The Navy’s unofficial motto, “Not self, but country,” accurately describes GHS ’93 graduate and soon-to-be retired naval aviator, Raymond Barnes, Jr. Recently honored at a combined change of command and retirement ceremony, Captain Barnes has stepped down from serving as Commodore of Training Air Wing 2 (TW- 2). Located in Kingsville, Texas, TW-2 is where the next generation of Navy and Marine strike aviators learn to fly jet aircraft.

In June, Rear Adm. Rich Brophy, the Chief of Naval Air Training, presented Barnes with the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct while serving as commodore of the air wing, overseeing the safe completion of more than 55,000 flights and the qualification of 195 new Navy and Marine Corps aviators.

Captain Raymond “Pancho” Barnes will officially retire in November, marking 26 years of dedicated service to this country. His final posting was a fitting close to his career. Some of his last students were sons of his former squadron-mates and TW-2 is also where Barnes earned his own “Wings of Gold” as a Naval Aviator in 1998.

Barnes was destined to join the Navy. “My father and both grandfathers served in the Navy, and I always had a strong desire to serve. Naval aviators have a reputation as the best pilots in the world, and from a young age, I wanted to be one of them,” he said.

After graduating cum laude from Daniel Webster College in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation management/flight operations, Barnes was commissioned an ensign upon completion of Officer Candidate School in 1998.

In 2000, after completion of training in the F/A-18C Hornet he joined Strike Fighter Squadron 15 (VFA-15) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He deployed twice at the start of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His impressive naval career includes 3,000 flight hours, 570 carrier arrested landings (traps) in the F/A-18 Hornet and T-45 Goshawk, on eight different aircraft carriers, and 59 combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria in what Barnes described as challenging, long-range flights, mostly at night, with multiple in-flight re-fuelings.

After this deployment, Barnes was chosen as an F/A-18 demonstration pilot and performed in several air shows – a dream come true – because watching military airshows in Brunswick and Limestone as a child was how Barnes first became interested in flying.

In 2006, Barnes completed an Executive MBA with distinction from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. and the Senior Course at NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy, as the US Navy representative in 2017, before returning to the Naval Postgraduate School as military associate dean and director of the school’s COVID-19 Task Force.

Barnes has served as Operations Center Director for Joint Interagency Task Force South which conducted counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, and also served as operations officer for the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.

For anyone considering a military career, Barnes said, “The military is a great place to learn skills, get an education, and do meaningful work with excellent people.” He stressed the importance of physical fitness and a strong academic record.

Barnes recognized two GHS faculty members who helped him build skills he needed to become a successful naval officer. He said, “Ed Willett challenged me academically and encouraged me to think about the world in different ways – these skills were helpful throughout my career.” His cross-country and track coach, John Wilkinson, “Pushed me to do things I never thought possible, helped me build a strong work ethic and taught me to welcome honest feedback,” he said.

Barnes has moved 19 times since joining the Navy. He hopes that his family’s recent move to Colorado Springs, Colorado will be their last. Barnes earned an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate from the FAA last year, and began three months training with United Airlines in July.

After settling into their new home, Barnes and wife, Angel, are looking forward to golfing with their daughters Presley (12) and Callie (8), as well as hiking, camping and skiing in the Rockies.

Barnes can be reached at ray.barnes.jr@gmail.com. He is the son of Cheryle and Raymond Barnes, Sr. His sib- ling, Chris, graduated GHS ’97.