By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2009 David
Glasgow Farragut High School in Rota, Spain graduate and San Diego 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.
Ensign Luke Moragne is a naval flight officer serving
with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy naval flight officer is responsible
for employing the P-A 8 sensors tactically, navigating, and communicating with
land bases and other maritime assets to provide operational imagery of ocean.
“My job allows me to work with other
people,” said Moragne. “The teamwork aspect of my job is great when a crew can
come together and complete the mission.”
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. “Ensign Moragne 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 Ensign Moragne on our
team!"
Moragne is part of a crew that began a
transition to the P-8A Poseidon and is preparing for deployment in the future.
“Everyone at the command has been very
welcoming,” said Moragne. “I just recently checked aboard the command and I
already feel like one of the trident family.”
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 biggest skill I have gained since
joining the Navy is the ability to use my resources to find an answer to an
issue,” said Moragne. “I have a sense of accountability and responsibility for
myself, sailors and mission.”