Kitty Hawk shipmates honor Las Vegas sailor

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001 | 9:52 a.m.

Selection as Sailor of the Day may not sound like much of an honor, but when you consider that there are 5,500 sailors aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, the distinction becomes significant.

Howard Jarrell, the son of Thomas and Debby Larsen of Las Vegas, was recently chosen Sailor of the Day as a crew member of the 86,000-ton aircraft carrier forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.

Jarrell, an airman apprentice who attended Clark High School, was recognized in part for excelling in his training for maintaining critical electrical batteries used by the ship's arsenal of F-14 fighters, F-18 fighter bombers, EA6B electronic warfare jets and command and control and utility aircraft.

Jarrell has been in the Navy for less than two years and has served aboard the Kitty Hawk for 18 months.

Blackhorse turns 100

The Nevada National Guard's 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry will serve as host for a memorial service Saturday at the Riviera Hotel Convention Center in remembrance of fallen comrades of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. The 11th, known as the Blackhorse Regiment, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

The regiment, which is Nevada's 1st/221st command, is stationed at Fort Irwin, Calif., where it serves as the National Training Center's primary opposing force. Army units from across the country deploy to the NTC to fight the Blackhorse Regiment in the harsh conditions of the Mojave Desert.

Featured speaker for the 10:30 a.m. memorial service in the Royale Pavilion Room will be Lt. Col. (Ret.) Harold Fritz, who received the Medal of Honor while serving with the Blackhorse Regiment in Vietnam.

Scholarships available

The Defense Commissary Agency, in cooperation with manufacturing and business partners, has initiated a new Scholarships for Military Children program. The group is funding one $1,500 scholarship for each of the nearly 300 commissaries at military installations worldwide.

Dependent children of any active duty, Guard, Reserve and retired military members are eligible. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 is required. The application deadline for this year's selection process is Feb. 15.

Application forms can be obtained at the Nellis Air Force Base commissary or downloaded from the Defense Commissary Agency website (commissaries.com).

The Nellis Officers' Spouses Club and Charitable Association also announced the availability of its scholarships for high school graduates in 2001-2002. The organization is sponsoring four $500 scholarships, as well as six scholastic achievement awards for students going to college.

The scholastic achievement awards include one $2,000, one $1,250 and four $1,000 awards and are extended to dependents of retired personnel living in the Las Vegas area as well as active-duty airmen at the base.

Applications for the scholarships are available at the Base Education Center. Students competing for the scholastic achievement awards must return their completed forms to their high school guidance counselors.

All applications must be postmarked and mailed to Anne Bowman, 901 Grey Hollow Ave., North Las Vegas, NV 89031, no later than March 28.