CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 2012 Sanger High School graduate and Sanger, Texas, native is participating in a rigorous training process that transforms officers into U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators.
Marine Corps 1st Lt. Jared Morrison is a student pilot with the “Rangers” of Training Squadron (VT) 28, based in Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. The squadron flies the T-6B Texan II aircraft.
A student pilot is responsible for becoming proficient in all aspects of naval aviation.
“It’s an adrenaline rush every day,” Morrison said. “It’s so exhilarating flying aircraft and becoming an efficient warfighter for your country.”
Morrison credits success in the military to many of the lessons learned growing up in Sanger.
“I learned to always be humble and treat everyone with dignity and respect,” Morrison said. “This type of mentality helps build teamwork and strengthens camaraderie, we all look out for each other here.”
The T-6B Texan II is a training aircraft that is powered by a 1,100 shaft horsepower, free-turbine, turboprop single-engine, four-bladed propeller, with a cruising speed of 320 mph.
VT-28’s primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly as well as instill leadership and officer values, Navy officials explained. Students must complete four phases of flight training in order to graduate, including aviation pre-flight indoctrination, primary flight training, and advanced flight training. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.”
After graduation, pilots continue their training to learn how to fly a specific aircraft, such as the F/A-18 Hornet fighter attack jet aircraft, the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft or the SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. They are later assigned to a ship or land-based squadron.
A key element of the Navy and Marine Corps the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, 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.
Morrison plays an important role in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of 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.”
Though there are many ways for military service members to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Morrison is most proud of earning his commission in becoming an officer in the Marine Corps.
“I worked so hard and so long in accomplishing this goal,” Morrison said. “It gave me a great sense of pride and fulfillment when my officer bars were put on my shoulders.
Serving in the military is a continuing tradition of service for Morrison, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Morrison is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My stepbrother is currently serving in the Marine Corps as a logistics officer,” Morrison said. “I look up to him as a role model and hope to be a role model for someone else one day.”
As a member of one of the Marine Corps’ most relied-upon assets, Morrison and other military service members know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“It's a huge honor to serve my country,” Morrison said. “I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else in my life but this.”
A student pilot is responsible for becoming proficient in all aspects of naval aviation.
“It’s an adrenaline rush every day,” Morrison said. “It’s so exhilarating flying aircraft and becoming an efficient warfighter for your country.”
Morrison credits success in the military to many of the lessons learned growing up in Sanger.
“I learned to always be humble and treat everyone with dignity and respect,” Morrison said. “This type of mentality helps build teamwork and strengthens camaraderie, we all look out for each other here.”
The T-6B Texan II is a training aircraft that is powered by a 1,100 shaft horsepower, free-turbine, turboprop single-engine, four-bladed propeller, with a cruising speed of 320 mph.
VT-28’s primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly as well as instill leadership and officer values, Navy officials explained. Students must complete four phases of flight training in order to graduate, including aviation pre-flight indoctrination, primary flight training, and advanced flight training. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.”
After graduation, pilots continue their training to learn how to fly a specific aircraft, such as the F/A-18 Hornet fighter attack jet aircraft, the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft or the SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. They are later assigned to a ship or land-based squadron.
A key element of the Navy and Marine Corps the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, 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.
Morrison plays an important role in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of 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.”
Though there are many ways for military service members to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Morrison is most proud of earning his commission in becoming an officer in the Marine Corps.
“I worked so hard and so long in accomplishing this goal,” Morrison said. “It gave me a great sense of pride and fulfillment when my officer bars were put on my shoulders.
Serving in the military is a continuing tradition of service for Morrison, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Morrison is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My stepbrother is currently serving in the Marine Corps as a logistics officer,” Morrison said. “I look up to him as a role model and hope to be a role model for someone else one day.”
As a member of one of the Marine Corps’ most relied-upon assets, Morrison and other military service members know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“It's a huge honor to serve my country,” Morrison said. “I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else in my life but this.”