U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rusty Pang
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Most Americans rely on weather forecasts to plan their daily routine. The U.S. Navy is no different. With numerous ships, submarines and airplanes deployed in the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s area of operations, sailors stationed at the Naval Oceanographic Anti-Submarine Warfare Detachment Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, make it their primary mission to monitor extreme weather conditions in support of the fleet’s daily operations.
Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin McGee, a 2005 Middle Creek High School graduate and native of Holly Springs, North Carolina, has served in the Navy for 10 years and is one of these sailors serving at the Naval Oceanography Anti-Submarine Warfare Detachment Kaneohe Bay.
McGee credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Holly Springs.
“I learned responsibility and to finish all tasks to the best of my ability,” said McGee. “Mainly, I had every job you could have as a teeneager in grocery stores and pizza places. I got a little more responsibilty after being in a place for a while. It showed that I couldn't slack off and had to provide for myself.”
As a Navy aerographer's mate, McGee is responsible for meteorlogical and oceangraphic forecasting, whether on sea or shore.
Naval Oceanographic Anti-Submarine Warfare Detachment Kaneohe Bay provides an asymmetric warfighting advantage to Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces (MPRF) in support of Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. NOAD Kaneohe Bay delivers detailed predictions of atmospheric electromagnetic propagation and underwater acoustic transmission to MPRF operating in the Third Fleet area of responsibility for mission planning, in-flight updates, and post-mission analysis to maximize the performance of sensors and ordinance.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Naval Oceanography defines and applies the physical environment for the entire Navy fleet from the bottom of the ocean to the stars,” said Rear Adm. John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “There isn't a plane that flies, a ship or a submarine that gets underway without the sailors and civilians of Naval Oceanography.”
The U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, McGee is most proud of earning various Sailor of the Quarter awards throughout his Navy career.
“These awards are validiation of hard work,” said McGee. “I really don't do a lot of things to get noticed, but it's nice to be noticed every once in a while. Every duty station I've been to I've received one of these recognitions.”
Being stationed in Hawaii, often referred to in defense circles as the gateway to the Pacific, means McGee is serving in a part of the world taking on a new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world's population, many of the world's largest and smallest economies, several of the world's largest militaries, and many U.S. allies. The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for McGee, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. McGee is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“My older brother was in the Navy for 13 years,” said McGee. “He influenced me by showing me pictures of all the places he traveled. I'm only the second one I know of in my family to serve, I feel great and privileged to be here.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, McGee and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means everything to me,” added McGee. “The Navy has provided me the biggest opportunity of my life and I'm dedicated to paying the Navy back with hard work.”
“I learned responsibility and to finish all tasks to the best of my ability,” said McGee. “Mainly, I had every job you could have as a teeneager in grocery stores and pizza places. I got a little more responsibilty after being in a place for a while. It showed that I couldn't slack off and had to provide for myself.”
As a Navy aerographer's mate, McGee is responsible for meteorlogical and oceangraphic forecasting, whether on sea or shore.
Naval Oceanographic Anti-Submarine Warfare Detachment Kaneohe Bay provides an asymmetric warfighting advantage to Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces (MPRF) in support of Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. NOAD Kaneohe Bay delivers detailed predictions of atmospheric electromagnetic propagation and underwater acoustic transmission to MPRF operating in the Third Fleet area of responsibility for mission planning, in-flight updates, and post-mission analysis to maximize the performance of sensors and ordinance.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Naval Oceanography defines and applies the physical environment for the entire Navy fleet from the bottom of the ocean to the stars,” said Rear Adm. John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “There isn't a plane that flies, a ship or a submarine that gets underway without the sailors and civilians of Naval Oceanography.”
The U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, McGee is most proud of earning various Sailor of the Quarter awards throughout his Navy career.
“These awards are validiation of hard work,” said McGee. “I really don't do a lot of things to get noticed, but it's nice to be noticed every once in a while. Every duty station I've been to I've received one of these recognitions.”
Being stationed in Hawaii, often referred to in defense circles as the gateway to the Pacific, means McGee is serving in a part of the world taking on a new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world's population, many of the world's largest and smallest economies, several of the world's largest militaries, and many U.S. allies. The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for McGee, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. McGee is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“My older brother was in the Navy for 13 years,” said McGee. “He influenced me by showing me pictures of all the places he traveled. I'm only the second one I know of in my family to serve, I feel great and privileged to be here.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, McGee and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means everything to me,” added McGee. “The Navy has provided me the biggest opportunity of my life and I'm dedicated to paying the Navy back with hard work.”