By Dustin Good, Navy Office of Community Outreach
OAK HARBOR, Wash. – Petty Officer 3rd Class Anita Holliday, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, joined the Navy to continue the next step of life.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marc Cuenca |
“I like the structure of this command,” said Holliday. "The military is a big on chain of command and this command has a very positive chain of command."
Holliday, a 2011 graduate of Riverside High School, is a yeoman with Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron 1, a high-tech maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadron tasked with monitoring the world’s oceans in the state-of-the-art P-8A “Poseidon.”
Holliday is also a 2015 graduate of Meredith College with a degree in mass communication and minor in marketing.
“I’m responsible for administrative duties,” said Holliday.
Holliday credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Raleigh.
“Growing up with a lot of diversity helps you in the Navy,” said Holliday. "The Navy being so diverse, being from Raleigh helped me a lot in my career."
Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron 1'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.
“This is my first command so everything is interesting,” said Holliday. "The set up is different from any other type of platform in the Navy."
Serving in the Navy means Holliday 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, Holliday is most proud of completing a deployment.
“It's very different being deployed,” said Holliday. "You are around the people from your command around the clock so you get to know everybody."
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Holliday 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 is a standard to uphold,” said Holliday. "I want to do the best I can at my job."