Gray Owl Award

The Gray Owl Award is presented to the senior naval flight officer (NFO) on continuous active duty in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps who has held that designation for the longest period of time.[1]

A naval flight officer in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps is distinct from a naval aviator in that the aviator pilots the aircraft, while an NFO provides knowledge and expertise to assist piloting, such as in navigation, airborne weapons targeting and delivery, aerodynamics, flight planning, as well as piloting and safety.[2]

By virtue of being qualified for the Gray Owl Trophy, which by definition represents long years of dedicated service to the Navy or Marine Corps, the recipient is considered “a symbol of stalwart and intrepid professionalism.”[1]

Similar awards include the Gray Eagle Award, presented to the Naval Aviator on continuous active duty in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps who has held that designation for the longest period of time;[3] the Ancient Albatross Award, an identical honor for United States Coast Guard aviators; the Old Salt Award, presented to the surface warfare officer serving on continuous active duty with the earliest surface warfare officer qualification.[4]

  1. ^ a b OPNAV Instruction 1650.24D (5 December 2013). "Chief of Naval Operations Aviation-Related Awards" (PDF). Department of the Navy.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Naval Flight Officer". Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  3. ^ Grossnick, Roy; et al. (1997). History of Naval Aviation 1910–1995. Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center. p. Appendix 32, "Gray Eagle Award".
  4. ^ Morris, Tyrell (22 June 2015). "Vice Adm. Tidd Receives Surface Navy Association's "Old Salt" Award". Defense Media Activity. U.S. Navy. Retrieved 3 February 2017.