By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2008
Sterling High School graduate and
Sterling, Oklahoma 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 2nd Class Michael Crawford is a naval
air crewman (operator) serving with Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing
11.
A naval air crewman is
responsible for monitoring underwater listening devices to track submarines.
“I enjoy my job because I get the
opportunity to travel the world and experience things that the average sailor
doesn’t get to,” said Crawford.
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 Crawford 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 Crawford
on our team!"
Crawford is part of a crew that is transitioning to the P-8A Poseidon and preparing for deployment in the future.
“Serving with this command is great
because my peers and I are a tight-knit group and we support one another in
everything we do,” said Crawford.
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 given me the opportunity
to grow as a person and leader,” said Crawford. “I have been put in situations
that has helped develop my character tremendously.”