By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sunday Sawyer
Juarez
(MAYPORT,
Fla.) – A 2006 Toward High School graduate and
Towanda, Pennsylvania native
is serving with a U.S. Navy helicopter squadron that flies the Navy’s newest
and most technologically-advanced helicopter.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Brown is an aviation
electrician’s mate with the “Airwolves” of Helicopter
Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 40, a Mayport, Florida based squadron that
operates the Navy’s next generation submarine hunter and Anti-Surface Warfare
helicopter, the MH-60R Seahawk. Each helicopter is nearly 65 feet long, may
weigh up to 23,500 lbs. (max gross) and can travel over 120 miles per hour for nearly
320 miles on a tank of gas.
As an aircrew survival equipmentman, Brown is responsible
for any and all equipment that is for survival, from parachutes to oxygen regulators
and search and rescue equipment.
“What we do is so important and such a challenge,” said Brown.
“I enjoy being able to fix something important to the command mission.”
According to
Navy officials, the MH-60R is the most capable multi-mission helicopter
available in the world today. It is used for a variety of missions, including
hunting and tracking enemy submarines, attacking enemy ships, search and
rescue, drug interdiction, delivering supplies and supporting the Navy’s
special operations forces.
It is replacing
the Navy’s older helicopters because of its greater versatility and more
advanced weapon systems.
Brown said he and other sailors are proud to be part of a
warfighting team that readily defends America at all times.
“I like that working at the command allows me to be here in the United
States because it is nice to just be stationary after being overseas for so
long,” said Brown.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied within the squadron.
Approximately 297 Navy men and women are assigned and keep all parts of the
squadron running smoothly. This includes everything from maintaining
helicopter airframes and engines, to processing paperwork, handling weapons and
flying the aircraft.
"The Airwolves of HSM-40, represent the best and the
brightest our Navy has to offer,” said Cmdr. David Loo, HSM-40 commanding
officer. “HSM-40's mission
is to train fleet replacement pilots and aircrewman for deployed shipboard
operations in the MH-60R Seahawk aircraft.
The training conducted includes aircraft flights and full visual
simulators in Aircraft Operations, Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine
Warfare, Search and Rescue, and Shipboard Operations. HSM-40’s support, maintenance, and instructor
staff allow for the completion of over 100 assigned students, year round,
operating 16 MH-60R helicopters and 5 simulators.”
Serving in the
Navy, Brown is
learning about being a more respectable leader, sailor and person through
handling numerous responsibilities.
"The Navy has really taught me about myself and how resilient
I can be,” said Brown. “After having to be away from my wife for long periods, has shown me that I can overcome anything.”