By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2012 Little Elm
High School graduate and Little Elm, Texas 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 Brandon Wade is an aviation
structural mechanic serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy aviation structural mechanic is
responsible for ensuring the functionality of the aircraft so it is mission
ready.
“I like the challenge of my job,” said
Wade. “We have the most responsibility of ensuring the aircraft can fly.”
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 Wade 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 Wade on
our team!"
Wade 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.
“The people I work with make this
command great,” said Wade. “We work hard and have fun while doing it.”
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 showed me that I could do
more than what I thought was capable,” said Wade. “I learned how to push myself
past limits to complete the mission.”