SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 1st Class Ehlgeen Colangan, a native of El Paso, Texas, joined the U.S. Navy because he felt a call to duty.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, 11 years later, Colangan serves with the Raptors of Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 71, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“There is a lot of work, we work a lot of hours, but there are many learning opportunities,” said Colangan.
Colangan, a 1999 graduate of Leysin American School, is an aviation electrician’s mate with HSM 71, a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I am responsible for troubleshooting and maintaining aircraft electrical systems,” said Colangan.
Colangan credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in El Paso.
“I learned that there are a lot of variables, things don't always go as smoothly as planned, you have to learn to adapt to situations in work and in life,” said Colangan.
HSM 71'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.
“There is a lot of work, we work a lot of hours, but there are many learning opportunities,” said Colangan.
Colangan, a 1999 graduate of Leysin American School, is an aviation electrician’s mate with HSM 71, a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I am responsible for troubleshooting and maintaining aircraft electrical systems,” said Colangan.
Colangan credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in El Paso.
“I learned that there are a lot of variables, things don't always go as smoothly as planned, you have to learn to adapt to situations in work and in life,” said Colangan.
HSM 71'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 platform has a lot of variable missions that it can perform, so wherever the aircraft goes, we go,” said Colangan. “I have been on supply ships, a carrier and destroyers. I have been deployed to different parts of the world.”
Serving in the Navy means Colangan 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, Colangan is most proud of seeing junior personnel that he works with get promoted and to know that in some way he helped them achieve their goals.
“I enjoy being a mentor and watching sailors grow and achieve their goals,” said Colangan.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Colangan and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“For me serving in the Navy means fullfiling my duty as a U.S. citizen,” said Colangan. “It also means that I am giving back because my dad joined the military to provide a good life for me, and I want to do the same for my family and for generations to come”