Viking Association

What's New: 

Viking Association Scholarship Update

• Viking Association Education Scholarship 2026 Honoree:
• Each year, the Viking Association Scholarship honors an individual whose contributions have made a profound and lasting impact on the S-3 community.
• Our Honoree for the 2026 Viking Association TEF scholarship is CAPT Conrad “Connie” A. Langley, Jr.

CAPT Conrad A. Langley, USN (ret) biography:

CAPT Conrad “Connie” A. Langley, Jr., a former Commanding Officer and West Coast Commodore, was a legendary figure in the S-3 Viking community. The eldest son of Conrad Sr. and Mary Langley, he was born on October 1, 1947, in Bossier City, Louisiana, and grew up in the Bossier City/Shreveport area. After graduating from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Connie taught high school for several years before joining the Army in June 1972. He transferred to the Navy in 1974, beginning a long and distinguished career as a Naval Aviator. His naval service began as a flight instructor in Corpus Christi, Texas, and in 1977 he transferred to San Diego, where he began a lasting affiliation with the S-3 Viking community—then home to one of the Navy’s newest and most sophisticated tactical aircraft. Over the course of his career, he accumulated more than 5,200 flight hours in the S-3, an extraordinary and unmatched achievement. He completed tours with three S-3 squadrons, including multiple extended overseas deployments. In 1991, he assumed command of the VS-37 Sawbucks, leading the squadron to record-setting performance across two deployments. He later served as Commander, Sea Control Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, where, as Commodore, he was responsible for all S-3 squadron activity on the West Coast and in Japan. Connie was an enthusiastic, charismatic leader and a true icon of the S-3 Viking community. After 28 years of dedicated service, he was medically retired following a lung cancer diagnosis. He battled the illness with the same fierce determination and vigor that defined his leadership and service. He passed in May 2009.  Connie is survived by his wonderful and supportive spouse, Marty Shively, who currently resides in San Diego. We dedicate this year’s Viking Association scholarship to his memory.

• Viking Association 2026 Scholarship awardee:
  
• We are pleased to announce that Amelia Hart has been selected as the 2026 S-3 Viking Tailhook Education Foundation (TEF) scholarship awardee.
• Amelia will receive a Viking Association scholarship award in the amount of $3,500.
• Amelia Hart’s Background:

- Home: Fleming Island, Florida

- Weighted high school GPA: 4.68; unweighted high school GPA: 4.0

- College: University of North Florida

- Major: Kinesiology

• Amelia is sponsored by her father, CDR Dirk Hart. CDR Hart enlisted in 1994 and attended Officer Candidate School in 1995 before continuing on to VT-10 and VT-86.  In November 1996, he reported to VS-41 as a student and, after graduating in March 1998, began his first squadron tour with VS-31. In 2001, he returned to VS-41 as an instructor, serving there until 2003 before transitioning to the EA-6B Prowler. He completed two Prowler tours and later transitioned to the F/A-18F. His final assignment was as an F/A-18F Test Aviator at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE).
• Congratulations, Amelia!
• Click below to read Amelia’s impressive biography.

•  Tailhook 2026 (20-22 August)
• The Viking Association has once again scheduled a "Viking breakfast" for S-3 Viking Association members (and their guests) who are attending Hook 26! 
• To register for Hook 26' please go to the Hook website:  tailhook.net
• The breakfast will be held on Saturday, 22 August at 0900 (firming up the location with the hotel).  We already have 30+ members and guests that have signed up! 
• If you are attending Hook 26 and would like to attend the Viking breakfast please send an email note to "vikingassociation@gmail.com" with your name and number of attendees. 
• The breakfast will cost around $30-$35 per person with more details to follow.

• NAS Pax River Blue Angels/Viking Association Roundup June 18-19
• The Roundup is now in the books, and it was fantastic!
• The event featured golf, VIP viewing of the Blue Angels airshow, happy hour in Walleye’s backyard, a tour of the PAX River aviation museum, and a whiskey tasting at the Tobacco Barn Distillery.
• Special thanks to JP Kelly for his hard work organizing the Roundup and coordinating with all venues and vendors. We also appreciate Greg “Walleye” Wallace and his spouse, Diane, for hosting a memorable evening of food, drinks, and laughter on the banks of the Potomac. Thanks as well to CAPT Rob "Kubi" Chandler, PAX River base XO and former S-3 aviator, for helping secure VIP seating for our private Blue Angels airshow viewing. Finally, we are grateful to Terry “T-Rex” Walstrom and his spouse, Roxy, for their generous financial support, which brought the Viking Association’s cost for the Roundup to zero.
• Photo's from this event can be seen in our "photo gallery" under the "about us" tab.

• Viking Scholarship Fundraising Update: 
• We have reached and exceeded our initial fundraising goal of $60K to support our annual scholarship award through the Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF)!  Our portfolio has now exceeded $63K, which allows a scholarship of $3k to be awarded annually, in perpetuity! 
  
• But, we’re not done yet!  We are now targeting a goal of reaching $70K, which will increase our annual scholarship to $3.5K. The good news is, as we build toward the $70K goal through your donations, TEF has agreed to immediately award our scholarship at the $3.5K level beginning in 2026 and continuing through 2031! TEF is doing this by tapping into their general fund.
  
• The Viking Association encourages our incredible members continue to step up and help us reach our new goal. We’re grateful to the many members who have generously supported the Scholarship effort to date and we encourage everyone to join us! 
  
• Many members have committed to annual donations as a way to support the Viking Association scholarship benefitting the future S-3 community legacy. As a side note, each new $10k level reached adds another $500 to the annual scholarship award amount ($70k = $3.5k scholarship, $80K = $4k, $90K = $4.5K, etc.) 
  
• As a another side note, in the 2026 tax year, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA) which introduced a new, permanent above-the-line deduction for non-itemizers, allowing individuals to deduct up to $1000 ($2000 for married couples) in annual cash donations. Above the line means you can deduct the contribution even if you take standard deduction. 
  
• Please see the "S-3 Scholarship fund" link at the top for more details, including a link to donate directly online. We also have information for those over 73 on how to donate directly using your Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from your 401K. 
• Your support for the Viking Scholarship is greatly appreciated!

Important items/news: 

• Viking Association e-blasts
• We have transitioned our e-blast software to a less expensive service.
• Future e-blasts will come from: "newsletter@update.vikingassociation.org".  We recommend you add this email address to your contact list so e-blasts don't accidentally end up in your spam folder. Responses to our e-blast emails will still go to our "vikingassociation@gmail.com" address. 
• The intent of our e-blasts / newsletter is to inform you of changes / updates to our website. The e-blast will provide summarized updates and pulse you to view more detailed information on our website. 
• "Last Trap" section of our website
  
• If you hear of anyone in the community passing away recently and would like us to add information to our "last trap" section please email us at "vikingassociation@gmail.com". 
  
  

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