By Dustin Good, Navy Office of Community Outreach
OAK HARBOR, Wash. – Lt. Anthony Paschke, a native of Wildwood, Missouri, joined the Navy to become a pilot.
 |
| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marc Cuenca |
“I like that serving here allows me to fly aircraft,” said Paschke.
Paschke, a 2010 graduate of Eureka High School, serves 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.”
Paschke is also a 2014 graduate of University of Rochester with a degree in chemistry.
“I pilot the P-8 aircraft,” said Paschke.
Paschke credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Wildwood.
“Playing sports in high school I learned the value of hard work,” said Paschke. "There's a lot of things in life you can't control, but working hard is the only thing you can control. If you don't work hard it shows in your work."
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.
“Flying the P-8 is like playing a team sport,” said Paschke. "There's nine people on the aircraft that all have to perform their job in order to succeed."
Serving in the Navy means Paschke 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, Paschke is most proud of becoming an instructor pilot.
“It took a lot of work,” said Paschke. "It's an intense program. Now I provide a stable aircraft for learning to take place, which is basically saying I need to be one step in front of the student and the aircraft."
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Paschke 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 about going out and doing what you are trained to do every day,” said Paschke.