NOVEMBER 2015
CAPTAIN’S CORNER
Pipes and Plates
Kyle P. Higgins co@lcc19.navy.mil
Executive Officer Nathan Fugate xo@lcc19.navy.mil
BLR Ombudsman
Samantha Knepper
samantha.knepper@lcc19.navy.mil
BLR Ombudman Donesha Scott
donesha.scott@gmail.com
CHAPLAIN’S MESSAGE
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin A. Flinn
Two Sailors from the self-proclaimed “A Gang,” more formally known as the Auxiliary division, spend most their off-time moving iron to mold muscle. If they weren’t doing some steam or water related maintenance somewhere throughout the ship at any given hour, Machinist’s Mates 3rd Class Dan Campbell and Justin Rendon, both attached to U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge, were sculpting their
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bodies to resemble a visage of something cut up by Michelangelo. More than three years ago, Campbell initially arrived onboard Blue Ridge, with Rendon doing the same just a handful of months prior. “We’ve been lifting together since day one,” said Campbell. Earlier this year, both Sailors decided to take their hobby to the next level. They decided to train for a National Physique Committee Japan (NPCJ) regional tournament, a bodybuilding tournament in Japan. And, like everything leading up to it, they’d do it together. For most of their lives, Campbell and Rendon claim they have been lifting, mainly because it was in tandem with a sport they were both playing. However they admit, they didn’t start getting serious about bodybuilding until last year. Like many gym rats, they share some of the same stories. Stories of what kindled their flame and passions for lifting; from countless days watching Arnold Schwarzenegger at his pinnacle onscreen in Pumping Iron and finding Arnold’s Blueprint lifting plans on Bodybuilding.com, to watching motivational weightlifting videos on YouTube. A big influence for Rendon was following Kai Greene’s journey onto the Mr. Olympia stage. Greene came from
a very poverty-stricken environment without any family growing up, and in one sense or another, is a self-made man. He had little to no support and came from the slums to becoming an Arnold Classic Champion and a multiple time Mr. Olympia runner-up. “After seeing that, I thought ‘What’s my excuse?,” said Rendon. “You only have one life to live, so I’m just going to go for it.” Campbell and Rendon started prepping for the competition as soon as they heard about it six months prior. A major challenge for both was trying to fit time to work out in the ship’s gym while Blue Ridge was underway into their already packed schedules. The duo tried to hit the gym whenever their schedule would allow, even if that meant lifting during lunch or clanging plates together while burning the midnight oil. “During the underway, I would stand watch in another division on the ship and when I would get off watch, I’d come back to our division’s work-load,” said Campbell The hardest part they claim wasn’t doing the right things in the gym, but trying to eat read more on back
Blue Ridge Family and Friends,
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I also want to say, Happy Veterans Day! This month we take time to honor the service of those who wear or have worn the uniform of our Armed Forces, selflessly giving to protect our way of life. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are on the front line every day, sacrificing time away from home to defend the nation. Your continued understanding and encouragement is what makes it all possoible. I cannot thank the families and friends of those who serve enough. We salute your sacrifices, your dedication and the honor with which you serve. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. As we work day in and day out to complete inspections, maintenance requirements, and qualifications, we quickly forget about the things that are most important, our Sailors, families, and friends. As we prepare to celebrate please remember I am thankful to have the family and friends of BLUE RIDGE as
part of the team! Every Sailor and their support network brings something to our crew keeping us as “The Finest in the Fleet’. We cannot do it without you! Thank you for your continued backing during this demanding maintenance period. Your efforts do not go unnoticed. Have a great month and a Happy Thanksgiving holiday. Capt. K. P. Higgins
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the CAPTAIN’S CAPTAIN’S corner
Let me start this month’s note by saying thank you for your support and patience. I know how difficult it is when we are home to have your loved ones working as hard as they are. Success for this maintenance period is critical for us to get underway on time to support Seventh Fleet next year and just as important to set the ship up for the drydocking. We will be half way through our availablity this month and have made tremendous progress, but there is a lot of work left. There are a few important jobs that are challenging and keeping pressure on us, but the team is working through it to reach our goals. The ship and shipyard team celebrated a few of our hard workers with our ‘five-star workers of the month’, highlighting those who went above and beyond.
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Sailors attached to the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) conduct repairs to the starboard bow of the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin A. Flinn)
Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Anhtu Pham, attached to the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), uses a razor blade to remove excess lagging. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Hendricks)
Logistics Specialist Seaman Devon Simmons, attached to the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), retrieves parts to fill orders from around the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Hendricks)
Seaman Shane Norby, attached to the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), conducts repairs to the exterior of a fan room on the main deck of the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin A. Flinn)
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Seaman Francisco Canizales spray paints a bulkhead inside a compartment on the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Liz Dunagan)
Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 2nd Class Danielle Beliveau conducts repairs on the main deck. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Hendricks)
Culinary Specialist Seaman Joshua Smith, attached to the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), feathers out paint chips on a water tight hatch. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Hendricks)
Damage Control Fireman Brian Dubreymoore conducts maintenance on a halon bottle. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Liz Dunagan)
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Pipes and Plates continued >>
the right things; a bodybuilder’s diet while underway. Luckily, the time to cut weight hit right after the underway, with less than a month and a half in port. So, around five weeks out from the competition, they started to cut.
Very familiar to bodybuilding and with a few tournament championships under his belt, including the same competition last year in the Open and Master’s classes, as well as the NPC All-South competition in 2012, Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Paul Burt, also attached to Blue Ridge, served as a mentor for the younger Sailors.
After all the pumps, oil, dehydration and pose downs, Rendon and Campbell placed first and second, respectfully, in their categories. With Rendon winning his category, he had a chance to compete to be the show’s overall winner. He ended up second overall.
“Senior Chief was a huge help to us with our diet and talking to and prepping us at the competition,” said Campbell. “Instead of making all the mistakes he’d made, he pointed them out to us. He saved us a lot of time.”
“Our accomplishments show a better example of what to do in your free time,” said Rendon. “Plenty of other people are asking to work out with us now and requesting tips on their work outs and what they can do better.”
“It was a milestone for their personal accomplishments,” said Burt. “Typically, an engineer will work six hours on, six hours off. In their six hours off, they’re working on qualifications while fitting in eating, sleeping, training in the gym or whatever they choose to do. If something goes wrong in the engineering plant, their six hours on could easily be 12 or 18 hours or whatever it takes until the plant is back on.
Both Sailors who are extremely calm and humble by nature, are grateful for the newfound admiration amongst their peers.
It is a very big deal across the board for anyone in engineering department to accomplish something of this magnitude with the craziness of their schedules.” Prior to the competition, both Sailors understood the importance of going into the competition with the right mindset. Not only could nerves affect their presence, show and poses, but also their bodies. “Stress can affect your body very quickly,” said Rendon. “You can look perfect one second and the moment you let something get to you, stress hormones will flood your body, making your body look terrible.” Nevertheless, what they prepped and preached is
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what they carried into the competition. “We weren’t nervous going into the competition,” said Campbell. “We just approached it as a learning experience. We didn’t care how we were going to do leading up to it. Obviously, we wanted to do our best, but we weren’t going to let possible failure affect us mentally.”
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“It’s good for news like this to be put out,” said Campbell. “Some people might not get much of that anymore. So, it’s satisfying to be that good news for those people.”
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“It sets a great, a better example,” said Burt. “They set the standard during our last inspection as well, basically, proving themselves to be role model Sailors.”
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Their journey doesn’t end here though. They both have already found competitions back in the U.S. for when they return home. What’s more immediate however, is the results from the NCPJ regional tournament qualified them to compete at nationals in Tokyo.
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The two now, have to continue their prepping and trimming leading into nationals. “We saw our flaws looking back at the pictures and videos,” said Campbell. “We got a lot of work to do
CHAPLAIN’Smessage
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name.” -Psalm 100:4 Time has raced by since I joined USS Blue Ridge August of this year. Thanksgiving will be here soon and is the perfect holiday to express our thankfulness for the many blessings we have in our lives. I have countless reasons to be thankful this year, such as for my family, job, financial security, health and so on. However, this year, I want to express gratefulness for the free exercise of religion we all get to enjoy in our lives. The first Pilgrims in America were nearly defeated by the harsh conditions they faced upon arriving in New England. The first Thanksgiving happened when the Pilgrims reaped a plentiful harvest. They were so thankful, not just because of the abundant harvest, but also because of religious freedom. In the beginning, Thanksgiving
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was celebrated mostly by church leaders in New England. We must remember the Pilgrims left England for the free exercise of religion.
Our forefathers’ principles and values in religous freedom are well reflected in our Constitution. I’m truly thankful for that because it protects our right to exercise our religion freely. It’s absolutely important for us to believe what we want to believe. For that reason, as a Chaplain, I completely respect your right to exercise your personal beliefs. In counseling sessions, your rights will be cherished, and I will not impose my own faith group beliefs onto you. I will always respect your right to believe (or not believe) what you wish. Also, counseling is not a place for me to pass judgment because Sailors come to trust me with their own vulnerability and difficulties. I will never
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betray your trust. However, If you want to know about my religious conviction and theology, I will gladly let you know what I believe and will share it with you with the utmost respect and dignity. I’m ever grateful and thankful for what we have accomplished together in 2015. I’m proud to serve America’s Finest Flagship! According to TIMIT Times, we completed our MCI with “Quarter 4’s top score, earning an overall 0.80 INSURV Figure of Merit (IFOM).” That fine accomplishment is our sweet harvest for America’s Finest Flagship in 2015, and it should be on all of our ‘things to be thankful for’ lists. Let’s cherish it together. -Chaplain Um
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