Fleet and Family Services
The biggest asset you may have never used
Also Inside: The Pyrographer Pets on Parade For the Fun of the Game
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Information the
Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff Ruth Executive Officer Capt. J.J. Cummings Command Master Chief CMDCM Teri M. McIntyre Public Affairs Officer Lt. Cmdr. Karin Burzynski Media DIVO Ensign John Mike Media LCPO MCC Mike Jones Media Production Chief MCC Gregory Roberts Media LPO MC1 Michael Cole Editor MC2 Phillip Ladouceur Lead Designer MC3 Kole E. Carpenter
Media Department
MC2 Jacquelyn Childs MC2 Devin Wray MC2 Ryan Mayes MC2 Jacob Milner MC2 Jess Lewis MC3 George J. Penney III MC3 Shayne Johnson MC3 Linda S. Swearingen MC3 Vanessa David MC3 W. J. Cousins MC3 Derek Volland MC3 Sam Souvannason MC3 Nathan McDonald MC3 Joshua Haiar MC3 Kaitlyn Haskett MC3 Eric Butler MC3 Siobhana McEwen MCSN Aiyana Paschal MCSN Andrew W. Price MCSN Kelly Agee MCSN Victoria Ochoa MCSN Eli Buguey MCSN Lauren Jennings Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions must be in by Friday, COB. 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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COMMAND PARTY! FEB 6.
tickets are still being sold
NIMITZ SAILORS ROOMS FOR $119 rooms will be sold up to Jan. 30
photo by MC3 (SW) Derek Voland Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley is in Naval Station Everett undergoing training before returning to homeport in Kodiak, Alaska.
CONGRATULATIONS NIMITZ! Winner of the 2013 Project Good Neighbor community Service Award for large sea commands
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It shows that our crew has put in hard work not only on the ship, but also they have taken the time to be a part of their community. I could not be more proud to serve with Sailors who care about helping others.
- CAPT. RUTH
Silvertips HOCKEY TICKETS!
$@ 10
MWR
COMCAST TICKET ARENA OFFICE
Jan 26 & 31
Feb 1,9,14,15,23,26,28
Jan 26 Capt. Ruth will drop the puck to start the game!
ONE OF NIMITZ’ OWN WILL REENLIST!
Softball Tryouts! Feb. 8 @ NSE softball fields
BYO EQUIPMENT NO MATTER THE WEATHER
FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT BM2 DAVID SMALLWOOD
Inside
FRG Monthly Meeting
SPOTLIGHT
The Pyrographer
Nimitz Sailor displays her love for a lesser-known art form Pg. 4
Story and Photo by MC3 (SW) Siobhana R. McEwen The USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Family Readiness Group (FRG) held its monthly meeting Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in the commons ballroom. Topics covered at the meeting were the ship’s schedule and the upcoming homecoming ball. Command Master Chief Terri McIntyre’s replacement, Command Master Chief Gregory Renick also made an appearance and introduced himself to members of the FRG. “The fact is, we have to steam a certain number of days for our qualifications to stay up to date,” Capt. Jeff Ruth, Nimitz’ commanding officer said. Ruth laid out a prospective schedule for the ship and crew to family members present, though he stressed that the dates he was offering were simply tentative. He also briefly discussed the upcoming planned yard period. “We are looking at a number of underway dates and possibilities for the coming year,” Ruth said. “A big part of Nimitz’ success comes from all of the support you give your Sailors and I promise we’ll keep you informed as those dates become more available.” The captain also explained that Nimitz’ underway dates won’t be finalized until February, and promised to keep the crew abreast of the dates as they solidified. Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Byron Dewalt spoke about the upcoming homecoming ball, being held Feb. 6 at the Tulalip Casino. Dewalt said the grand prize at the party would be a $5,000 Visa gift card. Sailors may purchase tickets at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation ticket office on board Nimitz. Command Master Chief Renick addressed families at the meeting, expressing his excitement about coming on board. “This ship and crew has an amazing reputation up and down the coast,” Renick said. “I am really thrilled for this opportunity.” The next FRG meeting is slated to happen Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Commons Ballroom.
HOMEPORT Fleet and Family Services
The military family’s secret weapon Pg. 7
ACTIVE
For the Fun of the Game
Sailors keep moving as a team Pg. 12
AROUND TOWN Pets on Parade
Local art available to the public Pg. 14 3
SPOTLIGHT
Pyrographer the
Story and Photos by MC3 Linda S. Swearingen
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PSSN Buechner’s pyrographer tools.
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ood burning is not a new fad in the crafting world, it has been an art form since early humans discovered fire and drew pictures with charred pieces of wood. Pyrography translates to “writing with fire” and derived from the Greek words “pur”, meaning fire and “graphos” meaning writing. The art of pryography or wood burning, as it is commonly referred to, is the art of creating pictures or words on wood by using a heated tool usually
made of metal on a piece of wood. Personal Specialist Seaman Alry H. Buechner, of Andalusia, Ala., a Sailor currently stationed on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), has been a pyrographer for over 10 years. “I’ve been doing wood burning since I was in high school,” said Buechner. “My teacher Miss Simpson taught me how to do wood burning in art class. It was part of the curriculum.” After high school Buechner said that she directed her attention to other
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kinds of arts and crafts until after she graduated from college and her mother took her to an art class on making stained glass windows. Wood burning was a portion of the class and it helped renew her interest in wood burning about eight years ago. “After that a friend of mine from college bought me a small wood burning set and I started to make things for family and friends for Christmas presents,” said Buechner. While she was stationed in Japan, Buechner said she received a semi professional wood burning kit from her mother to encourage her to pursue wood burning more. By the time she was at her second duty station in Norfolk, Va., Buechner had become good enough at her hobby that she started to sell some of her art. “The first piece I sold was a picture of a rabbit sitting under a tree that I drew,” said Buechner. “People saw it and liked it so they bought other wood burnings from me. I sold a lot of personalized name plates in Norfolk. I’m started to get a lot better. People from my previous commands still contact me to make custom things for them.” According to Buechner, the reason she loves wood burning is simple. “It lets me get into my own little world and away from everything for a bit,” said Buechner. “I like to use wood burning as a positive outlet and I plan on eventually teaching my son how to do it when he’s old enough.” Burning images onto wood is not as easy as it looks because the grain of the wood can work against you, especially when shading an image according to Buechner. “You have to learn about different kinds of wood and which type of tool to use on which kind of wood,” said Buechner. “It took me a lot of practice and trial and error. Art takes a whole lot of you and little bit of talent.” Pine is the kind of wood that Buechner usually works with because it is a soft wood which makes it easier to make marks on. “The harder the wood, the harder it is to do wood burning on,” said Buechner. “Cedar is the hardest wood I’ve worked with because after you cut it you have to let it dry out before you can do wood burning on it and cedar tends to crack easy when it’s dried out and it gets brittle.” When she gets out of the Navy, Buechner said she plans on starting a wood burning business and is currently in the process of launching her own webpage to sell her wood burning online. For those who are interested in getting started in the art of wood burning, Buechner offers some advice. “People who want to get started in wood burning should take a class first to see if they like it,” said Buechner. “I would start with something simple like a cartoon character before trying to put your own artwork on a piece of wood. Wood burning kids can be bought at local craft stores for about $20 for a starter kit. There are more expensive kits that have better tools for more advanced wood burning.”
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The heated instrument is applied to the wood.
A drawing is carefully copied into the wood.
And with patience, art is created!
HOMEPORT
FLEET & FAMILY SERVICES The biggest asset you may have never used.
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Story and Photos by MC3 Siobhana R. McEwen
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joined the Navy just over a year ago while living in Portland, Ore.
Like many Sailors on board, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is my first duty station. I reported to Beach Detachment a couple of weeks after graduating “A” school and was able to meet up with the ship fairly quickly. I had time to get my finances in order, say goodbye to my family and friends, and secure a power of attorney, but I wasn’t able to move my household goods, my partner Misti, or our six-yearold black lab, Crater, to Everett. Now that Nimitz is home, and will (knock on wood) have a pretty stable schedule for the foreseeable future, my partner and I have decided it’s time to plan the big move.
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Outside Fleet & Family Support Center, Smokey Point Complex.
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ure, sure, moving from Portland to Everett won’t be nearly as challenging as trying to move a family from, say, Norfolk to Pearl Harbor, or from Bahrain to San Diego. But for a fairly young family comprised of a recent graduate, an E4 and a 60 pound dog, making our first move together is, well, a little intimidating and a rather large headache. Needless to say, I knew Misti and I would need some help. So, I began asking my shipmates questions. “Where do you live? How did your spouse find a job? How did you pay to move your family? Did the Navy help you move?” Though most folks were helpful, I kept hearing the same response:
Not Just Help Moving: Other Services 8
“Go to Fleet and Family.” “I don’t know, but I think Fleet and Family has a class for that.” “I did it this way, but you might find more help at Fleet and Family.” I decided I would go to Fleet and Family. Created in 1979 in Norfolk, Va., the Fleet and Family Support Program (FFSP) was developed as a place where Sailors and their families could get help, in nearly every corner of the world. “Prior to the Fleet and Family Support Program, Sailors who were having a difficult time had three choices: they could go to their Chaplain, the Navy Marine Corp Relief Fund, or to their Command Master Chief,” said Kay
Transition GPS
Counseling
Sailors are required to attend before separating from the Navy
Reasons people go: help with communication, relationship woes, dealing with stress, and feeling angry
“We offer a technical training track, an entrepreneurial track and a track focused on helping Sailors access higher education.” - Trappe
“The issues we see most frequently in our offices are all very common for most people.” - Rachel Wilson, Family Advocacy Representative
Nimitz Sailors attend a Transition GPS class.
Simpkins, the director of FFSP Navy Region Northwest. “There wasn’t a lot of privacy available in any of those options.” The result, Simpkins said, was that the Navy was losing Sailors. “Sailors didn’t have much of a support system, and so they weren’t re-extending after their contracts ended,” said Simpkins. “Our mission is to provide basic support to families and Sailors for a variety of needs.” Like the Navy, FFSP has executed its mission to become a global force for good. “Today, FFSP operates 88 support centers, at almost every Naval installation around the world,” Simpkins said. “Some of the centers function with staffs of one to two
New Parent Support Program
people, all the way up to hundreds of staff members.” According to Simpkins, FFSP of Navy Region Northwest has offices in Smokey Point, Everett, Silverdale, and Oak Harbor. They also serve Sailors in Ore., Idaho, Mont., and Alaska. “Many people don’t know that we provide services for Reserve Forces as well,” Simpkins said. While I was certainly impressed at the sheer scope of operation of the FFSP, I still didn’t understand how they could help me get my family moved up to Everett. So I went to speak with Viviana Trappe, who is the Work and Family Life Consultant Supervisor for FFSP. Trappe told me about the myriad of services FFSP offers for Sailors who need help.
Domestic Violence
“We offer training on everything from breastfeeding to potty training to dealing with temper tantrums.” -Wilson
Taken very seriously by the Navy. FFSP can help with prevention, identification and treatment.
“Military families don’t always have grandpas and grandmas or aunts and uncles right down the road to help out with new babies.” -Wilson
“When in doubt, call us. Our job is to help find solutions and offer suggestions that aren’t necessarily punitive.” -Wilson
Smokey Point Complex:
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13910 45th Ave. NE, Ste 857 Marysville, WA 98271 425-304-3367
Naval Station Annex
2000 W. Marine View Dr. Everett WA, 98207 Bldg 2000 Rm 133 425-304-3735 9
Pamphlets available at FFSP.
“Basically, my staff deals with the personal readiness side of things,” Trappe said. Trappe’s staff offers classes, resources and education in personal financial management, life skills education, relocation services, and deployment and mobilization support. “We work with the individual commands to determine what resources will be most helpful for them at any given point in time,” Trappe said. Recently, every Sailor on board was required to attend return and reunion briefs, which were conducted by FFSP. The briefs offered represented a smattering of the topics covered by FFSP. Many of the classes offered by FFSP are preventative in nature, though service members don’t always utilize them in that way. “A lot of people don’t seek help from us until they’re in need,” Trappe said. “We try to advise people to access services before they find themselves needing us.” Admittedly a skeptic, I wondered why I should turn to FFSP for help. What made them the experts in advice-giving? “We are the subject matter experts
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in these areas,” said Trappe. “We want people to use us, instead of trying to figure it out without our help.” Master trainers who work for Trappe are indeed SMEs – all have at least a Bachelor’s degree in social work, and most have Master’s degrees as well. All but one of them have prior military experience or some sort of prior connection to the military. “We’ve been in your shoes. We know how to help and what to do,” said Trappe. As for my situation, Trappe advised me to have Misti set up an appointment at either the Everett office or the Smokey Point office to talk to someone about helping her find a job. “We have a large network of employers who give us access to job openings before they are posted for the public,” Trappe said. Though Trappe did not guarantee FFSP could help my partner find a job where she could utilize her Master’s in social work, she did assure me that FFSP staff have up-to-date training in resume writing, access to job opportunities, and, most importantly, a familiarity of the local job market. Trappe also explained the Relocation Assistance Program (RAP)
to me. RAP allows FFSP to walk Sailors through a relocation to a new base or service station. FFSP staff can help Sailors navigate how to effectively use Navy resources to take care of their relocation. “Sometimes folks just try to ‘power through’ a move and do it all by themselves, and don’t realize that there are actually a lot of resources out there to help them, and even pay for their relocation,” Trappe said. I spent several hours researching and learning about FFSP last week. It became obvious to me that there is still more to learn. The FFSP offers a plethora of services, many of which I know my partner and I will access, and many that we may not. FFSP was created to fit the needs of the Navy. With more than 300,000 Sailors currently enlisted, that’s no small feat. The Navy is home to Sailors from many different walks of life, economic backgrounds, racial groups, age brackets and social circles. There’s no cookie-cutter way to help Sailors or their families. What Misti and I find work for us might not work for you, but with so many options, and a philosophy of helping, FFSP just might have the support you’re looking for.
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ACTIVE
FOR THE FUN OF THE GAME Story and Photo by MC3 Eric M. Butler
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hief Gunner’s Mate Gregory C. Waite first brought up the idea to create a divisional volleyball team during quarters about two weeks ago. An avid fan of volleyball, he wanted to see G-2 Division members do something to have fun and get exercise in the process. Airman Megan N. Walker said she was willing to head up the effort to create a team. Not everyone was very experienced playing volleyball, but they came anyways. With limited time before a one day tournament held over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, the team was only able to practice a few times together. The end result was a work center coming a little closer together. There were four teams in all. G-2 Division was called “Vicious and Delicious,” a result of an internet search for team names that stuck as a favorite by all. From Naval Station Everett came “NSF IMF,” from Whidbey Island came the “One Hit
Wonders,” and a team consisting of military members from the Army and their family members called “AMENE.” The volleyball tournament was a two day event, starting on Saturday with “pool play.” Saturday scores did not count for the real tournament that was going down Sunday. Waite, who Frey said was the team star, was unfortunately not able to attend the games. A testament to G-2 Division’s teamwork mentality, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Nathalie Sanon used part of her weekend to step up and take over for Waite for Sunday’s game despite not having experience in volleyball. “It was all for fun,” said Sanon. “It wasn’t really for competition.” Airman Zachary C. Frey said he played volleyball for five years in Catholic School. “We’re starting divisional PT in February,” said Frey. “We’ll start doing a lot more of these sports like badminton and volleyball. I’m definitely looking
forward to softball. I played a lot of baseball after high school, basketball too.” Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Daphne E. Pealo said she was looking forward to more group sports for their division, especially softball. “I think that would be fun, departments against departments,” said Pealo. “During deployment, we had tug-of-war against each other. I wish we had a Nimitz volleyball tournament.” Besides finding creative ways for Nimitz Sailors to stay in shape, Sanon said their division is hoping to start a dedicated volleyball team with regular practice in August when the base starts a league play. If your division is has group PT, consider leading the charge with a sports team. The sky is the limit for things to do on base. Coordinate with Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Byron A. Dewalt at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation office onboard to set up use of the fields.
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AROUND TOWN
IV
PETS PARADE
ON
Schack Art Center located on 2921 Hoyt Street is hosting an art exhibit called “Pets on Parade” where the main theme of the exhibit is, you guessed it, pets. 14
Story and Photos by MCSN (SW) Aiyana Paschal
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brightly lit building has many different pieces of art on display from glassworkto acrylic paintings of dogs to bird “shrines,” bird houses built more like shrines for birds to stop in and rest. The exhibit will be on display until Feb. 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Just before the front desk is a basket where guests can donate leashes, dog food and collars to NOAH (Northwest Organization for Animal Help). If you don’t bring any of the following a monetary donation will also be accepted, however, if you don’t wish to donate any of the things listed, you don’t have to. The exhibit is completely free. The art being displayed is on consignment from local artist in the area. It goes through a jury process where members of the Schack Art Center choose which pieces they’ll display in the art center said Michelle Denton the gallery store manager. The Schack Art Center also offers different types of art classes such as watercolor painting, glass blowing and even basketry. he
“This is a great place for people to come -Michelle Denton, and see local art.” gallery store manager
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On The Cover photo by MC3 (SW) Derek Volland
Nimitz Media Department captures day to day life
Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Justin Perez poses with his family after reenlisting.
Attention to Detail photo by MCSN (SW) Aiyana Paschal
Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Adam Butler calibrates a vacuum gauge.
Battle Dress
photo by MC3 (SW) Derek Volland
Personnel Specialist 3rd Class Luke Loskutoff (right) helps Yeoman Seaman Apprentice Darren Davies dawn his firefighting helmet during general quarters.
Make it Shine
photo by MCSN (SW) Kelly Agee
Seaman Travis Stern shines the brass on the quarterdeck display in the hangar bay.
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