OAK HARBOR, Wash. – Chief Petty Officer Tiasha Gaines, a native of Ocala, Florida, wanted to pursue an education.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Emilia Hilliard |
Now, 13 years after joining the Navy, Gaines serves with the “World Watchers” of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1), working with the Navy’s premier intelligence-gathering aircraft at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington.
“VQ-1 is different from any other command I've ever been to,” said Gaines. “I've only been onboard one year. The vibe and mission are like no other. Our tempo is wild. Lots of moving parts but in the end when we see what our hard work has done, it makes it all worth it.”
Gaines, a 2005 graduate of Lake Weir High School, is an aviation electronics technician with VQ-1, a state-of-the-art intelligence-gathering squadron flying the EP-3 “Aires,” a variant of the venerable P-3C “Orion.”
“I'm responsible for the upkeep of all of our missions related systems,” said Gaines. “I repair things like navigation, radios for communication in and outside the aircraft and computers. Aircraft can fly without us but they can't complete the mission without us. We are literally mission essential.”
Gaines credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Ocala.
“My hometown is small and everyone knows everyone,” said Gaines. “Family is big where I'm from. So I applied that ‘family’ mentality to my Navy life. Looking out for each other and leaning on each in times of need. I treat all of my shipmates like family so when I start to get homesick it's easy for me to bounce back because I have my new ‘extended family.’”
Members of VQ-1 conduct reconnaissance as well as intelligence-gathering missions. They deploy around the world to monitor the world’s oceans wherever they are needed.
The EP-3 “Aires” is a land-based, long-range, signals intelligence-gathering aircraft. It is a variant of the P-3C “Orion,” which has been in operation since the 1960s. They are still in service and performing missions all over the world.
Serving in the Navy means Gaines 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, Gaines is most proud of being promoted to chief petty officer.
“I'm proud to be a chief because I had a lot of people believe in me and pushing me to be better,” said Gaines. “I have a 12 year-old daughter that looks up to me and all I want to do is make her proud and set the bar. And quite frankly I worked very hard to get here, it wasn't easy but it was ALL worth it.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Gaines and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.