NAS Patuxent River Mourns Passing of Two Commanding Officers

December 23, 2025

Capt. Edward Laney, Jr. and Capt. Roger Hill

This past month we were saddened by the loss of two of our former commanding officers, Capt. Edward Laney, Jr. and Capt. Roger Hill. These two remarkable aviators did much in their careers, and served NAS Patuxent River with distinction in their roles as commanding officer.

Laney was a seasoned naval aviator prior to assuming command of NAS Pax River in May of 1974. A veteran of three wars, Laney saw service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A noted aviator of the F8F Bearcat and the F4U Corsair, his exploits during the Korean War were featured in Life Magazine on July 6, 1953, in the story “The Bridges at Toko-Ri,” and immortalized in a film by the same name. He is also written about in James Michner’s book, Forgotten Heroes of Korea.

Laney would take his expertise to the Top Gun Whidbey Island Program where he served as Gunnery Instructor, and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Training Readiness and Tactics Division before being tapped to lead NAS Pax River. His tour as Pax CO was marked by numerous achievements in naval aviation, and installation awards such as the Small Businessman’s Award, Golden Nugget Award, Work Incentive Program recognition, Navy Industrial Safety Award, and recognition by the Navy in the fields of conservation and environment.

Hill was 1970 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and veteran of Vietnam. He served alongside other legendary naval aviators such as Richard “Moon” Vance, Raymond “Chip” Dudderar, Carlos Johnson, Jeff “Sundance” Harrison, and John McCain.

Hill’s tenure at Pax was one of noteworthy growth. The workforce at the air station increased nearly tenfold in the mid-1990s when a round of Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) brought more than 20,000 military and civilian employees to Pax River as the air station it was selected to host the headquarters of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), as well as dozens of mission partner commands. In that time, he oversaw the construction of a new commissary, VQ-4 alert facility, communications operations center, Test Pilot School academic building and runways, as well as renovations to existing structures such as the Frank Knox Building, the Navy Exchange, Bachelor Officers Quarters, hangars and labs to meet the demand of the expanded workforce.

Read more about these remarkable aviators and their careers by clicking below

Capt. Laney – https://www.dvidshub.net/news/555233/nas-patuxent-river-mourns-passing-capt-edward-v-laney-jr

Capt. Hill – https://www.dvidshub.net/news/555228/nas-patuxent-river-mourns-passing-capt-roger-hill