2 February 2023
PARK CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — Due to her rebellious nature as a teenager, Christina Hobbs says her fate to enter the military after graduating high school was sealed by a judge.
Her father and her grandfather had both served in the U.S. Army, but Hobbs wasn’t quite sure which branch she wanted to join herself. But when she got to speak with a Navy recruiter, she figured out exactly what she wanted to do.
“I don’t want to go on a boat,” Hobbs said with a smile. “He’s like, ‘You realize you’re joining the Navy, right?’ I was like, ‘Yes, I do, but I also know you have airplanes, so give me something with airplanes.'”
That’s how her career as an aircraft mechanic began in the summer of 1992. Stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, the young sailor and her squadron maintained nearly 20 anti-submarine aircraft—specifically, the Lockheed P-3 Orion.
“It is a very old four-prop turbo plane that is a submarine warfare [plane]—we hunted submarines,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs’ squadron, the VP-16, was also known as the War Eagles.
“You had to kind of prove yourself a little bit more than the guys,” Hobbs said. “I was brand new, I was one of the first females to be, like, in the squadron, in the mech shop, so there was a lot of, you know, developments, you know, especially for females, so it wasn’t always welcoming.”
Despite several hurdles, Hobbs quickly earned her stripes—from mopping and buffing floors to working on the flight deck.
“I personally was coming from a clean slate. I knew nothing,” Hobbs said. “I was determined to show these people that I could do this and show myself, so, you know, once I got that down, and you move on to, you know, another section of the shop you could work in … it was just a learning experience that I value.”
After spending her first-year landside, Hobbs and the War Eagles took flight.
“We deployed to Iceland, and Puerto Rico, Panama, Honduras,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs and her squadron would keep planes safe and fully functional all around the world.
“It’s a good feeling when you know your plane goes up and it comes back; it’s a sense of satisfaction,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs would spend four years in the Navy and says she is grateful her time in the service gave her hope and strength to pursue her future dreams.
“You know, a rebellious teenager who had no insight in life, you know, they accepted me, they taught me, you know, perseverance and independence and accountability … that was really the stepping stone for the rest of my life,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs would go on to become a registered nurse. She is currently working to advance her career by pursuing her master’s degree in nursing.
If you would like to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, email KSN reporter Hannah Adamson at [email protected].