NAVAL AIR FORCES
PRESS RELEASE
Naval Air Forces
Naval Air Station North Island
San Diego, CA 92135
August 26, 2011 PRESS RELEASE #: 2011-018
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 26, 2011) – Capt. Shoshana Chatfield assumed command of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet (HSCWP) today, relieving Capt. Michael D. Horan during a Change of Command Ceremony at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island.
HSCWP oversees two fleet replacement squadrons, one weapons school, and ten operational anti-submarine and sea combat squadrons located at NAS North Island, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The wing staff, comprised of 75 military and civilian personnel, manages the administrative, operational and training requirements of more than 3,400 military personnel and 131 helicopters.
Chatfield, a 1983 graduate of Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, Calif., previously served as the wing’s deputy commander.
The ceremony also marked the retirement of Horan after 25 years of naval service.
Horan, son of Thomas and Mary Horan of Mountain View, Calif., is a 1986 graduate of the University of California. Commissioned via Aviation Officer Candidate School, he was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1987.
Throughout his career, Horan has flown more than 4,000 flight hours with more than 3,400 hours in the H-60F/H “Seahawk” helicopter. He previously commanded Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron Two and supported tsunami relief operations in Sumatra, Indonesia in 2004.
In December 2005, he served on an Individual Augmentation assignment in Afghanistan where he commanded Joint Provincial Reconstruction Team – Farah from February 2006 to April 2007 in support of NATO’s International Security Assistance Forces and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Horan is married to the former Terri A. Lee of Saratoga, Calif. They have two teenagers: Sean and Maria.
-USN-
