The Dusty Dogs of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 held a change of command ceremony on March 31, in Fallon, Nevada, marking the transition of command leadership.
Cmdr. Timothy White, a native of Metairie, Louisiana, relieved Cmdr. Thomas Butts, a native of Erlanger, Kentucky, assuming all duties and responsibilities as the commanding officer.
The ceremony began with Butts and White leading a flyover, utilizing two of the squadron’s MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters, while the Sailors of HSC-7 and guests witnessed the in-flight lead change from the flight line over Naval Air Station Fallon.
White stated he will continue Butts’ vision of the squadron by focusing on making it combat ready for an upcoming deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69).
Cmdr. Patrick Dunn, a native of Littleton, Colorado, assumes the duty as the executive officer. He joins HSC-7 after an assignment with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Dusty Dogs were joined by guests from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, to include Capt. Mitchell McAllister, the commander of CVW-3, who was the guest of honor for the ceremony. Other guests included Sailors from the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) and various additional commands.
HSC-7 reports to CVW-3 and performs the primary missions of maritime attack, combat logistics, personnel recovery, naval special warfare support, and search and rescue (SAR).