ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam – A 2016 graduate and Plainfield, Connecticut, native is serving in the U.S. Navy with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 on the island of Guam.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Sarah Sweeney is an aircrew survival equipmentman serving with HSC 25, known as the “Island Knights,” a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60S “Seahawk” helicopter.
Sweeney credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Plainfield.
“I didn't realize how much my little hometown of Plainfield has taught me until I joined the Navy,” said Sweeney. "The amount of love and protection so many people have for each other is unforgettable. My hometown helped me understand and allow me to protect and cherish my Navy family. My father Michael Tucker has always told me that from the second my feet hit the water I was swimming. He also told me I knew how to swim before I knew how to walk. That's how I knew the Navy was the branch for me."
HSC-25 is the first and only forward-deployed vertical replenishment (VERTREP) squadron in the Navy and is tasked with supporting Seventh Fleet units in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, North Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf. To provide this support, HSC-25 embarks two-aircraft detachments aboard Military Sealift Command vessels which provide transportation of equipment, fuel, supplies and ammunition to sustain U.S. forces worldwide.
They are the only Navy squadron based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
In addition to VERTREP, HSC-25 provides 24-hour Search-and-Rescue/Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) services for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Averaging more than 30 rescues and 70 MEDEVACs per year, HSC-25 also conducts airborne firefighting using externally-carried buckets, Vertical Onboard Delivery (VOD), drone and torpedo recovery, special operations airborne support, and fleet logistics support for all military activities in the Guam area, including the Maritime Prepositioned Ships operating in the local area.
“HSC-25 is an amazing command! The ability to grow and learn is endless,” Sweeney said. "Being far away from home is very hard but this command makes you feel like you are part of the family. We take a lot of our time making sure we plan accordingly and balance the Mission and the good quality family time. We plan months ahead of time to make sure that things like Christmas and thanksgiving, are spend with each other and that is amazing."
According to officials at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the ships, submarines, aircraft and Navy personnel forward-deployed to Guam are part of the world’s largest fleet command and serve in a region critical to U.S. national security. The U.S. Pacific Fleet encompasses 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. All told, there are more than 200 ships and submarines, nearly 1,200 aircraft, and more than 130,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in the Pacific.
Serving in the Navy means Sweeney 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, Sweeney is most proud of being where she is today.
“I strive to do more and get better every day,” said Sweeney. "I have spent endless amount of time finding new ways to learn and achieve. I have been called the 'flash card queen.' I rewrite things over and over until I get it. My shipmates help me understand visually. I am very proud to accomplish and succeed. I want to be the leader and role model for a better Navy."
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Sweeney and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“When I joined the Navy I did it to give to my country before I decided to do my own thing,” added Sweeney. "It is so much more than that now. Serving in the Navy gives me the opportunity to be a leader. Being in the Navy means that I know at the end of the day my family and shipmates are taken care of. The Navy has changed my lifestyle and my scene of life to a completely different level. I appreciate every second I can get. Being able to launch and recover a helicopter makes my spine shiver. I have seen so many things and experienced an extraordinary life and there is so much more that I am going to be able to do because of the Navy."