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New commander takes reins of Mayport helicopter squadron

Cmdr. Carolyn Peterson and Cmdr. Katie J. Lunser salute during a Change of Command Ceremony at Naval Station Mayport.
News4Jax
Cmdr. Carolyn Peterson and Cmdr. Katie J. Lunser salute during a Change of Command Ceremony at Naval Station Mayport.

As she handed the squadron over to its new commander officer, CO Cmdr. Carolyn Peterson unveiled a surprise for the new commanding officer, saying it was something she had never gotten herself -- an aircraft with the CO’s name stenciled onto it.

“We’re so busy being operational that it’s hard to take the time to beautify things because we’re about making sure things get done,” Peterson said as the crowd applauded and new CO Cmdr. Katie J. Lunser cheered.

The unveiling was part of a Change of Command Ceremony on Thursday for Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50 at Naval Station Mayport. Lunser, the executive officer for HSM-50 and a New York native, took the reins of the squadron from Peterson.

Read the rest of this story at News4Jax, a WJCT News partner.