By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2007 West Side
High School graduate and Omaha,
Nebraska 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 Alexander Dworak is a naval
air crewman serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
As a naval
air crewman, Dworak is responsible for
overland surveillance and anti-submarine warfare and reconnaissance.
“What I love about this job is that everyday is different and exciting, we can fly in
support of ground operations one day and the next we would be flying in search
of submarines,” said Dworak. “Several times, I personally got to work
with foreign coutnries on deployment, which is always interesting.”
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
Dworak 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 Dworak
on our team!"
Dworak
is part of a crew that began a transition to the P-8A Poseidon and is preparing for deployment in the future.
“Not only do I enjoy being stationed at this command because it’s in Florida, but I
also enjoy the camaraderie that I have amongst my fellow peers,” said Dworak.
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 taught me that my career is what I make it,” said Dworak. “Not
only has it provided me with a wealth of experiences such as advanced aircraft
technologies but I also never would have had the opportunity to travel to half
the countries I've seen thus far.”