EVERY sailor’s story of naval service is unique. For Petty Officer 3rd Class Kellie-Rae Kelly, this story has ties to Montego Bay, where the skills and values she learned there are foundational to success in the United States (US) Navy.

Kelly’s family resides in Montego Bay.

“My mom was a cop for nine years, and because of that, I always wanted to do something serving people or helping people,” she said. “I knew I wanted to join the military, and the Navy seemed like the best branch for me. Now I’m a parachute rigger. We have to make sure all of our pilots’ equipment is reliable because their lives are in our hands, so we have to make sure we do everything the right way.”

Kelly joined the Navy three years ago. “I just wanted the opportunity for higher education, to gain stability and to travel,” she said. “The Navy offers all of that.”

Today, Kelly serves as an aircrew survival equipmentman assigned to the “Flying Eagles” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122 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 US naval power projection and sea power. They can quickly manoeuver 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. US 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 the US with a flexible, adaptable, and lethal force to preserve peace, respond in crises and win decisively in combat. The US Navy maintains and operates more than 2,000 aircraft to fulfill various mission sets in order to ensure freedom, security and prosperity.

“My proudest accomplishment is getting my plane captain qualification as an aircrew survival equipmentman, which means I’m qualified to launch jets from the flight line,” Kelly said. “At my last command, I was the only parachute rigger to ever receive that qualification. It means a lot to me. It took about seven months of working every day to get it. I came from ‘A’ school to the line shack and had to learn everything from scratch. I worked my way up from servicing the jets and fueling them, up to launching them and inspecting them to make sure everything is good.”

She added: “Serving in the Navy means being a part of something bigger than myself. Coming from Jamaica to here, has helped me learn so much about myself and grow as a person. Learning to do all of this is a whole new chapter for me.”

She said her uncle, John Walker, joined the Navy last year because he saw her do it.

“He’s serving as an aviation support equipment technician on the USS Abraham Lincoln now,” she shared.

Kelly is grateful to her family for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I want to thank my mom, Sasha Walker, because after watching her serve people when I was growing up, I knew that was going to be my career path,” Kelly said. “She was very supportive of me. I also want to thank my husband, Alex, and my daughter for being my number one supporters and making sure I’ve stayed disciplined and grounded.”