Local sailors serving on — and under — sea around globe

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Aug. 23, 2001 | 8:26 a.m.

Navy officials report that four Las Vegas sailors are performing well at a variety of sea duty posts around the world.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel L. Gonzales, the son of Thomas Gonzales of Las Vegas, is serving as a hull technician aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, an aircraft carrier home ported at Mayport, Fla.

Gonzales, a 1981 graduate of Rancho High School, works as the ship's carpenter. Among his duties, he has the morale-building task of preparing commemorative plaques for Kennedy crew members recognized for superior performance.

The Navy is a tradition for the Gonzales family. "I joined the Navy because I wanted to follow in my father's and brother's footsteps," he said.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Bills, the son of Robert and Gena Bills of Las Vegas, is serving aboard the USS Asheville, a Los Angeles-class submarine home ported in Pearl Harbor Hawaii.

"I am responsible for ensuring that the submarine has electrical power," says Bills, a 1998 graduate of Bishop Gorman High School. "I am also the 'gas pedal' for the submarine when I stand watch."

Seaman Sean Bayla, son of Daniel and Romana Bayla and a 2000 graduate of Las Vegas Adult High School, is serving aboard the USS Wadsworth, a San Diego-based guided missile frigate.

The one-year Navy veteran and his shipmates recently participated in a cooperation afloat readiness and training exercise designed to enhance regional cooperation between the armed forces of the United States and the countries of Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicolas Glann, the son of David Glann of Las Vegas, is serving aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Stout on a six-month forward-presence deployment to the Persian Gulf region. Glann is a personnel specialist and ensures the accurate documentation of personnel records for the Stout's officers and crew.

Nellis unit a 'group'

The unit that provides security and law enforcement for Nellis Air Force Base, as well as ground combat training for Air Force units around the world, officially changed status during ceremonies at the base last week.

The base's 99th Air Base Wing Commander, Col. Del Eulberg, formalized the change by reconferring command authority to Col. Emmett Mitchell as commander of the 99th Security Forces Group.

Mitchell's unit was the 99th Security Forces Squadron, but the size of the unit, now about 600 airmen strong, and diversity, with three separate missions, has brought it to the point where the Air Force decided to confer 'group' status.

The Nellis unit, along with the 820th Security Forces Group at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., are the only two group-level security force units in the Air Force, according to Staff Sgt. Jim Bianchi, a Nellis spokesman.

"We are a diverse unit with three separate missions: weapons systems security, air base security and ground combat training," Mitchell said. "Our activation as a group just reinforces our ability to perform any and all missions we are given."

In brief

Lt. Col. Michael Mills has transferred to the Nevada National Guard. In his most recent assignment, he was West Point's liaison officer in Southern Nevada.

Mills said he will continue service on Sen. John Ensign's Military Academy nominating committee. A member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps, Mills is assigned to the Nevada Army National guard's 1/99th Troop Command in Las Vegas.