Chaparral High, UNLV grad serving with Seabees in Spain

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2002 | 8:50 a.m.

Navy Ensign Vincent Palrose, Chaparral High School class of 1994, is on a six-month deployment to Rota, Spain, while assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7, based in Gulfport, Miss.

He is the son of Barbara and Ulmar Palrose of Las Vegas,

Seabees from Palrose's unit recently departed Spain for missions in two other countries. They joined Joint Task Force 160 at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and supported Exercise Rescuer Medceur '02 in Klaipeda, Lithuania.

In Guantanamo Bay members of the unit built air-conditioned huts for the service members who are supporting detainee operations. The huts include living quarters, work offices and recreation services that offer Internet access, telephones, libraries and television screening rooms. In Lithuania they renovated six bathrooms in an orphanage.

Palrose, a mechanical engineer, joined the Navy in September 2000. He graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 2001.

With the Seabees he provides leadership and technical expertise for responsive military construction support to Navy, Marine Corps and other forces in military operations.

Seabees construct base facilities and are armed to conduct defensive operations. Their motto "We build, We Fight" illustrates their ability to work and defend themselves at construction sites outside their base camp and convoy through unsecured areas.

First female aerial gunner at Nellis

The first female graduate of the 58th Training Squadron's aerial gunnery training at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., will soon report to Nellis Air Force Base as the first female aerial gunner in the Air Force.

According to officials at Kirtland, Airman Vanessa Dobos will perform combat duty formerly closed to women as a gunner and member of a search and rescue crew on the H-60 helicopter.

In brief

As an administrative supervisor, Coates was in charge of managing legal sponsor and information safety programs.

As a welder, George will be assigned to Marine Corps bases or engineering battalions to assist in light and heavy construction projects around the world.

Shelby, the son of Michelle and Mark Shelby of Las Vegas, learned basic journalism, basic photography, international and domestic military media policies, and internal and external media relations procedures.

Perry, who attends Fishburne Military School, was introduced to academy life through a regimen of academics, physical training, intramural sports, sailing and seamanship.