Military Matters

AN ARMED FORCES NEWS SECTION

NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM FOUNDATION’S 3RD ANNUAL ONWARD & UPWARD VIRTUAL RACE TO CELEBRATE TOPGUN PILOTS AND PROGRAM

COURTESY OF NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM FOUNDATION

The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation (NAMF) will host its

3rd annual Onward & Upward Virtual Race October 1 through October 31 to celebrate the U.S. Navy’s TOPGUN pilots and program. Open to participants nationwide, the Onward & Upward Virtual Race registration portal opens October 1.

The U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, also known as TOPGUN, is an elite strike fighter air division that started in 1969 as the United States Fighter Weapons School. This program selects and trains our nation’s best strike fighter pilots, currently training in F/A-18 jets. The Navy’s TOPGUN program received worldwide recognition after the 1986 film, Top Gun, set box office records. The elite fighter jet training program gained international recognition, once again, more than 30 years later in the 2022 release of the movie sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. The Onward & Upward virtual race allows participants to choose the distance, time and place to complete the race, anytime from October 1 to October 31. Participants can register online at navalaviationfoundation.org/ virtualrace/ for the 1-mile, 5k or 10k distance run for a registration fee of $35. All participants will receive a sliding F/A-18 jet and pilot aviators race medal and a digital race bib. “Help us reach our goal of 1,400 national participants for our 3rd Annual Onward and Upward virtual race. We want our participants to celebrate our nation’s best while being active outdoors,” retired Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, president and CEO of NAMF said. “We encourage all participants to share their running courses, photos and stories on social media and remember to tag the museum to their stories.” All proceeds support the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation which helps support the National Naval Aviation Museum, National Flight Academy, DoD STARBASE and the Flight Adventure Deck —which advances STEM education for our nation’s youth. We promote the history and heritage of Naval Aviation for current and future generations.

Participants are asked to use #OnwardUpward and tag @navalaviationmuseum for all social media posts.

To register for the Onward and Upward Virtual Race, visit navalaviationfoundation.org/virtualrace/ or contact the Museum Foundation for more information at namfoffice@navalaviationmuseum.org.

MILITARYMATTERS NAVY CYBER WARRIORS SPEAK TO FUTURE CYBER WARRIORS FOR STEM STORY LIVE IN PENSACOLA

BY CTN3 RAFFAELE EBERLIN, NIOC PENSACOLA ASSISTANT PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER

On September 17 Pensacola State College hosted the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Story Live 2022 event that showcased and promoted the importance of women in STEM fields.

More than 70 guests attended the event to listen to a wide range of local guest speakers representing women in the technological workforce from both the private and government sectors. For the event, local middle school youth were invited to meet inspiring professionals, explore science exhibits and participate in hands-on workshops for students of all ages interested in the sciences.

Lt. Meagan Way, a Cyber Protection Team (CPT) Lead at Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Pensacola, represented the U.S. Navy. She spoke about her experience in the Navy and her current job at NIOC Pensacola.

“At 554 CPT, we conduct defensive cyberspace operations with a focus on defending Department of Defense information networks and improving network security. My team is made up of mostly Cryptologic Technicians who analyze network data,” Way said. “We travel to various sites around the United States as well as overseas and analyze networks using cyber tools to identify if there are malicious cyberspace actors present.”

Cmdr. Colleen Handbury, Commanding Officer, NIOC Pensacola, participated in a round table discussion, along with civilian guest speakers, with the parents of STEM students. She briefed STEM internship and scholarship opportunities offered by the Department of the Navy and Department of Defense. She also discussed the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps or NROTC Scholarship program option, which offers scholarship opportunities to more than 170 colleges and universities across the nation. “The Navy and Department of Defense offer so many opportunities for officers, enlisted service members and civilians to obtain a STEM education. It was wonderful to be able to highlight those programs to parents this afternoon,” Handbury said. “But there are also opportunities for young people to earn scholarships for a degree in one of the STEM fields which could lead to a career in the Information Warfare community, either as a Sailor or a commissioned officer.” NIOC Pensacola’s mission is to execute cyberspace operations and signals intelligence in support of Naval, Joint Forces, and National tasking authorities. For more information on NIOC Pensacola, visit the command Facebook page at facebook.com/NIOCPensacola or navifor.usff.navy.mil/nioc-pensacola/. Lt. Meagan Way stands with a group of middle school students from Pensacola. Way spoke to middle school students interested in STEM degrees about her work in the U.S. Navy at the Pensacola State College Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) at Story Live 2022 event.

An Evening of Fashion

Presented by The Women’s Board of Baptist Health Care Foundation 46thAnnual Fashion Show Oct. 27, 2022

Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center 913 South I St. 5:30 p.m. Cocktails, Silent Auction and Hors D’oeuvres 6:30 p.m. Program and Live Auction 7 p.m. Fashion Show Fashions provided by Bluetique, Gulf Coast cabi Stylists, Dillard’s, The Market & Mainly Shoes, and The South Outfitters For event updates, visit

baptisthealthcarefoundation.org

or call 850.469.7906.

Thank you to our current sponsors as of Sept. 16, 2022.

ACUMEN MEDICAL IMAGING + INTERVENTIONAL • THE AVERETT FAMILY • CINDI & DAVID BEAR • BELLA MAGAZINE BERÉ JEWELERS • CORAL BAY AT PENSACOLA • MICHAEL & CRYSTAL GLEASON • RACHAEL GILMER AND LEVIN PAPANTONIO RAFFERTY HANCOCK WHITNEY • ALLISON HOLLINGER, PLAN TO NOURISH • KIA AUTOSPORT • IN LOVING MEMORY OF JANE NOONAN PACE MARCUS E. PAUL, DMD • PARALLON • DR. BRETT & JEN SMITH • VOYA FINANCIAL • WEAR