Ismael M. Manolias

Ismael M. Manolias served as a Petty Officer Third Class in the United States Navy. He was an Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Acoustics Sensor Operator who conducted multiple operational combat and humanitarian deployments overseas.

Born and raised in the Bronx by a single mother, Mr. Manolias enlisted in the Navy on December 7, 1992 to support the war in Iraq. Upon completing basic training, he attended Naval Air Crew Candidate School (NACCS), Aviation Rescue Swimmer School (ARSS), Aviation Warfare System Operator School (AWOS), and Advanced Acoustic Operator C-School (AAOC). Upon completing Flight School at Naval Air Station (NAS) in Jacksonville, Florida, he went on to complete Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training. Prior to his service, he attended Lehman College, but opted to join the Navy to support the war in Iraq.

Mr. Manolias was assigned to Patrol Squadron One, “The Screaming Eagles,” in Barbers Point, Hawaii, after being designated first in his class in AAOC. He was a member of maritime patrol aircraft crews that gather intelligence by detecting, tracking, classifying and analyzing both surface and subsurface contacts. Mr. Manolias was assigned to Combat Air Crew 8 (CAC8), “The Bad Monkeys,” as a Sensor Operator Two, quickly advancing to Sensor Operator One by passing his board exam in record time.

With over 5,000 flight hours and traveling around the world four times, Mr. Manolias’ missions are still either classified "Secret" or "Top Secret" to this day. His deployments include areas in the Middle East and Africa and took him to places including Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, China, South Korea and Singapore, just to name a few.

For his service and valor, he earned numerous awards, including Enlisted Naval Aircrew Wings, Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist Insignia, Inflight Armament/ Ordnance crewmember and Cast Eyes specialist.

After leaving the Navy, Mr. Manolias worked as a helpdesk technician at Estée Lauder and quickly started his career in Information Technology (IT). His career in IT spans multiple, specialized projects for various organizations including NASA, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citibank and SUN Microsystems. Currently, Mr. Manolias is a Senior Data Architect and Engineer for Montefiore Medical Center’s Infrastructure Architecture Team.