Barrington native serves with the next generation of U.S. Naval Aviation Warfighters

MERIDIAN, Miss. – First Lt. Dane Meier, a native of Barrington, is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps assigned to U.S. Navy Training Squadron SEVEN (VT-7) alongside naval aviators who learn the skills they need to fly missions around the world.

Meier, a 2015 graduate of Barrington High School and 2019 University of Illinois graduate with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, joined the Marines Corps two and a half years ago.

”I joined the Navy because I wanted to support a cause bigger than myself and to seek service where I could make a difference,” Meier said.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Marines are similar to those he found in Barrington, he said.

”Growing up, it was important to be honest in everything that I do,” Meier said. “I learned to admit mistakes when I make them and always seek opportunities to grow and learn.”

Meier serves as a student pilot with VT-7, a strike jet training squadron located at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi.

”Everyone has a positive attitude about the job that we are blessed to do,” Meier said. “It’s hard work but it makes the difference in our force.”

The aviation squadron’s primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly, as well as instill leadership and officer values, Navy officials said. Students must complete many phases of flight training in order to graduate, including aviation preflight indoctrination, primary flight training and advanced flight training. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.”

After graduation, pilots continue their training to learn how to fly a specific aircraft, such as the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter attack jet and the F-35 Lightning strike fighter. These aircraft take off from and land on Navy aircraft carriers at sea.

This year commemorates 50 years of women flying in the U.S. Navy. In 1973, the first eight women began flight school in Pensacola, Florida. Six of them, known as “The First Six,” earned their “Wings of Gold” one year later. Over the past 50 years, the Navy has expanded its roles for women to lead and serve globally and today women aviators project power from the sea in every type of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft.

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the U.S. is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.

Serving in the Department of Defense, Meier is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

”The Navy and specifically the Marine Corps needs to be ready when our nation is least ready,” Meier said. “Naval aviation gives us the flexibility to rapidly engage and deter conflicts when they arise.”

Meier has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

”Being selected to fly jets was my proudest moment in the Navy,” Meier said. “It was an accumulation of all the lessons built into me from my family, friends, peers and instructors paying off.”

Meier takes pride in serving the country in the Marine Corps.

”Serving in the Corps is a continuous sacrifice that humbles me to always put others first,” Meier said. “It has given me some of the greatest friends and highest privileges.”

Meier is grateful to others for helping make a Marine Corps career possible.

”I would like to thank Timothy Raynor for encouraging me to take the first step and always reminding me that it’s not about me,” Meier said.