By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 1999 North Glenn High School, Colorado graduate and Mansfield, 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.
Chief Greg Cunningham is a naval air crewman
(operator) serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A naval air crewman is
responsible for training and qualifications of 44 enlisted P-8A Poseidon naval
air crewmen as well as maintaining personal qualifications as an acoustic
warfare operator.
“I enjoy my job because I get to serve
with fellow patriots and people that love their country,” said Cunningham.
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. “Chief Cunningham 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 Chief Cunningham on our
team!"
Cunningham 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 love leading and serving with the
junior sailors at this command,” said Cunningham. “As a chief, it is rewarding
to see the achievements of the junior sailors.”
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 a sense of
purpose that I didn’t have before I joined,” said Cunningham. “I would have
never imagined that I would be a Navy chief, leading in the capacity that I do
everyday.”