Patrol Squadron (VQ) 2 and the rest of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 hosted first class midshipmen from Reserve Officers Training Corps units and the United States Naval Academy.

Every summer, midshipmen are sent to different ships and squadrons throughout the Navy to give them hands-on training on what it is like to be a Naval Officer.

Sending midshipmen to the fleet to experience real life training on what it is like to be an officer has always been a hallmark of naval officer training.

Midshipmen David Porter, studying psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology, and Midshipmen Robert Tumminello, studying economics at the United States Naval Academy, joined VQ-2 for four weeks. They got the opportunity to fly on training flights and participate in many other junior officer activities.

Midshipmen also got a host of tours of local naval facilities including USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

“I hope to experience many of the things that I can expect as a junior officer,” said Porter. It’s one of the last major training periods they will see until they are commissioned as ensigns a year from now. We hope to see Porter and the rest of the midshipmen back here as officers in a few years.