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Memorial Held For NAS Pensacola Victims, Their Families
December 20, 2019
The Navy held a memorial service Thursday for the three Sailors killed in the Dec. 6 shooting at Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) onboard NAS Pensacola, presenting posthumous awards to the fallen service members for their service.
Family members received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism on behalf of Naval Aircrewman (Mechanical) 3rd Class Mohammed S. Haitham, 19, from St. Petersburg, Florida; Naval Aircrewman (Mechanical) 3rd Class Cameron S. Walters, 21, from Richmond Hill, Georgia; and Ensign Joshua K. Watson, 23, from Enterprise, Alabama. Haitham and Walters also were awarded the Good Conduct Medal, a recognition for enlisted Sailors. All three Sailors were serving as students at NASC.
Families, friends, NASC staff and students, shipmates, senior Navy leaders and local government officials came together for the service at the National Naval Aviation Museum onboard NAS Pensacola where Adm. Chris Grady, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, presided over the ceremony.
“We can never know what will be demanded of us on any given day, and no one could have foreseen what would be demanded on December 6th, but these men answered the call,” Grady said. “Through their heroic acts, they saved lives by sacrificing their own and for that, we are forever grateful.”
The memorial service allowed the Navy to honor and pay respect to the victims and their families. The service included remarks from Capt. Vincent Segars, commanding officer of NASC, and a four-ship missing man flyover by the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels.
With NAS Pensacola known as “the cradle of naval aviation,” Segars described it as a special place where all naval aviators and aircrewmen start living their dreams of flying in service to their nation. Segars encouraged NASC students and shipmates of the fallen to always remember Dec. 6.
“One common theme from these heroic Sailors is their infectious spirit that sought to motivate and bring out the best in all they served with,” Segars said. “Let us honor their memory by achieving our dreams in earning the wings of gold, and wear them proudly as we assume the watch.”
On Dec. 10, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly proclaimed Haitham and Walters as naval aircrewmen by awarding them their wings of gold. They were posthumously advanced to naval aircrewman mechanical 3rd class. Modly also proclaimed Watson as a naval aviator, and awarded him wings of gold as well.
“We owe them a debt that can never be repaid, and it is one that we will never forget,” said Grady. “These men have rightly been described as heroes, and that is how we will remember them.”
Pictured: The U.S. Navy Blue Angels in a missing man formation over NAS Pensacola Thursday to honor the victims of the December 6 shooting on the base. U.S. Navy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
3 Responses to “Memorial Held For NAS Pensacola Victims, Their Families”
In response to K
I emphatically disagree with the flawed reasoning for not awarding Bronze or Silver Star medals due to briefness of service or these young Sailor’s naiveness. Or that previously awarded recipients of the medal would be angered.
No where in the awards manual will one find a minimum length of active service requirement to award heroism medals. These young, brave men deserve much more than the country is willing to afford. I posted on this article because I have strong emotion about the Navy’s shortcomings for their own. Lastly, K, at least I have the intestinal fortitude to put my name in my post.
@James Moretz
To award the Bronze or Silver Star would definitely require political pull. And to give a nod to politics playing a part, the Saudis are allies, and the attacker was by definition a solitary actor. To award the Bronze of Silver Star would strain the relationship at a time when the Saudis are increasingly aware of how vulnerable they are versus Iran.
The key here is that as students who were in reality untested in their respective fields, the elevation to Aircrew and Aviator were sufficient – otherwise all the Bronze Star and Silver Star holders out there would be ticked because a trainee got a Bronze Star / Silver Star.
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is awarded for non-combat heroism, which pretty much downgrades this tragic shooting to a work place violence event and not an act terrorism as originally claimed. When that foreign student pulled the gun and started shooting these great Americans, he instantly became the enemy. Awarding Bronze or Silver Stars would be appropriate. So disappointing that these young men, including the ones who survived, will not be awarded Purple Heart medals by the Commander in Chief. Do you think politics played a roll? I do. May God continue to comfort and bless these families and survivors.