Bataan Qualifies First Marine as Yellow Shirt: "A Marine aboard USS Bataan (LHD 5) earned a yellow flight deck jersey Oct. 30 - the first Marine to ever do so on Bataan.
With nearly 35 aircraft embarked aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), the job of directing, launching and recovering aircraft comes with the responsibility of millions of taxpayer dollars and the lives of thousands of Sailors and Marines.
A yellow flight deck jersey represents the most experienced and knowledgeable aircraft handlers in the Navy. It can take years of working through the elements on the flight deck to achieve the qualification that Cpl. Justin Floan, from Marine Mediuum Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) earned.
'I've never seen anything like it,' said Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) David Kouskouris, Bataan's flight deck leading chief petty officer."
