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Petty Officer 1st Class Katelyn Gibson, of Topsham (Petty Officer 1st Class Amber Weingart photo)
By Petty Officer 1st Class Patricia Rodriguez
NORFOLK, Va. – Petty Officer 1st Class Katelyn Gibson, a native of Topsham, Maine, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 106 in support of the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
She’s putting to work the lessons she learned growing up on Brunswick Naval Air Station, where her father was in the Navy and her mother in the Navy reserves.
Gibson joined the Navy eight years ago, and she serves as an aviation ordnanceman.
She graduated from Mount Ararat High School in 2013. “I tried college, but didn’t really know what I wanted to do yet, so my dad suggested that I join the Navy,” Gibson said.
Gibson said she relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Topsham to succeed in the military, including her mother, who just retired after 40 years in civil service.
“When I was a kid I would sometimes go to work with my mom and be around people in the Navy,” Gibson said. “They always seemed to have really exciting jobs. I saw that and realized I wanted to grow up and do something that was bigger than myself.”
The Super Hornet is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, according to Navy officials. The aircraft take off from and land on Navy aircraft carriers at sea, and are capable of conducting air-to-air combat as well as striking targets on land.
Navy aircraft carriers are designed for a 50-year service life. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land aboard the carrier at sea. With more than 5,000 sailors serving aboard, the aircraft carrier is a self-contained mobile airport.
Aircraft carriers are often the first response to a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans.
“The aircraft carrier is our U.S. Navy’s centerpiece, our flagship, and a constant reminder to the rest of the world of our enduring maritime presence and influence,” said Rear Adm. James P. Downey, USN, program executive officer aircraft carriers. “These ships touch every part of our Navy’s mission to project power, ensure sea control, and deter our adversaries.”
Gibson is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness.
“The Navy has a lot of resources that people don’t really think or know about,” Gibson said. “I think it’s important that we’re there in defense of the trade routes, ensuring freedom of the seas and showing America’s presence.
More than 90% of all trade traveling by sea, and 95% of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables that lie on the ocean floor.
“Maintaining the world’s best Navy is an investment in the security and prosperity of the United States, as well as the stability of our world,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations. “The U.S. Navy — forward deployed and integrated with all elements of national power — deters conflict, strengthens our alliances and partnerships, and guarantees free and open access to the world’s oceans.”
Gibson said she and those she serves with have many opportunities for accomplishments.
“What makes me proud is teaching junior sailors their job and seeing their growth and success come out of it,” Gibson said. “In my last work center, I had 13 brand new sailors. I got to see them learn and slowly start doing tasks without help; it was so rewarding.”
“I’m proud that I serve,” Gibson added. “I’m proud of the person I am today and knowing how much I’ve grown from where I started.”
