By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2002 Sandwich
Community High School graduate and Sandwich,
Illinois 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 1st Class Sergio Reyes is an aviation
electrician's mate serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance
Wing 11.
As an aviation
electrician's mate, Reyes is responsible
for the overall electrical systems for the P-8A Poseidon.
“What I
enjoy most about my job is being in a leadership role, mentoring junior sailors
and also having the oppurtinity to travel and see the world,” said Reyes.
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
Reyes 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 Reyes on our
team!"
Reyes
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 serving at this command is the great leadership I receive from
my chain of command on a daily basis and learning to work on new aircraft
that strengthens my skill set,” said Reyes.
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 made me a better leader and it's given me world-wide experience
by traveling and experiencing different cultures and people,” said
Reyes.