The NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point’s monthly command newsletter has won its first ever Chief of Information (CHINFO) Merit Award.

The CHINFO Merit Awards program is an annual Navy-wide awards contest designed to recognize excellence in military journalism in a wide range of print and broadcast media categories.

Edited by Public Affairs Specialist Gary Rice, the NADEP NEWS received a third place award in the Newsletter Format Publication category for calendar year 2002. Judged on both style and content, it competed with dozens of shore-based and shipboard newsletters throughout the Navy.

“The depot is a center of excellence, and telling its story through the newsletter and official press releases is my small contribution to the cause,” Rice said. “This command has built an impressive reputation over the years, and every little bit of recognition helps.”

NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point provides maintenance, engineering, and logistics support on a variety of aircraft, engines, and components for all branches of the U.S. armed forces. It is the only source of repair within the continental United States for many jet and rotary wing engines and is the Navy’s center of excellence for rotary wing aircraft. NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technology through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts.

A graduate of Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism, Rice is no stranger to the CHINFO contest. During his military career as a Navy photojournalist and aerial cameraman in the 1980s, he won five merit awards for his work at duty stations in California, Hawaii, Guantanamo Bay, and Antarctica. He also won two DoD-wide Thomas Jefferson awards for his achievements in photojournalism.

As a Navy Limited Duty Officer (LDO), Rice won his sixth merit award in 1991 while serving as Photographic Division Officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS America. The America was one of four carriers operating in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and Rice volunteered to act as managing editor of the ship’s cruise book. His 500-page documentation of the carrier’s and its embarked air wing’s participation in the war took a first place award.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Rice retired from the Navy in 1998 and lived in England for several years prior to moving to North Carolina. He has been working at the depot in the Public Affairs Department since December 2001.

“It seems strange to be part of the CHINFO competition again after all these years,” Rice said. “But I enjoy the challenge, and maybe the depot can grab a first or second place award next year.”