Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Malcolm Kelley | Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Iradatoulai Gbamigbolasaka, from Portnovo, Benin, poses...... read more read more
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Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Iradatoulai Gbamigbolasaka, a West Africa native, was named amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli’s (LHA 7) Bluejacket of the Quarter, March 1, 2024.
Gbamigbolasaka was selected for outstanding performance of duty and her contributions to Tripoli’s Junior Enlisted Association (JEA).
Gbamigbolasaka was born in Portnovo, Benin and emigrated with her father to Philadelphia when she was 11 years old. After graduating from Mechanicsburg High School in 2022, Gbamigbolasaka joined the Navy to help support her family. As an aviation ordnanceman, Gbamigbolasaka is responsible for handling ammunition and weapons that are vital to the ship’s warfighting capabilities.
“We are in charge of assembling bombs and loading them onto aircraft,” Gbamigbolasaka said. “We also test the various rockets and bombs we have in our magazines to ensure their safety. We’re also in charge of small arms and crew-served mounted weapons like the M-240 machine gun.”
Gbamigbolasaka said her greatest point of professional pride was her involvement with Tripoli’s JEA. While serving as the secretary, she was instrumental in helping Tripoli’s JEA win the Bob Feller Act of Valor award that highlights an organization of junior Sailors who help each other find guidance and opportunities to cultivate leadership skills.
“It brought me out of my comfort zone,” Gbamigbolasaka said. “When I first got on the ship, I didn’t really know how to get around or who to go to for help. The JEA has really helped me become familiar with the ship.”
Gbamigbolasaka said she was very happy to be named Bluejacket of the Quarter, and credited her chain of command for their assistance and leadership.
“It feels great,” Gbamigbolasaka said. “I’m really grateful my chain of command has been able to guide me to this point, to receive such an honorable award.”
Gbamigbolasaka thanked her family for supporting her, and encouraged everyone to see West Africa for themselves at some point in their lives.
“When I went to visit my mother for the first time in 15 years, we went to visit the ‘Port-of-No Return,’” Gbamigbolasaka said. “It’s a memorial for the enslaved Africans who were taken from Benin and were never able to return. Being there changed the narrative of how far I’ve progressed as an immigrant in America, and having so many opportunities to help out my family back home is a great accomplishment for me.”
Captain Gary Harrington, commanding officer of the Tripoli, said that Sailors like Gbamigbolasaka who come from diverse backgrounds give the Navy strength and flexibility.
“I truly believe that the continued success of our Navy, and Tripoli specifically, is due in no small part to the contributions of Sailors like Airman Gbamigbolasaka,” said Harrington. “Our team’s diversity of backgrounds and skills are what makes the Tripoli and our Navy as a whole the most capable fighting force in the world.”
Tripoli is an amphibious assault carrier that provides presence and power projection as an integral part of Joint, Interagency and Multinational Maritime Expeditionary Forces. Tripoli also supports Marine Air and Ground Task Force requirements, from small-scale contingency operations and Expeditionary Strike Group operations to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war.
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.09.2024 18:07 |
| Story ID: | 468183 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Benin Native is Navy Warship Sailor of the Quarter, by PO2 Malcolm Kelley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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