LM LANDMARK NEWSLETTER
OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF USS EMORY S. LAND ELITE PUBLICATION FOR ELITE SAILORS
SAILOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF PO3 NOLAN THOMA
ARE YOU PUMPED FOR YOUR PRT? FIND OUT HOW TO PROPERLY PREP FOR THE UPCOMING PRT
October 2016 Volume 7 Issue 7
Photo by: SN Daniel Willoughby
Photo by: PO3 Michael Doan
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OCTOBER LANDMARK EDITION
4 EAGLES FIELD COMSERV
ESL Sailors volunteered their time to help beautify Guam. Get their thoughts on the event.
FEATURED STORIES 22 IMPROVING SUICIDE AWARENESS
10 SPORTS! See what happened during ESL Sports Day.
14 THE PRT IS NEAR PO1 Alikhan shares some advice on how to excel.
Ship’s suicide awareness team prepares to improve training and program. 24 PO3 THOMA PHOTO STORY
16 IN THE EYES OF THEIR PEERS
Sailors share their thoughts on the ship’s newest chiefs.
28 CO’s CALL PO1 Brandon Shelander conducted an exclusive interview with Captain Prokopius. Get a look!
30 CHAPLAIN’S CORNER Check out the newest “Sailor in the Spotlight.”
Chaplain Jefferson is back with her piece titled “A Psalm of Comfort”.
ESL SAILORS CLEAN UP EAGLES FIELD
“IT WAS GREAT H EAGLES FIELD. I R GIVING BACK TO GUAM. “I’LL NEV OPPORTUNITY TO HAN
HELPING OUT AT REALLY ENJOYED O THE PEOPLE OF VER PASS UP AN LEND A HELPING ND.” -SN KEVIN JOSEPH
PHOTOS BY: SN DANIEL WILLOUGHBY
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Sailors assigned to the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) cleaned up Eagles Field in Mangilao, Guam during a community service event.
“As a corpsman, I guess I have a natural inclination to help people. It was good to see such a good turn out for the event. It saddens me to see such a beautiful place neglected.� - PO1 Dustin Sanchez
“It’s crazy how much trash there was out in the field. It really shows how trash can pile up. I’m glad my shipmates and I were given the opportunity to help give back to the Guam community.” - SN Billie Jean Terry 7
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“IT FELT GOOD TO GET OUTSIDE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE EFFORT. WITH CLEANING UP GARBAGE, WE WERE ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY SEE THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE TO THE FIELD. EVEN FOR THE SHORT TIME WE WERE OUT THERE, I FEEL LIKE WE MADE A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER.” -PO1 MELISSA YORK
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ESL SPORTS DAY PHOTOS BY: SN DANIEL WILLOUGHBY
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- PO2 TYLER EDENHOFER
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Emory S. Land Sailors participated in a “Sports Day” event Sept. 9 on Polaris Point. The event promoted physical fitness and teammwork.
“We had a lot of fun out there. Sports build character and promote camraderie. We work hard, so we might as well get together and play hard too.”
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PREPPING FOR THE PRT PO1 MUJAHIDEEN ALIKHAN, EMORY S. LAND’S COMMAND FITNESS LEADER.
BODY COMPOSITION ASSESSMENT OCT. 17-20 PHYSICAL READINESS TEST (PRT) RUN/SWIM OCT. 31- NOV. 4 ALTERNATIVE CARDIO PRT OCT. 24-28 MAKE-UP BCA NOV. 8 MAKE-UP PRT NOV. 10
BY PO3 JASON AMADI The Cycle 2 2016 PFA is set and all Sailors (assigned) onboard as of July 31, 2016 and have met acclimatization requirements are requred to perform the PFA. Regardless of acclimation status, all Sailors will perform a BCA. PO1 Mujahideen Alikhan has some thoughts on how you can prepare yourself for the PRT and suggests you hit the ground running.
“I RECCOMMEND SAILORS CONDUCT A MOCK PRT FOR THEMSELVES. GET IN THE GYM AND TAKE THAT 20 MINUTES OUT OF YOUR DAY TO TEST YOURSELF TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE. WHAT YOU DON’T WANT TO DO IS WAIT UNTIL THE PRT TO SEE WHERE YOU’RE REALLY AT.” “IF YOU’RE DOING ALTERNATE CARDIO, I HIGHLY SUGGEST THAT YOU GIVE YOURSELF A COUPLE PRACTICE ROUNDS ON CARDIO ALONE. DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE PUSH-UPS OR SIT-UPS, JUST CARDIO. YOU NEED TO GO TO PRIMS AND GO TO THE PRACTICE PFA CALCULATOR AND FIGURE OUT YOUR CALORIES FROM THAT POINT ON.” 15
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FROM THE EYES OF THEIR PEERS: ESL’S NEWEST CHIEFS Photos By: PO3 Jason Amadi SN Daniel Willoughby
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"I am very proud of YNC Williams for making Chief. She is an inspirational Sailor because she works hard, empowers me with critical responsibilities and is always willing to help me when I need assistance. With this being my first tour in the fleet, she has made a great impression on me and has set a high standard for my future leaders. I am very much looking forward to having CPO Williams as my leader for the remainder of my time onboard." - SN Gary Berleue
"It was good to see him make chief. While he was working with us, he helped us out a lot. He was a great mentor. I’m really looking forward to him being the chief of 72a for the rest of the time i have with him.� - PO1 Ryan Tapao
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"I couldn’t be more proud of him for making it. he’s always been someone who’s career I can emulate and kind of look up to. Now that I’m eligible for chief, he’s definitely someone I can shadow and try to learn from.” - PO1 Rachel Reynolds
“I felt kind of proud that he made chief because I know he has been up several times before and not happy when he didn’t make it. His level of knowledge not only within his rate but in general military knowledge was always very impressive. Never more has there been a sailor so ingrained with instructions as Chief Collette. When it comes time to do weigh ins he will never have an issue with being below standards because of his exemplary physical prowess. In and outside of the Navy he was a very well rounded representation of a Sailor. Hooyah Chief Collette!”
– PO2 Matt Lamparzyk 19
“I feel extremely proud. He always was the unofficial dad of ADP. He is a great mentor and great person all around. To see him achieve this milestone is not only amazing for him, but a great addition to ADP. Chief Head as a Sailor: he is patient, very knowledgeable and thoughtful. You can tell he genuinely cares when he asks you how you’re feeling, and sometimes that’s all you really need.” – PO3 Ashley Benjamin
“Even though Chief Smith is a new chief to the sail shop, he’s very organized and knowledgable. i see great things in the future for the emory s. land sail shop.” – PO1 Jacob Brooks
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“I am ecstatic for him both personally and professionally. He has earned his anchors through hard work and I am proud to have him in our department. He is an intelligent, thoughtful leader. His work ethic and dedication are second to none.” – Lt. Bradley Newsad
“I have known him for a long time and when he made chief I was happy for him and proud of him. I feel like he deserves to put on khakis. He is a good leader and also a good mentor on and off duty. I have always looked up to him as I grew up in the Navy til now. I saw him make 2nd class at my first command and I knew he was going to make rank. I am happy we got to meet up again later in our naval career and I got to see him put on anchors.” – PO1 Kevin Brion
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Emory S. Land ASK. CARE. TREAT. Improves Suicide Awareness #BeThere for every Sailor, every day.
T
By Seaman Daniel Willoughby
he suicide awareness team aboard the submarine tender USS Emory
and suicide prevention coordinator, said the plan is
S. Land (AS 39) plans to improve
a sign of good things to come.
Sailors’ resources and knowledge by implementing
“We are in the process of revamping the
the Sailor Assistance and Intercept
program,” said Jefferson. “We are
for Life (SAIL) program and
going to train watchstanders on
improving the Applied Suicide
how to react to suicidal behaviors
Intervention Skills Training
so they are better equipped.
(ASIST) program.
ASIST teaches Sailors how to talk
The Navy announced SAIL
with people who have suicidal
September 16, a new program
idolization. SAIL is an addition to
aimed at providing continual
ASIST, and it provides treatment
support through 90 days after a suicidal behavior.
and counseling to someone who already had an
ASIST, implemented by the Navy several years
incident. This is important because suicide is one
ago, provides knowledge and techniques for
of the leading causes of death in the military.”
responding to suicide.
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Lt. Takana Jefferson, the ship’s chaplain
Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Sablada, who
about difficult personal issues in the military. “Sailors may be afraid they will be kicked out of the military or ostracized if they bring up their issues,” said Jefferson. “That is not
awareness team, said Sailors should never be
“
afraid to talk about their issues. “Privacy is very important to corpsmen,” said Sablada. “If a person comes up to us, we
the truth. You are not weak because you are struggling. Everyone suffers at
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works for Jefferson as a member of the suicide
different points in their life. Whether it is you or
You are not weak because you are struggling.
someone you know, you can contact a chaplain, a corpsman, the senior medical
accommodate them, not just as a medical provider, officer, or anyone in your chain of command.” but as a person. Listening is the number one tool.
For more information about ASIST, SAIL
We have to have an open mind and not violate the and suicide awareness visit suicide.navy.mil. Sailor’s privacy.” Jefferson said Sailors should not be deterred by the stigma associated with talking
Emory S. Land, homeported in Guam, conducts maintenance on submarines and surface ships in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations.
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Sailor in the Spotlight: Petty Officer 3rd ClassNolan Thoma
Hometown: Wailuku, Hawaii Years in the Navy: 2.5 Favorite Food: Sushi Favoritwe Activity: Kite Surfing Favorite TV Show:Gotham Favorite Movie:Friday
Story and Photos by PO3 Jason Amadi
“My day starts off like everyone’s day here. We muster in the shop at 8:00 A.M. We have jobs in the shop, I’ll be assigned one and I’ll get to work.” “Everyone in the shop is really tight. Everyone is really close. Being around friends in the shop and the constant, ‘LOLs’ really get me through the day.”
“I’m from Hawaii. All I used to do was surf and go hiking. That life was really nice. I miss it.”
“My decision to join the Navy was based off my parents’ success. They came up from nothing and did it all by themselves. I didn’t want to just pull from my parents’ success. I wanted to do it all on my own.”
“I like what I do. Our workload is pretty much what you’d expect for an engineer. You know, the whole ‘engineers work hard’ type of thing. I definitely feel like I fit that mold. (Laughs). When there’s work, there’s work.”
“In December I will have been on Guam for two years. I don’t like it as much as Hawaii, but it’s definitely really nice. I’ve been here for so long I feel like it’s the norm already.” “The waves on Guam aren’t really big enough for me to surf, but I’m thinking about kite surfing here. When I go home on leave, I’ll probably bring back some kites. There isn’t the same kind of constant wind like there is in Hawaii, but I feel like it’s do-able.”
“When I’m done with work, I usually just go to the gym and try to get buff. Maybe one day I can wind up like PO1 Alikhan.”
“The end of the day here just feels so good. After work and the gym I feel accomplished and just go home and kick my feet up.”
“I’m PO3 Nolan Thoma, and I’m an ESL Sailor!”
CAPTAIN’S CALL Captain Mark A. Prokopius Commanding Officer USS Emory S. Land (AS 39)
Q: This will be our last interview with you as our CO. What was it like commanding the ESL through a deployment, the change of homeport, split crews, establishment of the two-tender model and operating as the lead submarine tender in Guam? A: My tour was split into three parts. Part one was here in Guam, getting ready for the deployment, with ESL still in the expeditionary model. That was good. We were doing some repair work on the waterfront and cutting our teeth on how to do maintenance here on Guam, but not a whole lot of big operations. Part two was the deployment, which was very successful. We got to go to a lot of great places, see a lot of great things and tend multiple submarines and surface ships. We got very positive feedback. It was a proof of concept for us to be lead maintenance activity for an SSGN continuous maintenance availability (CMAV) in Diego Garcia. It was successful, which ultimately reduces the Trident Refit Facility and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard footprint required to support those operations in Diego Garcia. That will eventually save the taxpayer money. The third part of my tour was us being the lead tender here in Guam and being responsible for maintenance on the waterfront. We’re off to a good start. We successfully completed CMAVs on USS Topeka and USS Ohio, which at more than 500 jobs was the largest CMAV ever performed on a forward-deployed submarine. Going forward we will remain the lead tender, even when Frank Cable comes back from their deployment. I think there are some flaws with the two-tender model with respect to the flow of personnel back and forth between the two tenders. It’s not the most efficient way to do operate. We’re looking at some options, including using the new Emergent Repair Facility to house personnel. There is going to have to be some form of shore-based facility to ensure that we have adequate support across the fleet. However, no plan has been approved thus far. In the end, with our ability to fix submarines on the waterfront, we are at standards and improving.
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Q: How did you feel about our performance on the Force Protection inspection? A: It was a very important inspection. The team identified some issues that we also self-identified. Because of our ability to identify our trouble areas, there was inherent trust that we can fix those issues. We did not perform very well, but in the end, I think we’ll be able to take corrective action and fix ourselves.
Q: In your last Landmark interview, you talked about PC gaming and it was really well received. What have you been playing lately? A: Since the last interview, Steam ran a sale on all the WB games and so the third installment of the Arkham series was out for about $9. So I’m currently in the last throes of Arkham Knight. I’m kind of a completionist when it comes to gaming, so I’ll plow through the story and get it done, but I try to go through and finish all the side stuff that I can without going online and figuring out how to finish it completely. This one is a bit tougher because a lot of the side challenges are not easily found in the world map.
Q: What do you think about 4K gaming? A: I think the next evolution of gaming is going to be virtual reality. I’ve seen the ads for the new Playstation VR coming out and all the new gaming computers are VR ready. You’re going to be able to put on a goggle device, turn your head and you’re looking around inside this different world. That’s going to be an immersive experience. If they can do that and have 4K in the VR, I think that’s really the next evolution.
Q:Is there anything you’d like to add, sir? A: I had a great tour. It’s been very rewarding and challenging. I came here not knowing what to expect with respect to the MSC/Navy split and the duties and responsibilities that go along with each. But in the end, I look at mission accomplishment. Did we leave the submarine and surface fleets in better material condition at the end of the day? I think we did.
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C
haplain’s orner
Lieutenant Takana Jefferson Command Chaplain USS Emory S. Land (AS 39)
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A Psalm of Comfort
23rd Psalm is one of the most beloved
David could look back and say as he
the presence of his enemies God has his back.
and quoted of the Psalms. I am sure when
was a shepherd for his sheep, so has God been
David is protected and has God’s favor upon
David wrote this Psalm he had no idea that
the shepherd over him. God ensured a place
him every day of his life. Everything the enemy
many years later his Psalm would be so famous
and restoration for David when he became
may have meant for his bad, God turns it
and loved.
overwhelmed with life’s worries and cares.
around for his good.
These are the green pastures and quiet waters of
hardships and trials throughout his life. He
imagery David speaks of in regards to the sheep.
interpretation of his relationship with God, it
started out as a shepherd boy before he was
can also be ours because God really does care
chosen to become the next King of Israel. He
right path of life by guiding him as a shepherd
for each and every one of us and desires only the
was placed in a situation where the king he
of his sheep. When David is faced with the
best for our lives. I know many times we feel as
was to replace tried to kill him daily. David
very threat of death, danger and destruction,
if we have done so many bad things in our lives
never raised a hand against him. As David
he doesn’t have to worry because God is
that there is no hope for us. This is wrong and
reflected over his life experiences and how God
right there. The rod and staff is used by the
not true. Jesus says in John 10:11 NIV “I am the
had protected him in the midst of everything
shepherd to help guide, protect, defend and lead
good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
it probably reminded him of his days as a
the sheep. The sheep will not have to worry
his life for the sheep.” There is nothing in our
shepherd. How he protected the sheep that
because the shepherd ensures their safety even
lives that could ever keep us from God’s ever
trusted him for their very well being. Everything
when danger is imminent because the shepherd
bounding love, grace and mercy. Remember
from safety, shelter, food and water - as a
will give his very life for the sheep.
this Psalm of comfort when life becomes
shepherd it was David’s job to provide for his
difficult and you feel all alone because you never
sheep.
awesomeness of God by saying that even in
David had experienced many
God ensured David went down the
David continues to speak on the
are.
While this is David’s experience and
THE OFFICIAL USS EMORY S.LAND NEWSLETTER
USS EMORY S. LAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Public Affairs Officer Leading Petty Officer Lt. Brad Newsad PO1 (SW) Brandon Shelander
Photography PO2 Mandi Washington
Commanding Officer Captain Mark A. Prokopius
Publication POIC PO3 Jason Amadi
Photography PO3 Michael Doan
Photography, Journalism & Design SN Daniel Willoughby
Executive Officer Command Master Chief Commander Brian C. Rednour CMDCM (SS/NAC) William L. Greene