NAS event kicks off energy awareness

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island hosted an Energy Awareness 2009 kickoff event at the Navy Whidbey Recycle center, Nov. 5. The kickoff promoted education and awareness of energy conservation and recycling, as well as informing attendees of continual energy saving integrations the base is implementing. The event also served as the start of the countdown to America Recycles Day 2009, Nov. 15. This year, NAS Whidbey Island’s conservation efforts were recognized as they were one of eight installations to receive Secretary of the Navy Fiscal Year 2009 Platinum Level Energy Achievement, Oct. 27. This marks second time NAS Whidbey Island has been presented with the award.
November 12, 2009
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Command of VP-69 changes

The Totems of Patrol Squadron (VP) 69 at Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island said farewell, Nov. 7, to their 29th commanding officer, Cmdr James A. Nelson, who was replaced by Cmdr. Hebert F. Frederick. Following active duty assignments with Patrol Squadron (VP) 40 at Moffett Field, Calif., and VP-30 in Jacksonville, Fla., Nelson’s association with VP-69 began as a Selected Reservist in 1999 after leaving active duty. Balancing his military commitments with a fulltime career as a MD-80/737 First Officer with Alaska Airlines, Nelson served as a department head in each of VP-69s departments, including Operations and NATOPS/Standardization. After serving as executive officer for 15 months, Nelson assumed command in September 2008. During Nelson’s tour as CO the Sailors of VP-69 successfully completed more than 300 sorties and 1,450 mishap-free flight hours. Moreover, VP-69 crews participated in two 3rd Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercises, three Strike Group Exercises, and directly supported Counter-Narcotics operations for US Southern Command. In all, the Totems contributed 61 detachment days, 15 sorties, and 107 flight hours of operational support to the fleet.
November 12, 2009
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IPP Guardian exercises wrap up at NAS Whidbey

Navy Region Northwest concluded a round of Installation Protection Program (IPP), Guardian exercises with the completion of a full-scale exercise on board Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Oct. 27-29. IPP Guardian is a Joint Program Exercise Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense exercise intended to test various base capabilities in response to an unknown CBRN threat that has the potential to endanger an installation’s personnel, facilities and/or assets. “The CBRN IPP mission is to help Department of Defense installations worldwide to be able to respond to a CBRN event and sustain itself between 12 and 24 hours, because it will probably take that long for state, local, and federal assistance to arrive,” said Luis Negron, Continental United States IPP deputy.
November 5, 2009
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Outreach efforts head to Lopez Island

Capt. Gerral David, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island commanding officer, travelled to Lopez Island last week to talk with residents about flight operations and jet noise during a special meeting called by the San Juan County Council. Lopez Island, population of 2,200, encompasses 29.5 square miles of “woods, rolling farmland and shimmering vistas” according to their Web site, and is located to the northwest of Whidbey Island. Residents and tourists depend primarily on the Washington State Ferry to travel to and from the island. Lopez is the smallest of the larger islands and one of six districts overseen by the San Juan County Council.
October 30, 2009
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SAVI assists in victim’s journey back

October was Crime Victims’ Awareness Month and the Sexual Assault Victim Intervention program is just one form of outreach Navy Region Northwest made available to crime victims. Sally remembers that night. She’ll remember it forever. It was a typical evening. She was with a few acquaintances: talking, watching movies, playing video games. Someone brought a case of beer. Sally had tried alcohol before, but never more than just a few sips. This night, Sally drank more than she had before, and before she realized it, she was drunk. Then, for Sally, events became very atypical – and horrifying. Later in the evening, she recalls passing out; the room cleared and she was alone with just one male. He was someone she had known from previous duty stations, someone she thought that she could trust, until her next memory proved her wrong – he was on top of her, touching her, raping her.
October 29, 2009
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Cougar doubles as author

Besides his abilities as a aircrew survival equipmentman for Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139, PR1 Daniel J. Willyard is also an author. He has completed writing the science fiction novel “Draknos: The Legend Returns”, which will soon be published by Eloquent Books. Willyard began his journey to author status 12 years ago when he began writing the novel. A longtime fan of reading science fiction books, Willyard wanted to one himself. Although lacking any writing experience, he had an active imagination and started jotting down ideas. He based the book on the cartoon “Voltron: Defender of the Universe”, a cartoon about five pilots commanding robot lions that aired on ABC from 1984-1985. Willyard began writing in 1997 and continued through 2000. He started with ideas for the middle of the story. Little by little he crafted the back-story about how the characters got to where they were and what they were going to do next.
October 29, 2009
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Cougars return from deployment

The Cougars of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139 returned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island from a five-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Oct. 20-21. The Cougars deployed aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in May and attached to Carrier Air Wing 14. While in theater, air crew members from VAQ-139 were afforded the opportunity to cross train with the expeditionary squadron VAQ-134, the Garudas.
October 22, 2009
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NAS Whidbey salutes individual augmentees

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island recognized the contributions of its individual augmentees (IAs) and Global War on Terror Support Assignments (GSAs) at an IA/GSA appreciation event held at the Nor’Wester Activity Center, Oct. 15. The semi-annual NAS Whidbey Island Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) event is held each April and September to honor those who have gone on an IA or GSA and allowed for those preparing to depart the chance to network and receive responses to unanswered questions from the people who have experienced the deployments first-hand.
October 22, 2009
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Cougars foster Thai community

While in transit home from deployment in Afghanistan, the Cougars of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139 took time to foster foreign relations during a port call in Phuket, Thailand. Members from the Cougars gave up some of their liberty to work on various community relations projects during the five-day port visit. When the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) pulled into Thailand, the Cougars had the opportunity to donate their time to projects ranging from chipping and painting at schools and orphanages to building a whole house. The island of Phuket, located in southwest Thailand, is still recovering from the tsunami that hit it in 2004. Although the beaches are still popular tourist destinations, the outlying communities show that they are home to a disadvantaged economy. Minimum wage is only five dollars per day. Much of the work done by VAQ-139 Sailors was work that the local people could not otherwise afford.
October 15, 2009
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Command changes for VAQ-142

Cmdr. Courtney Smith relieved Cmdr. Richard Meadows as commanding officer of the Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142 Gray Wolves at a change of command ceremony at NAS Whidbey Island Oct. 8. Meadows spent the past 14 months as commanding officer. During his tenure, the Gray Wolves deployed twice to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. They also completed a German Mission Employment (ME) Phase at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, and an Electronic Attack Weapons School (EAWS) ME Phase at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. “During my career I have had the privilege of working with a multitude of personnel in all different pay grades and from all different services,” Meadows said. “My tour as executive and commanding officer of VAQ-142 has been the most rewarding. The Sailors here have helped me grow both professionally and personally. I will miss this squadron tremendously.”
October 15, 2009
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