Commander Allen Grimes hails from Lexington Park, Maryland and enlisted in the Navy in 1994. He initially attended Naval Aircrewman Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, followed by Aviation Warfare Operator “A” School in Millington, Tennessee. While enlisted, CDR Grimes served with the VS-38 “Red Griffons” at NAS North Island, as an Airborne Sensor Operator in the S-3B “Viking”. At the end of his 1996-1997 WESTPAC deployment he received a nomination to attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, in preparation for an eventual nomination to the Naval Academy the following year. He received his commission from the Naval Academy in May of 2002 with a B.S. in History and selected Naval Aviation. CDR Grimes was designated a Naval Aviator in July 2004. Immediately following his winging, he reported to VP-30 for initial training in the P-3C “Orion”. His assignment upon completion was with the “Marlins” of VP-40, stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. While at VP-40, CDR Grimes served as the Aviation Electronics Branch Officer, the Strike Pilot, and the Pilot Training Officer while attaining all available pilot qualifications in the P-3 to include the coveted “Taxi Pilot” designation. He completed deployments with the “Marlins” to several garden spots throughout 5th and 7th Fleet AORs to include Ali Air Base in Talil, Iraq. In 2008, CDR Grimes reported to the VT-9 “Tigers”, at NAS Meridian, Mississippi, to fly the T-45C “Goshawk” as a Strike/Fighter Transition Pilot. He stayed with the “Tigers” to instruct student naval aviators, holding multiple standardization qualifications. His positions included IUT Standardization and Student Control Officer. CDR Grimes transitioned to the Full Time Support Program in 2011. His assignments include a Department Head tour with the VT-3 “Red Knights”. He held both the Reserve Department Head and Operations Department Head positions during