OCEANA RECOGNIZES SAILORS OF THE QUARTER PAGE 4 VOLUME 52 NO. 32
AUGUST 9, 2012
SERVING NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA
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DAM NECK ANNEX
CHAMBERS FIELD
Feds Feed Families drive underway at Oceana, Dam Neck
INSIDEJET
BY CATHY HEIMER Jet Observer
CHANGE OF COMMAND AT NAVAL STATION
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JOHN RETURNING TO OCEANA AIR SHOW
PAGE 8 The Liberty Program will sponsor a trip to a local range for pistol qualifications on Aug. 14. Transportation departs from Oceana Great Escape and Dam Neck Oasis clubs at 4 p.m. Cost is $37. Call 433-2981 or 492-6808 for information, reservations.
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Photo by Harry Gerwien
Lt. Cmdr. Jon Biehl finally has the opportunity to hold son, Bo, 3 months old during VFA-34’s arrival back at the NAS Oceana flightline Aug. 3. Also greeting him are his wife, Stephanie and daughter Ella, 8. The “Blue Blasters” left in December for what turned out to be an eight-month deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
‘BLUE BLASTERS’ COMPLETE EIGHT MONTH, AROUND THE WORLD DEPLOYMENT BY LT. TIMOTHY E. BREEN VFA-34 Public Affairs Aviators from the “Blue Blasters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34 aircraft returned to NAS Oceana Aug. 3, while the rest of the squadron pulled into Norfolk aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Aug. 7, after a combat deployment, assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2. While on cruise, the Blasters took an around-the-world journey, departing from San Diego and safely returned to their East Coast home as Lincoln prepares for an overhaul at the Newport News Shipbuilding. The Blasters embarked aboard Abraham Lin-
coln and departed in early December 2011 on an expected five-month deployment. Given the increased tensions in the Arabian Gulf and the continuing mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), VFA-34 along with the rest of CVW-2 rose to the challenge when asked to extend their presence twice, increasing their deployment to eight months. VFA-34’s mission and motto is to achieve “Victory in Combat,” which is precisely what the officers and Sailors were dedicated to achieving. “We supported OEF by loading up 10 combat ready aircraft that were fully mission capable of dropping precision guided munitions — See VFA-34, Page 9
Oceana and Dam Neck personnel are stepping up to the plate during the Feds Feed Families food drive to make sure less fortunate Hampton Roads residents don’t go hungry this summer. In just three short weeks, nearly 6,000 pounds of food and several cash donations have been collected at NAS Oceana and Dam Neck Annex for the annual Department of Defense food drive, which runs through Aug. 31. “Last year, we received an outstanding response from our local Navy institutions and federal employees, helping us get through the challenging summer months.We hope to build on their efforts this year to serve even more families in need,” explained Abby Weber, food and fund drive coordinator for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, in an email. Although CINC announced on Aug. 1 that naval installations have exceeded their goal of 396,000 pounds for the entire three month campaign,every item collected is still needed by local food banks and pantries which distribute to those in need. Nonperishable foods of all types are urgently needed, along with hygiene supplies such as toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and more. The need is particularly great during the summer months, when donations are typically lower than the holidays.According to the Foodbank of Southeaster Virginia’s website, more than 80,400 youth are eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program at their schools within their service area. During the summer,many of those parents struggle with being able to provide the nutritious meals kids received in school. “It’s the holidays when people have food the — See Feds Feed Families, Page 7