vp-45 combat air crew 12 returns - the florida...
TRANSCRIPT
4 JAX AIR NEWS,NAS JACKSONVILLE, Thursday, June 19, 2008
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ByLt.j.g.CalLarwoodVP-45PublicAffairsOfficer
Soon after returning home from their most recent deployment, the VP-45 “Pelicans” were requested to support Sixth Fleet by sending a P-3C Orion on
a 75-day mission to NAS Sigonella, Italy.Under the leadership of patrol plane commander Lt.
John Houston and mission commander Lt. Cale Johnson, Combat Air Crew 12 (CAC-12) was comprised of Lt. Ed Fong, Lt.j.g.Cal Larwood, Lt.j.g. Justin Rogers, AMC Hector Salazar, AW1 Mickey Ward, AW2 Brandon Wakefield, AW2 Karl Krueger, AT2 Chad Hartley, and AT3 David Lollar.
CAC-12 flew to Dakar, Senegal to provide a U.S. mili-tary presence at the 11th Organization of the Islamic Conference Summit. This two-day summit in March, attended by many Islamic nations, was an important step to securing a peaceful future in the Middle East. Some
CAC-12 members visited the airport’s air traffic control-lers to better understand the unique airspace of Dakar. The crew also welcomed Senegal navy sailors and air force pilots as guests aboard their P-3 on a coordinated mission with a Senegalese naval vessel. This surface-to-air coordi-nation was an important step in Senegal’s continued prog-ress towards interoperability with U.S. and allied forces.
In April, CAC-12 was deployed to RAF Kinloss, Scotland to participate in Exercise Joint Warrior which included participants from the Royal Air Force, New Zealand Air Force, and French Air Force. CAC-12 gained valuable multi-national task group experience by flying anti-sub-marine warfare missions in the exercise. The crew also visited Scotland’s legendary Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. Shortly thereafter, the crew returned to Sigonella to complete their deployment.
In other news, the Pelicans are proud to welcome pilot Lt.j.g. Chris Dixon back to NAS Jacksonville after a six-
week tour in Iraq.Squadron members will miss IT2 Miguel Bonilla, who
volunteered for a 12-month individual augmentee billet in Afghanistan.
Mission accomplished
VP-45 Combat Air Crew 12 returns
PhotobyVictorPittsEllsworthBeverly,ahydrauliccomponentaircraftmechanic(right),discussestorqueofahydraulicdriveunitmotorwithmembersoftheSpanishAirForceduringtheirrecenttourofFleetReadinessCenterSoutheast.Theofficerswereintownforthe37thSpanishAirForceInternationalLogisticsSupportmeeting.
Spanish Air Force visit