Round Lake Heights native serves with the next generation of U.S. Naval Aviation Warfighters

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Ensign Lexie Glunz, a native of Round Lake Heights, is serving in the U.S. Navy assigned to Training Squadron VT 27, where naval aviators learn the skills they need to fly missions around the world.

Glunz, a 2018 graduate of Grant Community High School, joined the Navy two years ago. Glunz earned a bachelor’s degree in urban ecology from the University of Utah in 2022.

”I’ve always wanted to join the military,” Glunz said. “The Navy seemed like the best option to be able to travel the world. I wanted to be surrounded by and learn from a diverse group of people. The Navy provided me with opportunities that would otherwise just be in my wildest dreams. Being in the Navy allows me to give back to my community and serve a higher purpose.”

Glunz said skills and values learned in the Navy are similar to those found in Round Lake Heights.

”I was in tae kwon do for 12 years, which helped me teach a lot of discipline,” Glunz said. “Working two jobs and being on multiple team sports taught me good time management skills and a strong work ethic.”

Glunz serves as a student naval aviator assigned to VT 27, a U.S. Navy primary flight training squadron located at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.

”As a student naval aviator, I support the aviation community by training to become the next generation of fleet aviators for the Navy,” Glunz said. “I will take what I have been taught and apply it to real-world scenarios that benefit the Navy’s mission.”

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 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, the F-35 Lightning strike fighter jet or the SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. These aircraft take off from and land on Navy aircraft carriers at sea.

Navy aircraft carriers are designed for a 50-year service life. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land aboard the carrier at sea. With more than 5,000 sailors serving aboard, the aircraft carrier is a self-contained mobile airport.

Aircraft carriers often are the first response to a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans.

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 recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Glunz serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

”We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”

Glunz has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“My proudest accomplishment is flying my first solo flight,” Glunz said. “Flying a naval aircraft with no prior flight experiences brought on a lot of confidence in myself.”

Glunz can take pride in serving America through military service.

“Serving in the Navy means being a part of something bigger than myself and being an example and support system to those around me,” Glunz said. “I hope to add to the diversity in the Navy and support others like me.”

Glunz is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I would like to thank my older brother, Cameron, who enlisted in the Marine Corps right out of high school,” Glunz said. “He is now a sergeant in the Marines Corps serving as a CBRN specialist. He supported me through my Navy journey as he was nearing the end of his first enlistment. We do not come from a military family, so our jobs brought us closer together and I learned a lot from his experiences.”