Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
Vol. 5, No. 15
Patriot Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, April 18, 2014
Tanks for the lift!
U.S. Air Force photo / Staff Sgt. Rashard Coaxum
Air and ground crews from Joint Base Charleston, S.C., along with a group of Army soldiers from the 1/118th Combat Arms Brigade, prepare to load an M1A1SA Abrams main battle tank onto a C-17 Globemaster III April 10, 2014, at Wright Army Airfield, Ga. C-17's transported four tanks from Wright AAF in support of a tank movement for the 1/118th CAB. See the story on Page 5.
Guardian SAR swimmer awarded for heroism By Eric Sesit Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
Sailors know their ship. The constant hum of machinery, the pitch and roll of the ship as it rides the waves, and the routine announcements over the ship's 1MC (public address system) all become sounds of normalcy and provide a sense of comfort to Sailors at sea. Sailors can also sense when something is wrong. And when Sailors are jolted out of their racks in the middle of the night, it's a pretty clear indication something bad is happening. On Jan. 17, 2013, Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Kirckof, a mineman currently assigned to Naval Munitions Command on Joint Base Charleston - Weapons Station, S.C., knew immediately something was wrong. Kirckof had just been unceremoniously woken from a deep sleep at 2:30 a.m. onboard USS Guardian (MCM 5). But as his feet hit the floor, Kirckof had no way of knowing the next 48 hours would require him to push himself beyond his limits, both mentally and physically, and eventually lead to him receiving one of the U.S. Navy's highest honors. "I looked around and saw some of my shipmates had also been shaken awake." Kirckof said. "We didn't know what, but things just didn't feel right. We woke the rest of our shipmates in our berthing, got dressed and headed topside to see what was going on. As I moved down the passageway towards the stern, I noticed I was running downhill and I could tell the ship wasn't moving." The Guardian, an Avenger class mine countermeasures ship, wasn't moving because it had run aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, about 70 nautical miles south east of Palawan in the Philippines. At the time of the accident the ship was traveling from Subic Bay in the Philippines to Indonesia. "I grabbed a battle lantern and we could see waves crashing over the fantail of the ship, but because it was dark, we couldn't tell how bad the situation was," Kirckof said. The morning light confirmed the crew's worst fears. To better assess the situation, the ship's commanding officer had
Commissary Holiday Hours The Air Base Commissary will be closed Sunday, April 20 for Easter.
The Weapons Station Commissary will be open with regular hours on Sunday, April 20.
INSIDE
The Weapons Station Commissary will close at 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 23, to conduct inventory.
DISTRACTION U Drive. U Text. U Pay.
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Kirckof, one of the ship's two Search and Rescue swimmers, accompany the ship's Damage Control Assistant over the side to assess the damage. "I grew up in Toms River, N.J." Kirckof said. "I was always around water. When I was 20, I joined the Navy in hopes of becoming a diver, but I became a mineman instead. When I reported to the Guardian, they needed a SAR swimmer and I volunteered." Dozens of sharks were swarming around the ship, so every Sailor who was qualified to handle a rifle was instructed to stand "shark watch" to ensure the two Sailors' safety while in the water. Kirckof swam along with the DCA who then reported the ship's condition to the captain. At that time, the ship was not too damaged and the propellers were still in open water, so the crew spent the day trying everything in their
power to move the 224-foot ship off the reef. But the sea state was building. Waves began crashing into the ship and by nightfall, flooding below decks was becoming more severe. The waves eventually pushed the ship broadside, shoving the entire length of the ship onto the reef as they continued to batter the port side of the ship. The crew spent the night feverishly and heroically conducting damage control to minimize the flooding. By the morning of the 18th, it was clear the crew needed to be evacuated. Two small boats arrived from MSV C Champion and removed crewmembers who were not confident swimmers. Then, the order was given to deploy the ship's two Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats, followed by the life rafts. After the first RHIB was lowered into the water, Kirckof See Swimmer Awarded, Page 3
Finding light through darkness By Senior Airman Dennis Sloan Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
Keeping a secret that defines you, that has shaped your life for nearly three years now and is sure to shape the rest, a secret that you go to sleep with every night and wake to every morning is sometimes hard to keep trapped inside. I could probably go my entire life without revealing the sad truth that I was raped by another Airman, but to stay silent is to allow individuals who prey upon the innocent to flourish. Exactly one day after photographing Airmen proudly marching through the streets of a city receiving joyous responses and unanimous support for their sacrifice of service to the United States of America, I was sexually assaulted by a male Airman. That secret is one which took me nearly a year to even reveal to my mother and have yet to reveal to the majority of my family or friends. The Airmen I serve alongside everyday have no idea that I’m a victim of sexual assault, until now. Some people may wonder why I would reveal my story in such a public forum, and the truth is I hope this story reaches a person, a son, a friend or even an Airman who has been sexually assaulted and it allows them some peace in knowing they are not alone no matter how dark their day may seem. In my case, I reported my assault within a matter of days because I knew if I buried the truth it would overcome me and the result would be fatal. I initially filed a restricted report, but once I gained strength and understanding of my situation I then filed an unrestricted report. After being sexually assaulted, many victims, including myself, are very confused about the situation and blame themselves for what happened. Large amounts of alcohol, isolation and subduing played a huge factor in my sexual assault. You
SAAM
JB Charleston highlights awareness
Pages 6 & 7
PORT DAWGS 38th and 81st APS take on challenge
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can imagine waking to this reality the next morning as if it were a nightmare, but this nightmare was real and would continue to play over and over again in my head for months following the assault. Filing an unrestricted report opened me up to a world of revictimization. The Office of Special Investigations called me within hours of filing my unrestricted report to conduct an interview. The interview consisted of me recounting my sexual assault down to the most minute detail. I understood the interview must be done to gather evidence to potentially bring the perpetrator to justice, but no matter how many people warned me of that interview I could never have been prepared. I am not discouraging victims from filing an unrestricted report, but they shouldn’t walk in blindly. Reliving one’s experience is painful. Yet, by involving law enforcement, you just might prevent another sexual assault. The effects of my sexual assault, filing an unrestricted report and knowing the perpetrator was still at the base I lived on started to pour into my work. Less than six months prior to my assault I was chosen by my office to sit in front of the Below the Zone board with the intent to achieve the rank of senior airman well before others because of my dedication to service and my craft. You can imagine how strange it may seem to leadership that an Airman who was considered one of the best in an office could all of a sudden change. There was a large amount of misunderstanding between me and my office. I was not willing to reveal my situation to them and in return it left them with little knowledge of why I was not performing as well, coming in late and almost not there, in a sense, even when I was. I struggled to find sleep every night and even when I did I would wake hourly from a dream relating to my sexual See Light Through Darkness, Page 8
WEEKEND WEATHER UPDATE for Joint Base Charleston, SC Rain
Rain
Friday, April 18
(70% precip)
High 69º Low 55º
Saturday, April 19
(70% precip)
High 68º Low 53º
See Joint Base Charleston on Facebook! - Follow Discussions, Connect With Your Base! CYAN-AOOO
MAGENTA-OAOO
YELLOW-OOAO
BLACK 01/29/08
A Few Showers
Sunday, April 20
(30% precip)
High 72º Low 48º