Nimitz News Daily Digest - Sept. 26, 2013

Sept. 26, 2013

Vol. 2 Issue 110

DAILY DIGEST

Habitability Shop: Proudly doing the dirty jobs

Story and photos by MCSA Kelly M. Agee

T

here is one piece of advice the hull maintenance technicians (HT) share in the ship’s habitability shop; don’t bite your nails.

The HTs can spend a majority of their day in the heads, the scullery or the galley cleaning up drains filled with food and objects that are smelly and sometimes unbearable to think about. It sounds pretty disgusting, but someone has to do it. The workers

of the habitability shop take pride in their dirty job.

“To be a part of this shop you can’t be a germaphobe,” said Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Matthew Chaney.

The HTs start their day by getting assigned trouble calls that deal with leaky pipes, broken toilets and clogged sinks.

When there is an unidentified object clogging a drain

or toilet, the HTs have two methods to solve the problem; blowing or snaking the object out.

The blowing method is achieved by using a kinetic water ram. The ram is inserted into the drain and brought up to 70 psi, the button is pressed and it blows the clog out of the drain. Waste and water will come flying through the air, including the object that clogged it. continued on page 3

Sailor of the Day

Story and Photo by MCSN Siobhana R. McEwen

A

viation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Willie Perry, a native of Irvington, N.J., was named Sailor of the Day, Sept. 25.

Perry, an avid New York Yankees fan, said he was pleasantly surprised to find out he had received the award.

“My chief told me we had to go see the command master chief this morning,” said Perry. “I had no idea it was for Sailor of the Day.” Perry currently works as a crash and salvage P-25 truck driver on the flight deck, where he is directly responsible for the safe execution of aircraft rescue, overhaul, and salvage Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff Ruth

procedures. He provided in-rate training to 18 personnel on the proper firefighting techniques and emergency rescue procedures, resulting in the qualification of six crash crewmen and four P-25 fire truck drivers.

In addition to training others, Perry was also responsible for the completion of 600 maintenance actions, encompassing 1,000 man-hours. These maintenance actions included the daily maintenance of 22 fire stations and 50 portable fire extinguishers.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be Sailor of the Day,” Perry said.

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 MCSN (SW) Kole E. Carpenter

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

friendly. But sometimes the HTs find useful objects.

“One time I found a brand new Gerber pocket knife, I kept it and I use it,” said Chaney.

There is another side to the shop that is less messy but tedious called brazing.

Brazing is the heating up of metal to the point where it melts the pieces of metal together. They mainly use this to fix cracked or broken piping.

Only two people on the ship are qualified in brazing because of how difficult it is to get qualified.

Hull Maintenance Technician 3rd Class Elliot Sanders is one of two Sailors that is braze qualified and feels like it is challenging to get qualified but worth it.

Even though their job is something that many Sailors wouldn’t want to do, the Sailors in the shop said they enjoy their job and the people that they work with.

“Our shop has each others back,” said Chaney. “All the people I work with love the motivation we give each other during the day to get the job done.”

HT3 Courtney Wanamaker mans the mini rooter.

Snaking is another method used. The HTs have a general mini rooter, a snake pipe with a metal hook on the end used to catch the item in the drain.

“I like to call it going fishing,” said Chaney.

The most popular items that cause these drain and toilet clogging problems include baby wipes and napkins from the mess decks, which are items that some Sailors and Marines think are OK to flush, but are not drain

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Hispanic Heritage Month an Opportunity to Explore Contributions

By Terri Moon Cronk, American Forces Press Service Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept.

15, marks a time to showcase the many contributions Hispanic Americans have made to the Defense Department, the deputy director of DoD’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity.

Continuing through Oct. 15, the monthlong observance gives people the opportunity to explore the Hispanic culture, F. Michael Sena said in a recent interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, though Hispanic heritage is not for a specific demographic group.

“It’s for everyone,” he added. “It’s our history.”

The department’s Hispanic-American population of service members and civilian employees is increasing, Sena said.

“Military and civilians throughout the world are in critical roles in DoD,” he said.

“Hispanic-Americans have a deep, profound impact on DoD, and it’s through that impact that their commitment to family, faith, hard work and public service has influenced and enhanced our national culture through multicultural and multiethnic traditions. You can see that in everyday life through our food, language and art.”

About 11.5 percent of DoD’s military total force is Hispanic, and about 5.5 percent of that comprises officers, Sena said. The greatest strides are being made in Hispanic women, or Latinas, and Latina officers in particular, whose numbers have nearly doubled to 2,000 in the military in recent years, he said.

“[Latina officers] are fantastic role models to our folks throughout the country,” he said, adding that of the estimated 800,000 civilians who work for DoD worldwide, Hispanics

make up about 6.5 percent.

“DoD still needs to do a lot of work to increase our numbers to be reflective of the nation,” he acknowledged.

DoD’s major strategies to increase the Hispanic population in its ranks include having a robust outreach and recruitment program, working on educational and developmental programs for future employees, and developmental programs for existing employees to refresh their skills and make them more competitive in their occupations, Sena said.

While strides have been made, he added, more progress also is needed within the realm of civilian DoD employment.

“DoD is committed to increasing its diversity and inclusion numbers,” he said, adding that diversity represents more than demographics. “We’re talking about individuals who have skills, knowledge and abilities that bring different perspectives - diversity is key to our readiness.”

To spread the word among Hispanics that DoD is a model employer, the department engages with affinity groups, such as Latina Style, the National Organization of Mexican American Rights and the League of United Latin American Citizens to reach out to Hispanic Americans, Sena said. The department also is pursuing opportunities for Hispanics in the science, technology, engineering and math fields - also known as STEM - by working with students, parents and teachers.

“Innovation requires individuals who are creative [and] have diverse thoughts and ideas to make our lives better,” he said. “It increases quality of life, which leads to a better economy, and a better economy is a pillar of our national security.”

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Medical Team Provides Flu Shots story and photo by MCSN Eric Butler

HM3 Claudia Sanchez gives a flu shot to LS2 Brittany Marsh.

W

ith more than 5,000 Sailors on board, chances are good you may become sick at any time. Illnesses can make their rounds on the ship in quick order, which is why it’s important to get your flu shot.

Medical’s leading petty officer, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Thomas A. Robertson, said there are more than 100 strands of the flu and that tens of thousands die every year from it around the world.

“Every year we worry about the flu,” said Robertson. “The flu that we are trying to protect people from kills. That’s why we give the immunizations. With these kinds of living conditions where we’re in close proximity to people, it would spread like wildfire throughout the ship.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu virus is always changing, so it is not unusual to find new strains of

the virus each year. To help save as many lives as possible, flu vaccines target the three main strains that are the cause of most illnesses. Vaccines can last for months; however, they are not a total substitute for healthy habits. Stay hydrated and wash your hands.

To alleviate any fears about immunizations, Robertson wants people to know that flu shots do not give people the flu. It simply causes your body to be prepared to fight the flu by producing more antibodies that respond to the target viruses.

In addition, Robertson said that all hands should tell the corpsmen if they have any allergies to chicken or eggs before receiving their shot.

Today is the day for flu shots. Sorry, shipmates, no nasal spray, just needles. Check out the plan of the day and report to the sick call line at the scheduled time.

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By MCSA Kelly M. Agee

By MCSN Siobhana R. McEwen

Cpl. John Ward sands paint off an F/A-18C Hornet.

Lt. Damian Dyckman, left, and Cmdr. Charles Frosolone perform surgery.

By MC3 Chris Bartlett

“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.”

- Eudora Welty ASAN Taylor Endress conducts repairs on a tow tractor.

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ON THE COVER: HT3 Robert Frey sands a pipe for a brazing qualification

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