JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Their team is that of a well-oiled machine. There's a lot of moving parts when it comes to keeping aircraft in the air.
In this week's Stories of Service, we meet a member of the Navy who is part of a team that makes sure the equipment on the ground is precise for flight.
Far from the whirling propellers of helicopters, and far from even the control tower, an extra set of eyes is on the sky at Mayport.
"We have our tack in, our UN32, our bit servers, our PAR, pappies are lights on the airfield," said Electronics Technician Alberto Romero, "these are just some of the things we check every morning."
Alberto Romero is part of a crew that constantly checks equipment and systems to make sure aircraft have functioning ground equipment to land properly.
"We have a lot of people here working together," said Romero, who has served in the Navy for eight years.
He's currently involved with ground electronics at Naval Station Mayport.
"This is one of the monitors where you're able to see the helicopters and other air craft that are in the air currently," said Romero while giving a tour of his work space.
Multiple elements of equipment and safety nets to make sure everyone in the sky makes it back to the ground safely.
"We're here in case anything were to go down so we can try to fix it as fast as possible," said Romero. "We want to make sure everything runs smoothly for all the pilots and ACs up in the tower and down here in radar."
Romero said he plans to use the GI Bill to pay for college and hopes to major in technical studies.
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