LEMOORE, Calif. - Every sailor’s story of naval service is unique. For Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Urban, this story has ties to Keene, New Hampshire, where skills and values learned there are foundational to success in the Navy.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mitch Meppelink |
“I think growing up, I learned to be inclusive and to include everybody,” Urban said. “I take that into consideration when I’m making decisions at work. I always want to take everybody’s input to make the best decision because someone else might have a better idea, or some genius idea I didn’t even think of.”
Urban graduated from Keene High School in 2018.
Urban joined the Navy eight years ago.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do after high school,” Urban said. “My dad, my brother, my uncle and my grandfather had all been in the Navy, and they suggested it. I went in, and I’m still here. I seemed to be good at it, so I stayed in.”
Today, Urban serves as an aviation ordnanceman assigned to Navy Munitions Command Pacific CONUS West Division Detachment, Lemoore onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore.
NAS Lemoore is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing. More than half of the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft reside here, and it is the only Navy installation to house the F-35C Lightning II.
Carrier strike groups and the embarked aviation squadrons are the cornerstone of U.S. naval power projection and sea power. They can quickly maneuver thousands of miles with the world’s most capable warships and top-notch sailors, remaining on station in areas of interest without relying on land bases or overflight agreements. U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are the most adaptable, lethal and survivable airfields in the world and their presence serves as the most credible commitment to our allies and partners.
Naval aviation provides the Navy and our nation with a flexible, adaptable, and lethal force to preserve peace, respond in crises and win decisively in combat. The U.S. Navy maintains and operates more than 2,000 aircraft to fulfill various mission sets in order to preserve the American way of life and ensure freedom, security and prosperity.
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.
Urban has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I’m most proud of earning my first Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (NAM) in 2021,” Urban said. “We were working long hours on an underway doing an ammunition onload. I drove the forklift for quite a while on those days. A month later, they gave me a NAM. I was pretty proud of that because I was a petty officer third class, and I worked really hard. It was a lot of work, but it was nice to have it done.”
Urban serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence. According to Navy officials, for more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity. More information is available here: https://www.navy.mil/navy-250/
“To me, serving is just a way for me to better myself, and to show myself what I’m capable of in a way,” Urban said.
Urban is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my wife, Samantha, who also served but got out,” Urban said. “She’s been really supportive. It’s nice to have someone who understands what’s going on. She doesn’t question when I have to go for long periods of time because she was in before and understands. I also want to thank my dad, who was a submariner. He’s been pretty supportive of me as well. I don’t get to call him as often as I’d like, but he always picks up the phone to talk for a few hours when I do.”