SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Rubio, a native of San Antonio, joined the Navy because he wanted to take care of his family.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, six years later, Rubio serves with the Bluehawks of Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 78, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“Our squadron can get very busy, we work hard and train in our qualifications,” said Rubio. “It can get hectic but at the end of the day most of us love what we do.”
Rubio, a 2007 graduate of Duncan U. Fletcher High School, is an aviation machinist’s mate with HSM 78, a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I work on the engines and transmissions," said Rubio. "I am responsible for keeping the aircraft maintained and mission ready. A big part of my job is training my successors and it is critical to train by the book to get things done right the first time.”
“Our squadron can get very busy, we work hard and train in our qualifications,” said Rubio. “It can get hectic but at the end of the day most of us love what we do.”
Rubio, a 2007 graduate of Duncan U. Fletcher High School, is an aviation machinist’s mate with HSM 78, a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I work on the engines and transmissions," said Rubio. "I am responsible for keeping the aircraft maintained and mission ready. A big part of my job is training my successors and it is critical to train by the book to get things done right the first time.”
Rubio credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in San Antonio.
“I learned a lot from my dad, who is a retired first class petty officer," said Rubio. "He taught me that it’s not always going to be easy but to put all you can into doing a good job.”
HSM 78'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.
“I have flown off a carrier in one of the helicopters that I worked on and it was a highlight of my career,” said Rubio.
Serving in the Navy means Rubio 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, Rubio is most proud of his reenlistment.
“I like what I do, it is very rewarding,” said Rubio. “I get to continue doing what my dad and granddad did, they both served in the Navy.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Rubio and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“I get to serve my country and visit other countries, and that brings value to what I do,” said Rubio.