SAN DIEGO – Lt. Franek Kulik, a native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was inspired to join the Navy.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, four years later, Kulik serves with the Chargers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (14), working with one of the Navy’s true workhorse aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
Kulik, a 2011 graduate of Badger High School, is a pilot with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (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'm responsible for flying the aircraft safely and executing whatever mission we have, given the day,” said Kulik.
Kulik credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Lake Geneva.
“I learned the value of a hard day's work,” said Kulik.
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.
“The aircraft is unique for its capability of fitting us into whatever role they need us to do that given day," Kulik said. "Whether it's transporting people or saving people, there are endless tasks on any given day. It just depends on what they need us to do.”
Serving in the Navy means Kulik 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, Kulik is most proud of completing an around-the-world deployment without any major issues or mishaps for the squadron along the way.
“I feel like the media focuses on what's going wrong, but there’s a lot more that goes right that people don't publicize,” said Kulik.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Kulik 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 means taking care of everybody who's out there with you," Kulik said. "It's ‘How can you help out your fellow sailors who are out there serving with you?’ You're out there serving so people back home don't have to.”
Kulik, a 2011 graduate of Badger High School, is a pilot with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (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'm responsible for flying the aircraft safely and executing whatever mission we have, given the day,” said Kulik.
Kulik credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Lake Geneva.
“I learned the value of a hard day's work,” said Kulik.
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.
“The aircraft is unique for its capability of fitting us into whatever role they need us to do that given day," Kulik said. "Whether it's transporting people or saving people, there are endless tasks on any given day. It just depends on what they need us to do.”
Serving in the Navy means Kulik 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, Kulik is most proud of completing an around-the-world deployment without any major issues or mishaps for the squadron along the way.
“I feel like the media focuses on what's going wrong, but there’s a lot more that goes right that people don't publicize,” said Kulik.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Kulik 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 means taking care of everybody who's out there with you," Kulik said. "It's ‘How can you help out your fellow sailors who are out there serving with you?’ You're out there serving so people back home don't have to.”