By Jamal WilsonNaval Ordnance Safetyand Security Activity

The safe execution of the missionis, and always has been, paramountin American military and civilian op-erations, whether it's here at home orat forward-deployed locationsthroughout the world.

Naval Sea Systems Command(NAVSEA), Naval Ordnance Safetyand Security Activity (NOSSA) andU.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A)have been working collaboratively toensure this safety for America'swarfighters supporting the GlobalWar on Terror in Afghanistan. Thisjoint effort was recognized in a cere-mony held July 11 as these organiza-tions were awarded the 2012 Secre-tary of the Navy Safety ExcellenceAward as an Emerging Safety Centerof Excellence.The ceremony was heldat the U.S. Navy Memorial in Wash-ington, D.C.

The Safety Excellence Award wasestablished by the Honorable GordonR. England, who twice served as Sec-

retary of the Navy, to recognize Navyand Marine Corps commands thatdemonstrate "extraordinary excel-lence by sustained mission success

with simultaneous exemplary safetyperformance." From its advent in2002, the award has become the De-partment of the Navy's premier ven-

ue to recognize commands, teamsand programs that promote the safetyof Sailors, Marines and civilians, andprotect aircraft, ships and facilitiesfrom mishap.

The award's objectives are to pro-mote excellence in mission readinessby mishap and hazard reductionthrough the implementation of effec-tive safety programs, to fully integrateoperational risk management princi-ples throughout the Navy and MarineCorps, and to establish a sound safetyculture.

"I believe the pertinence of thisaward is the visibility it brings to thisnew and crucial system safety engi-neering presence in a forward-de-ployed combat command," saidNOSSA systems safety engineerMichael H. Demmick, an integral partof the winning team, speaking aboutwhat this recognition means from asystems safety perspective.

Recognizing the gap that currentlyexists between formal acquisition andfield-based use of some military

NAVSEA/NOSSA Team Wins 2012SECNAV Safety Excellence Award

NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUTH POTOMAC DEFENSE COMMUNITY

August 3, 2012

PRESORTSTD

USPOSTAGEPAID

SO.MD.

NEWSPAPERS

PERMIT#1

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS FOR MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES E-mail nsasp_pao_dlgr@navy.mil or Call (540) 653-8153

NSWCDDengineermakes racinghistory,Page 7

SOUTH POTOMAC PILOTSOUTH POTOMAC PILOT

Link directly to theNSASP Facebookpage on yoursmart phone

By Andrew RevelosStaff Writer

The inaugural exhibit of theDahlgren Heritage Museum was un-veiled to a large crowd at a July 25 cer-emony and panel discussion at theUniversity of Mary Washington's(UMW's) Dahlgren Campus. The ex-hibit, "Women in Science and Tech-nology at Dahlgren," wowed atten-dees with informational photo dis-plays and an originalWomen Accept-ed for Volunteer Emergency Service(WAVES) uniform from theWorldWarII era. The panel discussion featuredfour professional women who haveleft their mark on Dahlgren, three ofwhom remain actively employed on-board the installation.

Ed Jones, president of theDahlgren Heritage Board, kicked offthe ceremony by describing his con-nection with the base. "Like many ofyou, I have personal connections toDahlgren," he said. "My father, ArthurJones, worked in Dahlgren for 30years, from 1942 to 1972. My fatherworked with people like Charles Co-hen, William Kemper, David Brown,Ralph Niemann, Russell Lyddane,Bernard Smith, Jim Colvard: these areiconic names from Dahlgren history."

The crowd buzzed with recogni-tion and at least one of those bignames, Jim Colvard, a former techni-cal director of the Naval SurfaceWar-fare Center Dahlgren Division (NSW-CDD) who serves on the Dahlgren

Heritage Board, was in attendance.The ceremony served as Dahlgren re-union of sorts - many of the currentand former Dahlgren employees whoattended found themselves not onlydepicted in the exhibit, but among

old friends and former co-workers.Pat Smith worked in Dahlgren

from 1956-1993 and attended the ex-hibit opening. She recognized her oldboss in a 1950s photo depicting himwith the Naval Ordnance Relay Cal-culator (NORC), one of the world'sfirst supercomputers. As a retiredwoman professional, Smith certainly

Dahlgren women honored with inaugural museum exhibit

See Women, Page 8

See Safety, Page 4

U.S.Navy photo by Jamal Wilson

Capt. Jason Gilbert and Karen Burrows (center with award),along with representatives from U.S. Forces Afghanistan, arepictured with (from left) Lt. Gen. Frank Panter, Deputy Com-mandant Installations and Logistics; Undersecretary of theNavy Robert Work; Vice Adm. Philip Cullom, Deputy Chief ofNaval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics; ViceAdm. Kevin McCoy, Commander Naval Sea Systems Com-mand; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for SafetyPaul Hanley.

U.S. Navy photos by Andrew Revelos

The panelists at the Dahlgren Heritage Museum exhibit open-ing at the UMW Dahlgren Campus on July 25, from left to right,Dawn Murphy, program manager at NSWCDD, Cynthia Hol-land, lead instrumentation engineer for the Naval Electromag-netic Railgun, Gladys West, a retired Dahlgren employee whoworked in satellite data analysis, and Ann Swope, chief of stafffor NSWCDD.

Dahlgren HeritageMuseum posts first exhibit

The Dahlgren Heritage Museumceremony at University of Mary Wash-ington (UMW) Dahlgren Campusmarked a milestone in the two-yearcollaboration between the DahlgrenHeritage Board, UMW, the Navy andlocal leaders and museum supportersto celebrate the story of Dahlgren. Theexhibit, which will stay at the UMWDahlgren Campus as part of an agree-ment with the Dahlgren HeritageBoard, is the first official exhibit of theDahlgren Heritage Museum. "We'revery proud of it," said Mark Saffer-stone, executive director of the UMWDahlgren Campus. "We think that it re-ally demonstrates the university's en-gagement and commitment to this re-gion and it also provides the museumwith a venue for permanent displays."

The South Potomac Pilot2 Friday, August 3, 2012

By Gary Wagner

They tried out a Navy aircraftejection seat, used a control termi-nal to direct a robot to retrieve apackage, and marched to the sharpcadence of a U.S. Marine drill ser-geant.

It was all part of a day-long visitto Naval Support Facility IndianHead by students in the Navy JuniorReserve Officer Training Corps(NJROTC) program at WestlakeHigh School inWaldorf.Twenty stu-dents, ranging from in-comingfreshmen to rising seniors, partici-pated in the field trip on June 26, ac-companied by their unit command-er Lt. Cmdr. James Pierce, as part ofa week-long orientation trainingcamp.

"We run the day camp to intro-duce new cadets to some of the ba-sics of the NJROTC program," ex-plains Pierce, who will be in his fifthyear in command of the Westlakeunit, which will involve 120 studentsat the start of the coming schoolyear.

"I like to arrange trips for thecadets to give them a chance to ex-perience different aspects of mili-tary life and work," says Pierce.

Three commands at NSF IndianHead supported the cadets' visit tothe base by providing briefings,tours and demonstrations. Capt.Andy Buduo, commander for NavalSurfaceWarfare Center Indian HeadDivision (NSWC IHD), was the firstto welcome the group and givethem an overview of his com-mand's mission.

The cadets next learned aboutthe X22 ejection seat model for theJoint Strike Fighter program asTravis Tom with NSWC IHD'sCAD/PAD Division described howaircraft ejection seats work in anemergency.

Explaining the forces exerted ona pilot when the ejection seat is ac-tivated,Tom pointed out, "You'll ex-perience up to three G's on the mostintense roller coaster," while theforce of the ejection on a pilot exerts12 to 14 Gs on the head and neck, hesaid.

"The spine will compress up toan inch temporarily," Tom said,adding, "It's a violent event."

Marines with the Marine CorpsChemical Biological Incident Re-sponse Force (CBIRF) provided thecadets with a broad sample of mili-tary life during their portion of theNJROTC tour, starting with a physi-cal training demonstration at thecommand's obstacle course by Sgt.Charles Leonard and Sgt. Jesse Ter-ard.

A weapons display featuring theM4A1 rifle, M203 grenade launcher,M249 Squad Automatic Weapon,MK19 grenade launcher, EnhancedMarksmanship Rifle and M1014 Be-nalli shotgun was next on the agen-da. Marines who enthusiasticallydescribed the operation and use ofeach type of weapon included Sgt.Calvin Adams, Cpl. Jacob Mederenand Cpl. Rory Ready, who recentlyreturned to the U.S. following hissecond tour in Afghanistan.

A brief tutorial on robotic vehi-cles used by Marines was providedby Staff Sgt. Robert Seymour andSgt. Sean Hrncir, which was fol-

lowed by a demonstration of theMarine Corps Martial Arts Program(MCMAP) narrated by Sgt. MatthewDickey. Marines representing vari-ous levels of expertise in the trainingprogram demonstrated techniquesthat Marines are taught to master,from self-defense takedown movesto more aggressive hand-to-hand

combat.After enjoying lunch with their

CBIRF hosts at the Indian Head Gal-ley, the cadets next visited the NavalExplosive Ordnance Disposal Tech-nology Division at NSF IndianHead's Stump Neck Annex. There,the students toured the deployableCombined Explosives Exploitation

Cell (CEXC) developed by the com-mand to provide on-scene technicalassistance in analyzing and defeat-ing explosive threats encountered ina military operational area. SeniorChief Mass Communications Spe-cialist Anthony Casullo and Intelli-gence Specialist 1st Class LeviScheibel explained how CEXC crewmembers handle explosive materi-als brought into the lab, whileRobert Lee demonstrated how wire-less devices can be used to triggerexplosives.

The cadets also had opportunityto try on a bomb suit worn to pro-vide protection for a bomb disposal

technician or EOD operator, tocrawl through a Mine Resistant Am-bush Protected (MRAP) military ve-hicle, and try their skill in guiding arobot to retrieve a "suspicious"package several yards away.

The day concluded at the DiveLocker at Stump Neck Annex, whereChief Navy Diver Soren Brown guid-ed the cadets on a tour to showthem both large and small boatsused by EOD divers to supporttraining for underwater explosives-related missions, as well as the facil-ity's dive chamber and decompres-sion chamber used for training andrecovery operations.

NJROTC cadets tour Indian Head commands

Travis Tom with NSWC Indian Head Division explains opera-tion of the X22 ejection seat model for the Joint Strike Fight-er program before giving visiting students from WestlakeHigh School's NJROTC program an opportunity to havetheir photos taken in the ejection seat.

CBIRF's Sgt. Calvin Adams describes the operation and ca-pability of the MK19 grenade launcher to NJROTC studentsas part of a weapons briefing during their day-long tour ofcommands at NSF Indian Head.

U.S. Navy photos by Gary Wagner

Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician GordonLewis with NAVEODTECHDIV assists freshman PhillipWright with Westlake High School's NJROTC unit in donninga bomb suit worn to provide protection for a bomb disposaltechnician or EOD operator.

CBIRF Marines demonstrate hand-to-hand combat training from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program to Navy JuniorROTC cadets during their recent visit to Naval Support Facility Indian Head.

The South Potomac PilotFriday, August 3, 2012 3Friday, August 3, 2012 3Friday, August 3, 2012 3

CARPOOL/VANPOOL WANTED

Van or Car pool desired from Fredericks-burg or King George to Indian Head,Monday thru Friday with one RDO, prefer7-430, but hours can be negotiated.703-909-3380.

Riders wanted to start a carpool from theNorthern Neck (Lively/Lancaster), pass-ing through Warsaw at 0605 and Mon-tross at 0615, arriving at Dahlgren by0700; leaving Dahlgren at 1600. Call Leaat 540-653-6776 or 571-232-5412 (cell).

From the Ferry Farm area to DahlgrenBldg. 1500 area. Prefer early workhours. Call Mark, 540-653-2148.

Riders wanted for van pool. Leaves fromRichmond at Home Depot on Atlee-El-mont Rd. (exit # 86B off I-95) toDahlgren. Call David at (540) 653-9203.

Clinton, Md., to Dahlgren. Hours are flex-ible (0600 - 1700). Call Miranda at 703-692-9590.

Carpool/vanpool wanted from Montrossarea to Dahlgren. Can also take up to 3or 4 riders from here if they would preferme to drive. Call Doc at 252-670-6686.Early risers only.

Want to start a carpool? Need riders?

“Commuter Clearinghouse” is a sourcefor information on carpools or vanpoolsthat already exist and need passengers,as well as a place for employees to ad-vertise to start a carpool or vanpool.Whether you already operate a carpoolor vanpool and are open to acceptingnew riders or need drivers, or if you arelooking for a carpool or vanpool, provideus with information that might help youfind or start a commuter opportunity,such as, where you will need to commutefrom and to, preferred schedule and con-tact information. You can send your infor-mation via e-mail to nsasp_pao_dlgr@navy.mil or contact our office toll free at866-359-5540, or DSN 249-8153, or 540-653-8153.

FREDERICKSBURGRIDESHARING SERVICE

GWRideConnect is a free ridesharingservice that assists persons who areseeking daily transportation from Freder-icksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caro-line and King George counties to em-ployment locations in Dahlgren amongother employment sites. Go towww.gwregion.org/gwride connect.html.

Virginia and Maryland willoffer school shoppers somemuch-needed relief as annualsales tax holidays are sched-uled this month. In Virginia,shoppers will experience taxfree shopping starting at 12:01a.m. on Friday, Aug. 3 untilmidnight on Sunday, Aug. 5.This year, Shop MarylandWeek is August 12-18.

In Virginia, qualifyingschool supplies selling for $20or less per item and qualifyingclothing and footwear for$100 or less per article are ex-empt from sales tax. Buyersshould remember that quali-fying items do not need to beused in school, or in connec-tion with a school activity.Thisgives Virginia consumers achance to boost up seasonalclothing for a toddler or par-ent as well as fill in the gaps of

the family's office supplies.Computer supplies do notqualify. Qualifying clothingitems must be under $100 perarticle and appropriate foreveryday wear. This does notinclude sporting equipmentor footwear primarily used forathletic activity or clothing forprotective use.

School supply items avail-able tax free in Virginia thisweekend include binderpockets and binders; binders;blackboard chalk; book bags;calculators; cellophane tape;compasses; compositionbooks; crayons; dictionariesand thesauruses; dividers;erasers (including dry erasemarker erasers and dry erasemarker cleaning solutions);expandable, pocket, plastic,and manila folders; glue,paste, and glue sticks; high-

lighters; index cards; indexcard boxes; legal pads; lunchboxes; markers (including dryerase markers and dry erasemarker kits); musical instru-ments, musical instrumentaccessories, and replacementitems for musical instru-ments; notebooks; paints(acrylic, tempera, and oil);loose leaf ruled notebook pa-per, copy paper, graph paper,tracing paper, manila paper,colored paper, poster boardand construction paper; pen-cil boxes and other schoolsupply boxes; pencil sharpen-ers; pencils; pens; protractors;reference books; referencemaps and globes; rulers; scis-sors; sheet music; sketch anddrawing pads; textbooks;workbooks and writingtablets.

While school supplies are

not included, Maryland resi-dents will find qualifying ap-parel and footwear that cost$100 or less are exempt fromthe Maryland 6% sales tax.Accessory items are not in-cluded in Shop Marylandweek. Items that will be taxfree for the week includeClothing under $100, includ-ing school uniforms, coats,bathing suits, pajamas, cos-tumes, belts, shirts, sweaters,jeans, and slacks, misc. tuxe-dos, prom dresses, bridalgowns, hand muffs, gradua-tion caps and gowns, babyclothes, disposable and clothbaby diapers, winter glovesand hats, sports uniforms andski suits and vests.

For more information, visitthe Virginia Department ofTaxation, www.tax.virginia.govand www.marylandtaxes.com.

Virginia, Maryland Tax holidays coming up

By Thomas WrightCultural Resource Manager

Can you name the oldest building onNaval Support Facility Indian Head? Oddsare you can't, and the reason is that theoldest building is not original to IndianHead, but was shipped from theWashing-ton Navy Yard (WNY).

Built in 1854, Building 185 (B-185) wasthe Navy Yard's original "watch box."Watch box is an old Navy term for guardshack. B-185 is considered historic notonly to the Navy, but also to the nation.

The fire station at the WashingtonNavy Yard currently occupies the spacepreviously occupied by B-185. The build-ing was located there until 1912 when itwas relocated from WNY to Indian Headto serve as a foreman's office. It was asso-ciated with the original Power Plant until1915 when it was moved to the corner ofStrauss Avenue and Ward Road, where itserved as the "telephone central." In 1942,B-185 was assigned as a grounds storehouse.

While at the Navy Yard, the watch boxwas passed by every visitor, includingsuch notables as President Abraham Lin-coln. President Lincoln was a regular vis-itor to the Navy Yard, often going there totake Potomac River cruises, review troops,receive foreign visitors and inspect newweapon enhancements with then Capt.John A. Dahlgren, commandant of theNavy Yard.

Capt. Dahlgren took command ofWNY after the previous commandant de-fected to the Confederacy. Dahlgren biog-rapher Robert J. Schneller wrote that "Lin-coln drove down to watch a new inven-tion being tested, but more often he camefor just coffee, cigars and chat with his fa-vorite naval officer (Dahlgren)."

During his frequent visits toWNY, Lin-coln passed by the watch box and wasrecorded as he both entered and left the

site. In the spring of 1865, it was obviousthat the American Civil War was comingto an end.With the greatest challenge anyAmerican President has had to face, Pres-ident Lincoln and his wife Mary went fora carriage ride without their security de-tail. The date was April 14, 1865. Theywent to the WNY to visit the U.S.S. Mon-tauk and the Sailors aboard who had beeninjured during the conflict.

Dr. George H. Todd, surgeon aboardthe U.S.S. Montauk, wrote, "Both seemedvery happy, and so expressed themselves,glad that this war was over, or near its end,and then drove back to theWhite House."

As President Lincoln and his wife left,their exit was recorded as they passed bythe watch box. Later that night, PresidentLincoln was assassinated by John WilkesBooth. The next day, Marine guards hadstated in the watch box log book that itwas a "sad day."

Today, B-185 is part of the Naval Prov-ing Ground Historic District. Descriptionspraising its architectural features havestated that B-185 displays "the most orna-mentation embellished by German nov-elty siding, scrolled brackets, and a finial,"also known as a Victorian era Italianatestyle.

While currently intact, B-185 is agedand is now in need of repair and conser-vation. In 2012, NDW, the District of Co-lumbia State Historic Preservation Officerand the Maryland State Historic Preserva-tion Officer signed a memorandum ofagreement allowing the Navy to move B-185 from NSF Indian Head back to theWashington Navy Yard as part of mitiga-tion efforts for the demolition of a historicstructure at the WNY. As a result, B-185will be located once again near its originallocation. It will be restored to its originalcondition where it will be incorporated asa historic and educational display.

'Watch Box' to return to Navy YardOldest buildingat Indian Headto be restored

U.S. Navy photos by Andrew Revelos

The oldest structure on NSF Indian Head is slated to return to its orig-inal home at the Washington Navy Yard where it will be restored asan educational display.

A close up of ornamental detailon B-185 characteristic of Victo-rian Italianate architecturalstyling.

The South Potomac Pilot4 Friday, August 3, 20124 Friday, August 3, 2012

The South Potomac Pilot Newspaper is published weekly bySouthern Maryland Newspapers and Printing, 7 Industrial Park Drive,Waldorf, Md. 20602, a private company in no way connected with theU.S. Navy, under exclusive written contract with Naval District Wash-ington.

This commercial enterprise newspaper is an authorized publica-tion for members of the military services. Contents of The South Po-tomac Pilot are not necessarily the official views of, nor endorsed bythe U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department

of the Navy. The appearance of advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the De-partment of Defense or Southern Maryland Newspapers and Printingof the products or services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made availablefor purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion,sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political af-filiation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.If a violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser

is confirmed, the publisher shall refuse to print advertising from thatsource until the violation is corrected.

Editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the PublicAffairs Office, NSA South Potomac. News copy should be submittedby noon on Friday to be considered for the following week’s edition. Allmaterial is edited for accuracy, brevity, clarity, and conformity to regu-lations. To inquire about news copy, call 540-653-8153 or fax The SouthPotomac Pilot at 540-653-4269. Commercial advertising may be placedwith the publisher by calling 301-645-9480.

Capt. Peter NetteCommanding Officer, NSA South Potomac

Gary R. WagnerPublic Affairs Officer, NSA South Potomac

Jeron HayesNSA South Potomac

Managing Editor

Andrew RevelosStaff Reporter

Deirdre Parry andBreton Helsel

Copy/layout editors, The Gazette/Comprint Military Publications

www.dcmilitary.com/dahlgrenNSA South Potomac • Office: 540-653-8153 • 540-284-0129

DahlgrenDahlgren Navy Ball FundraiserEvery Wednesday

The Naval Support Activity South PotomacBirthday Ball Committee is firing up the grilland is making lunch for you! Come to the FirstLieutenant's Bldg. #453 on the water near theflagpole on Sampson Rd. (across from Bldg.101) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday.All proceeds benefit the NSASP Navy Ball 2012.

Have you checked out the NSASP Navy Ballwebsite? Get the most up-to-date informationon fundraisers, this year's Navy Birthday Ballcelebration on Oct. 12 and more! Visitwww.nsaspnavyball.org.

Indian HeadTreasures Thrift Store"Back-to-School" Clothing Sale

TreasuresThrift Store on Strauss Avenue willhold a back-to-school clothing sale on Aug. 4from 8 a.m. - Noon. All clothes will be out andall items are only $1. Items include jeans, pants,dresses, shirts, shorts, jackets, etc. Both chil-dren's and adult's sizes will be available.

ASBP Blood Drive Aug. 8Armed Services Blood Program will hold a

blood drive at NSLC, bldg. 1581 on Aug. 8 from10 a.m. - 2 p.m. All blood collected benefits mil-itary members and their families at home, over-seas, in harm's way and recovering from in-juries. Give our troops the most precious gift ofall, the gift of life - give blood!

IH Spouses' Club "Treasures" ThriftStore Needs Your Donations!

Plan today to visit theTreasuresThrift Store,located at 12 Strauss Ave. next door to the USO.The store is open everyTuesday from 10 a.m. to1 p.m. Donations of gently used items are cur-rently being accepted.Want to earn up to $5 infree items from the thrift store every month?Volunteer! Stop by the thrift store during oper-ating hours or email ihspouseclub@live.comfor information.

To publish information on your event orprogram under "Base Happenings," contactNSASP Public Affairs at 540-653-8153 or emailjeron.hayes@navy.mil.

BaseHappenings weapons systems, Demmick

immediately coordinated withDr. Thomas English, USFOR-AGround Safety Officer, andconceptualized the role for afield system safety expert em-bedded into the combatantcommand structure.

Soon after the developmentof this new position descrip-tion, Demmick was nominatedand selected to fill the rolebased on his extensive systemssafety experience. Upon arrivalin Afghanistan, Demmickworked to improve the charac-terization and assessment ofnew or additional causal fac-tors relevant to safety design-related mishaps.

"Safety is readiness; there-fore, integrating system safetyinto the combatant commandstructure in-theater is bridgingthe gap between acquisitiondesign and post milestone C-Fielded use, to improve thereadiness of the operationalunits," said Demmick. Theseimproved, hyper-accurate sys-tem safety assessments arethen promulgated to the ap-propriate design engineeringrepresentatives so a solutioncan be pursued.

Prior to Demmick's arrival,the operational community inAfghanistan did not maintain acapability for analyzing and as-sessing engineering system de-sign shortfalls. As a result,mishap reports developed in-theater normally failed toproperly outline design short-falls in a manner conducive toacquisition engineering infor-mational needs.

"The warfighters in the fieldwho are using the systems andhave the most insight as to thepros and cons of the system areoften burdened with their day-to-day jobs such that they donot have the time to clearly ar-ticulate the design issues," saidDemmick.

"What is needed is both en-gineering and joint operationalinsight that can provide thenecessary design detail tomake an operationally-baseddecision regarding a proposeddesign or design change," headds. "This is best accom-plished by accessing systems

safety engineering experts whohave an understanding of thejoint operational environmentand are witnessing, first hand,the use of the systems in theiroperational environment un-der real-time operational ex-tremes."

USFOR-A and NOSSA,through seamless integrationof system safety onto the bat-tlefield, have helped provide acrucial capability to conductreal-time engineering assess-ments of undesired safety-re-lated issues and make sub-stantial contributions to theappropriate program officeconcerning design and engi-neering. Through the dedicat-ed efforts of Demmick andEnglish, hazard mitigationhas been realized with a no-table reduction in Mine Re-sistant Ambush Protected(MRAP) roll-overs, interior ve-hicle ammunition storage im-provements, as well as ongo-ing analysis into inadvertent

or negligent weapons dis-charges of new remoteweapons systems.

Capt. Jason A. Gilbert, NOS-SA commanding officer, spokehighly of the collective effortinvolved in winning such aprestigious award.

"Providing a systems safetyexpert and collaborating withUSFOR-A was a great opportu-nity for NOSSA and it madesense. NOSSA supported thewarfighter with a needed capa-bility, and USFOR-A was ableto harness Mr. Demmick's ex-pertise and energy to make areal difference. It has been awinning combination for ourdeployed fighting forces," saidGilbert.

This sentiment was echoedby Karen Burrows, NOSSA's ex-ecutive director. "Taking theknowledge and practice of sys-tem safety engineering to thefield fills a critical combatantcommand need. The breadthand depth of practical experi-

ence and lessons learned byboth Mr. Demmick and Dr.English will strengthen and in-fluence the Navy's ordnancesafety program for years tocome.You just can't learn theselessons anywhere else but inthe operational environmentin which they worked," saidBurrows.

The response of men andwomen in the field who direct-ly benefit from the improveddesigns of the weapons sys-tems currently in use has beenoverwhelmingly positive.

"Comments I personally re-ceive, routinely, from Sailors,Soldiers, Airmen and Marinesin the Combined Joint Opera-tions Area-Afghanistan (CJOA-A) are very positive and en-couraging," Demmick noted."These professionals under-stand the importance of thissystem safety role.

"They can perceive thelong-term benefits of this sys-tems safety position on the US-FOR-A staff, and on future de-ployed staffs," he adds. "I sup-pose this is because they arethe direct user of these systemsand know what impact thelonger term design changeswill mean to them the nexttime they are called upon touse the system."

In addition to the citationand plaque awarded to Secre-tary of the Navy Safety Excel-lence Award winners, recipi-ents also received the Secre-tary's distinctive Safety Excel-lence Flag.Winners are entitledto fly the flag for one year fromdate of presentation.

The Naval Sea SystemsCommand established theNaval Ordnance Safety and Se-curity Activity (NOSSA) on Oct.1, 1999 to manage and admin-ister all aspects of Navy andMarine Corps explosive safetyas the Chief of Naval Opera-tions technical agent for explo-sives safety. NOSSA exists tosupport the Fleet and its sup-porting shore establishment inall ordnance surety areas. Fromconcept and development,through production and trans-portation, to demilitarizationand disposal of arms, ammu-nition and explosives (AA&E),NOSSA is tasked with reducingordnance risk.

Safety: Seamless integration of system safetyContinued from page 1

NOSSA proudly displays the Emerging Safety Cen-ter of Excellence flag at its NSF Indian Head head-quarters. NOSSA will fly the flag for one year afterwinning the Secretary of the Navy 2012 Safety Ex-cellence Award.

The South Potomac PilotFriday, August 3, 2012 5Friday, August 3, 2012 5

Dahlgren

Liberty Center

Liberty Tug of War GameAugust 10, 5 p.m.Come out and play tug of war against

your fellow sailors. Cotton candy will beprovided to give you that sugar rush youneed to win. For more information pleasecontact the Liberty Center at 540-653-7277.

Liberty Virginia Beach BlastAugust 18 - van leaves at 8 a.m.from the Liberty CenterJoin us for a day of fun in the sun. En-

joy Virginia Beach and the boardwalk allday long. Cost(s)/Price(s): FREE. EligiblePatrons: E1-E6 Single/UnaccompaniedActive Duty Military. Register at the Liber-ty Center. For more information contact540-653-7277.

Aquatics CenterCardboard Boat Regatta

August 11, 5 - 7 p.m.Come out and try to build a seaworthy

vessel using only the approved materials,cardboard, duct tape , and plastic sheet-ing. The event will encompass four divi-sions; all military, family (at least oneadult), chief selectees and kids. Each teamis required to complete 2 laps in the pool.Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and3rd place overall. Cost is free. Eligible pa-trons include all with base access. Formore information please contact 540-653-8088.

Library/Resource Center

Summer Reading ProgramEnd of Summer Party

August 10, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.at the poolHave you enjoyed a summer full of read-

ing fun? Come to the end of summer party

that will be held on August 10. Cost is freeand eligible patrons include all with baseaccess. For more information contact theDahlgren General Library at 540-653-7474.

Cannonball LanesBowling Center

80's Bowling NightAugust 11, 6 p.m.Retro music. Appropriate 80's attire is

welcomed! Show us your best "Flock ofSeagulls" hairdo! All patrons with base ac-cess are eligible. Standard Rates. Registerat Cannonball Lanes. For more informa-tion contact 540-653-7327.

Indian Head

Aquatic Center

Summer LuauAugust 24, 6 p.m.Join us at the Pool and Autumn Fest Park

for an evening of family fun! Pig roast, mu-sic, hula dancers, flame throwers, moonbounce and more. Live entertainmentstarts at 7 p.m. This event is FREE and opento all with base access.

2012 Sprint TriathlonAugust 25 starting at 6 a.m.at the Aquatic Center.Are you up to the challenge? 400m

Swim, 8-mile bike ride and 2.85 run.Awards will be given to the first male andfemale in each age group. $25 registrationfee, open to all eligible patrons. Register byMonday, August 20 at the Fitness Center orAquatics Center. Event is limited to the first36 participants. For more information con-tact Megan Eicholtz at 301-744-4661.

Dive-In MoviesAugust 9Pool opens at 7:30 p.m., movie starts at

dusk. Bring a float and watch a movie inthe pool. All movies are family friendly.Open to all eligible patrons. Event is free.

Liberty Center

Liberty Movie on the CourtAugust 24 at duskLiberty Patrons are invited join us for a

movie on the barracks basketball court.Snacks and drinks will be provided. Moviestarts at dusk. Event is free.

Missoula Children's Theatrepresents Jack and the Beanstalk

The My Generation Youth Center islooking for budding actors and actresseswho will be entering the 1st-8th grades toparticipate in a Theatre Camp and produc-tion of Jack and the Beanstalk. Camp willbe held August 13-17 at the Youth Center.Auditions will be held on August 13, re-hearsals and practice will be held each daystarting at 10 a.m. Those selected must beavailable to participate every day. Thisevent is free and open to all eligible pa-trons. Performances will be held on August17 at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. All are welcometo attend.

Babysitting CourseAugust 14, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.Interested in babysitting? All patrons

age 13 - 18 are invited to join us for this freeclass on all the basics of babysitting. Thisclass is open to all eligible patrons. Classwill be held in the Conference Room inBldg. D328 (the Gymnasium). Please regis-ter with the Youth Center by August 10.

Auto Hobby ShopRecreational Gear Rentals

The MWR Auto Hobby Shop rents an ex-tensive selection of equipment for yourrecreational needs. Available items includetents, canoes, tarps, picnic tents, tables,chairs, moon bounce, grills, lanterns, sport-ing equipment and more! Rentals are avail-

able on a daily, weekly or weekend basis.Call the Hobby Shop at 301-744-6314 formore information or stop by and see whatwe have to offer.

NEW Campers Available15' Cozy Traveler Recreational Trailer

(sleeps up to 6)$55 per day$100 per weekend$245 for a weekCall 301-744-6314 for more information.

MWR Highlights

540-653-7336

Hours of OperationFriday: 7 p.m. Showing

Saturday: 7 p.m. Showing

Price of Shows$5 Civilian, $4 Active Duty, Retired

and Reserve Mil E7 and aboveand their family members with ID,

$2.50 E1-E6 and belowand their family members with ID,

$2 Child (6-11),Free - Child (5 and under).

Movies shown in 3-D will costan additional $1 per ticket.

Aug 3 - Rock of AgesRated PG13 - 124 min

Aug 4 - BraveRated PG - 93 min

Aug 10 - TedRated R - 106 min

Aug 11 - Amazing Spider ManRated PG13 - 136 min

DahlgrenMovie

Theater

The South Potomac Pilot6 Friday, August 3, 20126 Friday, August 3, 2012

Special EventNavy-Air Force Half Marathon & Navy 5-Miler

This year Naval DistrictWashington and Joint Base Anacos-tia-Bolling are expanding the annual Navy 5-Miler into theNavy-Air Force Half Marathon and Navy 5-Miler.The InauguralNavy-Air Force Half Marathon and the 9th Annual Navy 5-Milerwill be held at 7:30 a.m. September 16 (Sunday) on the groundsof the Washington Monument in DC. The race is open to allmilitary and civilian runners. The fastest way to register is on-line at www.navyairforcehalfmarathon.com. Positions current-ly available for the Navy-Air Force Half-Marathon and the Navy5-Miler. Contact Pam Handon at 202-685-0483 or email Pamat pamela.handon@navy.mil to volunteer.

Indian HeadTown of La Plata Summer Concert

TheTown of La Plata Summer Concert Series presentsTheBlarney Stones this Friday, Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. Enjoy the band asthey perform tradition Irish tunes -- vocal and instrumental -- mingled with a wee bit of Irish humor and stories. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs for seat-ing. Refreshments will be for sale from Lifestyles Food Trailerand Circus Ice Cream. Coolers are allowed, but no alcohol.There is also a separate but visible play area for children.

National Night Out at Indian HeadThe Town of Indian Head will host a National Night Out

event on Aug. 7 at Indian Head Village Green Park from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Admission is free with fun for the whole family. Tick-et booth open 6 - 7:45 p.m. There will be carnival games andinflatables for the kids. Enjoy the Charles County Sheriff's Of-fice N.N.O. Coloring Contest (ages 4-12) from 6 - 8 p.m. Eventwill include displays, demonstrations, cookout and handouts.Food will be served from 6 - 8 p.m. Live Entertainment fea-turing The Bucket List Band. Take a bite out of crime - leaveyour porch lights on sundown to sun up and join the Town ofIndian Head's town-wide Neighborhood Crime Watch Pro-gram. For more information, call (240) 375-4061.

Free Friday Night Concert SeriesSt. Charles Companies presents Free Friday Night Concerts

through Aug. 31 at O'Donnell Lake Restaurant Park in St.Charles, Md. Each Friday offers great family fun and entertain-ment! Concerts feature a variety of local artists and musical

genres, beginning at 7 p.m. and ending at dusk. Free parking forall attendees. Bring blankets or chairs and enjoy the lakefrontsetting. Coolers permitted; no alcohol or glass containers.

The O'Donnell Lake Restaurant Park is located at the in-tersection of St. Patrick's Drive and Smallwood Drive West inSt. Charles, across from the movie theater and St. CharlesTowne Center. Sponsored by the St. Charles Companies. Learnmore about the St. Charles Companies at stcharlesmd.com orfacebook.com/stcharlesmd. For more information, contactCraig Renner at 301-843-8600 or crenner@stcharlesmd.com.

Summer Concert Schedule:August 3 - Singer-Songwriter Showcase with Matt

Silkworth - Local Talent ShowcaseAugust 1 - Deanna Dove - Singer-SongwriterAugust 17 - Anthony Swampdog Clark - BluesAugust 24 - Karen Collins and the Backroads Band

Modern Country & Originals

PTRC "Night on the River"The Port Tobacco River Conservancy presents its 5th An-

nual "Night on the River" Sunset Fundraiser onThursday, Au-gust 9 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Port Tobacco Restaurant, 7536Shirley Boulevard, Port Tobacco, Md. Event will include asilent auction, 50/50 raffle, hors d'oeuvres and desserts pluscash bar. Tickets are $35. Phone Heather at 301-751-3872 oremail ptrcmd1@gmail.com for tickets. For more information,visit www.porttobaccoriver.org.

Sotterley Present 2012 Speaker SeriesThe 2012 Speaker Series at Sotterley Plantation presents

Edward C. Papenfuse, Ph.D., speaking on "The War of 1812 atSotterley and Southern Maryland" on Sunday, September 9 at3 p.m. in the Barn. This event is free to the public. Advancereservations are required due to limited seating. Call 301-373-2280 to make your reservation.

12th Annual Nanjemoy Heritage Day EventPlan to attend the 12th Annual Nanjemoy Heritage Day on

Saturday, September 22. The event will be held at the Nanje-moy Community Center (4375 PortTobacco Road) from noonuntil 3 p.m. The day will include a parade, live music, craftsfor the kids, face painting, area artists, local heritage displays,classic cars, games, and much more. Refreshments and sou-venir t-shirts will be available.The Department of CommunityServices is seeking vendors, exhibitors, and individuals whowant to display their classic vehicles or antique farm equip-ments. The Department is also looking for families with deep

roots in the Nanjemoy area and old family photos or artifactsfrom the area to showcase. For more information, contact theNanjemoy Community Center Coordinator at 301-246-9612.Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland RelayService at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.

DahlgrenWendy's Feline Friends Needs Your Help!

Wendy's Feline Friends in Colonial Beach is in need ofcaregivers to help with cat work, yard work, and/or housework every day between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Volunteers of anyage are welcome. Wendy is also looking for volunteers to offerspecial foster care to needy cats: tiny kittens who must be bot-tle-fed, adults recovering from major surgery, very shy orscared surrendered cats who need extra attention. The organ-ization also accepts tax-deductible donations. Clorox bleach,paper towels, large baskets, and old bath towels come in veryhandy. The cats are always asking for more catnip, powderedkitten replacement milk, cat trees, and Frontline flea treat-ments. Wendy very much welcomes aluminum cans andcash/check/PayPal donations toward her substantial veteri-nary bills. If you would like to sponsor one of our specific catsor kittens or help at the shelter, call (804) 224-1079 or visithttp://www.wendysfelinefriends.org/.

Rappahannock Big Brothers/Sisters Needs Bigs"Bigs" are needed to mentor children in the Rappahan-

nock Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. RBBBS helps childrenin need reach their potential through professionally supported1-to-1 mentoring relationships with volunteers. Sailors, Navycivilians, contractors and dependents who would like to vol-unteer their time and energy to help local children participat-ing in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program can learn moreabout Rappahannock Big Brother Big Sisters by calling 540-371-7444 or visiting www.rbbbs.org.

KGARL Needs Photography VolunteersThe King George Animal Rescue League is looking for vol-

unteers to take photos of animals at the King George CountyAnimal Shelter. The photos help promote animals in need ofrescue and are circulated weekly to promote animal adop-tions. If you are interested in a job description of this volunteerposition, contact Cathy Markwith, ccmarkwith@va.metro-cast.net.

Community Notes

ATRC Holds Command Family Picnic

Nearly 250 Aegis Training and Readiness Center(ATRC) Sailors, civilians and family memberscame to the Parade Field on Friday for ATRC'scommand family picnic. In addition to food andfun on lots of inflatables, games including a tug-of-war were part of the day. A tug-of-war camedown to a tie breaker between ATRC Chief PettyOfficers (CPOs) and Data Division for the Cap-tains Cup. The CPOs emerged victorious. TheAegis Association provided lunch for the picnic.

SAPR Leadership

Capt. Katie Maurer presents the SAPR LeadershipCourse to Navy leaders at the base theater inDahlgren on July 25. Maurer led the Master Mo-bile Training Team that came to Dahlgren as partof the CNO Task Force on Sexual Assault Preven-tion and Response. Military leadership fromDahlgren and Indian Head attended the trainingsessions.

The South Potomac PilotFriday, August 3, 2012 7Friday, August 3, 2012 7

By Andrew RevelosStaff Writer

An engineer assigned tothe Naval Surface WarfareCenter Dahlgren Division(NSWCDD) made historywhen she roared across thefinish line July 21 at the SouthBoston Speedway to becomethe first-ever female driver towin a race in the Modified Af-fordable Division (MAD).Race fans left the stands andcrowded the green to con-gratulate Lauren Edgerton,who at age 22 is also theyoungest driver yet to win arace in the inaugural seasonof MAD racing. The Chester-field, Va. native's first taste ofvictory, however, came yearsago, away from the camerasand fans, on a simple dirt go-kart track.

Polite and soft-spoken,Edgerton offers few outwardhints about the fiercely com-petitive persona that hasguided her to victories sinceshe began racing go-karts atthe age of 14. Racing stickersadorn the car Edgerton usesto make her two-hour com-mute to Dahlgren; a lug nutthat once served the number24 car of her favorite driver,Jeff Gordon, hangs on hernecklace; a ring on her fingeris engraved with the samenumber.

The quiet demeanorquickly fades when the sub-ject turns to Edgerton's lifepassion. "I just fell in lovewith racing," she said.

Edgerton never raced inany youth divisions; from dayone, her goal has been tocompete at the highest levelpossible. That meant com-peting against mostly adultsand mostly men, from thetime she raced go-karts at anunsanctioned "outlaw" tracknear her home, to racing inthe four-cylinder, front-wheel drive UCAR division atsanctioned regional tracks.She smiled as she summedup how the competitiveemotions of her sport some-times unfold in such environ-ments. "Guys don't like get-ting beat by girls," she ex-plained, "especially badlyand repeatedly."

Edgerton found successin the UCAR division in 2007,winning her first race at theage of 17. With some helpfrom her father, Rusty, Edger-ton had a promising 2008season and was namedUCAR Rookie of the Year andTrack Rookie of the Year afterwinning four races in 2009 atEast Carolina Motor Speed-way. In 2010, she won theUCAR championship atShenandoah Speedway andwas voted Sportsman of theYear by officials, and Driver ofthe Year by fellow racers. Thesuccess, however, made herand her number 24 ChevyCavalier a high-value targetfor some drivers. While theaffordability of UCAR racing

draws many to the racetrack,that affordability also makeswrecks less costly and evendesirable to some aggressiveor frustrated drivers.

Edgerton and her long-suffering Cavalier were oftenon the receiving end of suchaggression. During someraces she found it difficult tomake it through even the firstfew laps without being takenout by another driver; in atleast one instance, Edgertonremembers the offendingdriver waving and smiling toher as her car was towed offthe track. "You get a lot of stu-pid," said Edgerton of UCAR."Some people think it's dem-olition derby because it's acheaper car. Drivers wouldend up dumping you goinginto the first turn of the firstlap. That actually happenedto me two weeks in a row.Westarted running other tracksbecause totaling your car wasgetting old."

Edgerton's frustrationbought her hard-won andvaluable experiences, includ-ing the importance of hercontaining her own intensityand emotions on the track.She found herself taking morerisks when she drove angryand takes pride in racingcleanly. "I don't retaliate; Idon't take people out," shesaid. "I know some peoplelike seeing drivers taken out. Idon't like that. I like to seesomebody race for all theirworth, race clean and earn it."

For someone who doesn'thide her dislike of flying,boating and other seeminglylow-risk endeavors, Edgertonseems remarkably unfazedabout the high-speed wrecksthat are a part of her sport.She doesn't even remember

exactly how many wrecksshe's been a part of whenasked. "A lot," she said, witha not-too-subtle frown."Courtesy of Southside[Speedway] and Langley[Speedway]."

"You have your memo-rable wrecks," she added, re-calling a dustup at theFranklin County Speedway.She calmly described whathappened to her car with herhand: the gesture suggestsshe was on two wheels,Dukes of Hazzard style, andnot far from flipping. "I knewthat one was going to leave amark, but I can't rememberevery little wreck."

By age 21, Edgerton hadtransitioned to modifiedstock car racing, a muchfaster, more powerful class.Edgerton purchased her cur-rent number 7 car and

formed Illusion Racing. Withhelp from her crew chief,Mark Hunter, Edgerton fo-cused on learning how tocompete in a new type of carand of course, how to keep itin top mechanical shape, allwhile finishing her mechani-cal engineering degree fromVirginia CommonwealthUniversity and interning atNSWC DD. After graduationand accepting a full time jobat NSWC DD, Edgerton hasfallen into a routine thatwould challenge even themost thick-skinned com-muter. After driving twohours each way to and fromwork, she spends a few hoursevery night at the shop towork on her car. Weekendsare filled with race activities.

Edgerton's competitivenature bore the brunt of awinless first season in 2011 as

she learned the ins and outsof running modifieds. Whilecoworkers in Dahlgren pro-vided encouragement duringthat first season, she was notalways the picture of content-ment on Mondays, even afterachieving respectable finish-es. "I'm only going to be reallyhappy if I won," she said.

That moment finally ar-rived with her July 21 victory."I had to bring the trophyinto work to show [co-work-ers] and be happy for the firsttime on Monday morning,"she laughed.

Her victory in the secondof two MAD races held thatevening came despite or per-haps because of unusuallyslick conditions on the track.Edgerton finished sixth in thefirst race before finding hergroove in the second. Amongother factors, Edgerton cred-

ited her "great" spotter, MarkPhelps, along with a goodstart for helping her achievethe win. "It felt awesome,"she said.

Edgerton's knack for judg-ing how much she can get outof a vehicle and how muchmore damage and wear it cansustain, applies to her job atNSWCDD. There, she helpsmeasure the effectiveness ofvarious types of military ord-nance, including the damagethey cause to vehicles. Forsomeone who has racedmany miles in cars after sus-taining, for instance, a brokentie rod or radiator, the inter-section of Edgerton's workand play seems uncanny.

Edgerton's mechanicalabilities began when she builtthose her first go-karts withher dad; most recently, itcame from helping out otherteams. With years of experi-ence already under her belt,she takes the lead on her cur-rent car. "Now, I pretty muchdo everything on the car," shesaid. "I do get help [some-times] because there arethings I don't remember andthings I want to make sure Idon't forget something. Ihelped build my motor, butI'd like to get to where I canre-build them myself."

Already, Edgerton has hersights set on her next goal. "Iwould like to save up moneyand maybe be able to run aNASCAR Whelen SouthernModified," she said, referringto an exceptionally powerfulclass of car run in what maybe best described as a minorleague of NASCAR. Current-ly, Edgerton is helping outher crew chief working onsuch a vehicle to build herknowledge."

Friday, August 3, 2012 7

NSWCDD engineer makes racing history at South Boston Speedway

Photo courtesy of Lauren Edgerton

Lauren Edgerton, mechanical engineer for NSWCDD, holds her trophy highafter taking first place July 21 at the South Boston Speedway in the inaugu-ral season of Modified Affordable Division (MAD) racing. Edgerton is the firstwoman and the youngest driver to win a MAD race.

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The South Potomac Pilot8 Friday, August 3, 2012

does not fit into the stereotypical conceptionof a computer programmer. And yet, beforethe ideas of modern feminism reached themainstream, before Silicon Valley trans-formed the way the world communicates andshares information, Smith had a hands-onrole in the pioneering technology of the com-puter era. "I must have punched a million[programming] cards," she said. "It seemedthat way when you loaded cards by hand."

The rapid increase in computational pow-er witnessed through the years at Dahlgrenwas driven by the needs of various programs,such as the Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) pro-gram. That program eventually produced thePolaris, Poseidon and Trident submarine-launched missiles. Raymond Hughey headedthe FBM Geoballistics Division in Dahlgrenand was surprised to find an exhibit featuringa photo of his younger self with several co-workers, including physicist Charles Cohen.Hughey received a John Augustus DahlgrenAward for his FBM work, but reminiscedabout Cohen when he saw the display. "Hewas the greatest scientist I've ever had the for-tune to work with."

GladysWest, a retired mathematician andsatellite data analyst who worked in Dahlgrenand was one of four speakers at the ceremo-ny's panel discussion, said the exhibit madeher feel famous. "It's fantastic, magnificentand well-done," she said. "It's an honor. Itmakes you feel like you're somebody special."

Of course, West is someone special. "Themajority of my work was done analyzing satel-lite data, which in turn is used for the GlobalPositioning System (GPS)," she said. Shelaughs when she considers how far that tech-nology has come. "We have a GPS in the car."

Do West's grandchildren have any ideathat their grandma helped develop the GPS inthe car? West grinned. "I don't think they re-ally have the whole [picture] yet."

While a personal connection to Dahlgrenmay be helpful in understanding the role itsemployees played in many areas of historictechnology, Jones told the audience such aconnection it is not necessary to appreciatethe history. "You don't have to have a personalconnection [to Dahlgren], you don't have tohave lived on the base for 18 years like I did,you don't have to have a dad who workedthere for 30 years, to know that the story weare beginning to tell is a compelling story thatis going to resonate not only with those of uswho have personal connections, but all acrossthis community, all across this region, allacross this nation," said Jones. "It's a com-pelling story, the story of Dahlgren past, pres-ent and future. And the impact this incrediblebase has had on the ability of this nation to bea leader in the world, is a story we are indeedproud to tell."

Jones said he was thrilled with the exhibit

and used the occasion to make a long-await-ed announcement. "Today, in your presence,we have a very significant and meaningfulopening to celebrate in this fantastic exhibiton Dahlgren history, and particularly on therole of women the science and technology atDahlgren," he said. "So ladies and gentlemen,in your presence, as the president of theDahlgren Heritage Foundation, on the 25thday of July, 2012, I declare the Dahlgren Her-itage Museum open for business."

The crowd reacted with enthusiastic ap-plause and Jones thanked Safferstone, UMWand its president, Rick Hurley, for hosting theexhibit. "The greatest support we have fortonight has come from the University of MaryWashington," said Jones. "In the presence of[UMW] President Rick Hurley, may I say onbehalf of someone who cares about theDahlgren community, thank you for comingto Dahlgren. Thank you for making this facil-ity here not only a center for education andtraining, but as a place where groups like oursand other groups can come together andform community again."

Like many who attended the exhibit open-ing, Hurley expressed a personal connectionto the displays. "We're delighted to be able tohost the exhibit, which has a little bit of mean-ing to me because my mother was aWAVES,"he said. "Seeing the uniform brings back a lotof memories of pictures of my mom when shemet my father during World War II."

Capt. Pete Nette, commanding officer ofNaval Support Activity South Potomac(NSASP), praised the collaboration betweenthe Dahlgren Heritage Board, UMW, localleaders and museum supporters. "Since myarrival [in Dahlgren] nine months ago, I'vewatched with amazement how quickly thisteam put such a great project together in con-

junction with the supportive community, thebase and surrounding leadership," he said.

Capt. Michael Smith, commander ofNSWCDD, congratulated all whose work hasmade the dream of a Dahlgren Heritage Mu-seum possible and said his organization wasdedicated to continuing the innovative spiritfor which Dahlgren is renowned. "At NSWCin Dahlgren, we believe that there is no limitto what any our civilian employees can do.Weare committed to keel-building, to mentoringand to opportunities for continuing educa-tion and advancement. Our people are ourgreatest asset."

Panel DiscussionThe audience was treated to first-hand ac-

counts of the historic role women have playedin Dahlgren. Jones asked four current and re-tiredDahlgrenemployeesabouthowthingslikegenderandraceaffectedtheirworkonboardtheinstallation.The talents of the highly-educated,accomplished group of women professionalswho make up the panel had hands in several ofthe most famous Dahlgren programs.

Jones' first question asked the panelistswhat attracted them to a career in science andtechnology. For Dawn Murphy, a programmanager at NSWCDD and one of the pan-elists, the decision came in high school.

"Idecidedtomajorincomputersciencebe-foreIactuallysawacomputer,"saidMurphy."Iliked the technical side of it, I liked mathemat-ics, but I really didn't want to be a teacher."

Cynthia Holland, lead instrumentationengineer for the Naval Electromagnetic Rail-gun, was attracted to science and technologyat an even earlier age. "I've been into sciencesince I was a toddler, literally," she said. "I waslooking through a telescope when I was threeyears old. I was making models of dinosaursand researching their names when I was sixyears old and making presentations to roomsfull of adults. I didn't go to summer camp; Iwent to space camp. I've been a nerd my en-tire life and proud of it."

For Ann Swope, chief of staff for NSWCDD,working in a science and technology careerwas a family affair. "My entire family is scien-tists and engineers, primarily scientists," shesaid, who went into environmental science be-cause of her passion for environmental issues.While pursuing her graduate degree, Swopeaccepted an internship in Dahlgren, in part be-cause it was close to her husband's home.

Gladys West went into science and tech-nology because of her knack for those subjectsin school. "The advisors encouraged me to gointo math and science," she said, who went onto major in mathematics at college andworked as a teacher before her desire to havea government job brought her to Dahlgren.

Jones' next question was about how raceand gender affected the work of the panelists.

West, who is African-American and beganworking in Dahlgren while much of the na-

tion was segregated, offered her insight. "Itwas a state in which a lot was not spoken," shetold the audience. "Words were not said outloud, but you knew within yourself that therewere limitations to where you could eat,where you could sleep and there were limita-tions to the way you were accepted when youwould go to other places. Therefore, you sortof went along with the flow and kept it prettysafe and sound." West added that such chal-lenges did not discourage her from continu-ing her work and said she noticed improve-ments in race and gender relations by thetime she retired.

For Swope, who began her career in the1980s, working in facilities that were not de-signed to accommodate women presentedsome unique challenges. Her first assignmenttook her to a building with one bathroom anda sign on the door was flipped to designate thegender of the occupant. "It only took one tripto realize this is a men's restroom," she said,which roused a laugh from the audience. "Sofrom then on I just had to cross the street to[another] building that had two restrooms."

As late as the year 2000, Murphy foundherself in a similar situation when she workedonboard ships that often did not have femalequarters. Murphy did manage to find accom-modations in the absent admiral's quarters."I had my own head, my own room and it wasa great week."

All of the women agreed that professionalskills matter more in Dahlgren than gender.Motherhood, however, is a factor inseparablefrom the female sex, though the panelistsfound Dahlgren to be accommodating.

"Ninety percent of my challenges [at work]have nothing to do with my gender," said Hol-land. "That begs the question, what is the oth-er 10 percent? I came [to Dahlgren] with a veryyoung child. I had just given birth a fewmonths prior."

Holland was complimentary of her organ-ization and co-workers for an environmentthat is accommodating to motherhood. "Ifound my co-workers, management and fa-cilities all very supportive."

Swope, who has had three children whilein a full-time career, also found her male co-workers to be supportive. "It's been a wonder-ful career."

ForWest, an employee's skills always mat-tered more than anything else in Dahlgren."Even though I came here in 1956, so manyyears ago, I do think that's true and it was trueduring that period also. You have to standyour ground and do your work, do your thingand be part of the workforce."

Women: University of Mary Washington hosts first exhibit for Dahlgren Heritage FoundationContinued from page 1

8 Friday, August 3, 2012

Pat Smith, computer programmer, worked onboard Dahlgren from 1956-1993. She recognized her boss in this display, which also depicts the his-toric Naval Ordnance Relay Calculator (NORC).

Raymond Hughey, a retiredDahlgren employee who onceheaded the Geoballistic Division forthe Fleet Ballistic Missile program,noticed a photo of his younger selfin the exhibit. He was picturedalongside renowned Dahlgren sci-entist Charles Cohen.

The South Potomac Pilot 9Friday, August 3, 2012

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301-856-0217

CLINTON2 & 3 bdrm, TH’s.

Too many amenities to list.

301-856-0217Pick up applications

10403 Hosptial Dr., Suite 100Clinton, MD 20735

STAFF WRITERThe Enterprise newspaper in St.Mary’s County is seeking a staffwriter to cover Patuxent RiverNaval Air Station, the primary

employer in this SouthernMaryland community, as well as

the town of Leonardtown andfeature articles as assigned. Willbe expected to contribute to TheEnterprise’s twice-weekly printedition and its website, which is

updated daily. Requirementsinclude a bachelor’s degree and aminimum of two years reportingexperience. Send resume and

clips toRick Boyd at

rboyd@somdnews.com.EOE

HVAC Senior Tech& Installer

Needed for Bowie/Crofton area. Musthave at least 5 yearsexperience.

Email resumesonly (no calls):careers@Belair

Engineering.com

Gas FireplaceTech/ InstallerFor Bowie/ Crofton

area.

Email resumes only(no calls):

Careers@BelairEngineering.com

2004 SEADOO RXPsupercharged with about100 hours on it. 3 keys,2 seadoo vests with EZloader trailer with 2 litestress cracks. $5500obo. 301-399-3398

Job OpportunitiesPosition descriptions can be found at

CSC.com/Careersussearch by Requisition number.

Position at AVMI, PAX River, MD1200G1Z Quality Assurance Specialist-Position is with AVMI

but located in Pt. Mugu, CA1200D20 Engineering Technician III, Aircraft Sheet Metal Mechanic1200D23 Engineering Technician IV, Aircraft Sheet Metal Mechanic1200C68 Electronics Engineer (Aircraft Instrumentation)

Position at ATR, PAX River, MD1200FNS Engineering Technician V1200EOB Computer Systems Analyst I1200DT9 Software Engineer1200DTE Software Engineer1200EBN Engineer1200A06 Engineering Technician IV

Positions are with SURETRAK1200AEU Field Engineer Professional, Radar Specialist Electrician1200AFA System Administrator

Apply At:CSC.com/Careersus/Job Opportunities

Search by Job Requisition Number above.CSC is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Visit us online at www.csc.com

JAGUAR S TYPE 2004:3.0 L V6, 4dr,Light greenloaded w/every option$14,000 include ext warr59Kmi. 831-601-2313

Dental/MedicalAssistantTrainees

Needed NowDental/Medical

Offices now hiring.No experience?

Job Training& Placement

Assistance Available1-877-234-7706

CTO SCHEV

Pharmacy/Phlebotomy

Tech TraineesNeeded Now

Pharmacies/ hospi-tals now hiring.No experience?

Job Training& Placement

Assistance Available1-877-240-4524

CTO SCHEV

The South Potomac Pilot10 Friday, August 3, 2012

Full TimeHelp Wanted

Full TimeHelp Wanted

Full TimeHelp Wanted

S521836

The South Potomac PilotFriday, August 3, 2012 11

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The South Potomac Pilot12 Friday, August 3, 2012

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Advertise with Comprint Military Publications in our Annual Newcomers Guides!

These guides are distributed by the base/post to all visitors and those moving to the area when they arriveand sometimes even before then!

Get your advertising message out to these bases/posts and bring in new customers:

• National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD• Patuxent Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, MD• Fort Detrick, MD• Joint Base Andrews, MD• Fort Meade, MD• Indian Head NSF, MD• Naval District of Washington, DC• Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, DC• Walter Reed Army Medical Center, DC• Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall & Army at Pentagon, Arlington, VA• MCB Quantico, VA• Dahlgren NSF, VA• Fort Belvoir, VA

Online Advertising Available on www.DCMilitary.com at very affordable rates!

Sales consultants will create your ads at no charge to you and help you target the right audience for your products and services. Call yoursales consultant today and they will help you get started immediately!

No.VA/DC/Montgomery & Frederick, MD – (301) 921-2800Prince George’s, MD – (301) 731-2120Southern MD – (301) 866-6403Calvert County, MD – (301) 764-2800

How Will You Reach Military New to the Area?