Paintsville native returns to Kentucky for Lexington Navy Week
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By Ashley Craig, Navy Office of Community Outreach
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – U.S. Navy sailors from across the fleet are headed to Kentucky for Lexington Navy Week, April 7 to 12, to volunteer in the community and discuss why the Navy matters to the Bluegrass State.
While many of the sailors are from all over the country, this Navy Week will carry special meaning for visiting sailors from the area, including Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Scarbro, a native of Paintsville.
Scarbro graduated from Johnson Central High School in 2010. Upon joining the Navy, Scarbro quickly found that many of the skills and values forged in Paintsville were the same as those needed to succeed in the Navy.
“Growing up in my hometown, I realized that if I wanted anything in life, I had to go and take it,” Scarbro said. “I wanted a better future for me and my wife. Living in my hometown, there weren’t a lot of job opportunities that would give me the satisfaction I needed in life, so I knew I needed to branch out and find what I really wanted to do with my life. The Navy gave me that purpose.”
Scarbro, who joined the Navy seven years ago, is assigned to Navy Information Operations Command Pensacola.
“I joined the Navy because I wanted a better purpose in life,” Scarbro said. “I felt like the work I was doing before wasn’t what I was meant to be doing.”
Scarbro is part of the first Navy Week to be hosted in Lexington. Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity.
“It’s a great way to give back to the community and share the experiences the Navy has given me over the years,” Scarbro said. “Participating in the Navy Week in Lexington means a lot to me because Lexington is where my wife got the care she needed when she was diagnosed with cancer. The Navy really did everything for us during our time of need, and I could never repay them for that.”
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