Special Re-Up Medal of Honor Corpsman Gives Oath Page 6 *Families' Joy More Reunion Photos OfVP-5 & VP-8 Pages 4-5 Hangar 511 A Special Section Inside This Issue www.jaxairnews.com ~~IEI C o) ,1 i? UN^r 0 _____ ID0 (0 d (0 '. Q' 0)'- *1: i', - - " o�.J ,U " 'r N'W^^^^^^ ^^^^^ l .0. Photos by Kaylee LaRocque e of VP-5's deployment arrives home at NAS Jacksonville June 10. VP-5 returns from Okinawa and El Salvador By Ltj.g. Kenny Relethford and Lt. j.g. Jason Bruce VP-5 A after their six-month deploy- ment to Kadena Air Force Base .in Okinawa, Japan and to a for- ward operating locationt Comalapa Air Base, El Salvador, the "Mad Foxes" of VP-5 began their transition home June 1. VP-5's split-site deployment supported Pacific Command (PACOM) operations in the Western Pacific while simultane- ously supporting Southern Command operations in the Caribbean and South America. While deployed, the squadron conduct- ed joint and combined military exercises, sent their combat aircrews to multiple PACOM detachment sites and contrib- uted to the local communities that hosted them. The Mad Foxes Maintenance Department proved flexible by conducting an organizational restructuring during the early part of this intensive deploy- ment. With more than 1,030 mishap- free flights consisting of more than 4,150 hours, the squadron demonstrated their ability to accomplish the diverse warfare missions of the P-3 Orion worldwide. Mad Foxes in 7th Fleet VP-5 hit the deck running at Kadena AFB by immediately demonstrating the expeditionary nature of the P-3C Orion by sending a combat aircrew to participate in Cobra Gold, a coordinated exercise with the Thailand Air Force and USS Essex (LHD-2). The Mad Foxes also supported the USS 'John C. Stennis (CVN-74) barrier Strike Group on several occasions. During an undersea warfare exercise, the squadron AWFC Tommy Ceparano of the VP-5 "Mad Foxes" happily greets his 4-year-old son, Charlie, after returning home from a six- month deployment. was joined by P-3C Orions from VP-47, VP-40, VP-8 and VP-9 to fly multiple sor- ties where they operated in concert with U.S. Navy assets and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ships and aircraft. Several detachments were conduct- ed to the U.S. territory of Guam.. One participated in improved extended echo ranging exercises along with search and rescue (SAR) efforts with the U.S.' Coast Guard. Another assisted the Palauan Coast Guard and Australian Navy in combating illegal fishing in the vast area between Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. Two separate detachments were sent to the Philippines for training exercises and missions supporting the global war on ter- rorism, as well as SAR assignments.. Another detachment visited Pohang, South Korea for Foal Eagle 2009, an annual combined exercise with the Republic of South Korea Navy that rein- forces U.S. and South Korean readi- ness to discourage conflict on the Korea Peninsula. A favorite detachment for many Mad Foxes was'an exercise with the 11th Squadron Shepherds of the Royal See VP-9, Page 4 ~' V*OL.. 6 O i24* JCSOVLEFA Photos by AWVAN Scott Beach VP-8 Sailors stand in formation during a special welcome-home ceremony for the squadron and their families at Hangar 511 June 10. VP-8 transferred from NAS Brunswick, Maine, as part of the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission's decision to close the base. VP-8 'Fighting Tigers' write new chapter in squadron history By Lt. j.g Donald Lauderdale , . VP-8 PAO , d d e.. : -.-.'.... i' , J mune 10 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the 66-year history of VP-8 when the squadron's last P- 3C arrived at NAS Jacksonville from the Middle East. The crew included "Fighting Tigers" Commanding Officer Cmdr. Sean Liedman. They were welcomed by Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Eleven Capt. Kyle Cozad, Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Five Capt. Jim Hoke, and NAS Jax Commanding Officer Capt. Jack Scorby Jr. at a special ceremony held at their new home in Hangar 511. The 'Fighting Tiger's skipper and his, crew were met by squadron members, families, friends, local dignitaries and base employees who gathered to officially welcome them to their new home. "On this last deployment, you raised the bar. You made a difference. You went to some of the world's most dangerous places and supported our warfighters," said Hoke. . "As we saw with the Maersk Alabama situation, when there were things that The last P-3C Orion from VP-8 flown by commanding officer Cmdr. Sean Liedman arrives at its new homebase after a six- month deployment to the Middle East. had to be done in theater, the Tigers were the first to be called. Today is kind of bit- tersweet for me because this is the begin- ning of the end of CPRW-5 and squadrons at NAS Brunswick. This is the fifth time See VP-8, Page 5 Yorktown Ave. traffic cones goi Photo by AWVAN Scott Beach The placement of traffic cones during the morning and after- noon rush hours by NAS Jax Security personnel can be a dan- gerous undertaking. A message from Capt. Jack Scorby Jr. NAS Jax Commanding Officer S hipmates: On Monday, June 29, the traf- fic cones will Ao longer be placed on Yorktown Avenue. Placement of cones on Yorktown was begun several years ago to help remind drivers of the lane configuration. Although they initially reduced afternoon accidents, they have also caused confusion as to what to follow: the lane control lights or the traffic cones. In some cases, this has now resulted in accidents and near misses. It is imperative to note that THE PLACEMENT OF TRAFFIC CONES BY SECURITY ALWAYS TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER LANE CONTROL LIGHTS, PER FLORIDA DRIVING LAW. Additionally, the placement of the cones by security personnel on Yorktown, is in and of itself, a dan- gerous undertaking. A recent mishap where a car hit the security vehicle while the cones were being placed, highlighted this issue. The traffic lanes are reconfigured each day to accommodate our peak traffic periods. The normal traffic pattern is two lanes in and two lanes out. However, in the morning, the pat- tern is three lanes in beginning at 0345 and ending at 0815. In the afternoon, the pattern revers- es to three lanes out beginning at 1345 and ending at 1700. The normal traffic pattern of two lanes in and two lanes out takes place at all other times including weekends and holidays. A lane transition peri- od allows for a smooth changing of the lane lights. When changing from the two in and two out pattern, the lane to be cleared always changes from a green arrow to either a yellow arrow, or the entire light may turn yellow and show a "spot" depending upon ng away the model of the lane light. THIS IS YOUR FIRST WARNING that a lane is changing and this pattern lasts approximately four minutes. After that, the yellow arrow/spot changes to a red X and THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING. Thus, there will now be a red X on both sides for that one lane changing patterns for another four minutes. After this, the lane light for the direction of travel now allowing cars will change from a red X to a green arrow for that lane direction. These times are necessary so in case you catch a red light, and the traffic pat- tern changes, you still have time to move over once the traffic light chang- es. That said, DO NOT WAIT FOR THE LIGHT TO TURN RED BEFORE YOU CHANGE LANES. The yel- low light should alert you that it is now time to move over to a lane with See TRAFFIC, Page 8 TOUCHING NAS Jax Freedom Lanes Free NASCAR VIP Trip July 3 B AE 80 Days of Summer Bowling VFW Hospitality Chalet & Pit Tours Now though Sept. 6 Sign up by June 26 at Liberty Cove B A SE - Register for exciting prize drawings Recreation Center