OAK HARBOR, Wash. – Lt. j.g. Kelsey Bacon, a native of Auburndale, Florida, joined the Navy to work in aviation.
 |
| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Emilia Hilliard |
“Life is very busy, but everyone is working together to accomplish the mission,” said Bacon.
Bacon, a 2013 graduate of Auburndale Senior High School, serves with VP-47, a high-tech maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadron tasked with monitoring the world’s oceans in the state-of-the-art P-8A “Poseidon.”
Bacon is also a 2017 graduate of United States Naval Academy with a degree in oceanography.
“I’m currently responsible for managing the crew aboard the aircraft,” said Bacon.
Bacon credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Auburndale.
“My hometown is pretty small and in order to succeed, you had to lean on your neighbor and learn to ask for help,” said Bacon. "The Navy is very similar to that. You have to work together in order to accomplish your goals."
VP-47's primary mission is to conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance as well as long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and intelligence gathering missions. They deploy around the world to monitor the world’s oceans wherever they are needed.
The P-8A Poseidon, the Navy’s newest maritime, patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, is a replacement aircraft for the legacy P-3C “Orion”. According to Navy officials, leveraging the experience and technology of the successful P-3C “Orion” with the needs of the fleet, the P-8A is designed to be combat-capable, and to improve an operator’s ability to efficiently conduct anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
As the Navy transitions to the full capacity with the P-8A “Poseidon”, the aircraft continues the work- horse tradition established by the P-3C “Orion”. The P-8A has a planned state-of-the-art open architecture mission system and next-generation sensors. These capabilities give warfighters added protection. The aircraft empowers the fleet with more combat capability, responsiveness, and interoperability with traditional manned forces and evolving unmanned sensors. The P-8A “Poseidon” has significant growth potential, with planned, phased-in technological improvements that extend global reach, payload capacity and higher-operating altitude.
“The P-8A has the capability to accomplish several types of mission sets,” said Bacon. "It means your job can change at a moment's notice. You could be doing one thing and then one day have to switch over and accomplish anything else."
Serving in the Navy means Bacon 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, Bacon is most proud of earning the naval qualification of Wings of Gold.
“I'm proud of earning my Wings of Gold because it means I learned so much about aviation,” said Bacon. “Earning them took a lot of studying and hard work.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Bacon and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of different people and a lot of these people have become family to me,” said Bacon. "I'm also able to travel the world and experience incredible places and cultures."