(NAVAL AIRCREWMAN)
AWC (NAC)
ROBERT JOHN DONALDSON, SR.
He reported to his first operational assignment of Air Antisubmarine Squadron Twenty-Eight (VS-28), a part of Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6), aboard the USS America (CV-66) and homeported at NAS Cecil Field, FL, where he began his first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea in January 1978. There he qualified as a Naval Aircrewman, served in a variety of collateral duties including Logs and Records Petty Officer, Communications Yeoman and Assistant Training Petty Officer. He was eventually promoted
to the rate of Second Class Petty Officer, completing two more cruises aboard the USS Independence (CV-62), one to the Mediterranean Sea and one to the Indian Ocean. There he also qualified as one of five US-3A Loadmasters in addition to his duties as a Viking SENSO before being transferred in October 1981.
His next assignment was as an Instructor for Fleet Aviation Specialized Operational training Group, Atlantic (FASOTRAGRULANT), Detachment Cecil Field, where he reported for duty as a newly selected First Class Petty Officer. During this time, he re-opened a schoolhouse that had been secured for over four months. For almost six months, he single-handedly provided scheduled and on-demand specialized training to six Fleet VS squadrons and the East Coast VS Support Unit.
He remained at FASO until March 1985 when he transferred back to VS-28 and assumed the role of
AW Division Leading Petty Officer (LPO) and Acting Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO) for the
Operations Department. Here he completed two more carrier deployments on the USS Forrestal
(CV-59), another to the Mediterranean Sea and another to the Indian Ocean. It was during this tour
that he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer.
Upon return from his last carrier deployment, Chief Donaldson transferred to his second tour of duty
as an Instructor, this time with Patrol Squadron Thirty (VP-30), homeported at NAS Jacksonville, FL.
After completing transition training and qualifying as an Acoustic Operator in the Lockheed P-3C
Update III Orion patrol aircraft, he managed three separate training pipelines and was instrumental in
the preparation planning for the consolidation of VP training into a single squadron. Later he was hand selected to serve as the LCPO for the Commander, Patrol Wings Atlantic Tactical Training Team (CPWL TTT).
Upon completion of this tour, he was selected for overseas duty, and after a short period of training, reported for duty in September 1992 to Commander, Fleet Air Keflavik (CFK), based at NAS Keflavik, Iceland. There he served as LCPO for the Special Projects Division and the Operations Department. He also was one of the first Chiefs to complete training, qualify and be designated as a Watch Officer in an operational Tactical Support Center (TSC).
Chief Donaldson served in this capacity until his transfer to NATTC Millington, TN in April 1995. This would be his third and last tour as an Instructor, this time for the AW Class A1 School. Here he held the positions of Division Security Manager, Staff/Student Administration CPO and AW Training Division LCPO. He was part of the Base Re-Alignment and Closure (BRAC) Execution Team, moving the AW “A” School from NSA Memphis, TN to NAS Pensacola, FL without an interruption in training at either site. He was also an active member of the 1997 Aircrew Training Requirements Review (ATRR) of 1997 and the NATTC Efficiency Review of 1998.
During his 22 year plus career, Chief Donaldson has accumulated over 2,500 flight hours in 22 US Navy and Allied aircraft and over 400 carrier arrested landings. He is a Centurion on the USS Independence and a Double Centurion on the USS Forrestal. He has visited 19 foreign countries, 38 of the 50 states in the US and 80 different cities worldwide. He is a card carrying Shellback and Bluenose. He has sailed through the Suez Canal both ways, sailed across both the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and the Equator. He has sailed around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. He has traveled as far north as the North Pole and as far east as Western Australia.
His military decorations and personal awards include: the Navy Commendation Medal (2 awards), the Navy Achievement Medal (2 awards), the Meritorious Unit Commendation (2 awards), the Good Conduct Award (5 awards), the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (5 awards), the Arctic Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon (2 awards), plus numerous Letters of Commendation and Letters of Appreciation.