LEMOORE, Calif. – A Las Cruces High School graduate and Las Cruces, N.M. native is serving in the U.S. Navy with Commander Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CSFWP).
Airman Kenneth Grotefend works as an aviation structural mechanic and operates out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California.
Grotefend is responsible for the maintenance and safety of the aircrafts.
“I love working on the aircrafts and getting the jets ready to fly. I enjoy giving the pilots hand signals and letting them know when they have the green light to take off,” Grotefend said.
“Lemoore has been home to the Navy’s west coast strike fighter community since 1980, when strike fighter squadron VFA-125 was the first squadron established to train Navy and Marine Corps aviators in the F/A-18 Hornet,” said Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, Commander, Naval Air Forces.
The strike fighter wing, headquartered at NAS Lemoore, ensures that each squadron is fully combat-ready to conduct carrier-based, all-weather, attack, fighter and support missions for the Pacific Fleet.
“I love working with everybody at this command. We are like a family. We are a small cohesive group of people,” Grotefend said.
With the CSFWP consisting of more than 20 squadrons, highly specialized jobs range from training new aviators to maintaining airframes and engines, to handling and flying aircraft.
“The most important thing that the Navy has taught me is learning about differences around the world. I know that my Naval service means having integrity and taking pride in my actions,” Grotefend said.