FEBRUARY 05, 2014
USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) VOL 5 ISSUE 06
African-American History, Navy Pride
The Office Life: The MCPON’s Role
A Long Time Coming:
ICCM ForWho One Loved the Sea
by MC2 Brent Pyfrom
African-American History, Navy Pride PG 2
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Elizabeth Eckford walks from Little Rock Central High after Guardsmen barred her from school.
ebruary is the month we as a nation pause to consider the many accomplishments African-Americans have made to this
nation. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known as the “Father of Black History,” founded the celebration he called ‘Negro History Week’ in 1926. He selected the second week of February because it fell between the birthdays of the famed orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded the observance and proclaimed February ‘Black History Month’. This year’s theme, ‘Civil Rights in America’ recognizes the greatest advocates for social justice. “Black History Month is a chance to recognize historical figures. It’s a reminder that our republic
came to maturity with the contributions of all her people. By taking the time to educate ourselves on our history and the people who shaped this nation we can more fully appreciate the ideals set down by the founders,” said Vice Admiral Michelle Howard. In the wake of the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Constitutional amendments were passed which ended slavery, gave African-Americans citizenship, and gave African-American males the right to vote. After both world wars ended, African-American veterans pushed for full civil rights, which prompted President Harry S. Truman to issue Executive Order 9981 in July 1948 to fully integrate AfricanAmericans into the military. In 1954, the Supreme Court’s decision on the “Brown vs. Board of Education” was a huge victory for African-Americans. The decision integrated the
school system in America, moving the country one step away from segregation. This win gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks each made their mark in the mid-1950’s. In the 1960’s, Malcolm X also joined the civil rights movement. As a result of these events, legislative achievements continued – to include the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Nationality Services Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. These milestones inspired African-Americans to enter politics and take action. The Navy has its own list of important firsts in AfricanAmerican history to include the first African-American female promoted to the rank of captain, Joan C. Bynum; the first African-American female to enlist, Edna Young; the first African-American Naval Aviator, Oscar Holmes; and the first African-American Chaplain in the Navy, Thomas Parham, who also became the first African-American Naval officer promoted to the rank of captain in February 1966. Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely Jr., was the first AfricanAmerican officer promoted to flag rank and the first to command a Naval fleet. More recently, Howard was the first African-American female to command a combatant ship and is currently serving as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. On Dec. 20, 2013, the U.S. Senate also confirmed Howard will be the first female to attain the rank of O-10 in the Navy. “We are blessed to live in a time where the promise of the 14th Amendment has come to fruition. It’s a reminder that our work is to sustain freedom and ensure that rights and liberty belong to all our citizens,” said Howard. African-Americans have long served in the Navy, from the state and continental through the inception of the United States Navy in 1798. They have served honorably in major conflicts since the Revolutionary War and continue to distinguish themselves at sea and ashore. According to the Navy Office of Diversity and Inclusion, today there
are 54,500 African-American active-duty Sailors, reserve Sailors and Navy civilians, which comprise 17 percent of the Navy’s work force. African-Americans in the Navy, like Master Chief Carl M. Brashear, the Navy’s first African-American master diver, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment B. J. “Buddy” Penn, a retired naval aviator and captain and the first African-American to serve as the Acting Secretary of the Navy in 2009, fought through adversity and witnessed a favorable outcome. “I can honestly say that I reached my goal in the Navy. It was an exciting career, but then it wasn’t a bed of roses either. I had my ups and downs in the Navy, but I would do it over if I could. I enjoyed the excitement of being a deepsea diver. I grew a lot in the Navy. As a matter of fact, I grew up in the Navy as far as my professional life goes. . . And I just enjoyed the Navy. I really did. I don’t think I could have made it in civilian life with the limited education I had and my attitude. I think the Navy was the best place for me to grow up and find myself,” said Brashear.
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.
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A Long Time Coming:
by MCSA James P. Bleyle
ICCM
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ince the inception of the rate in 1948, Interior Communications Electricians (IC) has been a hard rate to categorize. The rate was initially derived as a subsidiary of the Electronics Technician (ET) and the Electrician’s Mate (EM) rates to ease the burden of setting up and maintaining smaller shipboard electronics. Although IC’s maintained their ability to switch at will between ET and EM tasks, as time progressed, they became more involved with increasingly complex systems. Their expertise encompassed broadcasting, communications, satellites, and setting up DirectTV and ATT ship-to-shore phone services. “We started the shift toward digital technology about 10 years ago,” said Chief Internal Communications Electrician (SW/AW) Marisela Lozano, Air Department V2 Division’s visual landing aid leading chief petty officer. “But over the past five years IC’s have begun to implement it more heavily.” “IC’s look at the ship as one entity,” said Chief Warrant Officer Mark Gordon, CS8 division officer and former senior chief interior communications electrician. “Because we own and maintain something everywhere on the
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ship, we are involved in so much more than just what ET’s and EM’s do.” Despite the IC rating’s broad capability and flexibility, they faced extinction as a rate several times in the 90’s. The rate was threatened first because it lacked a clear mission, which was then exemplified by the fact that IC’s were reclassified to EM’s and unable to maintain their rate when advanced to Master Chief. If a Sailor in the IC community became eligible for promotion to Master Chief, they would have to compete with senior chief EM’s to advance. If selected for advancement, they would then be reclassified as an EM. Now with the change implemented by NAVADMIN 320/13, released Dec. 19, the rank of master chief is possible for the IC community, effective May 1, 2014. The message affirms the IC community’s gradual transition from it’s origins as an engineering-oriented offshoot of the EM rating to a more dedicated focus on combat systems. According to NAVADMIN 320/13, “establishing a career path for the IC rating at the E-9 level completes the rating’s shift from the Center for Naval Engineering (CNE) to the Center for
Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) and aligns the IC rating with combat systems ratings.” The change also recognizes the differences in rating occupational standards and watch qualifications. Gordon says the change is good news for IC’s and was a long time in coming. “When I first read the instruction, I had to read it twice to make sure that I wasn’t mistaken,” said Gordon. “I smiled when I read it. This new addition will really open up the rate from E1 all the way up to E9.” Historically, senior chief IC’s have had a harder time making master chief because they had to compete with senior chief EM’s for billets. “Now that the rank of Master Chief has been created, more ICCS billets will be freed up as they advance. ICC billets will become available as well,” said Gordon. “With this new rank, advancement should open up even for junior IC Sailor.” Even before the change, though, legacy IC’s who became master chiefs had their own way of staying connected to their old rate. “I remember being in A-school and there was a master chief EM assigned to the command who was a former senior chief IC,” Lozano said. “Even though his wall plate said EMCM, he had a plate on his desk that read ICCM, because he was an IC at heart.” The NAVADMIN represents an acknowledgment of the rate as its own separate entity that some feel wasn’t present before. “No IC ever wanted to put on an electrician’s badge,” Gordon said. “It was like a slap in the face, getting sent to EM. We didn’t get the recognition that we deserved. Getting taken away from my rate and from the people that I came up with in the Navy wasn’t worth it to me. I went over to the Chief Warrant Officer program instead of losing my rate. Now I feel like IC’s are finally getting that recognition that wasn’t present before.” “I love my rate,” Lozano said. “I used to have to deal with the fact that when I’m eligible for master chief, I would lose it. Now, if I make it that far, I’ll be able to say with pride: ‘I’m an ICCM!’”
The Office Life: The MCPON’s Role by MC3 Curtis D. Spencer
O
n Jan. 13, 1967, the position for a Senior Enlisted Advisor of the Navy was created at the recommendation of Sailors in areas with a dense naval presence. Master Chief Gunner’s Mate Delbert Black was the first to accept this position. The title for this office was renamed Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) on April 28 of the same year . “The responsibility of this office will be great and varied with a challenge never before faced by any single enlisted man,” Black said of his appointment. Prior to Black’s selection, a 1966 poll revealed Navy leadership was not in tune with the feelings of Sailors on the deck plates. In order to provide a consistent avenue for input from the enlisted force to senior leadership, the Navy created a station that would advocate for their ideas, concerns, and overall interest. Initially, the MCPON reported directly to the Chief of Naval Personnel. Those who succeeded Black also reported to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The current MCPON, MCPON (AW/NAC) Michael D. Stevens has held the highly respected position since Sept. 28, 2012. The position of MCPON, appointed by the CNO, is unique in that it has the pay grade of E-9, but in regards to military protocol, the MCPON is afforded
precedence equal to that of a three-star officer. The MCPON’s duties vary depending on the CNO, but they generally devote much of their time to traveling throughout the Navy surveying operations and talking to Sailors and their families. The MCPON is also an advisor to the many boards dealing with enlisted personnel issues; is the enlisted representative of the Department of the Navy at special events; may be called upon to testify on enlisted personnel issues before Congress; and, maintains a liaison with enlisted spouse organizations. Since the creation of the position there have been 13 MCPON’s. Their rates have varied including current and now defunct rates, Aviation Electronics Technician, Aviation Machinist’s Mate, Airframe Structural Mechanic, Electronics Technician, Gunner’s Mate, Hospital Corpsman, Machinist’s Mate, Missile Technician, Operations Specialist, Quartermaster and Radioman. Although MCPONs may come from different rates, their goals have to align. They must determine what is best for Sailors’ careers. They bridge the communication gap between enlisted and officer. The MCPON sets the tone for the fleet and generally champions the theme of enlisted leadership.
Stevens’ initiative pertaining to leadership focused on developing leaders, good order and discipline, and controlling what we own. He communicated his goals to the Navy Chiefs’ Mess in four letters which were titled “Zeroing in on Excellence.” “Zeroing in on Excellence is a universal theme we can all apply in our respective positions. It does not distract from or add to existing individual roles and responsibilities – it provides a sturdy framework around which we can build sound, durable readiness. Each of you has your own professional obligations, and your sustained success in meeting them is a large reason our Navy is the world’s preeminent maritime force. I simply ask that as you carry out the business of leading Sailors, you do so not only with energy aimed at accomplishing a stand-alone task but also at building an environment where our entire organization gets stronger,” said Stevens. The MCPON traditionally communicated to the enlisted force through the Chiefs’ Mess, press releases and all hands calls while visiting commands. Over time, the MCPON also began communicating to the Fleet via social media and by hosting all hands calls online.
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around the
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V I N S O N
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Wh e Sea d th
Love
. Carlyle hew A t t a M SN by MC
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n the early hours of Nov. 23, 2013, Rosemary Schuster had a dream. “I dreamt that two little birds were in my hand. They stayed in my hands for awhile and then flew away,” Rosemary remembered. When she woke up, she reached for her iPad and opened her Facebook account. “I saw photos of a memorial service on Carl Vinson’s page,” said Rosemary, who paged through the burial at sea album on her computer. Then, she recognized an ash vessel from the ceremony and immediately, she knew. “The two little birds from my dream were William and Isabell, and they were finally together and at peace.” Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class William J. Kenney was a World War II and Korean War veteran who served aboard the Omaha-class cruiser USS Richmond (CL 9) and Gearingclass destroyer USS John R. Craig (DD 885). He was also a beloved grandfather, father and husband who loved sailing and spending time with his family. That’s why his granddaughter, Rosemary, found it befitting that her grandfather be buried at sea. “In August last year, I sent my beloved grandfather’s ashes to San Diego to be scattered from a Navy ship,” said Rosemary. She had a special reason for choosing San Diego; the Pacific Ocean always held a special place in her grandfather’s heart. Rosemary’s grandparents were engaged in Brooklyn, N.Y., before her grandfather left for Navy training during World War II. After training and prior to shipping out, William was able to take leave. He immediately sent for his fiancée to meet him in San Fransisco. “I would have waited until next year, but the way things are going there is no telling whether I’ll get home then or not,” he wrote to his parents in a letter. “My grandmother travelled cross-country by train, alone,”
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added Rosemary. “She eventually met my grandfather in San Francisco where they eloped with the help of two servicemen they found on the street to act as their witnesses.” “The reason I sent for Isabell was obvious, it was our only chance and we took it. I don’t think you’ll hold any hard feelings against her or myself. She’s a swell kid and I love her very much,” William continued in his letter to his parents after Isabell and he married. While William was fighting in the Pacific theater, Isabell gave birth to their only child, Rosemary’s mother Sharon, in 1945. William survived the war and remained a sailor even after his retirement from the Navy, working on 40-foot sailboats which took charters to the Bahamas. Sharon grew up and had two children, Jim and Rosemary, making William and Isabell grandparents. When school was out for Rosemary and her brother each summer, the two stayed with their grandparents while Sharon worked in Long Island. It was then that he continued to pass on his knowledge and love for the sea to his grandchildren. “He taught my brother Jim and I to sail almost immediately after we learned to walk,” Rosemary remembered. “We spent nearly every summer with them in Staten Island. It was the absolute best time of my life. My brother and I would eat breakfast and run down to the docks for a day of sailing with him, returning only when the street lights came on.” Jim and Rosemary’s adventures with their grandparents weren’t limited to sailing expeditions, though. Their grandparents made sure to instill a sense of exploration and hunger for knowledge into their grandchildren. “We took bike riding adventures, vacations to the Catskill Mountains and Disney World, and we sailed almost every weekend,” Rosemary said. Her grandmother took them to the library and out for Italian ices. They always travelled by New
York City bus because her grandmother was a city girl and never learned to drive. Every summer night the four of them watched the news together at dinner. “No talking was allowed during the news because my grandmother thought it was important we learned what was happening in the world. She was right, as always,” said Rosemary. The family was hit by tragedy when, in 1993, Rosemary’s mother Sharon unexpectedly passed away. Rosemary, her brother and her grandparents became closer than ever in the wake of her mother’s death. “My mother never got to see my one and only child, Wayne,” Rosemary lamented. “But I’m happy my grandparents did. They got to hold him, feed him, bathe him and play with him. Grandpa and I even took him sailing in the Gulf of Mexico when he was two years old. We strapped him to a cleat just in case; grandpa said it’d be fine. If my grandmother would’ve found out, though, she would’ve killed us!” Within months of Wayne’s birth on Aug. 13, 2000, Isabell began having strokes which left her bedridden. William waited on her every need and Rosemary visited the two in New Port Richey, Fla., as often as she could from her house in New York. “I had been flying down almost every month since my son was born to see them and help them,” Rosemary said. “I hoped in my heart she would be well enough to see my son go to his first day of kindergarten, but she passed away just a few months before it, in summer 2004. I had been to Florida two days before she passed. She asked me to stay but I couldn’t; I had to fly back. Grandpa called me and told me the news when it happened. My heart broke into a million pieces.”
Continues on Page 11
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REDUCE OUR WATER USE!
This jug represents the average Hollywood Shower.
The shipboard phrase “Hollywood Shower” contrasts with “Navy Shower,” referring to long, lavish showers without limits on water usage. The average Navy Shower requires about three gallons of water, while the average 10 minute Hollywood Shower wastes roughly 60 gallons. A Navy Shower is a method of showering that allows for significant water conservation by turning the water off during the lathering portion.
And this one, The average Navy Shower.
A few conservatio n tips... • TURN THE WATER OFF WHILE YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH OR SHAVE • DON’T OVERFILL YOUR SWAB BUCKETS • TAKE NAVY SHOWERS
DON’T LEAVE YOUR SHIPMATES OUT TO DRY! PG 10
Continued from Page 9 After Isabell’s passing, Rosemary began flying her grandfather up to New York so he could be closer to the family. When Rosemary and her husband Michael married in 2008, they spent their honeymoon with William in Florida to ensure he received the care he needed for skin cancer. It was there he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The newlyweds moved to Hawley, Penn. and over time were able to convince William to make the move as well. They moved William into a nursing home an hour from their house. “The only consolation of that dreaded disease is that he didn’t remember his Isabell had passed before him,” Rosemary said. “He also always knew who we were, calling me ‘the boss,’ my husband ‘the big guy’ and my son ‘the little guy’, and I was fine with it.” William spent his last birthday with Rosemary, Michael and Wayne, who made it as memorable as possible. “We celebrated his 90th birthday last March and went all out,” Rosemary said. “I bought a Hawaiian-themed cake since he and my grandmother had their proper honeymoon in Hawaii. We even had paper leis and everything.” In June 2013, William fell and did not recover. Rosemary found a nursing home for him close to home so she could visit him often. “Crying in the nursing home upset the other residents. I would try to hold it in until I got to my car in the parking lot, but it got harder and harder to do,” said Rosemary of her visits. “The nursing home may be a hard place to visit, but it’s an even harder place to leave.” “One day I found him in a hallway with a speech therapist,” Rosemary
remembered. “I waved and yelled, ‘Hey!’ and he waved and yelled back ‘Hey!’ He looked so good that day. His eyes were so blue, just like how I remembered my mother’s eyes. I would have never thought he would be gone five days later.” On July 24, Rosemary visited her grandfather one last time. “It was the first time he didn’t know who I was,” Rosemary said. “I kissed him on his silvery head and whispered that I loved him in his ear.” The following day, she received the call that her grandfather had passed away. “It was that phone call that makes you crumple on your kitchen floor, the one that steals your breath and stops time,” Rosemary said. “I don’t even really remember what the poor girl who had to make that phone call said to me. Halfway through, I just handed the phone to my husband and then we began making arrangements for my grandpa’s memorial service.” They arranged for a small service that would be attended by Jim, Rosemary, Michael, Wayne and a few family friends. Rosemary gave the funeral director William’s service records so he could arrange for someone from the Navy to be there for the ceremony. “I expected them to send a flag, but they sent much more,” Rosemary explained. “They sent a chief and bugler. They were dressed in white and they were angels to me. I showed them all of grandpa’s medals and photos. My husband, a Navy veteran himself, assisted in the flag ceremony and after it was folded, they handed it to me. I have never felt more honored in my life.” Almost four months later, to the
day, William was buried at sea aboard Carl Vinson. Rosemary had not known which ship he would be buried on or when he would be buried. Seeing her grandfather’s ash vessel on Carl Vinson’s Facebook page brought peace to her heart. “I feel their souls have once again met by way of the Navy and Pacific Ocean, only this time my grandmother was there first to meet him,” Rosemary said. “The beautiful memorial services we have received from the Navy for my grandfather have helped lift my incredibly sorrowful heart.” As for his burial ceremony aboard Carl Vinson, Rosemary said, “When Grandpa met my husband and I told him that he was Navy too, my husband said to him ‘Bill, did you like the Navy?’ and Grandpa replied, ‘I loved every minute of it!’ I can only imagine his spirit was beyond thrilled to be aboard an aircraft carrier!”
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“I’ll be coming home to him.”
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“Roses.”
Sa
CSSR Lionel Horton
of
LS3 Mason Hoppe
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“An engagement ring.”
ea
“I’ll get her the moon!”
at
D E C K P L A T E
What are you getting for you significant other for Valentine’s Day?
E IC VO
DIALOGUES
ing
rit f or
AF ST
Sa
PUBLISHER “We’re going on a vacation.”
EXECUTIVE EDITORS
LCDR KYLE RAINES Public Affairs Officer
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“Chocolates.”
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HM2 Sheena Sinigayan
r ilo
CAPT KENT WHALEN Commanding Officer
PRAN (AW) Chris Tett
LTJG TREVOR DAVIDS Assistant Public Affairs Officer
EM3 (SW) Vanita Lutchmedial
EM3 Antonio Gibson
“A nice dinner and a camping trip.”
“I’m going home to surprise her.”
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF MCCS (SW/AW) MONICA HOPPER Media Leading Chief Petty Officer
MEDIA DEPARTMENT
MCC (AW/SW/EXW) DAVID CRAWFORD Media Operations Leading Chief Petty Officer
CARL VINSON CINEMA
NOW PLAYING
AM3 Dustin Novak
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CSSA Stacy Lee
Blind Side, The Couples Retreat Frankenweenie Easy A I, Robot Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade Blind Side, The Couples Retreat Frankenweenie Easy A I, Robot
Black Hawk Down The Marine: Homefront Act of Valor Thin Red Line, The (part a) Three Kings Black Hawk Down The Marine: Homefront Act of Valor Thin Red Line, The (part a) Three Kings
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Going the Distance Tourist, The Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2 Expendables 2 Cinderella Man Man on a Ledge Dredd Going the Distance Tourist, The Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2 Expendables 2 Cinderella Man
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Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Tin Cup Terminator: Salvation Sunshine Cleaning Just Go With It Fourth Kind, The Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Tin Cup Terminator: Salvation Sunshine Cleaning Just Go With It
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Identity Thief Slumdog Millionaire Stand up Guys Mama Columbiana Pitch Perfect Identity Thief Slumdog Millionaire Stand up Guys Mama Columbiana Pitch Perfect
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Premium Rush Anonymous Real Steel The Possession The Odd Life of Timothy Green Unstoppable Premium Rush Anonymous Real Steel The Possession The Odd Life of Timothy Green Unstoppable
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The Impossible Safe Haven Water for Elephants Warm Bodies Letters to Juliet Country Strong The Impossible Safe Haven Water for Elephants Warm Bodies Letters to Juliet Country Strong
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MC1 (SW/AW) RYAN TABIOS MC2 (SW) MEGAN L. CATELLIER MC2 BRENT PYFROM
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MC2 MICHAEL H. LEE MC2 PHOENIX LEVIN MCSN JACOB G. KAUCHER
STAFF WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
MC2(SW/AW) JOHN P. WAGNER MC3 (SW) SCOTT FENAROLI MC3 SHANTECE GONZALEZ MC3 CURTIS D. SPENCER MCSN MATTHEW A. CARLYLE MCSA JAMES P. BLEYLE
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