NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 2, also known as the Fleet Angels, performs rescues of pilots if they go down in the ocean.
Keggin Daniels, Aviation Warfare Specialist, explained what makes AWS different than other jobs. “Some different stations specialize in overland rescues, some places specialize in overwater rescues, but all AWS can do both."
Daniels explained that this job falls under Special Operations and is extremely hard to complete. “Out of the like 90 people I went to boot camp with, I graduated with like three people," he said.
There are 274 sailors that are a part of the Fleet Angels HSC-2, squadron. Aviation Electrician’s Mate First Class, Erin Barnes, is one of the few. She calls Clarksville, Tennessee home, but she’s always been inspired by her family to join the Navy.
“So, my Aunt Julie was in the Navy. She was an aviation ordinance man, and she’d been talking to me about her time in the Navy from the time I was 11, 12 years old, and I thought that that sounded really, really cool,” Barnes said.
After all her years in the Navy, Barnes has this message for students at her Alma Mater, Northeast High School in Clarksville.
“If I were to go back and they were thinking about joining the Navy, I would tell them to do it. Pull the trigger and go. It’s going to be one of the best things you could ever do. It’s definitely an experience that not very many people get to have. The places you go and the people you meet will really change your outlook on life.”
To see more from Shelby's naval journey, check out the News 2 special report Shelby Goes to Sea.