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The modern-day U.S. Navy aims to provide equal opportunities for every Sailor regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. With these opportunities given to everyone, it still takes a motivated Sailor to stay up late after working hours just to get a qualification, and the females of aircraft launch and recovery equipment (ALRE) show the results of hard work and determination.
ALRE has earned and maintained the title of primary mission division for some 70 years due to the essential nature of their job. Aviation boatswain’s mates (equipment) (ABE) are responsible for ensuring that aircraft are able to launch from aircraft carriers, maintaining catapults and arresting gear wires and getting into the hot, humid and dirty spaces that no other rate is willing to crawl into. The job itself is a down and dirty maintenance intensive job with long hours and hard labor.
For a select group of Sailors, the brutal nature of the job serves as motivation to apply themselves to a greater level. In ALRE, aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN75), there are enough fully qualified female Sailors to man an entire topside team. These Sailors take the nature of the job and roll with it, achieving qualifications above the rest of the ABE’s.
“Typically it’s a tough rate and very rare to see more than a few females getting their qualifications,” said Lt. Michael Kwon, the Air department, V-2 division, ALRE maintenance officer. “Being on six aircraft carriers as a former chief, I will say, I have yet to see an all-female topside crew for catapults and arresting gear until this command.”
The all-female topside crew is significant for the Navy, being a representation of the Navy’s change and progress towards being a better and more inclusive fighting force.
“This is a game changer, not only for the Navy, but for life period. It’s not just men who run the Navy,” said Kwon. “We need women in executive leadership positions who are able to relate and connect to the fleet to make a sound decision.”
With a great leader set on providing opportunities for each of his Sailors, the female Sailors of ALRE were able to take advantage of the opportunities provided and excel in the workplace.
“It feels amazing to be acknowledged that us females can do what a traditionally male rate can do.” said ABE2 Desiree Allen, V-2 waist catapult leading petty officer. “It’s ultimately unheard of in the ABE world to have an all-female catapult and arresting gear crew.”
In such a male-dominated rate, with females making up roughly 8-9% of V-2 on Truman, having that small percentage of female Sailors dive in head-first and become completely qualified is an outstanding feat.
“We would work 14-16 hour work days and I would stay up for an extra two hours to get the qualifications I wanted.” Said ABE2 Nicole Bedoya, V-2 office staff. “You may hear people say females are lazy, but that’s not the case. People just need to be given the opportunity to prove how hard they can work.”
When opportunities fail to present themselves, carving a path of their own becomes the only option. For ABE1 Ariel Brown, V-2 leading petty officer, that meant working harder than every single one of her peers to prove her worth.
“I faced being told I can’t be up top because I wouldn’t be able to keep up,” said Brown. “I had to prove myself before ever receiving a shot, whereas my male counter parts were given opportunities that never seemed possible for me, until now.”
Through hard work and dedication, Brown was able to charge through, proving herself in the rate and advancing to the rank of petty officer 1st class in 9 years of service. With plans to stay in for 20+ years, Brown continues to work hard and inspire Sailors.
“Being a part of this community for nine years I always found myself fighting to be one of the guys,” said Brown. “It feels good to know that numbers are rising and showing that gender isn’t a factor in completing the mission at hand.”
Brown reminisced about a memory from one of her first deployments where her work ethic was recognized. She worked hard every single day from work-ups through deployment, eventually being granted a position on the flight.
“My topside LPO came up to me one day and said ‘Hey Brown, I know it hasn’t been easy for you and I know you’ve been trying really hard; just know that it hasn’t been going unnoticed,’” said Brown. “I think I’ll always remember that because that was the first time anyone had said anything to me, that’s when I was thinking this job might be for me and I just love it now.”
Kwon said he has hopes that one of these Sailors will go forth and become the next ABE master chief or even the next Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. With the dedication each of these Sailors show to their work, they are traveling on a path of greatness.
“I have always wanted to see women excel in this rate, and to showcase an all-female topside crew on both catapults and arresting gear is amazing and words cannot describe how proud I am of our team,” said Kwon. “The Navy is changing and is in great hands not only for females, but for everyone.”
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2022 17:03 |
| Story ID: | 436127 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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