A 2017 Marina High School graduate and Huntington Beach, California, native is currently serving with a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron which flies one of the world’s most advanced warplanes.

Airman Marlene Rivas is an aviation electronics technician with the Gladiators of VFA 106, which operates out of Naval Air Station Oceana.

A Navy aviation electronics technician is responsible for maintaining the weapons system and overall brains of the aircraft.

Rivas credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Huntington Beach.

“I was taught to always be on time and keep a smile during the challenging times,” said Rivas.

Members of VFA 106 fly and maintain the F/A 18 Super Hornet, one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. The Super Hornet takes off from and lands on Navy aircraft carriers at sea and is capable of conducting air-to-air combat as well as striking targets on land. It is approximately 61 feet long, has a loaded weight of 51,000 pounds, and a max speed of 1,190 miles per hour.

 Government Video Expo speaker and military videographer Sgt. Matthew Callahan examines the bond between Marines and their K9 partners in this award-winning video. 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A preliminary study led by researchers in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine has shown that overall symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are lower among war veterans with service dogs. The pilot study was co-funded by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Bayer Animal Health.

The study was led by Maggie O’Haire, assistant professor of human-animal interaction, with the help of K9s For Warriors, an accredited nonprofit organization that provides veterans with service dogs. The pilot research project provides scientific evidence of mental health benefits experienced by veterans with PTSD who have service dogs.

“We found that the group of veterans with service dogs had significantly lower levels of PTSD symptomology than those who did not have a service dog,” O’Haire says. “They also had lower levels of depression, lower anxiety and increased social participation, meaning a willingness to leave their house and go engage with society in different activities.”

The study is published in the February issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

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