Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 12-6-16 Online Edition

Military News
Tampa Resident Communicates With Family While Aboard Aircraft Carrier
PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS VASHTI WALTERS
ARABIAN GULF --- Petty Officer 3rd Class Vashti Wal- ters, of Tampa, is shown speaking to family members on a phone aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike). Ike and its Carrier Strike Group are deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. (U. S. Navy photo by Seaman Zach Sleeper).
Four Complete Basic Training In U. S.
Air Force
Four enlistees with ties to the Tampa Bay area have suc- cessfully completed basic mili- tary training as members of the U. S. Air Force. Airman Dyl- lon M. Blanks, Airman Muhammad E. Jackson, Airman 1st Class Daniel E. Theis Reyes, and Airman Michael T. Scanlan partici- pated in their respective gradu- ation ceremonies at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, in San Antonio, Texas.
The Airmen completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in mili- tary discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fit- ness, and basic warfare princi- ples and skills. As a result, each earned four credits toward an associate in applied science de- gree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Airman Blanks graduated from Gaither High School in 2012.
Airman Jackson is the son of Dawn R. Louis, of Pinellas Park, brother of Des- tiny L. Williams, of Tampa, and Ebony B. Jackson, of Pinellas Park. He is the grand- son of Polly A. Fulford, of Pinellas Park, cousin of Chris- tian L. Jackson, of Pinellas Park, and son-in-law of Nicca- sio Williams, of Tampa.
Airman Jackson gradu- ated from Pinellas Park High School in 2015.
Airman 1st Class Theis Reyes graduated from Gateway Charter High School in Fort Myers in 2009. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from the Uni- versity of South Florida, in 2014.
Airman Scanlan is the son of Frances L. Perez, of Valrico. He graduated from Sickles High School in 2008, and continued his education at Hillsborough Community Col- lege. He earned his Associate’s Degree in 2012.
Tampa Native Is Religious Program Specialist Aboard Carrier
RED SEA --- Petty Officer 2nd Class Courtney Tim- mons, of Tampa, is shown preparing for Catholic Mass in the chapel of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike). Timmons serves aboard Ike as a Religious Program Special- ist and helps prepare and conduct religious ministries and cere- monies. Ike and its carrier strike group are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and the- ater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of oper- ations. (U. S. Navy photo by Seaman Christopher A. Michaels)
St. Petersburg Native Assigned To Pearl Harbor
Fleet Headquarters
PEARL HARBOR – As the nation pauses to remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred 75 years ago on Dec. 7, 1941, the occasion has special meaning for a Saint Petersburg native who is serving in the U. S. Navy in the very location that drew the United States into World War II.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Gadson, a 2004 St. Petersburg High School graduate, is assigned to the Navy’s U. S. Pa- cific Fleet Headquarters. According to Navy officials, the U. S. Pa- cific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. The U. S. Pacific Fleet consists of approximately 200 ships/submarines, nearly 1,100 aircraft, and more than 140,000 Sailors and civilians.
Gadson is responsible for maintenance and management of servers and computer systems onboard.
Being stationed in Pearl Harbor, often referred to as the gateway to the Pacific in defense circles, means that Gadson is serving in a part of the world – the Pacific -- that is taking on new importance in America’s national defense strategy. Pearl Harbor is home to more than 19,000 U.S. Navy Sailors 11 surface ships, 19 nuclear- powered submarines and 19 aircraft.
Armed Forces History Museum To Close
The Armed Forces History Museum, located in Largo, is slated to close permanently. It will close on Sunday, January 29, 2017, at 4 p.m.
The museum was founded by the late John J. Piazza, Sr., whose 55-year span collect- ing military memorabilia rang- ing from grenades to tanks resulted in the museum’s grand opening on August 16, 2008. Mr. Piazza recognized and honored generations of Ameri- cans who sacrificed so much more than their share, includ- ing their very own lives.
For more information on the Armed Forces History Mu- seum, please visit www.armed- forcesmuseum.com.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9