Nimitz news 23 apr 2017

VOL. 6 | ISSUE 10 April 23, 2017

NIMITZ RECOGNIZES SEXUAL ASSAULT, AWARENESS PREVENTION MONTH NIMITZNEWS.WORDPRESS.COM

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in this issue:

NIMITZ NEWS Capt. Kevin Lenox Commanding Officer Capt. Todd Marzano Executive Officer CMDCM Jimmy Hailey Command Master Chief

Media Department 4

Lt. Cmdr. Theresa Donnelly PAO Ens. Meagan Morrison DIVO MCC Ahron Arendes Media LCPO MC1 Porter Anderson Media LPO MC2 Jimmy Cellini Production LPO MC2 Holly Herline Phojo WCS MC3 Marc Cuenca Lead Designer

Communicate to Alleviate: As the days count down to Nimitz’ inevitable departure, Sailors and families don’t have a lot of time left together. Communication can be the key to making this time be less stressful and somewhat enjoyable for the both of them.

MC2 Jessica Gray MC2 Jose Hernandez MC2 Siobhana McEwen MC2 Ian Zagrocki MC3 Chad Anderson MC3 Kenneth Blair MC3 Colby Comery MC3 Deanna Gonzales MC3 Austin Haist MC3 Erickson Magno MC3 Weston Mohr MC3 Liana Nichols MC3 Bethany Woolsey MCSN David Claypool MCSN Cody Deccio MCSN Emily Johnston MCSN Ian Kinkead MCSN Cole Schroeder MCSN Leon Wong

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Nimitz recognizes Sexual Assault, Awareness Prevention month: Sexual Assault. You don’t think or talk about it, but it happens. This April, the Nimitz SAPR team developed their own plans to keep Sailors safe from all levels of unwelcomed sexual behavior. They’re hosting several events thoughout the month to bring awareness of the cause to the Sailors.

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MCSN LEON WONG

PREPARING FOR DEPLOYMENT HOW COMMUNICATION CAN HELP LOVED ONES COPE WITH SEPARATION FROM THEIR SAILORS AWAY AT SEA.

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ith Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the books, a 2017 deployment creeps around the corner for Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Sailors and their families don’t have a lot of time left to prepare for what lies ahead.

One way to reduce stress while on deployment is through one simple

technique; communication.

Communicating with family is important for Sailors to remember, as it can alleviate a variety of

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concerns for both Sailors and their families before and during deployment.

“The biggest advice that I would give is to make sure they keep open communication and open honesty between each other,” said Chief Yeoman Stacy Mccune, a native of Forrest Home, Ala. “You’ve got to communicate, that’s the biggest thing.”

Mccune said before she goes underway or deploys, there’s always a lot of tension in the house.

She attributes the rise of anxiety to the preparations her and her family have to complete prior to deployment.

“Your loved ones may not understand your feelings, so sometimes you have to let them know,” said Mccune.

Families can be reassured if they have a mutual understanding of each other’s concerns, opinions and goals.

One of the major conversations to have during the predeployment period is the discussion of practical issues, such as financial management.

“We talk about all of the different bills and utilities that go in with the house,” said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Jasper Mallari, a native of Los Angeles. “We’re just a single-income type of family. We try to manage our bills and pay for certain bills through auto pay, but at the same time set a financial plan to spend money for the kids and all of the necessities.”

Sailors should also set up a plan with their spouse in the case of any emergency.

“If something happens to our son, our daughter or my wife, who else would we contact, who else would we get involved?” said Mallari. “In case something does happen, we have a power of attorney for her parents and brothers.”

Some resources that Sailors may use for emergencies are the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, American Red Cross, Fleet and Family Support Center and legal offices.

Once on deployment, there are various ways for Sailors and their families to cope with the separation.

It’s easy for Sailors to get isolated in their work while underway, but keeping that open communication is still important for their families.

“I try to at least shoot her an email about what I’m doing, what I’m up to everyday,” said Mallari. “If not, I try to use the Sailor phones to call home and just talk for five or ten minutes.”

Sailors can make phone calls while underway with ship-to-shore phone cards.

These phone cards may be purchased at the ship’s store or at a local Navy Exchange for those back home.

Mallari said he constantly encourages his wife to reassure their son and daughter that he is home, even though he isn’t.

“Anytime I hear something good that my son

does or if my daughter hits a milestone, I’ll buy them small things off of Amazon and print a little gift note,” said Mallari.

He would also record himself singing songs, reading books and asking about his children’s day.

Another option for Sailors to keep in touch with their children while underway is utilizing United Through Reading. The program allows Sailors to record themselves reading books for their children. These videos are later sent to the Sailor’s family, so they can all have a minute together regardless of the distance between them.

“It’s an awesome program,” said Mccune. “For children to be able to hear their parent’s voice means so much to them. Just like when I call, I can hear all of the excitement in my children’s voices.”

From snail mail to email, Sailors should know and use their options to stay in touch with their families while out to sea.

The days, weeks or even months leading up to a deployment may be a stressful time for Sailors and their families. Communicating with them and developing a plan is key to alleviating stress and having this time be somewhat enjoyable.

MC3 MARC CUENCA

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Nimitz recognizes Sexual Assault, Awareness Prevention Month.

MCSN IAN KINKEAD

over the years in the Navy is the workplace and what is acceptable inside of it. The Navy is a different work environment because the level of camaraderie and trust in a division, and even on a ship, almost becomes akin to that of a family because of the amount of time spent together. This is why the Navy has developed many initiatives to keep trust alive on the seas, and one of them is the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program.

The Navy recognizes April as Sexual Assault, Awareness Prevention Month (SAAPM). During this time, commands are encouraged to augment year-round efforts to rid working environments of the discomfort of wrongful sexual behaviors that would make any Sailor feel like they aren’t receiving the respect they deserve.

Since its establishment in 2001, SAAPM has become an important piece of the Navy’s SAPR program, which helps prevent sexual assault involving service members through training, education programs, treatment and support to victims of sexual assault.

This year the Navy and the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) have developed their own plans to keep Sailors safe from all levels of unwelcomed sexual behavior including assault, sexism, hazing and harassment, whether it be online or word of mouth at home or work.

The SAAPM theme for this year is “Protecting Our People Protects Our Mission.”

Leadership at the highest levels of the Navy have shared their words of wisdom on the importance of this month with the goal of having those stories trickle down to each and every Sailor who may be affected by any wrongful behaviors.

“The very best teams perform best across the board.

They have no place for toxic behavior that weakens the team. They are laser-focused on continually improving

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ne of many things that have changed

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BELOW: NIMITZ SAILORS PARTICIPATE IN SAPR SPINATHON.

their performance,” said Adm. John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations. “If you see these behaviors anywhere, step in. There are no bystanders on our team. Intervene and stop the behavior.”

Nimitz is doing its part to highlight this year’s SAAPM theme, through various mediums of deckplate advertisement.

“Every Thursday during lunch and dinner, this month, Nimitz SAPR advocates will be on the aft mess decks handing out flyers with information on the SAPR program to create a general awareness around the ship,” said Yeoman 1st Class Kelli Bradshaw, a native of Waxahachie, Texas and a Nimitz command SAPR advocate.

Another goal for the Nimitz SAPR program is to make sure that Sailors around the ship know exactly who the command’s advocates are.

“We recently took a photo of the command SAPR advocates that will be displayed around the ship so that people can put a face to a name and know who the trusted people of the SAPR team are,” said Bradshaw.

Advocates are taking extra pride in the comfort of their Sailors to make sure that the mission is completed as the ship goes through Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and prepares for this year’s slated deployment.

“This involves everyone because when the line starts to be crossed by an individual it could happen more and more as they get comfortable with what they are doing,” said Bradshaw. “We are encouraging everyone to stop these behaviors right at the beginning that way it will end before it gets to the point of someone needing to seek help.”

Nimitz SAPR advocates are asking for ship’s leadership to assist in creating a safe work environment.

“Leadership around the Navy needs to step in and let Sailors know what professional behavior is so they can take that with them day to day, and that alone will cut down on a lot of these cases in the workplace,” said Bradshaw.

It’s important to make this happen so Sailors can learn the standards that they have to meet and help each other keep a level head so they can carry out their work with no burdens.

“Sailors should be able to come to a work environment free of sexual harassment and assault and get the mission done without having any fear of coming to work to do their job,” said Bradshaw.

Bradshaw said she has one goal for the SAPR team this year, and that is to make sure nobody ever feels trapped on the ship.

Within a family there is always drama and often times rough patches, but there should never be true pain or discomfort. Once the damage has been done, the functionality of the family can often be ruined for any period of time. That’s why it is more important than ever that Nimitz Sailor’s protect their fellow Sailors at all times.

If they don’t do so, the functionality of the ship could be ruined, and that could lead to failure of the mission.

Anyone in immediate danger should call 911. To report a sexual assault please the call the toll-free DOD Safe Helpline at (877) 995-5247 or the Nimitz command SAPR hotline at (360) 990-6219. Aboard the ship, anyone can receive help from command SAPR representatives by calling 5158 or 5437 or sending an email to SAPR@cvn68. navy.mil.

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crossword

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weekly throwback Sailors from media department interview a Sailor for the weekly news show “Nimitz Presents…”, during a steel beach picnic on the flight deck while on deployment in 2007.

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions are subject to review and editing. “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.

SuDOKU

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through | the | lens

U.S. Navy Sailors participate in an Easter service in the chapel of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Photo by MC3(SW) Weston Mohr.

U.S. Navy Sailors participate in an Easter workout in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Photo by MC3(SW) Bethany Woolsey.

U.S. Navy Sailors and Marines attend an Easter service on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Photo by MC3(SW) Liana N. Nichols.

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