By Jim Jenkins Senior Writer PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, MD Lt. Frank Seguin is the first-ever recipient of the Naval Test Wing Atlantic Harry R. Errington Maintenance Officer of the Year Award. Seguin, the maintenance officer of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School here, said that winning the award was just a reflection of the dedicated work of the men and women of TPS and its maintenance department. Without a doubt they re the most professional organization I ve ever been affiliated with, Seguin said. My special thanks to the maintenance department because they prove to me daily why they are the best maintenance department in the world. As the TPS maintenance officer, Seguin has the rare responsibility for overseeing some 200 people, including both military and contractor employees, while servicing 48 aircraft of 13 different types. [We maintain] helicopters, fixed wing..., Seguin said. Everything from the Air Force T-38 Talon to the Army Blackhawk. A challenge for anyone, members of the TPS maintenance department need to know how to work on every aircraft in the Navy s inventory, as well as aircraft from the Air Force, Army and Federal Aviation Administration, in addition to the occasional civilian or foreign aircraft TPS uses to teach its future test pilots. This is the best job I ve ever had, said Seguin, a member of the Southern Maryland Mustang Association. I feel humbled to be in and around and a part of this organization. As humbled as Seguin is to be named Maintenance Officer of the Year, he is more so by the fact that he is the first-ever recipient of the Harry R. Errington Award. Errington, at one time, held the same job as Seguin, and is considered by many to be an icon of naval aviation maintenance. Errington, also a Mustang, has been associated with naval aviation maintenance since his enlistment in the Navy in 1951, during the Korean War. Harry is the man, Seguin said. I have the utmost respect for him and everything he s done for naval aviation over the years. He s just done everything. He s a great guy. Page 1 of 6
Seguin, the TPS maintenance officer since June 2000, enlisted in the Navy in 1979, became a chief petty officer in 1991 and in 1996 was commissioned as a limited duty officer. For winning the award Seguin received a Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a plaque with his name permanently on display, with all previous winners of the Maintenance Officer of the Year Award, in the Officers Club. Maintenance Chief of the Year AEC Gary Sheldon was shocked when he learned he d been named Maintenance Chief of the Year. I was just doing my job, said Sheldon, who works at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 here. The maintenance department at VX-23 is the command s largest, with more than 250 enlisted, 200 contractor and three civil service employees maintaining 24 aircraft in addition to special test aircraft such as the X-31 VECTOR. In addition to their normal duties here, VX-23 s maintenance team sends a crew out to aircraft carriers with the carrier suitability team to certify or re-certify a ship s launch and recovery systems. These carrier suite pilots perform carrier qualification tests aboard all new carriers, and re-certify all existing carriers and their precision-approach landing systems every 18 to 24 months. A maintenance team familiar with the highly instrumented VX-23 aircraft must accompany the pilots and aircraft. A VX-23 maintenance detachment is almost always on the road. Sheldon helps make all that happen. As the maintenance chief, Sheldon acts as the go-between for the maintainers and project engineers. With numerous test projects being conducted simultaneously a lot of extra maintenance, outside the regular schedule, is required. Most shore-duty commands have one type of aircraft, one platform of aircraft, Sheldon said. Here we ve got A through D Hornets And each aircraft is different in its own way. Then we also have the Super Hornets, which are all test aircraft and each one of our Super Hornets are different. Each aircraft is uniquely configured to conduct a specific test. Sheldon and his crew are responsible for maintaining the one-of-kind aircraft to ensure the planes are ready when the test engineers and pilots need them. This place is challenging in its own way, Sheldon said. It keeps you on your toes. Sidebar: Page 2 of 6
Award named in Errington s honor Harry Errington just can t get enough. He lives and breathes naval aviation. And now he will forever be remembered as the embodiment of a naval aviation maintenance professional. The Naval Test Wing Atlantic has renamed its annual maintenance officer award the Harry R. Errington Maintenance Officer of the Year Award. I m humbled, Errington said. To get an [honor] like this only comes because you ve had wonderful people work with you over the years to allow you to be recognized. I am just honored to be a part of the group here at Pax. Errington has officially retired three times, once as a lieutenant commander in 1974, once as a civil servant in 1989, and once as a volunteer in 1998. But he continues to put in time to help make Pax River a world-class facility. He has already served more than 51 years for the Navy, and he keeps coming back for more. Errington enlisted in the Navy in 1951 during the Korean War, where he found himself maintaining aircraft like the Bearcat, Hellcat, Skyraider, Mauler, SNB, R-4D and PB-4Y. He even flew in many of those aircraft as an enlisted crewman. By the time he ended his Navy civilian career as the aircraft maintenance department head of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate here, he had also been in charge of maintaining modern aircraft like the A-6, F-14 and F/A-18. Harry is one of my heroes, said Vice Adm. Joe Dyer, NAVAIR commander. I worked for Harry when I was a lieutenant at Strike 25 years ago. He was a major influence on my professional development. I learned two key lessons from Harry always speak truth to leadership, regardless of the pain, and always take care of the troops. Errington instills the latter lesson into everyone he meets even today. As a volunteer with the Pax River Naval Air Museum, he insists that after they clean and maintain each of the display aircraft, the troops involved are remembered with a group photo and an article he writes up for the Tester. Errington personally makes copies of the article and accompanying photo, and gives everyone involved a souvenir keepsake of the event. Errington spent many years cruising along the world s waterways preparing his country s aircraft for war in Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War with the Soviets. He was aboard USS Forrestal (CVA 59) for its initial shakedown cruise, was a part of the fleet introduction of the F11F-1 Tiger and F4 Phantom II, received a commission from chief petty officer to ensign, served in seven different tailhook aircraft squadrons, was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Ribbon after completing a one-year in-country assignment (1969-70) in Vietnam, and even married his high school sweetheart. Page 3 of 6
My whole life in the Navy was, I think, successful because I was always trying to maintain a standard that would make my wife and my family proud, Errington said. And they certainly gave me something to work for. Errington did make them proud. Gwen, his wife of 50 years, and their children, Doug, Jeff and Robyn, were delighted to have such an honor bestowed on him. Most everyone Errington has been associated with thinks he is well-deserving of the honor. I spent a lot of time in the Navy on the flight deck of a carrier, said retired Vice Adm. Bill Lawrence, former U.S. Naval Academy superintendent, commander of U.S Third Fleet and a prisoner-of-war in Vietnam for six years, and I never saw anybody that was more effective on an aircraft carrier than Harry. I was really very pleased and proud that they established an award in his name. Errington first met Lawrence in 1963 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Fla. Errington had recently received his commission and was assigned to the VF-14 Tophatters Squadron as the maintenance control officer. In this role he also had the opportunity to fly, and he did. Lawrence introduced the newly commissioned officer to the sound barrier and beyond, flying speeds approaching Mach 2. Lawrence said he never saw anybody work as well as Harry. Time goes fast when you work hard, Errington said. Part of being in the fighter and attack aviation Navy is long hours, hard work and beautiful people to work with. Errington worked with beautiful people in all parts of the world as a member of the Navy family. Many of those people think Errington is the beautiful one, though. Whether he was serving his country as a naval officer, civil servant or volunteer, Errington has left his mark on everybody he s known. At NAWCAD executive secretary Mary Watts thinks of Harry as her adopted dad. Watts became Errington s secretary in 1978 when he was the assistant maintenance officer of the then Strike Directorate, now VX-23. During that time, I found him to be a true professional, Watts said. He was the person to go to involving anything with aircraft maintenance. I have known no one more hardworking and dedicated to the field of aircraft maintenance, Page 4 of 6
and I can think of no finer individual to have the Maintenance Officer of the Year Award named after. Even after retirement he took on the task of maintaining aircraft as a volunteer for the Naval Air Museum here at Pax River. He donates his time in giving advice and counsel in maintaining them [still] today. Errington has been around so long, he s helped many of the now-senior people at Pax River get started in their careers back when. The first winner of the Maintenance Officer of the Year Award, selected in 1987, was retired Cmdr. Warren Tuthill. Tuthill said that maintenance officers, aviators, enlisted members, civil service, family, and community leaders seek out Errington for counsel and advise. He always has time, he is always reflective, he is always supportive, he always leads, said Tuthill, who now works for the JAHN Corporation supporting the Joint Strike Fighter program. He is a most impressive man, a great naval officer and a great American. Harry has boundless energy and a huge heart. Errington and Tuthill have a special bond. As Errington likes to say, they are both fellow Tophatters. Both served in VF-14 as lieutenants, although 20 years apart. Tuthill first met Errington in 1980 when Tuthill arrived as a newly commissioned LDO reporting to Strike. Errington was the assistant maintenance officer there at the time, but he was assistant in title only, according to Tuthill. It was well-known that Harry had the ear of and total influence on the chain-of-command throughout the directorate, within the Naval Air Test Center staff, into NAVAIR and OPNAV. He was the lead of the maintenance department. Even as busy a job as that was, Errington always found time to nurture those he worked with. Since our first meeting, Harry Errington has made it his personal responsibility to ensure my professional horizons were expanded and my life-goals honed, Tuthill said. He has championed my career. Harry treated all of us that were fortunate enough to work with him the same way, respectfully and fair. He was nurturing and even-handed but always calmly demanded the highest of standards for each of us. Everyone that knows him will unhesitatingly assure you that Harry has always embodied our Navy core values -- Honor, Courage, Commitment. Errington didn t just make an impact on the people he worked with at Pax. He made a splash at sea as well. Errington s last commanding officer, retired Cmdr. Bud Collicott, was the commanding officer of VF-33 in 1973 when they first met. Collicott, who now works for Veridian at the Manned Flight Simulator here, made Errington the maintenance department head and touted that decision as one his best ever. Collicott was impressed with Errington s ability to lead and perform his job. Steaming independently, and armed with his characteristic take-charge, can-do demeanor, he interfaced with the Page 5 of 6
functional wing commander s maintenance officer, determined where our spaces would be, took charge of the Sailors that were also awaiting our arrival, and directed the most thorough space rehab to which I have ever been witness, Collicott said. Working with, and for, the squadron s significant others he also organized a welcoming home package that was second-to-none. Harry Errington knows how to get the job done. He employs the help of everybody, whether they know it or not. His enthusiasm rubs off and makes one willing to help his cause. It s only right to have his legacy epitomized in conjunction with this award, Collicott said. I m proud to be able to call him Shipmate. -USN- Page 6 of 6