www.flagshipnews.com | The Flagship | Section 1 | Thursday, July 28, 2022 1
IN THIS ISSUE USS Whidbey Island decommissions
The ship’s decommissioning ceremony was held on the quay wall, alongside the moored USS Whidbey Island. The ceremony was attended by nine of her previous Commanding Officers and over 50 plankowners. Page 3
VOL. 29, NO. 29, Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com
July 28-August 3, 2022
ODU grad becomes first woman to join Navy’s Blue Angels flight squadron
Navy broadens rules for sexual assault victims seeking restricted reports
Associated Press
By Alison Bath Stars and Stripes
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels have named the first woman as a demonstration pilot for the 2023 air show season. Women have served with the Blue Angels in other capacities for more than 55 years, but Lt. Amanda Lee, of Mounds View, Minnesota, is the first to join the iconic flight squadron as a pilot, the Navy said. Lee, a member of the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron 106, graduated from Old Dominion University in 2013, the Blue Angels said Monday in a Facebook post announcing the new team. “We had an overwhelming number of applicants from all over the globe this year,” said Capt. Brian Kesselring, the squadron’s commanding officer and flight leader. “We look forward to training our fantastic new team members, passing on the torch, and watching the incredible things this team will accomplish in 2023.” The Blue Angels also named five other new members of the team based at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, including pilots Navy Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Zimmerman, of Baltimore, Maryland and Marine Corps Capt. Samuel Petko of Osceola, Indiana. Lt. Cmdr. Brian Vaught, of Englewood, Colorado, was named events coordinator. Lt. Cmdr. Greg Jones, of Cary, North Carolina, will be an aviation maintenance officer and Lt. Philippe Warren, of Williamsburg, Virginia, is the new flight surgeon. The new team members will report to the squadron in September for a two-month turnover period. Once the 2022 show season concludes in November, they will embark on a rigorous five-month training program at NAS Pensacola and Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif. The team’s mission is to showcase the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach.
The Navy is broadening some rules related to sexual assault reporting and victim requests for transfers to align with Defense Department policy, the service said Tuesday. Sexual assault victims now may request a restricted, or confidential, report even if they’ve told their commanding officer or others in their chain of command that they were sexually assaulted, the Navy announced in an administrative order. Commanding officers who have received a request from a sexual assault victim for an expedited transfer to another unit or base now have five days, up from three days, to consider the request. Both changes are effective immediately, the Navy said. Restricted reports allow victims to tell certain people, such as a health care provider or sexual assault response coordinator, or SARC, about a sexual assault without triggering an official investigation or notification of their chain of command. The idea is to give victims the ability to get medical, advocacy and legal help while they consider whether to file an unrestricted report, which requires an investigation and command notification, according to the Defense Department’s sexual assault prevention and response website. The change does not affect other elements of restricted reporting, such as ineligibility for a military protective order or expedited transfer, the Navy said. Victims who reported a sexual assault to military criminal investigators, a SARC or a victim advocate and signed a victim reporting preference statement cannot change to a restricted report, the Navy said. Tuesday’s order follows other changes the service announced late last month designed to make reporting sexual assaults easier and keep victims seeking care from falling through the cracks. In September, the Pentagon announced a plan to address sexual assault and harassment in the military. Establishing special-victim prosecutors, creating a full-time and specialized sexual assault prevention workforce and hiring full-time sexual assault response coordinators and victim advocates are among top priorities, the Pentagon said. Work on those priorities already was underway, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said at the time, but it’s unclear when those initiatives will be in place.
The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels flying squadron has named a woman as a demonstration pilot for the first time. Lt. Amanda Lee, of Mounds View, Minnesota, was announced Monday, July 18, 2022, as a pilot assigned to the the “Gladiators”of Strike Fighter Squadron 106. She is a 2013 graduate of Old Dominion University, the Blue Angels said in a Facebook post announcing its 2023 officer selections. (CHIEF PETTY OFFICER PAUL ARCHER/AP)
988: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline hotline quick-dial option now live By 1st. Lt. Amelia Leonard
66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFNS) — The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline hotline is launching a new quick-dial option nationwide starting July 16. Anyone located within the United States can call or text 9-8-8 any time of day, seven days a week to receive support for suicidal, mental health, and substance use crisis. The line will connect callers to trained crisis counselors. People can also call or text 9-8-8 if worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. “What we want to do is make it as easy as possible for someone to reach help when they need it,” said Colleen Carr, director of the National Action Alliance for Suicide
Prevention, in a 2022 interview. “It’s not a new network being established. It’s a new way to access that network in a way that’s easier to remember.” According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, callers will be routed to a local crisis center based on their area code. A local, trained counselor will listen, provide support and share resources, if needed. If there is no one available at a local crisis center, the caller will be re-routed to a national center for assistance. If needed, the counselor on the call can activate a local mobile mental health crisis team to be dispatched to the caller to provide therapeutic interventions and make referrals for outpatient services or transportation for further evaluation, according to SAMHSA. In the U.S., 45,979 people died by suicide in
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Capt. Matthew Riethmiller relieved Capt. Tres Meek as commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic during a Change of Command ceremony held on July 20, 2022. PAGE A2
(U.S. AIR FORCE GRAPHIC BY DAVID PERRY)
2020. That is an average of one person every 11 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Additionally, 12.2 million adults thought about suicide, 3.2 million adults planned to die by suicide, and 1.2 million adults attempted suicide.
The creation of 9-8-8 not only helps everyone living in America, but it also has the potential to make a significant impact on the active military and veteran community. Turn to 988: Help is at hand, Page 5
MyNavy Coaching team visits USS GW
The coaching workshops explored utilizing peer-to-peer coaching to enhance the development of Sailors both for personal and professional growth.
PAGE A2
Black Flag weather warnings
It’s July in coastal Virginia and the “black flag”heat index warnings have been on the rise. But what does that mean for military members and employees on naval installations? PAGE A5
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