OAK HARBOR, Wash. - Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant Barry, a native of Lawrenceville, Georgia, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
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| Photo by Ashley Craig |
Barry graduated from Brookwood High School in 2020.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Lawrenceville.
“Lawrenceville is in a pretty diverse area of Georgia as part of metro Atlanta, and growing up there taught me to take people as they are,” said Barry. “That helps with building relationships in the Navy.”
Barry joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Barry serves as an aviation structural mechanic (safety equipment).
“Seeing as I graduated in 2020, I had a conversation with my mom about college,” said Barry. “I didn’t think online college classes would be a good fit. My uncle was in the Navy, my Grandad was in the Navy and my cousin was in the Army. The Navy seemed like the most obvious choice for me.”
VAQ-142 deploys with aircraft carriers to project electronic attack dominance anywhere in the world at any time.
The EA-18G Growler is a carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft and the cornerstone of the naval Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) mission. Its platform is derived from the combat-proven F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft and adds a sophisticated electronic warfare suite that enables it to suppress enemy air defenses as well as electronic attack operations.
The Growler has two seats, is over 60 feet long and can weigh up to 66,000 pounds when fully loaded with all missiles and electronic jammers. It can travel at speeds over 1,100 miles per hour, around 1.5 times the speed of sound.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Barry serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”
Barry has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I’m most proud of making it all the way through our most recent deployment,” said Barry. “It was eight and a half months. There was one time we were out to sea and didn’t hit a port for two months straight. I learned a lot on that deployment. We operate differently when we’re here and when we’re there it’s high speed. I felt like I met expectations pretty well.”
Barry can take pride in serving America through military service.
“Serving in the Navy has given me an opportunity to improve a lot personally,” said Barry. “I’ve made great friends and I met my wife since joining the Navy.”
Barry is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.“I want to thank my wife, Natalie,” added Barry. “She certainly makes it all a lot easier.”