Athens graduate said Navy helped him "get his life on track"

Athens Drive High School graduate Michael McLean ’11 started serving in the Navy after high school. Now, he serves as an ordnanceman, uploading and downloading arms, on one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.

McLean works on the F/A 18 Super Hornet. The versatile aircraft takes off out of the Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, with the ability to engage in air-to-air combat and strike on land. Last year, McLean was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal for his work with the aircraft.

McLean said he owes much of his success to his upbringing in North Carolina.

“In Raleigh, I was taught to stay humble,” McLean said in a press release. “It has helped me further with what I am expecting out of the Navy. I work harder for things so that I can achieve them.”

The F/A 18 Super Hornet is 61 feet long and has a maximum speed of 1,190 miles per hour. Capt. James S. Bates, deputy commodore, Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Pacific, said that it takes a certain kind of sailor to work in naval aviation.

“Naval aviation is a challenging occupation,” Bates said in a press release. “But our sailors work day in and day out to provide fully mission capable aircraft and fully qualified aircrew to ensure leadership is able to answer national level tasking.”

McLean said he is proud to be involved in a legacy that will last beyond his lifetime.

“Serving in the Navy is a way for me to get my life on track,” McLean said in a press release. “It has helped me set better goals for myself.”