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| Volume No. 1 Issue No. 39 - Sunday March 16, 2003 |
 LCDR St Rose: Rising Star in US Navy
 by Thomson Fontaine
Lieutenant Commander Hilary St.Rose is yet another proud Dominican serving at the highest level in the United States military. He was born in Dominica where he grew up until migrating to St.Croix in August 1978, where he joined the navy soon after.
While posted at the US Naval Station in Key West Florida, he was personally involved with humanitarian services in support of the Cuban Refugee Relief Operation (Mario Boat Lift) of 1980. St.Rose was awarded the Navy�s Humanitarian Medal for successful and vital participation in the overall operation.
At various times, he has posted to the USS NIMITZ and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was while on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower that he was recognized as the first Aviation Boatswain's Mate Handler (ABH) to qualify (within 6 months) as both Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS) and Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS)simultaneously, onboard a Nuclear Aircraft Carrier.
Because of his sustained superior performance, he was ranked number 1 of 17 Chief Petty Officers in the Air Department and number 1 of 100 Chief Petty Officers onboard.
When the Gulf war of 1981 erupted, Chief St.Rose was a crew member onboard USS EISENHOWER in the Mediterranean, and first ship on station to respond to the needs of the U.S and her Allies. Chief Petty Officer St.Rose moved on to serve as an Information and Referral Specialist at Commander Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia in January 1992.
In 1993 he was posted to Puerto Rico where he was responsible for the overall management and supervision of a military airport. He also coordinated the design and construction of a reworked aircraft high-power area, to assist the Puerto Rican Air National Guard in testing F-16 aircraft engines on station.
In July 1995, Lieutenant Junior Grade St.Rose reported to USS
WASP and was assigned as the Flight Deck Crash, Salvage and
Rescue Officer. Promoted to Lieutenant, he qualified as an aircraft (AV-8B) launch and recovery Officer, and flawlessly led the flight deck team of approximately 250 personnel through the successful responses of 30 actual aircraft flight deck emergencies.
Following USS WASP�s assignment, he reported for a second tour of
duty onboard USS NIMITZ in November 1998, assigned as
Air Department�s Fuels Division Officer, fully responsible for
the administration, organization, training and operational
readiness of the aviation fuels team/systems.
Lieutenant St.Rose is a phenomenal role model and leader of choice who is in great demand within the military. During the course of a joint training exercise with the Brazil, Peru and Singapore navy shortly after September 11, 2001, he was directly responsible for the quick response and salvage of a 25 million dollar C-2 Greyhound aircraft that experienced a flight deck mishap during recovery. He accurately accounted for and expeditiously assisted in the safe and flawless rescue of 17 souls on board.
He departed the USS NIMITZ December 2001 to assume the duties and
responsibilities as Officer-In-Charge, Naval Air Technical
Training Center (NATTC) Detachment, Lakehurst, New Jersey, in
January 2002.
Within eight months during his assignment as the
Officer-In�Charge at Naval Air Technical Training Center in
Lakehurst New Jersey, Lieutenant St.Rose was promoted to
Lieutenant Commander. He was selected number 22 out of 1,377
United States (Navy-wide) Lieutenants promoted during fiscal year
2003.
Lieutenant Commander St.Rose has earned an Associate of Science
and a Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Criminal Justice Administration
from Columbia College, and a Master of Arts Degree in Urban
Education, from Norfolk State University.
He has also received numerous awards including the Navy Marine Corps Commendation, NATO Medal, Liberation of Kuwait/Saudi Arabia Medal, and Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He is married to Marie Dubique also of Dominica.
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