NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. – The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack
Squadron ONE THREE ZERO (VAQ-130) held a change of command ceremony at Naval
Air Station Whidbey Island on July 3.
Commander Jack “Farva” Curtis, commander Electronic Attack Squadron ONE THREE ZERO (VAQ-130).
Commander Jack “Farva” Curtis relieved Commander David “Heavy” Ganci as
commanding officer Wednesday morning in the squadron’s hangar.
Ganci, a 1998 graduate of Elmira College, took command of the Zappers in
June 2018. He earned his commission at Officer Candidate School and later
began his first fleet tour with VAQ-136. Ganci then became an Electronic
Attack Weapons School instructor and, from there, went on to serve as a
department head for VAQ-142. He joined the Zappers as the executive officer
in October 2016 after a tour at PERS 43 at Navy Personnel Command and after
attaining his Master’s Degree at the Naval War College. Upon becoming
Commanding Officer of VAQ-130, Ganci’s leadership from June 2018 to July
2019 helped guide the Zappers to executing over 907 sorties, 1380 flight
hours, as well as eight Large Force Strike detachments in support of
COMVAQWINGPAC, COMCARWING THREE, USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69), and
COMCARSTKGRU TEN operations. His commitment to Sailor welfare also resulted
in 115 advancements and a 93 percent reenlistment rate. Upon leaving
VAQ-130, Cmdr. Ganci will report to the Pentagon to work in the Office of
the Secretary of Defense.
Curtis, a 2000 graduate of University of Florida, earned his commission
through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and joined the Zappers in
2018 after a tour at the Missile Defense Agency at Schriever AFB in Colorado
Springs, CO. Following his first fleet tour with VAQ-141, Curtis became an
instructor at the Fleet Replacement Squadron, VAQ-129. Upon completion of
the instructor tour, he served as the Staff LSO and Safety Officer for
COMCARWING NINE where he completed a WESTPAC deployment aboard USS JOHN C.
STENNIS (CVN 64). In March 2013, he reported to the Naval War College in
Newport, RI where he earned a Master’s Degree in National Security and
Strategic Studies. Curtis was thrilled to take command of the Zappers and
will lead them through a work up cycle and into their next deployment.
Commander Benjamin “Maggie” Cooper assumed the duties as the squadron’s
executive officer.
VAQ-130 is part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG), which is
comprised of the Ike (CVN-69), CSG-10 staff, the squadrons and staff of
CVW-3, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26 staff and accompanying
guided-missile destroyers USS Stout (DDG 55), USS McFaul (DDG 74) and USS
Oscar Austin (DDG 79), and guided-missile cruisers USS San Jacinto (CG 56)
and USS Monterey (CG 61).
Homeport Northwest 