Submitted Photo Lt. Grace Hove, a native of Stanley, is a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Nadia James, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West.

SAN DIEGO – Lt. Grace Hove, a native of Stanley, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 (HSC-21) at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California.

Hove graduated from Powers Lake High School in 2017 and the U.S. Naval Academy in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Stanley.

“My family and my hometown have a very strong work ethic, and I was always driven to do more and be involved in sports, clubs or a job,” Hove said. “My parents always encouraged me to fill my schedule. Being able to have a look at everything made me a more well-rounded individual and has helped me to balance more things at once.”

Hove joined the Navy four years ago. Today, Hove serves as a pilot.

“I originally wanted to join the U.S. Naval Academy to attend college out of state and have a guaranteed job after graduation,” Hove said. “When I was at the Academy, I thought it would be great to be a pilot and develop leadership and technical skills, and I feel flight school and those two years of training went a long way to achieving that.”

The “Blackjacks” of HSC 21 fly and maintain the MH60-S Sea Hawk helicopter, the Navy’s most advanced rotary wing maritime platform. Their missions include Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM), Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW), Combat Logistics and Medevac.

The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.

According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Hove has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“My proudest accomplishment has been getting my ‘wings’ upon graduation from flight school,” Hove said. “They represent a lot of hard work, but also a transition from training in an academic environment to a fleet application.”

Hove serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“Serving in the Navy means I have to put forth a professional effort and image and be prepared to execute a wide variety of missions,” Hove said. “Every day I am studying to get better at my job so I am ready to deploy and be an asset to my air wing when we deploy on USS Boxer in the spring.”

Hove is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I want to thank my parents, Clayton and Keri Hove, for being extremely supportive of my decision to attend the Academy,” Hove said. “They really empowered me to take that opportunity and were there for me at every turn.”