Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tim Miller
LEMOORE, Calif.- A 2012 Warren County High School graduate and Front Royal, Virginia, native is currently serving with a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron which flies one of the world’s most advanced warplanes.
Airman Rebecca Peyton is an aviation ordnanceman with the Flying Eagles of VFA 122, which operates out of Naval Air Station Lemoore. A Navy aviation ordnanceman is responsible for maintaining gear that weapons are loaded on to aboard the aircraft. “I was taught to always remember where you come from and stay humble,” Peyton said. “No matter where you go in the Navy, there will always be a diverse group of people and it’s important to keep in mind the different backgrounds and do your best to work with those people.”
Members of VFA 122 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.”
Peyton has military ties with family members who serve and is honored to begin a family tradition.
“My little brother is in the Navy,” said Peyton. “He was doing so well in the Navy and being able to see what he was accomplishing made me want to join.”
Peyton is also proud of earning Flying Eagle of the Month in December 2017 for managing a collateral duty as an airman.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Peyton 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 always being a part of a family,” Peyton said. “No matter where you come from or where you have been, it's a family.”