On the Job

Photo By Sgt. Andrew King | U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John B. York, center, an instructor at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT), gives CNATT students a hands-on demonstration inside an AV-8B Harrier trainer at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, Feb. 27, 2019. As a CNATT instructor, York actively shapes the Corps’ newest Harrier technicians through classes, one-on-one mentorship and hands-on training in the various aspects and parts of the aircraft. Outside of his current duty as a CNATT instructor, York serves as an aircraft avionics technician for the AV-8B Harrier and previously served as a Marine recruiter with Recruiting Sub-Station Monroe, North Carolina, which is part of Recruiting Station Columbia, South Carolina. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Lance Cpl. Andrew King)  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, UNITED STATES

02.27.2019

Story by Lance Cpl. Andrew King 

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

On the Job
There are a plethora of different military occupational specialties (MOS) in the Marine Corps; different jobs and skill sets that keep the Marine Corps mission ready. Today we dive into the aircraft avionics technician, AV-8B Harrier MOS and take you “On the Job.”
Name: Gunnery Sgt. John B. York
Age: 33
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Military Occupational Specialty: 6332, aircraft avionics technician, AV-8B Harrier
Billet: Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training instructor
Date joined: May 15, 2005

Gunnery Sgt. John B. York, 33, from Cincinnati, Ohio, joined the Marine Corps in 2005. After graduating high school, York was unsure of his career path and reached out to the only recruiter he ever saw at his high school, a Marine. After learning the different benefits the Marine Corps offered, York realized that was the path for him.
Presently, York is an instructor at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. As a CNATT instructor, York is actively shaping the Corps’ newest AV-8B Harrier technicians through classes, one-on-one mentorship and hands-on training in the various aspects and parts of the aircraft. When the students get to their first duty station, they will be entrusted with keeping multi-million dollar aircraft operational and safe for the pilots who fly them.
“There is a weight of responsibility that you have in the Marine Corps,” he said. “I think that constant pressure is a good thing. It keeps us on the straight and narrow and ensures that we finish the job, no matter what.”
In addition to teaching the students the curriculum in class, York also mentors students in how to be better Marines, both as aircraft avionics technicians and leaders. According to York, throughout his career, he believes that the most important thing to remember in the Marine Corps is that leadership is key.
“I had a sergeant major tell me one time ‘the best thing you can give a Marine is their time’ and I couldn’t agree more with that statement,” he said. “I think the younger Marines really appreciate you staying back, talking to them and mentoring them, even after it’s time to clock out and go home.”
Outside of his current duty as a CNATT instructor, York serves as an aircraft avionics technician for the AV-8B Harrier and previously served as a Marine recruiter with Recruiting Sub-Station Monroe, North Carolina, which is part of Recruiting Station Columbia, South Carolina.

• Date Taken: 02.27.2019
• Date Posted: 03.08.2019 16:33
• Story ID: 313543
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US