Randolph Native serves with Navy Strike Fighter Squadron??
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tom Gagnier, Navy Office of Community Outreach?? Photo by Dustin Good??
KIARA VALENTIN
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.- A 2013 Randolph High School graduate and Randolph, Massachusetts, native is currently serving with a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron which flies one of the world???s most advanced warplanes.??
Airman Kiara Valentin is an aviation structural mechanic with the Gladiators of VFA-106, which operates out of Naval Air Station Oceana.
A Navy aviation structural mechanic is responsible for maintaining all aircraft main and auxiliary hydraulic power systems, actuating subsystems and landing gear.
???My mother taught me to be kind to others and to try to communicate your best with others,??? Valentin said.
“Don’t judge people and treat everyone with respect, which has helped me in my Navy career.”
Members of VFA-106 train pilots to fly the F/A 18 Super Hornet, one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.
The Super Hornet takes off from and lands on Navy aircraft carriers at sea and is capable of conducting air-to-air combat as well as striking targets on land.
It is approximately 61 feet long, has a loaded weight of 51,000 lbs., and a max speed of 1,190 miles per hour.??
Operating from sea aboard aircraft carriers, the Super Hornet gives the Navy the power to protect America???s interests anywhere, at any time.
The versatile jet has the ability to destroy targets located hundreds of miles inland, without the need to get another country???s permission to operate within its borders.??
???The Navy has taught me people have different work styles and not any particular one is right or wrong,??? said Valentin.
“I’m learning to listen to everyone, take my time and do things right.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy???s most relied-upon assets, Valentin and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.??
???I like that the squadron, and the Navy in general, holds events to enhance communication and encourage positive social interactions,??? Valentin said.