By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 2010 Allison
Steele High School graduate and Universal City, Texas 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 Kenneth Martinez is a naval air crewman serving with Commander, Patrol and
Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A naval air crewman is responsible for tracking and identifying submarines.
“I use radar to track, locate and identify
submarines," said Martinez. "When we are not flying, I make the flight schedules and train the
crew. Flying is what I love about this job. I never thought I would
have a job like this to be able to fly and travel."
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 Martinez 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 Martinez on our
team!"
Martinez is part of a crew that is
transitioning to the P-8A Poseidon and preparing for deployment in the future.
“This command is a close knit community
and that makes for a cohesive team and great camaraderie,” said Martinez.
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 taught me discipline and I
matured a great deal to get my life together,” said Martinez.