Siblings promoted
A brother and sister were recently promoted within the ranks of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
Edward F. Heffron has been promoted to sergeant first class with the Guard. He has accepted his promotion with Company E 1-104th Aviation Brigade in Johnstown. Edward has been in the military for 22 years.
Karin L. Heffron-Kromer has also been promoted to sergeant first class with the Guard. She has accepted her promotion with HHC PAARNG Training Center at Fort Indiantown Gap. Karin has been in the military for 14 years.
They are both graduates of Minersville Area High School and are the son and daughter of James and Georgine Heffron, Duncott.
Commander
Cmdr. Frances Tassone Messalle, a 1990 graduate of Pottsville Area High School, has been promoted to commanding officer of Air Station Washington U.S. Coast Guard.
Messalle graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard A-cademy in 1994, earning a bachelor's degree in marine science. She was assigned to the USCGC Hamilton (WHEC 715) in Long Beach, Calif., as a deck watch officer.
After earning her "Wings of Gold" from the Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fla., in 1997, Messalle's initial aviation assignment was to Air Station Miami, where she flew the HU-25A/C/D Falcon Jet and was designated as an instructor pilot. In March 2004, she was transitioned to the operations officer position at Air Station Washington, D.C.
Messalle transitioned to both the Gulfstream V and Challenger 604 aircraft. During that tour, she was dual qualified as an instructor pilot in the Gulfstream V and aircraft commander in the Challenger 604. Messalle has achieved aircraft commander or instructor pilot designation in four different Coast Guard airframes.
In 2007, she was assigned as the aviation detailer in the office of Officer Personnel Management at Coast Guard Personnel Command in Arlington, Va., where she was responsible for the assignment of Coast Guard pilots.
Her most recent tour was as operations officer of Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. Designated as an aircraft commander in HC-130J Super Hercules, she directed Coast Guard aviation operations along the eastern seaboard from St. John's Newfoundland to as far as Central/South America for four MH-60 Jayhawks and five HC-130J Super Hercules aircraft. In this capacity, she also supervised the operations of the Department of Homeland Security's only joint use military/civilian airport.
Messalle's personal decorations include two Meritorious Service Medals, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and Commandant's Letters of Commendation. She earned a master's degree in aviation from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in 2007.
She is daughter of Nicholas and Nicolina Tassone, formerly of Pottsville.
Marines graduate
Marine Corps Pvt. Andreau S. Miller, son of James Miller, Elizabethville, and Marine Corps Pvt. David A. Fishburn III, son of Roxanne M. Jorevicz, Millerstown, and David A. Fishburn Jr. of Ashland, earned the title of U.S Marines after graduating from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C.
For 13 weeks, Miller and Fishburn stayed committed during some of the world's most demanding entry-level military training in order to be transformed from civilian to Marine instilled with pride, discipline and the core values of honor, courage and commitment. Training subjects included close-order drill, marksmanship with an M-16A4 rifle, physical fitness, martial arts, swimming, military history, customs and courtesies.
One week prior to graduation, Miller and Fishburn endured The Crucible, a 54-hour final test of recruits' minds and bodies. Upon completion, recruits are presented the Marine Corps emblem and called Marines for the first time.
Miller is a 2007 graduate of Upper Dauphin Area High School.
Basic completed
Navy Seaman Audrey M. Burke, daughter of Brenda L. Long, Pottsville, recently completed Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.
During the eight-week program, Burke completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.
The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations." This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. It is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of honor, courage and commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a sailor.
Burke is a 2012 graduate of Pottsville Area High School.