EAST COBB - Seaman Antwon Little of east Cobb has made quite an impression in the Navy since graduating in 2003 from Wheeler High School and joining the military in 2009.

He is presently located somewhere in the Pacific Ocean aboard the USS George Washington, where he works as the aircraft carrier's only optician. He works to assure that the roughly 5,500 sailors working to defend freedom aboard the warship have clear vision.

"I help them see when they're doing night operations," said Little, 25, who trained six months for the job.

The sailors on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - based in Yokosuka, Japan - work to provide security and stability to the island country and region. There are about 75 aircraft aboard the ship that regularly conduct flight operations off its 4.5 acres of flight deck.

"We keep all the 'birds' busy," Little said Thursday during a phone interview. "I chose the Navy because it gave me the opportunity to become a hospital corpsman and help people. I have the opportunity to assist people with basic care, flu shots, keeping up with military readiness, also the opportunity to help people with protective eyewear - pilots who do night operations."

Lt. Cmdr. Dave Hecht, USS George Washington public affairs officer, said Little has done a great job in his position since arriving on the ship in June.

"He is one of the ship's best and brightest hospital men, who personally makes all of the glasses and protective eye wear for all of the sailors aboard the ship while underway," Hecht said. "People like this sailor need to be recognized in their communities for the good work they are providing our ship and our country."

While Little is enjoying his five-year stint in the Navy and plans to make a career in the military, being an optician wasn't his initial career ambition.

From age 10 he was raised in east Cobb by his half-sister Kelly Thompson, 19 years his senior, because of difficulties his parents experienced. After graduating from Wheeler, he studied marketing at Albany State University, where he graduated in 2008. He then worked in marketing in Mississippi before deciding to change direction and enlist in the Navy.

Thompson, who regularly e-mails and sends care packages to her brother, said she was shocked when he informed her that he had already joined the Navy. But after adjusting to the surprise, she said she couldn't be more proud of her brother, whom she once served as a legal guardian to.

"I think I'm more proud than he is," Thompson said. "He is ambitious. He seems to know what it is he wants; he doesn't just stop with a plan. He has a plan B."

At Wheeler, Little ran cross-country and was a big basketball fan. His teachers remember him as well liked and respected by both his peers and teachers.

"He had an optimistic outlook along with a positive attitude that I am sure has gone on to serve him well," said Nancy Petriella, who teaches business. "I'm so happy, but not surprised, that he is continuing to do well."

Beth Nicely, another business teacher, remembers Little as "a nice young man who you knew had a great future ahead."

Becoming adjusted to life on an aircraft carrier takes time. Months are spent at sea, though port calls to different world cities break the monotony. Sailors sleep in bunk beds with anywhere from 20 to 100 people. When jets take off or land on the aircraft carrier, they rock the entire ship.

"When you're first onboard and hear the jets take off, you're going to jump a few times," Little said. "After awhile you don't notice it - sort of like living near Dobbins. After awhile, you don't even hear it."

Little said he awakes at 5:15 a.m. each morning. His workday begins at 7 a.m. and ends around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. There are a range of other professionals aboard the ship including dentists, surgeons, x-ray technicians and anesthesiologists.

The USS George Washington, which contains 60,000 tons of structural steel, is enormous and self-sufficient. A library, barbershop, several cafeterias, a worship facility and media department are all onboard the ship. A weekly newspaper is published in addition to a daily newsletter. There is also a daily news broadcast conducted aboard.

"It's a floating city," Little said.

While he enjoys being an optician, Little said he wants to eventually become a psychologist and work with children. The Navy, he said, is proving to be a solid foundation for his goals.