Sailor lends support
to naval aviation

The U.S. Navy has a wide range of combat and support aircraft and many types of missions. Combat jets conduct air strikes in Afghanistan, enforce no-fly zones over Iraq and provide air defense for carrier battle groups. Navy helicopters conduct search and rescue operations, anti-submarine warfare and replenishments at sea.

Keeping these aircraft in the air is the responsibility of the sailors assigned to the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment (AIMD) at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin S. Rowe, 22, the son of Randolph Rowe of Freehold and Maureen Petersen of Ocean, is an aviation electronics technician in the avionics division of AIMD.

"My job is important because it deals with radars, which are crucial to Tomcat and Hornet missions," Rowe said.

AIMD provides the best of repair support to the Navy’s aviation community at shore and sea-going commands. More than 500 sailors and naval officers serve at AIMD. These men and women deploy with aircraft carriers, and are responsible for repairing a variety of Navy aircraft, from F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets to helicopters.

Rowe joined the Navy shortly after graduating from Ocean Township High School in 1999.

"I joined the Navy to educate myself on life and prepare for college," he said.

Within AIMD, six divisions work together to complete the command’s overall mission of providing aircraft combat readiness to the fleet.

The airframes division repairs and manufactures aircraft structures, wheel assemblies and hydraulic components, while the paraloft division inspects, repairs and maintains more than 800 pieces of aircrew survival equipment per month. The avionics division repairs a wide range of electronic gear, including computers, radar and weapon targeting systems, and the armament division provides maintenance on weapons systems. The power plants division is the Navy’s largest jet engine facility, providing full repair and test capability for the F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets. Additionally, the support equipment division provides ground support for 24 East Coast squadrons with equipment such as hydraulic generators and tow tractors.

Navy life has provided Rowe with a wide variety of learning experiences.

"I’ve learned that life isn’t easy," he said. "If I want something done, I must do it myself."

Rowe’s two years of naval service have offered him many memorable experiences as well.

"My most memorable achievement was making petty officer third class," he said.

As a result of the Sept. 11 attacks, the sailors and officers are actively fulfilling the oath they took when they joined the ranks of naval service: to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States. The sailors of AIMD keep aircraft carriers in business by providing naval aviators with the equipment they need to conduct their missions 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world.

This story was written by Jervea A. Harris, a journalist assigned to the Navy Public Affairs Center in Norfolk, Va.