by Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
Oak Harbor, Wash. – A 2009 Wyandotte High School graduate and Kansas City, Kan., native is serving with Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130), also known as the “Zappers.”
Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeffrey Hollinshed is an aviation ordnanceman with VAQ-130, a Whidbey Island-based squadron that operates the Navy’s newly-designed electronic warfare aircraft, the EA-18G Growler. Each aircraft has two seats, is over 60 feet long, may weigh up to 66,000 pounds (max gross) and can travel over 1,100 miles per hour and nearly 2,070 miles on a tank of gas.
As a 23-year-old with numerous responsibilities, Jeffrey said he is learning about himself as a leader, sailor and a person. He added that it is an exciting time to be in the Navy, and serving in a Navy Growler squadron has taken him to some interesting places.
“We’ve done some training exercises that have given me the chance to see places like Las Vegas and Key West. On our last deployment we traveled to Dubai, Bahrain, and Spain which was absolutely beautiful,” Hollinshed said.
Hollinshed is proud of the work he is doing as part of the squadron’s 174-member military team, and enjoys working with them.
“I like working with the people here, I’ve been able to work with a variety of different personalities and people from different cultures,” Hollinshed said.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied with VAQ-130. Approximately 32 officers and 142 enlisted men and women make up and keep all parts of the squadron running smoothly — this includes everything from maintaining aircraft 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. Eric Illston, VAQ-130’s commanding officer. “Our team is filled with hardworking and highly qualified professionals who hold uncommon levels of responsibility and accountability in support of our mission: To win in combat with trained aircrew and combat ready aircraft whenever called upon to support and defend the Constitution of the United States through the military element of power. Their work ethic, commitment, enthusiasm, and esprit de corps are second to none.”
The EA-18G Growler is the fourth major variant of the F/A-18 family of aircraft that combines the proven F/A-18F Super Hornet platform with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite. Built to replace the EA-6B Prowler, the Growler is the first newly-designed electronic warfare aircraft produced in more than 35 years. The aircraft also retains all of the F/A-18E/F’s multi-mission capabilities with its validated design and the capability to perform a wide range of enemy defense suppression missions.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s newest electronic warfare aircraft platforms, Hollinshed and other VAQ-130 sailors are proud to part of a warfighting team that readily defends America at all times.