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NAS Pensacola personnel should exercise extra caution when driving to work. Now that daylight saving time has begun, it is still dark when some people are coming to work. Drive with extra caution and observe speed limits. It is extremely difficult to see pedestrians entering crosswalks and it is equally difficult for pedestrians to judge the speed of approaching vehicles. Pedestrians should not assume that just because they are using the crosswalk that approaching drivers will see them.
Vol. 80, No. 11
VISIT GOSPORT ONLINE: www.gosportpensacola.com
March 18, 2016
Group marches nonstop to honor fallen Marines By Katie Lange DoD News, Defense Media Activity
One step at a time – it’s a pretty common motto, but this week, it’s literally what will get 15 Marines and a few others through a 770-mile ruck march to honor the lives of 11 service members lost during a training mission one year ago. It’s been one year since seven Special Operations Command Marines and four Louisiana National Guardsmen lost their lives in a Black Hawk crash off the coast of Navarre. It’s an anniversary that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Despite heavy rain, hundreds of people came out for a public ceremony March 10, the crash anniversary, to honor the seven Marines, who are now known as the Raider 7: Capt. Stanford Shaw III, Master Sgt. Thomas Saunders, Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol, Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn, Staff Sgt. Kerry Kemp, Staff Sgt. Trevor Blaylock and Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif. The rain may have marred that somber moment, but it didn’t ruin a more uplifting one the next day. During another ceremony unveiling a yet-to-be-completed
Final NASP quarters with NASP CO Capt. Keith Hoskins ... NAS Pensacola Sailors attended command quarters – the last with CO Hoskins – at NASP’s Forrest Sherman Field March 15. The command’s Sailors of the Quarter, Civilians of the Quarter and other awards were presented. Outgoing skipper Hoskins will be relieved by PCO Capt. Christopher Martin at a change of command ceremony March 24. (Top left) Hoskins is presented with a framed photo by Cmdr. Matt Stevenson, commanding officer of VFA-15, Hoskins’ former squadron. (Top right) NASP CO presents quarterly awards. (Above) Hoskins address NASP personnel. Photos by Mike O’Connor
See Black Hawk on page 2
Barbecue being served at Sherman Field By Janet Thomas Gosport Staff Writer
The word is getting out. There’s a new lunch hot spot aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP). Dickey’s Barbecue Pit joined the list of NASP food vendors in January, and a growing number of hungry customers have been lining up at the trailer parked outside the Naval Exchange (NEX) barbershop at Forrest Sherman Field. Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Tim Hershberger, the owner of the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit at 7175 N Davis Highway, has high hopes for the NASP venture. “As the word gets out, we really think it is going to take off,” he said. As a former air operations officer, Hershberger understands what it is like to work at an air field. “We know that these guys – a lot of people – they have a very
VITA office open and offering tax help at NASP By Janet Thomas Gosport Staff Writer
A group of Air Force personnel pick up sack lunches at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit aboard NAS Pensacola. The food trailer is parked outside the Navy Exchange (NEX) barbershop at Forrest Sherman Field. Photo by Mike O’Connor
short lunch period,” he said. A restaurant chain based in Dallas, Texas, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is the largest barbecue franchise in the United States. It features house-smoked meats and homestyle side dishes. Hershberger and his wife, Nargiza, opened the main store in 2014 and they hope to open another location in Gulf Breeze
in May. Plans are also in the works for a location in Fort Walton Beach, and vending services at other Panhandle military bases are also a possibility, Hershberger said. He said his military ties helped convince him to settle in Pensacola. See BBQ on page 2
The IRS is waiting for your tax return, and the NAS Pensacola Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) office is ready to help you get it done. The NASP VITA office is open and will be offering free tax help until the end of tax season. Taxpayers have a few extra days to file their taxes this year because the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C., falls on April 15, so this year’s deadline is April 18 to file 2015 returns and pay any tax due. The NASP office has a bigger staff of volunteers this year, and there are two laptops available, which should make filing quick and easy, said Lt. Christo-
pher J. Ironroad, an assistant staff judge advocate with the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps who is the contact person for the NASP VITA office. The service is available to active-duty and retirees and dependents, as well as reservists (activated 30 days plus and predemobilization) and entitled former spouses are also welcome. While the NASP VITA office predominantly caters to walk-in customers, you may also schedule an appointment during normal hours of operation. The NASP VITA office is located in Bldg. 680, Suite D, Room 225E (on Cuddihy Street across from the NEX mini mart). Hours of operation are See VITA on page 2
It’s time to Rock ’N Fly ... The third annual Rock ’N Fly Half Marathon & 5K Hippie Tour will be held tomorrow, March 19, at 8 a.m. aboard NAS Pensacola, and there is still room for a few last-minute racers to sign up. Late registration will be available at Seville Quarter tonight, March 18, and at NASP’s MWR Radford Gym before the race tomorrow. T-shirts will be available until they run out; quantities are very limited. The race features a “fun course” with aid stations and mid-route brownies, and an after party with live entertainment, a hula hooping showdown, and an awards ceremony. Costumes welcome. Race proceeds benefit the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) and the Navy Ball. For more information, go to www.runrocknfly.com.
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 Publishing’s endorsement of products or services advertised.