Military notes

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009

Huntingtown graduate Charles Vasko is one of five East Coast students to win a 2009 Northrop Grumman Corporation Battle Management and Engagement Systems Division engineering scholarship. Vasko, along with his parents, was honored at a reception at the Northrop Grumman facility in Hollywood recently. This is the fourth year for the competition. For the first time, the competition was expanded beyond the division headquarters in Bethpage, N.Y., to applicants from Brevard County, Fla., and Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties in Maryland — areas in which the Battle Management and Engagement Systems Division of the company's Aerospace Systems sector has major facilities.

"Our hope with this scholarship program has always been to help stimulate interest in the sciences and technology in general, and in the aerospace technologies in particular," said Tom Vice, sector vice president of Battle Management and Engagement Systems Division for Northrop Grumman. "It made sense for us to expand the competition to students who lived in the East Coast states our division calls home."

"That only made our evaluation team's annual challenge — choosing the best of the best applicants — that much harder," Vice said in a press release. "Every entrant presented great grades and an impressive list of school and community activities."

Vasko will receive $10,000 towards his four-year college education — $2,500 per year over four years. He is attending Virginia Tech this fall.

In addition, he will get a paid summer internship at Northrop Grumman's Hollywood facility for the three summers of his four years of undergraduate studies. Including salaries, this scholarship could be worth as much as $30,000.

Beyond the salaries, of greater value to Vasko may be that he will have the chance to work on real-world aerospace- and defense-related projects as a member of Northrop Grumman engineering teams. On the job, he will be mentored by accomplished senior engineers, while bringing his own, fresh approaches to research, development and production programs.

A sixteen-member employee evaluation team reviewed all applications. Applicants were evaluated on their scholastic records, community service, letters of recommendation and their interest in the engineering profession. The committee eventually selected 10 finalists. Division executives interviewed the finalists and selected the winners.

Cagado, McGrath, Powell complete basic training

Navy Reserve Seaman Jerome Cagado, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Willbright of Lusby, Navy Seaman Recruit Cory L. McGrath, son of Wendy D. and Howard J. McGrath of Lusby, and Navy Seaman Kandi T. Powell, niece of Cregg T. Powell of Chesapeake Beach and granddaughter of Cassandra Joyce of Annapolis, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.

During the eight-week program, they completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.

The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations." This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of honor, courage and Commitment. Its distinctly "Navy" flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a sailor.

Cagado is a 2005 graduate of Patuxent High School in Lusby.

McGrath is a 2007 graduate of Patuxent High School in Lusby.

Powell is a 2008 graduate of Huntingtown High School in Huntingtown.