Know Your Shipmate!
ABF3 Christopher Rolling Air Department
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viation Boatswain’s Mate (Fueling) 3rd Class Christopher Rolling, 22, is a Madison, Wis., native that enjoys listening to music and being active in sports. He joined the Navy after graduating from high school and has been on board USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) for more than three years now. After finishing his term in the Navy, Rolling plans to continue to serve; his goals are to start school and major in criminal justice and become a police officer. He lives by his favorite quote, “Can’t stop, won’t stop.” “Rolling is a reliable friend and worker,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fueling) Airman Taylor Kuhlman. “He always pulls through on the clutch like Tim Tebow in the fourth quarter.”
Movie Review: ‘Inception’ by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lex Wenberg
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nception is a movie about recovery from loss, the importance of letting go, and, most importantly, it’s about indiscriminately killing everyone who gets in the way while jumping through layers of reality and navigating mazes. To me, this sounded like a recipe for awesome. After I heard that Christopher Nolan (“Memento,” “The Prestige,” “Batman Begins,” and “The Dark Knight”) would be directing and writing, I knew that he would again be taking a chunk of my summer monthly movie-theater budget. (Yes, I have a movie-theater budget. What? I love seeing movies in the theater.) This film boasts cutting-edge special effects, very precise cinematography, great set design, acting that actually lends to the story, instead of distracting from it, and dialogue that explains the complicated sci-fi premise without sounding like robots, such as films like “The Matrix-Reloaded” (which I enjoyed thoroughly, despite the stodgy dialogue). Cobb, played with standard angry, brooding intensity by Leonardo DiCaprio, (I know the last reviewed movie in the Penny Press featured this 90s heart-throb as well, but what can we say, the man gets work,) is a corporate thief specializing in a very unique form of espionage in which ideas and other kinds of knowledge are stolen from the dreams of high-level corporate officers. Cobb’s partner, Arthur, played by Joseph GordonLevitt, (“3rd Rock From the Sun,” and the outstanding and little-known detective thriller “Brick”) is Cobb’s rock; he is constantly on-point and makes up for the brilliant but undisciplined Cobb’s mistakes both in the dream-world and reality without missing a beat. Cobb and Arthur, called “extractors,” are tasked by a corporate big-wig to perform the opposite of stealing ideas, called “inception,” which Arthur says is impossible, and Cobb says is merely very difficult. Inception involves tricking the mark into creating an idea his or herself so it is untraceable to the source (the extractors.) Sound confusing? Well Nolan is somehow even better at writing than me, so he is easily capable of explaining this through dialogue. This movie was one of the most complicated, yet understandable films I’ve seen yet. If the viewer pays attention and can remember 15 minutes ago, there should be no confusion. Cobb and Arthur have to assemble a team of people capable of performing different roles in order to perform this inception. Enter the capable and clever ensemble featuring the normally annoying, but this time pretty good Ellen Page, (“Juno,” “X-Men 3,” “Hard Candy” and 2009’s “Whip It”), as the dream architect
Ariadne, Tom Hardy, (“Layer Cake,” “RocknRolla” and “Black Hawk Down”) as the forger and master of disguise Eames, and Ken Watanabe, (“The Last Samurai,” “Batman Begins,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and “Letters from Iwo Jima”), as Saito, the hiring agent. Saito hired the team to perform the inception on another corporate big-wig played by Cillian Murphy, (Scarecrow in “Batman begins,” “Intermission,” “Sunshine,” “28 Days Later,” and the utterly forgettable “Red Eye”), to convince him to break up his father’s company. If all of this sounds boring and intellectual, just be assured that there are anti-gravity fights, stabbings, brutal shootouts and snow-mobile-mounted machine guns. Oh and explosions, lots of them. This film is easily the best deal for summer movies because not only do you get to see explosions and crazy violence, but you also get the added benefit of not being talked down to like an idiot child, (*cough cough* “Transformers” *cough cough*.)
Lincoln Welcomes CPO Selects By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Adam Randolph
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wenty Chief Petty Officer (CPO) selectees from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are making the transition from Petty Officer 1st Class to Chief Petty Officer. For many of these selectees, the biggest challenge lies in completing the rite-ofpassage known as Chief’s Induction. From group PT to fund raising and classroom study, the road to becoming a Chief is a process only achieved through time, effort and dedication. Chief Yeoman (Select) (SW/AW) Garrett Rucker of Sacramento, Calif., can attest to this. “Induction is like a clock. A clock only works if every gear fits together smoothly, and induction only works if every selectee comes together to form one smooth motion,” said Rucker. The four-week long induction is designed to teach Chief selectees the roles and responsibilities they will take on as Chiefs. During the past couple of weeks, Lincoln’s selectees have participated in a number of activities all designed to build teamwork, uphold tradition,
foster pride, and develop leadership. Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Christopher Klopfer, of Sarasota, Fla., said induction plays an important role in the development of every new Chief. “Induction is a transition where leading petty officers learn to become Chiefs. They learn everything from Navy leadership to uniform regulations and the importance of supporting the command mission,” he said. Klopfer also said the selectees will face many challenges as future Chief Petty Officers. “The responsibilities of a divisional leading petty officer are completely different than those of a divisional Chief. The selectees are put in situations where they learn how to make tough decisions and lead,” Klopfer said. With less than two weeks left until the pinning ceremony, many of Lincoln’s selectees are giving it everything they’ve got. For Rucker and Lincoln’s 19 other Chief selectees the road to Chief Petty Officer is finally within reach. “It’s one of the most challenging things any of us have ever done, but the reward is 100 percent worth the wait and the effort,” Rucker said.
Congratulations!
MMC (Select) Evan Barnard EMC (Select) Jamie Blubaugh CTTC (Select) Kristofer Burns EMC (Select) Gary Campbell ETC (Select) Ronald Evans ACC (Select) Jarred Haynes EMC (Select) Eric Lavery HTC (Select) Aaron Manske MRC (Select) Baltazar Mayo MMC (Select) Jason Mickelson ISC (Select) Jesse Polasek ABEC (Select) Lester Quinlin LSC (Select) Jose Ramos LNC (Select) Stacy Rouse YNC (Select) Garrett Rucker LNC (Select) Karyn Sigurdsson LSC (Select) Eunice Walter ETC (Select) Robbie Watson MMC (Select) Karin Wittig ACC (Select) Nicasio Yniguez
Enlisted Warfare Qualifications: A Mandatory Requirement By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW/AW) Sonya Ansarov, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
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nitial enlisted warfare qualifications are now mandatory for all Sailors per the recent release of NAVADMIN 268-10. The NAVADMIN announces the release of OPNAVINST 1414.9, Navy Enlisted Warfare Qualification Programs Instruction, which issues the basic overarching requirements for the qualification and designation of all enlisted warfare programs. The arduous and often unforgiving environment we operate in as a Navy and Sailor dictates the need for all personnel to have a basic understanding and operating knowledge of the platform or command to which they are assigned. Warfare programs are essential in ensuring our Sailors understand and are able to effectively engage a casualty, operate equipment or platforms safely and ensure backup as needed. Warfare qualifications are about ship, shipmate and self, and ensure the safety and safe operation of each command and platform on a daily basis. “It’s a standard every Sailor must achieve. The warfare device itself is a symbol that the Sailors who are wearing it have a basic level of knowledge to ensure they are capable of fighting the ship, saving a shipmate and ensuring the safety of themselves at all times,” said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON), Rick D. West. “Having every Sailor at or working toward that level will only strengthen the war-fighting ability of that command and the Navy.” According to the NAVADMIN, qualification and/or re-qualification is mandatory for all enlisted Sailors assigned to designated warfare qualifying commands. Warfare sponsors (Type Commanders) will establish specific qualification and re-qualifying timelines however, the maximum allowable time for initial qualification of all enlisted Sailors assigned to designated warfare qualifying commands will not exceed 30 months. Timelines for warfare qualifications are set by the Type Commander’s instructions and each TYCOM will have oversight of their programs. According to West, some of the biggest questions he hears from Sailors are: - What happens if a Sailor doesn’t qualify in time? West stated that failure to qualify in the specific warfare program within the prescribed time requirements shall immediately result in a special performance evaluation that removes promotion
recommendation, but the promotion recommendation may be restored with a special performance evaluation when qualification is achieved. - Will a Sailor be penalized if their command doesn’t offer the opportunity for warfare qualification? According to West, Sailors without the opportunity to qualify in a warfare specialty will not be penalized. However Sailors should look for follow-on opportunities to obtain a warfare device when able. - Will having mandatory qualifications water down the existing programs? West stated, quite the contrary; by mandating warfare qualifications for all enlisted personnel, it will significantly “raise the bar” across the command regarding level of knowledge of the command and the systems our Sailors operate. It is incumbent on those that wear the warfare pin of the command to ensure the integrity and strength of the existing programs. - How will Sailors stand-out amongst peers if everyone is required to have a warfare pin? According to West, Sailors stand out every day. Performance and the Sailor’s overall command support should be the biggest factors to “break out” individuals. “I often highlight efficient manning and future platforms such as LCS as examples of the need to ensuring our Sailors have a good, basic understanding of the systems and fighting capabilities of the command to which they are assigned,” said West. For more information see NAVADMIN 26810.
Navy iTunes App Released
for iPhone
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SCW) Michael B. Lavender Commander, Navy Recruiting Command Public Affairs
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he Navy released the “America’s Navy” app for the iPhone and iPod Touch the week of Aug. 12. The app is available to download for free through the iTunes App Store or the Navy’s recruiting website, Navy.com. “With the new generation of youth and advancements in social media, we believe that the application will be of great use for our recruiting efforts,” said Lt. Cmdr. Garth Gimmestad, Navy Recruiting Command’s (NRC) director of Marketing Plans Division. “This application will allow us to transmit data to a customer who desires information immediately. With the new generation that wants instant gratification for information, we’ll now be able to cater to them through this technology medium,” explained Gimmestad. The application will bring a host of information about the Navy, including job descriptions, career information, videos, photos and the latest news from Navy.mil. “This is meant to provide Navy’s multiple and varied audiences the opportunity to learn more
about, and engage with the U.S. Navy in an informative and entertaining, not to mention convenient, manner,” said Gimmestad. “Not only can someone look up information about the Navy, but they can even locate a recruiter in their area as well.” “NRC, along with our independent advertising agency, Campbell E-Wald, developed and launched the application through a variety of social media sites, including Facebook, Navy.com, the ‘Navy for Moms’ website and Twitter,” explained Gimmestad. “We’ll be able to enhance our capabilities to effectively communicate with a technologically savvy population.” NRC consists of a command headquarters, two Navy recruiting regions and 26 Navy recruiting districts, which serve hundreds of recruiting stations across the country. NRC’s mission is to recruit the best men and women for America’s Navy to accomplish today’s missions and meet tomorrow’s challenges.
Photo
of the
Week
An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the “Kestrels” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 sits on the stern of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as destroyers from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9 practice transiting straits in the background. Lincoln recently completed a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), which is designed to train the ship, embarked air wing and other units that make up Abraham Lincoln Strike Group to function as one highly effective fighting force. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. William Marks/ RELEASED)