Shadowhawks sail into history

As many of the families in Whidbey Island enjoy the end of summer and the final days of beautiful Northwest weather, the Shadowhawks of Electronic Attack Squadron One Four One (VAQ-141) depart on deployment and into history. The squadron is the electronic attack arm of Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) embarked aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Sailing from Norfolk, Va., in early September with its contingent of cruisers, destroyers and supply ships comprising Carrier Strike Group Two, she will be directly supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
October 2, 2008
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PBY Foundation embarks on new partnership with air station

It was 10 years ago that the PBY Memorial Foundation was established in an effort to bring a Catalina seaplane back to Oak Harbor and preserve its history. Ironically, just two days after NAS Whidbey Island celebrated its 66th birthday, the PBY Memorial Foundation marked its 10th anniversary Sept. 23 with a luncheon celebration at the CPO Club. Among the crowd of 100 people were guest speaker base NAS Whidbey Commanding Officer, Capt. Gerral David, Oak Harbor Mayor Jim Slowik and PBY president Win Stites, who once flew with Catalina squadron VP-91 from NAS Whidbey Island in 1945.
October 2, 2008
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VP-1 Sailors commemorate POW/MIA Day

Patrol Squadron (VP) 1 hosted a ceremony to commemorate Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day with former members of VP-17 in Hangar 6 on Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Sept. 19. National POW/MIA Recognition Day honors the courage of those who were held as prisoners of war in foreign conflicts and to ensure those who remain missing in action are never forgotten. “Today our nation pauses to commemorate our comrades who cannot be with us for they are prisoners of war or are declared missing in action,” said Command Master Chief (AW/SW) James Reynolds, VP-1 “Screaming Eagles.” “So, on this third Friday in September, let us remember well the sacrifices our brothers and sisters have made.”
September 25, 2008
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Yellow Jackets successfully complete Air Wing Fallon

The Yellow Jackets arrived at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., Aug. 13 along with the other squadrons from Carrier Air Wing CVW 9, the Shoguns, to participate in the Air Wing Training Syllabus provided by the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center. The grueling five-week training exercise is a dynamic program designed to integrate, expose and train the carrier air wing to deal with the most current and realistic combat scenarios and tactics.
September 25, 2008
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Four hikers keep SAR on go

For a second consecutive week, NAS Whidbey Island’s Search and Rescue answered the call to help wayward hikers. Last Friday, the Armed Forces Rescue Coordination Center, Langley, Va., called the Operations Duty Office for assistance in rescuing a 72-year-old man with a broken hip at Goat Lake on Gilbert Peak, just south of Mount Rainier. According to Lewis County Search and Rescue, the man was located at the 6,500-foot level, 10 miles in from the nearest road with no medical personnel nearby.
September 25, 2008
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NOPF Whidbey Island safety mentor moves on

A fixture in Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s traffic safety program is set to move on Oct. 1, leaving behind him a wake of success and a command that places the safety of its Sailors at the top of its priorities. Chief Sonar Technician (SW) Larry Post, command training officer at Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Whidbey Island, has coordinated a top-down approach to traffic safety, from the commanding officer to the junior enlisted.
September 25, 2008
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Whidbey lights 66th birthday candle

After two close calls to close it down, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island has stood the test of time since its commissioning on Sept. 21, 1942. At the end of World War II, the base was earmarked for closure in 1949, and again in early 1991, during the first round of Base Realignment and Closures. In both cases, Navy top brass and Washington D.C. elected officials learned NAS Whidbey Island was a key installation for runway expansion and its unencumbered training airspace could not be duplicated anywhere else in the country. Capt. Gerral David, NAS Whidbey Island’s commanding officer, says the base can look forward to many more birthday celebrations. “With the ongoing transition to EA-18G Growler from the EA-6B Prowler and the coming transition to the P-8A Poseidon from the P-3C Orion, the future of NAS Whidbey Island is as bright as it has ever been.”
September 19, 2008
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SAR flies two missions in one day

The unusually warm days this week drew lots of people outdoors to enjoy the last few days of summer. Unfortunately for two male civilian hikers their day in the sun ended with a rescue by NAS Whidbey Islandís Navy Search and Rescue. In two separate incidents on Sept. 15, the Operations Duty Office was called by the Whatcom County Sheriffís Office and Armed Forces Rescue Coordination Center, Langley, Va., respectively for helicopter support. At 12:43 p.m., a 70-year-old man had fallen into a 25-foot crevasse near Hogsback Camp which is located at the base of Coleman Glacier at Mount Baker. Weather conditions were ìexcellentî for the MH-60S Knighthawk aircrew of Lt.Cmdr. Nelson Craig, pilot; Lt. Scott Zenner, co-pilot; crew chief Aviation Warfare Systems Operation (AW) 1st Class James Barrailler, 2nd crewman AW1 Chad Lewis and Hospital Corpsman Richmond Roy. At the 6,000 foot level, they rescued the man and safely transported him to St. Josephís Hospital in Bellingham.
September 19, 2008
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Gifted vocalist takes Navy Ball spotlight

Guests attending this year’s 233rd Navy Birthday Ball at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island are in for a real treat. After winning a singing competition held by the Navy Ball planning committee, Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Robert L. Evans will have the honors of singing the National Anthem. More than 400 military and civilian guests are expected to attend, but Evans is used to singing before crowds. “I almost didn’t do it,” he said about the competition in the base theater Sept. 5. “But my master chief encouraged me.”
September 19, 2008
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Pirates spurned in Gulf of Aden

When you think of pirates, images of Black Beard, Captain Hook and Captain Jack Sparrow sailing on wooden ships probably comes to mind, yet piracy on the high seas is as real today as it was in the days of wind and sail. Merchant ships, navigating the sea-lanes of the world, face this danger every day. Instead of sails and cannons however, today’s pirates use mother ship vessels, fast boats and AK-47s to hijack valuable merchant ships and hold their crews hostage. They take the ships to secret locations and negotiate payments from companies that own them, often threatening the lives of the crew and the destruction of the ship. It is a dangerous but profitable business, and especially lucrative off the northern coast of Somalia.
September 19, 2008
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