By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2012 Patrick
Henry High School graduate and Roanoke, 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.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Kovac is a personnel
specialist serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy personnel specialist is
responsible for processing personnel records to ensure that the sailors meet
proper service obligations.
“I enjoy my job because of the people,”
said Kovac. “When a sailor has a look when they initially come in for help and
the change of their expression and body language when we fix the issue is
rewarding.”
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 Kovac 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 Kovac on
our team!"
Kovac is part of a crew that began a
transition to the P-8A Poseidon and is preparing for deployment in the future.
“This command has a great sense of
camaraderie,” said Kovac. “From the top of the chain of command to the newest
sailor aboard we are a tight-knit group.”
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 shown me that with
self-determination you can achieve anything and everything that you want to
do,” added Kovac.