By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2012 Southeast
Whitfield High School graduate and Dalton, Georgia
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 3rd Class Reyna Cruz is
an avaiation
ordnanceman serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy aviation ordnanceman is
responsible for upload and download missiles on the P-8 aircraft.
“What I like most about my job is that I
love what I do and the attitude toward our position," said Cruz. "We are the ordnance, I can spot an unsafe
situation and make corrections."
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 Cruz 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 Cruz on our
team!"
Cruz 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 like the most about this
command is working on the new platform," said Cruz. "The P-8 is something new to learn and keeps me busy."
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.
“The Navy taught me how to sharpen my
leadership skills and to be more accepting of people,” added Cruz.