COVERING WHIDBEY ISLAND’S NAVAL AIR STATION COMMUNITY
CROSSWIND Whidbey
VOLUME 1, NO. 1 | 01 A PRIL 2011
www.whidbeycrosswind.com
Navy spouses sacrifice in service to their country
Navy is reaching out to Whidbey business By KATHY REED
Whidbey Crosswind
Navy spouses David Lowther and Cheryl Johnston stand before a giant American flag hung to welcome home electronic attack squadron VAQ-131 from deployment. Although civilians, both are veterans of the military life and have made countless sacrifices over the years in service to their country. JUSTIN BURNETT/WHIDBEY CROSSWIND
Faithful in the shadows Navy spouses proudly share, and sometimes lose, that which they hold most dear
I
By JUSTIN BURNETT
Whidbey Crosswind
n a comfortable leather chair, Cheryl Johnston sits in her living room in Quarters “A” on the Seaplane Base. Beside her on an end table, within a display case of glass and wood, is a red and gold flight helmet with the words “Tank” emblazoned across its back. On the mantel above the fireplace hangs another reminder of her husband’s long service to the Navy; a tattered American flag that stood sentry over Camp McCool in Afghanistan. The living room has all the
warm furnishings of home, yet it is just one of 13 for the couple over the past 23 years. It won’t be the last. Johnston is the wife of Capt. Jay Johnston, commanding officer of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and sometime in the notso-distant future she’ll be decorating another living room in another home. Military spouses may not spend months or years away from home plying the world’s oceans on floating chariots of steel or soaring the heavens in graceful birds of war, but they too contribute heavily to the altar of freedom. Standing silently and faithfully in the shadows of heros, they forsake careers, are asked to move to places unknown every few years, and are regularly left behind to shoulder the burden of raising a family alone. Often credited with being the true backbone of the military, they proudly share, and sometimes lose forever, that which they hold most dear.
Married to the Navy In 1985, Johnston went to a New Year’s
Eve party that would change her life forever. The then 24-year-old teacher bumped into a young Navy pilot who was in the process of earning his wings and within two years they were married. Those early years were very exciting. The blockbuster movie hit “Top Gun” was out and there had never been so much allure to being the wife of a Navy pilot. “I probably had a Kelly McGillis haircut,” Johnston laughed. Things aren’t always as they are depicted in Hollywood however, and it wasn’t long before she got her first crash courses on just how different civilian and military life can be. For starters, the young, carefree art major considered flip-flops and a tank top appropriate attire for a quick trip to the commissary. She discovered all too quickly that the Navy believes otherwise. She represents her husband, who represents the military, and a dress code is to be followed, even if all you are doing is picking up a gallon of milk.
SEE SPOUSES | PAGE 6
The Navy is looking for a few small businesses. In fact, it may be looking for more than just a few. At a small business outreach event conducted by Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Northwest last week at the Elks Club in Oak Harbor, officials said the Northwest region is a good place to be. “We’re going through a spike in workload in the Northwest,” Capt. Pat Rios, commanding officer of NAVFAC Northwest, told a crowd of more than 100 small business owners, contractors and engineers. “Capital improvements
SEE BUSINESS | PAGE 8
INSIDE THIS EDITION Change of commands....02 Yellow Jackets and red flag....03 Local support for the USO....05 Culinary Arts Competition....12