Photo By Seaman William Andrews | Cmdr. Michael P. Bukolt, Jr. Makes remarks at the Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 Change of...... read more read more
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The War Eagles of Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 held a change of command ceremony on June 6th aboard Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
Cmdr. Michael P. Bukolt, Jr. relieved Cmdr. Troy T. Tartaglia to become the 65th commanding officer of VP-16. The ceremony comes after the War Eagles returned home from their recent deployment to 4th and 7th Fleets.
Tartaglia, a career naval aviator, has inspired the squadron to excel since his arrival in June of 2017. Under his leadership on their recent deployment, the War Eagles were the first full P8-A squadron to endure the harsh winter in Misawa, Japan; they flew over 4,000 hours in support of strategic US interests and they helped seize over $2.5 billion worth of narcotics being trafficked from Central and South America. Cmdr. Tartaglia will depart VP-16 and will be joining OPNAV N80 in Arlington, Va.
“It has been the honor of my lifetime to lead VP-16. The men and women of this incredible squadron have consistently exceeded expectations. Their well-known, community impacting accomplishments were born of their own initiative and have made me incredibly proud to be their Skipper,” said Tartaglia, “I’ll carry this experience with me forever and I look forward to watching the War Eagles continue to succeed.”
Cmdr. Bukolt will lead VP-16 through the remainder of their home cycle work ups and into their next deployment to the 5th and 6th Fleets. As a former EP-3 aviator, Bukolt understands the unique challenges facing the War Eagles as they prepare to deploy to a new area of responsibility and is ready to ensure their continued success.
“I am immensely proud of what the War Eagles have done in the past year, and I cannot wait to see what they have in store. I will make sure the ship keeps pointing in the right direction, but these Sailors make it easy,” said Bukolt. “They are the most lethal, tactically relevant, and well-rounded bunch of Sailors I have ever been given the opportunity to work with.”
The War Eagles also welcomed Cmdr. Kevin Kraemer as the new executive officer during the ceremony.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2019 11:56 |
| Story ID: | 325752 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 285 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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