SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 2nd Class Martin Rizzetto, a native of Houston, wanted to continue a family tradition of service.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
“Both my parents were in the Navy,” said Rizzetto. “They were both hospital corpsmen. I wanted to start my own career and follow in their footsteps.”
Now, three years later, Rizzetto serves with the Scorpions of Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 49, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“I originally enlisted as a corpsman but had the opportunity to become an aircrewman and getting to fly and work on the helicopter,” said Rizzetto.
Rizzetto, a 2014 graduate of Klein High School, is a naval aircrewman (rotary) with a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I'm a sensor operator—sonar and radar. We have a dipping sonar and sonobuoys that we use for anti-submarine warfare,” said Rizzetto. “We also have forward looking infra red (FLIR). I'm also a qualified rescue swimmer and door gunner.”
Rizzetto credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Houston.
“Coming from a military background, my parents were able to instill discipline and teach right and wrong and how to be a productive person,” he continued, “always have goals and aspirations to become a better human being.”
Now, three years later, Rizzetto serves with the Scorpions of Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 49, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“I originally enlisted as a corpsman but had the opportunity to become an aircrewman and getting to fly and work on the helicopter,” said Rizzetto.
Rizzetto, a 2014 graduate of Klein High School, is a naval aircrewman (rotary) with a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I'm a sensor operator—sonar and radar. We have a dipping sonar and sonobuoys that we use for anti-submarine warfare,” said Rizzetto. “We also have forward looking infra red (FLIR). I'm also a qualified rescue swimmer and door gunner.”
Rizzetto credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Houston.
“Coming from a military background, my parents were able to instill discipline and teach right and wrong and how to be a productive person,” he continued, “always have goals and aspirations to become a better human being.”
HSM 49's primary mission is to conduct sea control operations in open-ocean and coastal environments as an expeditionary unit. This includes hunting for submarines, searching for surface targets over the horizon and conducting search and rescue operations.
According to Navy officials, the MH-60R is the Navy's new primary maritime dominance helicopter. Greatly enhanced over its predecessors, the MH-60R helicopter features a glass cockpit and significant mission system improvements, which give it unmatched capability as an airborne multi-mission naval platform.
As the U.S. Navy's next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter, the MH-60R "Romeo" is the cornerstone of the Navy's Helicopter Concept of Operations. Anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare are the MH-60R's primary missions. Secondary missions include search and rescue, medical evacuation, vertical replenishment, naval surface fire support, communications relay, command, control, communications, command and control warfare and non-combat operations.
“The aircraft can do a lot of different things," said Rizzetto. "Being able to fly in it and work the array of sensors onboard and see all of its capabilities is rewarding. We listen to submarines and track them, as well.”
Serving in the Navy means Rizzetto is part of a community that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
America is a maritime nation, and the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Rizzetto is most proud of earning the naval aircrew Wings of Gold. Only one other enlisted community has a gold warfare device--the SEALS.
“When you go through aircrew school, they tell you, getting your wings is the end of a school but just the beginning of a career,” said Rizzetto.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Rizzetto and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“Continuing on with the Navy's traditions and values is important to me,” said Rizzetto. “I read a lot of books about the Navy, but being able to actually live it and be a part of that history while serving my country is a pretty big honor.”