By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2015 Churchland
High School graduate and Portsmouth,
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.
Seaman Kennae Gainey is a yeoman serving
with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
As a yeoman,
Gainey is responsible for administrative
clerical duties, she administravely supports 280 sailors within the command.
“I enjoy
the day-to-day interaction with my fellow sailors,” said Gainey. “I get a sense
of satisfication knowing that if they have an issue, they can come to me with
the confidence knowing that I can be counted on to help anyway possible.”
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. “Seaman
Gainey 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 Seaman
Gainey on our team!"
Gainey
is part of a crew that began a transition to the P-8A Poseidon and is preparing for deployment in the future.
“What I enjoy most about this command
is the family-oriented atmosphere, there is
great camaraderie amongst my fellow shipmates,” said Gainey.
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 core values that are instilled in me teaches me teamwork, responsibility and
integrity,” said Gainey. “I also enjoy the traveling aspect of deployments as I
get to experience different cultures and people.”