File:Able Seaman Aviation Technician Aircraft Matthew Timu on HMAS Canberra at RIMPAC 2016.jpg

English: JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM (JULY 5, 2016) Royal Australian Navy Able Seaman Aviation Technician Aircraft Matthew Timu, from Jannali, Sydney, Australia, enlisted for naval service after high school to do something different from his friends. He started as a general sailor, or undesignated seaman, for 12 months before earning a position in the aviation support community. For Timu, naval service was the best and most direct route to fulfilling his dream of working on helicopters or aircraft.

"This is what I've always wanted to do," Timu said of the work he does. Timu says he plans to stay in the navy for years to come. "Being away from home is hard, but when you're away, the people you serve with become your family and I enjoy that camaraderie," he added about the sacrifice that naval service requires.

Timu now serves aboard the flagship of the Australian fleet, Royal Australian Navy Canberra Class amphibious ship HMAS Canberra (L02), and finds himself in Hawaii for Exercise Rim of the Pacific.

Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Antonio Turretto Ramos/Released)