By Dustin Good, Navy Office of Community Outreach
OAK HARBOR, Wash. – Chief Petty Officer Doug Murray, a native of Powder Springs, Georgia, joined the Navy to serve and be a representative of the nation.
Now, 18 years after joining the Navy, Murray serves with the “World Watchers” of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1, working with the Navy’s premier intelligence-gathering aircraft at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington.
“The best part of this command is the camaraderie, travel and life on the road, going from country to country,” said Murray.
Murray, a 1985 graduate of McEachern High School, is a aviation structural mechanic 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 manage day-to-day operations and personnel much like a civilian director, supervisor, department manager or operations manager would in the civilian community,” said Murray.
Murray credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Powder Springs.
“My hometown taught me hard work and that good work ethics will make you succeed at anything,” said Murray.
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 Murray 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, Murray is most proud of earning the rank of chief petty officer.
“It took hard work and dedication,” said Murray. “Only ten percent of Navy personnel reach this rank.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Murray 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 protecting our people and our country, upholding honor, morals, ethics and being proud to do so while experiencing travel, leadership and new cultures,” said Murray.