By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 1998 Blackfoot
High School graduate and Blackfoot, Idaho
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.
Chief Petty Officer John Reiley is an aviation structural mechanic serving with
Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
As an aviation
structural mechanic, Reiley is responsible
for all the aircrew survival equipment and the environmental and life-systems
aboard the P-8A Poseidons.
“What I
enjoy most about my job is the versatility,” said Reiley. “From being
responsible for the overall safety of the aircrews, to being a part of
mission-essential special programs for the fleet, this truly is a unique
and rewarding job.”
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. “Chief Reiley
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 Chief Reiley on our
team!"
Reiley
is part of a crew that began a transition to the P-8A Poseidon in 2014. Earlier
this year, squadron VP-45 entered the Inter-Deployment Readiness Cycle in
preparation for their first deployment as a P-8A squadron.
“What I
enjoy most about this command is not only the great moral and camaraderie shared
amongst all the sailors here, but the strong leadership I receive from my chain
of command on a day-to-day basis,” said Reiley.
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.
“Serving
in the Navy I've learned to be a great leader," said Reiley. "I've had the opportunity to
travel and see the world and with my job, I do alot of behind-the-scene
missions that helps the fleet operate both effectively and efficiently."