Airman Apprentice Alexander Clarke, a native of Westbury, New York, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility, Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES).
Clarke graduated from Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, Florida, in 2018.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Westbury.
“I learned to be patient and to understand how to take directions and follow them,” Clarke said. "That has translated 100% into the Navy and gotten me off to a good start."
Clarke joined the Navy one year ago. Today, Clarke serves as an air traffic controller.
“I joined the Navy to carry on a family tradition started by my grandfather and continued by my mom,” Clarke said. "I also wanted direction in my life and to see what there was beyond my hometown."
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.
Known as the “Giant Killers,” sailors assigned to the command provide air traffic control for more than 98,000 sorties each year operating in the expansive special-use airspace. Some of these events include missile exercises, unit-level training, NASA rocket launches, gunnery evolutions and underwater detonation drills.
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.
Clarke has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment has been graduating from air traffic controller ‘A’ school,” Clarke said. "It was challenging because there was so much information to retain in such a short amount of time. It required me to stay focused in a way I wasn't sure I was capable of."
Clarke 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 being honorable and that I am a role model that must represent the country in a positive way,” Clarke said.
Clarke is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my recruit division commanders in boot camp for teaching me the proper military bearing and preparing me for what was coming when I went to ‘A’ school and my first command,” Clarke added. "I want to thank my mom for providing a great blueprint to navigate my life. She gave me the right amount of discipline to get me through the tough times, and I appreciate that more than I ever thought I would.”
“I want to be the best air traffic controller I can be and reach my maximum potential achieving at a high level,” Clarke said.
By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Osborne, Navy Office of Community Outreach