in February 2003 and went home to Springfield for some well-deserved leave. She coupled her leave with recruiting duty, which gave her some additional time at home. Then, it was off in March to the Boxer’s homeport in San Diego, where arrangements were made to fly her to the United Arab Emirates so she could meet the Boxer in the Persian Gulf. This she did in March 2003, shortly after the U.S. military and its allies commenced combat operations in Iraq on March 20 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Kimberly and other sailors heading to the Boxer then helicoptered out to the ship, staying on an intermediate ship for a day en route. When they finally arrived onboard Boxer, it was operating off the coast of Kuwait.

Because USS Boxer was Kimberly’s first ship and the ship was involved in a war, she had to quickly acclimate to her new life at sea. As she expected, she was assigned to the Air Department, where she would work on the flight deck handling helicopters shuttling Marines and their equipment to and from the shore. Before she could do that, though, she had to pay her dues by working in the ship’s galley for ninety days, something all new junior enlisted sailors were expected to do. In the galley, she served food to other enlisted sailors and did general kitchen duties until her time was up. Then she reported back to the Air Department to begin working on the flight deck.

Kimberly Yantis (right) and another sailor wearing their blue shirt gear on USS Boxer

With helicopters landing and taking off, high winds blowing over the flight deck, and the Persian Gulf’s extreme heat, working on the flight deck was extremely dangerous. To ensure Kimberly learned her new responsibilities safely, she began by shadowing an experienced “blue shirt”—a sailor wearing a blue turtleneck shirt whose responsibilities included chocking and chaining H-60 Seahawk and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters to the Boxer’s flight deck. Initially, Kimberly followed right behind her mentor, learning everything she needed to do around the helicopters. Once she had enough experience, she swapped positions with her mentor, and he followed behind her as she accomplished all the tasks he had formerly done. When Kimberly mastered all the tasks, she split duties with her mentor, with her mentor handling the far side of the helicopter and Kimberly handling the near side. After her mentor completed his work on the far side, he checked Kimberly’s work before signaling to the supervisory sailor wearing a yellow turtleneck that all was done. After about one month, Kimberly was on her own, a fully trained “blue shirt” responsible for safely handling helicopters on Boxer’s flight deck.

In late April, Boxer pulled into Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates to give the crew a week-long break. The break, though, was limited to an area on the pier known as “the sandbox,” where Kimberly and the rest of the crew could buy food and shop for souvenirs. Although it wasn’t as fun as touring an exotic port city, it was time off the ship and away from the grueling 24/7 operations at sea, which everyone appreciated. Afterwards, Boxer resumed her station in the northern Persian Gulf.

Near the first of July 2003, it came time for Boxer to head home to San Diego. On the way, the ship made port calls in Townsville and Sydney, Australia, giving Kimberly the opportunity to get off the ship and visit each city for a few days. The visit to Australia also meant she crossed the equator for the first time—a significant event in her career as a sailor. To mark the occasion, she participated in a “crossing the line” ceremony, where she transitioned from an untested “pollywog” to a “trusty shellback.” Because she also crossed the international date line at the same time, she earned the further distinction of being a “golden shellback.” She still has the certificate signed by Davey Jones and King Neptune recognizing her achievement.

USS Boxer returned to San Diego on July 26, 2003, and Kimberly’s mother welcomed her on the pier after she got off the ship. Under normal circumstances, the ship would have entered a reduced operational period to allow for post-deployment maintenance to be completed and the crew to spend some time with their families before beginning the next deployment cycle. However, with the Iraq War continuing, Boxer immediately began preparing to again deploy to the Persian Gulf.

On January 14, 2004—just six months after returning from its last deployment—Boxer again deployed with Marines from Camp Pendleton onboard in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The quick turnaround to transport the Marines to Iraq after the 2003 deployment validated the crew’s slogan for the ship, “You call, we haul.” Kimberly, now an experienced airman, continued with her blue shirt responsibilities on the flight deck across the Pacific Ocean and into the Persian Gulf. She also assumed new administrative responsibilities, helping her division’s chiefs process training and qualification documentation in anticipation of an upcoming inspection. The highlight of the deployment was Boxer’s port calls to Singapore; Goa, India; Sasebo, Japan; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Kimberly Yantis’ Golden Shellback certificate

Kimberly and the Boxer arrived back in San Diego on April 29, 2004. Expecting a more relaxed schedule having just completed two deployments to the Persian Gulf in less than eighteen months, Kimberly invited her brother, Mike, to live with her in San Diego. This worked well until Kimberly learned the Boxer was going to deploy yet again, this time to the Western Pacific, in April 2005. To prepare, Kimberly and the rest of the crew painted and performed maintenance on their spaces, making sure the ship was ready to deploy yet again. In addition, the ship spent time at sea maneuvering off the coast of California and conducting flight operations and beach assaults with embarked Marines. When departure time finally arrived, Mike returned to Springfield and Kimberly boarded the ship for her third deployment.

USS Boxer departed San Diego on April 29, 2005, heading west toward Sasebo, Japan. Kimberly was now a yellow shirt on the flight deck, supervising blue shirts handling the aircraft and communicating directly with the helicopters’ pilots. In addition, she had promoted to petty officer third class and was designated an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling), together abbreviated ABH3. Despite these achievements, Kimberly’s deployment ended in Sasebo in May when she learned she was pregnant. The ship transferred her ashore and she flew back to San Diego, where she completed her four-year enlistment as an ABH3 with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 10 (HS-10). She was honorably discharged in November 2006.

After the Navy, Kimberly returned to Springfield, Illinois, to pursue her bachelor’s degree. Using the GI Bill, the Illinois Veterans Grant, and other benefits, she enrolled at Lincoln Land Community College and began taking classes in January 2007. Then in the fall, she enrolled at the University of Illinois Springfield, where she earned not only her bachelor’s degree in social work, but also her master’s degree in human services. She is currently working on a second master’s degree in public administration.

At the same time she was pursuing her degrees, Kimberly also worked full time. She began in October 2007 at the Sangamon County Veterans Assistance Committee (VAC), starting out as a clerk and transitioning to veterans service officer. Three years later, she left the VAC to become a veterans service officer for the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, only to return to the VAC in October 2011 to serve as its superintendent. She continued in this role until early 2020, when she went back to the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, where she serves as the central region supervisor.

Beyond her day job, Kimberly started her sixth year as the commander of Chatham-Auburn Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4763 on July 30, 2025. She is the first woman to serve in the role and loves that she can continue serving the veteran community through her VFW post.

Voices to Veterans is proud to salute Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Third Class Kimberly Yantis for her wartime service in the U.S. Navy. Kimberly participated in three USS Boxer deployments, two of which took her into the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom where she worked on the flight deck helping Marines get into the fight ashore. She then returned to civilian life in Springfield, Illinois, where she has served veterans in both her professional and personal capacities ever since. We thank Kimberly for all she has done and wish her fair winds and following seas.

If you enjoyed Kimberly’s story, please sign up for the Voices to Veterans Spotlight monthly newsletter by clicking here. Once each month, you’ll receive a new written veteran’s story directly in your mailbox. Best of all, it’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Chatham-Auburn VFW Post 4763 Commander Kimberly Yantis (right) with Adjutant Stephanie Wells (left)

The post Petty Officer Third Class Kimberly Yantis, U.S. Navy: Deploying on USS Boxer – “You Call, We Haul” first appeared on David E. Grogan.