By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2010 West
Florence High School graduate and Florence, South Carolina 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.
Airman Jasmine Jackson is an aviation ordnanceman
serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy aviation ordnanceman is
responsible for supplying the aircraft with the weapons needed to complete the
mission.
“My job gives me a sense of pride
knowing that what I do helps assist in the defense of this country,” said
Jackson.
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. “Airman Jackson 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 Airman Jackson on our
team!"
Jackson 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 enjoy this command because of the
people, the camaraderie makes working long hours and my job easier,” said
Jackson.
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 has given me the confidence
to be a leader,” said Jackson. “Before the Navy, I waited to be told to complete
a task now I take initiative.”