tester 031215

Womenof InfluencePage 2

HarriersGo DigitalPage 4

70 years at NavalTest Pilot SchoolPage 8

Vol. 72, No. 10 Celebrating 71 Years of Community Partnership March 12, 2015

TESTERNaval Air Station Patuxent River

ByDonnaCipolloniNAS Patuxent RiverPublic Affairs

Master-at-Arms 1st ClassMatthew Ellis not only believesit’s OK for service members toseek financial assistance fromthe Navy-Marine Corps ReliefSociety (NMCRS) when theyneed it, he believes it’s the bestdecision they can possiblymake.Offered the opportunity

to speak in anonymity, Ellis,with Air Fleet ReconnaissanceSquadron(VQ)4,chose tosharehis personal experiences withNMCRS because he wants oth-er Sailors and Marines to knowthere is nothing to be ashamedof when a little help is requiredto get over the hurdle of an un-expected expense.Ellis first used the organiza-

tion’s services about four yearsago, when after a PCS, or per-manent change of station, tookhim and his wife, Diana —whowas pregnant at the time — toRota, Spain.The couple had to pay more

than expected to get there andlived theirfirst 10days inaNavyLodge. With no money for gro-ceries, they went to NMCRS fora Quick Assist Loan until pay-day.“No one judges you, no

questionswereaskedand itwasquick and easy,” Ellis said.Thepurposeof theQuickAs-

sist Loan is to combat servicemembers turning to predatorylenders with ridiculously highinterest rates, noted MaureenFarrell, director of the NMCRSoffice atNASPatuxent River.“Active-duty service mem-

bers can get an interest-freeloan up to $500 in just 15 min-utes or less with their LES andID card in hand,” she said. “It’sthat simple.”Recently, the Ellises had oc-

casion to visitNMCRSagain.At Pax River about a year,

they purchased a home andused their savings for the downpayment and other expensesrelated to closing. Additionalunexpected house repairs tooktheir emergency fund and, be-

fore they could replenish theirnest egg, the hot water heatergave out and their car brokedown.“It’s not like we didn’t have

a savings plan,” Ellis said, “butsometimes the backup planfails, too, when the unexpectedhappens.”This time, the loan amount

of more than $1,000, requiredsome paperwork — such aswritten repair estimates andthe preparation of a personalbudget.“They work with you based

onhowmuch income youhaveleft over after you pay your billsand that’s how they determineyour specific monthly pay-ment,” Ellis said. “Other lendersdon’t askwhat you can afford topay back. And you only repaythe loan amount, not one pen-nymore.”Anyone receiving relief from

NMCRS need not worry abouttheir situation becoming publicknowledge or being reported totheir command.“We take confidentiality very

seriously and our clients’ busi-ness stays in this office,” Farrellsaid. “We do not release any in-formation without the servicemember’s permission.”The Ellises believe so much

in the NMCRS mission that,back in Spain, Diana volun-teered her time andworked herway up to coordinating all ofthat office’s 84 volunteers. HereatPax,herhusband is servingashis command’s Key Represen-tative for this year’s fundraiser,which runs throughApril 6.

The couple wants other ser-vice members to get past thestigma and realize how benefi-cial NMCRS can be, especiallywith its volunteers who under-stand themilitary lifestyle.“It’s by far the best decision

you can make over seekingloans elsewhere with big in-terest payments that can ruinyour credit,” Ellis said. “Andthe volunteers in the office areus — military spouses, retirees,veterans. They understand, andthat’swhy they care.”

Interest-free loans from NMCRSSailor encourages others to make the right decision

By the numbers in 2014NAS Patuxent River Navywide

13 Volunteers 4,000

1 Combat Casualty Assistance 52Visiting Nurse

98 Moms and dads attended a 8,153Budget for Babyworkshop

60 Gift bagswith handmade 6,157blankets and other items

provided to expectant parents

400 Home visits and other contacts 39,430to provide CombatCasualty Assistance

101 Home visits and other contacts 23,384withmothers and newborns,elderly retirees, widows

andwidowers

257 Individual clients 63,800

$196,620 Total assistance $48.5 million

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Services•No-interestQuickAssist Loans up to $500• Interest-free loans andgrants for emergency andunexpected needs•Assistance for familymembers for undergraduateeducation•Budget counseling and financial educationThePaxRiverNMCRSoffice is temporarily located inBuilding 409, 2nd floor. Hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.,Mondaythrough Thursday. Formore information, visit “http://www.nmcrs.org”www.nmcrs.org, phone301-342-4739or [email protected].

U.S. Navy photo by Shawn Graham

Capt. Heidi Fleming, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer, provides remarks during the 2015 Active Duty Fund Drive Kick-Off eventMarch 4. The fund drive will be held through April 6. To donate online, visit www.nmcrsfunddrive.org/paxriver. Servicemembers can donate via allotment; see your command’s representative for details. To locate your command representative, callMaureen Farrell at 301-342-4749.

Building 409sidewalkworkRoadwork andsidewalk andcurb repair atBuilding 409is expected toclose the frontparking lotand the sidedrive betweenbuildings 409and 480 begin-ning March 30.To minimizeimpact, workwill be done inthree phasesand should becompleted inMay. Only twoentrance doorswill be open ata time. All workis dependenton weather andthe schedulecould change.

2 Thursday, March 12, 2015Tester

THE SCORE KEEPERCapt. Nora BurghardtProgram ManagerAircrew Systems Program Office (PMA-202)

Asbookkeeper and statistician for StMary’sRykenHigh School girls’ basketball team and the ChosenFew AAU basketball team, Burghardt travels to allgames, maintaining the score book, taking stats andproviding analysis for games and players. This anal-ysis contributes to coach game plans and providesvaluable recruiting information. Burghardt is alsoa mother of four daughters — an Air Force main-tenance officer; a logistician with the Navy’s MH-60R/S Multi-Mission Helicopter Program Office; apharmacy technician; and a high school senior.

THE VANGUARDCam DonohueAirborne Spacing forTerminal Area Routes (ASTARS)Flight Demonstration Program Manager and Air-borne Systems Flight SupportU.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS)

Whether it’s advancing the USNTPS curriculumthrough development of innovative System of Sys-tems testing, or launching a local nonprofit, Dono-hue is passionate about enhancing her professionalcommunity. Her nonprofit, STEM-ING, includesmorethan 100 volunteers, who encourage middle- andhigh-school girls to pursue science, technology, en-gineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. She doesall this, and more, while pursuing a master’s degree innational strategic studies.

THE ACTIVISTJackie HeinerUH-1Y Principal Deputy Assistant Product Managerfor LogisticsU.S.Marine Corps H-1 Light/Attack Helicopters Pro-gram Office (PMA-276)

An active member of NAVAIR’s Women’s Advi-sory Group and a professional mentor, Heiner en-sures the command’s workforce is educated about amother’s right to lactate at work. She has promotedlactation law awareness as part of NAVAIR’s su-pervisory training. Away from work, Heiner serveson a ministry team at her church and supports Ti-ara Troopers, an after-school girl’s running club atCarver Elementary School in Lexington Park, Md.She is also a recruiter for the Naval Acquisition De-velopment Program.

THE CHANGE AGENTAdrienne SomervilleCommunity Management Program ManagerCommand Strategies, Force Planning and Analysis De-partment, Corporate Operations

Founder of the Carolyn E. Parker Foundation, Somer-ville established the nonprofit with the ethos “The el-derly will be supported, the youth will be educated, thehungry will be fed, the unclothed will be covered, andthe impoverished will be restored.” She supports SpringRidge Middle School’s Young Girls Empowerment Clubby delivering afternoon meals, providing mentorship,hosting college/career panels and conducting visionboard workshops to broaden theminds of today’s youth.

THE CHALLENGERLisa NyalkoDeputy Program Executive OfficerProgram Executive Office forTactical Aircraft (PEO(T))

With a background in engineering, Senior ExecutiveService member Nyalko has amassed many awards overher 28-year career. Rather than allow the accolades orher SES rank to define her legacy, Nyalko says one of herprofessional footprints will be her penchant for chal-lenging the acquisition status quo.When it comes to ac-quisition planning, “don’t just pick up the same sourceselection plan and copy it,” she says. “Think about yourrequirements. It makes execution easier.”

Women of Influence How Pax professionalsare making a difference

(Second of a four-part series for Women’s HistoryMonth)

In last week’s Tester, we introduced youto 10 NAS Patuxent River women whoare making a difference in theircommunities. This week, meet five more.

Meet more Women ofInfluence in next week’sissue of Tester.

CREDITS:

Written by Paula A. Paige

Emily Strotman

GaryYounger

U.S. Navy photos by Kelly Schindler

Adam Skoczylas

Steve Kays

By JimWalshNAS Patuxent River Fleetand Family Support Center

Investing for your re-tirement is one of the mostimportant actions you canmake for your long term fi-nancial and mental health.Even if you receive a mili-tary pension, it still may notbe enough to retire with thestandard of living you desire.TheThrift Saving Plan (TSP) isone of those tools available tothe military and civilian gov-ernment workforce that canhelp you support the lifestyleyouwish.Here are somehigh-lights of the program.• Simplicity - Five core invest-ment options.• Diversification — Four ofthose five options give expo-sure to the entire U.S. stockmarket, most of the interna-tional stock market, and theU.S. aggregate bondmarket.• A special government fund(G) that yields longer termbond returnswithout any lossof principal.• Lifecycle funds that own allfive core investments, rebal-

ance automatically, and be-come more conservative overtime — all for no additionalcosts.• Ultra low costs

It is the last bullet onwhichI would like to focus. Youmaycontribute to retirement sav-ings for 20-30 years, and thendraw on those funds another20+ years once retired. It’sfeasible that you won’t usethe last dollars from retire-ment savings for another30-50 years. Fees charged formanaging your savings, espe-cially over a long period, havea significant impact that isimportant for you to consider.

The TSP plan participantends up with a nest egg worthnearly $75,000 more, not byadding another dime, but bylower fees; imagines thedispar-ity in savings if we consideredmore expensive managementfees than the modest 1% usedin this example. Ask yourself,what services are you receivingfor those higher costs year afteryear and more importantly areyouactivelyusing the service tojustify the costs.

The administrative feescharged by TPS are often halfor less of what most privatesector funds charge to main-tain your accounts. Thereare many retirement andinvesting options for mem-bers of the military and civil-ian employees of the FederalGovernment. Careful consid-

eration must be taken whenchoosing the right options foreach individual basedon theirown circumstances.

Have a financial ques-tion? Submit financial ques-tions to [email protected] and include “Mon-ey Talk Question” in the sub-ject line.

Thursday, March 12, 2015 3Tester

U.S. Navy illustration by Shawn Graham

The cost of saving money• Have a non-urgent question for the doctor and unsure

how to get it answered easily?

• Want a medication renewal and hoping to avoid a trip?

• Now it’s possible to use email to do all of this and more!

• Sign up for Relay Health to securely email the care

teams at Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River. https://app.

relayhealth.com/RegistrationV2.aspx

Relay Health

As of March 6

Intramural bowling leagueWSI 63-21Big ten 51-33Sky cops 49-35Gutter trash 45-39Goat locker 45-39Hang em high 42-42Gutter clutter 39-45Rollin’ thunder 37-47High-n-low 36-48Ten pin mafia 35-49On a whim 34-50Spare time 28-56

Graybeard basketball leagueSocial security 10-0River dawgs 6-3W.W.D. 5-3Loggies 5-5A/O 1-8MAG-49 1-9

Intramural basketball leagueMonday / Wednesday divisionGrind time 9-0Ballsohardu 6-3Maryland elite 5-4Team America 3-7Tigers 0-9Tuesday / Thursday division#Swag 9-0VX-1 4-5MAG-49 3-7Health clinic 3-7

Intramural volleyball leagueMonday / Wednesday divisionHeavy hitters 31-5Sloppy sets 23-13SRR 17-19ASTC 1-35Tuesday / Thursday divisionBrew crew 21-3Victorious secrets 20-4Kimosabi 19-8STK 15-9GBOF 12-15Pioneers 3-24NHC 0-27

SCOREBOARDIllustrated below are the fee amounts accumulated

by a TSP plan participant paying 0.029% a year, ver-sus a company managing my retirement savings andcharging 1% a year (assuming 7% annualized return on$5,000 annual contribution over 30 years.Fee Comparison of GOV/TSP vs. Private Account ManagerPlan Type Plan Cost (in %) Account Value30 Years TSP 0.029 $470,016Private Account Manager 1.0 $395,291

By Emily FunderburkNAVAIR Total Force (AIR7.3) CommunicationsSupport

Three NAVAIR em-ployees were recognizedas Modern Day Technol-ogy Leaders at the 29thannual National BlackEngineer of the YearAwards (BEYA) Science,Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics (STEM)Global CompetitivenessConference Feb. 6.

According to BEYA,these winners — Olanre-waju Adeyemo, MarcelLeake and Dr. Cecily Mc-Coy-Fisher — have dem-onstrated outstanding per-formance and will shapethe future of STEM.

NAVAIR relies onSTEM careers to accom-plish research, testing

and evaluation, and engi-neering services. Withinthe U.S., women, blacksand Hispanics are un-derrepresented in STEMjobs. In 2011, 6 percentof STEM workers wereblack, up only 4 percent-age points over the last 40years, based on a reportfrom the U.S. Census Bu-reau.

At NAVAIR, there aremore than 2,000 blackemployees (approximate-ly 8.6 percent of the totalworkforce). Of those, 660work in the STEM fields.

Adeyemo, Leake andMcCoy-Fisher’s work inSTEM runs the gamutfrom unmanned air sys-tems, to software devel-opment and simulations,to cross-cultural researchfor deployed warfighters.

Adeyemo, the leadcommunication engineerfor the Navy UnmannedCombat Air System Dem-onstration (UCAS-D) pro-gram, said his work hasbeen challenging but ful-filling.

“Personally, I love whatI do dearly and wouldn’ttrade my job for anythingin the world,” he said,citing his work as a testconductor on the UCAS-D Program as being hisbiggest accomplishmentsince joining NAVAIR’sPatuxent River office in2012.

Leake, a test and train-ing software engineerworking in China Lake,California, said his workhas allowed him to thinkoutside the box and“gather a wealth of intel-

ligence and experience,which I am using everyday to make the warf-ighter stronger, safer andmore efficient.” His NA-VAIR career began in July2011, when he was se-lected for the EngineeringScientist DevelopmentProgram after graduatingfrom North Carolina Ag-ricultural and TechnicalState University.

McCoy-Fisher is a se-nior research psycholo-gist based in Orlando,Florida, studying howcross-cultural demo-graphics influence trustbuilding for stability op-erations abroad. Referringto her award, she said, “Ihope to be a driving forcein contributing to the so-

Three NAVAIR employees win ModernDay Technology Leaders awards

See Leaders, Page 5

By PEO(U&W) Public AffairsA U.S. Marine Corps AV-

8B Harrier flew its first mis-sion with the new BRU-70/ADigital Improved Triple Ejec-tor Rack (DITER) in support oftheU.S.-led campaign againstISIS in January.

A single aircraft delivered50percent of the Laser Joint Di-rect Attack Munitions (JDAM)used during the insurgent air-strike due to the new rack.

“The addition of the Digi-tal ITER to our AV-8s in the-ater really up-guns the ca-pability of that jet allowing itto carry a lot more precisionordnance,” saidMarineCorpsLt. Gen. JonM. Davis, DeputyCommandant for Aviation.“This wouldn’t have beenpossible without the NAVAIRteam’s steadfast support.”

In December, Marines intheater requested accelerateddelivery of assets in order tomaximize currentmission ca-pability. Theproductionunitswere originally scheduled fordelivery in June.

NAVAIR’s Precision StrikeWeapons (PMA-201) program

office, specifically its AircraftArmament Equipment (AAE)team and AV-8BWeapon Sys-tems program office (PMA-257) class desk developed aplan to deliver four flight-testunits to meet the Marines’needs. These units were pre-viously used in the test andevaluation of the rack prior toproduction contract award.

Delivery of these units re-quired further evaluation toensure fleet operational read-iness. The NAVAIR team exe-cuted all required testing anddocumentation necessary fordelivery in onemonth.

During its firstmission, therack performed as designed.The aircraft deployed four La-ser JDAMs from twoDITERs.

Soon, Harriers withDITERwill be capable of carryingthree JDAMs on each rackdepending on the missionrequirement and armamentconfiguration.

“The Marines are anx-iously awaiting the deliveryof their BRU-70/A DITER inJune,” said Navy Capt. JaimeEngdahl, PMA-201 program

manager. “This urgent re-quirement with the use of theLaser JDAM is unprecedentedcapability for the Harriercommunity.”

The DITER provides Har-

riers with a smart weapon tri-ple-carriage and employmentcapability, while retaining thelegacy stores interface, pro-longing and expanding theaircraft’s mission.

The upgraded carriageand release technology willreplace the existing BRU-42system. The Harrier’s currentweapon load-out configu-ration allows the aircraft to

carry amaximumof twoLaserJoint Direct Attack Munitions(JDAM). The addition of theDITER expands the aircraft’sability to carry six, increasingmission effectiveness.

By Jenny CollinsNaval Center for Combat& Operational Stress ControlPublic Affairs

The Naval Center forCombat & OperationalStress Control (NCCOSC)facilitates research anddevelops evidence-basedprograms that provideSailors and Marines withimportant tools to buildand maintain resilience.

As service membersbuild resilience, militarycouples can also takesteps to boost their resil-ience as well.

Military spouses andsignificant others play animportant part in offer-ing encouragement andsupport to today’s servicemembers.

With a military careerthat often includes de-ployments and extendedseparations, military cou-ples must work harder atbeing able to withstand,recover, and grow togeth-er in the face of stressors,adversity, and changingdemands.

Below are 8 ways mili-tary couples can improvetheir resilience.1. Maintain Your Con-

nection. Being apart canbe tough. By figuring out

a system of regular con-tact, couples can builda strong foundation ofopen communication.It’s best to time conversa-tions about upsetting is-sues as to not overwhelmyour partner. Open con-versations should stillconsist of an overall posi-tive and supportive tone.2. Reshape Interpreta-

tion. Some highly stress-ful life events are inevi-table in military life. Onecannot change when orhow these events happen,but couples can certainlyshape their attitudes tobest react and respond.Use flexible thinking toplace some perspectiveon the situation.3. Remain Optimistic.

Maintaining optimismin the face of stressorsis a couple’s best chanceto move forward dur-ing stressful times. Try toenvision what you bothwant instead of worryingabout what you’re bothscared of.4. Trust. Discuss in

detail your expectationsof one another on thehomefront and while youare apart. Work togetherto find ways to maintaintrust. Talk about concerns

but don’t dwell on them.Focus on how to workpast them.5. Take Care of Your-

self... and Each Other. Setaside a couple of minutesa day to decompress.Med-itation is a great tool to al-leviate stress. Make surethat your partner is doingthe same or offer ways tohelp one another. Takingcare of yourselves helps

keep your minds ready todeal with situations thatrequire resilience.6. Understanding. If

you and your partner arein themiddle of a conflict,focus on what is upsettingyou and vice versa. Try todisregard what causedthe fight. Concentrateand work together to findthe solution. This type ofbehavior control will be

much more effective.7. Create and Work

Towards Goals Together.Couples who have com-mon goals are often moresuccessful in their rela-tionship. Develop realis-tic goals with deadlines.Even completing smallaccomplishments canhelp improve your rela-tionship.8. Professional Help.

It’s important to recog-nize that unresolved re-lationship problems havethe potential to impact aservice member’s well-being and focus on thejob. If the stress of mili-tary life becomes over-whelming for either party,don’t hesitate to seek helpfrom a support group,counselor, clinician, orchaplain. Reaching outfor support can help youmanage any reaction andboost your resilience.

Resilience is very effec-tive in helping our activeduty population manageoperational and combatstress, both in their worklife and their home life.

At NCCOSC, we envi-sion a future of innova-tive and relevant researchthat will increase ourknowledge of psycho-logical health. The knowl-edge that is gained willultimately contribute tothe readiness and resil-ience of our Sailors andMarines as they face thefuture challenges of mili-tary service.

For more informationabout NCCOSC, visitwww.nccosc.navy.mil ,and follow on Facebookor Twitter

Eight ways to boost resilience between military couples4 Thursday, March 12, 2015Tester

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Salt Cebe

Military careers often include deployments and extended separations. Military couples mustwork harder at being able to withstand, recover, and grow together in the face of stressors, ad-versity, and changing demands.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tamara Vaughn

The Marine Corps requirement for a vertical and short take off and landing light attack force has been well documented since thelate 1950s. Combining tactical mobility, responsiveness, reduced operating cost and basing flexibility, both afloat and ashore, V/STOL aircraft are particularly well suited to the special combat and expeditionary requirements of the Marine Corps.

Harriers go digital: New technology allows Marine aircraft to expand mission


Fair winds and following seas

U.S. Navy photo by Gary Younger

Gunnery Sgt. DeBord retirementU.S. Marine Corps Maj. Alan Kraus, avionics systems project officer with NAVAIR’s PMA-274,Executive Transport Helicopters, left, presents a letter of appreciation from the Commandant ofthe Marine Corps to Gunnery Sgt. Paul S. “Shane” DeBord during DeBord’s retirement ceremo-ny March 3 at the Patuxent River Naval Museum. DeBord, COMFRC Marine Corps maintenancecoordinator, retired after 20 years of service.

U.S. Navy photos by Shawn Graham

Patricia Thumm, left, Patuxent River Officers Spouses Club representative, and DavidBennet, Aviation Systems Engineering Company vice president, presented Navy-MarineCorps Relief Society (NMCRS) donations to Capt. Heidi Fleming, NAS Patuxent River com-manding officer, during the Active Duty Fund Drive Kick-Off March 4. NMCRS providesfinancial assistance and education, as well as other programs and services, to membersof the Navy and Marine Corps, their eligible family members, widows, and survivors.

Local groups make donations to NMCRS

Courtesy of Defense Media Activity

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) is a program that providescertain protections from civil actions against servicemembers whoare called to active duty servicemembers. It restricts or limits actionsagainst these personnel in the areas of financial management, suchas rental agreements, security deposits, evictions, installment con-tracts, credit card interest rates, mortgages, civil judicial proceedings,income tax payments, and more. From this site:Users may also request Multiple Record Requests of multiple indi-

viduals (or multiple dates for a single individual) to determine Title 10active duty status for provisions under SCRA. An account is requiredto use the Multiple Record Request. Once an account is created, userswill be able to:• Create and manage an account in order to retrieve information• Upload ‘Request’ files for Multiple Record Requests• Download ‘Result’ file(s)• Download Certificates for Multiple Record Request(s)Users may submit a Single Record Request to obtain a report certi-

fying Title 10 active duty status for provisions under SCRA. This reportis also called a Certificate. No account is required to use the SingleRecord Request.

Servicemembers Civil Relief ActProtects those on active duty

cial science literature andproviding solutions to thewarfighter as a step tobecoming a modern daytechnology leader.”

All three believe men-

toring and constantlearning are the key to be-ing successful in STEM.

“When encounteringan obstacle, do not forgetto reach out to mentors,allies and champions, be-causemuch can always belearned from others,” Mc-Coy-Fisher said. “Gain-

ing different perspectivesmay provide a clearerpath forward.” In addi-tion to mentoring, sherecommends employeesexplore job rotations, ap-ply to leadership develop-ment programs and pur-sue projects that directlyenhance mission success

for the Navy and Marines.Leake also advises em-

ployees in the STEM fieldto continue learning newthings.

“Take pride in yourcraft and stay current onnew technologies, becausefindingnewand innovativeways to provide support to

the warfighter is a reward-ing experience,” he said.

The BEYA STEM Con-ference, held in Washing-ton, D.C., brought togeth-er more than 8,000 STEMprofessionals and leaderscommitted to increasingthe percentage of peoplefrom historically under-

represented communitiesin the technology work-force. The next conferenceis scheduled for February2016 in Philadelphia.

Emily Funderburk pro-vides contract communi-cation support as an em-ployee of Bowhead Profes-sional Solutions, LLC.

LEADERSContinued from 3

By J. Raynel KochNaval Air Warfare CenterAircraft DivisionPublic Affairs

Rows of black laboratory ta-bles, posters of the periodic

table of elements and catchyAlbert Einstein words of wis-dom were all but forgottenas 36 Great Mills High Schoolstudents got the first glimpseof their new science projectFeb. 9. Over the next threemonths the students will bebuilding, programming andflying brand new Quadcop-ters.

As part of an educationalpartnership agreement be-tween Naval Air WarfareCenter Aircraft Division(NAWCAD) and St. Mary’sCounty Public Schools, thestudents in Allen Skinner’sSTEM 10 Physics and Engi-neering course will be men-tored by professional engi-neers from the Navy base.

“I just wanted to be a partof the students’ curriculumand their ability to learn andto grasp new concepts,” saidSteve Hudziak, industrialspecialist with NAWCAD Re-

search and Engineering (AD4.1). “I work on base with NA-VAIR, and my kids and I haveplayed with [UnmannedAerial Vehicles] for our ownenjoyment, so I have a vestedinterest because my kids arepart of the STEM (science,technology, engineering andmath) program.”

The students were divided

into teams of six and will learnhow to build, pre-programand fly a comprehensivemock rescue mission with theQuadcopters.

“I really want to learnteamwork skills and differ-ent elements of design,” saidsophomore Anna Staats as sheeagerly examined her team’sQuadcopter kit. “We actually

have to build this and codepart of it. I am really interestedand would like to learn moreabout computer coding.”

The rescue mission sce-nario was co-written as a col-lective effort between Skin-ner, members of the NAW-CAD Educational OutreachOffice and members from theAcademy of Model Aeronau-

tics community at GreenwellState Park, Maryland.

“We modeled our specsafter some of the roboticscompetitions and some of thenational and international ro-botics competitions that wealready participate in,” saidSkinner. “But they’re mostlyground-based robots. They’rethe kind you play with ona board. We wanted to trysomething new with flyingand robotics.” The missionplanning team also incorpo-rated guidance from the Asso-ciation forUnmannedVehicleSystem International (AUVSI).

The 2015 STEM project was

selected by Skinner to give thestudents an opportunity toacquire a working knowledgeof skills that transfer into real-world occupations.

“This technology is cut-ting-edge, and UAVs are bigin the news,” said Skinner.This is a field that’s explodingright now. These students aregetting the chance to get theirhands on some really cool,cutting-edge technology, andthat’s exciting.”

Note: This is a three partstory series that will followthe Great Mills High Schoolstudents’ 2015 STEM projectprogress.


U.S. Navy photos by J. Raynel Koch

Great Mills High School sophomores decide which roles they will perform to complete a three-month-long STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) physics and engineer-ing project Feb. 9.

Students examine parts of their Quadcopter kit, which they aregoing to assemble and program over the next three months fortheir STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathemat-ics) physics and engineering project.

Public schools, NAVAIR partner to encourage STEM

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By Shawn GrahamNAS Patuxent RiverPublic Affairs

Lt. Cmdr. Oscar Mathews,a Navy Reservist and

aerospace engineer assignedto Scientific DevelopmentSquadron (VXS) 1, is amongthe 100 hopefuls who madethe latest cut for Mars One,a privately funded enterprisethat hopes to land a four-per-son team on the red planet in2025.

Mars is not a hospitableplanet. The average temper-ature is minus 80 degreesFahrenheit, the atmosphereis not breathable, nor doesit provide much protectionfrom radiation. Water is noteasily obtained, and theplanet is not known to havefood. To live on the planetany length of time meansevery aspect of life must besupported by technology.Should anything go wrong,help from home wouldprobably not arrive.

Despite all of this,Mathewsis willing to spend the rest ofhis life on the Red Planet.

“Coming back to Earth isprobably out of the question,”explainedMathews. “Becauseno one has devised a way toreturn fromadifferent planet,the first human explorers to

Mars will live and probablydie onMars.”

“A one-way trip to Mars iscurrently the only way we canget people on Mars withinthe next 20 years,” Mars Oneofficials wrote on the com-pany website. “This in nowayexcludes the possibility of areturn flight at some pointin the future. It is likely thattechnological progress willmake this less complex downthe line.”

Mathews, who also worksas a civilian nuclear engineer

at Naval Sea Systems Com-mand, said when he first readabout the trip, he knew thismission was for him and that

the one-way aspect didn’tfrighten him.

“If you’re going to go toMars, you may as well stay

there because the whole rea-son to go toMars is to conductresearch and to establish ahabitat,” Mathews said. “Byliving onMars, colonists couldexplore far more of the planetthan any singularmission.”

While Mathews is confi-dent about being selected, hisplace on the team isn’t cer-tain.Hemustmake it throughtwo more selection phasesto become an astronaut. Hehas already been medicallyscreened and given an initialinterview. The next phase,

according to the Mars Onewebsite, will see the 100 can-didates divided into groupsand then asked to accomplishtasks as a team.

After that, a committeewillselect up to 24 candidates tobecome full-time employeesof the Mars One AstronautCorps, afterwhich they’ll trainfor the upcomingmission.

“This is an importantstep for the human race,”Mathews said. “It’s a chancefor us to discover alien lifeand see the universe. Spaceexploration has been one ofmy dreams since I was a littleboy. I’m looking forward tosetting foot onMars.”

Mars One hopes to landfour people on Mars in 2025to establish the first extrater-restrial colony. Fourmore col-onistswill follow thenext yearandmore after that. For moreinformation and updates onMars One, please visit: http://www.mars-one.com/

Images courtesy of Lt. Cmdr. Oscar Mathews

An artist’s conception provided byMarsOne of what their future colony on the red planet could look like. Mars One currently plansto launch amannedmission toMars in 2024.

Lt. Cmdr. OscarMathews

Mission to MarsPax Sailor prepares for life on the red planet

•MarsOne estimates the cost of putting the first fourpeople onMars at $6 billion• Themission was designed using only existingtechnology•More than 200,000 people worldwide initially applied• In the coming years, a demonstrationmission,communication satellites, two rovers and several cargomissions will be sent toMars•A reliable living environment will be waiting for theastronauts when they arrive onMars

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OPENTOEVERYONEONBASEActive, Retired,Civil Service,Contractor,Other

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Liberty Tax at theNavy Exchangeannounces FLATFEEpricing on your state

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866-871-1040 LibertyTax.comValid at participating locations. Cannot be combined with other offers or used toward

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To get this offer, present your active duty military ID to the SalesAssociate. This offer cannot be combined with any other salesand/or coupons.

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8 Thursday, March 12, 2015Tester Thursday, March 12, 2015 Tester 9

Compiled by Donna CipolloniNAS Patuxent River Public Affairs

Seventy years have passed since the first version oftoday’s United States Naval Test Pilot School opened itsdoors for business.

It all started in 1943 when the Flight Test Group, lo-cated at NAS Anacostia, transferred to the newly estab-lished NAS Patuxent River.

The Test Pilot School evolved from an urgent necessi-ty recognized early on by Cmdr. Charles Thomas “Tom”Booth, who got the ball rolling in 1944 after Cmdr. Syd-ney S. Sherby earned his graduate degree from the Mas-sachusetts Institute of Technology and first reported toPax River to fill a new billet — Chief Project Engineer.Booth, flight test officer at the Naval Air Test Center,tasked Sherby with the job of getting to know the peopleand becoming familiar with how they were going abouttesting, at that point. Sherby was given permission to dowhatever was necessary to improve the process.

Early in January 1945, after months of studying theissue and numerous visits to Langley Field Laboratory,it was determined that if Flight Test was to continueto perform its mission effectively and keep pace withprogress in aeronautics, the establishment of some for-mal program of education for test pilots and engineerswould be essential. Cmdr. C.E. Giese, who by then hadrelieved Booth as flight test officer, agreed.

On Feb. 21, Giese appointed Sherby to head a com-mittee of three officers and report back to him in sevendays with recommendations. As a result of the extensivework Sherby had been doing, his proposal for an indoc-trination course for Navy flight test pilots was ready forreview by March 1.

The Earliest ClassesThe plan described the outline of the program. The

curriculum would cover the fundamentals of aerody-namics, procedures for aircraft performance testing,evaluation of aircraft stability and control characteris-tics, miscellaneous test and trials, actual in-flight per-formance testing and flight test reporting in a stan-dardized format. It was scheduled to fit into 37 hoursof classroom work with nine hours of flight time spreadover ten weeks, meeting Monday, Wednesday and Fri-day mornings.

Giese approved Sherby’s recommendations and ap-pointed him as Officer in Charge of the Flight Test Pi-lot’s training program. Sherby provided the classroominstruction while Lt. H.E. McNeely served as flight in-structor.

The first aircraft used for training purposes were theF6F, FM-2, SBD, TBM and SNJ, which were borrowedfrom Flight Test.

The first class, consisting of 14 pilots and engineers— later designated as class 0a — began March 12, 1945,

and graduated on May 30. Commander of the NATC,Capt. A.D. Storrs gave each student a diploma and aslide rule for their accomplishment. Class 0b convenedin October later that same year, but the enrollment wasdiversified. It included students from other Naval AirTest Center activities.

A Formal Curriculum is ProposedIn March 1946, newly appointed Commanding Of-

ficer of the NATC, Capt. J.D. Barner wrote to the Chiefof the Bureau of Aeronautics stating the need for a for-mal test pilot school, suggesting it be established as adivision of NATC. Barner recommended semi-annualclasses of about 30 students with a duration of four tofive months.

About the time Class 0c was in school in 1946, Capt.Frederick M. Trapnell, the man for which Pax River’s airfield is named, was ordered to the installation as the com-manding officer of NATC. Trapnell previously served asflight test officerwhen theFlightTestGroupwas still inAn-acostia. His love and interest in test flying proved invalu-able to the development of a formal naval test pilot school.

Trapnell sat in on Sherby’s classes and while he wasimpressed, it became clear that the training programbeing taught was inadequate, and he requested autho-rization and funding to establish a full-time course ofabout 30 students, with classes convening every ninemonths. His suggestion came from the detailed recom-mendations submitted by Giese.

The estimated cost for the school’s first year was esti-mated at $25,000. Then-Chief of Naval Operations, FleetAdm. ChesterW. Nimitz, agreed to the request and Trap-nell began drafting a final blueprint for the school. Trap-nell submitted the final draft to the office of the CNO onOct. 20, 1947.

On Jan. 22, 1948, Trapnell’s plan for a formal test pi-lot school being a division of the NATC was approved byAdm J.D. Price, deputy chief of Naval Operations. Sherbywas relieved of his duties as chief project engineer in theFlight Test Division to assume his new duties as directorof the Test Pilot Training Division.

From Then to NowIn 1957, the school’s name was formally changed to

the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. It was listed in the Bu-reau of Naval Personnel’s Catalog of Naval Schools andwas included in the officer special qualifications listedin the Naval Register.

Courses were continuously being revised to accom-modate new technology which brought about faster andmore sophisticated aircraft. As time went on, coursesbecame more complex. Curriculum was expanded andnow accommodates three different criteria: fixed wing,rotary wing and airborne systems.

The school was forced to move four different times inits history until its present academic facility — Building2168 — was built in 1993.

USNTPS is the only test pilot school in the U.S. mili-tary that offers academic courses on helicopters, andthe only one in the world for airborne systems.

Through the years, USNTPS has trained some of thebest known aviators in history, including many of theearly astronauts who helped launch the nation’s spaceprogram.

Today, USNTPS provides instruction to Navy, Ma-rine Corps, Army and Air Force aviators, internationalaviators/engineers, and civil service engineers. Ac-cepting 36 students at a time and lasting approxi-mately 48 weeks, two classes are offered per year, inFebruary and August.

Graduating students use their expertise in the acqui-sition community, working on aircraft and weapons sys-tems, performing flight tests and managing introduc-tion of new assets to the fleet.

(Sources: USNTPS narrative history and class infor-mation — 1945 to 1982;Written narrative by Capt. Syd-ney S. Sherby)

How it all beganU.S. Naval Test Pilot School celebrates 70 years

TPS was first knownas the Test PilotTraining Division

1950s

• October 1953: Cmdr.James B. Verdin (Class 8)broke world speed record inan F-4D Skyray

• 1954: Several membersof Class 8 and 9, working atFlight Test as carrier/CV suit-ability pilots, participated inthe first trials of the canteddeck, the steam catapultand the MK-7 arresting gear— equipment that changedthe nature of carrrier-basedwarfare.

1960s

• May 5, 1961: Alan Shepard(Class 5) became the firstAmerican in space withhis 15-minute, 302-milesub-orbital flight in theMercury 3 spacecraft

• Oct. 11, 1968: First mannedflight of the Apollo programto put a man on the moonwas launched. Wally Schirra,Jr. (Class 20) and two crewmembers in Apollo 7 made163 earth orbitsduring a flight of 260 hoursand 9 minutes

1970s

• April 11, 1970: James A.Lovell, Jr. (Class 20)commanded the Apollo 13mission. Shortage ofoxygen and power causedby an explosion in the servicemodule required the missionbe aborted. The spacecraftmade a safe splashdownin the Pacific Ocean after aflight of 142 hours and 54minutes

• October 1970: The firstItalian, Japanese and Aus-tralian students entered theUSNTPS in Class 58

• June 1975: The schoolmoved into Hangar 110,bringing the flying and aca-demic work together for thefirst time. Its neighbor wasthe Naval Air Test Center’srotary wing hangar

• July 1, 1978: USNTPSgraduate Adm. Thomas B.Hayward (Class 12) becameChief of Naval Operations

U.S. Navy photo

An F7F Tigercat was one of the aircraft borrowed fromFlightTest for test pilots’ training program (Class 0).When the TestPilot Training Division was established in 1948, an F7F-3 wasassigned to the division. It remained in service until 1950.

U.S. Navy photo

Lt. GordonGray (Class 13) in the Douglas A4D Skyhawk, inwhich he set a world speed record in October 1955.

U.S. Navy photo

U.S.Marine CorpsMaj. JohnGlenn Jr., (Class 12) in his F8U-1PCrusader where, on July 16, 1957, he set the coast-to-coastspeed record at an average of 725.55mph.


“Reflection”, created by sculptor Rodney Carroll in 1997,adorns the lobby of the United States Naval Test Pilot School.

U.S. Navy photo by Kelly Schindler

U.S. Navy Test Pilot School

U.S. Navy photo

TheMercury Sevenwere the original group of astronauts cho-sen byNASA onApril 9, 1959. Alan Shepard, GusGrissom,JohnGlenn, Scott Carpenter,Wally Schirra, GordonCooperand Deke Slayton piloted themanned spaceflights of theMer-cury program fromMay 1961 toMay 1963. All sevenweregraduates of USNTPS.

U.S. Navy photo

The XF6U-1 Pirate was used at the Test Pilot Training Divisionin 1949 and 1950. Shown here is the fourth prototype of theaircraft. It had a gross weight of 12,570 lbs. and a top speed of564mph at 20,000 feet.


Cmdr. Sydney Sherby graduated from theNaval Academy in1936 and, after a shipboard tour on USSRanger (CV 4), en-tered flight training. Hewas designated a naval aviator in June1939. Following a tour in VS-42 on board Ranger and a shorttour as a flight instructor in Pensacola, Fla. Sherby earned hismaster of science in aeronautical engineering in 1944 fromMIT. Sherby was a key figure in the establishment of USNTPS.

U.S. Navy photo

There is no class picture of the 110 graduates of the five-ele-ment Class 0, but pictured in front of an AM-1Mauler are fourgraduates of the class; from left, W.A. Shryock,W.V. Davis, J.Ferguson and J.J. Davidson.

“Here we are now with a magnifi-cent new plant, a group of first-ratetest pilots and engineers, two han-gars filled with new high-perfor-mance aircraft, and no one here re-ally knows how to test them. We aretechnically bankrupt, and we arenot doing the quality job we should.Now here’s your job and why youare here. I want this place put on asound modern technical basis withpilots who know what to do whenthey fly, and engineers who knowhow to get good data and how toanalyze them and prepare good,accurate reports.”

Cmdr. Tom Booth, flight test officer,

speaking to Cmdr. Sydney Sherby upon his arrival at

NAS Patuxent River in July 1944. Sherby would go on to

become the director of the Test Pilot Training Division.

1980s

• Dec. 10, 1982: At thegraduation ceremonies forClass 82, Gina Moy, a civil-ian aeronautical engineerat the Strike Aircraft TestDirectorate, Naval Air TestCenter, was recognized asthe first woman to graduatefrom USNTPS

1990s• January 1993: Sunita Wil-liams graduates. Williams,an astronaut and navalaviator holds the record forthe longest space flight bya woman

• November 1997: USNTPScreates a Short CourseDepartment to provide testand evaluation focusededucation to the civilianworkforce within NAVAIR

2000s

• Jan. 13, 2005: Col. SteveKihara becomes the firstU.S. Army commanding of-ficer of USNTPS

• Oct. 18, 2013: First non-Navy commanding officerand executive officer as-sume their duties

• May 2014: First UAS DT IIfinal project conducted onan MQ-9C Reaper

• November 2014: FirstSystem of Systems DTII fi-nal project conducted, inte-grating an AH-64D Apachehelicopter, an Aerostar UAVand a ground station

Miscellaneous:• There are fourmajor testpilot schools worldwide:USNTPS at NAS PatuxentRiver, Maryland; U.S. AirForce Test Pilot School atEdwards AFB in California;Empire Test Pilot SchoolatMoDBoscombeDowninWiltshire, England; andEPNER, the French test pilotschool in Istres, France

• There are 43 total air-craft; 12 type model seriescurrently in inventory atUSNTPS

• Today’s USNTPScurriculum requiresapproximately 500academic hours and from85 to 120 flight hours perstudent

• There have been a total of87 graduates of USNTPSwho have gone on to be-come astronauts; three arecurrently still candidates

Thursday, March 126:30 p.m., Seventh Son(Rated: PG-13, 1 hr. 42 mins.)

In a time of enchantments whenlegends and magic collide, the soleremaining warrior of a mystical ordertravels to find a prophesized heroborn with incredible powers, the lastSeventh Son. Torn from his quiet lifeas a farmhand, the unlikely younghero embarks on a daring adventurewith his battle-hardened mentor tovanquish a dark queen and the armyof supernatural assassins she hasdispatched against their kingdom.

Friday, March 136:30 p.m., McFarland, USA(Rated: PG, 2 hrs. 9 mins.)

A track coach in a small Califor-nia town transforms a team of ath-letes into championship contenders.

9:30 p.m., Hot Tub Time Machine2 (Rated: R, 1 hr. 34 mins.)

When Lou finds himself in trou-ble, Nick and Jacob fire up the hottub time machine in an attempt toget back to the past. But they inad-vertently land in the future withAdamJr. Now they have to alter the futurein order to save the past... which isreally the present, in the sequel fromthe same team that brought you theoriginal cult hit.

Saturday, March 144 p.m., SpongeBob Movie:Sponge Out of Water (Rated: PG,1 hr. 33 mins.)

SpongeBob goes on a quest todiscover a stolen recipe that takeshim to our dimension, our world,where he tangles with a pirate.

6:30 p.m., Black or White (Rated:PG-13, 2 hrs. 01 mins.)

This is the story of a grandfa-

ther who is suddenly left to care forhis beloved granddaughter. Whenher paternal grandmother seekscustody with the help of her broth-er, the little girl is torn between twofamilies who love her deeply. Withthe best intentions at heart, bothfamilies fight for what they feel isright and are soon forced to con-front their true feelings about race,forgiveness, and understanding.Anchored by an all-star cast andbased on real events, the movieis a look at two seemingly differ-ent worlds, in which nothing is assimple as black or white.

9:30 p.m., Hot Tub Time Machine2 (Rated: R, 1 hr. 34 mins.)

Sunday, March 152 p.m., SpongeBob Movie:Sponge Out of Water (3D)(Rated: PG, 1 hr. 33 mins.)

Monday, March 16 andTuesday, March 17Theater is not open

Wednesday, March 186:30 p.m., McFarland, USA(Rated: PG, 2 hrs. 9 mins.)


Center Stage Theater

• Movie Line: 301-342-5033

• Reservations: 301-342-3648

• Ticket Prices: E-1 to E-5 category:adults, $3.50 and youths ages 6-11,$2.50. All others: adults, $4.50; youthsages 6-11, $3.50.

• 3-D glasses: $1

• Authorized ID required for admission

What’s Happening With MWR

For all MWR news, visit www.cnic.navy.mil/Patuxent and click onthe Fleet and Family Readiness tab.

Special EventsLeprechaun Leap9 a.m. March 14 at the West BasinMarina

Gather your friends and co-work-ers to see who is fearless enough tojump in the Patuxent River on a briskMarch morning! $10 for t-shirt; $15 fort-shirt & towel; both come with brag-ging rights! Open to all with base ac-cess, pre-register at the ITT Office.

River’s EdgeRiver’s Edge Lunch Bus

The River’s Edge Shuttle Bus willbe driving out to ATR, Bldg. 2187, andBldg. 2185 to pick up passengers look-ing to get out of their office for a greatlunch without the worry of losing theirparking spot! Check out the River’sEdge website for the shuttle scheduleat www.cnic.navy.mil/riversedge/

NRC SolomonsEaster EggstravaganzaApril 4; 1-3 p.m. at the Large Pavilion

Come early for the egg hunt andthen join the festivities of bubble mak-ing, arts and craft activities, picturetime with Peter Rabbit, music anddancing and so much more! Our Eas-ter event is designed for toddlers to12 years old. First 100 children will beable to die an egg and participate inthe hunt. Bring a white t-shirt to makeyour own spring time tie-dye. Cost:$4.50 E1-E5 & $5 for all others.

Easter BrunchApril 12

Treat your family to an Easter

Brunch Buffet on Sunday, April 12 atthe River’s Edge.

Menu featuring: Honey BakedHam, Seafood Newburg with Jas-mine Rice, Roast Leg of Lamb withApples and Fennel, Grilled DijonChicken with Lemon , WhippedPotatoes, Fresh Asparagus Med-ley, Scrambled Eggs, Home FriedPotatoes, Smokey Bacon-CheddarCornbread Muffins, Bacon, SalmonDisplay, Salad Bar, Pastries, FreshFruits, Assorted Dessert display,Jelly Beans, with Iced Tea and Cof-fee Included.

Adults: $20.95, Children 6-11:$10.95, Children Five and Under:$1.00

Reservations Required, Seatingtimes: 11:30 a.m., 12, 2, 2:30 p.m.Coupons not redeemable for thisevent.

Customized CreationsPaint N’ Party5-8 p.m. April 22

Discover your creative side, drinkwine, and be merry at the Paint N’Party at the Bald Eagle Pub. PaintN’ Party offers novice customers thechance to step out of their comfortzone, and spend three hours har-nessing their talents and exploringtheir creativity. Our customers areable to purchase beverages, food,or anything else needed for a greatnight out. No experience? No prob-lem at Paint N Party, our artist ca-ters to all talents, and makes sure allcustomers walk away with a master-piece. So get ready to let loose, andhave a great night out! For April’sclass we will paint a beautiful poppy.Registration deadline is April 13.Cost: $35 per person

ITTGarden Plot RentalsAvailable March 9

Plot size: 30’x75’; $30 plus a $15refundable clean up deposit chargedfor each plot rented. For more infor-mation, contact the ITT office.

Dover 400 MilitaryDiscounted TicketsMay 31Priced at only $43.25 the packageincludes:

Reserved Mid-Grandstand Seat(Race Day Price is $84) with Track-side Access Pass to allow you to vis-it Pit Road and walk on the speed-way before the race on Sunday asthe race teams set up their Pit Stallsfor the day. Only $11 for a specialjunior ticket and trackside accesspass (Ages 14 years and under). Or-der Deadline is May 15, 2015. Callyour ITT office today.

Drill HallWater Warriors — Active DutyMilitary personnel only

Mondays; 1-1:30 p.m.March 16, 23Did you know that jogging 1000

yards in the water burns as manycalories as running 5 miles on atrack? Join us for an exciting newprogram guaranteed to give youmore bang for your exercise buck.This new aquatics class is basedon jogging while in waist/chest deepwater. It is offered only to ActiveDuty Military personnel and is free!All necessary equipment is provid-ed. All abilities are welcome. So suitup and join this fun impact-free wayto boost your cardio endurance. Noregistration is required.

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ON BASESign Up for NHC PatuxentRiver’s Relay Health

It’s now possible to get a non-urgentmedical question answered, or a medica-tion renewed without making a trip. Signup for Relay Health to securely email thecare teams at Naval Health Clinic Patux-ent River. Visit https://app.relayhealth.com/RegistrationV2.aspx.

Q&A on ‘Live, Virtualand Constructive’ initiativeNoon-1 p.m. March 17

“The Vision for Live, Virtual, and Con-structive (LVC) Training, From the PMA-205 Perspective,” will be the focus of theAcquisition Policy and Process Depart-ment’s (AIR 1.1) March Lunchtime Ques-tion & Answer (Q&A) session in Building2272, Room 354.13 (AIR-1.0 ConferenceRoom). Capt. Craig Dorrans, programmanager for the Naval Aviation TrainingSystems Program Office, will discuss thetraining community’s vision for achievingan LVC capability for naval aviation andthe benefits this capability will provide tothe fleet. Specific details will include amaster plan for simulation, networkingof training devices and how ranges andlive aircraft will be incorporated into fleet-driven training scenarios. The monthlyLunchtime Q&A sessions are open to allinterested military, civilian and contrac-tor employees. Seating is first-comefirst-serve, and the training is approvedfor one continuous learning point. Sub-mitting questions prior to each sessionis highly encouraged, or you can bringquestions to the event. More details areavailable on the PMC Web tool at https://mynavair.navair.navy.mil/portal/server.pt/community/pmc_webtool/1664/pmc_webtool/69752?page_id=1074. Sign Lan-guage Interpreters and VTC are availableupon request. For more information, con-tact Christopher Bukolt at 301-757-6610.

Where’s Gnorman?Somewhere in this issue we’ve

hidden Gnorman the gnome. Anyonespotting Gnorman can email [email protected] or phone 301-342-4163 nowthrough 5 p.m. Friday, and include a brief

description of where he’s located. Onename is drawn from all entries and winsa Center Stage Theater movie ticket.The same person cannot win more thanonce per month. The March 5 winner wasGlendon Brickley who found Gnorman onpage 5, in the Sailors Give Back photo.

OFF BASEWorldwide ThreatAssessment of the U.S.Intelligence Community7:30-9:30 a.m. March 17Southern Maryland HigherEducation Center

The Patuxent Partnership briefingwith Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, commander,U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. TENTHFleet, singles out Russia as one of themost sophisticated nation-state players incyberspace, topping China as the princi-pal cyber threat to the U.S. and provideshints that we may see an increase in“naming and shaming” campaigns in thefuture. Tighe will speak with the Pax Rivercommunity about the work of U.S. FleetCyber Command and, in recognition ofWomen’s History month, will talk abouther career journey in the Navy. The U.S.Fleet Cyber Command serves as centraloperational authority for networks, cryp-tologic/signals intelligence, informationoperations, cyber, electronic warfare, andspace capabilities in support of forcesafloat and ashore. U.S. 10th Fleet is theoperational division of Fleet Cyber Com-mand and executes its mission througha task force structure similar to otherwarfare commanders. Giving opening re-marks and welcoming Tighe to Pax Riverwill be Vice Adm. David Dunaway, com-mander, Naval Air Systems Command.Free admission. Advance registration isrequested at www.paxpartnership.org.

BECA Scholarship BenefitDinner and Auction5:30 p.m. March 20Bowles Farm, 22880 Budds CreekRoad, Clements

The community is invited to help raise“Dollars for Scholars” at BECA’S 7th An-nual Scholarship Benefit Dinner andAuction, a country-western themed event

with a best dressed contest. Help the St.Mary’s County Class of 2015 graduat-ing seniors continue their education withscholarships. This benefit is a lot of funand features all local food and fare, withDanRaley as auctioneer and livemusic byGeeZer. Ticket prices (partially tax deduct-ible): $75 per couple, $40 per person or$35 for present or past school employees.Auction donations arewelcome and schol-arship sponsorships available, both fullytax deductible. Get tickets online at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/beca-2015-schol-arship-benefit-tickets-15983175107. Mailchecks to BECA, P.O. Box 153, Leonar-dtown, Marlyand, 20650. For more infor-mation: smcbeca.org, 301-475-2068 [email protected].

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESCommand VolunteerCoordinator TrainingRegistration deadline March 16Washington Navy Yard, Building101, conference room 132

Naval District Washington (NDW) Re-gional Community Service Program willconduct training for new command vol-unteer coordinators from 8:30 a.m. to 4p.m., March 19. This is a comprehensivetraining that covers the Navy CommunityService Program Reference Guidebook.The Navy Community Service Programis committed to making a difference innational youth educational partnershipsand community outreach programs. Allparticipants must register by sending anemail to [email protected]. Formore information, call 202-433-6854.


St. Nicholas ChapelServices ScheduleProtestant Services•Worship 11a.m.Sunday•Men’sDiscipleship 6-7:30 p.m.SundayReligiousProgrammingCenter•Women’sStudy 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdayand10-11:30 a.m. ThursdayReligiousProgrammingCenterCatholic Services•Mass5p.m.Sundays

News Briefs

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Around Town

Fleet and Family Support Center

Free Tax Help2 p.m. March 18Lexington Park Library

Lifestyles of Maryland Founda-tion, Inc. External Link will providefree IRS-certified tax return prepara-tion assistance for households withincome of $53,000 or less. Appoint-ments are necessary. Schedule oneby calling 1-866-293-0623

Exploring the ConnectionBetween Modern TattooArt and the Marine Tradition3 p.m. March 15Calvert Marine Museum HarmsGallery

Free lecture presented by JayColeman, artist, tattoo artist andeducator.

Night at the Museum5-8 p.m. March 19Patuxent River Naval Air Museum

The museum is open late onthe third Thursday of every month.Bring your co-workers and friends todecompress and hang out. Refresh-ments available. Regular admissionfees apply.

Maryland Day at HistoricSt. Mary’s City10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 21St. Mary’s City Visitor Center

Celebrate Maryland’s 381st an-niversary with ceremony, pageantry,speeches and free admission to liv-ing history and museum exhibits.

• Discover other things to do and

places to go throughout the areaby visiting:

St. Mary’s County events:www.visitstmarysmd.com/events-entertainment/

St. Mary’s County libraries:www.stmlib.org

Calvert County events:www.co.cal.md.us

Calvert County libraries:www.calvert.lib.md.us

Charles County events:www.charlescountymd.gov/calendar-date/month

All classes are held at the Fleetand Family Support Center in Build-ing 2090 off Bundy Road unless oth-erwise noted. Classes are open toactive-duty and retired military andReservists. Reservations are neces-sary and can be made at FFSC or bycalling 301-342-4911.

Playgroup at Glen Forrest Com-munity Center: 10-11 a.m. March12, 19, 26SAPR Refresher Training: 1-3 p.m.March 31Ten Steps to a Federal Job: 1-4p.m. March 12How to Create a Budget: 11:30a.m.-12:30 p.m. March 18Resume Writing: 1-4 p.m. March 18

Command FinancialSpecialist Training8 a.m. - 4 p.m. April 13-17

CFS training is designed to pro-vide financial education and trainingcounseling and information referral atthe command level. To qualify for thisCFS training the candidate must beE-6 or above, highly motivated and

financially stable. Trained individu-als will represent their command andprovide education at the commandlevel. If you have any questionsabout signing up for the class pleasecontact JimWalsh at the Fleet & fam-ily Support Center 301-342-5442, Nocost, local orders required.

Ready Navywww.ready.navy.mil

Hazardous weather is possibleany time. Get a free informationpacket on how to prepare for hur-ricanes, severe weather and otherpotential emergencies at the Fleetand Family Support Center.

Clinical Counseling ServicesClinical Counseling services can

directly improve the quality of life ofservice members and their familyby addressing the stressors facingtoday’s military. To make an appoint-ment with a counselor, call 301-342-4911 or 202-685-6019.

Exceptional Family MemberProgram (EFMP)

EFMP is a DOD program that ad-

dresses the special needs of militaryfamilies. Sailors with an exceptionalfamily member — a family memberwith special needs such as a medi-cal or educational disability — areencouraged to enroll in the EFMPso the Navy can do its part in caringfor EFM needs. Email James Lettnerat [email protected].

Financial CounselingServices

The Personal Financial Educa-tor can help individuals and familiesin managing their finances, resolvingfinancial problems and to reach long-term goals. Take control of your fi-nances and make an appointment witha counselor by calling 301-342-5442.

Find Your CommandOmbudsman

Find out who your Ombudsmanis. Visit www.ombudsmanregistry.org, click on “Contact Your Ombuds-man” and follow the prompts, or call301-757-1861 to speak with theNAS Patuxent River OmbudsmanCoordinator.

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Little Flower School2015 Mulch Sale

Please Call LFS at 301-994-040420410 Point Lookout Road • Great Mills, Maryland 20634

Email: [email protected]: www.littleflowercatholic.org

Pick-up and Delivery Date is March 21st

• Hardwood mulch for $4.25 for a 3 cubic foot bag

• Free delivery for orders of 20 or more bags. Orders will bedelivered between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.We will only deliver to St. Mary’s County, North ofSt. Mary’s City and South of Route 234. Orders outsidethis area will have to be picked up at the school.Pick up times are from 7:00am to 2:00pm.

• Order forms available at:www.littleflowercatholic.org/fundraising/events.aspxOrders need to be received, with payment, by March 14th.

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