Masada joined the Navy in November 1995. After attending Recruit Training in Great Lakes, Illinois, she attended Aviation Electrician Mate “A” School. Her first command was VXE-6 at Point Mugu, California where she worked on Lc-130s. Her first two deployments landed her in Antarctica by way of New Zealand. She then went on to training for maintenance on the P-3 Orion and was assigned to VP-16 in Jacksonville, Florida. During that tour of duty, she deployed to Sicily and Puerto Rico. Upon completion of that tour, she reenlisted and ended up in Patuxent River, Maryland working on the P-3A. During this tour she earned her Enlisted Air Warfare Specialist designation and qualified as Inspector. She also earned her Associates of Applied Science in Information Service Technology.
She received my next set of orders to HM-15 in Corpus Christi, Texas with a stop in Norfolk, Virginia for MH-53E “C” school May 2004. While assigned to this squadron she became a Sexual Assault Advocate, and Command Management Equal Opportunity (CMEO) team member. She then transferred to HM-14 in Norfolk, Virginia where she requalified as Collateral Duty Inspector on the MH-53E. She also Command Training Team Instructor and continued serving as a Sexual Assault Advocate and CMEO team member. Her final tour landed her at VQ-1 in Whidbey Island, Washington, where she worked on the P-3C again. She also completed her Bachelor of Arts in Social Science. Masada left active duty in July 2016 and moved to Corpus Christi. She is now enrolled in college full-time, working on her Master’s Degree in Psychology with a goal of becoming a Guidance Counselor.
Masada earned the following awards and medals: 1 Navy Commendation Medal, 6 Navy Marine Corpus Achievement Medals, 1 Navy Unit commendation, 2 Meritorious unit commendation, 6 Battle E, 6 Good Conduct medals, 1 National Defense, 1 Antarctic Service medal, 1 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, 1 Kosovo campaign medal, 2 GWOT Expeditionary medal, 1 GWOT Service medal, 8 sea service deployment ribbons, 2 overseas service ribbon, 1 NATO medal