NORFOLK, Va. - Airman Apprentice Kourtney Holcomb, a native of South Elgin, Illinois, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility, Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES).
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Mark Pena, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East |
Holcomb graduated from Saint Charles North High School in 2022.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in South Elgin.
“Growing up, my dad taught me to work hard,” Holcomb said. “He came from nothing and became somebody. I also learned to endure what comes my way, and that I can achieve anything with discipline and hard work. Working hard and having a lot of discipline is good in the Navy because you only get what you put in. If you put in the work, you will go far, but a lot of people do the bare minimum. I like doing what I can and doing extra. The harder you work the more you will get out of everything in life.”
Holcomb joined the Navy one year ago. Today, Holcomb serves as an air traffic controller.
“I joined the Navy to be an air traffic controller and to follow in the footsteps of my father who served in the Navy,” Holcomb said.
Established in 1977, FACSFAC VACAPES maintains the scheduling, control and surveillance of military operating areas and training routes for the northeastern United States. The command now routinely oversees more than 112,000 miles of offshore air, surface and sub-surface operating areas from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island to Charleston, South Carolina.
Known as the “Giant Killers,” sailors assigned to the command provide air traffic control for more than 98,000 sorties each year operating in the expansive special-use airspace. Some of these events include missile exercises, unit-level training, NASA rocket launches, gunnery evolutions and underwater detonation drills.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Holcomb has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I am most proud of graduating 'A' school because it was a lot of information at once,” Holcomb said. “I was also there for 10 months so getting through that was my biggest accomplishment because it took a lot of mental fortitude to get through. Especially because I had no one else around me.”
Holcomb serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means knowing I am protecting my family,” Holcomb said. "I might not be holding the guns, but I am still making important contributions.”
Holcomb is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my dad, Norval J. Holcomb, for being my role model,” Holcomb added. "He has kept me focused when things get tough."