Navy career is just what the doctor ordered for Saugus native

YOKOSUKA, Japan – Petty Officer 1st Class Leia DiBiasie, a Saugus native and 1999 Saugus High graduate, is serving aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mustin while living and working at the Navy’s forward-deployed base near Tokyo.DiBiasie is a hospital corpsman aboard the destroyer operating out of Yokosuka, located approximately 35 miles south of Tokyo, and accommodates the United States’ furthest forward-deployed naval forces.An Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Mustin is 509 feet long – more than 1? football fields. The ship is 66 feet wide, weighs more than 9,200 tons, and its four gas turbine engines can push the ship through the ocean at nearly 35 miles per hour.The ship is named in honor of the Mustin family, which has an honorable tradition of naval service from 1896 until 1989.As a sailor with numerous responsibilities, DiBiasie said she is proud to serve her country aboard a destroyer in Japan. She added that it is an exciting time to be in the military, serving in the world’s greatest Navy.”I am the only surface force independent duty cardiovascular technologist in the Navy,” said DiBiasie. “To the crew, I am simply ?Doc.’ In their eyes, I am the person they go to when they are sick or hurt, and I make them better.”DiBiasie also said she is proud of the work she is doing as part of the Mustin’s 330-member crew, living thousands of miles from home and protecting America on the world’s oceans.”I stay very busy taking care of the crew and thoroughly enjoy it,” said DiBiasie. “I maintain a fully stocked pharmacy, maintain a fully operational emergency room, perform surgical procedures and act as the ship’s psychologist.””Mustin is always where she needs to be when it matters. I am so proud of the utmost professionalism her sailors display every day,” said Cmdr. Joseph A. Torres Jr., the ship’s commanding officer. “Their honor, courage, commitment and selfless dedication to the Navy are truly motivating.”Approximately 40 officers and 290 enlisted sailors make up the ship’s company and helicopter detachment. Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the $2 billion destroyer running smoothly. This includes everything from washing dishes and preparing meals to maintaining engines and handling weaponry, as well as conducting helicopter flight operations.Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, destroyers provide the required warfighting expertise and operational flexibility to execute any task overseas. With multi-mission capabilities in surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare, ballistic missile defense and humanitarian assistance, Arleigh Burke destroyers excel as the Navy’s premier fighting warship.Assigned to U.S. Seventh Fleet, Mustin sailors are continuously on watch throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, acting as America’s first responders in that part of the world.As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile combat ships, DiBiasie and other Mustin sailors understand they are part of a forward-deployed team that is heavily relied upon to help protect and defend America across the world’s oceans.”With all the work I do, my days are very full,” said DiBiasie. “However, if I am doing my job correctly, all these things will be transparent to the line of people that I work hand in hand with and that is just the part that makes me ?Doc’ to the crew.”