SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 3rd Class Kayla Slaughter, a native of Peekskill, New York, saw the opportunity in military service.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
“I wanted to use the Navy as an outlet for my education, and I also wanted to follow in the footsteps of some of my family members,” said Slaughter.
Now, just a year after enlisting in the Navy, Slaughter serves with the Magicians of Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 35, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“This is my first squadron, and it gives me the opportunity to learn from my squadron mates,” said Slaughter. “It's a great atmosphere, and constructive to my career.”
Slaughter, a 2017 graduate of Peekskill High School, is a aviation ordnanceman with HSM 35, a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“It's my responsibility to make sure ordnance is safely loaded onto the helicopter, and to make sure the pilots have what they need to execute the mission they have,” said Slaughter.
Slaughter credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Peekskill.
“I learned to trust myself and make right decisions growing up, and that directly applies to what I do in the Navy, making risk decisions and applying that same trust to my work,” said Slaughter.
HSM 35'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.
“It's a very complex aircraft with a lot of stations for us to load weapons onto, which gives it a lot of versatility,” said Slaughter.
Serving in the Navy means Slaughter is part of a world 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.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that 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.
Now, just a year after enlisting in the Navy, Slaughter serves with the Magicians of Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 35, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“This is my first squadron, and it gives me the opportunity to learn from my squadron mates,” said Slaughter. “It's a great atmosphere, and constructive to my career.”
Slaughter, a 2017 graduate of Peekskill High School, is a aviation ordnanceman with HSM 35, a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“It's my responsibility to make sure ordnance is safely loaded onto the helicopter, and to make sure the pilots have what they need to execute the mission they have,” said Slaughter.
Slaughter credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Peekskill.
“I learned to trust myself and make right decisions growing up, and that directly applies to what I do in the Navy, making risk decisions and applying that same trust to my work,” said Slaughter.
HSM 35'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.
“It's a very complex aircraft with a lot of stations for us to load weapons onto, which gives it a lot of versatility,” said Slaughter.
Serving in the Navy means Slaughter is part of a world 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.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that 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, Slaughter is most proud of being meritoriously advanced to petty officer third class.
“That was a big encouragement for me, I found it as a big accomplishment and proof that I could step up to that next level,” said Slaughter.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Slaughter and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy is proof to me that anything is possible,” said Slaughter. “My old self would have never thought I could do this, but since I've been here I know that I can do anything I put my mind to.”