Calhoun native supports Navy’s nuclear deterrence mission
Navy Office of Community Outreach
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. — A 2013 Gordon Central High School graduate and Calhoun native in the U.S. Navy supports the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Johns is a Navy aviation structural mechanic serving with Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 4, a versatile command operating E6-B Mercury aircraft under USSTRATCOM operational control providing a survivable and endurable airborne communications link to the nation’s strategic forces.
Johns is responsible for maintaining naval aircraft. He credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Calhoun.
“My father taught me if you do it right the first time you won’t have to go back and do it again,” said Johns. “Every time I go out to the job, I work to the best of my ability so the mission is accomplished the first time.”
The mission stems from the original 1961 Cold War order known as “Take Charge and Move Out!” Adapted as TACAMO and now the command’s nickname, today, the men and women of TACAMO continue to provide a survivable communication link between national decision makers and the nation’s nuclear weapons.
The commander-in-chief issues orders to members of the military who operate nuclear weapons aboard submarines, aircraft or in land-based missile silos. Sailors aboard TACAMO E-6 Mercury aircraft provide the one-of-a-kind and most-survivable communication needed for this critical mission.
“Serving here allows me to do what I like to do,” said Johns. “I like the work I do and like how hands-on the maintenance is.”
The Navy’s presence aboard an Air Force base in the middle of America may seem like an odd location given its distance from any ocean, however, the central location allows for the deployment of aircraft to both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico on a moment’s notice.
This quick response is key to the success of the nuclear deterrence mission.
“I think serving at this command is pretty cool,” said Johns. “There’s a lot of things I do that I can’t talk about, but I still enjoy them.”
Sailors serving from America’s heartland take pride in the vital mission they support as well as the nuclear deterrence they help provide.
“The Navy gives me a sense of responsibility,” said Johns. “It’s made me a better leader, and it feels good to be patriotic. Most importantly it’s about family.”