April 3, 2015• VOL. 72 • NO.13• NAVY.MIL/LOCAL/GUANTANAMO • FACEBOOK.COM/NSGuantanamoBay
NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA • PSC 1005 BOX 25 • FPO, AE 09593 • 011-5399-4090
Navy Chiefs Celebrate 122 Years of Heritage
MAC Mattew Dierlam, BMC Washington Gee and MAC Kenton Thomas prepare to hoist the National Ensign during morning ‘Colors’ as active duty and retired Chief Petty Officers render honors during the Chief Petty Officer Birthday, Apr. 1. The ceremony honored 122 years of the chief petty officer rank in the Navy, commemorating camaraderie between Chief Petty Officers, past and present. MCC Keith Bryska Gazette Editor
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n April 1 the Navy Chief Petty Officers celebrated their 122nd Birthday with several events throughout the week to include a showing of the classic movie Midway at the lyceum, a golf tournament and a triathlon. It is known that when you join our beloved Navy your first goal is to get promoted to the next pay grade so you can earn respect and extra money. If you continue your journey and decide you want stay Navy your ultimate goal is to one day be called a Navy Chief. According to Chief Culinary Specialist Sheron Watson becoming a Chief is something you are groomed to do when you come up through the ranks. “I remember when my first senior chief called me in the galley to learn how to decorate cakes, although I though he was working the heck out of me he was grooming me,” said Watson. “It wasn’t until years later when we needed a cake decorator on board the USS Jason Dunham that I realize that he was grooming me to be a teacher. I was the only person who had this skill and was in return able to teach all my junior Sailors how to master this skill.” Unlike any other branch of the Armed Forces you are not just an E7, you are a Chief. This requires going through an intense
training process that last several weeks. This process was once called Chiefs Initiation and later Chiefs Induction now goes by CPO 365. This is an instrumental part of becoming a Chief, and when you have completed this process you are then accepted by the Chiefs community. When you are accepted in to this family you understand that it’s something larger than yourself, you belong to a group, a mess with many sisters and brothers. You now know that if any problems arise all you need to do is pick up the phone and call a nearby Chief and they would be there for you. To put on the khaki uniform and walk in to your office the following day and for someone to say good morning Chief will make you smile and fill you with pride, but you learn quickly that the uniform your wearing is not about you it is all about the people you lead and about taking care of the Junior Sailors. The anchors on your collar do not give you entitlements, they give you responsibilities. They mean you are the first one in the work center and the last one to leave, they tell you that you need to know each one of your Sailors and how to help them in their time of need. “Sometimes when I talk to Junior Sailor with specific problem I
PAGE 2• THE GUANTANAMO BAY GAZETTE
NS Guantanamo Bay Commanding Officer, Capt. Scott Gray congratulates ND2 James Lidgard on his selection as Sailor of the Week. ■Job/Department: Dive Locker ■Age: 30 ■Hometown: Naples, Florida ■Goal: Master Diver ■Favorite Musician: Garth Brooks ■Favorite Sports Team: Florida State Seminoles ■Heroes: Parents, James Reddy ■Favorite Movie: Dumb and Dumber ■Greatest Accomplishment: Being a father. ■Favorite Hobbies: Diving ■Favorite TV Show: Everyone Loves Raymond ■Sailor of the Week Because: ND2 was selected as Sailor of the Week for his hard work and dedication replacing seven navigational channel marker buoys with USCG OAK in one day to prevent shutting down a scheduled weapons range. ND2 additionally was instrumental in completing a chamber maintenance period completing five quality assurance packages on critical diver’s life support equipment, calibrating over 80 gauges and testing 15 relief valves on the hyperbaric chamber two days ahead of schedule facilitating the reopening of recreational diving earlier than anticipated.
ND2 JAMES LIDGARD
VOL. 72 • NO.13
COMMANDING OFFICER EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMMAND MASTER CHIEF
Guantanamo Bay Gazette
CAPT. SCOTT GRAY CMDR. AL ROSS CMDCM (SW) JEFFERY TIDWELL
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER GAZETTE EDITOR PHOTOJOURNALIST
NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA
KELLY WIRFEL MCC(SW/AW) KEITH BRYSKA MC2 KEGAN KAY
The Guantanamo Bay Gazette is an authorized publication for members of the military services and their families stationed at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Navy, and do not imply endorsement thereof. The editorial content is prepared, edited and provided by the Public Affairs Office of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The Guantanamo Bay Gazette is printed by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Document Services with a circulation of 670.
April 3, 2015• PAGE 3
Cuban Boa Helps to Maintain Ecosystem Balance and Mission Readiness at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
Peter Tolson / Chris Petersen The Toledo Zoo / NAVFAC Atlantic
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iving on the rocky hillsides and grassy slopes of Naval Station (NS) Guantánamo Bay is a large snake species (up to 15 feet long) that serves a key role in maintaining ecosystem balance. The Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) is the top predator in this ecosystem and understanding its population dynamics and reproductive biology directly supports the military mission by providing a healthy ecosystem for military testing and training. Researchers from Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast, NAVFAC Atlantic, the Toledo Zoo, and the NS Guantanamo Bay Environmental Department take a special interest in ensuring the boa’s future on the Station. They have completed a long-term radio-telemetry study on Cuban boa habitat use and movement patterns, and are now tackling the more difficult problems of determining the population dynamics of NS Guantanamo Bay Cuban boas, especially the population density and its trajectory toward expansion or decline. Using this information, along with data from their prior research, they will develop a management plan for the Cuban boa to ensure its continued survival on the Station. The unique advantages of NS Guantánamo Bay, such as large tracts of undisturbed habitat, active protection of wildlife, and veterinary support, make collection of this information feasible. Cuban boas may live more than 30 years in the wild and the reproductive potential of large females, which are rare in Cuba outside the fence line, is not known. As females reproduce no more often than once every two years and take five or more years to mature, it takes a long-term research commitment to collect the data necessary to understand the life history parameters and demographic trends that allow modeling of Cuban boa population viability . The combination of Command and Joint Task Force (JTF) buy-in, partnership synergy, and shared financial and logistical support has made this effort possible. Cuban boas court and mate on the Station from mid-April to early June and, although females mate biennially, males are capable of reproducing every year and seek out new females when their preferred females are unreceptive. Males, several of which may compete for attention of the same female simultaneously often exhibit ritualized male combat, a form of body wrestling in which males attempt to push each other to the ground or dislodge a competitor from contact with a female. After the dominance of a particular male is established, he uses his pelvic spurs- vestigial legs- and body contact to stimulate the female and induce her to mate. The courtship process may take as long as two or three weeks. As in many other snake species, mate selection is the prerogative of the female, and researchers have observed several instances of mate fidelity over the years. Boa mating at NS Guantánamo Bay has been observed in abandoned structures, grasslands, or even burrows of the Cuban rock iguana, Cyclura nubile. Cuban boas do not lay eggs. The young are born alive in September and October; gestation takes between 150-to-180 days and is dependent on the temperatures the female is exposed to during her pregnancy. Normally the female will seek out a sunny spot in the grass or in a forest clearing in late afternoon or mid-morning to bask in the sun and elevate her body temperature.
Researchers at NS Guantánamo Bay have collected reproductive data from females with body masses from seven to 45 pounds and ranging from five to more than 12 feet in total length and have learned quite a bit already about Cuban boa reproductive strategies. Larger females not only give birth to larger litters (up to 20 babies) than smaller females, but their babies are also significantly longer and heavier than those born to smaller females. This means that females become more reproductively valuable as they grow older and larger, and a 20-year-old female has the reproductive potential to produce more than 100 very large babies during her reproductive life. This many offspring is crucial because fewer than one in ten of them will survive their first year, most dying from starvation or predation by feral cats or birds of prey. Snakes in populated areas of NS Guantánamo Bay also face the threat of vehicle strikes. Fourteen percent of the 51 boas researchers have tracked on the Station have been killed on the road. The death of a large female in her reproductive prime, whether by feral dog attack or by a speeding car, creates a significant tear in the ecological fabric of the Station. The greatest such loss known on NS Guantánamo Bay occurred when a 15 foot, 11 inch female was run over by a truck in 1989. This enormous female would have produced more than 30 babies every other year. The Cuban boa is a tremendous ally in controlling the large population of Desmarest’s hutias , a keystone species on the Station. Hutias are critical to the overall ecology of the Station, but they can also become a nuisance, impeding military readiness by chewing through vehicle wiring, fiber-optic cables, and water lines. They also contribute to erosion- and the subsequent sedimentation of coral reefs- by devouring entire stands of trees. Young boas are also predators of the exotic rats and mice that can infest military and residential areas. By devouring these rodent pests, the Cuban boa has become essential in maintaining the healthy landscapes needed to support long-term military testing, training, and national security requirements on NS Guantánamo Bay.
think back to when I was in the same paygrade and I try to deal with things using my own experiences, making sure they don’t make the same stupid mistakes I made,” said Watson. I believe we are rock solid problem solvers and a good Chief is a good listener, a good chief is also empathetic, be firm but be fair and most of all that I think is important is to be approachable.” Many young Sailors and Officers believe the letters on the anchors of a Chiefs uniform read simply USN, they don’t. They stand for something greater, they stand for teamwork, understanding, leadership, responsibility, compassion, family, honor, courage, commitment and the list goes on. If you ask any Chief they will tell you that they stand for the following. The Fouled Anchor is the emblem of the Rate of Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy. Attached to the Anchor is a length of chain and the letters U.S.N. To the novice, the anchor, chain and letters only identify a Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy, but, to a Chief, these have a more noble and glorious meaning. The “U” stands for Unity, which reminds us of cooperation, maintaining harmony and continuity of purpose and action. The “S”stands for Service, which reminds us of service to our God, our fellow man and our Navy.
The “N” stands for Navigation, which reminds us to keep ourselves on a true course so that we may walk upright before God and man in our transactions with all mankind, but especially with our fellow Chiefs. The Chain is symbolic of flexibility and reminds us of the chain of life that we forge day by day, link by link and may it be forged with Honor, Morality and Virtue. The Anchor is emblematic of the hope and glory of the fulfillment of all God’s promises to our souls. The golden or precious Anchor by which we must be kept steadfast in faith and encouraged to abide in our proper station amidst the storm of temptation, affliction and persecution. It is expected of the Chief to know the answer; if he or she doesn’t know then they can lean on his brothers and sisters for help and advice. This term has been adopted and known throughout the Navy as “Ask the Chief.” For 122 years Chiefs have set the example for junior enlisted because of the experience they have gained through their years of service. So as we continue to lead from the front all I can say is happy birthday take this day and celebrate your heritage for tomorrow it’s all about your Sailors again.
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Local Scouts participate in the Pinewood Derby at the NEX Atrium Mar. 28. The Pinewood Derby is one of the most popular and successful family activities in scouting. Pinewood Derby cars are small wooden models that Cub Scouts make with help from their families. After building the cars they race them in competition. All the cars are powered by gravity and run down a track with no motorized parts.
BMC Washington Gee, NS Guantanamo Bay Commanding Officer, Capt. Scott Gray, and NS Guantanamo Bay Command Master Chief Jeff Tidwell cut the cake celebrating the 122nd birthday of the Chief Petty Officer Rank.
GTMO SHOPPER
MOVIES
E-mail classified ad submissions to
PAO-CLASSIFIEDADS@ USNBGTMO.NAVY.MIL If sent to any other e-mail, it may not be published. Submit your ad NLT noon Wednesdays for that week’s Gazette. Ads are removed after two weeks. Re-submit the ad to re-publish. The Gazette staff and NS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, page. The Public Affairs Office has final editorial discretion on all content. Call MCC Keith Bryska at 4520 with your questions or concerns. Please keep ads to a minimum of 5 items.
MISC
39 one foot paving stones $20, Girls 26 inch bicycle and helmet $35, call John or Julie at 75806 Akebono ACT537 ProACT ultrapremium Ceramic Brake Pad set $41.95 brand new with receipt, wrong set for my Honda, Call 77234
The
Scoop
FACILITIES Need to place a trouble call? Facilities has changed their numVEHICLE ber. It is now 3694 for all trouble 1996 Dodge Dakota Pickup truck, calls. $1400, Call John or Julie at 75806 TRAVEL 1998 Ford Escort, AC works, pow- All active duty personnel and ered windows and locks, $2,500 OBO call John or Julie at 75806 GS personnel traveling to other countries within SOUTHCOM AOR on official, regular leave or travelOUTDOOR REC CMC Powerlift Transom Jack for ing to other theaters require an Outboard Motor w/install instruc- APACS country clearance and tions ($75), MARES mini sten - Individual Anti-Terrorism Plan Pneumatic Spear Gun w/ holster (IATP). All APACS travel request ($50,)Please contract Steven @ must come through the Anti-Ter55352 rorism office with the exception GREAT DIVE/SNORKEL FAMILY of Air Operations, USNH and JTF. All foreign travels must be apBOAT +30 feet barrel boat with recently proved by the theater, and IATP refurbished 90HP Johnson Ocean must be submitted to the ComPro and new barrels; inclined lad- manding Officer and approved. der for getting on the boat with It is imperative that all APACS dive equipment, plenty of deck request be coordinated with the space and storage, hold 10+ people comfortably, recently painted, nice Anti-Terrorism office so that all speakers, head facility, COME FOR request status and approved A TEST RIDE! $5000 OBO, Contact travelers are tracked. Steven 55352 or Otis 84988 If you or someone in your depart-
ment plan on going on leave to a foreign country please have them contact the Anti-Terrorism office, submit an APACS then apply for leave. If the APACS is denied, then the chain of command can cancel their leave. This applies regardless if the member is a native of a country they want to travel to or has relatives living in that country. To coordinate an APACS travel request or if you have any questions or concerns regarding foreign travel, please contact the AT office at ext. 4976 and 4608.
PCS MOVES The Personal Property Office wants to remind everyone that April to August is considered the “Peak Season” for PCS moves. They want to pass along the following tips in order to help your move go as smoothly as possible. -As soon as you receive your orders start your application in www.move.mil. -Print your application and bring six copies of your orders to the Personal Property Office in building 752 on the 2nd floor. -For assistance with move.mil you can call the DPS Help Desk at 1-800-462-2176. -For more information contact 4206/4495/4735. Diligent planning, attention to detail, and flexibility are key elements to reducing stress of peak move season.
April 3, 2015• PAGE 7
DOWNTOWN LYCEUM
FRIDAY Furious 7 8 p.m.:
April 3
PG13
10:30 p.m..: Kingsman: The Secret Service R
SATURDAY April 4 Unfinished Business 8 p.m.: R
10 p.m.:
Get Hard R
SUNDAY 8 p.m.: Home
April 5
PG
MONDAY April 6 Hot Tub Time Machine 8 p.m.: R
TUESDAY April 7 McFarland, USA 8 p.m.: PG
WEDNESDAY April 8 The Lazarus Effect 8 p.m.: PG13
THURSDAY Foccus 8 p.m.:
April 9
R
CALL THE MOVIE HOTLINE @ 4880
EASTER SERVICES April 4 & 5, 2015 NAVSTA Catholic: 1930 Easter Vigil April 4 and 0900 Main Sanctuary April 5 Liturgical: 0930 (RM 1) April 5 Protestant: 0630 Sunrise Service at Windmill Beach and 1100 Main Sanctuary April 5 JTF Trooper Chapel Protestant: 0900 and 1900 April 5 For more information about these and other religious ministries contact NAVSTA Chaplains’ office at x2323/ JTF at x2218
ATCS Matt Murcin Retirement Ceremony
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ongratulations to Senior Chief Aviation Electronics Technician Matt Murcin on your 21 years of honorable service. Senior Chief Murcin retired April 1, 2015 at the base chapel.
April 3, 2015• PAGE 7