By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2007 Sibley
East High School graduate and Arlington, Minnesota native is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard Naval
Air Station Jacksonville, the largest base in the Southeast Region and third largest
in the nation.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Toenies
is a naval air crewman serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A naval air crewman is responsible for
tracking submarines underneath the world’s oceans.
“I produce intelligence products for
aircrews in support of operations and missions worldwide by detecting,
tracking, classifying and analyzing surface and subsurface contacts," said Toenies. "We are
very focused and the crew is very close and understand each other’s
personalities. We complete successful missions and have fun at the same time."
According to Navy officials, Wing 11’s history and
reputation remain unparalleled since being commissioned on August 15, 1942.
Throughout the decades, Wing 11 has continued to fly combat missions in direct support of
the troops on the ground and delivered
traditional maritime capabilities, real-time intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance.
Beginning in the
1960s, the P-3C Orion, a land-based, long-range anti-submarine warfare patrol
aircraft, replaced the P-2V Neptune fleet. After 50 years of faithful
service and the 50th anniversary of Maritime Patrol and
Reconnaissance Force, the P-3C Orion is being phased out of the fleet,
according to Navy officials.
The P-8A is a modified Boeing airframe
featuring a fully connected, state-of-the-art, open architecture mission system
designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; and
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, Navy officials
explained.
"The U.S. Navy sometimes asks the
impossible of our people. It is sailors that make the impossible possible,”
said Capt. Anthony Corapi, Commodore, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11. “Petty Officer Toenies is one example of a
selfless servant of our nation. These
heroes ask for very little recognition and perform their daily job with pride
and professionalism defending freedom and our way of life around the
world. Each member of the Navy's combat team
is crucial to our success. I am very proud to have Petty Officer Toenies
on our team!"
Toenies
“I enjoy working with this command
because VP-10 is rich in history and is one of the first squadrons during World
War II to participate in protecting the assets at the time,” said Toenies.
According to Navy officials, the Navy
continues to meet milestone after milestone on this world-class mission and is
providing an aircraft with superior capabilities to the men and women in
uniform that will have a lasting legacy promoting a global maritime strategy.
“I would say the best skill I learned in
the Navy is leadership," added Toenies. "Leadership is
taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of each person and
making a difference that benefits everyone.
I feel a sense of pride serving in the Navy."