By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 1998 Wheaton
North High School graduate and Wheaton, 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.
Lt. Cmdr. Matt Olson is a pilot serving with Commander, Patrol and
Reconnaissance Wing 11.
A Navy pilot is responsible for the safety of
the aircraft and the crew.
“From the
pilot side, I instruct one of the senior pilots in the squadron of 30 pilots to
ensure training and help to grow leaders in the fleet,” said Olson. “I am also the maintenance officer and I
have a team of 10 people that work maintenance actions on six P-8s.”
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. “Lt. Cmdr. Olson 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 Lt. Cmdr. Olson on our team!"
Olson 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 like most serving with this
command is the dignity and respect that everyone shows for each other," said Olson. "It gives us the ability to grow leaders. Professionally, we care about each other and
the mission."
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.
“I have learned about leadership from the
Navy," said Olson. "One never stops learning patience, selflessness and empathy for
others. Most importantly the command
comes first. We do what is best for the
command."