Sailor Story: Naval Flight Officer

[Navy for Moms Admin]

Sailor: LT Josette Curtis, ", Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
Mom: Rosella Fedor, West Pittston, Pa.

Raised in a nonmilitary family, LT Josette Curtis first encountered the U.S. Navy at a family friend’s U.S. Naval Academy graduation. She became fascinated by aviation and the Academy and returned to high school determined to live out her dream to fly.

Today, Curtis flies EA-6B Prowlers, which protect Navy vessels and aircraft by jamming hostile radar and other communications equipment. She has flown Prowlers off of an aircraft carrier and is authorized to lead a team of them into battle. She is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and is currently stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., teaching younger Sailors to do the same great things she has.

“It’s been a busy few years. This job is different than any office job – I’ve had the chance to fly off a carrier,” Curtis says. “There is absolutely nothing else I would rather do.”

Before shore duty at Whidbey Island, Curtis spent much of her time aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Western Pacific. She made port calls to Hawaii, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. She found herself helping people who faced nearly insurmountable odds.

In December 2005, Curtis’ strike group was in Hong Kong when the devastating tsunami hit Indonesia. The USS Abraham Lincoln was the first to arrive off the Indonesian coast to evaluate the situation.

“We were able to rapidly assess what they needed and gathered quick resources to send to the devastated land,” she says. “It was gut-wrenching; I wish I could have done more.”

Just a few months later, during her second deployment in the Pacific, Curtis spent time in Pattaya Beach, Thailand, where she worked closely with staff and youth at an orphanage. She helped them move furniture and ensured they had water, food and supplies. The experience changed her life.

“They didn’t speak a lick of English – it was the hand gestures and facial expressions that guided my squadron to figure out what they wanted and needed,” she says. “Even on the carrier we all complain…but what they needed was far greater than anything I have ever had to face.”

Curtis’s mother, Rosella Fedor, says that initially her daughter’s departure was hard for her. She learned to cope by cherishing their time together, whether on the phone, via email or during visits.

“I miss her; it was really tough at first,” Rosella says. “The secret is to just have faith and be grateful that there are people like Josette who are willing to give their time, and in some cases their lives, to keep Americans free.”

[Karen Gallagher]

wow cool!! thanks

[Derek's mom - Diane]

What an incredible story. Josette is a true hero. Her mom did a great job!!!

[shell]

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