As the nation pauses to remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred 75 years ago on Dec. 7, 1941, the occasion has special meaning for an Anna Maria Island native, who is serving in the U.S. Navy in the very location that drew the United States into World War II.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Tankersley, a 2012 Manatee High School graduate, is assigned to the Navy’s U.S. Pacific Fleet Headquarters. Tankersley is responsible for weapons systems aboard the submarine.

“I like that my job allows me to be an integral part of ship safety,” said Tankersley. "The pressure of knowing that the ship makes decisions based on my ability to do my job ensures that I perform at the highest level at all times.”

According to Navy officials, the U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet consists of approximately 200 ships/submarines, nearly 1,100 aircraft, and more than 140,000 Sailors and civilians. Pearl Harbor itself is home to more than 19,000 U.S. Navy sailors, 11 surface ships, 19 nuclear-powered submarines and 19 aircraft.