Houston Navy Week 2009 will have Rear Admiral Mark Skinner as our spokesperson. In addition to the admiral, there could be guest appearances from the Navy Blue Angels, Navy "Leap Frog" Parachute Team, Navy Band and other outstanding local Sailors.

Rear Admiral Mark Skinner is a native of Houston, Texas. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1977, and was designated a Naval Aviator in 1979. Initial squadron tours included Patrol Squadron 23 and Patrol Squadron 31, where he served as an FRS Instructor Pilot.

After graduating from Test Pilot School in 1985, he reported to Force Warfare Aircraft Test Directorate where he was recognized as Directorate Test Pilot of the Year in 1986. He then served as the Communications Officer in USS Ranger and as Maintenance Officer in Patrol Squadron 6.

In 1992, after serving as Current Operations Officer in Patrol Wing 2, he attended Naval Postgraduate School. He graduated as a Conrad Scholar and was awarded the Department of the Navy award for excellence in financial management and the Rear Admiral Thomas R. McClellan award for excellence in administrative sciences. He served as Executive Officer for Patrol Squadron 47 and subsequently took command in 1994. He then reported to Combined Task Force 72/57 as Operations Officer, directing VP forces participating in Operations Vigilant Sentinel/Southern Watch and PRC-Taiwan Contingency Operations.

After completing the Defense Systems Management College Program Manager Course, he joined Naval Force Aircraft Test Squadron as Chief Test Pilot and assumed command in 1998. Following command, he was selected as Program Manager for a Chief of Naval Operations Special Project. He then served as the Acting Deputy Program Executive Officer for Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission Programs.

In 2004, Rear Admiral Skinner was selected to flag rank and was named Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division and Assistant Commander, Test and Evaluation, Naval Air Systems Command. He assumed his current position as Program Executive Officer, Tactical Aircraft Programs in October 2007.

His awards include the Legion of Merit (3 awards), Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), Navy Commendation Medal (2 awards), Navy Achievement Medal, and other unit deployment citations and ribbons.

Rear Admiral Mark Skinner

top of page

Capt. DeWolfe H. Miller III hails from York, Pa., graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 and was designated a naval aviator in March 1983. His first flying assignment was as a flight instructor with VT-19 in Meridian, Miss. His first fleet assignment was with VA-56 flying the A-7E on board USS MIDWAY (CV 41) in Yokosuka, Japan.

In 1986, Capt. Miller transitioned to the F/A-18 in Lemoore, Calif. and reported to VFA-25 attached to CVW-14 on board USS CONSTELLATION (CV 64). In December 1988, Capt. Miller reported to VX-5 in China Lake, Calif. as the F/A-18 department head responsible for Hornet weapons system testing and tactics development. Capt. Miller returned to the fleet in June 1991 for his Department Head tour with VFA-131 at NAS Cecil Field, Fla. attached to CVW-7 on board USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69).

In July 1993, Capt. Miller reported to the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations (N80), as the Special Aviation Programs Analyst. He returned to Cecil Field in June 1995 and reported to the Strike Fighter Wing staff as the F/A-18 Squadron Transition Officer and Executive Officer of Strike Fighter Weapons School, Atlantic. In August of 1996, Capt. Miller joined the “Blue Blasters” of VFA-34 as executive officer and assumed command in December 1997. As commanding officer, he successfully led the Blasters on their first Hornet deployment.

Following his aviation command, Capt. Miller served several months in Vicenza, Italy, as the Deputy Director of Naval Operations at the Combined Air Operations Center during Operation Allied Force. He then graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in June 2000, earning a Master of Science degree in National Security, and reported to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Legislative Affairs (OSD LA) as the Special Assistant for Research and Development, Science and Technology and Operational Testing.

After completing the nuclear power pipeline, Capt. Miller served as executive officer of USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) from September 2004 until March 2006. Later in 2006, he attended the National Security Management Course at Syracuse University and served on the Commander Naval Air Force staff as the aircraft carrier requirements officer.

From December 2006 until April 2008, Capt. Miller commanded USS NASHVILLE (LPD 13) home ported in Norfolk, Va.

During his career, Capt. Miller has accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours and more than 750 carrier-arrested landings. His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and various campaign, unit and service awards.

Captain DeWolfe H. Miller III

top of page

Command Master Chief (CMC) John W. Heck, Jr. was born in Centerville, Ohio. He attended schools in Centerville and Kettering, Ohio. Following high school, he reported to Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill., and completed the Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PR) and Navy Parachutist (NP-1) Schools in Lakehurst, N.J., in October of 1981.

His first command, Training Squadron 7 (VT-7) in Meridian, Miss., he saw duty as a maintenance technician, work center supervisor and quality assurance representative on the TA-4J aircraft, while earning his EAWS designation. He later saw sea duty in Patrol Squadron 4 in Barbers Point, Hawaii, as Organizational and Intermediate Level Maintenance Technicians and QAR for the P-3C and F-14B aircraft. At the end of his tour in 1988, he was selected for instructor duty at Naval Aviation Technical Training Center (NATTC) Lakehurst, N.J.

During his shore duty assignment as an instructor at PR "A" and "C" Schools, PR1(AW) Heck completed his Master Training Specialist designation and began work on his Degree at St. Leo University. Moving PR School to NATTC Millington, Tenn. in 1990, he was instrumental in the stand-up of the advanced oxygen equipment training phase. He was then selected for Naval Special Warfare Air Operations through Ft. Benning’s Airborne and Path Finder schools.

During two tours as Senior Jumpmaster at SEAL Teams 2 and 8, he amassed 2,100 premeditated parachute jumps and air assault insertion and extraction missions, both in training and real world, with a 100 percent Mishap-Free record. He served a successful tour in Force Aircraft Test Squadron (VX-20) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md., as the program coordinator for FAILSAFE, a fleet introduction team for aircrew survival equipment, and served as a naval test parachutist and maintenance control supervisor. He later transferred and became the PR Rating Lead Detailer at Naval Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn. from 2001 to 2004. There he supported more than 1,500 Sailors within his rate. He later became the Leading Chief Petty Officer for all enlisted detailing, some 374,000 active duty enlisted sailors Navy-wide, in all ratings and Naval Enlisted Classifications.

He is an honor graduate of the Navy’s Senior Enlisted Academy, Class 113, Gold Group.

From 2004 to 2007, Command Master Chief Heck completed a successful CMC tour aboard USS Normandy (CG-60) in Norfolk, Va., which consisted of a Northern Persian Gulf deployment and two consecutive Battle ‘E’s. Wishing to return to his community and not loose touch with Sailors, he received permission for back-to-back sea duty, and reported aboard Strike Fighter Squadron 213 at NAS Oceana in February 2007, as the command master chief of the squadron.

In February 2009, Command Master Chief Heck reported aboard USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN 77) to assume the responsibilities as command master chief of the Navy's newest nuclear aircraft carrier.

His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4 gold stars), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal (2 gold stars), Good Conduct Medal (8 awards), and various service and campaign awards. He has earned the Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist designation, Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist designation, Master Naval Parachutist designation, and the Master Training Specialist qualification, in addition to numerous sister-service designations.

CMDCM (AW/SW/FPJ) John W. Heck Jr.

top of page