Sailors recently returning from Individual Augmentee (IA) tours in the Middle East shared sand stories of tackling tough drill sergeants as a petty officer, Christmas parties in Saddam Hussein’s former palace, dealing with detainees’ Ramadan fasting and dining at the chow hall with “Chemical Ali” [Ba’athist Iraqi Defense Minister Ali Hassan al-Majid, who was executed for genocide and war crimes in January 2010].
In addition to listening to articulate anecdotes, deploying IA’s asked questions of their boots-on-the-ground experienced shipmates.
“What kind of sleeping quarters did you have?” “Where were you working?” “How is it negotiating orders over there?”
These is just a sampling of the tales told and questions asked at NAS Whidbey Island’s bi-annual IA Appreciation Night, held April 28 at the Convergence Zone.
May 6, 2010
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A standard early morning flight April 26 for the Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139 Cougars turned into a great learning experience in a Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise.
As the crew of four walked out to their EA-6B Prowler for a standard preflight inspection, the squadron’s Safety Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Nick Vande Griend, informed the crew they would be participating in a SAR exercise.
Lt. Nick George, Lt. Nathan Clayville, Lt.j.g. Scott Dearden and Lt.j.g Micah Kolcun then entered a van to be transited to the Whidbey Island SAR helicopter, a MH-60S Knighthawk.
As the Prowler crew approached the SAR hangar, they were greeted by Chief Hospital Corpsman Richard Hubbard and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Patrick Dexter, the Safety and Training instructors from the base Aviation Survival Training Center (ASTC). The crew was briefed on safety and egress from MH-60S and then walked to the helicopter for takeoff.
May 6, 2010
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The Yellow Jackets of VAQ-138 recently entered their fourth month in the transition to the EA-18G Growler. This month marks the halfway point through the transition, and the goals of being “Safe for Flight” and reunified as a squadron are on the horizon.
On Jan. 6, the Yellow Jackets became the third squadron and the first ICAP III Prowler squadron to transition to the EA-18G. They flew their last EA-6B to NADEP Jacksonville, Fla., Dec. 16, ending a 33-year history of flying the Prowler.
The aircrew began their transition with 10 days of classroom study followed by several weeks of simulators preparing them for their first flights, which occurred in February at NAF El Centro, Calif. The flights included instrument approaches and aerobatics culminating in the first flight together as a VAQ-138 crew.
May 6, 2010
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The Sexual Assault Pre-vention and Response (SAPR) program hosted its annual advocate appreciation luncheon April 27 at the Officers’ Club.
The event recognized SAPR volunteer advocates and featured a very special guest speaker, retired Chief Information Systems Technician Becky Luschei.
Luschei was sexually assaulted Jan. 13, 1984, while at her first duty station in Mayport, Florida. She was gang raped by three men who have never been found or charged. Although she knew none of her assailants were in the Navy, she reported the assault to her chain of command and sought medical treatment.
The process, she says, was cold. “I went through the steps alone - the physical exam, photo-taking, morning after pill, police report, viewing mug shots. I was being drug around from one place to the next, forced to re-visit the crime scene, talk about what happened. It was all very impersonal. The after-effects and the way I was dealt with were almost worst than the gang rape.”
May 6, 2010
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Gallery Golf Course has added a hybrid lawnmower to the collection of capable sod-snippers used in its day-to-day greens maintenance. Hybrid mowers are relatively new technology, and Gallery is one of the first courses in the area to invest in one.
When researching the purchase, Gallery’s Superintendent, Jim Smith, weighed the advantages of a hybrid versus a traditional mower and determined that a hybrid was the obvious best choice in support of less waste, reduced maintenance and costs savings.
“The cutting units and drive train are electric, versus hydraulic, so there are no costly leaks or hydraulic flushes. It saves us in time, money, and hazmat,” Smith explains. The mower, which is designed to trim tee boxes and greens, has several additional advantages over traditional diesel-powered mowers. It has the same expected lifespan as Gallery’s other high-horsepower trimmers, but the hybrid uses reduced amounts of radiator fluid; its two cylinder diesel engine uses half the fuel of traditional mowers.
May 6, 2010
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Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Antonel Cruzpadilla was awarded the silver medal at the 2010 All Armed Forces Boxing Championships in Ventura, Calif., on April 23. His next stop is Nationals in July at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Facility.
When the Navy moved Cruzpadilla to the Pacific Northwest, he joined the Fidalgo Boxing Club. He trained three times a week after work and participated in his first match on April 12, 2008. He won that bout and the competition bug bit him.
He was deployed on the USNS Mercy for six months and upon his return, was back in the gym with renewed energy. He was entered in the Washington State Junior Golden Gloves tournament in February 2009 and earned first place in the 152-pound weight division. After Junior Golden Gloves, he kept training and racked up nine fights and remained undefeated in his weight class.
May 6, 2010
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Nearly 300 volunteers gathered to take part in the 2010 Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island April 23.
Navy Whidbey Recycle and Forest City Military Communities Northwest hosted the event and teamed up with NAS Whidbey Island Sailors and Marines to remove trash from Navy family housing neighborhoods in Saratoga Heights, Maylor Point, and Whidbey Apartments, as well as the beach and waterfront along Crescent Harbor on the NAS Whidbey Island Seaplane Base.
“With all the Sailors, Marines and various commands who turned up today, along with Forest City, the Navy Exchange and Navy Whidbey Recycle, it’s been the best participation we’ve had in years,” said Paul Brewer, solid waste management director for NAS Whidbey Island.
April 29, 2010
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Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment Northwest (EOD Det. NW) responded to the Port of Seattle’s request for support in removing two projectiles found underwater during pier construction on the Seattle waterfront.
“We got the call at about 11 from the Port of Seattle Dive Team,” said Lt. Scott Ray, EOD Det. NW Officer in Charge. “They had video for us so we had a pretty good idea what we needed to pack up and bring with us.”
“Packing up” meant loading equipment, everything from diving gear to a lift bag, into the nine-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) along with the six-member team and heading south for the hour and ten minute transit to Seattle. They pulled up at Pier 91 next to the King County sheriff’s boat being used by the port’s dive team.
April 29, 2010
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The Patrol Squadron (VP) 46 “Grey Knights” recently completed a successful Operational Readiness Evaluation (ORE) in preparation for their upcoming deployment.
The ORE, conducted by the Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 Weapons and Tactics Unit, evaluates the squadron’s ability to locate, track and attack surface and subsurface combatants in a dynamic scenario designed to test the depth of the Combat Air Crew’s (CAC) training and knowledge.
The multi-phase event consisting of special instruction and target recognition training, a simulator phase and culminated in a two-day flight phase. The flight phase is designed to test all aspects of operations, maintenance, and aircrew, requiring them to work in concert with each other to be successful.
April 29, 2010
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Cmdr. Bryan Durkee relieved Cmdr. Brett Coffey as commanding officer of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 2, in a ceremony, April 23 at 11 a.m. on NAS Whidbey Island.
Under Coffey’s leadership, VQ-2 flew more than 580 missions encompassing more than 5,560 hours, serving in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Nomad Shadow, Reliant Mermaid, Inca Gold, Plan Patriota, Celestial Balance, and numerous fleet exercises.
During his tenure as commanding officer, and in addition to executing over 15,500 mishap-free flight hours, VQ-2 won the 2009 Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety “S” Award and the Medical Blue “M” Award.
Coffey, a 1992 Naval Academy graduate, will now head east to pursue a master’s degree at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces located in Washington, D.C.
April 29, 2010
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