By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2002 Rockwall
High School graduate and Dallas 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 Adam
Spann is a naval air crewman serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance
Wing 11.
As a naval
air crewman, Spann is responsible for
operating sensors, onboard cameras and radars for P-8A Poseidons.
“I enjoy
the flying aspect and excitement of actively tracking submarines,” said Spann.
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 Spann 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
Spann on our team!"
Spann
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 having the opportunity to work with my fellow
air crewman,” said Spann. “There is great camaraderie and cohesiveness
amongst us all.”
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 self-discipline and both leadership skills
and instructor skills that I can carry over to any other profession,”
said Spann.