The Navy has entered into an agreement with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust to proactively safeguard protected lands and reduce conflicts with people who live or own land near government property used by Naval Air Station Whidbey Island..
The five-year Encroach-ment Protection Agreement calls for a partnership between the Land Trust and Navy to protect lands where the organizations’ priorities overlap, such as around the Navy’s Outlying Landing Field (OLF) Coupeville near the south boundary of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.
With the agreement in place, the Navy has access to federal funding to purchase conservation easements restricting development around military installations. The Land Trust will take the lead in developing the easement transactions and negotiating with willing landowners.
February 11, 2010
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The NAS Whidbey Island Youth Center has adopted the Character Counts model as a behavioral standard for all the facility’s youth, staff and programs.
Character Counts was developed in 1992 when a group of youth service professionals convened to create a common language of core ethical values that transcend religious, political and socioeconomic differences. The universal values they identified, called the six pillars of character, are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
“The nice thing about the program is that it is not a curriculum; it is an outline of events and activities from which we are able to reinforce basic values and enhance communication,” explained Dave Thomason, Family Advocacy Educator for the Fleet and Family Support Center.
February 11, 2010
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The Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) offers Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Safety Department an avenue to raise awareness and improve safety.
VPP is managed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and was designed in the early 1980s to assist general industry in reducing the number of lost work days due to injuries and occupational illnesses and fatalities.
“By using the principles of VPP we can meet our goal of 75 percent mishap reduction set by secretary of defense,” said William Higgins, Installation Safety Program director, NAS Whidbey Island. “We began our journey to VPP participation in February of 2008. We have been working to improve our safety program and reduce our injury rates to meet the requirements of VPP.”
There are three levels of participation that describe an organization’s participation level according to OSHA: Merit, Star and Star Demonstration.
February 11, 2010
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Last year was an incredible year for saving lives. In 2009, the NAS Whidbey Island Search and Rescue (SAR) squadron logged 620 training hours, 728.9 flight hours and made 19 incredible rescues.
It’s not just the job of EMT’s, paramedics, doctors and firefighters. When a life needs to be saved, often in some of the most dangerous conditions and locations imaginable, it’s the SAR crews who are trained and ready to answer the call.
The SAR squadron, working out of hangar 1, is composed of two, MH-60S Knighthawk helicopters, five pilots, eight rescue swimmers, two search and rescue medical technician, a talented maintenance crew and civilian technicians.
February 4, 2010
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Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Whidbey Island Sailors developed radio frequency models this week for naval units supporting the Haiti relief efforts.
The models were requested by senior Information Warfare Officers deployed with the Carl Vinson Strike Group off the coast of Haiti to help optimize their use of the electromagnetic spectrum during relief efforts. Cryptologic Technician Collection 1st Class Richard Neal and Cryptologic Technician Collection 1st Class Stephen Noreika responded to short-notice tasking to construct the models using an advanced software program. Their efforts enabled the models to be returned to Vinson in less than eight hours.
NIOC is co-located in building 2700 with the Navy Ocean Processing Facility and is subordinate to NIOC Norfolk in Little Creek, Va. The command deploys Sailors to Carrier and Expeditionary Strike Groups, Fleet Expeditionary Electronic Attack squadrons, and Fleet Marine Electronic Attack squadrons supporting the global war on terror.
February 4, 2010
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For two weeks in December 2009, Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nev. was completely inundated with naval electronic attack. The Air Force “Mission Employment” phase of training, a graduation exercise for their Weapons School, usually includes the Electronic Attack Weapons School (EAWS) as a player.
However, this last exercise also included Electronic Attack squadrons VAQ-131, VAQ-132, VAQ-137, and VAQ-138, flying different variants of the EA-6B and the new EA-18G. VX-9, the air test and evaluation squadron, was also on hand to lend their expertise.
“It was exciting to see all of the EA assets working together in one place,” said Lt. Cmdr. Philip Zarum. “We had aircrew flying both active variants of the EA-6B with their own range of capabilities, and we had the opportunity to integrate them with the capabilities of the EA-18G and everything we bring to the fight. I think we all learned a lot from the experience.”
February 4, 2010
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Collateral duty public affairs officers (PAOs) from commands around Naval Air Station Whidbey Island participated in training sessions to improve proficiency in photojournalist responsibilities, Jan. 21, 22 and 26.
Thirty-seven personnel from 21 commands around NAS Whidbey Island attended one of four sessions held over the course of the three days. During the seminars, attendees learned basic writing formulae per Associated Press style guidelines and rules of photographic composition to enhance their skills and make their products more marketable for publication.
“I feel more informed because I wasn’t sure of the different styles of writing, like hard news, and different ways to take pictures; it’s all pretty exciting,” said Logistics Specialist 1st Class (AW) Jennifer Thomas, of NAS Whidbey Island Search and Rescue who recently assumed collateral duty PAO responsibilities for the base operations department.
February 4, 2010
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The Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA) held a recognition event for the installation’s Sailors of the Year (SOY) at the Chief’s Club, Jan. 28.
Approximately 50 CPOs honored 15 SOYs at the event. This marked the first year the event was held.
“The spirit behind this is we wanted to take one more step to show our first classes, our Sailors of the Year, that we appreciate what they do,” said Chief Aviation Electronics Technician (AW) Angie Amundson, the CPOA president, of Fleet Readiness Center Northwest. “Also, we wanted to get all of our NAS [Whidbey Island] and tenant command Sailors of the Year together so they can meet each other and start networking like the chiefs network.”
February 4, 2010
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Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class Robert Dorr, an instructor from Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU), returned Jan. 13 from individual augmentee (IA) service in Iraq and quickly re-qualified to instruct both the P-3C Orion and EA-6B Prowler Organizational Level Maintenance courses.
Dorr’s emotional attachment to his country is what motivated him to volunteer for IA duty when the opportunity presented itself.
“I went IA because I’m an American and it’s the right thing to do. I took it personal when the 9/11 incident happened,” said Dorr. ìSo when a chance to go IA became available, I threw my name in the hat.
February 4, 2010
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Late last year, the Fleet Air Reconnaissance (VQ) 2 Rangers joined with Navy Information Operations Center Georgia Sailors to do an “Extreme Makeover – Ranger Style” for the Bayram Karadag School, located in a poor neighborhood located on the outskirts of Incirlik, Turkey.
They constructed a new basketball court out of concrete pavers, a sand volleyball court, painted the fence around the school and spent time cleaning up the school yard.
According to the school’s manager, they only receive $3,000 per year from the government, which is barely enough to fix broken windows or busted pipes.
“We’re really grateful when we receive help from the American Soldiers,” said the school manager, adding that he wanted to have the basketball court moved away from the classroom windows because the kids always get distracted from their work.
February 4, 2010
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