WASHINGTON SURVEYOR THE
May 9, 2017
By MC3 Jacob Goff
whatiwishi knewthen Veterans share their experiences By MC3 Carter Denton
GWconducts
drills
By MCSA Julie Vujevich
keepingupwith
thefitness staying fit outside of PRT season
On the cover: (May 4, 2017) DC3 Thaddeus Malone watches the perimeter of the ship’s FAF during an anti-terrorism training team evolution involving an active shooter drill. (Photo by MC3 Anna Van Nuys).
PHOTO of the DAY
(May 4, 2017) Sailors on the security reaction force enter the FAF during an during an anti-terrorism training team evolution involving an active shooter drill. (Photo by MC3 Anna Van Nuys)
The Washington Surveyor Commanding Officer
Executive Officer
Command Master Chief
CAPT Timothy Kuehhas
CDR Colin Day
CMDCM James Tocorzic
Public Affairs Officer
Deputy PAO
Media DLCPO
Media LPO
LCDR Gregory L. Flores
LTJG Andrew Bertucci
MCC Mary Popejoy
MC1 Alan Gragg
Staff
Editors MC2 Jennifer O’Rourke MC3 Kashif Basharat MCSA Julie Vujevich
MC2 Alora Blosch MC2 Jessica Gomez MC2 Kris Lindsrton MC2 Bryan Mai MC2 Jules Stobaugh
MC3 Devin Bowser MC3 Carter Denton MC3 Joshua DuFrane MC3 Jacob Goff MC3 Shayla Hamilton
MC3 Brian Sipe MC3 Anna Van Nuys MC3 Michael E. Wiese MCSN Jamin Gordon MCSN Alan Lewis
MCSN Oscar Moreno MCSN Kristen Yarber
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*
WHATIWISH IKNEWTHEN:
Veterans Share Their Experiences By MC3 Jacob Goff
“I
remember in ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) we were doing an exercise moving troops around on a table,” said George Reynolds, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. “When it was my turn to move the troops, I couldn’t decide which way to move the troops. Our professor of military science said ‘Make a decision. Do something, even
himself. His first lesson: Do something, even if it’s wrong. “It’s like a ship in the harbor,” said Reynolds. “You can turn the wheel all you want, but you won’t go anywhere until you get underway. If it isn’t the right move, you’ll get correction and do it right the next time.” He spent a year in the Vietnam during the war as a supply officer and got mar-
learn by doing. As soon as the baby was born, we just loved her. Two years later, we were expecting again and I thought “will I have enough love to share with the next one?” I learned that your ability to love expands, and we wound up having five children.” It was after his 12-years on active duty that Reynolds and his wife had their fifth child. By then, his confidence had grown enough that instead of nervousness, he felt excitement. “[My wife] was very upset, so she broke the news to me gently,” said Reynolds. “I figured, what’s one more person? What’s one more mouth to feed? We can handle it! That confidence has grown as we’ve raised our children.” In turn, raising children helped Reynolds through his Army career. “I always tried to set a good example for my kids to follow,” said Reynolds. “I wanted to always do the best I could do in the Army, and I wanted to instill that in my kids, too.” The Army played a massive role in making Reynolds the man he is today. Because of that, he urges others to serve their country. “There’s nothing wrong with being in the military. In fact, I recommend it to anybody,” said Reynolds. “You can grow and mature in the military, whether you make it a career or just for six years.”
“I always tried to set a good example for my kids to follow,” said Reynolds. “I wanted to always do the best I could do in the Army, and I wanted to instill that in my kids, too.” - George Reynolds if it’s wrong.’” Reynolds was commissioned as an Army 2nd Lt. in 1967. He felt it was his duty as an American to serve his country, but he also had other motives in mind. He wanted more confidence in
ried when he returned to the states in 1970. His confidence was put to the test when his wife became pregnant with their first son. “I thought ‘I’m not sure I know how to do this!,’” said Reynolds. “But you
Taking steps with sure footing does not build confidence; moving forward on uncertain ground does. Like many of Reynolds mentors said throughout his career, do something even if you’re not sure it’s the right move.
(May 4, 2017) Sailors assigned to the stretcher bearer team prepare to move an injured Sailor during a mass-casualty drill. (Photo by MC3 Anna Van Nuys)
GWCONDUCTS
ACTIVESHOOTER, MASSCASUALTYDRILLS GW conducts active shooter, mass casualty drills
T
By MC3 Carter Denton
he aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) conducted an active shooter drill leading to a mass casualty drill aboard the Floating Accomodation Facility (FAF) on Pier 12 of Naval Station Norfolk May 4. An active shooter will often lead to a mass casualty situation, so George Washington’s Security and Medical departments came togeth-
er to train. The drills began with an active shooter, a disgruntled security member who shot the FAF brow sentry and the FAF Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD,) then went into the galley and injured 15 more Sailors. “The goal for Security was to assess our watchstanders and our Primary and Secondary Reaction
Force in their tactical team movements, their knowledge of the Deadly Force Triangle and their ability to apply that knowledge in a drill setting,” said Master at Arms 2nd Class Ryan Adamson. It is important for a security force to maintain it’s readiness to respond to an emergency situation, which is why George Washington conducts drills such as Active Shooter and Mass Casualty. “Our team moved well together,” said Adamson. “They knew how to communicate with eachother and the Anti-Terrorism Tactical Watch
(May 4, 2017) Sailors Sailors assigned to the security reaction force advance toward the FAF during an active shooter drill. (Photo by MC3 Anna Van Nuys)
(May 4, 2017) DC3 Thaddeus Malone apprehends a suspect during an active shooter drill. . (Photo by MC3 Anna Van Nuys)
Officer (ATTWO) and they were able to apply deadly force in a reasonable amount of time and justify the use of deadly force.” Once Security’s job was complete, it was time for Medical to respond to the casualties caused by the active shooter. If this were a real Mass Casualty situation, the lives of 18 Sailors would depend on Medical’s fast and effective response. “A mass casualty drill is to ensure that we, as a ship, can handle an emergency situation,” said Cmdr. Nathan Brezovic, the George Washington Ship’s Nurse at the time of the drill. The drill put the Medical department’s capabilities to the test to ensure they could handle an emergency situation of this caliber.
(May 4, 2017) Sailors on the medical training team (MTT), speak about what to do with an injured Sailor during a mass-casualty drill. (Photo by MC3 Anna Van Nuys)
“In this environment, with the small medical group and specialists that we have aboard, a casualty of five to 10 people would overwhelm our medical capabilities,” said Brezovic. “We ran 18 casualties.” The goal of Medical is to save as many Sailors as possible in a short amount of time. “We’ll set up triage and figure out how seriously they are injured and if they need to be cared for immediately or if another victim needs our attention more,” said Brezovic. “The goal is to get a plan together to properly treat the most patients in the least amount of time.” Due to the severity of the wounds, most of the Sailors would need more treatment than Medical can offer aboard the FAF, but Medical has a plan for that.
“The drill was set up to be an active shooter, which gives us penetrating trauma, and we don’t have surgical capabilities on the FAF, so we get our resources together to get the bleeding stopped, airway protected and get them off the scene as quickly as possible to the nearest trauma center,” said Brezovic. The drill demonstrated proper procedures for both departments in the active shooter and masscasualty drill. The active shooter was neutralized by security with the appropriate amount of force and once the scene was cleared Medical responded quickly and effectively to the 18 casualties. To learn more, please visit https://cnic.navy. mil/om/operating _forces_support/ t rai n i ng _ and _ readi ness/ant i_terrorism_training.html.
FAQsABOUTPCS By MCSN Oscar Moreno
T
he Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) performs their duties with honor, courage and commitment. However, these Sailors do not stay at the George Washington or any other duty station their entire career. After an allotted period of time at any command, they transfer to a different duty station through the process known as Pernament Change of Station (PCS). Sailors who have received orders are eligible to start their PCS process by going to George Washington’s Personnel department. “Whenever a Sailor has received their orders, we send them an email to come to us,” said Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Nicholas Jones. “We encourage Sailors to come to us for any issues that may arise to make sure the PCS process goes as smooth as possible.” Sailors are required to have a packet with their updated emerency contacts, Service Member Group Life Insurance, a Transfer Information Sheet (TIS), a check-out sheet, a transfer evalution report, and a copy of their orders to their next command. Once the service member has
turned in and updated their information through Personnel, the service member is in a pending status, this is when they are encouraged to start their check-out process. “The process for PCS takes time, and procrastion can lead to Sailors unable to leave on their transfer date,” said Jones. “It’s imperative that Sailors get a running start when it comes to transferring off the ship.” Some issues that Sailors run into is asking for travel advancements, government funds used to assist Sailors in travel needs, months ahead of their travel date. “What we don’t want Sailors to run
into is getting the travel advancements and spending it before their transition to their next duty station,” said Jones. “That’s why Sailors can only receive their travel advancements 10 days before their transfer date.” No matter what incidents or issues Sailors run into, Personnel is ready to assist so Sailors have a stress free PCS move. “I had absolutely no issues when it came to transferring,” said Quartermaster Seaman Katherine Knipple. “They helped me fill out my TIS and my check-out sheet and soon I’ll be on my way to my next command.”
(May 8, 2017) PSSN Ryan Fain assists QMSN Katherine Knipple with her check-out process from GW. (Photo by MC3 Oscar Moreno)
NAVY NEWS
Navy Announces Effort to Modernize its Performance Evaluation System From Chief of Naval Public Affairs
(April 17, 2017) Pre-commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Sailors man the rails as the ship pulls in to Norfolk after conducting builder’s sea trials.. (Photo by Seaman Gitte Schirrmacher)
W
ASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy announced Sunday that an effort is underway to replace its current performance evaluation system with a new, modern one. “While NAVFIT 98 has worked for many years, we believe that it is time to develop a different system to measure Sailors’ performance,” said Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke. “Our reason for making this change is three-fold. First, we want a system that provides more meaningful, frequent and useful feedback to Sailors. Second, we want to objectively measure Sailors’ performance. Third, we want to remove artificialities in our current system, such as the tendency of reporting seniors to rate individuals by seniority rather than talent.” The Navy’s goal is to test a conceptual prototype platform later this fall while running the existing performance evaluation system in parallel.
“The Navy’s current system was conceived, developed and implemented in 1996, and there has not been a major overhaul since,” said Commander, Navy Personnel Command Rear Adm. Rich Brown. “Transforming the way we measure Sailors’ performance will ultimately provide better transparency, counseling opportunities and a more accurate assessment of an individual’s talent. Our Sailors deserve a modern evaluation system and we are working to develop it as quickly as possible.” The Navy has outlined an initial concept for a system that meets the following objectives: •
•
Measure an individual’s performance through standards-based objective measures Tailor reports and counseling objectives to paygrade /seniority and experience (e.g. E1-E3; E4-E6; O1-O2; O3-O4; O5-O6)
• Remove forced distribution competitive categories • Enable formal and informal counseling that is both meaningful and frequent • Include warfare communities’ specific-objective measures • Provide accountability, feedback and control mechanisms on reporting seniors’ performance grades • Enhance talent matching aspects of counseling and formal reports • Simplify reporting senior and counselor completion by allowing cloud-based/mobile device input Navy Personnel Command began leading fleet-wide working groups in mid-April to discuss the development and implementation of a new system. “This change is not going to occur overnight,” Burke said. “We have a lot of work to do, and will partner closely with the fleet every step of the way. Rest assured that no one will be disadvantaged as we implement a new system. As we go forward, you can continue to expect a lot of discussion and we’ll give you plenty of notice before any changes are made. Please make your voices heard and take part in our fleet focus groups that will travel to your home ports this summer and fall. Additionally, you have a direct line to me via email at usnpeople. fct@navy.mil. We need your help to get this right.” For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel, visit www.navy.mil/local/ cnp/.
CVN MAZE
GAMES CROSSWORD
HARD SUDOKU SUDOKU