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December 14, 2012
GOSPORT
Jingle Bell Run, Ugly Sweater Contest ... Retired Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Roberto Rivera presides over the “Ugly Sweater Contest” Dec. 7 before the kick off of the second annual NAS Pensacola Jingle Bell Run. ADC Termaine Pruitt (left) was picked as the winner. About 230 people participated in the 5K run/walk and donations were collected for Toys for Tots. AT1 Jose Pulgarin was the winning male runner and Michelle Hill was the winning female runner. Photo by Janet Thomas CMCs from page 1
WWII from page 1
us.” Mims left NASP in 1999 and went on to Patrol Squadron VP-10 and his final tour as command master chief at NAS Brunswick, Maine. The senior enlisted leadership position was developed in the late 1970s; NAS Pensacola’s first CMC, AFCM John B. Craigie, came aboard in 1981. “There was no command master chief of NAS Pensacola prior to 1981,” Dollen said. “Prior to that there was a leading master chief, but there was no person designated to work directly for the CO as the senior enlisted adviser to the commanding officer.” NASP Public Affairs Officer Harry White spoke about the importance of the CMC’s role shortly before the ceremony. “Today’s event is about affording recognition to the senior enlisted leadership of NAS Pensacola, going back to the very first days we had a command master chief,” White said. “The command master chief is the eyes and ears of the commanding officer in terms of enlisted issues. And is a very, very important adviser to the commanding officer in establishing programs which deal with the issues being faced by not only the enlisted personnel, but also by the dependents. The CMC is in a position to address the issues of the relationship and interaction between the enlisted force and the officer corps. So he’s a very valuable and very trusted adviser to the commanding officer.” “I am very proud to be a part of this group,” Dollen said. “The command master chiefs here at NAS Pensacola have been taking care of the Sailors and their families here for many, many years. Starting with John Craigie in 1981, and carrying through to Jeff Grosso, who’s my relief. One of the proudest achievements in my life was to serve as command master chief of NAS Pensacola.” The base CO took a moment to single out Dollen with his congratulations and thanks, as he concludes his tour as CMC. Dollen was formally relieved by CMDCM(AW/SW) Jeffery Grosso Dec. 6. A retirement ceremony for Dollen will take place Jan. 18, 1:30 p.m., at the Five Flags Pavilion next to NASP Port Operations. All are invited to attend. The former NASP Command Master Chiefs include: • AFCM John B. Craigie, 1981-1987. • AKCM (AW/SW) Thomas D. Batten, 1987-1990. • ACCM (AW) Clause G. Bricks, 1990-1993. • AFCM (AW) Michael A. Maciag Jr., 1993-1996. • CMDCM (AW) Clint E. Mims, 1996-1999. • CMDCM (AW) Dane M. Ruth, 1999-2002. • CMDCM (AW/FMF) Paul S. Orr, 2002-2004. • CMDCM (SW/AW) Robert P. Tokarek, 2004-2005. • CMDCM (AW/NAC) Michael D. Stevens, 2005-2006. • CMDCM (SS/SW) Steven A. Head, 2006-2008. • CMDCM (SW/AW) Osbond J. Kindle Jr., 2008-2009. • CMDCM (SW/AW) Michael F. Dollen, 2009-2012.
to get the news on the radio,” he said. “Every station was carrying news of the attack. I had two uncles that had been in the Navy, so I was familiar with the name (Pearl Harbor). “The news was very disturbing … and everyone had facial expressions of fright, alarm, fear and deep concern. I recalled some ladies started to cry, as the announcer told us the casualties were in the thousands.” At that point, Phillips and his high school friend in attendance decided to join the Navy the next morning. When they returned downtown the next day to the recruiter, they found “a crowd you never could have imagined, a line two abreast at the Navy office.” A Marine recruiter across the hall offered the boys a deal to get them in the war
Vol. 76, No. 50
Awards from page 1
thanks for your continued commitment and support of our Navy’s community service program.” The 2012 winners in the shore command category are: • Small (under 200 personnel): Naval Magazine Indian Island, Port Hadlock, Wash. • Medium (200 to 499 personnel): Precommissioning Unit Arlington (LPD 24), Norfolk, Va. • Large (500 or more personnel): Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Wash. Winners in the sea command category are: • Medium: USS Antietam (CG 54). • Large: USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Winners in the overseas command category are: • Small: Navy Munitions Command, East Asia Division, Unit Guam. • Large: USS Frank Cable (AS 40). Commands receiving honorable mentions include: • Small shore command: Navy Manpower Analysis Center, Millington, Tenn. • Medium shore command: Naval Support Activity Panama City, Fla. • Large shore command: Naval Air Station Pensacola. Examples of winning initiatives include organizing educational community outreach events; recycling; and participating in environmental conservation and
December 14, 2012
Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.: A Bicentennial Defense Community Commanding Officer — Capt. Christopher W. Plummer Public Affairs Officer — Harry C. White The Gosport nameplate pays homage to the 100th anniversary of naval aviation in 2011: the Centennial of Naval Aviation, or CONA. The image on the left side of the nameplate depicts Eugene Ely taking off in a Curtiss pusher bi-plane from the USS Pennsylvania Jan. 18, 1911. While Ely had taken off from the USS Birmingham two months earlier after his plane had been loaded on the ship, the USS Pennsylvania event was the first time a plane landed on and then took off from a U.S. warship.
immediately, promising a chance to kill the enemy. The boys took his papers to be signed by their parents. “We were both 17 years old and barely old enough to enlist,” Phillips said. “And had never even heard of Parris Island, South Carolina.” Before long, he would experience boot camp, and fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific – exactly as the recruiter had promised. Phillips appreciated the crowd at the Dec. 7 commemoration, especially the number of young people and service members. “I love to see such a patriotic turnout,” Phillips said. “My message to you, my fellow Americans, on this Pearl Harbor day, is to work as hard as you can to bring a revival to patriotism,” he said. “Tom Brokaw wrote a book titled ‘The Greatest Generation,’ but I believe the greatest generation
The image on the right side is the Navy’s most modern fighter aircraft, the F-18 Super Hornet. Established in 1921 as the Air Station News, the name Gosport was adopted in 1936. A gosport was a voice tube used by flight instructors in the early days of naval aviation to give instructions and directions to their students. The name “Gosport” was derived from Gosport, England (originally God’s Port), where the voice tube was invented. Gosport is an authorized newspaper published every Friday by Ballinger Publishing,
of Americans is yet to come, and it will be the generation that turns our nation back to the God of the Bible.” For more on Dr. Sid Phillips, visit his website, http://www. marine sid phillips.com. A locally produced documentary, “Pearl Harbor, One Last Goodbye,” was released Dec. 7. The documentary chronicles a few of the remaining Pearl Harbor survivors from Pensacola on a journey to Hawaii. The production is by Watkins Productions. DVD copies are on sale for $24.95 at Joe Patti Seafood, Wings Pensacola, Wings and Things and the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. It is also on sale at the National Word War II Museum in New Orleans and online at www.pearlharbor onelastgoodbye.com. For more information, go to www.watkinsvideo.com.
enhancement projects, such as environmental cleanups, shoreline restoration, tree and shrub plantings, and invasive species removal. Award winners will receive commemorative plaques, and honorable mentions will receive signed certificates from N4. Pensacola Lighthouse illumination .. The Pensacola Lighthouse opened its holiday season with a display of lights Dec. 1, but the celebration continues with a “Holiday G r a n d Illumination” Dec. 15, featuring hot chocolate, cookies and Santa Claus. For more information, call 944-0179.
The Rhodes Building, 41 North Jefferson Street, Suite 402, Pensacola, FL 32504, in the interest of military and civilian personnel and their families aboard the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Saufley Field and Corry Station. Editorial and news material is compiled by the Public Affairs Office, 150 Hase Road, Ste.A, NAS Pensacola, FL 32508-1051. All news releases and related materials should be mailed to that address, e-mailed to scott.hallford@navy.mil. National news sources are American Forces Press Service (AFPS), Navy News Service (NNS), Air Force News Service (AFNS), News USA and North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS). Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Defense, United States Navy, officials of the Naval Air Station Pensacola, or Ballinger Publishing. All advertising, including classified ads, is arranged through Ballinger Publishing. Minimum weekly circulation is 25,000. Everything advertised in this publication must be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to rank, rate, race, creed, color, national origin or sex of the purchaser, user or patron. A confirmed rejection of this policy of equal opportunities by an advertiser will result in the refusal of future advertising from that source.
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Gosport Editor
Scott Hallford 452-4466 scott.hallford@navy.mil Gosport Associate Editor
Mike O’Connor 452-2165 michael.f.oʼconnor.ctr@navy.mil Gosport Staff Writer
Janet Thomas 452-4419 janet.thomas.ctr@navy.mil