3 minute read
Historical Society
Helo on a Stick
By CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) LTM-#46, R-16213 President
NHAHS had a very successful experience at the 2021 NHA Symposium at the Viejas Casino and Resort. The Historical Society manned a booth near the Symposium Registration Desk and enjoyed the large number of members that visited. We provided several people with their Helicopter Pilot Designation Numbers for those who didn’t know or had forgotten it and we spent a lot of time talking about the CDR Clyde E. Lassen, USN (Ret.) Memorial SH-60F Display Aircraft/”Helicopter on a Stick” Project at the NBC/ NASNI Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN (Ret.) Main Gate. We collected donations toward the project and met some people who were involved with putting the A-4 Skyhawk on the stick. As a result, we learned more about NAVFAC and their role to get these kind of projects accomplished. If you are interested in making a donation toward the project click on the link below for more information https://sh60fhoas. navalhelicopterassociation.org/make-a-donation-today.
NHAHS was also involved with the Opportunity Gift Basket Drawing to help raise funds for both the Scholarship Fund and Historical Society. Both organizations would like to thank Katherine Gillcrist and all the people that assisted her with the project: Rene Murphy, Molly Personius, Debbie Nelson and Linda Vydra. Thank you ladies for all your hard work and thank you to all those who participated in the fund raiser. The ladies raised over $3K for the Scholarship Fund and Historical Society.
Our next project involved coordinating a Base Community Service Project with the Chief Selects to wash the aircraft at Flag Circle. This work is tied to the Lassen SH-60F and is part of an on-going agreement with the base where USS Midway Museum and NHA will assist with the upkeep and maintenance of the aircraft on the base “in kind consideration” for authorization to place the SH-60F at the Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN (Ret.) Main Gate. As USS Midway and NHA are both Non-Federal Entities (NFEs), this support was viewed as an opportunity for both organizations to give back for providing NHA office space and Midway's rework and restoration facility, Hangar 805 aboard the base.
NHA will coordinate (remind the custodians) of the quarterly inspections of the aircraft and help put together a plan to execute the wash jobs twice a year. The first cooperative wash job was a base-wide community service project on Saturday November 13 and was supported by the Chief Selects. The hope is that this effort will become routine each year with volunteers accomplishing the work in the Spring and the Chief Selects doing the work in the Fall during and around the Veterans Day long weekend.
NHAHS and NHASF also hosted a successful Charity Golf Tournament on October 9 at the Admiral Baker North Course the day after the NHA Symposium concluded. Everyone had a great time and it was a beautiful day. The Air Boss, VADM Ken Whitesell, USN along with our new NHA Chairman, RADM Dan Fillion, USN (Ret.), joined a host of folks from across the base. Two JOs from the Eightballers of HSC-8 played along to keep the Admirals out of trouble. The teams had a great lunch of grilled chicken and pulled pork to include all the fixings following the outing and there were some very nice prizes awarded to the winners.
First Place The Veterans Golf Association Ben Bushong Tyler Galleher Scott Hall Lance Beyerle
Second Place BOTEC Boyz Knight Hammock Ross Hertzler Casey Keilty Taylor Klein
Third Place Screamin Indians Chad Alvarez Erik Bergstom Ryan Mathieson Connor Tallman
L to R – LT Matt Whitford, USN HSC-8, RADM Dan Fillion, USN (Ret.), VADM Ken Whitesell, USN, and LT Reid Toombs, USN, HSC-8
L to R – LT Matt Whitford, USN HSC-8, RADM Dan Fillion, USN (Ret.), VADM Ken Whitesell, USN, and LT Reid Toombs, USN, HSC-8
Computer Rendition of NASNI Stockdale Entrance with SH-60F on a Pedestal
