By Lt. Ana Maring, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 2010 Purchase Line High School graduate and Hillsdale, Pa. native is serving with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 41 (HSM-41) Seahawks, the Navy’s Fleet Replacement Squadron dedicated to training new MH-60R helicopter pilots and aircrew.
Airman Joshua F. Boyer is an aviation ordnanceman with HSM-41, a San Diego-based squadron that operates the Navy’s next generation submarine hunter and Anti-Surface Warfare helicopter, the MH-60R Seahawk. Each helicopter is nearly 65 feet long, may weigh up to 23,500 pounds (max gross) and can travel more than 200 miles per hour for nearly 320 miles on a tank of gas.
As a 23-year-old with numerous responsibilities, Boyer said he joined the Navy because he needed to do something while he figured out what to do with his life. “I have used my time in the Navy to give myself time to figure out what I wanted to do,” said Boyer. “I now know I want to work in safety.”
He also said he is proud of the work he is doing as part of the squadron’s 575-member civilian/military team, helping to train and prepare Navy aircrew to protect America on the world’s oceans. “I work on MH-60R’s loading and downloading ordnance as well as with weapons systems,” Boyer explained.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied at HSM-41. Approximately 65 officers, 400 enlisted men and women, and 110 civilian contractors make up and keep all parts of the squadron running smoothly — this includes everything from maintaining helicopter airframes and engines, to processing paperwork, handling weaponry, and flying the aircraft.
“Every day I feel an extraordinary amount of pride to serve alongside our great Nation’s most inspiring men and women,” said Cmdr. Brent Gaut, HSM-41’s commanding officer.
“Our Seahawk team is filled with hardworking and highly qualified professionals who hold uncommon levels of responsibility and accountability in support of our mission: to train the Navy’s current and future generations of aviators, air crewmen, and maintenance personnel to fly, fight, and fix the MH-60R. Their work ethic, commitment, enthusiasm, and esprit de corps are second to none.”
The MH-60R is the most capable and mature Anti-Submarine Warfare and Anti-Surface Warfare multi-mission helicopter available in the world today. It is used for Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Ship Warfare, Search and Rescue, Drug Interdiction, Logistics and Special Operations. Being the newest version of the Seahawk line, the MH-60R helicopter brings powerful new capabilities to the Navy with digital cockpits and mission-adaptive systems.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s newest helicopter platforms, Boyer and other HSM-41sailors are proud to part of a warfighting team that readily defends America at all times.
“I love being an American,” said Boyer. “My hometown is a so small it’s actually a village. Growing up in such a small place taught me to be respectful and to always help everyone.”