CAMP H. M. SMITH, Hawaii -- History and heritage are very important parts of the Navy culture. Nowhere is that seen more clearly than in the awards that make you feel good for being ‘aged’. Since the establishment of U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), commanders have been receiving accolades for their tireless dedication to their profession and to the success of the U.S. mission in the Pacific.

Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., like many commanders before him, was presented such an award by a Northrop Grumman executive Nov. 13. Harris, as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO), was presented with the Gray Owl award to honor the designation of the NFO with the longest period of active duty service.

The Gray Owl award was presented by retired Navy Capt. Brick Nelson, Northrop Grumman Corporate Lead Executive, San Diego, Calif. 

“On behalf of Northrop Grumman Corporation it is my honor to present you with the prestigious Grey Owl Award,” said Nelson.  “It represents the culmination of your decades of service and is recognition of your achievement in becoming the senior Naval Flight Officer on active duty. This award is symbolic of the long standing tradition of Naval Aviation passing on the unsurpassed commitment to excellence and professionalism to the next generation of aviators.  On behalf of all of us who have had the privilege and pleasure of serving with you we offer our congratulations.  Well done, Sir.”

Harris accepted the award with gratitude, humility and a bit of humor.

“It really is special for me to be the Gray Owl,” said Harris. “But it really is nothing more than just being around the longest. It’s the longest serving NFO in the Navy.”

“A funny little lesson that I learned over 37 years of being an NFO,” Harris continued. “Is never trust a pilot that wears glasses, and an NFO that doesn’t.”

The recipients of such historic awards are a symbol of determined and fearless professionalism. This is easily seen throughout the history of PACOM commanders, which boasts no less than two ‘Gray Owl’ awards, an ‘Old Salt’ award which was awarded to Adm. Samuel Locklear for being the most senior Surface Warfare Officer, and six ‘Gray Eagle’ awards for the most senior Naval Aviator.

The Gray Owl award was first presented by Grumman Aerospace Corporation, now the Northrop Grumman Corporation, in June 1979.

Awarded PACOM commanders, with an average military service of 39 years, have shown tremendous dedication to the United States, the U.S. Navy, as well as to the Indo-Asia-Pacific area of responsibility, and its partners and allies.