YOKOSUKA, Japan — Lt. j.g. Caitlin Bollhorst, of Smithfield, Virginia, serves as a supply officer with Naval Supply Systems Command’s (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Yokosuka, about an hour south of Tokyo.
A 2013 graduate of Smithfield High School and a 2018 graduate of Old Dominion University, Bollhorst began her career as a police officer in the Hampton Roads area.
“My father was a police officer, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Bollhorst said. “I loved the challenge, but I also wanted to see more of the world and travel. In the three years I’ve been in the Navy, I have gotten to see a lot of beautiful countries and places.”
As a police officer, she found it deeply satisfying to protect a city she cared about. Joining the Navy allowed her to continue that commitment to service and fulfill her desire to be part of an organization whose mission is to keep Americans safe.
After earning her commission through Officer Candidate School, she became a supply officer. Her first operational tour was one many in the supply community consider among the most challenging: serving as the supply officer aboard a ballistic missile submarine.
Today, she and her husband, also a naval officer, support mission readiness and operations in one of the U.S. Navy’s busiest areas of responsibility.
“I love serving in Japan,” Bollhorst said. “The culture is amazing, the sushi is incredible, and it’s shocking how clean everything is and how friendly people are.”
Bollhorst credits her hometown of Smithfield and her upbringing with shaping the resilience and discipline she carries with her today.
“Growing up in a small-town community taught me to be kind to everyone,” Bollhorst said. “Even though the Navy is a large organization, the commands where you serve often have that same small-community mindset because you’re all in it together.”
That sense of community also influenced how she helped boost sailor morale during long underway periods. When asked about one of the biggest morale boosters aboard the submarine, she did not hesitate.
“Hard pack,” she said.
In Navy terminology, “hard pack” refers to tubs of ice cream left in communal areas for the crew to enjoy.
A tub of white chocolate macadamia nut ice cream could send morale soaring.
“My job was to ensure the command had all the essentials needed to accomplish its mission,” Bollhorst said. “But sometimes the little treats that brighten someone’s day are just as important.”
NAVSUP FLC Yokosuka is the Western Pacific’s largest U.S. Navy logistics command. From its headquarters near Truman Bay, about 26 miles (41 kilometers) south of Tokyo, the command oversees a network of more than 20 detachments and sites stretching from Misawa, Japan, to Sydney, Australia, and from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to Guam. Together, these locations provide logistics support to the Navy, Marine Corps and other Department of War and federal activities within the 7th Fleet area of operations.
Naval Supply Systems Command, headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, employs more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel who provide supply, acquisition and logistics support to the Navy and joint forces worldwide.
“I want to give a shoutout to my husband, parents and two younger sisters,” Bollhorst said. “They have been my biggest supporters, and without them this journey would not be possible.”
For more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed and flown around the globe, defending freedom and protecting prosperity. This year, the Navy is honoring its contributions to national defense as the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. More information is available at www.navy.mil/navy-250/
By NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Yokosuka