Anglers welcome ... Fishing on the Pier is open for authorized base personnel from sunrise to 7 p.m. tomorrow, July 30, and sunrise to noon July 31 at NASP’s Allegheny Pier (also known as Alpha Pier) under the leadership of the 2016 Navy Ball Committee. You must have a valid fishing license and only legal fish can be kept. No alcohol or vehicles allowed on pier. For more information, contact Lt. Cmdr. James Walker at 452-8974 (e-mail, james.m.walker3@navy.mil).
Vol. 80, No. 30
VISIT GOSPORT ONLINE: www.gosportpensacola.com
July 29, 2016
‘Dream Flight’ lands at NASP Work progressing on gate system
Tour for teens part of OBAP program
By Janet Thomas Gosport Staff Writer
From NASP Public Affairs
Approximately 150 teenagers who have an interest in pursuing careers in aviation toured Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola July 19 as part of a program co-sponsored by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) and Delta Air Lines. OBAP’s annual “Dream Flight” is offered as a counterpart of the Aviation Career Education (ACE) annual summer camp and the Solo Flight Academy, said Emanuel Burke, a United Parcel Service pilot who volunteers as the director of the Atlanta-based programs. Each year, students take a daylong field trip to a major aviation facility. The field trip gives the students, ages 14 to 18, a chance to engage and network with professionals in the aviation industry, Burke said. “We like to make sure the kids have an opportunity to see what’s out there for them and get them to do something positive,” Burke said. After landing at NASP’s Forrest Sherman Field aboard a Delta Air Lines 757, the teens got a chance to interact with members of the U.S. Navy and learn about the various See OBAP on page 2
Lt. j.g. Dewayne Hooper speaks with Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) “Dream Flight” participants about the T-45 Goshawk. About 150 students visited the base July 19. Photo by Lt. j.g. Christopher Humber
The automated vehicle gate (AVG) system at Pensacola Naval Air Station (NASP) is designed for low-traffic flow times, which will allow the gates to be utilized unmanned after-peak hours, base officials said. The installation of the AVG system is part of a Navywide mandate to free up security personnel for other duties. Once the gates are fully operational, the gates will be unmanned during nonpeak hours and monitored by security via an audiovisual system connected to dispatch. “This is a relatively new system across Navy said installations,” NASP Public Works Officer Cmdr. Brent Paul. “The contractor has been burning in the gates to work through all of the mechanical and software issues related to a new system, which is why the gates have been used intermittently.”
The AVG gates were installed last year at the NASP West Gate at Radford Boulevard and Blue Angel Parkway and at the NASP Corry Station Gate 7 at Navy at Exchange Road and Petty Officers Way, next to the commissary. The gates will be manned during peak hours to keep up with traffic flow, said NASP Security Officer Lt. j.g. Harold Saintcloud. The West Gate will be manned during the day as the primary gate for museum visitors and commercial vehicle traffic. Saintcloud said the gate is currently being manned from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The AVG system is in operation from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday as part of the testing phase subject to change. After 7 p.m., access is only available See Gate on page 2
Veterans Choice Program provides life-saving care for heart patient Story, photo from Sacred Heart Health Systems
Heart disease has brought Danny Kennedy much suffering in his 55 years of living. His older brother, his twin brother and his mother all died of heart-related conditions. Like them, Kennedy also struggles with heart problems. He has been on a heart transplant list and has undergone a triple coronary bypass. A catheter ablation procedure successfully reset his irregular heartbeat, and 11 stents help keep blood flowing through his arteries. For Kennedy, sudden cardiac death syndrome is a possibility that leads him to live life to the fullest – when he is able. Kennedy is a veteran of the U.S. Army. He
was stationed in Germany from 1979 to 1983, where he served as a vehicle mechanic and tow-truck driver, transporting missiles by vehicle. Several years ago, while in San Francisco, Kennedy had excellent experiences with medical care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). His cardiology specialist, who earlier in his career had helped develop a technique called contrast echocardiogram imaging, was able to locate the area of Kennedy’s heart that was misfiring and restore normal heart rhythm. After the recent death of his mother, Kennedy and his wife, along with his See Choice on page 2
Danny Kennedy, left, enjoys fishing with his father, Stan Kennedy, near their home in Pace. Kennedy received life-saving treatment at Sacred Heart Hospital through the Veterans Choice Program.
Service members have expanded options for college admissions tests By Ed Barker NETPDC Public Affairs
Service members planning to start their college education have a new option for taking admissions tests, including the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) Assessment Program. New to the testing programs is a reimbursement option for members tak-
ing the ACT/SAT at off-base locations, including local high schools or colleges. Service members will pay for the off-base tests upfront when they register, and will be reimbursed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) after-the-fact. “The reimbursement option gives
our Sailors the ability to arrange SAT and ACT testing at offbase locations that fit their personal and professional schedules,” said Ernest D’Antonio, Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center’s Voluntary Education program director. ACT and SAT testing through the new DANTES reimbursement pro-
gram is now the Navy’s primary means for Sailors stationed in CONUS to take these exams. On-base testing at DANTES-authorized testing sites (such as Navy College Offices outside the continental United States) is funded by directly by the Department of Defense and does not require student payment. See Testing on page 2
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