USS BONHOMME RICHARD - The Air Department aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) has their hands on everything to do with aircraft. There are many individuals who play their parts in order to get aircraft off the flight deck, into the air and back safety.
“To be completely honest, I didn’t see it coming,” says Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Roque Ramirez. “I’m the type that tries to do my best and if it’s recognized, that’s great, but if not, I still continue to do my best. If you excel in something, everyone excels. It’s teamwork. That’s what I love most.”
Ramirez was chosen as Bonhomme Richard’s Sailor of the Week for his exceptional work, and rating expertise on the flight deck as well as his meticulous organization and management of divisional admin correspondence and training.
Ramirez is from the small town of Falfurrias, Texas, where his mother, Imelda Barrera, resides. Before joining the Navy two and a half years ago, Ramirez had seen the outside of Texas once.
“When you’re from a small town, everyone gives you the notion of “This is all you’re going to amount to. This is your life. I’ve always been the type that wanted something more for myself. I never wanted to stay stuck somewhere.”
With the support of his mother, Imelda Barrera, Ramirez joined the Navy.
“All I could ask for is for her to support me, and my sisters to support me,” says Ramirez. “Family is really important to me. Right here in the military, it is your family. You see them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is your home away from home. It’s good to have people who support you even when you’re far away from home.”
His favorite part of being an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate is working around all the different kinds of aircraft and people. Every day there’s camaraderie.
“It’s not just you out there,” says Ramirez. “It’s you as a group. You always have someone to rely on. I like that.”