Photo By Chief Petty Officer Kathleen Gorby | Navy Diver Third Class Michael Burgos, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Off the coast of Oahu, Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathleen Gorby runs through her pre-dive safety checks before descending into the clear blue ocean.
On this dive, Gorby, the Navy Reserve’s only military dive-qualified underwater photographer, covers a shipboard buoy salvage exercise as part of Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024.
Her willingness to take on new challenges led to this opportunity and many others throughout her career.
“To me, the Navy, especially the Navy Reserve, is all about trying new things and having new experiences,” she said. “Whether going to RIMPAC or volunteering for dive school, step out of your comfort zone and try something new because you never know where that avenue will take you.”
Starting as a photographer’s mate on active duty, Gorby transitioned to the reserve 12 years ago. Now, as a member of Pacific Fleet Public Affairs, she jumped at the chance to attend her second RIMPAC.
The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
Gorby arrived in Hawaii in mid-June to join the Combined Joint Information Bureau stand-up team for RIMPAC. She began working in social media before transitioning to the distinguished visitor program.
She worked with leadership to get the structure of the program laid out, using her previous RIMPAC experience. The team took in requests and coordinated with Carrier Air Wing 2, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) flight operations, and the air terminal at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay to schedule visits.
Then, when the two-week program window opened, she helped manage a rotating group of reservists who would often work long shifts to complete the mission.
“I think it’s amazing that you have this high caliber of talent coming into an exercise like this and being ready, willing, and able to assist in any way possible,” she said. “I love that mentality and you really find that in the public affairs community of the Navy Reserve.”
With the distinguished visitor program slowing down, Gorby had the opportunity to dive and cover multiple events with U.S. and partner nation dive teams including the first-ever shipboard buoy salvage exercise at RIMPAC.
“Being underwater with other countries, being able to take those pictures and see how we all come together to do the same job was an amazing experience,” she said. “Learning about the capabilities of our partner nations and knowing that if something real world happens, we’re able to rely on each other because of the trust we built here is a really important aspect of RIMPAC.”
The imagery she captured was used on multiple social media platforms and accounts including the U.S. Navy’s Facebook and Instagram pages, showcasing the capability and partnership of RIMPAC.
This year’s exercise was the largest in its history with 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, and more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel participating.
Throughout her stay on the island, Gorby worked hard and took every opportunity that came her way as she maximized the experience.
“RIMPAC is a great place to experience different aspects of a job, especially as a chief,” she said. “It doesn't matter if you've been in 20 years, you'll still learn something new. I've been in 21 years and every day I was finding ways to grow. I loved every minute of it.”
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2024 09:45 |
| Story ID: | 477782 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US |
| Hometown: | MONROEVILLE, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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