P-3 Orion Articles: December 1996

• 18 December 1996. P-3 crew returns from African mission By LT Barbara Burfeind, NAS Sigonella PAO; Navy News Service.

  SIGONELLA, Sicily (NWSA) -- Crew members of Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 recently returned to Sigonella, Sicily, after four weeks of operations from Entebbe, Uganda. Two crews conducted daily surveillance flights over central Africa located and tracking Rwanda refugees.

  The Jacksonville, Fla., squadron is currently deployed to Sicily, augmented by VP-66, a reserve force P-3 squadron based in Willow Grove, Penn.

  The squadron provided data to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) to assist that headquarters in assessing the humanitarian situation in the region.

  From the air, crew members could easily spot several large refugee tent cities because they stood out from the lush, green, mountainous countryside near Lake Kivu. They also observed large groups traveling along the road to Goma, Zaire.

  "We've seen thousands of people and tents," said Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) 1st Class William Liening, from St. Henry, Ohio. "It's very easy to see the tent cities with the naked eye. They're just a blanket of white."

  Aviation Systems Warfare Operator 2nd Class Gina Mahoney, from Thompson Falls, Mont., said, "This is a standard Navy P-3 day. This is exactly what we're trained to do; it feels good to know that we're prepared and can help."

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