Dec. 9, 2016 - Washington Surveyor

WASHINGTON SURVEYOR THE

Dec. 9, 2016

By PO1 Alan Gragg

THEnewONES gw first class mess welcomes new po1S

By PO2 Alora Blosch

sailorsfrocked

aboardussgw 256 sailors promoted during ceremony

By PO2 John Drew

MUSCLEHUSTLE fit boss helps sailors better themselves through fitness

On the cover: Sailors pose for a photo during the frocking ceremony in the hangar bay. (Photo by PO3 Clemente A. Lynch)

By P O 1 A l a n G ra g g

PHOTO of the

THENEWONES

DAY

GW FIRST CLASS MESS WELCOMES NEW PO1S

A

SN Christopher Jackson, from Port St. Lucie, Florida, uses a screwdriver to remove bolts from an F/A-18 launcher. (Photo by SN Oscar Albert Moreno Jr.)

staff Commanding Officer

Executive Officer

Command Master Chief

CAPT Timothy Kuehhas

CDR Colin Day

MCPO James Tocorzic

Public Affairs Officer

Deputy Public Affairs Officer

Media DLCPO

LCDR Gregory L. Flores

LTJG Andrew Bertucci

Editors PO1 Alan Gragg PO2 Jennifer O’Rourke PO3 Kashif Basharat

CPO Mary Popejoy

Content PO2 Alora Blosch PO2 Jessica Gomez PO3 Wyatt Anthony PO3 Devin Bowser PO3 Clemente Lynch

PO3 Michael Wiese SN Jamin Gordon SN Oscar Moreno Jr. SN Julie Vujevich

The Washington Surveyor is an authorized publication for Sailors serving aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73). Contents herein are not the visions of, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding Officer of USS George Washington. All news releases, photos or information for publication in The Washington Surveyor must be submitted to the Public Affairs Officer (7726).

*For comments and concerns regarding The Washington Surveyor, email the editor at kashif.basharat@cvn73.navy.mil*

motto shared Fleetwide by first class petty officers is “First there were Firsts,” a tribute to what used to be the highest enlisted rank on ships until chief petty officers came along in 1893.

Now there are 24 more first class petty officers (PO1s) aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). The crew held a frocking ceremony in the ship’s hangar bay the evening of Dec. 8, and members of the ship’s First Class Petty Officers’ Association (FCPOA) welcomed the frockees by giving them a new set of first class rank insignia.

“It’s been humbling and overwhelming,” said newly frocked Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Amstead, of GW’s Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD). “You don’t know how many people really care until you see them and they congratulate you.”

One of the people who congratulated Amstead has known him since he was a third class petty officer in 2010.

“We were in Sigonella, Sicily together, and he was running a work center as a third class,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Edgar Floresalba, Amstead’s leading petty officer in AIMD’s IM-4 division.

“He was TAD there from Florida, and I was surprised to see him leading a work center, both because he was TAD and being just a third class. He could have said he didn’t want to do it, but he saw the need for leadership and he took it.”

Before the ceremony, the FCPOA held a meeting to welcome the new first class petty officers.

“I was very happy to get him into the mess,” said Floresalba about Amstead.

“I knew he was going to get it this time because last time he barely missed it. I knew this was the cycle he was going to smoke the test and make it. He’s been well prepared and is ready to be a first class.”

PO1 Rachel Ryan, president of GW’s First Class Petty Officers’ Association, presents first class crows to newly frocked Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Smith. (Photo by PO2 Kris R. Lindstrom)

Amstead has been in the Navy for 10 years now, and said he hopes to continue learning from the First Class Mess and anyone else he encounters.

“You can learn from the newest checkin, and you can learn from a four, five, six-year first class,” said Amstead. “You can learn something from anybody. You just have to keep an open mind, and being a leader, that’s what you have to do.”

For newly selected Petty Officer 1st Class Paige Smith, the promotion has changed her outlook on her Navy career.

“I’m in it for the long run now,” said Smith. “I was through the door on my way out of the Navy. I saw this as a sign that I’m meant to be here, and now I’m looking at staying in the Navy, going to shore duty, and I’m going to try to keep pushing on the track I’m on now.”

Shortly after the selection results were announced on Nov. 23, GW’s FCPOA professional development committee began training the new frockees on what life as a first class petty officer is all about.

“We try to take our collective

knowledge as a mess and empower our junior Sailors, and prepare them for future leadership positions,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Travis Raney, a member of the professional development committee. “As a first class, you’re looked at as a chief-in-waiting. You’re assuming more responsibility and you move to a more hands-off, supervisory role.”

Raney gave advice to all the new PO1s about how to handle the pressures of their new position.

“To every new leader I talk with, I try to stress integrity, honesty and humility,” said Raney. “You have to have those three things so your junior Sailors can trust you. It’s important the new First Classes know that as a mess, it’s a team effort, and we’re here to support each other.”

The crew’s PO1s will continue to mentor and guide their own newly frocked petty officers, instilling mottos like “First there were Firsts” as these new leaders become more familiar with everything that comes with wearing a third chevron.

By P O 2 A l o ra B l o s c h

SAILORSFROCKED

ABOARDUSSGW 256 PETTY OFFICERS PROMOTED DURING CEREMONY

Sailors pose for a photo in the hangar bay with their frocking letters after the ceremony. (Photo by PO3 Wyatt L. Anthony)

Sailors stand at attention during the frocking ceremony in the hangar bay. (Photo by PO3 Clemente A. Lynch)

C

apt.

Timothy Kuehhas, commanding officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), individually frocked and congratulated 256 Sailors to the next pay grade during a ceremony in the hangar bay.

The crew welcomed 23 new first classes, 85 new second classes, and 141 new third classes, as well as 7 Sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

The ceremony allows frocked Sailors to assume the duties and responsibilities of their selected rank before receiving the allotted pay and benefits. The appointment carries with it the obligation

that Sailors exercise increased authority and willingness to accept greater responsibility.

“Most commands, when the advancement results come out, they are happy to make maybe 20, we have about 300,” said Capt. Timothy Kuehhas, George Washington’s commanding officer. “Awesome job everybody. I know everyone is waiting to advance so let’s do it.”

Navy advancement is based on a combination of Sailors’ evaluations reflecting their accomplishments throughout the year and an examination focused primarily on their job knowledge.

Sailors also have the opportunity to

earn points if they have passed the exam before, but were not selected for advancement, or if they have received personal awards or college degrees.

“I work hard at my job,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Aben. “This helps elevate this feeling of success. But all in all, I put myself into a rate that I love and it just so happened to have decent advancement.”

George Washington is slated to enter the yards for refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) maintenance next year and will not be out to sea for over three years.

This is the last opportunity the GW will have to frock Sailors out to sea until after the maintenance period is completed.

A total of 256 Sailors donned new rank for the frocking ceremony in the hangar bay. (Photo by PO3 Clemente A. Lynch)

Sailors stand at attention during the frocking ceremony in the hangar bay.

(Photo by PO3 Clemente A. Lynch)

Capt. Timothy Kuehhas, GW’s commanding officer presents Sailors with a frocking letter during the ceremony. (Photo by PO3 Clemente A. Lynch)

Sailors stand at attention during the frocking ceremony in the hangar bay.

(Photo by PO3 Clemente A. Lynch)

muscle hustle FIT BOSS HELPS SAILORS BETTER THEMSELVES THROUGH FITNESS

By PO2 John Drew

I

n the gyms aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) weights clatter and thrum as they slide onto the barbell over the

heads of apprehensive Sailors, the rhythmic tatter of feet on a treadmill fill the opposite corner of the room.

Meanwhile, in the hangar bay, sweat is

quickly wicked away by a breeze from the open elevator doors that seem to simultaneously relieve and invigorate anyone brave enough to endure a

workout led by the warship’s Fit Boss.

Sailors aboard GW have multiple fitness services available to them provided by Nathan Owen, GW’s own Afloat Fitness Specialist, or Fit Boss.

“When I was first interviewing for the position of Fit Boss, I took a tour of [USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75)],” said Owen. “I first saw the exercise facilities and it looked like a bunch of equipment was just jammed in there, I thought ‘this looks tricky, but I can make it work.’”

Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Kerr recounts his first attempts to exercise after arriving aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) (TR) in 2015 as well as his discovery that exercise doesn’t only happen in a crowded gym.

“I arrived about a month into TR’s deployment, and I was in pretty good shape and wanted to keep it up,” said Kerr. “When I walked into one of the gyms it was just packed, I couldn’t even stand in a spot much less attempt to workout. After a while I started giving up on working out and I think it showed. My mood changed, I felt

grumpier and more exhausted all the time. One time when walking through the hangar bay I saw a pretty large group of Sailors performing deadlifts and all these other exercises. I ran, got changed and joined them. I found out soon after that all of these sessions are run by the Fit Boss and it ended up making deployment and life, honestly, much more enjoyable.”

Owen brings with him more than a decade of experience as a personal trainer to each and every Sailor he helps.

“Even after working out constantly I hit a plateau pretty quickly so I figured I must be doing something wrong,” said Kerr. “I called up Fit Boss and asked him for some advice. He sat down with me to set up an exercise plan and helped me out with what food to eat, what not to eat. He even checked my form to make sure I was doing the exercises properly.”

“It was a way harder workout outright,” Kerr laughed as he recalled the challenges presented by the new exercises. “I am very thankful for that though, I can carry that advice with

me for life.”

As GW comes closer to entering a yard period, Sailors may wonder how many of these services will still be available.

“Things are going to change a bit when we get over there,” said Owen.

“I’m going to be relocated to Huntington Hall, but I will be there early in the morning to run departmental physical training or if anybody shoots me an email I can still meet with them and provide nutrition plans, exercise plans and an exercise evaluation.”

With the many opportunities available to Sailors to get fit and stay fit, excuses, crowded gyms and apprehension may soon shift to a thing of the past.

Fit Boss’ next scheduled event is an event called “Pull Santa’s Sleigh” on Dec. 9-10. The event is just like it sounds, except the sleigh is a 10,000-pound tractor pulled by teams of five or fewer. The event on Dec. 10 will feature individual Sailors pulling a 5,000-pound tractor.

Contact Fit Boss for more details at x7769.

Nathan Owen, left, assists as SN Carlos Arevalo sets up his bike. (Photo by PO3 Kashif Basharat)

Nathan Owen, GW’s Fit Boss, leads a fitness class in the hangar bay. (Photo by PO3 Devin Bowser)

Fit Boss leads a fitness class in the hangar bay. (Photo by PO3 Devin Bowser)

Nathan Owen performs a kettlebell exercise in the hangar bay.

(Photo by SN Jamin Gordon)

underway

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Dec. 9th 2016

Dec. 10th 2016

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CVN Department: Dental

MAZE

GAMES CROSSWORD

Favorite Sports Team: L.A. Dodgers Hobbies: Playing her saxophone, working out and riding her dirt bike

HARD SUDOKU SUDOKU Department: CRMD Favorite Sports Team: New York Rangers Hobbies: Skateboarding, surfing and MMA