Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tim Miller
LEMOORE, Calif.- A 2013 Pacific Law Academy High School graduate and Stockton, 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 Nicholas Orozco is a logistics specialist with the Kestrels of VFA 137, which operates out of Naval Air Station Lemoore. A Navy logistics specialist is responsible for ordering all aircraft parts and office supplies for all administrative needs. “I have learned to give 100 percent in everything to get the best result,” Orozco said. “It has definitely helped me get a lot of achievements in the military.”
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.”
Orozco has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My great grandfather was in WWII, my grandfather was in Vietnam, my other grandfather was in the Army in Korean War, and my sister is in the Navy,” said Orozco. “I was valedictorian and wanted to use the educational opportunities that the Navy offers.”
Orozco is also proud of earning the Navy Achievement Medal and being selected as the Blue Jacket of the Year in 2014. Orozco also received Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for volunteer service in 2017.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Orozco 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 able to rise to any challenge,” Orozco said. “Overcoming a lot of areas outside my comfort zone helped me to grow a lot.”