The
Official
Magazine
of
USS
MAKIN
ISLAND
(LHD
8)
ATI AROUND THE ISLAND
U
ni
TH E
ST U
FF
t St ed T e B el B hro ap u ti eac gh sm h R at Pic ead Se ni in g a c
IN
G
DECEMBER 2014
CAPT Alvin Holsey CAPT Jon Rodgers Command Master Chief: CMDCM(SW/AW) Thomas Moore
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LCDR Michael L. Smith Deputy PAO: MCC(AW/EXW) Bradley Sapp Media LCPO: MCC(SW/AW) Adam Vernon Lead Editor/ Quality Control: MC1(SW) Corwin Colbert Layout Editor: MC3 Dennis Grube
MC1(SW/AW/SCW) Ronald Gutridge MC2(SW/AW) Lawrence Davis MC2 (SW) Christopher Lindahl MC3 Robin Peak
AROUND THE ISLAND is an authorized publication for the crew member of USS Makin Island (LHD 8). Contents herein are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding edited, prepared and provided by the MKI media division. All news releases, photos or information for publication in AROUND THE clarity, brevity and conformance to style. The submission.
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MASTER CHIEF’S CORNER AVCM (AW/SW) Joy S. McGill
BAPTISM AT SEA A Dip in the Red Sea! IRON CHEF Can You Take the Heat? FUN RUN Turkey Trot 5k HOLIDAY SPREAD A MKI Thanksgiving STEEL BEACH PICNIC MKI Unwinds on Deployment NEVER WALK ALONE: PART ONE One Sailor’s Story of Coming Back From the Brink CFL REMINDER Bodyweight Alternatives for Deadlifts
Master Chief’s Corner This month’s contributor: AVCM (AW/SW) JOY S. MCGILL
Do you believe that good coaches always produce winning teams? In leadership it is important to understand how accountability, discipline, praise, and respect affect ones ability to manage winning teams. This article will cover techniques learned and utilized by good leaders as well as good coaches. Leadership is the art of inspiring people to follow and win on and off the field. Leaders are also followers accountable for accomplishing tasks to meet the mission. Like coaches, good leaders want their team members to perform at the top of their game, take responsibility for their actions, and reach their full potential. To accomplish this, it is important for all parties to be accountable for their actions. Lead by example; leaders that expect members to be on time to work should not be late for work. Members who make a commitment to accomplish a task have an obligation to uphold their word by doing what they said they would do. It is also important for leaders to make expectations clear with consequences in place if the rules aren’t followed. Holding people accountable and being accountable for ones own actions are parallel in good leadership. Coaches and players must have the discipline to follow through on expectations and live up to the rules that have been established. When team members are self-disciplined and have good work ethic, competitiveness, and ambition the individuals have a good attitude, do their work efficiently, and exhibit high morale. Individual performance can impact the success of the entire team but it takes the whole team to produce the desired result to complete the mission. Leaders must enforce the rules, regulations, and procedures in an organization, allowing a member to push the boundaries can make each individual less productive. In welldisciplined units, members do the right thing because they want to. Behaviors that are positively reinforced will be repeated. Those that don’t, will not. Through praise, leaders can bring out the best in their team members. Positive feedback and public recognition will empower members and build self-reliance and confidence. When members feel good about their abilities and what they bring to the team it becomes contagious and encourages creativity, innovation and collaboration. Praise in public gives added recognition to the member and inspires others to do well in hopes of being recognized. Good leaders inspire through positive reinforcement and avoid ego based, fear driven and reactive behavior. Refer to the “Golden Rule” treat others the way you want to be treated. Leaders are responsible for creating an environment of mutual respect that fosters cooperation and encourages a positive work environment. Members who respect each other are more inclined to collaborate and stimulate productivity, top performance, and quality work. Following universal fundamentals of protocol are demonstrations of respect. Whenever the Captain, Executive Officer, or other senior officer approaches an area a member should call out “attention on deck.” When transiting a passageway members should give way to more senior personnel. While addressing the crew via the 1MC, it is out of respect that members stop and listen to the announcement being made by the CO or XO. Courtesies followed are reflections of learned behaviors through good leadership. This article covered techniques learned and utilized by good leaders as well as good coaches. In leadership it is important to understand how accountability, discipline, praise, and respect affect ones ability to manage winning teams. As stated by legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, “Leaders are made, they are not born”.
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BAPTISM AT SEA Photos and story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robin W. Peak, USS Makin Island Public Affairs Twenty-seven Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) took advantage of a unique opportunity for deployed service members as they received a baptism-at-sea in the Christian faith, Nov. 21. Conducting baptisms aboard Navy ships is a tradition that dates back several hundred years to the British Royal Navy, where baptisms were carried out in foreign ports, or for infants born at sea. The sacrament of baptism is the first stride in a lasting journey of commitment and discipleship in one’s chosen faith. The significance of this event will be recognized as extra special because it was conducted with water from the Red Sea. This was the first time a baptism-at-sea ceremony was held aboard the Makin Island in the ship’s history. To safely conduct this historical event, the Wasp-class ship filled her ballasts with water from the Red Sea and then flooded approximately three feet of that water in to the well deck prior to the ceremony. “These kinds of opportunities are very rare,” said Cmdr. Timothy Moore, Makin Island’s command chaplain. “The well deck was filled with water from the Red Sea which holds huge significance in the Christian faith. According to scripture, this was where Moses parted the waters and led the Israelites away from Pharos’s rule.” Each service member partaking in the event picked which denomination they wanted to be baptized in. Them, as well as many other service members observing, gathered on the ramp in the well deck and waited with anticipation for the time honored ceremony to begin. “We had Catholics and many other denominations as well take part,”
said Moore. As the Makin Island choir performed traditional hymns, one by one, service members walked down the ramp in to the water and were baptized by Moore and other chaplains aboard Makin Island. Each time, the crowd observing from the ramp cheered as each showed emotion and glory after they had just publically proclaimed their faith. Chief Aviation Ordnanceman James A. Henry, from Fayette, Alabama, was one of the volunteers helping the chaplains baptize the service members. “It was a real team effort across the board,” said Henry. “We had both Navy and Marine chaplains and religious programs specialists on both sides helping out to make this event possible.” Among the service members that were baptized was Aerographer’s Mate 2nd Class Alexa May, from Clearlake, California. “There aren’t many words,” said May. “To be baptized for the first time, here, where we are, is something that I wouldn’t have been able to experience anywhere else.” “Many of the service members will move on from this command and forget my name, maybe even forget the ports we stopped at,” said Moore, “but I truly believe that this unique event is something that they will take with them for the rest of their lives, and it was one of the most amazing experiences I have been a part of.”
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Photo and story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Lawrence Davis, Makin Island
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Battalion Landing Team, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, also shared his thoughts. “The competition highlights people’s talents and brings us all together to prepare foods, which is something we all like to do,” said Caballero. Cajun chicken was the recipe Culinary Specialist Seaman Stephen Williams and his team decided on. As they went about sprinkling seasonings and preparing sidedish vegetables, Williams said he was looking forward to seeing what each of the teams would bring to the table. “It’s not only a competition,” said Williams. “I look at it as a chance to learn new techniques and recipes as well as how others plate and garnish their entrées.” As time expired, the teams gave their entrées final garnishing touches and presented to the awaiting judges; Makin Island’s Commanding Officer Capt. Alvin Holsey, Executive Officer Capt. Jon Rodgers, Command Master Chief Thomas Moore, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Sgt. Maj. Troy Black, and Makin Island Sailor of the Year Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class David Dysart. Judges graded the teams on taste, presentation, and creativity. “The food was delicious,” said Holsey. “It was a great job by all, and I am very proud of all the teams.” As the event concluded, the competition winners were announced and presented with first, second, and third place wooden engraved plaques. First place was earned by Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Juan Villareal and Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Andrea Buckhamjack. Second place was awarded to Cpl. Andrelous Lockett, Cpl. Mark Caballero, and Lance Cpl. William Banks, from the embarked 11th MEU. Third place winners were Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Eric Kapfhamer, Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Simon Riley, and Culinary Specialist Seaman Aaron Simon. Command Master Chief Moore gave his remarks about the overall benefit of the competition. “These competitions are great,” said Moore. “Any competition onboard this ship where Sailors and Marines have the opportunity to win awards for showcasing their talents is always a great thing for morale.” Culinary specialists aboard Makin Island help ensure proper nutrition for a crew of more than 2,300 Sailors and Marines through serving approximately 7,000 meals a day.
he aroma of garlic, sautéed onions and peppers, paprika and freshly squeezed lemons permeated the atmosphere in the galley aboard amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), Nov. 16. Several teams of Navy and Marine Corps food service specialists scurried about artistically piecing together creative entrees within the allotted hour and judging for the ship’s first “Iron Chef” competition was underway. Makin Island’s food service specialists were challenged to prepare an entrée including the secret ingredient of chicken breasts, which was revealed at the start of the competition, and two side-dishes of their choice to be judged by the ship’s senior chain of command. “We wanted to do something different and fun for our culinary specialists,” said Chief Culinary Specialist (SW/AW) Maria Sardono, Makin Island’s food service division leading chief petty officer. “We know they are creative but don’t get the opportunity very often to showcase their talents in day to day operations.” Sailors and Marines divided into five teams and decided on themes and recipes to present for the competition. Makin Island Sailors Culinary Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Juan Villareal, from Torrance, California, and Culinary Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Andrea Buckhamjack, a native of New York City, teamed up and decided on a theme of “Bon Appétit.” Together they prepared a series of three dishes, each including a recipe from a different part of the world. “Our first dish is a Latin flavor called Lomo Sadado,” said Villareal as he and Buckhamjack scrambled to finish preparing their creations in time. “The second dish is Chinese chicken lettuce wraps and our third is Hawaiian flavored coconut shrimp tempura.” Buckhamjack explained their theme and choices for recipes. “Bon appétit is French for ‘enjoy your meal,’” said Buckhamjack. “I love the diversity in cooking different foods and tasting different recipes.” Lance Cpl. William Banks, assigned to the embarked Battalion Landing Team 21, shared his opinion of the competition as he and two other Marines prepped their Italian chicken themed entrée. “This is judgment day for me,” said Banks with a smile. “I’m tired of other cooks onboard thinking they can cook better than me and it’s time to prove I’m the best.” Banks’ team member Cpl. Mark Caballero, assigned to the embarked
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TURKEY TROT
5K
Photo and story by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dennis Grube, USS Makin Island Public Affairs Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) participated in the “Turkey Trot 5K” fun run on the flight deck, Nov. 27. The ship’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) team hosted the event on Thanksgiving as a way to bring everyone together while the ship is deployed over the holidays. “The purpose of these runs is to promote fitness and camaradeship,” said Kristen Venoy, the ship’s Fun Boss. “They like to do the runs because of the group camaraderie.” With many of the Makin Island service members away from their families over the holidays for the first time, the ship’s MWR team works hard to balance home and work inside the lifelines.. “The significance of the holidays is to remind them of the bigger picture,” said Venoy. “We’re out here on a mission, but it doesn’t mean we can’t stop to take time to celebrate. We are each other’s family right now so we want to keep each other motivated, boost morale and have fun pictures to share with loved ones at home so they know we are alright out here.” “Having these events over the holidays is very important because even though we may be deployed we can still do things that bring us closer to home, and these events give our minds and bodies a break from the hard work that everyone does on the ship,” added Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Robert Park. Despite the overcast day, the temperature still blanketed the flight deck with plenty of humidity. The MWR volunteers were ready to help their fellow shipmates with plenty of water and orange slices as they crossed the finish line. “It’s fitness, fun and a time to relax with our friends and cheer each other on,” said Venoy. “Especially on Thanksgiving, it allows us to burn some calories before we take in a whole lot more.” “We don’t have our families here with us, so it’s great to have our friends around to spend Thanksgiving with us,” said Sgt. Donna Klunder, attached to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. MWR plans to continue holding 5K runs for the crew each month for the remainder of deployment including themed runs for Christmas, New Year’s and a final event to wrap up the deployment on the way home. 5
HALFWAY 1/2 MARATHON
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THANKS
SGIVING
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his is the first article in a four-part series about a Navy petty officer who came
close to taking his own life but did not do so, thanks to the intervention of his leadership and the use of support networks, and how he continues to brave his battle with alcoholism and depression. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Thompson, a mass communication specialist, is an instructor at a joint command in Maryland. He began his journey in Detroit as the child of a mother and stepfather who were drug users. He suffered physical and emotional trauma, he said, and his mother repeatedly told him he was a liar and a cheater, that he was stupid, and that life was only going to get worse. Because of this, Thompson said he first thought of suicide when he was eight years old, and he attempted it when he was nine. While living with his mother could be challenging, Thompson said his father fought for custody and was a positive influence in his life. “My father was and remains my best friend,” he said. “Unfortunately, given Michigan’s legal processes at the time and my mother and stepfather’s unified efforts, I was terrified to speak out against them, and my father simply could not get any legal recourse. “Over the course of weekends and holidays,” he continued, “my father and I bonded truly
in 2006, the career field merged into the mass
as a petty officer first class at the time, she was
as a parent and child should. We continue an
communication specialist rating.
the lead petty officer of 10 mass communication
excellent dialogue that both nurtures and guides
“My time in the Navy has been adventurous,”
specialists on the ship. The ship would deploy for
while also being a slapstick comedy show. He’s
Thompson said. “It has been bittersweet at times.
six months at a time, and the Sailors would work
one of four people in my entire family I speak to
It has been melancholy and lonely at times. My
12- to 16-hour days.
regularly.”
time in the Navy has been marked by tidal shifts
Choosing Navy service over suicide
of long periods of sustained superior performance
Hubbard said she can describe Thompson in one
and also intense depression, melancholy, [and]
word: “phenomenal.”
loneliness.” Thompson said he thought again about suicide at
“He’s always been a phenomenal worker,” she
18, but decided his best way forward was joining
Senior Chief Petty Officer Misty Hubbard,
added. “We used to tease him all the time [that]
the Navy, and he enlisted July 7, 1998. He began
the Navy element senior enlisted advisor at
he was Superman. Anything that needed to be
his naval career as an undesignated seaman
Thompson’s command, has known him for 11
done well and quickly went to him, because he
aboard guided missile destroyer USS John Paul
years. They first served together aboard USS
could perform like a champ in a pinch. He did
Jones (DDG 53), where he became a boatswain’s
Enterprise (CVN 65) in Norfolk, Virginia, when
great work under pressure -- really enjoyed tight
mate and then a quartermaster. In 2003, he cross-
Thompson was a petty officer third class, and
deadlines,
rated into the journalism career field, and then
joint command, and Hubbard continued providing professional development to Thompson and felt responsible for him. A series of setbacks In 2012, Hubbard said she started noticing a change in Thompson when the chief petty officer promotion board did not select him. “Initially, he took it hard, which is not abnormal -and we sat down and talked about what the factors were that prevented him from getting promoted and what we could focus on in the upcoming year to make him more competitive for promotion,” said Trent. “In my mind, that’s when it started - when he wasn’t selected for promotion.” Not long after that, Thompson broke up with his girlfriend; a relationship she said was one of the healthiest she had seen Thompson in since she had known him. “He didn’t get promoted; the relationship ended; those were two big things that happened within a few months’ span,” she said. “He started oversleeping, showing up unshaven with his uniform not looking its best, and then he missed a duty day. He was behaving out of character. These are the sort of things you see from a junior Sailor who is struggling to adapt to Navy life. This is not what you see all of a sudden from this senior E-6 who’s been in the Navy for 14 years. because adrenaline went up in those kinds of
incredible Sailor [and] worker. “It went from a slip every three or four months to
circumstances. He was always an incredible worker in that regard. The challenge was he
“But every three or four months, you could
a screw-up every other week or every week,” she
wasn’t very good at letting people know when he
guarantee he was going to do something
said. “We verbally counseled him and did written
was overwhelmed or when he had taken too much
impulsive and silly and not well thought out that
counseling to document this stuff to explain to
on his plate.”
was going to result in him getting in trouble,” she
him that these things were going to be factors in
continued. “And he would have to bank on all
his annual performance evaluation. There was just
Hubbard noted that when people are deployed,
the great work he had done up until that point to
no way around it.”
they learn each other’s quirks, and that one of
kind of rescue himself from the situation he would
Thompson’s quirks was that he had a bit of a
get himself in about once a quarter. You could
During this time, Thompson, at age 32, had
temper and would have little “hiccups.”
guarantee that about once a quarter, Thompson
decided he was going to take his life. He said he
was going to do something stupid.”
did not say goodbye to anyone, because he did not want to give away any kind of signs. “I didn’t
“He would have a blow-up but then he would very quickly get control of himself again and pull
Thompson kept in touch with Hubbard and
want an intervention,” he explained. “I didn’t
himself back together,” she said. “And 95 percent
maintained a protegee and mentor relationship
want to cry for help. That wasn’t my interest. That
of the time, he was No. 1, on fire... just [an]
with her. They met back up as instructors at the
wasn’t my goal. My goal was to die. I wanted to die.”
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CFL
REMINDER One-Legged Bodyweight Deadlifts While many weightlifters dismiss this exercise as being too easy, the one-legged bodyweight deadlift is a fantastic way to build strength in your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. If done slowly and with strict attention to detail, performing a dozen or two one-legged bodyweight deadlifts can be a serious challenge even for someone who’s used to moving some heavy metal. They’re also an excellent balance and stability challenge.
Pistol Squats That’s right, the pistol squat is such a well rounded exercise, it can fill in for both squats AND deadlifts. The pistol also requires considerable core strength (that means lower back too, not just abs!) in addition to strong glutes and hamstrings. Of course the pistol is a big time quad exercise as well – you get a lot of “bang” for your buck with pistols!
Levers There are many ways to perform lever holds and they all require a strong back, powerful core and total body control. The elbow lever is typically the easiest for beginners to start with, though the more advanced back lever is especially demanding on the posterior chain. Try pulling into a back lever from the bottom up and tell me it doesn’t feel as hard as deadlifting a bar with twice your bodyweight.
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HOME IS JUST OVER THE
HORIZON