PENSACOLA, Fla. - Ensign Timothy Swanson, a native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is serving the U.S. Navy at Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC).
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anna-Liesa Hussey |
As a student at NASC, Swanson is serving among sailors, Marines and guardsmen developing the skills needed to be combat-ready aviation professionals. NASC is located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, provides an educational foundation in technical training, character development, and professional leadership.
Students at NASC are taught the requirements and skills needed to be successful in their new careers.
Swanson joined the Navy eight months ago. Today, Swanson serves as a student naval flight officer.
“Growing up in a military family, joining the military was the only thing I really wanted to do,” said Swanson. “My parents always told me that the Navy always brings you home. I fell in love with that idea and decided to become a naval aviator.”
According to Swanson, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Colorado Springs.
“Nothing beats hard work, you can cut corners but it won’t give you the satisfaction that you have done your best,” said Swanson. “ It might be the easier thing to do but it’s not the right thing to do.”
NASC provides educational foundation in technical training, character development and professional leadership to prepare Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and partner nations Officer and Enlisted to be the combat quality aviation professionals their nation needs.
NASC is comprised of four schoolhouses: Aviation Training School (ATS), Aviation Enlisted Aircrew Training (AEATS), Aviation Rescue Swimmer School (ARSS) and Aviation Water Survival School (AWS), which provide instruction in 14 different curricula. In fiscal year 2021, ATS staff conducted 2,250 hours of classroom instruction and 17,095 hours of flight instruction; graduated 1,140 pilots and 217 Naval Flight Officers. AEATS graduated 1,237 students, ARSS graduated 245 students and AWS, including Detachment Swim Sites Norfolk and Pearl Harbor provided training for 6,479 students.
Serving in the Navy means Swanson is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“The Navy is important to national defense because it’s not always about what’s going in the air or on land,” said Swanson. “The World is over 70 percent water and having a force to secure the water is very important.”
Swanson and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.
“I’m most proud of being a division officer of the enlisted barracks here at NAS Pensacola,” said Swanson. “Being able to help these sailors find a new career field was very rewarding to me.”
As Swanson and other sailors continue to train and perform the mission they are tasked with, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy to me means honor, courage and commitment,” added Swanson. “There’s never an easy day but being able to keep your head up and keep moving along brings me a sense of accomplishment and being able to commit to something higher than myself.”
The Naval Education and Training Command is the U.S. Navy’s Force Development pillar and largest shore command. Through its “Street to Fleet” focus, Naval Education and Training Command recruits civilians and transforms them into skilled warfighters ready to meet the current and future needs of the U.S. Navy.