By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2008 Hayfield
Secondary High School graduate and Lorton,
Virginia 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 Jennifer Dominguez is an aviation
electrician's mate serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy aviation
electrician's mate is responsible for maintenance
and upkeep of electrical systems on the aircraft.
“My job
gives me a sense of pride,” said Dominguez. “When I hear the airplane engines
start up, it is a great feeling knowing that I am a part of something bigger than
me.”
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
Dominguez 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 Dominguez on
our team!"
Dominguez
is part of a crew that began a transition to the P-8A Poseidon and is preparing for deployment in the future.
“This
command is top notch,” said Dominguez. “When there is an issue that other
squadrons can't fix on an aircraft, they come to us and we can usually fix 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.
“Since
joining the Navy I have learned that you get out what you put in,” said
Dominguez. “There is plenty of opportunites in the Navy but you have to take advantage
of them.”