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INSIDE
Best of The Mess
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Around The Ship
CFS Training
14 FROM THE EDITOR Well Lincoln Nation, as we perform all the arduous tasks of a ship going through RCOH: Pulling cable, laying tile, and all the maintenance being performed throughout the ship and its satellite locations, it is sometimes easy to forget that we, the crew, are individuals, as well as being Sailors, of all heritages and backgrounds. Since February is Black History Month, Lincoln’s diversity council’s spirited schedule of events and activites for all our Sailors really exemplifies not only how Lincoln, also the Navy recognizes the need for a united force of men and women of all races, creeds and colors. We also got cookin’ on some competition with a team of Lincoln Culinary Specialists competing in a cooking showdown, “Best of the Mess.” Never a dull moment Abe Warriors, lots to do and lots more to report on! As always keep up the good work!
lincoln celebrates black history month
Story by: MC3 Jonteil Johnson Graphic by: MC2 William E. Blake
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln’s (CVN 72) diversity council has put together a busy schedule of events for celebrating African American/Black History Month (AABHM). Recognizing the achievements of African American figures throughout history and today, AABHM also allows Sailors to recognize the contributions of African American Sailors currently serving in the Navy. Originally established in 1926 as Negro History Week, President Gerald R. Ford expanded the celebration to include the entire month of February beginning in 1976. “Our job is to promote unity in the command,” said Lt. j.g. Eric Gonzalez, Lincoln’s command diversity officer. “We accomplish this by celebrating heritages of all Sailors.” Gonzalez said Lincoln’s Diversity Council is planning a cake-cutting celebration, a door decorating competition, a heritage recognition breakfast and a trip to Washington. “I think this is a great way to boost morale,” said Gonzalez. “Anytime you have someone interested in learning about a particular Sailor’s heritage, it makes them feel special.” Yeoman 3rd Class Shanique Knight, assigned to Lincoln’s administration department, said that she celebrates AABHM by learning as much about her culture as possible. “It’s a chance for Sailors of all races to understand the people around them a little better,” said Knight. “I plan on attending all of the events Lincoln hosts.” Master Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Christopher Johnson, Lincoln’s weapons department leading chief petty officer, said that Rosa Parks was his inspiration growing up. “She was a brave
woman who refused to give in,” said Johnson. “She inspired me to stand up for what’s right, whether or not it’s popular. It’s something I pass down to my Sailors every chance I get.” Cmdr. Jerome Morris, Lincoln’s weapons officer, volunteered to speak at the cake cutting ceremony. Morris said he looked up to Martin Luther King Jr. as a young boy, and still does to this day. “I love the fact that the Navy officially recognizes so many heritages,” said Morris. “We may not all look the same, but as Sailors we are all one team.”
Lincoln’s Spaghettysburg Address Competes in the
Best of The Mess Story by USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs
Photos by: MC3 Jeremiah Mills and MCSA Robert Ferrone
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(Above) Culinary Specialist 1st Class Virginia Durbin, prepares dishes for the “Best of the Mess” regional culinary competition.
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(Left) Culinary Specialist 1st Class Christopher Williams, Culinary Specialist 1st Class Virginia Durbin and Culinary Specialist 1st Class James Parrott, receive their first runner-up plaque in the culinary competition “Best of the Mess.”
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here was an exquisite aroma of Tuscan cuisine filling the air Jan. 25 at the Fourth Annual "Best of the Mess" culinary competition at the Founder's Inn in Virginia Beach. Six Hampton Roads commands, including the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln's (CVN 72) team, called "Spaghettysburg Address," competed to help raise awareness for the Chief Petty Officer Scholarship Fund. Co-sponsored by the Culinary Institute of Virginia, the Iron Chef style competition is the brainchild of former Master Chief Petty Officers of the Navy Robert Walker and Duane Bushy. The annual competition was created to showcase the best culinary specialists in the area and raise awareness for a worthy cause, according to the host, Navy Exchange Service Command's Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Gregg Snaza. "The spirit of the event is to showcase the Navy by highlighting our talented Sailors so the 'Best of the Mess' seemed natural," said Snaza. "Any time you have an event, you want to have food, so why not make food the event." Some 350 guests were treated to "A Taste of Tuscany." Spaghettysburg Address members Culinary Specialist 1st Class Christopher Williams, Culinary Specialist 1st Class Virginia Durbin and Culinary Specialist 1st Class James Parrott were pumped up to bring their best to the competition. "We're proud to be representing our command in this competition," said Williams "I'm glad for the positive responses we received from our patrons and the judges. It's nice to try something new and get feedback that is this affirmative and reassuring in our abilities as CSs in the Navy." Lincoln was first runner up in "Best of the Mess" to USS Oak Hill (LSD 51).
“Today is like the Super bowl for the Navy’s culinary specialists.”
(Above) Culinary Specialist 1st Class Christopher Williams, prepares dishes for the “Best of the Mess” regional culinary competition.
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(Below) Culinary Specialist 1st Class James Parrott, prepares and samples dishes for the “Best of the Mess” regional culinary competition.
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FEBRUARY 2014
ZONE INSPEC Story by: USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs
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incoln leadership across the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is motivating and mentoring Sailors to maintain the zone inspection process during the refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH). “I think the most important part of zone inspection is motivating Sailors by the level of involvement by the upper chain,” said Lt. Terry Johnson, USS Abraham Lincoln’s material maintenance management (3M) officer. “Our Executive Officer, Capt. Randall Peck, is involved on a regular basis. During inspections he mentors the Sailors explaining all aspects of the inspection good or bad. That honesty and ownership is transferred into the rest of the leadership, and it spreads throughout the crew.” Johnson added that the type of feedback serves to set the tempo on board the carrier during RCOH. Johnson’s team breaks up the entire ship into 12 zones that are inspected by senior enlisted or junior officers
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on a rotating basis every week. Each inspection site is checked for fire hazards, electrical and structural safety, cleanliness and readiness. The inspection can be daunting with shipyard work drastically affecting the condition of the ship’s spaces. “When so much work and demolition is being done by the shipyard, there is a natural tendency to lose ownership. Retaining a robust zone program is one of the best ways for the Lincoln crew to maintain control of the material condition unaffected by the shipyard and to retain ownership and responsibility for conditions of safety and cleanliness throughout the ship that are important to the project’s outcome,” said Johnson. Johnson added that maintaining the ship’s most fundamental programs, such as the zone inspection program, builds on the ship’s legacy of excellence and will quickly get the ship back to life and the Lincoln back in the fight.
TIONS “That tempo is directly reflected in how well a ship’s crew is prepared to transfer from an RCOH mentality to preparing for certification for battle readiness when the shipyard period is done,” said Johnson. Johnson said that 3M creating a better program by standardizing the inspection criteria and procedures throughout the command. “We are taking a serious approach to training zone inspectors and the standardization of inspection criteria,” said Johnson. “Every week we reiterate a specific area on what to look for and how to look for it. We still have a way to go, but I feel our zone inspector training approach is one of the more robust programs in the fleet.” Johnson said that the zone inspection process as a whole hasn’t changed, but the vision of the ship during the zone inspection process has changed. “Instead of focusing our efforts based on a warship going into a fight, we are looking more towards maintaining FEBRUARY 2014
ownership of or our home while people come in and make repairs,” said Johnson. In a shipyard environment, Johnson added that an abundant amount of pieces and parts are taken apart or removed, but utilizing the zone inspection process allows Sailors to maintain the ship’s equipment to set standards of material condition, safety, and cleanliness. “The more we focus on these areas now, the easier it will be when all the shipyard workers are on another ship and we are looking at battle readiness again,” said Johnson. “Zone inspections have improved the 3M process by incorporating a real life look at all of the work that is being done by outside activities and work being done by the Sailors and how it affects the ship. Ship’s force use of regular inspections to visualize problems and get the correct documentation of material status is a huge part of the success of Material Maintenance Management Zone Inspection program.”
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Photos By MC3 Jeremiah Mills VOLUME 25 , ISSUE 2
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irman Connor Drella, an undesignated airman stationed aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) from Shreveport, La., serves his country by day and sings country by night. Drella joined the Navy in February 2013. He got his first guitar at the age of six for Christmas. “It was a black Fender Squier,” said Drella. “I thought I was instantly going to shred… I was mistaken.” After years of playing, Drella was in-fact able to “shred” and began playing at local parties. Shred, is a creative term coined by famous guitarists for how intense one plays the guitar. Growing up in a town where there weren’t activities for people under 21, trouble was easy to find. “There were a lot of casino boats and plenty of trouble for kids my age to find,” said Drella. “I chose to play music instead.” Drella reflected on the thrilling experience when people respond positvely to his music. “I got into performing by playing music for my friends,” said Drella. “The thrill that I get from seeing people groove to my music, smile, dance and sing along is immeasurable.” “I think the best part of being in a band is watching everyone improve and progress together,” said Drella. Drella’s band is comprised of four Sailors, one of whom is also from Lincoln, and two civilians. They plan on performing live shows this month. After joining the Navy to get away from Shreveport, Drella found that he was living life experiences that he was able to pull from to help write songs. Drella prefers to write about good things, and to him the Navy is the best thing that could be happening for him. “Without the Navy I wouldn’t be as influenced as I am now, I wouldn’t know as much and I wouldn’t have had the opportunities to meet some of the people who have helped me along musically.” said Drella. “If it weren’t for my leading petty officers or Lt. Duckworth (Drella’s divisional officer) I wouldn’t have had the support that I needed to keep pushing forward as a musical artist. Drella plans on staying in the Navy and is pushing hard to achieve his Enlisted Air Warfare Specialist qualification. He plans on applying to the Seaman to Admiral Program and is devoted to accomplishing everything to become a naval officer. Story By: MC3 Sean Hillier
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FFSC EDUCATORS TEACH FUTURE LINCOLN CFSs Twenty four Sailors from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and nearby commands attended a weeklong Command Financial Specialist (CFS) course at the Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) in Newport News, Va., Jan. 27-Feb. 4, geared toward developing skills to help Sailors make sound financial decisions. The three-part course, which focuses on education and training, information referral and financial counseling, is taught semi-annually by the FFSC in Newport News and Yorktown, and is designed to train Sailors who hold leadership positions to become command financial specialists for their command or department. Financial Educator Faye Smith, who has been teaching the course at FFSC for almost 15 years, said that this is a top priority because of the issues that plague Sailors. “Most of our Sailors have received no financial information at home,” said Smith. “They then enter the military and receive a steady paycheck via direct deposit, but they do not know how to formulate a budget to manage that money.” According to Lincoln’s Command Financial Specialist, Chief Mass Communications Specialist Jeffrey Pierce, providing sound financial counseling and training to Sailors is extremely important. “Sailors who have control of their finances and practice sound financial judgment are in the best interest of the Navy,” Pierce said. “Facing financial hardship due to money mismanagement detracts from a Sailor’s day-to-day performance and could lead to a Sailor’s separation from the Navy. The more people a command trains to assist fellow Sailors on financial matters the better.” Master Chief Electrician’s Mate John Elliott, one of the Sailors attending the course, expressed his passion for helping his Sailors. “I want to see my Sailors succeed, and I try to ensure
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Story by: MC3 Danian Douglas
that I have given them everything I can to help them,” said Elliott. “That is why I am taking this course, so that I can be able to guide them.” Smith also teaches budgeting, car buying strategies, credit management and other fundamentals to newly arriving Lincoln Sailors during its indoctrination course. “I got a call from a senior chief who had a Sailor who was looking for a car. The Sailor had no intention on buying,” said Smith. “He went to a car lot, and the car salesman convinced him to buy a car at a whopping 82.9 percent interest rate. Since there are no usury laws in Virginia, which means there is no cap on the interest rate that can be charged, he ended up paying $5,000 more than the car was worth.” These are some of the reasons why Smith said the Navy is emphasizing that Sailors learn the fundamentals of financial education and striving to have a healthy credit rating, which are vital to a good career in the Navy. “A good credit rating means that Sailors would get the most ‘bang for their buck,’ and it also won’t jeopardize their security clearance, whether they are applying, or having it reviewed for renewal,” Smith said. According to statistics from a 2009 security clearance appeals process guideline published by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, financial considerations topped the list at 40 percent of 13 categories for which clearances are denied or revoked. “Every Sailor can be affected in several ways,” Elliott said. “Whether we are underway or in the shipyard, any distraction can be dangerous if Sailors are concerned about paying bills, rather than focusing on the mission at hand. This is why the Navy CFS program is a great resource to establish good financial education.”
LINCOLN SAILOR IS SELECTED FOR THE FLEET ENGINEER AWARD Story by: USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs
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chief warrant officer assigned to the Nimitzclass aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE)’s Claud A. Jones Award (Fleet Engineer) winner for 2013. The award will be presented at the ASNE Day 2014 at Crystal City, Va., Feb. 20-21. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gregory Collins is also the first warrant officer to receive the Fleet Engineer Award. Excelling professionally and receiving praise for a job well done is something familiar to Collins. In October 2013, Collins also earned his sixth Military Outstanding Service Award by logging a total of 10,000 hours of community service. “It is an honor to be recognized by the American Society of Naval Engineers,” said Collins, the assistant Damage Control Assistant aboard Lincoln. “This award would not be possible if were not for the superb leadership of my superiors and the technical prowess of my colleagues and Sailors who I have served with during my Engineering career.” The recipient of the Fleet Engineer Award, presented annually since 1987, is a fleet or field engineer who has made significant contributions to improving operational engineering or material readiness of maritime forces during the past three years. Cmdr. Vincent Janowiak, chief engineer aboard Lincoln, reflected FEBRUARY 2014
on Collins’ professionalism in the Damage Control Division and why he deserves recognition. “He has taken on a difficult job with significantly reduced manning and is playing many roles. The fact that he is doing so well is just another testament to his selection for this award. Everything that he does, he does with vigor and enthusiasm,” said Janowiak. “I’m proud to have him on my team.” The Fleet Engineer Award is named after Adm. Claud Jones, whose career spanned over 40 years, the first 24 years largely spent on ships and with the fleet serving with distinction in engineering assignments. Jones was later awarded the Medal of Honor for “extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession” as a result of his courageous actions in 1916, while serving as engineer on the USS Memphis (CA 10), when his ship was wrecked by a tidal wave. Lincoln is currently undergoing a refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, A division of HuntingtonIngalls Industries in Newport News. Lincoln is the fifth ship of the Nimitz-class to undergo an RCOH, a major life-
cycle milestone. Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet and will continue to be a vital part of the nation’s defense.