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MAY 14, 11, 2014 2013

VOL 5 ISSUE 12 VOL 5 ISSUE 11

Eye on the Target Carl Vinson Prepares for Deployment

InInthis thisissue: issue:3MA Voting / Battle Acts /ofDeck CoralDepartment Sea / Master Pride Chief / AIMD Pinning Inspection / Military/Child Mother’s / NMCRS Day

Eye on the Target: T

by MC2 (SW/AW) Travis Alston

he Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group crew parted ways with their homeports for an extensive monthlong underway. During their time at sea, the unit will conduct various exercises and complete evaluations to certify their ships as deployment ready.

The Carl Vinson training period will include a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), Deployable Group Systems Integration Testing (DGSIT), and a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX). This underway’s training evolutions are designed to drill every warfare area including sub-surface, surface and air, testing the strike group’s ability to operate in hostile and complex environments.

“As the training cycle for the ship has changed throughout the years, we found a lot of individual events we used to do have been compressed into one long underway. Traditionally, those were three separate underways,” said Vinson’s Strike Operations Officer Cmdr.

Bennett Goff. “There are a few reasons for this. One is simply the budget. We really need to take advantage of each day underway. It’s more efficient and cost effective to combine some of these events.”

Strike Group 15, formally known as Commander, Strike Force Training Pacific (CFSTP) will conduct the ship’s COMTUEX. “When we encounter problems within the exercise scenario, they will evaluate and mentor us,” Goff added.

“As we progress through the exercise we will receive constant feedback on what we can improve on and make better. By JTFEX, we will be firing on all cylinders and will wow Strike Group 3 when they come.”

COMPTUEX will include a live-fire exercise of the ship’s weapon systems; simulated missile and small boat attacks; man overboard drills; underway replenishments; and ship boarding training by the visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team. The Vinson will also sail in formation with its other strike group assets and will practice evasive

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Carl Vinson Prepares for Deployment maneuvers in an event known as a group sail. These exercises were designed to be as true-to-life as possible, said Goff.

After completing COMPTUEX, CSG-1 will move on to JTFEX, which is the strike group’s final exam prior to being certified for overseas duty. JTFEX is the culmination of training qualifications and is designed to ensure the carrier strike group is able to integrate itself into a joint task force anywhere in the world.

Along with Carl Vinson, strike group assets that will participate in JTFEX include: USS Dewey (DDG 105), USS Gridley (CG 101), USS Sterett (DDG 103), USS Milius (DDG 69), USS Halsey (DDG 97), USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), USS Makin Island (LHD 8) Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Air Force components.

Not only will the crew complete these three major strike group evaluations, they will also be tested and evaluated on various unit level requirements.

“Over the next few weeks we are going to accomplish mobile training team 3 (MTT3 )and mobile training team 4 (MTT4) inspections, preparing Reactor department for their major test which will be conducted later in the underway,” Goff said. “We are doing our supply management inspection, a material maintenance management inspection as well.”

“In aviation we like to say ‘you need to be ahead of the jet,’ so as a crew we need to be ahead of the next evolution and pay attention to safety while setting ourselves up for success all the way from the bridge to the reactors.”

-Cmdr. Bennett Goff Goff added that conducting combined exercises such as this will allow leaders to cross-train and share ideas concerning tactics and mission readiness.

“This gives us the ability to bring all those ideas and years of experience together to figure out how Carrier

Strike One is going to operate on deployment,” said Goff.

“We aren’t inventing the wheel. A lot of us have been through work-ups before and we have done these types of training scenarios before – but haven’t done it as a combined force. I look forward to the team-building aspect of the training. We are going to learn to work together as efficiently and lethally as we possibly can.”

Though the underway will demand long hours and strenuous days, Goff is confident the crew will sustain their performance.

“I want to emphasize, that this is a long underway.

We are going to be working some long hours. It is an endurance event and not a sprint,” said Goff. “We are going to have to pace ourselves, but we have to anticipate what’s going to happen next.”

Once the ship returns to her homeport, Sailors will get some much deserved time with their family before the strike group departs on a 10-month deployment.

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Voting Acts D

by MC3 Curtis D. Spencer

uring the Civil War, 25 states allowed soldiers to participate in elections through absentee voting, but most of the state laws lapsed after the war. It wasn’t until eighty years after the Civil War, when more than 5 million U.S. troops were fighting in Europe and the Pacific during World War II, that the U.S. launched a concerted effort to ensure its deployed troops could vote.

The Soldier Voting Act of 1942 was passed to guarantee military members a vote in presidential and congressional elections during wartime, even when away from their home of record.

President Harry S. Truman was not convinced the voting act went far enough and seven years later requested the American Political Science Association study the military voting problem.

His request was not self centered as Truman was not running for re-election. When he received the results – prior to the 1952 presidential election – Truman took the case to Congress.

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“About 2,500,000 men and women in the armed forces are of voting age at the present time. Many of those in uniform are serving overseas, or in parts of the country distant from their homes,” Truman wrote to Congress. “They are unable to return to their states either to register or to vote. Yet these men and women, who are serving their country and in many cases risking their lives, deserve above all others to exercise the right to vote in this election year. At a time when these young people are defending our country and its free institutions, the least we at home can do is to make sure that they are able to enjoy the rights they are being asked to fight to preserve.”

-President Harry S. Truman

Congress responded by passing the Federal Voting Assistance Act in 1955 to allow and assist military members, federal employees overseas and other U.S. citizens associated with the military to vote when away from their voting residences. The act was merged with another law expanding absentee voting to U.S. citizens overseas with the 1986 Uniformed Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Sailors and family members interested in exercising their right to vote in the 2014 U.S. Senate and various state elections can get help through the Navy’s Voting Assistance Program.

“Voting is the fundamental process that keeps our system of government working. Elections, especially

local elections, can be tight races and won by a handful of votes,” said Judge Advocate, Lt. Cmdr. Michele V. Rosen, head of the Legal Department. “Through elections, you and others have the ability to decide on who represents them in government, be it a local official, a state or national representative, or the president.”

Whether it is an opinion on military pay, health-care benefits, or the U.S. role in the global war on terror, voting is a chance to have your voice heard, said Rosen.

“One of the benefits of voting is that it gives you the opportunity to shape government and its policies,” Rosen said. “Voting has a direct impact on how the government makes appointments and drafts legislation, budgets, public policies, and regulations.”

Since Sailors aboard Carl Vinson will be deployed outside of their stateside homeports, an absentee ballot is required to vote – and that, makes registration especially important.

“The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) encourages service members, spouses, their voting-age dependents, and overseas civilians who want to vote to visit FVAP.gov to register and request their absentee ballot,” explained Rosen.

Registration should be completed at least 90 days before an election day. The exact rules and regulations vary from state to state, but Sailors can both register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the same time. Anyone who is interested should submit a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).

“If you have requested an absentee ballot from your state but have not received it, you can also vote by using the back-up Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB),” Rosen added. “You may submit the FWAB at any time after you submit your FPCA.” Before completing the registration process, Sailor voters will want to find out where their legal voting residence is, which may or may not be their home of record.

“Legal residency refers to the place where a military member intends to return and live after discharge or retirement, and which they consider their permanent home,” Rosen said. “To claim a new legal residence, you must have physically resided in that State and have the intent to return to that location as your primary residence.

Legal residency determines the state tax laws a military member is subject to, and in which city, county and state elections they may vote.”

Service members have the option to change their legal residence each time they change permanent duty stations.

Rosen advises, “A JAG or legal counsel should be consulted before legal residence is changed.”

No matter which location a Sailor chooses to call home, the next Presidential election will be held in 2016, and different states hold elections of some type every year. If a person fails to cast a vote during election season, they are choosing to stay silent on their interests. Voting is a right guaranteed by the Constitution, but the reward is determined by the individual.

“For me, the most rewarding aspect of voting is in knowing I am contributing to our democratic process and making a difference,” said Rosen.

Users are reminded that connecting USB devices that are not government issued or approved by the Command’s Information Assurance Manager is unauthorized on DoD Information Systems for any reason to include charging.

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around the

V I N S O N

USS Carl Vinson’s Deck Department:

K

by MCSN James P. Bleyle

nown to be the oldest rate in the Navy with a history that reaches back 700 years before the American Revolution, the Boatswain’s Mate (BM) rating was originally created in the British Royal Navy in 1040. The U.S. Navy incorporated BM’s into their command structure during its formation in 1775.

Today BM’s are assigned to a ship’s Deck Department and perform a variety of functions depending on a ship’s type and size. Its Sailors handle the ship’s rigging and ground tackle, coordinate underway replenishment operations, conduct flight quarters, maintain and operate the ship’s rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB), and more.

Undesignated seamen – or those who have not selected a rating – are usually sent to the Deck Department for their first assignment.

“Deck Department is critical to ship’s functions,” said Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class (SW) Shane Bird, Deck

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The Backbone of the Ship

Department’s 1st division work center supervisor. “We fill a variety of roles. We work hand-in-hand with Air Department while on-loading JP-5 jet fuel and during vertical replenishments as well, which help keep our ship stocked while on deployment – not to mention standing the watches that help keep the ship on course and safe.”

Responsible for multiple ship’s functions, Sailors in Deck routinely get little sleep.

“The hardest part of working in Deck is the long hours standing watch,” Bird said. “When I was a Seaman, I was on a ‘five and dime’ watch rotation schedule, which means every 10 hours I stood a five-hour watch. It was hard at the time, but it helped me grow. Any job outside of the Navy will seem really easy because of my time spent as a seaman in Deck Department.”

Despite long, repetitive days underway, BM’s are proud of the work they do.

“There’s a lot of pride within our rate,” Bird said. “You get a lot of people who come in and are very motivated to get the job done. We’re responsible for all of the brightwork on the quarterdeck and piping the sides when distinguished guest come on board. We get a lot of pride out of our jobs.”

Deck Department and BM’s have a reputation of enforcing the Navy’s rank structure and complying with a chain of command.

“Deck department sets the foundation for rank structure,” said Chief Boatswain’s Mate (SW/AW) Steven Weigand, Deck Department’s 1st division leading chief petty officer. “We get these brand new Sailors who are undesignated and don’t even know the fundamental difference between E-1 and E-7, and we train them, get them qualified and teach them how to be successful in the Navy. We’re always stressing respect both up and down the chain of command, because if you don’t show respect for your junior personnel, they’re not going to grow within the Navy structure to have any respect for their Shipmates.”

“Our seamen may not be able to see it from their position, but our chain of command is incredibly fair and very good at taking care of us,” said Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class (SCW/SW) Robert Huxoll, Deck Department’s 1st division leading petty officer.

Although the Navy has changed during Huxoll’s 19 years of service, the core aspects of the job have not.

“My favorite thing about Deck has always been the personnel,” Huxoll said. “I love the people I work with.

We get a lot of new faces all the time, and when we do an evolution they have never done before it’s awesome to see them pick it up so quickly.”

Deck Department presents unique challenges for the Sailors assigned to it, but hard days and long nights are balanced with the pride of accomplishment and their place in Naval history.

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n o s n i s V m l o r a C or s M n o H

Happy Mother s Day

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Chasing

Perfection

by MCSN James P. Bleyle

B

efore departing for deployment, Carl Vinson will undergo tests and inspections to demonstrate its deployability. One of those critical inspections is the aviation maintenance inspection (AMI).

AMI is routinely conducted 1824 months before a deployment by Commander, Naval Air Forces, Pacific (COMNAVAIRPAC) and is a thorough examination of every program AIMD maintains and uses, categorizing each as “on track”, “off track”, or “needs attention.” Carl Vinson’s AIMD department scored “on track” ratings in each category - attaining a perfect score, 41 out of 41.

“It is very uncommon to see a perfect score,” said Lt. Cmdr. Paul Douvier, AIMD’s Quality Assurance officer. “For our particular inspection team, it was the first time they had ever handed out a score like that.”

Results like these give AIMD’s Sailors a tremendous sense of pride knowing their hard work and exceptional attention to detail was

appreciated and acknowledged on a grand scale.

“Not only were we above fleet average, but we had a perfect material condition inspection, and a perfect pre-op inspection, which is unheard of in the fleet,” said Aviation Support Equipment Technician 2nd Class (AW) James Hillman, AIMD Department’s, IM4 division training petty officer.

The AIMD team was inspected previously by the same team that conducted the AMI in an inspection called “AMI prep”, where they found several areas that needed improvement.

“After AMI prep we had what we called ‘Maintenance Officer (MO) briefs’,” Douvier said. “Every program manager put together a brief along with the quality assurance manager, and gave the MO a synopsis on what, if anything, was wrong and what plan they had in place to fix it. That gave the MO a good feeling for what direction we had to go in order to fix the program, and we fixed it. I think that really helped us out.”

AIMD’s preparedness and dedication to their work was demonstrated across every evolution of the AMI. “Our shop was successful because our leadership prepared us for this inspection,” Hillman said. “Everything is a moving part and we all just clicked together when it came down to it. That’s how AIMD as a whole operates. We’re all one moving piece.”

“Overall AIMD was successful as a team,” Douvier said. “It wasn’t just QA; it wasn’t just khaki leadership, LPO’s or workcenter supervisors.

From the MO all the way down to the newest airman just checking in, AIMD’s success depends on everyone’s involvement. The training had to be there because it was a team effort, top to bottom.”

Hillman wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

“I’m sailing with the best crew on the best ship in the fleet,” Hillman said. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything else.”

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If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would that be?

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DECKPLATES

“I’d like to meet Nas because he was what real hip-hop was about and spoke from the heart.”

LCDR Colin Bernard

AZAA Andrew Pena

“I’d like to meet Bernie Mac because he was my favorite comedian who inspired me to be funny.”

“I’d like to meet John F. Kennedy because of his efforts supporting Civil Rights.”

ABHAN Shacorey Osborne

LS1 (SW) Sofia Hernandez

LCDR KYLE RAINES Public Affairs Officer

F

EXECUTIVE EDITORS

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CAPT KENT WHALEN Commanding Officer

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“I’d like to meet Brent Musburger because of his vast sports knowledge and athletes he’s interviewed over the years.”

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EM3 John Bowman

PUBLISHER

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AA A’leac Govan

ing

“I’d like to meet Frank Sinatra because I admire his talents.”

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“I’d like to meet Jimi Hendrix because of his free spirit attitude.”

sw

SN Amanda Paul

AF ST

OS3 Mancio Littlepage

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“I would like to see my Grandma who passed away so she could see how I’m doing in the Navy.”

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LTJG TREVOR DAVIDS Assistant Public Affairs Officer

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF MCCS (SW/AW) MONICA HOPPER Media Leading Chief Petty Officer

MCC (AW/SW/EXW) DAVID CRAWFORD

MEDIA DEPARTMENT

NOW PLAYING CARL VINSON CINEMA

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“I’d like to meet Erin Gillispie, the lead singer of my favorite band.”

Media Operations Leading Chief Petty Officer

JUNIOR EDITORS

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Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Inception

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STAFF WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

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