By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2008 Madison
Heights High School graduate and Madison
Heights, Michigan 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 2nd Class Rebecca Avila is a logistics
specialist serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
As a logistics
specialist, Avila is responsible for ordering
and maintaining aircraft parts, the overall financial management for the
command and obtaining mission-essential supplies for the command to be combat
ready.
“What I
enjoy most about my job is the sense of pride I get knowing that the command's
aircrafts complete their missons both effectively and efficiently due to my
diligent work ethic and attention to detail,” said Avila.
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
Avila 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 Avila on
our team!"
Avila
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.
“What I
enjoy most about serving at this command is the tight-knit group family
atmosphere here," said Avila. "There is great camaraderie I share amongst my fellow shipmates
and the support I get from my chain of command on day-to-day basis is
exceptional."
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.
“Serving
in the Navy has not only taught me self-discipline but the morals and values
instilled in me by the Navy has made me a better sailor, woman and American,”
said Avila.