Nimitz News, July 21, 2011

July 21, 2011

Nimitz News

July 21, 2011

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Vol. 36, No. 29

Division 231 wins Captain’s Cup Capt. Steven Bethke, the commanding officer of Recruit Training Command, presents the Captain’s Cup to recruits from division 231. (U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Devin Wray.)

Story by MC3 Devin Wray Twenty-five years ago, Seaman Recruit Rollin Peoples waited in line to get into the single food court at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes. One chow hall was shared by multiple divisions from multiple ships, and it took hours to get inside to eat.

Flash forward to present day. It’s 6-1 day of training, the first day of the sixth week, for the recruits of division 231 at RTC. After leaving fire-fighting class earlier that morning, the recruits are rushed by their Recruit Division Commanders to lunch. The recruits only wait minutes to sit down with Sailors from USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and ask questions – something they are not normally allowed to do while eating.

Now a senior chief, Peoples has returned to RTC with the second group of Sailors from Nimitz who are spending their time motivating division 231 through boot camp. Peoples and other Sailors from Nimitz were sent as part of the ship’s sponsorship of a recruit division.

“They’re making a chant for Nimitz and they’re carrying our flag,” said Peoples.

Family Readiness Group Meeting is scheduled

USS Nimitz FRG meeting will be held at Jackson Park, July 27th at 6 pm.

“That’s making me super motivated, so I want to give that back and let them know they’re part of our crew.”

Having the time to talk to Sailors from the fleet has encouraged some of recruits to do better.

“Our RDCs use Nimitz as a way to get us to do better,” said Daniel Pudlowski, division 231’s athletic recruit petty officer. “They would say if we didn’t do well they would email Nimitz and tell them we let them down, and we don’t want to let the ship down.”

It hasn’t been easy for the recruits though, as 56 of the initial 80 recruits in the division failed their first Personal Fitness Assessment and 32 failed the second test. With the second group arriving from Nimitz, just in time to run with the division for their third PFA, only nine recruits failed their last run, which was just under the mark for the division to be awarded their athletic flag.

“One recruit has cut off four minutes from her first run which was only a few weeks ago,” said Rashay Stokes, one of division 231’s

RDCs. “I’m really proud of her.”

The recruits have also completed two written tests, live-fire gun training, and drill and compartment inspections.

“We’ve had some problems rescheduling their live-fire training, and they barely got in for gas mask training, so they won’t actually get to go through the gas chamber,” said Master-at-Arms Chief Daniel Arroyo, the division’s lead RDC. A lot has happened between the time the first and second groups from Nimitz arrived back at boot camp to see their sponsored division, and with graduation coming soon, the division will face some of their hardest tests.

“After we finish our drill inspection, test three and firefighting, the recruits will go through battle stations. And then they have the Captain’s Cup after that,” said Stokes.

Even though division 231 has encountered problems through the last few weeks, the division is expected to graduate on time with support of the Sailors from the fleet there to motivate them throughout their last week.

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Chicken or Beef?

Commentary by MC2(SW) J.D. Levite Commanding Officer CAPT Paul Monger Executive Officer CAPT Buzz Donnelly Command Master Chief CMDCM William Lloyd-Owen Public Affairs Officer LTJG Jason Scarborough Media LCPO MCCM Jon McMillan Media Production Chief MCC Mike Jones Editor MC2 J.D. Levite Lead Designer MC3 Matthew Patton Media Dept MC2 C.J. Amdahl MC2 James Mitchell MC2 Amara Timberlake MC2 Adam Wolfe MC3 Ashley Berumen MC3 Ian Cotter MC3 Mark Sashegyi MC3 Glenn Slaughter MC3 Thomas Siniff MC3 Nichelle Whitfield MC3 Robert Winn MC3 Devin Wray MCSN Andrew Jandik MCSN Jacob Milner MCSA Alexander Ventura II MCSA Renee Candelario MCSA Jess Lewis MCSA Derek Volland 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.

“Do you want chicken or beef?”

Why ask me that question? I am a warm-blooded meat-eating American male. I’ve eaten food when I wasn’t even sure what kind of animal it was or where it came from. I’ve eaten animals still bleeding on my plate. Not only that, I’m a Sailor. I’ve been to parts of the world where I gladly ate animal I’m pretty sure was dog. And I love dogs, but I like them cooked just as much! So why is she asking me that question?

The real answer to that question is “Both!” I want chicken with a side of beef, pulled pork, a steak and some ham on the side. If mashed potatoes and green beans are also present, that’s fine, but to be honest those are mostly just incidental when there’s meat on my plate. But now I’m presented with a choice and have to make a decision, and I know the variables that separate these two are so small the decision really doesn’t matter. I’ll be satisfied either way, but I also know the way I’m about to answer the question is the wrong way…

“I don’t care.”

And I don’t. I really don’t. My feeling toward the answer to a question of two equally palatable options is simple ambivalence. Indifference. I don’t care whether I’ll be eating chicken or beef because either one would work for me, so why am I now standing in the aisle of Fred Meyer staring at a growingly annoyed woman who wants me to make up my mind? I’m not being indecisive. Indifference is not the same thing as indecisive.

But in my short time as a Sailor, there are a few things I’ve learned to be true. One of them is that indifference is a negative thing in the eyes of the Navy… and my girlfriend. But mostly the Navy.

And it shouldn’t be.

Indifference doesn’t automatically mean I have a negative opinion of everything being presented to me. Quite the opposite, when I take a position of indifference it usually only means one of two things, either I’m offering you the chance to make the choice or you asked the wrong question in the first place.

When I’m offering you the choice, it’s because either outcome works for me. If either outcome works for me, then in my mind the best possible answer to the question is to give you the freedom to choose. The fact that you asked me the question in the first place shows you’re willing to let me make a decision that can affect us both, so it seems the only right thing for me to do is offer you that same position. Unfortunately, when I do that I’m usually met with hostility over my indecisiveness. But it’s not indecisiveness. It’s just me being polite in my own way.

And when it comes to thinking you asked the wrong question, it’s usually because you left out an option, like “Both!”, or you failed to phrase the question according to my personal perspective.

Since I enjoy chicken and beef equally, and you know that, why should you expect me to have a preference for one over the other? Especially considering my pickiness when it comes to what I’ll eat ranges from Albertson’s string cheese to uncooked cow tongue at Yakinuku.

In the Navy, my indifference applies to a couple of other special circumstance. For example, when I’m presented with a choice that isn’t really a choice and I don’t feel like playing that all-toocommon Navy Leadership game. I think we’ve all experienced the moment when a Chief or LPO asks you a question and they already know what the answer is. Sometimes they do this because they feel it somehow validates their opinion to hear you verbally say it. Sometimes they do it to trap you, like “Do you know where that very valuable piece of equipment I gave you is?” Well, obviously you do or you wouldn’t be asking me, so why don’t I just stare at you until you answer? And the real question is why does this flawed type of leadership continue to prevail as a dominant way of thinking?

Every now and then I get questions I’m legitimately indifferent about. I get asked something like “Do you want to do this job or this job?” To this day, I maintain no one should want to do a job. We should all be striving for that point where we can sit shirtless on a private beach being fed grapes by someone who doesn’t want to be feeding us grapes for their job. So I maintain a level of indifference in answering questions like that.

Of course, there are positive ways to say that other than “I don’t care.” If it’s someone higher ranking, an answer like “I’ll do whatever is most important right now” or “Which one do you want worked on?” usually keep things positive while keeping yourself from committing to a possibly negative outcome. After all, the concept of “if something can go wrong, it will” has never been truer than inside the hull of an aircraft carrier. So no matter what you choose, it’s probably going to be annoying.

While the phrase “I don’t care” might not always be the right way to respond to a question, I do not think indifference should be treated as always having a negative connotation. It’s not a bad thing to want to allow others the same freedom of choice you enjoy, and many times the indifference is a result of equally positive, not negative, things. I know a lot of people probably won’t agree with me on this one, but I don’t care. For now, I’ll just eat the chicken.

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Navy announces new sea-shore rotation changes Story by MC3(SW) Nichelle Whitfield

An update to NAVADMIN 201/11 made July 2011 is in effect immediately which means the Sailor sea-shore rotation is altered.

“It’s needs of the Navy. It’s really what it comes down to,” said Master Chief Personnel Specialist Kelly Bennett, the personnel office’s leading chief petty officer. “The last change was in 2008.

There’s no set timeline for the change. It just happens when they go back and revisit the guideline and decide when they are going to make the adjustments.”

“The change in the sea-shore rotation flow does not necessarily have to do with the downsizing of the Navy,” said Navy Counselor 1st Class Tamara Moore, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) career counselor.

“It just has to do with flow of the sea and the shore because we’ve got too many people on shore duty or not enough people on shore duty that need to rotate. A lot of people want to stay at sea because they want to keep their sea pay. They are just basically trying to balance out the sea shore flow so everyone has the chance to do their fair share.”

Being at sea on one carrier for too long can hurt a Sailor’s career.

Too much sea time in a carrier limits the expanse of a Sailor’s diversity. Sailors can become comfortable where they are and what they are doing because they’ve been doing the same thing repeatedly, said Moore. Sailors need to be well rounded. They need to be on small platforms and big decks to demonstrate they have vast experience in both areas, she said.

“A lot of people are looking at advancement and they think if they stay out to sea, the Navy will see that they have done a lot of sea time and they’ll get advanced or get picked up,” explained Moore. “But it’s not really that easy. Basically, they are looking at the different locations, where you have been and what type of duties you have taken. People are getting the misconception of

thinking they have to stay at sea,” she said.

Moore also said pins and qualifications have a lot to do with advancement, especially when it comes to getting accepted in the Command Advancement Program. The selection board is not going to cap a person with no pins. Some Sailors can’t get pins because they’ve been on shore duty for eight years. That ultimately hurts your chances for advancement.

“PRDs could be changed. It’s not saying everyone’s will be, but if you’re in one of those ratings that are effected and your PRD is after March 2012, you could be extended,” said Bennett.

When a detailer pushes your PRD, they can either do it three months early, four months late or even up to six months, said Moore.

“They basically do a billet evaluation and conclude that it’s time to change the sea-shore flow. It does hurt some Sailors because they may have to stay at their command a little bit longer, especially those people that are out to sea for four years and, then they have to do four and a half years. But ultimately in the long run it’s going to help them,” she said.

“It’s not that the Navy is downsizing. It’s just that the manning in the Navy is terrible. Some of these other ratings that are not needed anymore we have to get rid of,” said Moore.

The jobs that used to require a lot of manpower are being replaced by push button jobs. So they are just trying to get rid of the rates that are the manual labor ones because we already have the push button aspect, she said.

For more information on the NAVADMIN change, and what specific ratings will be affected by the alteration, visit www. public.navy.mil/BUPERS-NPC/ORGANIZATION/BUPERS/ TOTALFORCE/Pages/default.aspx.

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“Soaring at Sea”: 100 Years of Naval Aviation

What has man accomplished in the last 100 years? Television has evolved from a novelty to a staple of the American household. The automobile has become a necessity to American families from the humble beginnings of a rich man’s toy, and U.S. naval aviation has become one of the most effective military deterrents in the world.

Story by MC3 Jacob Milner Photos by MC3(SW) Thomas Siniff Naval aviation over the past century has developed into a modern marvel of devastating proportion. The evolution of the modern aircraft carrier from the originally modified USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) has been a story of struggle and triumph which the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash., is trying to tell.

“I hope people would want to come in recognition of the tremendous service that so many men and women have provided to our country over 100 years,” said Ted Young, a retired volunteer and published author. “We’ve tried to represent that as best we can.”

The museum is scheduled to open a new exhibit Friday, July 22, dedicated to the history of naval aviation over the past 100 years with a model of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as its center piece.

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The exhibit displays the advancement of naval aviation and naval technology beginning with the Pennsylvania completing the first take off and landing of an aircraft on a Navy vessel, to the modern nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

“The tremendous advances that naval aviation has made in the last 100 years is unbelievable,” said Young.

The museum displays the history of naval operation in the Pacific Northwest and the Puget Sound area as shown in the scale model replica at the center of the display. The model is on loan from the Puget Sound Naval Museum and is at the center of the exhibit.

“One thing that struck us working in this museum, is the rich history of naval aviation in the Pacific Northwest,” said Young.

“We’ve had 100 years of naval aviation and basically 84 of those years have been in the Pacific Northwest.”

In addition to Nimitz displays, there are also artifacts from throughout naval aviation history. Along with flight suits and patches, other items possibly forgotten by time are displayed as well.

These are all exhibits on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash.

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“We have two World War II LSO (Landing Signal Officer) panels that were used on the USS Guadal Canal (CVE-60),” said Young. “A guy who was on the Guadal Canal donated them to us.”

Many of the museum employees working on the exhibit have family members or friends that are in the military, and they have taken extreme care and interest in their work on the display to ensure its accuracy and impact.

“My wife was born at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,” said Young. “So I hope people with family connections will be interested in coming here and seeing the history.”

For those who have family members who are part of air operations in other branches, the museum has not only alternate displays in the exhibit itself but also many around the museum spanning all aspects of aviation and aerospace technology throughout the years.

“It’s not just naval aviation; it’s Marine Corps and the Coast Guard,” said Young. “We think we’ve got a pretty good

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representative collection.”

The exhibit is not only glorifying the way the Navy uses aircraft and aircraft carriers to deter threats to U.S. interests around the world but also the fleet and they’re struggles with being deployed during war and peace times.

“Not only is it the ability to project power, but the fleets are out there and naval aviators, men and women, are on 24/7,” said Young. “In every climate and every weather they’re there, they’re highly trained and they’re ready to go.”

The careful choreography of flight deck personnel and the training to complete maritime operations are also represented in the exhibit with displays dedicated to flight deck and on board operations.

“One of the things we’ve tried to emphasize is the incredible complexity of carrier operations,” said Young. “This is miraculous in a way. Five thousand people in a ship, all the airplanes,

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coordinating these operations and being able to steam around the world for 20 years: it is phenomenal.”

Through 100 years of human advancement, the Great Depression, winning two world wars, policing the world to prevent the spread of communism and the war on terror, the U.S. Navy has been advancing its technology and its training to stay ahead of the curve on defense with Nimitz at its forefront.

The Naval Aviation Exhibit is the newest draw for the museum.

The museum does display many exhibits throughout the year and is free from now until Labor Day for active-duty service members and up to five family members. For more information about the museum and upcoming events call 206-764-5700 or visit them on the web at http://www.museumofflight.org.

“I hope people would want to come in recognition of the tremendous service that so many men and women have provided to our country over 100 years... we’ve tried to represent that as best we can.”

- Ted Young Volunteer

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Nimitz to host “Summer Spectacular” Story by MC3(SW) Nichelle Whitfield

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is scheduled to host a command picnic at Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton on the parade field for crew members and their families, July 29.

“It’s about time to have one and give the crew a break from yard and dry dock,” said Lt. Kevin Albert, Nimitz’ supply department services officer. “We’re calling it the Summer Spectacular. We named it the Summer Spectacular because we want to make sure it’s an event that all of the dependents are going to enjoy, including kids of all ages.”

The Summer Spectacular will have entertainment for both children and adults.

Games, interactive activities, bounce houses and a Samuel Adams Brewery House beer garden will be a few of the items provided for entertainment.

“There will be three or four inflatables,” explains Jenn Vess, Nimitz Funboss.

“There will be a bounce house, a pirate ship, face painting, tug of war, a three-onthree basketball tournament, sumo suits will be out there again, PoGo sticks, we’ll have a Home-Run derby, a dizzy bat race, bean-bag toss, and stuff like that.”

The beer garden will be open only to

adults over the age of 21 years of age and operated with a strict ID check in a separated and fenced off location to eliminate any temptation to attending minors, said Vess.

The command event will run from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m., with food being served from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The free food at the picnic will include hot dogs, barbeque, pulled pork, baked beans and more, said Albert. The picnic will take place while the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) is out at sea, leaving more available parking spaces for Nimitz crew members and their families, he said.

“You’ll get tickets for the beer garden, the food and the prizes,” said Vess.

Raffle tickets are free. Each Sailor will get a raffle ticket at the entrance of the event and all the dependents will get food vouchers.

“I would tell them to definitely come out because we’ve got a lot of fantastic stuff planned and we have a lot of games and events. The prizes are going to be incredible,” said Albert. “We’ve got a big screen T.V., there will be a chance to win two tickets to the World Series game to include the flight and hotel room package

and more. This will all be at our command picnic, but the key will be that Sailors will have to stick around and enjoy the event,” he said.

The raffle is for ship’s crew only. Each person will get a raffle ticket and the first draw will be called out around 11:30 a.m.

“The most popular items might be the ice cream truck, the kettle corn truck, the fruit stand and the snow cones,” said Vess.

“Those might be the big things for the kids along with the inflatables. We’re going all out! We’ve all been working really hard and doing well with our productivity, and this is just something to bring your family to and then of course you can just go home and enjoy your weekend.”

“It’s about time to have one and give the crew a break from yard and dry dock.”

- LT Kevin Albert Services Officer

Friday, july 29 10AM- 3PM

Nimitz Summer Spectacular

Bremerton parade field Food!

activities!

prizes!

live band & a dj!

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Nimitz welcomes new Fitboss Story by MC3(SW) Robert Winn

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) welcomes Melisa Patterson as its new Fitboss to the team.

Patterson, who was born in Houston, Texas, has spent the last three years as the Fitness Coordinator for the Marine Corps on Okinawa, Japan.

“I’ve been in fitness my whole life,” said Patterson. “Between sports growing up and being a personal trainer through college, it’s all I know.”

Patterson says she really enjoys working with military personnel and enjoys being on the ship.

“I wanted to do something worthwhile,” said Patterson. “I got bored of training old housewives who just didn’t want to go to work. It’s gratifying working with people who want to be there.”

The new Fitboss says she has a lot in mind for new programs for the ship.

“I’m trying to get some good, new programs going,” Patterson said. “I want to get classes at West Concourse gym just for Nimitz Sailors, I want to start some high intensity training, and maybe weight training courses set up. And that’s only for when we’re in port. When we get underway, I’ve got new equipment ordered for the gym (some we’ve never even had before!), spin classes and Zumba classes.”

Incentive programs are going to be a more common sight now, said Patterson.

“We’ve got the Seven Summits Challenge, a program where you bike, elliptical or row, the distance it would take to conquer each of the world’s highest mountains,” said Patterson. “With each mountain you top, you get a new and larger prize.”

The Fitboss would like to make more personal programs for Sailors, she says.

“No two workouts are the same,” said Patterson. “I want to do a lot more compound movements. This isn’t Curves.”

Patterson wants Sailors to know there are a lot of things she can offer to help them get in shape. “I do program design, nutrition guidance, P.R.T. improvement, weight loss, body composition, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, weight training and strength training.”

Patterson says she is totally open to suggestions, “I’m on the global under Fitboss. If anyone wants to suggest something and it’s within reason, I’m going to try and make it happen.”

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ABH3(AW/IDWS) Yosset Massekeharvey holds his certificate after being awarded the Information Dominance warfare pin. Photo courtesy of Massekeharvey.

Nimitz Sailor Earns Navy’s Newest Warfare Pin Story by MC2(SW/AW) Amara Timberlake Since USS Nimitz (CVN 68) has been in maritime operations-- not exactly everyday the yards, Sailors from every department topics for an ABH. on the ship have been taking on new “5th Fleet used us as sort of a test challenges and diversifying their skills platform,” said Massekeharvey. “Since by attending schools or going to work in they initiated the program, they let us do different locations. the common core and have access to the Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) specific core which was actually classified.

3rd Class Yosset Massekeharvey just The information had to be maintained in returned from a six month deployment as secure spaces so we could only study when an Individual Augmentee in Bahrain. we had access to those areas.”

“I volunteered to go so that I could Massekeharvey was one of the first nonget some different experiences,” said intelligence rated personnel to earn the Massekeharvey. “I got a lot of different qualification and said that he feels good (qualifications) and a chance to be in about his new warfare qualification and has charge.” quite a few more goals for the rest of his One of the qualifications Massekeharvey time on Nimitz. earned in Bahrain was the Information “I want to apply for the (Special Dominance warfare pin and he is the only Warfare Combat Crewman) program,” enlisted Sailor on Nimitz with the pin. said Masekeharvey. “I’ve always been IDWS is the Navy’s newest warfare interested in special warfare and I qualification and was only available to worked with some of those guys when those working in intelligence ratings -- I was deployed. It was a really good until recently. experience and I learned a lot. I’m also The Information Dominance Warfare working on my Surface Warfare pin.” program was established by 5th Fleet in While the people that work with 2010. To earn the right to wear the pin, Massekeharvey are proud of his Sailors must become experts in the areas accomplishments, they’re glad to have of intelligence, communications, political him back on board. figures in the area of operations and “He’s always motivated,” said

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class Curtis Fletcher, Massekeharvey’s leading petty officer. “He’s a good guy for the junior people to look at as an example and he’s always been a hard worker.”

Massekeharvey said now is as good a time as any to seek out new challenges and get new experiences.

“There are opportunities out there,” said Masskeharvey. “And there’s always a way to improve what you’re doing, you just have to find it.”

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