SAN DIEGO – Chief Petty Officer Adam Porras, a native of Corona, California, joined the Navy because he wanted something to get him out of his hometown.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, 11 years later, Porras serves with the Chargers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14, working with one of the Navy’s true workhorse aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“We stay busy," said Porras. "There are challenges every day whether it's getting ready for a deployment or just trying to get an aircraft back in the air.”
“We stay busy," said Porras. "There are challenges every day whether it's getting ready for a deployment or just trying to get an aircraft back in the air.”
Porras, a 2006 graduate of Norco High School, is an aviation electrician's mate with HSC 14, a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60S “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I work in maintenance control," said Porras. "I manage day-to-day operations of the maintenance department.”
Porras credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Corona.
“Caring for people and treating them with respect have been really important to me,” said Porras.
HSC 14 provides all-weather, combat-ready aircraft and crew to conduct anti-surface warfare, personnel recovery, special warfare support, search and rescue, and logistics for aircraft carrier air wings and navy shore installations. HSC 14 flies the MH-60S “Seahawk” helicopter, a state-of-the-art design that provides the Navy with true versatility, able to complete a number of mission requirements, according to Navy officials.
The MH-60S with its glass cockpit incorporates active matrix LCD displays, used to facilitate pilot and co-pilot vertical and horizontal situation presentations. Another major design of the MH-60S is a "common cockpit," which is shared with the MH-60R. This allows pilots to shift from one aircraft to another with minimal re-training.
“It's like a big puzzle. You take it apart and put it back together and get it flying again," said Porras. "The biggest thing is its multi-mission capability. It can be a search and rescue aircraft or it can perform air intercept with a 20mm cannon and rockets.”
Serving in the Navy means Porras 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.
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, Porras is most proud of making it this far.
“This is something I thought I would do for four years and move on,” said Porras. “But now, 11 years later, I just got selected for chief and I’m in for a career. Growing up, I had 15 different jobs. I would work someplace for a few months and move on. I sold ice cream and I sold cars and everything in between. There was never any sense of commitment. It was just a way to put money in my pocket. With the Navy, it has developed into a thing where I'm not just fixing an aircraft, I'm training junior sailors and getting them ready to take my job someday.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Porras 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 provides stability for my family, a roof over our heads and food on the table," said Porras. "Every day there's chaos, whether it’s being on a ship during deployment or when an aircraft needs to get fixed and every day, I love it.”