Know Your Shipmate
Photo and information by MC3 Kirk Putnam
HM3 Kerchelle Cortes Health Services
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ou will go to Medical. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but you will be going. Regardless of how healthy you are, one reason or another will require that you drop by to see a doctor. While you’re there, you might bump into Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kerchelle Cortes, and she’ll welcome the chance to help you. Cortes, originally from St. Lucia, said seeing her patients smile makes her happy. She said she gets a great deal of job satisfaction from working to find solutions to her shipmates’ health issues. “The best part of my job is when I know that I made at least one person feel better,” she said. “Also, I get to learn and see interesting new things every day.” Away from the ship, Cortes said she loves dancing and singing, particularly when hip hop and R&B are playing. Armed with a positive personality and a quick smile, Cortes is well-suited to accepting and evaluating patients in Lincoln’s Health Services department. Her plans for the immediate and near future, however, reach a bit further beyond the skin of the ship. “I look forward to finally spending time with my family,” she said. “And I would love to be accepted into the Navy’s nursing program.”
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Adam Randolph
ASIST Program Seeks to Prevent Suicide Story and photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brian Morales
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mdr. Thomas Webber and Lt. Cmdr. Victor McInnis, two chaplains assigned aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), led an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop for Lincoln Sailors at Smokey Point, Wash., May 24-25. ASIST is a suicide intervention program provided by Living Works Education, Inc. According to Living Works, the ASIST program started growing in the 1970s and first appeared as an advanced training process in 1980. The workshop provided 24 E-5 and above Sailors the opportunity to take a timeout from their standard routines to learn to become more effective, capable and confident in reaching out to individuals with suicidal thoughts. “It’s the most valuable training that I’ve ever received concerning suicide, and I feel fortunate to have received it,” said McInnis, who has now trained more than 80 people through the ASIST program. McInnis said the most common response supervisors give troubled Sailors is to tell them to go see a chaplain.
Though chaplains are trained with ASIST, he said, they should not be the only solution to the problems Sailors face. The workshop provides caregivers the tools needed to empower a person at risk with reasons to embrace life. Throughout the workshop, participants engaged in several discussions and scenarios to train them to implement the best responses as potential caregivers for people at risk. Caregivers learn to use the suicide intervention model, a three-stage process which helps a person at risk explore other solutions. They learn to review risk and contract a safe plan. The stages are taught and repeated throughout the two-day workshop. “When we have more people looking out for the health and well being of others, we have a better community to work and live in,” said Webber, an ASIST master instructor since 2002. Lincoln has completed only two workshops so far, but Webber and McInnis both hope to train more Sailors how to react when encountering a person at risk by applying the lessons of the ASIST program.
How Do I Earn My Warfare Pins in Port? By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Wade T. Oberlin
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f you’re looking to earn your warfare pin, I’ve got some good news for you: you don’t have to wait until the ship gets underway to start. The difference between working on your qualifications, or quals, at sea or in port is that some key parts of these quals can only be observed while the ship is underway. Aside from that, you can complete roughly 80 percent of your warfare qualifications while in port aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) Richard Palmer, the ship’s command coordinator for the Enlisted Air Warfare (EAWS) program, said Sailors shouldn’t hesitate to pick up where they left off on their lists of qualifications while the ship was deployed. “Visit shops and work areas that were too busy to help
while underway and work on quals that were difficult to obtain because of work schedules,” Palmer said. “The program is a continuing effort to prepare for the next deployment, so get a jump on earning your pin.” Since earning a warfare pin is now mandatory, Palmer added, Sailors would be wise to remain diligent wherever the ship is. “It would be ideal for Sailors to start now rather than later,” he insisted. Not only can Sailors continue to pursue their Enlisted Surface Warfare (ESWS) and EAWS
qualifications while in port, they can see their efforts all the way through to the written tests and final boards. Individuals who haven’t observed out-to-sea operations can still accomplish most of their qualifications before leaving for the next deployment. During previous inport periods, earning related qualifications—such as watch standing or damage control—were prerequisites to begin work on a warfare pin. Now, when new Sailors report aboard Lincoln, they are immediately enrolled in their primary warfare program, and they can work on quals in any order they prefer. “The departmental coordinators
must k e e p putting out the information that the program stays up and continues while we’re home,” said Palmer. “The biggest block to working on quals in port is that living here has many distractions. When you’re out to sea, you aren’t going anywhere. For the focused Sailor who devotes a few hours a week to their quals in port, they will be rewarding themselves when the time comes to go out to sea again.” If you’re interested in completing your mandatory warfare qualifications while in port, Sailors can speak with their departmental coordinators or visit the ship’s SharePoint page under Command Programs for more information. So why not earn your pin? The only thing holding you back is you.
Motorcycle
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jeremiah Mills
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aval Station Everett offers a basic motorcycle rider course (BMC) for USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) personnel who currently ride or plan to ride a motorcycle. BMC is an informative class designed to minimize motor vehicle deaths, injuries and property damage due to mechanical mishaps aboard twowheeled motorized vehicles. Whether or not you recognize the value of the information offered in BMC, you can certainly recognize the bottom line: it is also a Navy-wide requirement for all riders. All military personnel who ride or intend to ride a motorcycle are required to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation-designed course—whether or not you plan to register your vehicle on base, and whether or not you have completed a Department of Defenseapproved motorcycle safety course
in the past or already possess a valid motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license. In class, students discuss proper riding techniques, learn about the differences between various motorcycles and become familiar with safety equipment that can help decrease the chance of death or injury, not only for riders but for the drivers around them. Class time is also spent watching safety videos and learning about the basic principles of riding safely. Primarily, riders are taught to search, evaluate and execute the road and surrounding conditions in order to have an increased awareness of everything going on around them. In addition to safe riding practices, course instructors also cover the importance of basic maintenance to incident-free biking. Riders learn the importance of checking their tires and wheels, controls, lights and other
electrical components, oil and other fluids, the chassis and any kick stands. The second section of the course covers safety gear that should be worn while riding a motorcycle, from the correct gloves to how to purchase the proper helmet. The riding portion of the course is focused on riding attitude, personal risk assessment, braking proficiency, cornering techniques, traction management and other issues unique to motorcycles. All in all, the course is designed to address a great need among Navy motorcycle riders: since November of last year, over a dozen Sailors have lost their lives in motorcycle accidents Navywide. This course may teach you something you didn’t already know about riding, and it will certainly satisfy the mandatory requirement that you take it in order to continue riding. More importantly, it just might save your life.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Geoffrey T. Campbell
Portal 2: A Triumphant Return to the Lab By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Hunt
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ortal 2” is the sequel to the critically acclaimed “Portal”, which was released in 2007. The original “Portal”, despite being a somewhat short game, was awarded Game of the Year by the Game Developers’ Choice Awards and B e s t Puzzle Game by multiple organizations, including IGN.com and GameSpy. Portal 2 attempts to follow in the footsteps of the most revered puzzle game in recent history. The premise of the game is almost identical to the original: pass through the Aperture Science Laboratories facilities while trying to escape the clutches of GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), the super computer in charge of the entire facility. The player is given a device that creates two connecting portals. The physics of these portals are amazing, giving an abstract idea a very real feel. For example, if the player falls from a great height into a portal, that player will be launched out the other end with the same velocity. It’s no joke when the game tells you to “think with portals,” as it becomes necessary to adjust speed and trajectory to continue moving forward. Several new features are introduced into the game play. Light bridges can extend through portals, creating walkways or barriers wherever the player sees fit. Different colored gels allow the player to jump higher or run faster. The bouncing energy orbs from the previous games are replaced by dangerous laser beams, which have to reach certain conduits in order to activate necessary equipment. Jump pads, which often appear in sequences, can launch the player and other equipment across the level to a pre-determined spot. Of course, all of this comes hand-in-hand with the pressure switches, weighted cubes, moving platforms and deadly turrets from the last game. All these features make Portal 2 an incredibly deep and complex puzzle/platformer. Every test chamber uses multiple facets of the game, forcing the player to think on a deeper level in order to bring those pieces together and advance through the laboratory. Players will examine the entire environment, using every aspect of the test chamber to overcome obstacles and reach their next destination. The story, which took a back seat to the game play in the original, receives a lot more attention in the sequel. The player emerges from a hibernation room to find the lab in a state of disrepair. GLaDOS is still shut down and has left the lab at the mercy of the elements. A friendly robot named Wheatley helps the player escape from the chamber and
locate the portal device. While trying to escape, however, the player and Wheatley accidently reactivate GLaDOS, bringing the entire facility back to life. The player is once again forced to complete the test chambers, all the while being forced to listen to GLaDOS’s sadistic and darkly hilarious comments. The story continues to impress, supplying twists and turns when needed, and giving the player a firsthand look at the history of Aperture Science Laboratories. The origins of GLaDOS are revealed (as is the origin of her dark and morbid humor), as the player navigates the condemned labs miles underneath the modern facility. Finally, the story comes to a climactic battle that will leave the player breathless, stretching the possibilities of the portal device to its very limit. The story builds an additional challenge into its multiplayer mode. Both players are given a portal device, doubling the complexity of even the most basic puzzles. With its own storyline, and split-screen or online compatibility, multiplayer creates an environment twice as challenging and twice as fun as single player mode. “Portal 2” is nothing short of incredible. The story is entertaining, and the game play is so unique and addictive that it becomes very difficult to put down. The game does require a ton of thought in order to complete, and may not be for casual gamers. However, anyone looking for a very challenging and rewarding puzzle game should definitely pick it up. Just like GLaDOS said, “We’re going to have fun… with science!”
5 out of 5 Pennies
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sean Hurt
Briefly Enterprise Lands 400,000th Aircraft
USS Theodore Roosevelt Underway By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joey Morgon
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SS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) completed a major milestone, May 21, by leaving dry dock and transiting down the James River to a pierside location at Newport News Shipbuilding where it will complete the second half of its refueling complex overhaul (RCOH). TR has been in dry dock since August 2009. Since then, the ship’s shafts, propellers, rudders, anchors, and catapult and arresting gear machinery, have been replaced or refurbished. In order for TR’s first underway in nearly two years to be successful, the Sailors, shipyard and the Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP) relied on both experience and teamwork to accomplish the mission. “Everything went according to plan, and I couldn’t have asked for better performance,” said Capt. Billy Hart, USS Theodore Roosevelt commanding officer. “This is day one of us taking the ship back. We are no longer in the dry dock, so this is Theodore Roosevelt Sailors’ ship. It’s now up to every TR Sailor to prove the success of this ship.” For many Sailors, TR’s short underway is validation for all the hard work and preparation that was put into getting the ship ready for this milestone. “Without teamwork there is no way this evolution could have been completed
successfully,” said Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class (SW/AW) Jesus Lopez, Deck Department’s 2nd division assistant leading petty officer. “This is my second time taking a ship out of dry dock, and I know first hand what it takes. It takes every Sailor on board TR working together and having each other’s back, and completing their jobs together.” According to the ship’s navigator, another reason for the success of the ship’s movement was the thousands of man hours of preparation. “Anytime you move a 90,000 ton vessel even a short distance, it takes a huge amount of preparation,” said Cmdr. Roger Curry, USS Theodore Roosevelt navigation officer. “There were no surprises. The shipyard, ship’s force and SUPSHIP were able to communicate very well. All the inter-personal relationships and integral communication allowed for one big team effort and the result is that TR is safely pier side after a smooth evolution.” Quartermaster 2nd Class (SW/AW) Candice Stone, TR’s navigation detail plotter, was responsible for plotting and tracking the ship’s movement during the brief underway. Stone and her team had been training for this day since March. “I’m very proud of the way TR handled its first underway in such a long time,” said Stone. “We worked hard for this moment.”
An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Red Rippers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 became the 400,000th aircraft to land on USS Enterprise’s (CVN 65) flight deck, May 24. Enterprise is only the fourth Navy aircraft carrier to have more than 400,000 carrier landings, and is the only carrier still in commission to surpass the number. Enterprise’s achievement falls on a historic year for naval aviation. One hundred years ago marks the birth of naval aviation, only eight years after the Wright brothers flew their historic flight. Enterprise is the first nuclear-powered carrier and the first nuclear carrier to transit the Suez Canal. Enterprise was the first carrier to fly F-14 Tomcats and is the longest warship in the world. The other three carriers with more than 400,000 traps are USS Lexington (CV 16), USS Independence (CV 62) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).
ROTC Agreements at Columbia, Yale The Secretary of the Navy and the presidents of Columbia University and Yale University signed a pair of agreements, May 26, formalizing their intention to reinstate Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) programs at the two Ivy League schools. The agreement will bring the NROTC program back to both schools for the first time in almost 40 years. The Department of the Navy and Columbia University announced their agreement April 21, after Columbia’s University Senate passed a resolution to explore increasing the University’s relationship with the Armed Forces, including programs like Reserve Officer Training Corps. Under the agreement with Columbia, the NROTC program will have an office on campus and active duty Navy and Marine Corps officers will meet with Columbia NROTC midshipmen during routinely scheduled office hours. The Yale NROTC unit will be part of a consortium with the NROTC unit at The College of the Holy Cross.