Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tim Miller
LEMOORE, Calif.- A 2009 Redondo Union High School graduate and Redondo Beach, California, native is currently serving with a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron which flies one of the world’s most advanced warplanes.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Seamus Stuart is a yeoman with the Tophatters of VFA 14, which operates out of Naval Air Station Lemoore. A Navy yeoman is responsible for administrative duties for the squadron.“Growing up I was taught the importance of getting to know people and making connections and building relationships, which is also a really important part of being in the Navy,” Stuart said. “You don't do anything alone in the Navy; it's a team effort.”
Members of VFA 14 work with the F/A 18 Super Hornet, one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. The Super Hornet takes off from and lands on Navy aircraft carriers at sea and is capable of conducting air-to-air combat as well as striking targets on land. It is approximately 61 feet long, has a loaded weight of 51,000 lbs., and a max speed of 1,190 miles per hour.
Operating from sea aboard aircraft carriers, the Super Hornet gives the Navy the power to protect America’s interests anywhere, at any time. The versatile jet has the ability to destroy targets located hundreds of miles inland, without the need to get another country’s permission to operate within its borders.
“Strike Fighter Wing, U. S. Pacific Fleet, based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, is the heart of Naval Aviation,” said Capt. James S. Bates, Deputy Commodore, Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Pacific. “The sailors assigned to SFWP always exceed expectations and produce amazing results through team work and dedication to their department, squadron, the U.S. Navy and their family. Naval Aviation is a challenging occupation, but our sailors work day in and day out to provide fully mission capable aircraft and fully qualified aircrew to ensure leadership is able to answer national level tasking. I am humbled to be able to lead the sailors of SFWP and I am proud to call Lemoore my home.”
Stuart has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“Both of my parents did an enlistment in the Air Force,” said Stuart. “A lot of my family has been in the military in one branch or another. The military set them up for success. They left the military with great jobs and lessons they learned. I always knew that serving would be something I wanted to do.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Stuart 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 being a part of a very large and very diverse family,” Stuart said. “It is being a part of something bigger than myself and an opportunity to strive for better.”