HSC-8 Eightballers

HSC-8 Mountain flying

Congratulations to our most recent award winners!

Congratulations to Ensign Santos on commissioning, and congratulations to our HSC-8 Sailors on their well-earned promotions!

Congratulations to PR3 Luna our Eightballer in the spotlight!
PR3 Luna hails from San Diego, California, and proudly joined the Navy in May 2022. Since April 2025, he has been a valuable member of the HSC-8 team, where he has made significant contributions to the maintenance division.
One of his proudest achievements is striking for the Parachute Rigger (PR) rate as an undesignated Sailor, a testament to his dedication and hard work.
As a key member of the maintenance team, PR3 Luna's responsibilities are integral to mission readiness. His hard work is reflected in the impressive completion of 1001 maintenance actions and over 582 man-hours since joining the Eightballers.
Outside of work, he enjoys caring for his fish, shrimp, and turtles. His enjoys tamales, the Fast and Furious movies, and his favorite soccer team, Chivas. He would also like to give a special shout-out to his dad, who has always looked out for him.

Congratulations to LCDR Ned "Comet" Davis on completing his last flight flown at HSC-8

Congratulations to our HSC-8 award winners from October!

Golden hour training with the Eightballers 🌅
From SAR jumps to DLQs, HSC-8 keeps our crews sharp and mission-ready day or night.

Congratulations to AZ1 Gifford our Eightballer in the spotlight!
AZ1 Gifford hails from Buckhannon, West Virginia, and proudly joined the Navy in December 2010. Since April 2025, he has been honored to serve onboard HSC-8, where he has grown both professionally and personally. His goals are to continue increasing his investments, earn his IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) qualification with his pilot’s license, advance to Chief Petty Officer, and eventually become a Chief Warrant Officer.

One of his proudest achievements at HSC-8 is watching the Sailors who work for him grow both personally and professionally, achieving their goals, as well as fostering camaraderie during memorable team-building events like when the entire AZ shop went paintballing on Divo Day.

His responsibilities include serving as the Command Technical Directive Program Coordinator, Duty Section 1 Leader, Aircraft Crew Lead, Command Database Analyst, and Assistant Maintenance Control Leading Petty Officer, all of which contribute to the smooth and safe operation of the helicopter squadron.

Outside of work, he enjoys playing the piano, teaching rebound fitness classes, and flying, which help him maintain balance and resilience. He also gives a special shoutout to his mom, Kimberly Gifford, and his spouse, Alexis Gifford, for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout his career.

HSC-8 integrated with EODTEU-1 on various training evolutions to train the next generation of Navy EOD

Credits: MC1 James and PR1 Powell