NOTES ON PEOPLE (06/14/98)

NOTES ON PEOPLE

Named Aviator of the Year 1997

YOKOSUKA, Japan - Lt. Cmdr. Yarema "Yarko" Sos was named 1997 Aviator of the Year by the Commander, Naval Air Pacific (COMNAVAIRPAC).

"I was surprised and shocked," said Lt. Cmdr. Sos, a pilot and operations officer from Fighter Squadron 154 (VF 154). "I didn't expect to win the award."

A native of Washington, he earned his commission in 1985 after graduating from Vanderbilt University. He joined his first fleet squadron in 1988 after completing F-14 flight training. He reported to the Black Knights of VF-154 in March 1996.

As the operations officer, Lt. Cmdr. Sos is responsible for scheduling, training and flight-hour management for his squadron. The squadron's executive officer, Cmdr. Stuart Bailey, said Lt. Cmdr. Sos plays a very vital role in the squadron.

"He instills a professional spirit and that eagerness to do better in the air throughout the squadron," said Cmdr. Bailey from Virginia Beach, Va.

Lt. Cmdr. Sos said it's a job he enjoys and finds very satisfying. "I enjoy watching the newer pilots mature, grow and learn," he said. "I like being able to teach. I enjoy the satisfaction of helping people become better pilots, better officers and just better members of the Navy."

Lt. Cmdr. Sos will have the opportunity to use his training talents when he departs the Black Knights and returns to the U.S. to become a "Top Gun" instructor at the naval air facility in Fallon, Nev. Though he was chosen as the Aviator of the Year and received orders to "Top Gun," Lt. Cmdr. Sos said he can't nail down one specific experience in the Navy that stands above the rest.

Through all the experiences, Lt. Cmdr. Sos said the never-ending challenge of being a fighter pilot is what keeps him in the Navy.

"Certainly this cruise has been challenging and there has been a lot of excitement," Lt. Cmdr. Sos said, "but it's a lot different than a 9-to-5 job, and that's what keeps me in."

His executive officer also sees that Lt. Cmdr. Sos still enjoys flying.

"He still loves it," Cmdr. Bailey said. "You see it in his face every day in his approach to flying, the way he briefs, how he works with the younger pilots and radar intercept officers, and the way he makes better aviators out of all of us."

Cmdr. Bailey added that he believes this is one of the factors that led to Lt. Cmdr. Sos' selection as Aviator of the Year.

"I've seen a lot of guys that have talent similar to his, but it's that day-in-day-out enthusiasm, that level of professionalism, and the dedication to do the job right that sets Sos apart," Cmdr. Bailey said. "There is a moral courage in there, too, that you don't see every day in today's Navy."

Lt. Cmdr. Sos was a little more humble in his assessment of his selection. "It just comes down to hard work, the understanding of what is required and trying to do your best," he said, "and for some reason, someone figured out that was good enough to win, and I appreciate that."

The USS Independence, on which Lt. Cmdr. Sos served, was deployed to the Persian Gulf on January 12 and was expected to return to its home port of Yokosuka, Japan, by the end of May. Lt. Cmdr. Sos and his wife, Lydia Nimylowycz Sos, were stationed in Japan for more than two years. They are scheduled to go to Fallon in July. Both are members of Branches 15 and 216.

Graduates from auctioneering school

HOOKSET, N.H. - Orest Paul Kopanycia of Levittown, Pa., was among the 15 students to graduate from Yankee School of Auctioneering held at New Hampshire College. Graduation from the Yankee School qualifies students to obtain auctioneering licenses in most regions of the country.

Mr. Kopanycia will be conducting auctions of quality antiques, collectibles and estates in the central New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas under the company name Rossini Auction Gallery. An auction is planned for September. Interested parties may call (215) 946-3555.

Mr. Kopanycia is a member of UNA Branch 245.

Correction

In the April 26 "Notes on People" section of The Weekly, in an item about the engagement of Natalie Marie Dudynsky and Zenon Volodar Keske, the grandparents of Ms. Dudynsky should have been listed as Marie Wakiriak and the late John Wakiriak.