FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
EYE ON THE FLEET
PHILIPPINE SEA
VOL. 16 NO. 43
WWW.CNIC.NAVY.MIL/KEYWEST
Ospreys nest in Key West Navy Aircrewmen assigned to the ‘Golden Falcons’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 inspect a fuel sample on the flight deck of the forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) during Keen Sword 17 (KS17). U.S. Navy photo by PO2 Kevin Cunningham
inside: NEW CHAPLAIN Who is he? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 THE POLE Osprey nesting site . . . . . . . 3
NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, FLORIDA
GRIM REAPERS IN KEY WEST
BY PO2 CODY BABIN Southernmost Flyer
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t’s Nesting season and the osprey are back, but their nesting areas are down. Naval Air Station Key West’s Public Works Department became concerned because they found that the osprey had started nesting on a nearby powerline. Osprey nests are built of sticks and lined with bark and are high up in the air according to allaboutbirds. org. Ospreys can end up see OSPREY page 3
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U.S. Navy photo by PO2 Cody Babin
n F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, based at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, takes off at Naval Air Station Key West’s Boca Chica Field Wednesday. VFA-101 is at NAS Key West to train and qualify F-35C aircrew and maintenance professionals to operate safely and effectively as part of a Carrier Strike Group at sea.
AVIATION What is at the terminal? . . 4
Navy celebrates 2016 American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month
FANTASY FEST MWD helps out. . . . . . . . . . . . 5
FROM CHIEF OF NAVAL PERSONNEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS
REMINDER! Dont forget to set clocks back an hour on Sunday.
he Navy joins the nation in celebrating American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage throughout the month of November. This year’s theme, “Serving our Nations,” represents American Indians and Alaska Natives, both civilian and military, as U.S. citizens and citizens of their tribes. Today, National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month is celebrated to recognize
TOP OF PAGE ONE: An EA-18G Growler, assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141, takes off from the flight deck of the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).
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the intertribal cultures of Native Americans and to inform the public of the rich heritage, history, and traditions of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. More than 9,000 Sailors and 2,000 civilians of American Indian and Alaska Native heritage serve in the Navy. According to the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, 565 federallyrecognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives reside in the United States, composed of nearly 4.5 million American Indians and Alaska Natives, or 1.5 percent of
the nation’s population. American Indians and Alaskan Natives have served honorably in the United States Navy for more than 200 years. During the 20th century, three Sailors of American Indian heritage received the Medal of Honor -- including Navy Cmdr. Ernest E. Evans, of Cherokee and Creek ancestry, who was awarded the medal posthumously for his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf while commanding destroyer USS Johnston (DD 557) Oct. 25, 1944. PO1 James Elliot Williams, a
South Carolina Cherokee, received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions as a river patrol boat commander in South Vietnam’s Mekong Delta Oct. 31, 1966. He is the most decorated enlisted Sailor in Navy history. In December 2004, guidedmissile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) was commissioned and named after Williams. Lt. Michael Edwin Thorton, a South Carolina Cherokee, received the Medal of Honor for his heroic action as a petty officer second see NATIVE page 4