Jurgen Baeza Bernal was born and raised in San Diego, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on February 16, 2016, and served for six years and ten months as an Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) (AME). His expertise was in maintaining and inspecting the ejection seats of F/A-18F Super Hornets, ensuring their functionality and the safety of the pilots. Jurgen’s responsibilities included removing, inspecting, and reinstalling ejection seats, as well as replacing expired explosive components crucial for emergency ejections. Throughout his career, he upheld the highest standards of precision and accountability in his work.
Jurgen’s first duty station was in Omaha, Nebraska, his last duty station was at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, where he was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41). With VFA-41, Jurgen deployed twice, first in October 2018 to the Persian Gulf for seven months and later in November 2021 to the South China Sea for six months. His contributions to aircraft maintenance and mission readiness played a critical role in squadron operations during these deployments. For his outstanding performance, Jurgen was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (NAM).
The proudest moment of his military career came when he earned the rank of E-5 and took on the responsibility of supervising his work center. Jurgen separated from the U.S. Navy in 2022 and enrolled at Syracuse University studying Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is also active in the Student Veteran Organization (SVO) serving as its secretary.
