Rough Rider by Theodore Roosevelt Media

DRESS

REHEARSAL

TR TRAINS FOR CREW CERT III

CSSN Ana L. Alejandro ● AN Nathan O. Allen ● SN Osvaldo Amaro Lebron ● BMSN Brian C. Ander

McKenzie E. Bassette ● OSSN Kent B. Baylon ICFN Matthew J. Benedykcinski ● MMFN Michie B. Biyo

A. Brooks ● LSSN Steven I. Brounson ● ABEAN James Brown ● AN Jatoya L. Brunn ● MMFN Doressa B

C. Carlisle ● ICFN Deanna M. Carroll ● AOAN Jon T. Causey ● ACAN Todd M. Cavell ● AOAN Nikhil N non N. Clayton ● FN Jessica A. Cobbs ● BMSN Michael W. Coleman ● ABHAN Iesha S. Cox ● ABHAN

● ACAN Amanda D. Duell ● MMFN Ashley N. Dusz ● ABHAN Norman T. Echols ● AGAN Kemal A. Eke

Finn ● QMSN Alicia K. Fisher ● ASAN Michael G. Foster ● MMFN Latina N. Fowlkes ● ABHAN Allen L. G

CTTSN Jordan P. Harpell ● ABHAN Caleb S. Henthorn ● AZAN Joseph J. Hickey ● EMFN Tyler J. Hines ●

merickhouse ● PSSN Shavaughn D. Hunter ● EMFN Kannsas C. Jackson ● YNSN Leslie J. Jackson ● AB

R. Jones ● MMFN Joshua J. Kalinoski ● SN Wayne D. Katz ● MASN Edward R. Keener ● STGSN Laure

S. Larkin ● MMFN Anthony M. Lasarte ● HN Ronald P. Lavalle ● MMFN Raymond Li ● MCSN Christoph

Russell J. Machuta ● HN Moriah E. Marlowe ● ATOAN Chaz L. Martin ● AMAN Beau R. Matkowski ● S Mcmillan ● SN Jeffery S. Mcveigh ● ABEAN Dominic J. Mendez ● ABHAN Blakney V. Miles ● YNSN Ian

L. Morris ● ABFAN Cliffmon G. Motley ● AOAN Kyle A. Munyan ● AOAN Macy M. Nesbitt ● ATIAN Lev

W. Norris ● ATIAN Chloe C. Orange ● LSSN Valeriya Osadchik ● LSSN Augustine Otwori ● ASAN Dyla

ard Rawls ● AN Melissa J. Reagan ● ITSN Hiram L. Reyes ● AOAN Charles M. Ripperger ● AOAN Benj

ABEAN Hope Russell ● BMSN Haley N. Sahr ● ABHAN Chernika R. Sanders ● MMFN Natasha Santos ●

ABEAN Lauren D. Smith ● AZAN Ciara L. Snow ● AEAN Alex Socarras ● AN Cedric R. Starling ● FN Ben

ana M. Thompson ● AMAN Cheyenne L. Thornton ● AOAN Alejandro R. Torres ● EMFN Annissa M. Tuc

Kenneth W. Wenk ● ABHAN Benjamin J. Wheeler ● MMFN Charlene J. White ● CSSN George White ●

AM3 Steffanni Agudello ● ETN3 Ashley J. Anderson ● AO3 Steven Araki ● MC3 Cory C. Asato ● ABH

Cacacepollitt ● YN3 David A. Caldwell ● OS3 Damaris N. Carranza ● QM3 Meghan Carter ● LS3 Yeim

OS3 John C. Converse ● IT3 Kathy E. Currie ● ATI3 William S. Dewart ● EN3 Mitchell J. Didriksen ● AO3 P

William Faison ● HT3 Matthew A. Finch ● AO3 Ashley S. Folson ● AO3 Yola Francois ● ABE3 Kaylee C. Fu

Jonetta D. Hall ● AS3 Jay Hallum ● EM3 Robert V. Harmon ● LS3 Patrick Harp ● IT3 Robert J. Hazelip ●

Jacobs ● EMN3 Sean M. Jarvies ● MM3 Jarius M. Jefferson ● ABE3 Taylor R. Johnson ● LS3 Siddharth ● M

Latin ● MM3 Cassi L. Leonard ● HM3 Marisa S. Lowe ● GM3 Marciano J. Lozano ● ABE3 Gabriel Luna ●

HM3 Ashley N. Mcnelis ● OS3 Samuel P. Mehok ● FC3 Danielle Murry ● EM3 Joseph J. Naranjo ● PS3 Ch

Pagan ● MC3 Brian G. Reynolds ● PS3 Hector Rodriguez ● GM3 Travis L. Schwartz ● FC3 Eugene T. Sello ●

● IC3 Marquisho A. Starks ● MM3 Kenneth W. Stoecker ● MM3 Danielle S. Strother ● ET3 Randy D. Stubb

as ● CTT3 Nicole L. Thompson ● ETN3 Aron P. Valdez ● MMN3 John L. Vancuyk ● ABF3 Jamie M. Vittorio ETN2

Joshua

Barger ● ABH2

Carmine

Bosco ● ABH2

Roy

Brown ● ETN2

EMN2 Lauren N. Ciccarelli ● AC2 Shawn T. Collins ● EMN2 Dillon L. Deel ● LS2 Sarah B. Estrella ● A

● IT2 Amanda C. Jones ● ABH2 Terry L. Keyes ● AO2 Joshua I. Koren ● AS2 Randy A. Limerick ● A L. Meadows ● AD2 David J. Mulholland ● ABE2 Craig M. Pasqual ● MMN2 David J. Platt ● EMN2

FROCKEES

● MMN2 Sheay L. Smeal ● ETN2 Benjamin H. Thompson ● EMN2 Christopher T. Tokar ● LS2 Peter D

CONGRATULATIONS

rson ● MMFN Matthew T. Anderson ● ACAN Dejan S. Andric ● ATOAN Adrienne N. Atkinson ● ABFAN

o ● CSSN Casey J. Boyles ● ABEAN Marcelo Brandaolacerda ● FN Clarence R. Britt ● DCFN Anthony

Buckingham ● SN Richard E. Buddemeier ● MMFN Kierra L. Burrell ● AN Joshua A. Byram ● ICFN Daniel

N. Chatlani ● ASAN Jabari H. Chestnut ● DCFN Asia S. Clark ● CSSN Rainessia E. Clarke ● DCFN ShanMatthew S. Cutright ● AOAN Marquita D. Deas ● ABHAN Mory M. Dolley ● ABEAN Tynisha L. Dossman

er ● ENFN Brian T. Erickson ● BMSN Clinton C. Evans ● ACAN Courtnee M. Filchner ● AOAN Anthony J.

Gee ● MMFN Troy C. Godin ● BMSN Stephen C. Green ● AOAN Dustin D. Grijalva ● FN Lakeisha Harp ●

● GMSN John W. Hodges ● OSSN Holly A. Hogan ● ABHAN Joseph U. Hopkins ● ABEAN Andrea N. Hu-

BFAN Ruthlande Jean ● AZAN Ashely N. Jewell ● FN Justin John ● LSSN Derrick L. Jones ● CSSN Jeremy

en S. Koons ● CSSN Ryan J. Lamb ● AOAN Sherika M. Land ● MMFN Edward N. Landry ● SN Benjamin

her Liaghat ● MMFN Gregory A. Lockmiller ● ABEAN Assabur J. Logan ● MMFN Charles J. Lord ● LSSN

STGSN Lewis F. Mayson ● SHSN Shandra N. Mcguire ● ABEAN Mark D. McLaughlin ● ABHAN Khadisha A. Miller ● EMFN Antowan M. Milner ● ABEAN Brett R. Miner ● MMFN Emerald M. Morgan ● LSSN Leslie

vi G. Newman ● ABEAN James M. Nix ● AN Dustin R. Noell ● MCSN Eric M. Norcross ● MMFN Alexander

an P. Oursbourn ● CSSN Azaria A. Penny ● YNSN Britney N. Pitts ● ABEAN Brittany N. Priester ● SN Rich-

jamin Robertson ● HN Malcolm C. Rodrigues ● AOAN Robert E. Romero ● ATAN Clifton K. Rummel ●

● SN Adam A. Schwartz ● PSSN Justin D. Simeon ● MMFN Keith D. Singletary ● MMFN Ethan B. Smith ●

njamin A. Stearns ● SN Benjamin D. Steele ● AN Adam G. Teets ● ABEAN Scott M. Thibeault ● SHSN Qi-

cker ● ADAN Casey J. Vernoy ● FN Neil T. Walsh ● PSSN Allen Welch Jr ● MMFN Ashley L. Wells ● BMSN

● MMFN Marcus D. Williams ● ATIAN Travis A. Winder ● ITSN Maurice H. Wolfe ● MMFN Arman H. Zarae

H3 Matthew Beasley ● IC3 Erik C. Bracker ● AZ3 Bryan F. Brown ● OS3 Michael Brown ● OS3 Geoffrey

mmy C. Castano ● IT3 Taylor Chatman ● LS3 Iniah C. Clark ● AO3 Jaures M. Cobbin ● IT3 Dustin K. Cole ●

Patricia Dorsainval ● HT3 Wade D. Eberhardt ● ET3 Drake C. Errington ● DC3 Shawnakay T. Facey ● AC2

uller ● EM3 Kevin P. Gardner ● OS3 Edgar Gonzalez ● STG3 Emily A. Green ● ETN3 Jessica R. Gustin ● OS3

● OS3 Luis Huerta ● ABF3 Patrick B. Hughes ● MM3 Raymond R. Insley ● OS3 Kalima N. Jack ● IT3 John C.

MM3 Gregory K. Kettlewood ● PS3 Danielle M. Koerber ● LS3 Christopher M. Kontaxis ● OS3 Christopher

● IT3 Taylor R. Madrigal ● HM3 Bryan A. Maynard ● IC3 Ryan E. Mccombs ● OS3 Nicholas K. Mcgrady ●

helsie N. Newsom ● OS3 Danielle T. Norwood ● MM3 Theresa A. Noyes ● ETN3 Robert C. Olson ● IT3 Paul F.

● ABE3 Michael P. Shannon ● EM3 Kavan T. Shrum ● GM3 Ashley E. Spaulding ● ABE3 Douglas A. Spencer

bs ● ETN3 Robin C. Swipes ● FC3 Mattie E. Telfair ● OS3 Sarah R. Tenhundfeld ● EM3 Christopher H. Thom-

o ● EM3 Jameson A. Waltman ● LS3 Tyler D. Warhurst ● ATI3 Tiffany P. White ● AO3 Justen Wullenwaber Thomas

Buckner ● ABE2

Christopher

Carpenter ● AC2

Julius

Challenger ●

ABE2 Mark C. Harper ● MMN2 Taylor H. Henson ● EMN1 Michael Horan ● EMN2 Eulojohn G. Hugo

ABE2 Zane A. Lovettratledge ● MMN2 Gary P. Lyon ● AO2 Johnathan A. Masangcay ● AO2 Robert Nathan K. Reas ● GM2 Kelly K. Rhoden ● MMN2 Paul C. Robinson ● MMN2 Mauricio J. Sanchez

D. Vanderwal ● ABE2 Denard J. Williams ● ETN2 Michael S. Wood ● MMN2 Aaron J. Zevenbergen

feel the heat

TR Sailors train to get back to the fleet Story by MC3 Christopher A. Liaghat

Stretcher bearers train during a mass casualty drill June 3. Photo by MC3 Christopher A. Liaghat.

Sailor writhes on the nonskid, reaching for his face and screaming out for help. Within seconds, a team of stretcher bearers from repair locker 1A rush to his side. Medical supplies hit the deck of hangar bay two as team members assure the Sailor “everything will be alright.” They feverishly grab the nearby medical supplies to treat an unseen wound on the Sailor’s face. In under a minute, the Sailor is on his feet critiquing the care he received only moments earlier. But the calm is short lived as a petty officer wearing a white cap with red letters shouts at the team of worn out Sailors, “Electrical shock!” This was the scene aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) June 3 when Sailors participated in a two-day executive officer readiness exercise (XORE). The Sailor who received care from 1A was Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Ayorinde Thorpe, the repair locker’s lead corps-

man, and his wounds were not real. Thorpe was playing the role of the victim and observed as 1A reacted to his cries for help during the training exercise. “I feel confident in their abilities,” said Thorpe. “They performed well as a team today, and I feel fortunate to have had one team together for the last four weeks. They performed several drills. The only thing they need to work on is preparing for a real life scenario, which will feel much more intense.” The purpose of the XORE was to prepare the crew for Crew Certification Phase III in July and their return to the operational fleet. “Today was a dry rehearsal,” said Lt. Cmdr. Terra A. McIntyre, TR’s training officer and Integrated Training Team (ITT) coordinator. “It was sort of like getting ready for the semi-finals. We’re not at the super bowl yet, but we’re definitely playoff bound. It was amazing to see everything evolve.”

As ITT Coordinator, McIntyre is tasked with developing an integrated Crew Certification III schedule of events, including several emergency drills, and ensuring integrated drill scenarios are developed based on individual training team inputs. In addition, she coordinated pre-exercise and post-exercise briefings while also maintaining all integrated drill critiques, lessons learned and ITT qualification records. “We have not had an integrated training team here in the last four or five years because it was disassembled prior to entering the shipyard,” said McIntyre. “So, we get to build an entire training package for the ship to execute.” The stretcher bearer training was only the first event of the 48-hour readiness exercise. During the exercise, training team members observed and graded stretcher bears from each of the ship’s repair lockers as they ran through several drills designed to prepare the crew for emergencies at sea. “Today we practiced eight common wounds and patient transport,” said Hos-

Interior Communications Technician 2nd Class Robert Feil and Yeoman 3rd Class David Nwokeabia participate in a general quarters drill in preparation for the crew certification. Photo by MC3 (SW) William McCann. pital Corpsman 1st Class (SW/AW) Alicia Chestnut, medical training team member and lead petty officer of TR’s dental department. “We made sure they knew how to pick up the patient and the proper procedure for putting the patient back down. They were being graded today in preparation for Crew Certification III.” The eight common wounds the teams trained to treat were: amputation, abdominal evisceration, sucking chest wounds, compound factures of the lower leg and jaw, electrical shock, burns and smoke inhalation. “Some of the groups did a good job today. Some need a little practice,” said Chestnut. “I like how everybody came in and called out what needed to be done and what needed to be checked. It makes

Chief Damage Controlman John Scott instructs sailors during a general quarters drill. Photo by MC3 (SW) William McCann.

the processes go faster when everybody knows a little bit about what’s going on.” The highlight of the second day was an early general quarters (GQ) drill, which put the ship on high alert for two hours. When GQ was called, members of TR’s repair lockers raced to their battle stations and helped one another don firefighting gear. The gear, designed to protect the wearer from the heat of a fire, was stifling in the oppressive, summer heat in the ship’s hangar bay. At the end of the two-hour drill, sweat poured from protective masks as team members removed their gear to receive feedback on their performance. “It is the most robust XORE Training schedule of events that we have executed in four years,” said McIntyre. “Every day is a great day for training, but this dry rehearsal proved to be an exceptional training day for our Rough Rider crew. Our Sailors performed above expectations and will be equipped to execute Crew Cert III and any ‘ready for sea’ challenges.” The readiness exercise came to a close with a man overboard drill and an ITT debrief. Following the completion of the crew certification dry run, Captain Mark J. Colombo, TR’s executive officer, spoke to the crew about the success of the evolution. “It’s clear that we’ve come a long way,” said Colombo. It’s also clear that we still have some work to do. We’ve identified those things we need to work on, and we will continue to work on them. The good news is that we are on track to getting Theodore Roosevelt back to sea. I know, like you, I am looking forward to that sooner rather than later. Thanks for the great work, team. I sure enjoyed the last few days.”

IN CHAPS

WE TRUST

Story by MC3 Casey Cosker

TR’s command chaplain promoted to commander

haplain Ryan Rupe, USS Theodore Roosevelt’s (CVN 71) command chaplain who has served the Navy for 15 years, was promoted to the rank of commander during a ceremony aboard TR May 31. “We have all been the recipients of his leadership, his spiritual guidance and his personal compassionate advice that we all too often need in a job that’s as arduous as ours,” said Capt. Mark Colombo, TR’s executive officer, during the ceremony. “We are truly blessed to keep him onboard as a department head and as an O-5.” Rupe was appreciative of his promotion. “It feels great,” he said. “So many people in the chaplain corps don’t even make lieutenant commander. To be chosen as head of the department here was a great honor, because usually that’s an O-5 job, so I knew I was already blessed doing this anyway.” Rupe served as a pastor before joining the military. He joined the reserves after graduating from Concordia Semi- Lisa Rupe pins her husband, Chaplain Ryan Rupe, to the rank of nary in St. Louis, where he was approached by recruiters for commander during a ceremony onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) May 31. military chaplain corps. “When they came to us at the seminary and talked about ca- of them Al Qaeda or localized terrorists. For his work there, Rupe reers, I actually put in to be an Army chaplain,” Rupe said. “Then earned the bronze star. I met a Navy chaplain and he let me wear his white hat, and I “The chaplain before me had quit,” Rupe said. “The captain changed my mind. I thought it would be really cool to wear a white had only one order for me: bring everybody back in one piece. I uniform, and that’s why I changed. That’s a true story. ” promised I would be as low-maintenance as possible and that eiRupe served as a reservist while working as a parish pastor in ther I’d walk out or they’d carry me out. So, for 366 days we just Pearland, Texas. Then 9/11 happened, and Rupe went active duty. worked. We’d get shells lobbed at us from outside. The inmates— “I thought it would be good to go to war,” he said. “They the detainees themselves—were very dangerous.” put out the call to reserve chaplains. They said, ‘We need reserve After time as the deputy director the Operational Management chaplains to come on active duty.’ They wanted to assess pastors Center for Surface Atlantic Forces, where future chaplains were as much as they could to go on active duty, but that was a much trained, Rupe moved on to work at Coast Guard District 9 in Millonger process, whereas guys like me were ready to go.” waukee. He then came to TR in 2011. Rupe didn’t go to war. Instead, he went to Camp Pendleton, “I’m walking around a lot, plugging myself in everywhere,” where he saw 30,000 Marines be trained for war. Rupe said about his daily activities on TR. “You can sit and hide in “It’s funny. They said, ‘We need guys to go to war. We need your office, but you need to be out and about with a cup of coffee guys to go to Afghanistan.’ Where did I go? I went to a base job in in your hand figuring things out.” Pendleton,” Rupe said. “If I couldn’t go to war, I could get these Rupe feels that knowing the Sailors at his command and counguys ready for war.” seling them is the most important part of his job. He tries to make It wasn’t until 2007, after working at Commander Amphibi- himself available to any Sailors who need a person to talk to. ous Squadron 2 for two years, that Rupe went to war. He was sent “I always want to encourage Sailors—especially young Sailon an individual augmentee billet to a Navy Provisional Detainee ors who may not worship very much—to come see me,” the chapDetachment that was responsible for the 20,000 prisoners, many lain said. “I’m here to be a confidential person.”

CRMD

SS Theodore Rooseelt’s command religious ministries department offers a number of amenities to the ship’s crew. The department’s spaces are home to the ship’s chapel, which currently offers Protestant, Lutheran and Roman Catholic services. In addition, CRMD is home to a movie theater, a library and a computer room. These amenities are becoming operational in the final months of TR’s Refueling Complex Overhaul period. The computer room will soon be open for Sailors to visit and check their email accounts. Out at sea, email is one of the few ways Sailors can keep in touch with loved ones. “It’s basically for the morale and welfare of the crew,” said Religious Programs Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Raja Armstrong. “Think about it. You’ve got everybody working hard. They want to have someplace to come where they can just relax.” TR’s chaplains are also available for Sailors who want to have a confidential conversation. Chaplains are obligated to keep conversations confidential. Regardless of your rate, rank or background, CRMD and its resources are available for your use.

ready to launch Photos and story by MCSN John Drew

ire controlmen aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) completed final loading tests on the ship’s Rolling Airframe Missile system (RAM) May 28, making TR’s missile defense system ready for actual launch testing. “The RAM system is vital to defending the ship when it’s out at sea,” said Ensign Andrew Martin, TR’s Fire Control Officer. “This is the last step before firing the actual missile. We hope to fire a live missile during TR’s sea qualifications.” During the testing, an inert missile was lifted out of a tri-pac missile container by a crane mounted on the RAM missile system. Once lifted to the proper height, the missile was carefully moved into place and slowly loaded into the RAM. Passing the RAM operational test consists of two major factors, said Fire Controlman 2nd Class (SW) Austin Lyles, the fire control department supervisor. First, Sailors ensure that the loading crane can handle the weight of lifting and loading a missile. Second, they make sure that the RAM launcher properly accepts missiles into its loading pods. The RAM missile systems were removed from TR early in its Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) and completely rebuilt, ensuring quality standards were met and exceeded requirements, Martin said. “It’s pretty crazy to see the transformation,” said Lyles. “This used to be a blank deck with nothing on it. Now it has a fully operational missile system.” Prior to the actual loading exercise, the fire controlmen went through extensive safety and handling training. General quarters drills, held throughout the year, gave Sailors the opportunity to simulate loss of power and incoming targets, ensuring the ship and its crew are well prepared for its return to the fleet. This test brings TR one step closer to finishing its midlife RCOH period and returning to the operational fleet.

Fire Controlman 2nd Class (SW) Austin Lyles, the department supervisor, and Fire Controlman 3rd Class Harry Sullivan, load an inert missile into a Rolling Airframe Missile system (RAM).

LET THERE

TR’s battle lantern updates allow for brighter, cost saving, longer running, rechargable units Photos and story by MC3 (SW/AW) John Kotara

he lights go out. Now only sounds echo through USS Theodore Roosevelt’s (CVN 71) pitch black passageways. Devoid of sight, Sailors aboard the carrier blunder in an environment with potential risks and accidents. Sailors scramble from bulkhead to bulkhead, trying to find the ship’s emergency battle lanterns and regain a grasp on the environment around them. Turning from one lantern to another, Sailors flip switches to find that many of the units are malfunctioning. They wait in darkness. Damage Controlmen aboard TR are doing their part to ensure a scenario like this never happens. The ship is currently undergoing a ship-wide conversion of all battle lanterns. TR’s old battle lanterns with incandescent bulbs are being replaced with LED technology. “It is important to get these lanterns

BE LIGHT

converted,” said Damage Control Fireman (SW) Cheri Pounds, head of the lantern conversion team. “In case of an emergency we need to know we can rely on our equipment.” Pounds and her fellow Damage Controlmen help coordinate installation and provide the help required for departments to get the task done. “We issue the conversion kits to the ship,” said Damage Control Fireman Jona Joseph. “We pass out portable conversion kits as well, and we also go into individual work centers and assist them in converting and setting up the battle lanterns to make sure they are damage control ready.” Among the many upgrades to the lanterns, a few stand out more than the others. “The biggest change in the equipment is now the portable lanterns are equipped with a rechargeable battery,” Pounds said.

“This is great, because we save the cost of new batteries and the lanterns shine brighter.” The average burn time of the new lanterns is five to six hours, and each will last for 12 years before having to be replaced. Besides changing out lanterns, Pounds and her group train various departments on proper steps and procedures for lantern installation. “We help individual work centers and assist them in converting and setting up battle lanterns to make sure that they are damage control ready,” said Joseph. It may seem like something small, but these lanterns could mean the difference between life and death on a ship when the lights go out. TR’s battle lantern conversion team works hard to ensure that these emergency lights go on and stay working during a loss of power.

st anniversary

battle of

midway Story by MC2 (SW) Brian G. Reynolds and MC3 Casey Cosker

Left: Airplanes line the flight deck of USS Enterprise (CV 6) prior to the Battle of Midway. Right: USS Yorktown (CV 5) lists after being hit by two torpedoes prior to sinking.

eventy-one years ago, the Battle of Midway was fought from June 4 to June 7. It is regarded as the turning point of World War II in the Pacific, and each year, Sailors reflect on the momentous battle that blunted the Imperial Japanese advance in the Pacific and allowed the U.S. and its allies the time to finish the war in Europe before throwing its resources into the Pacific campaign. The American forces had warning that the Japanese were going to attack Midway Island. Navy cryptanalysts serving under Cmdr. Joseph J. Rochefort were able to decode Japanese messages, allowing Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, to formulate a battle plan. Nimitz knew that the Japanese had four carriers in their fleet. He had two: USS Enterprise (CV 6) and USS Hornet (CV 8). He hurriedly recalled USS Yorktown (CV 5) and had the carrier repaired at Pearl Harbor in 72 hours after its near destruction at the Battle of Corral Sea. With additional planes stationed at the Midway Island airfield, Nimitz had a force to rival that of the Japanese fleet. In a letter to the carriers waiting off the coast of the Midway Islands, Nimitz said, “You will be governed by the principle of calculated risks, which you shall interpret to mean the avoidance of exposure of your force to attack by superior enemy forces without good prospect of inflicting greater damage on the enemy.” Rear Adm. Frank “Jack” Fletcher decided to hold

Yorktown in reserve, and on June 4 instructed Rear Adm. Raymond Spruance’s Task Force 16, comprised of Enterprise and Hornet, to “proceed southwesterly and attack enemy carriers as soon as definitely located.” Spruance sent the brunt of his force at the enemy. The four Japanese carriers were not expecting U.S. ships to be in the area and had sent the majority of their aircraft on a bombing raid of Midway. U.S. bombers spent some time finding the Japanese ships in the vast expanse of ocean. After several unsuccessful attacks, American bombers sank three of the Japanese carriers. A Japanese counterattack from their last carrier, Hiryu, fatally crippled Yorktown, but a final strike of divebombers from Enterprise destroyed Hiryu. All four Japanese carriers were destroyed. More than 3,000 Japanese sailors and pilots were killed. Japanese planes sank Yorktown and one destroyer, USS Hammann (DD 412), with 300 Americans losing their lives during the battle. The Battle of Midway was the first battle wherein naval fleets fought solely with aircraft and at a distance where combating ships could not see each other. It served as a defining battle for naval air power and in turn altered world history. Today, we remember this great battle, its significance in the course of American history, and the Sailors who gave their lives defending our way of life.

rough riders Seaman

BRANDON TILLET Department: Deck

Home Town: San Diego, California Goals: Become dual qualified, become an officer Hobbies: Basketball, men’s volleyball, cutting hair, cooking Why Tillet was picked: Seaman Tillett promotes great morale within the department, showing a proactive work ethic. He continues to better not only his career with his hard charging character but everyone who comes in contact with him. As first division yeoman, Tillett is responsible for routing of 67 personnel leave, out of bounds, and special request chits. Tillett devoted 27 hours of community service by mentoring troubled teens in his local church; he also promotes a positive image of the Navy by organizing departmental community relations projects, such as picking up trash and working in local soup kitchens. Tillett is actively involved with the ship’s CSADD program, promoting positive morale throughout TR. Tillett’s positive attitude is contagious among his division and department. He is a role model Sailor. Tillett’s exceptional work ethic and dedication are worthy of recognition as Rough Rider

of the Week.

above & beyond Hospitalman

TEVIN SMALLS Department: Dental

Qualifications: Surface warfare / Air warfare Home Town: Asbury Park, New Jersey Goals: Make 2nd Class, Compete in a body building competition, get Quadruple Qualified Hobbies: Weight Lifting, Basketball, Video Games Why Smalls was picked: HN (SW/AW) Tevin Smalls has stood out in the Medical Department by taking a more proactive approach to patient care and volunteering twice to assist with cableway. He has run, single handedly, three operating rooms, assised with five surgery patients, 45 operative patients, and 40 dental exams and completing 10 cleaning appointments. With the support of his provider, he has seen a total of 100 patients in a two-week period, all while increasing the productivity of his provider and sustaining Operational Dental Readiness at 97%. During his time with cableway, he helped pull more than 40,000 feet of cable and clear 400 spaces. His support and efforts with cableway have made for a safer environment for the command and his fellow sailors. His can-do attitude has set a benchmark for other Sailors to follow. This motivated, hardworking Sailor was chosen because he has been doing outstanding work in the department and for the command. HN Smallsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exceptional work ethic and dedication are worthy of recognition as Theodore Rooseveltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rough Rider of the Week.

plans unveiled F35 From Navy Office of Information

The carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter flies for the first time with external weapons. Navy test pilot Lt. Christopher Tabert flew CF-1 with inert AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on port and starboard pylons to measure flying qualities and aircraft vibrations. The F-35C is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for greater control when operating in the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy Lockheed Martin/ Released)

he Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps delivered a joint report to congressional defense committees May 31 to establish the date and details of the initial operational capability (IOC) of each service’s variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act. Congress directed the Secretary of the Air Force and Secretary of the Navy to provide a report that details the IOC dates, requirements, and capabilities for each of the F-35 variants by June 1, 2013. The Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy will achieve IOC once they acquire enough aircraft to establish one operational squadron with enough trained and equipped personnel to support the various

missions prescribed by each service. Based on the current F-35 Joint Program Office schedule, the Air Force F-35A will reach the IOC milestone by December 2016, while the Marine Corps F-35B will reach the IOC milestone by December 2015. F-35C, attached to Navy carrier air wings, will reach the IOC milestone by February 2019. “The F-35C represents a critical capability, really a revolutionary capability, that will significantly enhance the ability of our carrier air wings to continue to operate in contested battlespace,” said Rear Admiral Bill Moran, Chief of Naval Operations’ Director of Air Warfare. “We look forward to introducing and fully integrating this important capability into

our air wings.” Navy leadership believes the F-35 will revolutionize capability and operating concepts of naval aviation using advanced technologies to find, fix, and assess threats, and, if necessary track, target, and engage them with lethal results in all contested environments. The F-35C carrier variant of the Lightning II is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear; features used to withstand catapult launches and deck laanding impacts associated with the demanding aircraft carrier environment. The F-35C is undergoing flight testing and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to fleet delivery.

Staff Commanding Officer Capt. Daniel Grieco Executive Officer Capt. Mark Colombo Public Affairs Officer Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Evans Media Officer Lt. j.g. Michael Larson Senior Editor MCCS (SW/AW/EXW) David Collins Public Affairs Supervisor MC2 (SW) Brian G. Reynolds 130606-N-AT868-030 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Capt. Daniel Grieco, commanding officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Lt. Wayne Shipman, Capt. (ret) Michael Longworth, and Capt. (ret) John Tennant pose for a photo onboard TR June 6. The USNA Class of ’71 has established a unique relationship with TR, which grew between the commonality between their graduation year (’71) and the ship’s hull number (CVN 71). The class of ’71 generously offered to sponsor an annual award for ethical character in leadership to honor this bond between the class and the ship. Photo by MC3 Casey Cosker.

Editor & Layout MC3 Katie Lash MC3 Casey Cosker Rough Rider Contributors MC3 (SW) William McCann MC3 (SW/AW) John Kotara MC3 Katie Lash MC3 Casey Cosker MC3 Christopher A. Liaghat MCSN John Drew MCSN Brian Flood Command Ombudsman April Kumley cvn71ombudsman@yahoo.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 you’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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