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Home Front: WoT
Pensacola NAS OCS to close
2007-09-17
PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Fla. (AP) - The college graduates who are soon to complete training at the nation's oldest naval air station will be the final class to graduate from the base's officer candidate school, ending a military tradition that lasted nearly seven decades.
After graduation ceremonies on Friday, the school will close and consolidate with a training center in Newport, R.I.

"Hundreds of classes have suffered out there" on the exercise field and parade deck at Penasacola Naval Air Station, said Allen Hamby, a 21-year-old admiral's son and University of Central Florida graduate who plans to be a supply officer. "And we are going to be the last class doing it."
Posted by:Steve White

#3  Back to Newport? The poor bastards.
Posted by: Pappy   2007-09-17 22:24  

#2  Rhode Island just doesn't have the panache of Pensacola. However, since Tailhook Naval Aviators have become a different breed.
Posted by: RWV   2007-09-17 19:36  

#1  Feel compelled to add my two cents:
As the non-military son of a navy man who got his wings/did OCS in P'Cola, did a couple of tours in Vietnam, then moved back to P'Cola because he loved it *that much*, I grew up on the Redneck Riviera, sneaking into legendary haunts like Trader Jon's and Seville, rubbing elbows with the boys in white. Since then (late 80's), NAS has been in a slow decline: the lady Lex left, the Forrestal came and went, a big chunk of flight school was carved off and moved to Texas(?), now OCS. Oh yeah: somewhere in there, Trader's closed for good.

Pensacola's as much a Navy town as there's ever been. Losing any part of our beloved NAS hurts deeply.

That being said, I warn the powers that be: don't even *think* of touching the Blues.

Posted by: Geoffro   2007-09-17 13:32  

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