4 Apr 10

VOL 1 / NO 20

April 4, 2010

Carl Vinson’s New Dads

Are

Coming Home

Photo By MC2 Adrian White

By MCSN Megan Catellier USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

The Carl Vinson Voice is an internal document produced by and for the crew of the USS Carl Vinson and their families. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government or the Departments of Defense or the Navy and do not imply any endorsement thereby.

“There are many moments in time that steal your breath away and hearing about the birth of Kyla was one of those moments for me,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW) Aries Baluyot, whose daughter, Kyla Isabella Baluyot was born Feb. 17.

Baluyot is one of 31 Sailors on board who will meet their new children when Carl Vinson arrives in San Diego. Some Sailors are fathers for the first time and others, like Baluyot, are adding to their growing families.

Baluyot and his wife Karina have been married for seven years and now have their fourth child. Baluyot has been in the Navy for 11 years and understands the concerns of having a family while serving his country.

“It’s hard sometimes having a family at home that I love and balancing it with a career that demands my presence,” said Baluyot, “But with a supportive, loving wife and family, it’s definitely possible.”

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Kenneth Wilson welcomed his son, James Landon Wilson, into the world Jan. 27.

Wilson married his high school sweetheart, Denise, Jan. 3, 2009.

“It was hard being away for the birth of

See `New Dads` page 3

2

Carl Vinson Voice

By MC2(SW) Candice Villarreal USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

Back To Reality

STAFF

Happy Easter, Shipmates. We’re almost there. Just days away from sunny San Diego, and one step away from returning to real life once again.

We’ve been gone for just under 90 days, which isn’t very long at all, but can seem like an eternity when you’re out to sea.

We stepped up to the call of duty in Haiti and strengthened partnerships with international militaries, all in addition to stopping for a few crazy port visits. That’s a whole lot accomplished in just three months.

The good news is, we’re all coming home to be with our friends, families and loved ones in about eight days, and all of the deployment stuff will just be a memory.

Now we need to be thinking about things like finding places to live, re-connecting with spouses and children and taking everything one day at a time until we’re good and settled in again, which can take a while. Some of us even became parents for the first time while we were out to sea. Many people don’t realize it, but coming back from a deployment – even if it was only 90 days – can be a stressful return to reality.

By now, we’re all used to worrying only about ourselves.

We’ve found our own routines, and our own way of doing things to pass the days while working hard to do our jobs and keep the ship afloat. When we get back, some of us will have to go back to worrying about themselves and their spouses or children, and we may find ourselves becoming overwhelmed or aggravated a little more than usual. We may not have as much down-time or “decompression” time as we’d like, and our families can be so excited about our return that they’re going to expect us to be back to the way we were before we set sail.

That can be tough, especially when it’s difficult to understand Publisher

Capt. Bruce H. Lindsey

Commanding Officer Executive Editors

Lt. Cmdr. Jim Krohne Public Affairs Officer

Lt. j.g. Erik Schneider

Deputy Public Affairs Officer Managing Editor MC1 (SW/AW) Jason Thompson

Layout and Design MC2 (SW) Michael C. Barton Staff Writers/Photographers MC2 Adrian White MCSN Megan Catellier MCSN Joshua Boyer MCSN Stephen Hale

the kind of changes a Sailor can go through underway.

I hate to say it, but there is a sort of “deployment” mindset that takes over where we get so caught-up in the everyday life of a Sailor at sea, and we need to work on making it a smooth transition back to what matters most: our families.

We still need to get through the next week or so before we can call it a job well done. But, in the meantime, we do need to start thinking about what April 12 and beyond will bring.

How are some of us going to try to bring the romance back into our relationships once we get there? Are we going to make it the so-called “honeymoon period” or are we going to let our post-underway anxieties get the best of us and hurt our relationships? Are we going to take care of business or are we just going to hang out and procrastinate about the important things we need to take care of? The time is now, my friends.

Start planning.

Fleet and Family Support Centers have a lot of resources like post-deployment counseling for those of us who need help readjusting, and they’ve got people here on board. Ship’s medical, friends and family are also great. The important thing is to continue to evaluate your sense of well-being and make sure you’re okay, and if you’re not, to take the initiative to get some help. The same can be said for looking out for your Shipmates; make sure we’re all okay. The military sees the highest suicide and depression rates just after service members return from deployments, and we’re not going to let that happen to our Sailors, now are we?

All will be well and normal again quite soon, but we need to look out for one another in the meantime. Let’s keep on our toes and stay positive.

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April 4, 2010

From`New Dads` page 1

my son, but having a good support system at home makes the situation easier,” said Wilson. “I know that my son is taken care of and he has a loving family and solid foundation to look forward to in life.”

Many Sailors understand the sacrifices they must make and know leaving home is part of the career choice they’ve made.

Chief Machinist’s Mate (SW/AW) Scotty Hunziker received an e-mail from his wife about the birth of his new child, Alexis Grace, March 17.

“I was just glad that the procedure went well and everyone was safe,” said Hunziker. “She understands what my job entails and is very encouraging.” Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 1st

Class (AW) Clifford Sims found out during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 that his daughter, Sophia Raquel, had been born. He said his excitement is building.

“I’m just ready to get home and to see my baby girl,” said Sims.

“Getting home is going to be a great feeling and I’m so anxious and excited to get there.”

For those interested, life skills educators from the Fleet and Family Support Center in San Diego are on board to offer Sailors useful financial and family skills. They are teaching classes for new parents, those interested in car buying skills, managing operational stress and returning to intimacy. Classes will be held in the Indoctrination and Damage Control Classrooms until April 11.

“The school workers were so excited to see Sailors coming from another part of the world to work and bring backpacks, food and toys just for their kids.”

Lt. Jeffrey Ross, Carrier Air Wing 17’s chaplain, helped to coordinate the work at the school and said the efforts of Vinson Sailors at Heroinas Toledo embodied the spirit of Southern Seas 2010 by building lasting relationships.

“This is a great opportunity

for Sailors to get down and dirty working for better relations,” said Ross. “It has impact that will last longer than the four days we were there. They will remember the work we did for generations.”

In addition to working at the school, McCoy and other Sailors went to the school the day before to interact with the students.

The visiting Sailors played volleyball and talked with the children.

“The kids were so excited to see American Sailors,” said McCoy. “They jumped all over us and wanted autographs. It’s pretty obvious that not just America appreciates the work we do.”

McCoy encourages any Sailor interested in helping people to donate as much time as they can give to the community, both overseas and at home.

“It’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” said McCoy. “I’ll never forget the good that I did for those children.”

Photo By MCSN Stephen Hale

While visiting Callao, Peru as part of Southern Seas 2010, 55 Carl Vinson Sailors participated in a community relations (COMREL) event March 31.

“Gold Eagle” Sailors, led by the ship’s Religious Ministries Department, set out with Peruvian military personnel to paint Heroinas Toledo all-girls school in Callao and deliver school supplies to the students.

Some of the Sailors were glad to spend their liberty time working in the community.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my free time,” said Aviation Support Equipment Technician 3rd Class Randy McCoy. “The Navy gave me the opportunity to visit a foreign country and help people.”

Vinson volunteers delivered 22 pallets of food, backpacks, books, soap, mouthwash and stuffed animals. After delivering the supplies, the Sailors painted five of the school’s classrooms. The students and their teachers greeted the Sailors’ efforts with enthusiasm.

“It was awesome to feel the appreciation coming from the local people,” said McCoy.

Photo By MCSN Stephen Hale

Photo By MCSN Stephen Hale

VINSON

VOLUNTEERS

By MCSN Joshua Boyer USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

4

Carl Vinson Voice

Photo and story by MCSA Joshua Boyer USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

iPod

Hands off the

Due to the rising number of thefts reported onboard, Security is working to increase awareness and provide measures of protection for Sailors who don’t want their belongings in other hands.

Security’s labeling and serialization program for items of value was implemented to create a record of ownership. Much like a vehicle identification number on a car, the program is intended to assist in returning stolen property.

“We have a huge collection of stolen goods that we have recovered and can’t return because we don’t know who they belong to,” said Chief Master-at-Arms Cesar Rodriguez. “This is one of the easiest things to fix, if people just came down to document their possessions. We have programs like this to protect Sailors from becoming victims of theft, but 99 percent of theft is because nobody took advantage of what was offered by the command.”

Thieves on ships typically operate by spotting opportunities to steal something of value without much risk, said Rodriguez, who added that open lockers provide the easiest targets.

“In any case, most thefts could have been prevented by Sailors heading down to the ship’s store and spending a modest fee for a dependable lock,” said Chief Master-at-Arms (SW/EXW/AW) Joe Hettinger. “It really falls on the Sailor to make sure that their gear is safe.”

Security devotes countless man-hours to hunting down stolen gear and suspects, according to Rodriguez.

“Despite the numerous punishments thieves face, thefts continue,” said Rodriguez. “It is due to people giving them a great opportunity to have something new by not locking their stuff up.”

Any person caught stealing can face punishments such as, but not limited

to, a disciplinary review board, Executive Officer’s Inquiry and Captain’s Mast.

“This command has a zero tolerance policy for theft with no questions asked,” said Rodriguez.

“Anyone who is caught stealing will face serious consequences.”

Hettinger agreed, but added there is a far worse punishment that is not awarded at Captain’s Mast.

“Nobody wants to live and work with a thief,” said Hettinger. “Nothing is worse than being labeled a thief for the entire time they are on the ship.”

Suspects who are found guilty and dishonorably discharged will carry that sentence as a black mark for the rest of their life, according to Hettinger.

Blame is not just left with the thief.

“It is the duty of all hands to report any crime they see,” said Hettinger.

“Most crimes are discovered by word of mouth, so any information provided is always valuable.”

If all hands remain vigilant in keeping an eye out for their Shipmates’ property, thefts will start to decline, added Hettinger.

“Almost all theft is preventable,” said Rodriguez. “It’s really simple; theft will stop when lockers are locked.”

G O LOD E A G L E S F T H E DAY

Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class (SW)

Brad Higley Rock Falls, Ill

“I’m just doing my job, taking it one day at a time.”

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (SW)

Marvin Galapin San Diego “I had to step it up to take care of ill Sailors.”

Quartermaster 3rd Class

Daniel Gastaldi Glen Rock, NJ

“It’s common practice to do the best I can every time.”