Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tim Miller
LEMOORE, Calif.- A 2000 Ovid-Elsie High School graduate and Ovid, Michigan, native is currently serving with a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron which flies one of the world’s most advanced warplanes.
Petty Officer 1st Class Scot Ruehle is an aviation structural mechanic (safety equipment) with the Kestrels of VFA 137, which operates out of Naval Air Station Lemoore. A Navy aviation structural mechanic (safety equipment) is responsible for maintaining the ejection seats on the F/A 18 aircraft. “I learned patience from my hometown,” Ruehle said. “I was a crazy kid and no one gave up on me. In return, I strive to have patience with the sailors I am leading today.”
Members of VFA 137 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.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Ruehle and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I like the opportunity I get to deploy overseas with this squadron,” said Ruehle. “I like being able to experience other cultures while being at the tip of the spear and shaping the course of history.”
Ruehle is also proud of advancing junior sailors and helping them overcome obstacles and grow in the Navy.
“Serving in the Navy means being a part of something bigger than myself,” Ruehle said.