VOL. 6| ISSUE 3 February 26, 2017
THE INSURV RACE IS OVER
NIMITZNEWS.WORDPRESS.COM
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NIMITZ NEWS
in this issue:
Capt. Kevin Lenox Commanding Officer Capt. Todd Marzano Executive Officer CMDCM Jimmy Hailey Command Master Chief
Media Department Lt. Cmdr. Theresa Donnelly PAO Ens. Meagan Morrison DIVO MCC Ahron Arendes Media LCPO MC1 Porter Anderson Media LPO MC2 Jimmy Cellini Production LPO
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MC2 Andrew Price Creative Lead MC2 Holly Herline Phojo WCS MC3 Marc Cuenca Lead Designer
04 A Sailor Proof Guide To Doing Taxes: The 2017 tax season began Jan. 23 and it continues through April 18. Check out this beginners guide on doing your taxes on page 10 to learn the basics and hear some wise words from Nimitz’ own Command Financial Specialist Chief Gunner’s Mate Jason Adams.
Spring Training: The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) season kicks off this month with a fan favorite, spring training. As we look ahead to the new season, every team has made changes in the off-season in hopes of making it to the top, the World Series.
MC2 Mark Brison MC2 Jessica Gray MC2 Jose Hernandez MC2 Siobhana McEwen MC2 Ian Zagrocki MC3 Chad Anderson MC3 Samuel Bacon 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 Ian Kinkead MCSN Cole Schroeder MCSN Leon Wong MCSA Cody Deccio MCSA Emily Johnston
12 Bringing Comfy Back: To the relief of her crew, Nimitz successfully completed INSURV after a year of preparation. After all that hard work Nimitz Sailors are finally able to enjoy some “luxuries” on their 42-year-old boat.
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NIMITZ PRE-DEPLOYMENT BRIEF MARCH 7/ MARCH 9 1800-1930 HANGAR BAY 2
MARCH 7TH
DATES BY DEPARTMENTS
AIR AIMD REACTOR SAFETY RELMIN
MEDIA LEGAL
MARCH 9TH SUPPLY ENGINEERING WEAPONS OPERATIONS DECK
COMBAT SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION NAVIGATION TRAINING
HANGAR BAY 2 DIAGRAM
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National League Central
Chicago Cubs o Coming off a 100+ win season. o First World Series title in over 100 years. o Main Goal: Finding playing time for the overflow of young talent on the field.
St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates
o Finished behind the Cubs in NLC with 86 wins.
o Finished under .500 last season for the first time since 2012.
o Will be busy shifting their infield around Matt Carpenter at first base.
o Most likely focused on getting star outfielder Andrew McCutchen, back to his old self after a disappointing 2016 season.
o Key Addition: Center fielder Dexter Fowler.
o Additions: Pitcher Wade Davis, outfielder Jon Jay.
o Losses: Outfielder Matt Holiday.
o Losses: Outfielder Jorge Soler, pitcher Jason Hammel, catcher David Ross.
National League West
San Francisco Giants o Looking Back: Went from best record in baseball at the All-star break to barely clinching a wild card spot. Endured a painful 2nd round playoff loss to the eventual world champion Cubs. o Questions for 2017: Can pitcher Matt Cain give one more year in the starting rotation? Jarrett Parker or Mac Williamson in left Field? Will pitcher Mark Melancon save the bullpen? Additions: Mark Melancon.
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o Losses: Pitcher Sergio Romo.
Los Angeles Dodgers
o Coming off a 2016 Division Title. o Main Focus: Health of stellar starting rotation after an injury filled year, including center piece Clayton Kershaw. o Additions: Second baseman Logan Forsythe.
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t’s a bright, sunny 85-degree day. The walk from th ballpark food and overpriced beer flood your nose. venue. It’s smaller, inviting, and personal. You make the tension and seriousness of your normal home ga way it’s meant to be played. Players and coaches are loos a spot in the playoffs, they’re simply there to knock som As the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) gears u Baseball (MLB) season kicks off this month with a fan sunny Arizona in the Cactus League or in beautiful Flor the swing of things with warm weather, easy atmosphere As we look ahead to the 2017 season, every team ha the top, the World Series. With no two teams coming int let’s start with the team everyone is talking about and lik
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
o Season Challenges: Shaky starting rotation, new infielders on the corners, and filling the catcher position after trading all-star Jonothan Lucroy to the Texas Rangers.
o Finished last in NLC in 2016. o Main goal: Aside from winning more games, getting catcher Devin Mesoraco back on the field after hip and shoulder injuries.
o Additions: Third baseman Travis Shaw. o Losses: Pitcher Tyler Thornburg.
o Additions: Pitcher Drew Storen, outfielder Desmond Jennings. o Losses: Second baseman Brandon Phillips.
MCSN COLE SCHROEDER
he asphalt parking lot is tantalizing as the smell of fresh . The stadium is nothing like your team’s regular-season e it to your seat and realize there’s something missing. It’s ame, and in a way, it feels good to just watch the game the se and somewhat easygoing. Your team isn’t there to win me of the rust off and kick off the new season. up for its upcoming deployment, the 2017 Major League n favorite, spring training. Whether your team plays in rida in the Grapefruit League, the goal is getting back in e, and good baseball. as made changes in the offseason in hopes of making it to to the 2017 season with the exact same plan for success, kely the team with the least work to do in the offseason.
San Diego Padres
o Coming off a 68-win season.
Arizona Diamondbacks o Big Hopes: Second year pitchers Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller.
o Additions: Pitcher Taijuan Walker. o Losses: Outfielder Ender Inciarte, infielder Jean Segura.
Colorado Rockies
o Coming off their fifth consecutive year finishing below .500. o Big Additions: Closer Greg Holland, infielder/ outfielder Ian Desmond. o On a positive note: The Rockies still have one of the coolest stadiums in the league.
o Committing to young catcher, Austin Hedges and first base/outfielder Wil Myers. o New in 2017: Reworked rotation. o Additions: Pitcher Jared Weaver o Losses: Pitcher Tyson Ross.
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N A T I O N A L
Washington Nationals
o Topped the NL East in 2016 with 95 wins. o High Hopes: Despite two Tommy John surgeries, Shane Kelley enters training camp as leading choice for closer.
L E A G U E
o Additions: Outfielder Adam Eaton.
New York Mets
o Concerns: The health of the starting rotation. o Pitcher Matt Harvey is coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, pitcher Jacob DeGrom is returning from elbow nerve surgery and pitcher Zach Wheeler returning from Tommy John surgery.
o Losses: Catcher Wilson Ramos.
Question: Will outfielder Bryce Harper bounce back after a rough 2016?
E A S T SHANE KELLEY
A M E R I C A N L E A G U E C E N T R A L
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Cleveland Indians
Suffered a heartbreaking World Series loss to Cubs in 2016. Big Additions: Edwin Encarnacion acquired as the new designated hitter. Main Focus: Getting Michael Brantley healthy and back to left field. Losses: First baseman Mike Napoli, outfielder Rajai Davis.
EDWIN ENCARNACION
Detroit Tigers
o Pitcher Justin Verlander, Pitcher Michael Fulmer and Pitcher Jordan Zimmerman will be relied on as the stars in the rotation. o Losses: Outfielder Cameron Maybin.
High Hopes: Fans look to infielder Nick Castellanos to have a break out year at the plate.
Miami Marlins
Atlanta Braves
o Hoping to move past loss of pitcher Jose Fernandez in 2016.
o Big Moves: Preparing to move in to a new stadium.
o Will count on star players like outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and infielder Dee Gordon.
o High Hopes: Pitcher R.A. Dickey and pitcher Bartolo Colon.
o Additions: Pitcher Edison Volquez, pitcher Junichi Tazawa.
Philadelphia Phillies Big Loss: Infielder Ryan Howard. Challenges: Newly reworked outfield.
o Additions: Second baseman Brandon Phillips. o Losses: Outfielder Mallex Smith.
Question: Will top prospect Dansby Swanson live up to the hype? RYAN HOWARD
GIANCARLO STANTON
Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox
o Training Camp Struggles: Hope to move past the tragic death of young pitcher, Yordano Ventura.
o Additons: Infielder Yoan Moncada, pitcher Lucas Giolito.
o Ex-Cub outfielder Jorge Soler looks to flourish with new team. o Additions: Pitcher Jason Hammel. Losses: Pitcher Wade Davis, pitcher Greg Holland.
o Concerns: Infielder Todd Frazier is still dealing with sprained finger on left hand.
o Big hope‌more wins.
o 2017 looks to be a rebuilding year which will be centered around top prospects. -This includes #2 prospect in baseball, infielder Yoan Moneada.
o Losses: Infielder Trevor Plouffe.
Big Loss: Pitcher Chris Sale. YORDANO VENTURA
Minnesota Twins
o Finished last in the league with only 58 wins in 2016.
o Additions: Catcher Jason Castro.
Question: Will they trade second baseman Brian Dozier before July? 7
A M E R I C A N L E A G U E
Texas Rangers
o Ended 2016 with best record in the American League with 95 wins.
Houston Astros
o Infielder Brian McCann looks to redeem himself after being let go by the Yankees.
o Concerns: The health of right fielder Shin-Soo Choo after a 2016 forearm fracture.
o Carlos Beltran looks to get the at-bats as the designated hitter.
o Additions: First baseman Mike Napoli.
o The outfield will need to be sorted out with Nori Aoki, Jake Marisnick, Josh Reddick and George Springer fighting for a spot.
o Losses: Designated hitter Carlos Beltran, infielder Ian Desmond.
o Losses: Outfielder Colby Rasmus.
W E S T CARLOS BELTRAN
SHIN-SOO CHOO
A M E R I C A N L E A G U E
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E A S T
Boston Red Sox
o Looking Back: Won the AL East in 2016 with 93 wins in the regular season. o Big Addition: Pitcher Chris Sale, acquired from the White Sox -Pitcher Tyler Thornburg. o Losses: Longtime fan-favorite designated hitter David Ortiz bid farewell in 2016 -Third baseman Travis Shaw, pitcher Clay Buchholz.
DAVID ORTIZ
Baltimore Orioles
o Big Hopes: Outfielder Mark Trumbo is back for run production. o Concerns: Can the pitching staff hold up? o Additions: Catcher Wellington Castillo. o Losses: Catcher Matt Wieters.
MARK TRUMBO
Los Angeles Angels o The main concern of spring training still lies on the health of infielder Albert Pujols after last season’s foot surgery. o Big Focus: Can the starting rotation stay healthy after the surplus of injuries in 2016? o Additions: Outfielder Ben Revere.
Seattle Mariners
Oakland Athletics
o 2017 looks to be a year of more player aquistions.
o 90+ losses in back-to-back seasons.
o High hopes for Jean Segura at shortstop, Mitch Haniger in right field and Yovani Gallardo in the starting rotation.
o Additions: Third baseman Trevor Plouffe, outfielder Rajai Davis.
o Losses: Shortstop Ketel Marte.
o Losses: Third baseman Danny Valencia.
Question:
Losses: Infielder Danny Espinosa.
Can the starting rotation bounce back from a bad season?
Question: Can center fielder Mike Trout carry a whole team? MITCH HANIGER
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Rays
o Big losses: Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion.
o Finished last in division with only 68 wins in 2016.
o Guess who’s back: Outfielder Jose Bautista enters the 2017 season with much needed run scoring power.
o Additions: Outfielder Mallex Smith.
o Splitting time: Justin Smoak and Steve Pearce will be splitting playing time on first base.
JOSE BAUTISTA
o Losses: Second baseman Logan Forsythe. o Hoping for first winning season in-
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YEARS
New York Yankees o Position Battles: Greg Bird and Tyler Austin fight for starting role at first base. Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks fight for the job in right field. o Can catcher Gary Sanchez Produce over a whole season. o Additions: Pitcher Aroldis Chapman, outfielder Matt Holiday. o Losses: First baseman Mark Teixara, catcher Brian McCann.
GREG BIRD
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A SAILOR PROOF GUIDE TO DOING TAXES MC3(SW) MARC CUENCA MCSN COLE SCHROEDER
“Collectively, the American people overpay the government by about $945 million dollars every year,” said Alden Wicker, an author for a financial help website called Learnvest.com. If a decent level of knowledge about filing a tax return can be developed, Americans should be able to get the money they are owed each and every tax season. The 2017 tax season began Jan. 23 and ends April 18. This means it’s time to get that tax statement (W-2) and follow this Sailor-proof guide to doing taxes. Tax season may not be the most exciting time of the year, but it can be made easy with some basic knowledge and the resources the U.S. Navy has to offer. Filing a tax return may also mean extra money to put away in savings or blow all in one place. That’s all preference. “You have to pay taxes,” said Chief Gunner’s Mate Jason Adams, a resident of Ashe County, North Carolina, and the command financial
MCSN IAN KINKEAD
specialist for the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). “The government uses that money all year long to do whatever they need to do with it. Basically, we give a loan to the government, and at the end of the year, we want our money back so that is why we file our taxes.” Taxes are contributions made to a resident’s state and the federal government. They pay for things that we as a society need, like the police, schools and the military. They will always have an effect on the average American’s finances, especially military personnel, because they are paid by the government. The first step anyone should take to file their tax return is to get their W-2. Sailors should do this by going to the tax statement link on mypay. dfas.mil. For an individual to get any statements from jobs prior to the Navy, they should contact their previous employer, because taxes must be filed for every job they have had that year. After that it shouldn’t take much time
at all to file for a return. There are many helpful tools for filing a tax return, and one of them is tax preparation companies. These companies essentially make filing a tax return into a step-by-step process. H&R Block and Taxslayer.com are two examples of the many tax preparation companies that can make the process a little less stressful. All that’s necessary to file with one of these companies is a W-2, a little bit of time and a 1099 form for any people who performed contracted work and earned more than 600 dollars. The money earned from filing a tax return can be claimed by either direct deposit or through the mail. “There are a lot of different places out there that you can go and get help and get it relatively cheap being a military member,” said Adams. “Ultimately it’s the Sailors’ money, and they should do whatever makes them the most comfortable.” Taxslayer.com is free for all military personal. TurboTax is free for E-1 to E-5 and significantly discounted for E-6 and above. There is also Liberty Tax Service, who has a 50-dollar discount for military members. Sailors can find an H&R Block on Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, and some other online options for military members can be found at http://www. military.com/discounts/free-taxpreparation-for-military.html. “The longer you wait, the longer it’ll take you to get your return back,” said Adams. “In this case, the early bird really does get the worm.” It’s against the law for any person not to file their taxes and file them correctly by April 18. The time necessary to file for a tax return is well worth it, because it’s the only way Americans are refunded the money that they have overpaid in taxes. Sailors face challenges every single day, but at least doing taxes doesn’t have to be one of them.
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SAILORS OF USS NIMITZ REFLECT ON THE BOARD OF INSPECTION AND SURVEY
BM1 Alfonso guerrero, Los angeles
aoan desmond gertman, houston
MC3 SAMUEL H. BACON
Q: a:
MCSN LEON WONG
How do you feel about completing INSURV? I’m glad that INSURV is finally over; it allows us to shift our focus to the Sailors. We’ve focused all our efforts on the ship, now its time to spend a little bit on our Sailors.
Q: a:
What was your least favorite part about INSURV? ZIDLs. ZIDLs. ZIDLs.
AO3 andre alfonso, LAS VEGAS
Q: MCSN LEON WONG
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How do you think the ship did during INSURV?
a:
Considering the shape the ship is in and how old it is, I think we did pretty well.
MCSN COLE SCHROEDER
INSURV. AM I RIGHT? MC3 COLBY COMERY
he aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) successfully completed the final phase of testing conducted by the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), the Material Inspection, in San Diego Feb. 16, a day earlier than expected. INSURV is a congressionally mandated inspection of U.S. Navy ships. The inspection is a thorough check of the ship’s material condition to ensure mission readiness. INSURVs are typically conducted every five years on board Navy ships. Nimitz’ last inspection was completed in 2010. More than 200 inspectors came aboard Feb. 13 and 14 to examine more than 400 demonstrations and inspect nearly 100,000 pieces of equipment. There are also small details that came under the microscope such as minor safety concerns, cleanliness and the ship’s habitability that together make up an integral part of the ship’s operational ability. “The hard, tedious work and long hours the Sailors on this ship endured to get her ready might have seemed like they wouldn’t end, but it’s really started to show and it’s paying off,” said Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 3rd Class Bo Noonkester. “I think every one of us has something that we can be proud of
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when we look at Nimitz now.” Nimitz kicked off the first phase of INSURV in December 2015 and has been preparing for the final inspection for over a year by updating equipment, refurbishing old hardware, training new Sailors and deep cleaning all of the ship’s spaces. “Sailors are finally figuring out what this ship should look like all the time, and it’s never looked better,” said Master Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Kenneth Hecker, Nimitz’ INSURV Leading Chief Petty Officer. “The ship has never pulled together like this before and become such a seamlessly working team.” “Your hard work paid off,” said Capt. Kevin Lenox, the Commanding Officer of Nimitz while addressing the crew. “You guys stepped up and worked hard the past two weekends and every Sailor stepped up and executed very well. INSURV told me they’ve never had a carrier finish on a Thursday, but we did because we executed the plan so well. Great job everyone.” The conclusion of INSURV has shown Nimitz is up to the Navy’s standard of material readiness and is one step closer to her 2017 deployment. Nimitz will undergo Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the upcoming months. 13
crossword
channel list CH. 02- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 03- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 04- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 05- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 07- AFN CH. 08- AFN CH. 09- SCROLLER CH. 10- ILARTS CH. 14- CBS CH. 15- NBC CH. 16- FOX CH. 17- ABC CH. 18- ESPN CH. 19- FOX SPORTS CH. 20- NBA NETWORK CH. 21- A&E CH. 22- HISTORY CH. 23- TNT CH. 24- NATIONAL GEO CH. 25- DISCOVERY CH. 26- FX CH. 27- COUNTRY NETWORK CH. 28- TBS CH. 32- CNN CH. 33- BBC NEWS
weekly throwback Nimitz’ Sailors compete in a volleyball game for the Captain’s Cup Program during a port visit on deployment in 1991.
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SuDOKU
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through | the | lens
Officers participate in small-arms qualifications under the supervision of Sailors from Weapons Department. Photo by MC3 Samuel H. Bacon Sailors guide an F/A-18E Super Hornet, from the Vigilantes of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, onto an aircraft catapult. Photo by MCSA(SW/AW) Cody M. Deccio Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Kristian-Carlo Ting, of Los Angeles, blows his whistle after parking an F/A-18E Super Hornet, from the Flying Eagles of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122, on the flight deck. Photo by MC2(SW/AW) Siobhana R. McEwen
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