By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2006 Edgewater High
School graduate and Orlando, Florida 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 Lauren Berman is an aircrrew
survival equipmentman serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance
Wing 11.
As an aircrrew
survival equipmentman, Berman is responsible
for survival gear on the P-8A Poseidon and the overall safety of the aircrew.
“What I
enjoy most about my job is that I get a sense of pride knowing that my fellow
aircrewman are safe due to my dilligent work ethic and attention to detail,”
said Berman.
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
Berman 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 Berman
on our team!"
Berman
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 this command is the great camaraderie I share amongst my
fellow shipmates," said Berman. "There is a tight-knit family atmosphere here and the support I
get from my chain of command on a 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 I've learned self-discipline, integrity and the morals and values
instilled in me by the Navy has made me both a better leader and woman,”
said Berman.