By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2009 Sherman E.
Burroughs High School graduate and Ridgecrest,
California 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 Elizabeth Rainey is an aviation
electronics technician serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance
Wing 11.
As an aviation
electronics technician, Rainey is responsible
for radar and mission systems aboard the P-8A Poseidon.
“What I
enjoy most about my job is the traveling aspect," said Rainey. "I get the opportunity to see
different countries and meet different people on deployments and most importantly,
I get to serve and defend my country."
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
Rainey 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 Rainey
on our team!"
Rainey
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 working here is the
great leadership and mentorship throughout the command,” said Rainey. “In
particular, the outstanding support I receive 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 has not only taught me integrity but I've learned to be independent
and the morals and values instilled in me by the Navy has made me a both a
better sailor and woman,” said Rainey.