Women’s History Month with the triad of PCU Nantucket

ByLt AnthonyJunco

Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two

On the final day of Women’s History Month, the triad of the Freedom-variant Pre-commissioning unit (PCU) Nantucket (LCS 27) discussed the importance of the heritagemonthandsharedtheirexperience ascommandingofficer,executiveofficer,and command senior chief of Nantucket.

Cmdr Kari Yakubisin, commanding officer of Nantucket, commissioned in May 2005throughtheVanderbiltUniversityand completedNuclearPowerSchoolandPrototype in April of 2008. “I have a call to public service, saidYakubisin.“IthinkIwaslucky inthattheenvironmentIwasraisedfostered in me a high sense of social justice, and the militarywasonewayformetopayallofthat forwardandtogivebacktothecommunity.”

Cmdr. Angela Eickelmann, executive officer of Nantucket, graduated from Texas A&M and also commissioned through the ROTC program. “Growing up I knew if I wanted to go to college my one way to do that was to find scholarships to pay for it, said Eickelmann. “My grandfather on my father’ssideservedintheNavyinWorldWar II, and my grandfather on my mother’s side servedinVietnamintheinfantry Theywere very proud of that, and I was proud of that history too.”

Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 2 takes prideinhonoringthemanyservicemembers whohavesetthestandardfortoday’ssurface warfare community and celebrates the rich history of the women within our ranks In 1948 women gained permanent status in the Navy with the passage of the Women’s ArmedServicesIntegrationAct,andin2016, the Department of Defense opened all military occupations and positions to women.

“There have been many women leaders throughout my career that have inspired me,” said Monica Bolton, command senior chief of Nantucket. “There have been two who took a personal interest in my developmentasaleader Thesetwowomenleaderstaughtmetheimportanceofinvestingin myselfandrealizingmypotentialasaleader OnceIdidthat,Iwasabletoleadconfidently and with true purpose.”

“It’s the being around Sailors that gets me out of the bed each morning and keeps me motivated,” said Yakubisin. “I see it as my goal is to make so that they can do their jobseasier sothateveryonesimplywantsto come to work and keep doing the job The Navyisafamily,andtheNavyandtheSailors have become like family, largely due to how long I’ve been away from my own.”

Success in their military careers has also come with a number of personal challenges and sacrifices However, overcoming those challenges has offered both experiences and insights which they pass on to Sailors to help them overcome similar challenges and advance in their military careers

“Findingyoursupportstructureisincredibly important,” said Eickelmann. “Support can come from your family, a good group of friends, other Sailors, especially when you have young children. I think about my daughter, the influences she has right now and think it’s important for her to see that she can be a young woman and have strong opinions and be a great leader.”

1981, Congress passed a joint resolution establishingWomen’sHistoryWeek,andin 1987, proclaimed March Women’s History Monthtocelebratetheaccomplishmentsof women throughout American history

“To me, the value of not only Women’s History Month, but all of the diversity months, is in discovering the incredible stories and contributions of people who likely did not receive the recognition they deserved at the time,” said Yakubisin.

The Littoral Combat Ship is a fast, agile mission-focusedplatformdesignedtooperate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats The LCS is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence

Q: Whattypesoffamily housingareavailable?

A: There are three types of housing available to families:

Public/PrivateVenture(PPV)

Housing is also referred to as privatized housing in the Navy

The Navy partnered with different private management companies to provide housing to Service Members. These companies are responsible forthe construction, renovation,maintenance and day-to-day management ofthe housing PPVhousing may be located on oroffgovernment property and in most cases will be formermilitary housing GovernmentOwned (also known as Military Housing orNavy Managed Housing is what was formerly called on-base housing While only available in limited quantities CONUS,Government Owned Housing is still widely available OCONUS.

CommunityHousing is any housing that a Service Member may choose that is not PPVor government operated This is housing outside ofthe base that is privately owned and operated

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Mid-Atlantic Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC) programs and services are designed to help you make the most of your military experience, and they’re all available to you at no cost

FUNCTIONSAND/OR SERVICESFFSCPROVIDES:

ClinicalCounseling – Individual, Couplesand ChildCounseling

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