Jason Lacy, a 2005 Yelm graduate and area native, was promoted to the rank of naval commander in March.
He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering and then attended primary and advanced flight training in Pensacola, Florida, as a member of VT-3 and HT-28.
Then, in 2011, Lacy completed flight training and received his wings as a naval aviator before eventually being selected to fly the MH-53E Sea Dragon in Norfolk, Virginia. In 2012, Lacy was selected to join the Blackhawks of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures (HM-15), where he served until 2015.
During his time with HM-15, Lacy served as a legal officer, tactics officer and a naval air training and operating procedures standardization (NATOPS) officer. He also completed two deployments during his time with HM-15 to the Kingdom of Bahrain — an island located near Qatar and Saudi Arabia — along with participation in Operation Inherent Resolve, which had the mission of defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Following his time with HM-15, Lacy served as a fleet replacement squadron (FRS) instructor at Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Twelve (HM-12), where he helped establish the squadron after it was disestablished years earlier. With HM-12, Lacy served as NATOPS officer, 200 and 300 maintenance division officer, and was the first FRS standardization officer in the HM community.
