WASHINGTON SURVEYOR THE
Mar. 14, 2017
By MCSN Alan Lewis
guardians
oftheship MasterS-at-armS support ship, protect assets
By Oscar Albert Moreno Jr.
resurrection GW Sailor Brings New Life to Cemeteries Through PhotoS
By MC2 Alora Blosch
LUCKOF
THEIRISH
Brief history of st. Patrick’s day
On the cover: (March 29, 2015) - Security personnel prepare for a drill aboard Washington. (Photo by MC2 Adrienne Powers)
By M C S N A l a n L ew i s
PHOTO of the
GUARDIANSOFTHESHIP
DAY
MASTERS-AT-ARMS PROTECT SHIP, ASSETS
“A
Capt. Timothy Kuehhas, right, and CMC James Tocorzic, left, pose for a photo with the Sailors of the Quarter ABF3 Latoyia Hawkins, second from left, AZ2 Travon Cuffee, center, and IT1 Allison Torres, second from right. (Photo by MC3 Kashif Basharat)
The Washington Surveyor Commanding Officer
Executive Officer
Command Master Chief
CAPT Timothy Kuehhas
CDR Colin Day
CMDCM James Tocorzic
Public Affairs Officer
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Media DLCPO
LCDR Gregory L. Flores
LTJG Andrew Bertucci
Media Production LPO
Editors
MC1 Alan Gragg
MC2 Alora Blosch MC3 Kashif Basharat
fter three weeks I fell in love with the Master-at-Arms (MA) rate,” said Master-at- Arms 1st Class Lindsay Jazwinski, leading petty officer for the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) security department. “I loved learning all the self-defense in “A” school. It made me feel confident and empowered. I learned about the rules of engagement and how I could make a good impact on the law enforcement community. After years of being an MA I still love it and I’m glad I made the decision to stay.” As Jazwinski learned more about the rate and its importance to the Navy, her perspective changed. “I originally did not want to be an MA at first; I wanted to be a f leet Marine Corps Corpsman,” said Jazwinski. “That rate was not available at that time, so my recruiter told me MA is a similar rate because they are both first responders to incidents. So, I figured I would give that a try
not knowing it had anything to do with law enforcement, antiterrorism, and force protection. When I got to MA “A” school I wanted to drop on request because it was not what I expected, but the schoolhouse’s command master chief told me to give it
“...I fell in love with the MA rate... It made me feel confident and empowered.” - MA1 Lindsay Jazwinski
three weeks to see if I would like it.” The MA rating provides the Navy with security specialists who perform antiterrorism, force protection, physical security, and law enforcement duties on land and at sea.
“As an MA, we handle all the security posture on the ship,” said Chief Master-at-Arms Mark Collins, leading chief petty officer for George Washington’s security department. “The biggest thing with being an MA is the feeling of gratitude I get from helping other people. I like to think that my family, friends and everyone aboard the ship knows that they can sleep at night knowing that we have the watch. We are here taking care of business, and making sure everyone is safe going to and from work.” In addition to the appreciation, there are also career benefits Sailors can receive once out of the Navy. “The MA rate is a great opportunity to pursue law enforcement when [Sailors] get out of the Navy,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Fredrick Tanner. “There are a lot of career paths you can take from command investigator, military working dog handling, to driving (law enforcement) boats. If you are interested and it’s something you like, it’s a great rate to get into.”
MCC Mary Popejoy
Staff MC2 Jessica Gomez MC2 Jennifer O’Rourke MC3 Carter Denton MC3 Joshua DuFrane MC3 Jacob Goff
MC3 Michael E. Wiese MCSN Jamin Gordon MCSN Alan Lewis MCSN Oscar Moreno Jr. MCSA 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*
MA1 Robert Millerbernd , left, talks with ABHAN Brendon Edwards through an oleoresin capsium spray training evolution. (Photo by MC3 Clemente A. Lynch)
MA3 Ryan Adams records the accuracy of CSSN Claudia Mazuelos on her target after completing a lowlight handgun course at the Cheatham Annex Small Arms Range. (Photo by MCSN Krystofer Belknap)
Below: Photos captured by MA2 Nicholas Valentino.
resurrection GW Sailor Brings New Life to Cemeteries Through PhotoS
M
aking his way to the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, Master-atArms 2nd Class Nicholas Valentino, from Albany, New York, pulls into the small parking lot and walks towards the myriad of tombstones around him. He drops on his knee to capture low angle pictures before contorting to a different position. After he finishes up his shot, he advances through the cemetery freshly inspired to capture the haunting stillness with his camera. Valentino, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), sees it as an opportunity to bring graveyards to life by photographing cemetery scenes with his iPhone 7S Plus camera phone. “I got this phone mainly because of the camera it has,” said Valen-
by MCSN Oscar Albert Moreno Jr.
tino. “Apple added a new camera feature called portrait mode, which lets you take super focused photos, and they come out pretty sick.” Valentino has gone to different states, such as New York, Louisiana, New Orleans, and the District of Columbia, to photograph different cemeteries. “It’s pretty relaxing in places like this,” said Valentino. “A lot of people usually get scared of the concept of dead people so it’s a real low-traffic place, which is perfect for me. There’s less noise and people to deal with.” Valentino is building his portfolio on social media. His Instagram account has over 900 followers, and people are constantly asking him how he gets these fantastic shots. “They’ll ask me question like what settings my photo is at, or what kind
of camera I own,” said Valentino. “They’re usually surprised when I don’t have a professional camera or when I don’t know about half the settings they mention. I just take a photo of things I think look cool. Pretty simple stuff.” One of his goals as a photographer is to have a picture of every presidential tombstone. So far he has one of James Monroe, Ulysses S. Grant, George Washington, John F. Kennedy and Chester A. Arthur. “There’s only up to two presidents in one graveyard,” said Valentino. “I’m planning it out so that in six months, I will have traveled around the states and complete this collection of mine.” While he strives to finish his goal, he’ll be bound to take more photos that he seemingly brings to life through his photography.
brief history of the Irish holiday By MC2 Alora Blosch
S
t. Patrick’s Day is a day where everyone is “Irish”. The streets are a mass of green and “Kiss me I’m Irish” shirts. Many Americans gather on March 17 to celebrate Irish heritage with shamrocks and green beer, while wearing leprechaun hats, but where does this celebration come from? According to Ireland.com, St. Patrick was captured from Wales and taken to Ireland as a slave. He spent his days herding sheep. As the days went on, he discovered Christianity and became very devout in his beliefs. When he had the opportunity to escape and return to Wales after six years of slavery, he actually returned to Ireland. God had spoken to him in a dream, telling St. Patrick to spread the Christianity to the country’s people. St. Patrick was often known for removing the snakes that plagued Ireland, however the snakes were a metaphor for removing the pagan’s beliefs from Ireland and essentially converting the entire country to Christianity. His conversion left such an impact of the Irish, that a barn was donated to him to be used for services and housing. A commemorative church stands in its place with a statue of St. Patrick next to it. The site is called Saul’s church. Although Irish genealogy estimates St. Patrick died on March 17, 461, the holiday wasn’t celebrated until the 1700s. St. Patrick’s Day was a religious feasting holiday for people to
celebrate the changes that he made in the country, but also the upcoming spring and farming weather. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the holiday shifted from a religious holiday to a celebratory holiday in Ireland. Up until that point, pubs were closed on March 17. St. Patrick’s Day became a day where lent was lifted, which is hypothesized to be the cause of it morphing into a drinking holiday in America. According to History.com, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York City in 1762, though there is some debate about whether New York or Boston was the first. The parade in New York began when Irish soldiers in Britain’s Army began marching down the streets celebrating their Irish heritage. The first parade in Ireland was in Dublin in 1975. One of the most iconic aspects of St. Patrick’s Day is the emerald green that is showcased from clothing to beer, and even the Chicago River. St. Patrick was recognized by a light shade of blue until the late 18th century when Ireland had its movement for independence. Green was also associated because of the Irish flag and its green fields with the occasional fairy tree. Ireland was, and continues to be, a magically inclined country. They used to believe fairies had various ways to transit between worlds. The most popular locations for these portals were gravesites and fairy trees. Fairy trees have omens surrounding them with stories of bad luck following those
who cause damage or cut down the trees. These trees are easily identified due to their isolation in field or next to roads. During construction, workers would be so apprehensive about damaging the trees that they would build roads that would go around the trees, and farmers would leave the trees in the middle of their fields out of fear that their crops would fail otherwise. The Irish even used to wear old shoes to their weddings out of fear the fairies would steal the newlyweds and take them to the magical land of Tir na n’Og. Fairies were often aligned with leprechauns in the Irish folklore. Leprechauns were mischievous and grumpy cobblers for the fairies. They earned their gold making a repairing shoes which is why they were so protective of it. In an article from the Christian Science Monitor, St. Patrick’s revelers thought that wearing green would make you invisible to the leprechauns. Leprechauns would run around pinching anyone they could see, so people began pinching each other when they weren’t in green to remind them of the mischievous leprechauns. St. Patrick’s Day has a rich history and many interpretations as it has morphed over time to how it’s celebrated today. It showcases Irish heritage which also happens to be a common ancestry in America, second only to Germany. It’s a day to celebrate, wear green and indulge responsibly in green beer with good company and high spirits.
Cont’d on next page
CVN MAZE
GAMES CROSSWORD
HARD SUDOKU SUDOKU