Naval Airman Credits Success To His Philadelphia Upbringing

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook Twitter

PENSACOLA, Fla. (CBS) – Airman Jordan Stansbury is a Philadelphia native who serves as an aircrew survival equipmentman and operates out of the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Pensacola, Florida.

Naval Air Station Pensacola is best known as the initial primary training base for all U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers pursuing designations as Naval aviators and Naval flight officers.

Stansbury is a 2016 graduate of Mastery Charter School and the Philadelphia native is serving at the Navy's largest aviation training center. Stansbury's duties include keeping parachutes, life rafts, personal flight gear, and other aviation survival gear in proper working condition.

Stansbury credits success in the Navy with lessons learned growing up in the City of Brotherly Love.

"I learned to always keep going and to never follow the crowd. Doing your own thing is important to maintain," Stansbury told Navy Outreach.

Stansbury has familial military ties and is honored to carry on the family tradition.

"My father is retired Army," said Stansbury.

"Serving in the Navy gives me a chance to experience the world, and to do something right for my country," Stansbury added.

NATTC was commissioned in 1943 and today, the training center is 5,300 strong, including students, instructors and support personnel.

Navy Outreach reports the largest part of the student body is comprised of sailors attending their first technical training schools where they learn knowledge and skills required to perform as technicians at the 3rd class petty officer level, similar to a civilian apprentice. Advanced technical schools provide higher-level technical knowledge for senior petty officers, who serve as front-line supervisors, and in similar roles as civilian journeyman. NATTC also conducts technical training for Naval officers, who supervise enlisted personnel.