Nimitz News Daily Digest - Sept. 17, 2013

Sept. 17, 2013

Vol. 2 Issue 103

DAILY DIGEST

XO’s ADMIN

E

very once in awhile, a team comes along that is so great, people continue to talk about them for years, even generations to come. These teams are the products of extreme dedication; blood, sweat and tears and a love of the game.

These teams practice hard, and play harder. They are committed to excellence, and players usually develop very close bonds with each other. The USS Cole had it in 2000, the Chicago Bears had it in 1985, and of course the 1992 Olympic Dream Team had it. It’s time to add another team to the list of greats: Nimitz’ very own Executive Officer’s (XO) Administration.

‘Coached’ by Senior Chief Yeoman David Garcia, XO Admin demonstrates an intense level of dedication and professionalism in order to get their job done.

When a Sailor routes a chit that requires the

Story and photo by MCSN Siobhana R. McEwen

executive officer’s signature, it must first pass through XO Admin.

“We’re the starting point for all correspondence with the XO and CO [commanding officer],” said Garcia. “We deal with officer receipts and transfers, awards, leave chits, retirements – everything.”

When a Sailor needs to route a chit, he or she first fills out a routing sheet in the correspondence automated tracking system (CATS), and turns it into the departmental yeoman (YN). The departmental yeoman then verifies that everything is correct in the CATS system, and the request goes to XO Admin. XO Admin has to verify that everything is correct before the request goes on to the XO. “We have to use extreme attention to detail on every piece of correspondence, because by the time it gets to the XO or CO it should be flawless,” said Garcia.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Photo by MC3 Chris BArtlett

SEMPER FIDELIS

Marines assigned to the “Death Rattlers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323 conducted an exercise to honor the memory of Sgt. Bradley Atwell. Sgt. Atwell, an electrical system technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13, at Camp Bastion, Helmond Province, Afghanistan, died defending his aircraft and squadron mates one year ago Sept. 15, 2012. That night, insurgents infiltrated the base through the flight line. The first line of defense was the Marines working on the jets. Without hesitation, Marines picked up their rifles and laid down fire.

Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff Ruth

Marines attached to VMFA-323 were close friends with Sgt. Atwell and in his memory created an exercise to commemorate their fallen brother. At one end of the mat is a bag with rifles stacked that represent Sgt. Atwell. At the other end are two Marines. One Marine is trying to reach Sgt. Atwell so he can save him.

The other Marine is trying to save Sgt. Atwell from the insurgents. The two Marines battle each other with one trying to crawl his way to Sgt. Atwell while the other defends Sgt. Atwell, keeping the insurgents from reaching him.

Executive Officer Capt. John Cummings

Editor MC2 (SW) Jason Behnke

Command Master Chief CMDCM Teri McIntyre

Public Affairs Officer Lt. Cmdr. Karin Burzynski

Lead Designer MC3 (SW) George J. Penney III

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions are subject to review and screening. ”Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families. Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “We typically see 80 to 85 pieces of correspondence a day.”

Garcia’s team has not lost a single piece of correspondence since Garcia came on board a year and a half ago. That’s an impressive track record, especially considering that many of the players on Garcia’s team didn’t attend yeoman ‘A’ school.

One unique thing about Garcia’s team is that it is comprised mostly of Sailors who have struck into the yeoman rate. Garcia even refers to XO’s Admin as a “Learning Center.”

“The majority of our yeomen here in XO Admin are from deck,” Garcia said.

Coming off the bench and getting thrown into the starting line-up of a major league team isn’t very easy.

“It’s stressful here, but it’s good for them to start off in a stressful environment so they can learn how to handle the workflow,” said Garcia. “We start them off with the basics; things they would normally learn in ‘A’ school.”

Garcia stressed the fact his new yeomen have to work hard in the workspace to learn the things others learned in school. Starting off in XO Admin helps these yeomen to be more successful in the future because they end up leaving XO Admin with a wide variety of skills and knowledge.

Yeoman 2nd Class Mouang Draper plays ‘team captain’ to Garcia’s ‘coach.’

“My goal is to train them well enough before they transfer so they can run their own department,” Draper said.

Draper is using her knowledge to help teach

younger Sailors how to successfully do the same.

“Being the senior YN in XO Admin, my Sailors look to me for answers,” Draper said. “Even though I don’t always have the answers, it is my responsibility to find the answers, and then explain it to them in a way that they understand well enough to execute any task that is given to them.”

As with Garcia, Draper has high expectations for her junior Sailors. For Draper, the key to helping her Sailors succeed is teamwork.

Camaraderie runs deep in XO Admin. Little things in the department have become tradition, such as daily soda and coffee runs. One Sailor will make a run for the entire office to help start the day off on the right foot.

“My Sailors are my priority,” Draper said.

She added that she relies heavily on her junior Sailors, and acknowledges that they take care of each other.

Draper said many of her rewards come from her junior Sailors.

“Despite our stressful environment, they can still find something to laugh about,” said Draper.

“It’s rewarding to me that, at the end of the day, they still have respect for each other and still support each other.”

As ‘deployment season’ draws to a close, look to XO Admin to wrap it up successfully. When Nimitz pulls into Everett and Sailors prepare for leave, the hangar bays will look emptier than Wrigley Field in December. But halfway down the third deck, keyboards will still be clicking, and overhead lights will still be buzzing, as XO Admin begins to prepare for next season.

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GETTING TO KNOW STORY AND PHOTO BY MCSN ERIC BUTLER

B

THE

SAFETY-O

eing the safety officer on board one of the largest and dangerous surface vessels in the world filled with 5,000 Sailors is no easy task. Cmdr. Christian E. Cook, a native of Pittsburgh, picked up the reigns of safety responsibility July 5 from Cmdr. Lisa L. Ketterman, who left to become the Naval Inspector General of the Washington Navy Yard. Cook’s credentials have well prepared him for this position. As a naval aviator, he has participated in one of the most demanding, safety-conscious jobs in aviation.

Cook’s career in the Navy started with the Broadened Opportunity for Officers Selection and Training (BOOST) while enlisted in 1990, which allowed him to pursue an officer’s commission through the NROTC program at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. There he received a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics in 1995. He went on to earn his wings and fly the SH-60B Seahawk performing anti-submarine warfare.

Cook said his favorite assignment so far was from 2001 to 2003 where he served in Corpus Christi, Texas, as a T-34C Primary and Intermediate Instructor Pilot with the “Rangers” of Training Squadron (VT) 28, eventually becoming a Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) Officer, teaching other instructors.

“It was the most rewarding tour because you are dealing with people who are seeing instantaneous growth and getting feedback immediately,” said Cook. “It’s gratifying to pour into people as a flight instructor. You’re teaching, training and cultivating a mindset.”

Cook said his career highlight was suc-

cessfully protecting Iraqi oil platforms in the Northern Arabian Gulf, conducting Maritime Security Operations during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, assigned to the “Swamp Foxes” Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 44 with the guided-missile fast frigate USS Underwood (FFG-36) in 2007.

“Our jobs were the protection of the Iraqi oil platforms, which at the time provided 90 percent of Iraq’s gross national product,” said Cook.

He later received a Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies at the Naval War College in 2010, completing the Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phases 1 and 2, allowing him to help oversee all active forces (title 10) under U.S. Northern Command (USNORCOM) as Domestic Operations Branch Chief and Maritime Plans and Operations Officer at Colorado Springs, Colo., until checking on board Nimitz.

“I think the state of safety from the previous safety officer has been very successful in cultivating a safe environment, making and putting safety at the forefront of the ship,” said Cook. “In my turnover, I’ve gained that; and seeing the appreciation of all the hard work she put into it. I think that as she passes the baton to me, I want to continue to foster that environment.”

From his personal bio, Cook’s decorations include more than 3,000 flight hours, a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (1 Strike/ Flight award), Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4 awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and various unit and campaign awards.

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THROUGHTHELEN

Capt. Michael O’Brien, assigned to VMFA-323 gets sprayed with a hose on the flight deck after his last flight aboard Nimitz.

By MCSA Kelly M. Agee

AD3 Lifeng Li scrapes away corrosion from an F/A-18E Super Hornet in the hangar bay.

By MCSN Siobhana R. McEwen

By MCSA Kelly M. Agee

S

FR Doug Blundell takes measurements for a project in the machine shop.

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ON THE COVER: YN2 Draper reviews paperwork in the executive officer’s administration office.

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