By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 1996 East
Prarie High School graduate and East Prairie, Missouri 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 Dusten McCutchen is an aviation ordnanceman serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance
Wing 11.
A Navy aviation ordnanceman is
responsible for loading and unloading ordnance onto the aircraft.
“The most rewarding part of my job is
being a chief and leading my team and helping individuals with their problems
and progression of their careers,” said McCutchen.
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 McCutchen 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 McCutchen
on our team!"
McCutchen 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.
“I like this command for their
professional work ethic," said McCutchen. "They go by the book. I also wanted to experience the
new platform to learn more about this aircraft."
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 that I can do a lot
more than I once thought when I am challenged with difficult tasks," said McCutchen. "I grew up
in the Navy and it has made me more responsible."