Smithfield native serves at Whidbey Island Submitted by NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH
OAK HARBOR, Wash. — Smithfield native Airman Tavis Wymer is serving with the U.S. Navy’s cuttingedge maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft squadron in Oak Harbor, Washington. Wymer joined the Navy one year ago. Today, Wymer serves as an aviation electrician’s mate. “I met a lot of people who inspired me to join the Navy,” Wymer said. “A lot of my senior mentors were prior Navy. I met a retired senior chief when I was in high school who helped to inspire me to stay in school, pursue my dreams and stay out of trouble.”
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Wymer serves with Maritime Patrol Squadron One, a high-tech maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadron tasked with monitoring the world’s oceans in the state-of-the-art P-8A Poseidon. He attended Smithfield-Selma High School and graduated in 2017. Today, Wymer uses skills and values similar to those found in Smithfield. “I learned to always be humble and don’t be greedy,” Wymer said. These lessons have helped Wymer while serving in the Navy supporting the P-8 Poseidon mission. The P-8 Poseidon mission is to conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance as well as long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and intelligence gathering
missions. They deploy around the globe to monitor the world’s oceans wherever they are needed. The Poseidon, the Navy’s newest maritime, patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, is a replacement aircraft for the legacy P-3C Orion. According to Navy officials, leveraging the experience and technology of the successful Orion with Airman Tavis Wymer the needs of the fleet, the Poseidon is designed to be combatduring capable, and to improve an their military service. “I’m operator’s ability to efficiently most proud of obtaining my conduct anti-submarine plane captain qualification,” warfare; anti-surface warfare; Wymer said. “I’m incurring and intelligence, surveillance training to become a plane and reconnaissance missions. captain and I’m just about to “The Navy is sea, land and test out. It’s a very prestigious air,” Wymer said. “We can qualification. I work directly protect what’s outside of our under the commanding coast and we can deploy to officer as an aircraft other coasts.” director. A plane captain is With more than 90% of responsible for recovering all trade traveling by sea, and launching an aircraft; and 95% of the world’s servicing and performing international phone and inspections; as well as internet traffic carried through reporting discrepancies with fiber optic cables lying on the the aircraft.” ocean floor, Navy officials As Wymer and other sailors continue to emphasize that continue to train and perform the prosperity and security of the missions to support the United States is directly national defense, they take linked to a strong and ready pride in serving their country Navy. in the United States Navy. Wymer and other sailors “Serving in the Navy means have many opportunities to honoring both my family and achieve accomplishments country,” Wymer concluded.
