Navy Lakehurst engineer receives French Gold National Defense Medal Published Dec. 1, 2008 LAKEHURST, N.J. -- During a recent ceremony held at the Pentagon, Peter Romano, a civilian engineer, assigned to the Naval Air Systems Command at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst was presented with the French National Defense Medal, gold echelon by Adm. Pierre-Francois Forissier, the Chief of Staff of the French Navy. Accompanying Mr. Romano to the Pentagon for the presentation was Kathleen Donnelly, Director of the Support Equipment and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Department of the Naval Air Systems Command in Lakehurst. As the head of the Fleet Technical Services Division, Mr. Romano was instrumental in supporting the cooperative efforts between the United States and French navies during joint operations that resulted in the successful landing of French Rafale fighter aircraft onboard the U.S. aircraft carriers USS Enterprise, USS Truman, and USS Roosevelt. Mr. Romano, along with a team of engineers from the ALRE Engineering Division, Lakehurst, ensured that the launch and recovery equipment onboard the carriers could handle and sustain the differing requirements of the French fighters. Additionally, Mr. Romano and the Carrier and Field Service Unit, Voyage Repair Team, Norfolk, Va., and program management were responsible for overseeing the on-time delivery and installation of numerous ALRE components necessary to upgrade the launch and recovery capabilities of the French nuclear aircraft carrier, PAN Charles de Gaulle. A graduate of Widener University and Stevens Institute of Technology, Mr. Romano, a Marlton, N.J., resident, began working for the U.S. Navy in 1987 as a mechanical engineer in the Gas Turbine Branch in Philadelphia. He moved to NAES Lakehurst in 1989 as a catapult design engineer and in 1999 was assigned as the Technologist for the Catapult Design Branch. In 2004, Mr. Romano was promoted to Head, ALRE Fleet Technical Services Division, which provides on-site support for both Navy and Marine Corp ALRE installations throughout the world. As a result of the outstanding role he has played in fostering cooperation between the U.S. and French navies, Mr. Romano was singled out to be honored with the presentation of the French National Defense Medal. According to Admiral Forissier, "you are the type of individual who does not need to be tasked to help our two navies move forward together. You understand instinctively that the cooperation between our navies is an integral part of the cooperative strategy promoted by Admiral Roughead, the U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations. You act accordingly. You are a doer." (Courtesy of Lakehurst Public Affairs)