By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2008 Hershey High School graduate and Hershey, Pennsylvania 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.
Lt j.g. Jordan Waite is a pilot serving with Commander, Patrol and
Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy pilot is responsible for operating
the plane.
“I ensure the overall safety
of the flight and crew to fulfill our mission,” said Waite.
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. “Lt j.g. Waite 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 Lt j.g. Waite on our team!"
Waite
“I haven’t deployed yet, but I am looking
forward to seeing other parts of the world and do the work I have been trained to
do,” said Waite.
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 taught me to take care of
the people that work for you," added Waite. "Take care
of them and they will take care of you and work more efficiently to get the job
done."