PENSACOLA, Fla. - Ensign Aidan Raffaele, a native of Sitka, Alaska, is serving the U.S. Navy at Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC).
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Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anna-Liesa Hussey |
As a student at NASC Raffaele is serving among sailors, Marines and guardsmen developing the skills needed to be combat-ready aviation professionals. NASC is located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, provides an educational foundation in technical training, character development, and professional leadership.
Students at NASC are taught the requirements and skills needed to be successful in their new careers.
Raffaele joined the Navy six months ago. Today, Raffaele serves as a student naval aviator.
“I joined the Navy because I had a passion for aviation and volunteering,” said Raffaele. “I wanted to see the world and I thought this would be a way to give back to my country.”
According to Raffaele, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Sitka.
“Growing up in Alaska, I learned to never quit,” said Raffaele. “This adversity taught me to be persistent in my efforts in order to accomplish my goals.”
NASC provides educational foundation in technical training, character development and professional leadership to prepare Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and partner nations Officer and Enlisted to be the combat quality aviation professionals their nation needs.
NASC is comprised of four schoolhouses: Aviation Training School (ATS), Aviation Enlisted Aircrew Training (AEATS), Aviation Rescue Swimmer School (ARSS) and Aviation Water Survival School (AWS), which provide instruction in 14 different curricula. In fiscal year 2021, ATS staff conducted 2,250 hours of classroom instruction and 17,095 hours of flight instruction; graduated 1,140 pilots and 217 Naval Flight Officers. AEATS graduated 1,237 students, ARSS graduated 245 students and AWS, including Detachment Swim Sites Norfolk and Pearl Harbor provided training for 6,479 students.
Serving in the Navy means Raffaele is part of a team 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.
“The Navy is a vital asset to national security because it demonstrates force protection and executes essential missions on a daily basis,” said Raffaele.
Raffaele and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.
“I’m most proud of commissioning as a naval officer,” said Raffaele. “Being able to serve alongside and after so many prominent naval aviators has made me feel honored.”
As Raffaele and other sailors continue to train and perform the mission they are tasked with, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy means to me means being willing to accomplish any task to the extent of giving my life in order to protect the sanctity of the United States and its way of life,” added Raffaele.
The Naval Education and Training Command is the U.S. Navy’s Force Development pillar and largest shore command. Through its “Street to Fleet” focus, Naval Education and Training Command recruits civilians and transforms them into skilled warfighters ready to meet the current and future needs of the U.S. Navy.