Photo By Garrett Dipuma | Santa Clause gives a bag of gifts to a Pensacola-area child at a Dec. 8 holiday event...... read more read more
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PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola First Class Petty Officer Association (FCPOA) and the installation’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) department’s Child and Youth Programs (CYP) welcomed area schoolchildren for a Dec. 8 holiday event onboard the installation.
“As a Pensacola native, it means a lot to be able to help out in the local community,” said NAS Pensacola Navy Security Forces Departmental Lead Petty Officer (LPO) Master-at-Arms 1st Class Drue Patrick, who also serves as the NAS Pensacola FCPOA president. “The Navy has such a huge impact and role in this community, and for us to be able to bring a little bit of joy during the holidays is something you just can’t put a price on.” Pensacola-area children from Global, Navy Point and West Pensacola elementary schools made holiday-themed arts and crafts, had lunch and received presents from Santa Claus while interacting with Sailors stationed at NAS Pensacola.
“I think there is a symbiotic relationship between NAS Pensacola and the surrounding communities. Pensacola provides all kinds of opportunities for our families to be engaged, and the education is outstanding here,” said NAS Pensacola MWR CYP School Liaison Hannah McCarthy. “This event, which has been happening for at least 15 years, is a great opportunity for us to come together show local kids who don’t necessarily have family in the military what Navy life is like.”
NAS Pensacola Commanding Officer Chandra Newman, Executive Officer Cmdr. Nick Alfano and Command Master Chief James Wallace also attended the event.
“This isn’t just about handing out gifts or throwing a party,” said Newman. “It’s about building real connections with our neighbors beyond the installation gates and staying engaged as part of the Pensacola community.”
“For me, this is a meaningful chance to give back to our community,” said Counter Unmanned Aircraft System Division LPO Operations Specialist 1st Class Diana Mason, a NAS Pensacola FCPOA member who helped plan the event. “It allows the children of Pensacola to come on base and meet Navy Sailors and simply enjoy a few hours of holiday fun.”
NAS Pensacola, referred to as the ‘Cradle of Naval Aviation,’ is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center (NATTC); Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC); Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23 and serves as the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).
| Date Taken: | 12.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2025 15:23 |
| Story ID: | 553416 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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