VFA-131, VFA-11, MCAST CHANGE LEADERSHIP PAGES 3 - 4 VOLUME 52 NO. 34
AUGUST 23, 2012
SERVING NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA
INSIDEJET
MONTFORD POINT MARINES HONORED
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COLEMAN TAKING TO SKIES AT AIR SHOW
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As part of the 2012 Navy Concert Series,Kansas will take to the stage at JEB Little Creek Aug. 24. Gates open at 5 p.m., concert begins at 7, fireworks following the show. Concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 462-4320.
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DAM NECK ANNEX
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CHAMBERS FIELD
Unique mass casualty drill prepares first responders for unexpected
It’s a typical Friday night at the annual NAS Oceana Air Show Twilight Show. Thousands of people have travelled from around the world to attend the night show, which kicks off a weekend of dynamic flying by civilian and military performers. As visitors settle into one of the dozens of sets of bleachers set up on the flightline with their families, Brings together Navy, cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk the unthinkable happens. A pyrotechnic display goes off target and heads toward the crowd. In their panic to get away, spectators overload a section of the bleachers. The STORY BY CATHY HEIMER | Jet Observer metal supports on one of the bleachers gives way and dozPHOTO BY MC3 ANTONIO P. TURRETTO RAMOS | NAS Oceana Public Affairs ens are thrown to the ground or worse yet, trapped underneath the heavy pieces of twisted metal. Screams can be heard all around the flightline as Navy first responders call for extra help from emergency personnel throughout Hampton Roads, while they begin the grim task of rescuing and treating the injured. Fortunately the scenario was all just a nighttime drill that took place at Oceana on Aug. 16. But it’s a very important part of planning for the 2012 NAS Oceana Air Show, being held Sept. 14, 15 and 16.A mass casualty drill is required annually prior to the show, and this training brought together dozens of emergency personnel from the Navy and the cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. “This year we’re doing something a little different as we’re simulating the collapse of a stage or stands. We’re going to exercise, not only the opportunity to determine what caused it, but also extracting folks out of the mess,” explained NAS Oceana Commanding Officer Capt. Bob Geis about the unique drill. ”In the past, we’ve focused almost exclusively on aircraft mishaps but if you look at the news in the last year or so, you’ll notice there’s been quite a few stage or stand collapses at concert venues or fairs. If the weather’s nice, we During a mass casualty exercise at NAS Oceana, Aug. 16, technical response teams from Virginia could have 250,000 people here at Oceana, so we want to Beach and Norfolk fire and emergency departments work with Oceana first responders to stabi- be ready for anything,” said Geis. — See Exercise, Page 9 lize a set of collapsed bleachers before any of the seven victims can be rescued.
New program aims to better help troops transition to civilian life BY TERRI MOON CRONK American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department is conducting pilot classes of a new program designed to better prepare service members transitioning out of the military to civilian life. Transition Goals Plans Success, known simply as Transition GPS, replaces the 20-year-old Transition Assistance Program, or TAP. In a sweeping overhaul of the 20-year-old TAP, as part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act passed in 2011, Transition GPS takes military members through a week-long class, compared to the original TAP’s mandatory two to four hours
of separation counseling, said Susan Kelly, the Defense Department’s deputy director for the newly formed Transition to Veterans Program Office. “The Defense Department wants our service members to succeed when they become civilians,” Kelly said during an American Forces Press Service interview. “Separating from the military lifestyle is a major life change,” she said, pointing out that — See Transition GPS, Page 14