Battle of Midway commemoration to be held June 5 onboard NASP Naval Air Station Pensacola will observe the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway with a commemoration to be held at the National Naval Aviation
Vol. 76, No. 20
Museum June 5 at 10 a.m. Rear Adm. Don Quinn, commander of Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), will be guest speaker; there also
will be a presentation by retired Navy Capt. Kevin Miller. For more information, call Lt. Brian Greenfield at 452-6527.
VISIT GOSPORT ONLINE: www.gosportpensacola.com
May 18, 2012
Students board ‘USS Ambition,’ bring flight academy’s dream to life Story, photo by Janet Thomas Gosport Staff Writer
The controls at the National Flight Academy are set to full steam ahead after the commissioning of the mock aircraft carrier, the “USS Ambition,” May 11. The $45 million facility made a good first impression last week as a big crowd of supporters and dignitaries gathered to launch the next generation of learning. Special guests included two legendary astronauts – the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, and the last man on the moon, Gene Cernan, who is also a retired Navy captain. “It is a pretty neat place,” said astronaut Mark Kelly, who was on hand to make the keynote address. “I think the kids that go through it are really going to enjoy it and get something out of it and, hopefully, be motivated to pursue careers in math, sci-
ence and engineering.” The commissioning was a proud moment for the academy’s staff including Program Director Chip Yarbrough. “The kids we’ve got here this week are the kids who go through our aviation classes at Escambia and Milton and the school systems out there, and they have been just spot on with their flying skills,” he said. He said the students, who have been flying in their classrooms for the last year, were able to adapt quickly to software for Ambition’s custommade aircraft. “I am very impressed with these kids,” said Yarbrough, who logged eight years with the space camp and aviation challenge programs at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., before joining the flight academy’s staff. “They are just model citizens, they are outstanding.” The “Ambition” is now
in full program mode. There are still spots available for summer sessions but all goals have been met, according to a spokesperson for the academy. An inaugural group of 48 Ambition Experimental Pilots (AXPs) from Escambia and Milton high schools completed the first official three-day session and a second group of AXPs from area schools is scheduled for duty aboard the Ambition over the Memorial Day weekend. Utilizing naval aviation as a motivating theme, the academy has created an educational program for seventh to 12th graders that concentrates on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills. However, the academy is more than just academics. A fully immersive gaming environment is the centerpiece. The AXPs are divided into squadrons and compete against each other
Retired astronaut and Navy Capt. Mark Kelly delivers his keynote address at the commissioning of National Flight Academyʼs “USS Ambition,” May 11.
in real-life scenarios that combine the thrill of flight with critical thinking techniques. The interior is modeled as a modern aircraft carrier, complete with ready
rooms, intelligence and operations centers and extensive simulation space. The facility is designed to make the experience as real as possible for the stu-
dents, said retired Vice Adm. Gerry Hoewing, president and CEO of the National Flight Academy and the Naval Aviation
See Academy on page 2
EOD memorial ceremony honors fallen warriors Rudy Schoen, executive officer of Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NavScolEOD). “This year we added to the EOD Memorial wall the names of five Army, five Marine, three Navy and five Air In a solemn ceremony at the Kauffman Explosive Force EOD technicians who made the ultimate sacrifice Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Training Complex on Eglin while serving our nation,” he said. Air Force Base, the names of 18 fallen EOD warriors The event is sponsored by the EOD Memorial were added to the memorial’s wall May 5. Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 1969 “This 43rd annual EOD memorial ceremony was an and dedicated to honoring the legacy of fallen EOD waropportunity for the joint service EOD community to riors by providing for the maintenance and upkeep of the appropriately honor our fallen EOD technicians and rec- memorial at Eglin. Hosted by NavScolEOD, all preparaognize the sacrifices of their families,” said Lt. Cmdr. tions were coordinated and executed by staff volunteers from all four services at the school as well as members of the foundation. The additions this year bring the total names on the wall to 287 EOD technicians who have died in the line of duty since 1942, 110 of them since Sept. 11, 2001. “The EOD Memorial Foundation funds the memorialís maintenance and assists EOD families with scholarships and travel expenses to and from the annual memorial ceremony,” said Foundation President Dan Tompkins. “We work closely with the services to document and verify that the member was killed during an EOD-related incident over the past calendar year to be eligible to earn a place on the memorial’s wall.” Oversight and management of the EOD school is the responsibility of the Navy, with joint-service manning by the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and the Air Force. The school’s mission is to train officer and enlisted personnel in the best methods of detection, identification, render safe, and disposal of explosive ordnance and related devices. The school’s commanding officer, Capt. Joseph Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, expresses his gratitude to the family of a fallen Navy Polanin, noted that reading the names placed on the wall explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician at the at the annual memorial is a sobering reminder that EOD By Ed Barker and Ens. Elizabeth Allen NETC PAO
43rd Annual EOD memorial ceremony May 5. Photo by CTR1(SW) Joshua Pugh
See EOD on page 2
NASP Honor Guard during 2011ʼs Memorial Day observance. Photo by Caleb White
Memorial Day service onboard NASP May 28 The Gulf Coast Veterans Advocacy Council, Inc., in association with NAS Pensacola and Barrancas National Cemetery, is proud to sponsor a Memorial Day service May 28, to be held at NAS Chapel. The ceremony starts at 9 a.m., participants should be at the chapel by 8 a.m. Congressman Jeff Miller will be in attendance for the Memorial Day service. The mayor of Pensacola and other local dignitaries have been invited to attend. The Memorial Day keynote speaker will be John Sepulveda, assistant secretary for human resources and administration for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Participants from local military organizations need to bring only their post or unit flag and flag stands. The ceremonial unit from NAS Pensacola will be presenting the colors for the ceremony. For more information, call Robert F. Hall Jr. at 456-1561.
Published by Ballinger Publishing, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of the Navy. Opinions contained herein are not official expressions of the Department of the Navy nor do the advertisements constitute Department of the Navy, NAS Pensacola or Ballinger Publishingʼs endorsement of products or services advertised.