27oct13 by Theodore Roosevelt Media

OCTOBER 27, 2013

INSIDE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT

B-boys

break it out

Sailors give the clothes off their backs

B BOYS

Sailors find creative ways to Express themselves and relieve stress

Photos and story by MCSN Bounome Chanphouang (JP)

ehind the blue camouflage uniforms and the same tapered haircut, two Sailors share a hidden background. They have a common passion that invigorates their lives. They’re break dancers, or B-boys. Breakdancing is a type of street dance that combines acrobatics, footwork and power moves that flow with the beat of the music. Operations Specialist 3rd Class Kent Baylon (B-boy Kentrickk) and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Isaac Perez (B-boy Jalapeño) have trained for years perfecting their craft. “Breaking is a dedication to all the B-boys,” said Baylon. “It’s not just a dance we do to impress people. That’s what you think when you first start breaking. ‘I want to break dance to impress people’, but it gets to the point of, ‘I actually love doing this. I want to get better.’” Baylon never formally learned how to break in a studio or a class. He learned about

it when he was in the sixth grade playing basketball at the local YMCA. He noticed a group of B-boys dancing in the corner. There was something about the way they moved to the beat that captivated him. “All the moves they could do looked fascinating,” said Baylon. “It caught my attention and made me wonder if I could do it.” One of the dancers at the YMCA was a family friend so Baylon asked if he could join them. That first session grew into years of practice and dedication. He’s attended countless competitions and has built a network of connections in the B-boy community within the past ten years. The more he practiced breaking, the more his passion for it grew. “I feel like I’m in a whole different world when I break,” he said. “It’s like tunnel vision. Once you hit the ground, you forget about everything that’s around you. You’re not really paying attention to anything else, because you’re in the moment.”

Perez was born into dance. His mother, father and uncles were dancers. Bachata, Merengue, Salsa and break dancing have been a part of his life for as long as he remembers. He always found himself dancing whether he was conscious of it or not. “Dance to me is everything. It’s my freedom. It’s my getaway, my happiness and my love. Dance, is my identity,” said Perez. “It’s like how people put in their earphones and they drown out the world in their music. They just sit there and jam out. Well, dancing is my way to jam out. It’s my way to get away from everybody. Let the music just flow and let me go with the music.” Perez moved from Texas to Virginia after he joined the Navy and didn’t know the break dance scene there. Without the support of other dancers, Perez eventually stopped breaking. “It was more of a personal stress; like ‘Man, why am I not happy?’ Not being able to dance was stressful because I had no way

to relieve stress,” said Perez. “Dancing was that path I could take to relieve stress and I couldn’t do that at A-school, bootcamp, or even on the boat for the first few months until Baylon found me.” One day during division muster, Baylon noticed a Sailor at CrossFit doing a break dance move called a top-rock. “My division musters in the hangar bay at 7 a.m. every morning, and at that time CrossFit takes place,” said Baylon. “I always noticed this guy doing top-rocks and it caught my attention. I got this vibe that, ‘This guy must break. This guy has to be a B-boy.’ You know when someone’s a break dancer when they can do top-rocks and not look goofy. His actually looked like it flowed.” Baylon approached Perez in the chow line two months later and invited him to a break dance session at the base gym. As dancers, they both agree that most dancers need the presence of other dancers

to improve on their skills. “When you have a friend that dances too, with the same level or maybe even better, you try to be better than that person,” said Perez. “You challenge yourself. You try to be better than that person and you’re constantly pushing yourself during that session. Really, dancers need other dancers to keep themselves on top. You practice together to get better. The whole dance scene is a learning experience. Not to be a teacher, but a student at all times.” Neither of them had practiced break dancing for months prior to their first session at the base gym. Their bodies were not used to the intricate moves, but they soon got back into the groove of breaking after a few more sessions. “The first session was like trying to see what I was capable of,” said Baylon. “Once you stop for a long time, it takes a while for your body to get used to all those movements.”

The B-boy community is all about inviting others and spreading the passion, said Perez. “If we could get more people from the TR to come dancing it would be awesome,” said Perez. “It could be dancers or people who want to learn how to B-Boy. If you want to learn, we’re going to teach you. We’re not going to judge you. I want people to feel the passion I feel for it. I want to show somebody dancing and if they find the passion for it, that’s what I want.” Sailors from other ships stationed at Naval Station Norfolk have begun breaking with Baylon and Perez and the more the group practices the larger it becomes. Although Baylon and Perez don’t break dance for a career, it is a defining piece of who they are. “Breakdancing will always have its roots in me,” said Baylon.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT

Born Oct. 27, 1858 in New York City. He was the second of four children. TR loved the outdoors, exercised vigorously and developed an interst in what he calleD “the strenuous life.”

Became New York City Police Commissioner in 1895 where he implemented a merit system for appointments and promotions.

Appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1897. He resigned his post in 1898 to organize the First U.S. Cavalry Regiment, “The Rough Riders”, and fight in the Spanish-American War. He saw action at San Juan Hill and returned from Cuba a hero.

1899, TR was elected Governor of New York and continued to work toward reform.

CVN 71’SNAMESAKE

26 PRESIDENT OF THE

UNITED TH

STATES OF

AMERICA T R be ca m e P r e si d e nt o f t he U ni ted St a t e s f o l l o w i n g t h e d e a t h of President McKinley in 1906.

He set aside 150 million acres for national use, doubled the number of national parks and created 16 national monuments. He won the Nobel Peace Prize after mediating a peace to end the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.

1907, TR sent 16 battleships

known as the Great White Fleet on cruise

around the world. Layout by MC3 Katie Lash

ON CALL Photos by MCSN Bounome Chanphouang (JP)

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT TAKES CARE OF SAILORS PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY WHILE UNDERWAY

TAKING THE

HELM By MCSN Stephane Belcher

ine levels above the hangar bay there’s a space surrounded by windows, overlooking the flight deck, watching jets speed out over the Atlantic. It bustles with Sailors peering through binoculars, looking for unknown contacts, monitoring radars and driving the ship. It’s an around the clock operation. From the bridge, also known as the pilot house, watchstanders help guide the ship on its course. Sailors from several departments plot contacts and map out the ship’s next move to ensure Theodore Roosevelt accomplishes its mission. “The bridge is the heart of the ship,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jerry Ragadio, the ship’s assistant navigator. “We’re the control center. We pilot and navigate the ship from the pilot house and direct flight operations.” Wind direction and speed are important factors in determining the ship’s course because they directly impact flight operations. “We’re heavily involved with ship movement for flight operations. The aircraft have a certain wind requirement they need to launch and land,” said Ragadio. “We control the wind by how we drive the ship. How fast and what direction we are going in relation to the wind.” Watchstanders monitor radar that searches for contacts as far as 200 nautical miles away from the ship. Sailors also scan the horizon looking for ships and

aircraft cruising nearby. “The bridge watchstanders determine where we’re going, what we’re doing and how we’re getting there,” said Cmdr. Brendan Murphy, the ship’s navigator. “They translate those things to the helmsman, propulsion plant and aft steering where the rudders are. We make it happen.” Murphy practically lives in the pilot house while Theodore Roosevelt is underway. He spends as many as 18 hours a day there incorporating the ship’s navigation plans into its daily operations. “I make sure the big picture of what’s going on around the ship is integrated with the ship itself,” said Murphy. “I tie together the operations with what the captain and executive officer are looking for. It’s an execution oversight kind of a job.” Sailors aboard Theodore Roosevelt are encouraged to tour the bridge and see how it operates. “Everyone should see the bridge while we’re underway. It’s our ship,” said Murphy. “It’s definitely a good thing. I try to get as many people up here as I possibly can without interfering with things.” The bridge is abuzz with Sailors charting maneuvers and reporting contacts. The atmosphere remains composed and collected despite the tremendous responsibility involved, ensuring Theodore Roosevelt is poised to carry out its mission.

Sailors of all ranks and rates work on the bridge performing crucial jobs that help Theodore Roosevelt sail safely through the Atlantic Ocean.

CAUSE

FOR A GOOD

Story and photos by MCSN John Drew

TR S a i l o r s d o n a t e c l o t h i n g a n d App a r e l t o h e l p o t h e r s i n n e e d

SS Theodore Roosevelt’s (CVN 71) Second Class Petty Officer Association (SCPOA) sponsored a winter-clothing drive from Oct. 16 to 18 onboard the ship. The SCPOA worked together with homeless shelters in Newport News, Va., gathering donations of winter clothing to distribute to people without adequate clothing this holiday season. “We’ve had a great turn out,” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Greg Saville. “A lot of clothing has been donated by our shipmates and we’re very grateful for their charity.” According to Weather.com, the average temperature in Newport News during the winter season is 25 degrees and has been recorded as low as -3 degrees. “It’s pretty obvious that it gets really cold here,” said

Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/AW/FMF) Gregory Fall, the leading chief petty officer for Medical department on Theodore Roosevelt. “This is a chance for us to do some good and help those people who aren’t as lucky as we are.” The SCPOA’s winter drive focused on clothing donations, instead of money to purchase clothing. “When organizations aren’t looking for money, but instead items, it’s a big driver for me to donate,” said Fall. “It lets me know that the people who are in need are getting what they need and it makes the donation feel much more personal to me. It was very fulfilling for me to be able to get things from home and give them to people who needed them.” The SCPOA plans on working together with numerous homeless shelters at least once every season and is in the process of finding new ways to contribute.

WORLD

NEWS

Bipartisan Dismay Over Health Plan Woes by Robert Pear, New York Times WASHINGTON — Federal officials did not fully test the online health insurance marketplace until two weeks before it opened to the public on Oct. 1, contractors told Congress on Thursday. While individual components of the system were tested earlier, they said, the government did not conduct “end-to-end testing” of the whole system from start to finish until late September. The disclosure came at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is investigating problems plaguing the federal marketplace, or exchange, a central pillar of President Obama’s health care plan. Cheryl R. Campbell, a senior vice president of CGI Federal, a unit of the CGI Group, the main contractor on the federal exchange, said that end-to-end testing of the full integrated system first occurred “in the last two weeks of September.” Another witness, Andrew M. Slavitt of UnitedHealth Group, said, “We didn’t see end-to-end testing until a couple days leading up to the launch” of the federal marketplace on Oct. 1. UnitedHealth, one of the nation’s largest insurers, owns Quality Software Services, which was in charge of “identity management” in the federal marketplace. Campbell and Slavitt said they would have preferred to have

months of testing, as required by industry standards for a project of such immense complexity. The federal exchange must communicate with other contractors and with databases of numerous federal agencies and more than 170 insurance carriers. The rollout of the Affordable Care Act has been tarnished by technical problems that have made it difficult for consumers to shop in the federal marketplace serving 36 states. Campbell said that CGI continually reported to top officials at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, including Michelle Snyder, the chief operating office, and Henry Chao, the deputy chief information officer. Those officials made critical decisions about the exchange, Campbell said. Lawmakers from both parties expressed anger during the hearing at the performance of contractors hired to build the online health insurance marketplace. Lawmakers said they were dismayed because the contractors assured the committee on Sept. 10 that they, their computer systems and the online federal marketplace were ready to enroll millions of Americans. “Why did they assure us that the Web site would work?” asked Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and chairman of the committee. “Did they not know? Or did they not disclose?”

American Mariners Abducted Off Nigerian Coast By Rick Gladstone, New York Times

Pirates attacked an American-flagged oil industry vessel off the Nigerian coast early Thursday and abducted the captain and the chief engineer, both United States citizens, a private security firm reported. The abductions appeared to be the first involving American hostages in that region in at least two years. An official of the private security firm, AKE Group of Hereford, England, said the attack on the vessel, identified as the C-Retriever, took place near the Nigerian city of Brass, where the oil-rich Niger Delta empties into the Gulf of Guinea, in West Africa. The official, based in AKE Group’s office in Lagos, Nigeria, spoke on the condition of anonymity. “All we know is this attack happened, and these were the people who were kidnapped,” the official said in a telephone interview. He said he did not know the identities of the two hostages. The C-Retriever’s owner, Edison Chouest Offshore, a marine

transportation company based in Cut Off, La., issued no comment. A spokesman for the company, Lonnie Thibodeaux, did not respond to telephone and e-mail messages. The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency said it was unaware of the attack. Online maritime database services describe the C-Retriever as a 200-foot-long supply ship and put its last reported location at Onne, a Nigerian port. In recent months, oil servicing vessels in the Gulf of Guinea have become increasingly prominent targets of pirates who abduct crew members for ransom. Maritime industry officials say that many of the abductions are not reported, and that the ransoms are settled quickly and privately. The abduction, reported Thursday, underscored the rising danger of piracy in West Africa over the past year, eclipsing the Somali coast on the other side of the continent.

YOUR NAVY

IN THE NEWS

Personnel Exchange Program

Can Take You Places By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrea Perez

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- For Sailors who have ever wondered what it’s like in another branch of the military or in a foreign military, there’s a special program offering that experience, said a Navy detailer Oct. 25. The Navy’s Personnel Exchange Program (PEP) lets selected Sailors make a one-for-one exchange with personnel from another military service or foreign service. The program’s objective is to integrate participants into the host organization as though they belonged to the service to which they become assigned. “Sailors should consider serving in the exchange program because they may get the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with foreign militaries and serve in highly-visible and unique billets,” said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class (AW) Justin Armstrong, PEP detailer, Navy Personnel Command (NPC). The Defense Personnel Exchange Program (DPEP), the overarching DoD program, permits military and civilian participants to spend one or more years working in a host nation’s defense research and development organizations, joint program offices or operational defense establishments on projects directly related to their expertise. DoD Directive 5230.20 governs visits, assignments, and exchanges of all foreign nationals.

“Officers and enlisted Sailors in pay grades E-5 and above can participate in the PEP program,” said Armstrong. “The program is designator and rating-driven as well as NEC-driven (Navy Enlisted Classification), so not all designators, rates or NECs are accepted. Most locations also require a security clearance.” “Germany, Canada, Italy, United Kingdom and Australia are the foreign nations that currently participate in the PEP program,” said Armstrong. “As billets in these countries become available, they show up on CMS-ID (Career Management System - Interactive Detailing).” A full list of eligibility and application procedures is outlined in MILPERSMAN 1306-921. The PEP and other Special Program detailers assign Sailors to more than 20 unique programs Navywide, including recruit division commander duty and recruiting duty, the USS Constitution or the USS Arizona Memorial, and assignment to the Blue Angels or Navy Ceremonial Guard. MILPERSMAN 1306-900 contains a complete list of special programs available. For more information or for a list of available billets, Sailors should talk to their rating detailer or visit the PEP Web Page on the NPC website at www.npc.navy.mil/ENLISTED/DETAILING/ SHORESPECIALPROGRAMS/Pages/NATOPEPJointPlacement.aspx

Cyber Warrant Officer Program

Broadens Eligibility By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrea Perez

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- In order to meet the increasing demand for officers with specific computer network operations knowledge, skills and abilities, requirements for the Cyber Warrant Officer Commissioning Program have changed, Navy officials said Oct. 25. NAVADMIN 259/13 outlines amendments to the program. The following is a summary of the changes: * The 9308 Navy Interactive ON-NET (ION) Operator NEC (Navy Enlisted Classification) has been removed as a requirement. * Cryptologic Technician Networks rated Sailors who have been certified as Cyber Targeteers, Cyber Fire Support Planners, Cyber Fire Support Coordinators, Cyber Weaponeers and Endpoint Exploitation Analysts are now considered highly competitive candidates. * Information System Technician rated Sailors who have graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of Science in Applied Cyber Operations have been added as highly competitive candidates. “We wanted to increase the number of applicants who are eligible for the Cyber Warrant Officer Commissioning Program,” said Capt. Baron V. Reinhold, director of Military Community Management, Bureau of Naval Personnel. “Removing the 9308 NEC requirement allows for a larger pool of highly-qualified and competitive candidates

to apply for the program.” According to Reinhold, 9308 NEC duties represent only one of ten work roles the Navy requires to execute offensive and defensive cyber operations. The Cyber Warrant Officer designator was established in 2010. The program identifies, develops, and commissions technically proficient Sailors to operate, analyze, plan and direct full-spectrum cyber operations. All prerequisite criteria for the Chief Warrant Officer Commissioning Program are applicable to the Cyber Warrant Officer program. Selections to the program will be made via the annual Active duty and Reserve Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) In-Service Procurement Boards. Applications for the Fiscal Year 2015 active-duty and Reserve LDO/CWO In-Service Procurement Boards must be postmarked no later than Oct. 1, 2013. However, for Cyber Warrant Officer applicants only, the deadline has been extended to Nov. 15, 2013. All applications for Cyber Warrant Officer must be received by Navy Personnel Command by the new deadline. Basic eligibility requirements are outlined in NAVADMIN 176/13 for active duty and NAVADMIN 177/13 for Reservists.

ROUGH RIDER OF THE WEEK

MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 3RD CLASS CHRISTOPHER LIAGHAT

Staff Commanding Officer Capt. Daniel Grieco Executive Officer Capt. Mark Colombo Public Affairs Officer Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Evans Media Officer Ensign Jack Georges Senior Editor MCC Gino Carr Editor & Layout MC3 Katie Lash Rough Rider Contributors Theodore Roosevelt Media MCSN Bounome Chanphouang (JP) MCSN Stephane Belcher MCSN John M. Drew Command Ombudsman April Kumley cvn71ombudsman@gmail.com The Rough Rider is an authorized publication for the crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Contents herein are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, Department of Defense, Department of the Navy or the Commanding Officer of TR. All items for publication in the The Rough Rider must be submitted to the editor no later than three days prior to publication. Do you have a story youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to see in the Rough Rider? Contact the Media Department at 534-1406 or stop by 3-180-0-Q.

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SUNDAY

OCT 27 *

Ch. 66

Ch. 67

Ch. 68

0900

ALEX CROSS

GROWN UPS 2

THE GREY

1100

RED 2

FORREST GUMP

JURASSIC PARK

1330

BOURNE IDENTITY

ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD

WORLD WAR Z

1530

UNFORGIVEN

HUGO

OBLIVION

1830

TRAINING DAY

DESPICABLE ME 2

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

2030