Strana 29
F/A-18C, BuNo. 163508, Lt/Cdr. Mark Fox, CO of VFA-81 Sunliners, USS Saratoga (CV-60), Jan 1991
F/A-18C, BuNo. 165403, Capt. Gregory Newkirk, CC of VFA-34 Blue Blasters,
USS Carl Vinston (CVN-70), January 2018
Mark Irby Fox was born on March 1, 1956,
Abilene, Texas. He was commissioned in June
1978 upon graduation from the United States
Naval Academy and designated naval aviator
in March 1980. During his career, Fox deployed
from both coasts in five fleet tours, flying
the A-7E Corsair II and F/A-18 Hornet in over
100 combat and contingency missions off the
coasts of Lebanon and Libya, and over the
Balkans and Iraq. On January 17,1991, en route
to bomb an Iraqui airfield, he scored the first
Navy MiG kill of Operation Desert Storm.
He also led the opening strike of Operation Iraqi
Freedom on March 21, 2003. During his career
he progressed to the rank of Vice Admiral and
served in many positions up to the Commander
United States Naval Forces Central Command
(CENTCOM). Fox retired from the navy in April
2016, and worked as Customer Affairs Vice
President for Huntington Ingalls Industries, the
largest military shipbuilding company in the
USA.
Gregory Newkirk, a native of Medina, Ohio,
graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in
1993. He was designated a naval aviator in May
1996 and after he completed his training on
F/A-18 in 1997, he joined the Blue Diamonds of
VFA-146. He completed multiple deployments
on board the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS
John C. Stennis (CVN-74) during Operation
Southern Watch against Iraq in 1992. Newkirk
was ordered to VFA-122 in October 2000 as part
of an initial cadre of instructor pilots for the
new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. He then reported
to the Kestrels of VFA-137, already in the rank
of Rear Admiral, later he was transitioned to
VFA-122 Flying Eagles and instructor pilot and
then to the Argonauts of VFA-147, where he
served as its CO from December 2010. In 2012,
Newkirk reported to the National Defense
University in Washington, D.C. as part of the
inaugural class of the Dwight D. Eisenhower
School for National Security and Resource
Management. In 2016 he reported to Carrier Air
Wing TWO (CVW-2) embarked on the USS Carl
Vinson (CVN-70) making two deployments to the
Western Pacific. It is believed he was the pilot
who lost his F/A-18E in a crash on April 21, 2017,
when the pilot was unable to maintain on-speed
angle of attack due to a hydraulics malfunction.
In April 2024, he took command of Task Force
70 and Carrier Strike Group 5, forward-deployed
to Yokosuka, Japan. Rear Admiral Newkirk
has accumulated over 4000 flight hours,
1000 arrested landings on 10 aircraft carriers
and has served as a Strike Lead in four Air Wings.
KITS 06/2026
INFO Eduard
29
June 2026