Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
By Megan Lemly, Navy Office of Community Outreach
NORFOLK, VA. – Petty Officer 1st Class Laura Chavez, a native of Ontario, California, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility, Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES).
Chavez graduated from Colony High School in 2008.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Ontario.
“I learned growing up to never give up, to always do my best, and to push through whatever obstacles I faced,” Chavez said. “In the Navy, it is hard to come up through the ranks, so you have to push through and study hard for each exam. Deployments are also not easy, but you have to look for the light at the end of the tunnel and just keep pushing through.”
Chavez joined the Navy 13 years ago. Today, Chavez serves as an air traffic controller.
“I joined the Navy because I married and had a child at a young age, and I needed stability after the ‘08 financial crisis,” Chavez said.
Established in 1977, FACSFAC VACAPES maintains the scheduling, control and surveillance of military operating areas and training routes for the northeastern United States. The command now routinely oversees more than 112,000 miles of offshore air, surface and sub-surface operating areas from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island to Charleston, South Carolina.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Chavez has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment is saving a pilot from crashing into a drone on deployment,” Chavez said. “I am proud of that because nobody else had caught it, and I was able to save the pilot’s life.”
Chavez serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means stability,” Chavez said.
Chavez is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my spouse, Eric, and our kids, Alyssa, Eric Jr., John, James and Audrey, for putting up with everything and for being there for me,” Chavez added.
