vaQ 132 home after extended deployment

Navigator
Whi
Vol.
7
dbe
, No
y Ed
. 41
ition
Friday, JUly 8, 2011 n www.Thenorthwestnavigator.com
Look Inside
VAQ-135
The Black Ravens of VAQ135 have been deemed “Safe
for Flight” in the EA-18G
Growler.
PAGE 2
RECYCLING
NAS Whidbey Recycling
recently shared their best
practices with Navy officials
from CNIC.
PAGE 6
VP-40
NAS’s Patrol Squadron 40
personnel are participating
in an exercise with the Royal
Malaysian Navy in Kuantan,
Malaysia as part of CARAT
2011.
PAGE 10
VAQ-132 PHOTO
VAQ-132 Scorpion 540, tail painted in desert camouflage, proudly displays the 2010 Commander Naval Air Forces Battle “E” and Chief of Naval Operations Safety
“S,” earned during an 8-month deployment operating from Iraq and Italy. Jets return to NAS Whidbey Island July 9.
VAQ 132 home after extended deployment
By Lt. Cristine Plecki
VAQ-132
EDUCATION
DoD awards grant for reading
program to the Oak Harbor
School District.
PAGE 11
InDEX
Your Two Cents .................. Page 4
Fleet & Family ............. Pages 8-9
Classified ads ................. Page 13
N
AS Whidbey Island welcomes home the Scorpions of Electronic Attack
Squadron (VAQ) 132
this week after a very successful
inaugural deployment of the EA18G Growler to Al Asad Air Base,
Iraq and Aviano Air Base, Italy.
The majority of maintenance and
support personnel arrived last
Friday. Jets and aircrew arrive tomorrow.
The Scorpions left in November
2010 and were deployed for a total of 240 days. During this time,
the squadron supported Operation
New Dawn in Iraq and Operations
Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector from Italy.
VAQ-132 provided advanced
Electronic Attack in support of
troops on the ground as well as airborne aircraft. The mission of Electronic Attack is unquestionably one
of the most critical in the U.S. Central Command and U.S. European
Command areas of responsibility,
as it protects numerous U. S. and
Coalition military assets and personnel.
The squadron’s missions often involved complex coordination with
other airborne assets and ground
troops, both of whom relied heavily on the capabilities of the EA-18G
to accomplish their mission. During their support of Operations Od-
yssey Dawn and Unified Protector,
VAQ-132 worked with NATO allies
to enforce United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1973, establishing a no-fly zone over Libya to protect Libyan civilians.
“The response to our support
was very positive across the board,
they were grateful we were there
and had the opportunity to help,”
said Lt. Dan Kovalcik. “I’m proud
that we got to serve something
greater than ourselves.”
Throughout the deployment, the
dedication to mission displayed by
the Scorpions ensured the full capabilities of the Growler were consistently delivered and continued the
legacy established by NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B Prowler squad-
rons. As the first squadron to deploy in the new EA-18G, the Scorpions flew over 2,800 hours and 700
combat missions in support of Operations New Dawn, Odyssey Dawn
and Unified Protector.
Scorpion Sailors spent countless hours preparing the aircraft
for daily combat sorties. Their superb dedication and professionalism played a critical role during
the deployment, ensuring VAQ132 was able to provide consistent,
quality support. For their superb
efforts, VAQ-132 was awarded the
2010 Commander Naval Air Forces Battle “E” and Chief of Naval
Operations Safety “S.”
See Scorpions, Page 5