SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 3rd Class Mia Harshbarger, a native of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, wanted to get the chance to do something a lot of people don't get to do.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, three years later, Harshbarger serves with the Raptors of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“The morale in the squadron is very good, and that's great to see,” said Harshbarger.
Harshbarger, a 2015 graduate of Jeannette High School, is an aviation maintenance administrationman 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'm responsible for keeping account of the aircraft maintenance logbooks,” said Harshbarger. “We're tracking parts and components that have to be maintained at specific times, and if we don't track them, the aircraft wouldn't be able to fly.”
Harshbarger credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Jeannette.
“My family taught me the value of staying positive, especially in hard situations,” said Harshbarger. “Your life and adventures are going to be what you make them, so it's important to stay positive.”
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.
“We use these aircraft to do multiple different missions, like reconnaissance and search and rescue,” said Harshbarger.
Serving in the Navy means Harshbarger 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, Harshbarger is most proud of earning a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
“When I first joined the Navy, it was a bit of a rocky start for me, so being able to turn that around, make rank, and earn that award makes me very proud,” said Harshbarger.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Harshbarger and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“Being in the Navy makes me very proud,” said Harshbarger. “I'm very proud to put on my uniform every day. I feel like a lot of people struggle to find purpose in their jobs, but I can't say that about mine because of the importance the Navy has in our world.”
“The morale in the squadron is very good, and that's great to see,” said Harshbarger.
Harshbarger, a 2015 graduate of Jeannette High School, is an aviation maintenance administrationman 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'm responsible for keeping account of the aircraft maintenance logbooks,” said Harshbarger. “We're tracking parts and components that have to be maintained at specific times, and if we don't track them, the aircraft wouldn't be able to fly.”
Harshbarger credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Jeannette.
“My family taught me the value of staying positive, especially in hard situations,” said Harshbarger. “Your life and adventures are going to be what you make them, so it's important to stay positive.”
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.
“We use these aircraft to do multiple different missions, like reconnaissance and search and rescue,” said Harshbarger.
Serving in the Navy means Harshbarger 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, Harshbarger is most proud of earning a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
“When I first joined the Navy, it was a bit of a rocky start for me, so being able to turn that around, make rank, and earn that award makes me very proud,” said Harshbarger.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Harshbarger and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“Being in the Navy makes me very proud,” said Harshbarger. “I'm very proud to put on my uniform every day. I feel like a lot of people struggle to find purpose in their jobs, but I can't say that about mine because of the importance the Navy has in our world.”