Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph T. Maddox, son of Bernice E. and Daniel P. Maddox of Hartford, departed on a scheduled deployment as part of the Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) while assigned to the guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George, homeported in San Diego.

Prior to deploying, Maddox and more than 5,500 sailors and Marines of the Peleliu ESG successfully completed a composite training unit exercise and a joint task force exercise, the final step in preparing the strike group for deployment. It is designed to test its ability to operate in a complex, hostile environment with other U.S. and coalition forces.

USS Cape St. George is an Aegis-equipped cruiser able to engage in offensive actions against the enemy through employment of long-range anti-shipping missiles and naval gunfire.

Maddox is a 2003 graduate of Buckfield High School and joined the Navy in July 2003.