Marine Corps Colonel Makes History as Navy Leader

Navy Compass ^ | 27 January 2006 | JO3 S. C. Irwin / PH3 Timothy Sosa

[A.A. Cunningham]

Marine Corps Colonel Makes History as Navy Leader

Friday, January 27, 2006

By JO3 S. C. Irwin / PH3 Timothy Sosa - Fleet Public Affairs Center, Pacific

SAN DIEGO - Marine Corps Col. Douglas P. Yurovich made history as the first Marine aviator ever to assume command of a Navy Carrier Air Wing (CVW 9), during a ceremony aboard USS Midway Jan. 19. Yurovich relieved Navy Capt. Michael Spence, who will next serve as the assistant chief of staff for plans and policy at Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain. CVW 9, also known as the Shogun Strike Team, is sited in Lemoore, Calif.

"I'm honored to be taking over Carrier Air Wing 9 and representing the Marine Corps. I believe I'm representing all of the Marines who have ever served on carrier strike groups," said Yurovich, who had served as deputy commander of CVW 9 since August 2004. "I found out 37 months ago that I was selected for this job and now I'm finally taking command."

Commissioned in 1979, the Marine Corps veteran has served at several duty stations including Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla. in 1980 for initial flight training and as chief staff officer of CVW 1 aboard USS America (CV 66) in 1995. He now heads CVW 9's 2,000 personnel and nine squadrons stationed on bases along the West Coast.

Yurovich is "the exact right guy at the right time for this job" said guest speaker, Vice Adm. James M. Zortman, commander of Naval Air Forces. "A lot of people want to make a big deal about the fact that the person stepping into this job is a Marine. The Navy and Marine Corps team is more integrated than ever. This is not new on any level."

CVW 9 recently completed an around-the-world deployment in July 2005 as part of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group. The air wing completed many training missions, as well as, raided an enemy insurgent location near Baghdad in April 2005. As the 49th commander of CVW 9, Yurovich said he would help maintain the standards of war fighting his predecessors have already established.

"We were in OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom), we took the fight to the enemy and we went to battle the war on terror," Yurovich said. "Air Wing 9 will continue to train to be ready and to be combat ready to fall upon to support the global war on terror."

CVW-9 is comprised of: VFA-146 "Blue Diamonds," VFA-147 "Argonauts," VFA-154 "Black Knights," VMFA-323 "Death Rattlers," VAW-112 "GoldenHawks," VAQ-138 "Yellowjackets," VS-33 "Screwbirds," and HS-8 "Eightballers." During operations at sea, CVW-9 is augmented by detachment from VRC-30 "Providers."

Marine Corps Col. Douglas P. Yurovich assumes command of Navy Carrier Air Wing, CVW 9, during a ceremony aboard USS Midway (CV 41). Yurovich makes military history as the first Marine aviator to assume command of a Navy carrier air wing. Yurovich relieved Capt. Michael Spence, who will next serve as the assistant chief of staff for plans and policies at Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, Bahrain. Official U.S. Navy by PH3 Timothy F. Sosa

[ExSES]

Strange picture all right, but he seems to have hit hit every spot on the senior command check list on the way up except a few combat kills.

For fairly obvious reasons..., the opportunity for "Kills" in recent decades has become VERY SPARSE!

[TruthNtegrity]

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