ByLt.AllenLangstonHS-5PAO

HS-5 departed Norfolk. Va. in early March on board USS Theodore Roosevelt in support

of fleet carrier qualifications and train-ing wing carrier qualifications, but on March 6, they became one man’s hero.

A civilian diver diving approximately 60 miles off the east coast of Florida became lost and unable to make it back to his boat. He was reported as missing after not checking in with his friends. The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy were immediately notified. In an effort to expedite the search, USS Theodore Roosevelt called upon HS-5 to assist with the search and rescue effort.

After being notified at 5:10 p.m., the airborne helicopter landed to take fuel and departed the ship at 5:25 p.m. The last known position of the diver was approximately 40 miles away from the ship’s current location.

At 5:50 p.m., the crew comprised of Lt. Brian Johnson, Lt. Jack Reiner,

AW2 Philip Corrick and AW2 Christina Gruwell, arrived on station and began searching. It lasted less than five min-utes, after which time the diver was spotted wearing a red dry suit waving his hands.

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HS-5 crew rescues civilian diver off of east coast of Florida

New LeaderCMO-11ChangeOfCommandIsToday

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I.T.T. Travel FairEventFeaturesLocalAttractions

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www.jaxairnews.comTHURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2008

End Of An EraVS-31ToDisestablishNextWeek

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TOUCHING

BASEVolunteers needed

Volunteers are needed for this year’s third annual Capt. Chuck Cornett Navy Run April 5. There are numerous opportunities available. For more informa-tion, call Tim McKinney at 542-3239.

ByLt.AllenLangstonHS-5PAO

The “Nightdippers” of HS-5 recent-ly returned from a short, but very successful detachment on board

USS Theodore Roosevelt. Upon leav-ing Norfolk, Va. in late February with four H-60 helicopters, HS-5 immedi-ately began operations in support of the carrier.

The first week was primarily reserved for supporting fleet carrier qualifications off the coast of Virginia, with the follow-ing week set aside for training wing car-rier qualifications (CQ’s) off the coast of Florida.

During the two weeks the Nightdippers were at sea, they experienced severe weather on several occasions. As a result it made for some busy times on board the ship.

In addition to flying plane guard in

support of CQ’s, HS-5 was called upon to execute in other mission areas.

The two areas they found themselves most involved in was search and rescue and medical evacuations (MEDEVAC). And, each time their number was called, they stepped up big. In a four-day win-dow, the Nightdippers recorded two res-cues and one MEDEVAC.

One of the rescues was the result of a coordinated open ocean search with the U.S. Coast Guard and the other rescue was the result of a man overboard.

The MEDEVAC resulted from very rough seas that led to a tragic accident. Lt. Cmdr. Odin Klug, Lt. Nick Kesler, AW2 Phillip Corrick and AW3 Samuel Willow conducted the MEDEVAC with textbook precision in 12-foot seas and 40-knot winds.

Some HS-5 personnel were involved in

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ByMC2MonicaNelsonCNRSEPublicAffairs

Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and Commander, Navy Region Southeast (CNRSE)

hosted the first Navy Community Service Program Conference at NAS Jacksonville March 11-12. Program service coordina-tors from throughout the region attended the two-day conference which included a community service project.

“Everyone is enjoying it. A lot of them are new to their positions and are bringing a lot of enthusiasm,” said CNRSE’s Navy Community Service Program Manager Dianne Parker.

“The reason we sponsored the conference is because within the last year the communi-ty service program manual and instructions have been updated. CNIC felt that it was important to get out in the field and train the volunteer coordinators on their role.”

“Risk management has always been an issue,” added Parker. “We wanted to make sure the volunteer coordinators and the command understand the program and are sensitive to liability issues. We’ve had some excellent speakers.”

“I’ve learned some tips and strate-

gies on how to motivate and stimulate my volunteers to be a little more proac-tive,” said PC2 Sharee McClain, commu-nity outreach manager for NAS Pensacola.

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ByKayleeLaRocqueEditor

NAS Jacksonvi l le has earned its third con-s e c u t i v e C h i e f o f

Naval Operations Award for Achievement in Safety Ashore in the large non-industrial cat-egory.

The award was presented to NAS Jax Safety Officer Ron Williamson and NAS Jax Deputy Safety Officer Dave Colburn by Naval Safety Center Deputy Commander Col. Mark Vanous March 11 in Norfolk, Va. The award continues the station’s long history of safety excellence.

“This is a significant honor to have won this award against the extremely tough competition of other large installations,” said Scorby. “To be recognized for our

work and safety initiatives by the Chief of Naval Operations three years in a row is a monumental accomplishment and representa-tive of the hard work and commit-ment that our Sailors, civilians and contractors aboard the station maintain 24/7.”

“Safely accomplishing our mis-sion is our number one priority at NAS Jacksonville. We pride our-selves in keeping safety at the forefront while meeting the press-ing and immediate demands of the warfighter and the Navy’s enduring mission of forward pres-ence in order to win the war on terror,” added Scorby.

“This award speaks loudly about our capabilities to safeguard our people and resources while main-taining an aggressive and effec-tive safety program. I salute and congratulate everyone involved

with this unprecedented accom-plishment.”

NAS Jax continues to ensure safety is priority in the way the base does business each and every day.

During the past five years, NAS Jax saw a significant number of civilian mishaps drop from 44 in fiscal year 2003 to 19 in fis-cal year 2007. During that same time, government motor vehicle accidents also decreased by half.

The base was also accepted into the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection P rog ram ( V PP) Cha l lenge Program as part of the three-step process to VPP certification.

The VVP programs have changed the way the safety program is

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NAS Jax wins third consecutive safety award

PhotocourtesyofHS-5(From left) Lt. Brian Johnson, Lt. JackReiner, AW2 Philip Corrick and AW2ChristinaGruwellofHS-5recentlyrescueda civiliandiver lost at seawhile deployedonboardUSSTheodoreRoosevelt.

HS-5 returns from successful detachmenton board USS Theodore Roosevelt

PhotosbyMC2MonicaNelsonMA2Phillip Staats of theNAS Jacksonville’s SecurityDepartment introduces himself at thestart of the two-dayNavyCommunity Service ProgramConference held at theNAS JaxOfficers’ClubMarch11-12.

Navy Region Southeast hosts Navy Community Service Program Conference

NavyCommunityServiceProgramcoordina-torsfromtheSoutheastRegionpackboxesofbooksat theTeacherSupplyDepot indown-town JacksonvilleMarch 12.The bookswillberecycled,andtheproceedsgeneratedwillsupport the cost ofmoving the depot to anewbuilding.

PhotobyAldeanaHarrisNavalSafetyCenterDeputyCommanderCol.MarkVanous,center,pres-ents the Chief ofNavalOperationsAward forAchievement in SafetyAshore in the large non-industrial category toNAS Jax SafetyOfficerRonWilliamsonasNASJaxDeputySafetyOfficerDaveColburnlooksonMarch11inNorfolk,Va.