Vinson Voice 1 Mar 11

Inside this Issue: FOD | CNO on Leadership | Stock Investments | Tools of the Trade VOL 2 / NO 21

March 1, 2011

Gold Eagles Stay Golden Story by MC2(SW) Ashley Van Dien USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

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arl Vinson conducted a mass re-enlistment ceremony on the ship’s forecastle yesterday.

Carl Vinson’s commanding officer Captain Bruce Lindsey honorably discharged and re-enlisted 31 Sailors, also promoting three of them.

“I was very honored to do the mass re-enlistment today,” said Lindsey. “Sailors put a special trust in their re-enlisting officer and to be asked to do that today was a huge honor and I am very thankful to them for this opportunity.”

The ceremony was planned based on a high number of Sailors choosing to re-enlist on the same day, largely due to the Navy’s Perform To Serve (PTS) policy.

“Many of the Sailors had PTS quotas that were expiring either today or tomorrow, so they chose to re-enlist today to stay Navy and not have to risk the chance of being sent home,” said Chief

Navy Counselor (AW/SW) David Light.

Light encourages Sailors who choose to re-enlist to opt for their maximum extension, to avoid continually repeating the PTS cycle and risking the career they’ve built.

When Lindsey asked the Sailors their reason for re-enlisting, answers ranged from making the Navy a career, staying in for family, benefits of shore duty and even just for the money.

Since the ship departed San Diego for a western pacific deployment Nov. 30, ‘Gold Eagle’ re-enlistees have already received $1,962,703.45 in bonuses, with $1,005,255.21 projected for more scheduled re-enlistments.

Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Kevin Turnbull from Reactor Department re-enlisted for 6 years with a bonus of $75,000, tax free because of the ship’s position in a Combat Zone Tax Exclusion (CZTE) area.

“I originally thought my ceremony was going to be small, with just my division and division officer re-enlisting me,” said Turnbull. “But it turned out to be the commanding officer, and the mass re-enlistment was pretty cool.”

See`RE-ENLISTMENT` page 7

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.

Carl Vinson Voice

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The FOD Delusion:

How a Penny Could Cost Millions

STAFF

Flight deck personnel perform a foreign object damage (FOD) walk down on the flight deck of Carl Vinson. During the walkdown, special attention is given to finding flaking nonskid and stray safety wire U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) James R. Evans.

Publisher

Capt. Bruce H. Lindsey Commanding Officer Executive Editors

Lt. Cmdr. Erik Reynolds

Story by MC2 Byron C. Linder USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

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hen all hands on board Carl Vinson are cordially invited to check themselves Lt. Erik Schneider foreign object damage (FOD)-free and musDeputy Public Affairs Officer ter on the flight deck for FOD walkdown, the Managing Editor invitation is an essential preventative step for MC2(SW) Ashley Van Dien Vinson’s air operations in the 5th Fleet area Photo Editor of responsibility.

The danger of FOD is constantly emphaMC2(SW) James R. Evans sized through shipboard advertisement and Layout and Design safety briefs, but the ever-present nature of MC3 Patrick Green objects capable of damaging aircraft or SailStaff Writers/Photographers ors makes the prevention process a vexing MC2(SW) James R. Evans MC2 Byron C. Linder one.

MC3 Lori D. Bent “FOD is the thorn in our side,” said Chief MC3 Christopher Hwang Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (AW/SW) Luke MC3 Jessica Tounzen Public Affairs Officer

MC3 Travis K. Mendoza

Willdigg, hangar deck Chief for Air Department V-3 Division.

While FOD can cause devastating damage on the flight deck, the attention during FOD walkdowns is primarily devoted to spotting flaking nonskid and stray safety wire. Willdigg explained why the hangar bay is the greater magnet for a variety of FOD. “On the flight deck, those guys are conditioned not to have anything in their pockets.

In the hangar bay, you have Sailors (transiting) who are not in the aviation world. We find locker keys, pens, wheelbooks, wallets, ball caps and water bottles,” Willdigg said.

A replenishment at sea (RAS) is a breeding ground for FOD, Willdigg continued.

“I’ll pick up five or six water bottles after every RAS. There’s soda cans, paper plates and napkins from serving food, which is why we try to corral people eating during

March 1, 2011

Q&A

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CNO Weighs In On State Of Navy

Navy Times

Navy Times reporters and editors interviewed Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead on Feb. 24. Here are excerpts of the interview, edited for brevity and clarity.

Ending Optimal Manning

Q. Can you speak directly about the 6,000 billets that are moving to sea and sea support staffs? Where are they coming from? Where are they going? And why 6,000?

Why 6,000? Because as we looked at where we wanted to put people back, we know that, for example, the [ballistic-missile defense’ force needs more people. We know that we cut pretty deeply into some of the amphibious ships. We want to put them back there. the RAS into one area,” Willdigg explained.

“Then you have the trash and wood chips from the pallets to watch out for.”

The danger of FOD to aircraft and air crew on board Vinson is not readily apparent while the aircraft is in the hangar bay. Rather, it is when FOD hitches a ride to the flight deck from the hangar bay that a domino effect begins.

“We don’t have a lot of high-powered startups in the hangar bay. Mostly it’s low-powered turns and when that happens the area is checked,” Willdigg emphasized. “The likelihood of FOD damage here is a lot less, but if a washer or something fell off an aircraft in the hangar bay, gets caught in someone’s nonflight deck boot treads and that person goes onto the elevator when we’re doing a move, then that FOD can make it up to the flight deck. Someone sets down a cover or a water bottle near an aircraft and forgets about it, that FOD can make it up to the flight deck.”

The hangar bay’s maintenance environment becomes a natural hotbed for FOD. As Sailors conduct repairs on aircraft wings and ejection seats, loose safety wire can get sucked up through the jet intake, damage the engine, and make a violent exit capable of injuring flight deck personnel.

“Anything getting ingested into a jet intake will get blown out awfully fast and could hit someone. Just the dust and dirt getting

We have a few hundred more that are going back into the regional maintenance centers. There is some shore activity, some of the systems commands. We took some billets out of there. And it’s not necessarily a one-for-one because of the way that staffs tend to be very senior. So you’re able to use the resources and maybe buy 1.5 or two sailors.

But there’s no question in my mind, this was the right thing to do as I got out around the fleet, and this is really something that began a couple of years ago, that it became apparent to me that the optimal manning, which I think is a good initiative, but we kind of got the sizing wrong.

And I could see it in ships, and you can get into a downward spiral because if you don’t have enough people on the ship, and Petty Officer Jones says, hey, chief, there’s a school I’d really like to go to. Sorry, Petty Officer Jones, we’re just too busy; you can’t go.

So you don’t acquire those skills. Then you lose some troubleshooting techniques, and it just kind of spirals down, and then it’s just a lot of work on the backs of the limited number of sailors that are there. So that became a priority for me a couple of years ago, was to figure out what we had, then try to get the size right again.

Read the CNO’s thoughts on `Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, Tone Of Leadership, ‘Spice’ and Tobacco Restrictions in Thursday’s edition of the Vinson Voice.

blown in your face during an engine power up feels like getting peppered by a shotgun,” said Willdigg.

Sailors conducting business in the hangar bay subsequently need to be mindful of the FOD dangers they may present and take any guidance delivered by Vinson’s Air Department personnel to heart in order to diminish the risk of a FOD incident.

“It’s going to take a lot of on-the-spot training. It’s not enough to yell at someone about taking their cover off in the hangar bay, it will take an explanation,” said Willdigg. “There’s a reason why we don’t carry trash through the hangar bay; if the bag breaks, there’s a FOD risk.”

Willdigg emphasized the importance of attention to detail with a recent surge of hair pins becoming FOD. “Hair pins are not authorized on the flight deck. Ship’s company walking through the hangar bay can have those pins (if they do not wear head gear), but now they’ve wound up down here. A black pin on black nonskid is hard to see. The aircraft rolls over it, and it winds up on the flight deck. People need to understand the danger,” said Willdigg.

A single FOD incident creates a chain reaction impacting people far removed from Vinson’s deckplates.

“Each squadron has a different mission.

For Operation Enduring Freedom, we’re

dropping bombs on the bad guys and protecting the ground troops. If we take one aircraft out of the game, we’re putting them at risk,” said Willdigg.

A lethal facet of FOD is that the damage is not instantly apparent, Willdigg continued.

“An aircraft could have ingested FOD during the launch and the pilot won’t even know it,” said Willdigg. “The engine begins degrading and that FOD works through the cables, pulleys and hydraulic lines and prevents the rudder from moving. The pilot’s at risk, the people on the beach are at risk and it just spreads like cancer.”

The chain reaction continues well past the initial incident.

“It’s days, sometimes weeks with the paperwork surrounding an aircraft mishap or a FOD issue because of something stupid. A one-cent bobby pin can knock down a multimillion dollar aircraft, and that’s just the aircraft. If someone was killed, you can’t put a price on someone’s life.”

Willdigg called for Sailors to look beyond immediate situations and take a larger view of their actions.

“Take a step back. Someone’s mom, dad, husband or wife back stateside losing their son or daughter or spouse because of a pin is ridiculous. The effects of the littlest stupid piece of trash can spread like a forest fire.

People need to see that. It’s a big deal.”

Carl Vinson Voice

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Of Information The Trade Systems Technicians

Story by MC2 Byron C. Linder USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

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arl Vinson’s Information Systems Technicians (IT) working in Combat Systems Automated Data Processing (ADP) Division are responsible for the Navy’s communication, computer and intelligence systems and equipment. To accomplish their job and work with the telecommunications equipment and computers, they need their hands, minds...and a lot of Local Area Network (LAN) cable.

While readily available for purchase in incremental lengths, Vinson’s ITs can assemble a LAN cable with the right specifications for the task at hand in a matter of minutes using crimpers, Category 5 (CAT 5) cable, and connectors.

The first step is choosing a cable. Information Systems Technicians Seaman Shaun Allworth, a Rosemont, Calif. native assigned to Combat Systems CS3 Division, explained why cable choice is an essential step.

“Shielded cable has a metal wrapping around the wires and it’s much harder to

build. It’s not very flexible, but the shielding protects the signal,” explained Allworth.

“The wires give off an electromagnetic field and when they’re strung over the cableways, running to every switch and individual LAN drop box throughout the ship, they need to be shielded.”

“Unshielded cable is a lot easier to use and is good for just connecting computers to the LAN drop,” added Vinson’s Information Systems Technicians 3rd Class (SW) Melissa York, an Oklahoma City native also assigned to Combat Systems CS3 Division. “But any length of unshielded cable longer than 250 feet becomes useless because the signal degrades badly.”

With the cable selected, it’s a simple process to use the crimpers to snap connectors onto either end of the cable.

“We make these pretty frequently,” said Allworth.

While the cables allow for data transmission across Vinson’s computer network, writable and rewritable compact discs are the Navyapproved method for transferring images and files too large for e-mail on a network computer. Larger files and backups call for the employment of a writable and rewritable

digital versatile disc (DVD). DVD-R and DVD-RW drives are a standard install on NIPR computers, and Vinson’s ITs are able to swap out troublesome optical media drives.

“If it breaks, we replace it. We can just pull it out of the tower, make the connections and put a new one in pretty quickly,” said Allworth Technical work is only a piece of an IT’s calling. Assisting users with their technical support questions is the customer service side of their world, and Vinson’s ITs rarely find themselves unemployed, being challenged with navigating the maze of the ship’s digital infrastructure.

“You have to be creative and just be able to stick it out when you run into problems beyond a wrong password.,” said York.

Other times, the simplest solution can be the easiest.

“The most valuable tools I have are my hands and my mind,” said Allworth. “I worked with computers for many years before I joined. For a lot of trouble calls, I just restart the system and it works fine again.”

As new technology advances on board U.S. Navy ships, the ITs will continue to provide the support for the communications systems that allow for continued mission success, using the tools at their disposal and the training they receive.

March 1, 2011

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“The most valuable tools I have are my hands and my mind.�

-Information Systems Technician Seaman

Shaun Allworth

U.S. Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis K. Mendoza.

Carl Vinson Voice

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Stock Investing:

an Option for Sailors in a tax-free zone Story by MC3 Lori Bent USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

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arl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 Sailors have many options for maximizing their financial benefits in a Combat Zone Tax Exclusion (CZTE) area; Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Saving Deposit Program (SDP) and even stock market investing.

The stock market is an organized system of buying and selling stocks and shares of a given company signifying ownership or claim of that company’s assets and earnings. But before dropping your extra dollars into the stock market, researching a company and gaining knowledge of the market will help Sailors make better decisions about where and how much to invest.

Although the investing market can be confusing for beginners, there are a few steps to follow that will allow even the most intimidating situations become less complex.

“Pay off your debt first,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ramon Spradlin, a stock trader. “Be able to comprehend basic terminology and be knowledgeable about a company’s history. Investments can be huge risks and you want to make sure that you equip yourself so you are not taken advantage of.”

Planning for an investment is a major component to making well-informed decisions. Even

more important is understanding that stocks should not be your only asset.

Logic can be just as important in choosing a good stock as the advice of an investment expert.

“Do your research and decide if the money you are investing is extra money not included in your every-day budget,” said Spradlin. “Investing is for longterm returns. Your best bet to making money in the stock market is to be patient and wait it out.”

When buying stock in a company, be mindful of the company’s 52-week (one year) highs and lows showing the trading prices for that company’s stock.

Pay attention to daily highs and lows, which show the range at which the stock was traded throughout that day and lastly, the company’s trading price when the market closed that day.

“This will give somewhat of a projected look at what the company is doing to protect and expand itself,” said Spradlin.

Be mindful of a company’s earnings, sales, debt and equity. These should display higher or lower numbers from previous years. Investing in a company’s stock without doing research could mean taking a blind risk with your money and every risk should be a calculated one.

“Start off small and then make larger

risks one step at a time,” recommended Chief Machinist’s Mate (SW/AW) Leodias Jack, Carl Vinson’s Command Financial Specialist (CFS). “Make use of the resources afforded you (like your departmental financial specialists) to help you make sound financial decisions.”

Each Sailor has a different goal when investing. To make the most of your hard-earned money, always have wellreasoned answers to the questions, “Why are you investing in stocks?” and “Why are you investing in a particular stock?”

Most resources and ‘how to’ manuals regarding investing will tell you the path to investing success takes time, serious study, disciplined efforts and most importantly, independent thinking.

Understand that there are no set rules for investing. There are no guarantees and no perfect way to invest. But if it is something you are financially capable of, do your research first and you could reap long-term benefits.

March 1, 2011

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U.S. Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) James R. Evans and Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher K. Hwang. `RE-ENLISTMENT` Cont.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) 3rd Class Patrick Fennell decided to re-enlist to take advantage of the opportunities shore duty presents.

“I want to be prepared if I decide to get out of the Navy later,” said Fennell. “I am going to shore duty to save money and go to school, hopefully earning my associates or even a bachelor’s degree.”

Interior Communications Specialist 3rd Class Stephen Getchell chose to stay

Navy to stay close to his brother, Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Gregory Getchell. The brothers are currently stationed on board together, and Stephen hopes they can stay close when they both transfer to shore duty.

“I re-enlisted for three years and will most likely be doing instructor duty,” said Getchell. “I look forward to passing my knowledge on to junior Sailors.”

In December and January, Carl Vinson re-enlisted 62 Sailors. One hundred re-

enlisted in February, and there are at least 43 already scheduled for March and the months following. That total number amounts to almost 10 percent of the ship’s crew.

“I’m very happy for them,” said Lindsey.

“They all have personal reasons to reenlist and I’m glad that they had enough information to make a good decision for them. My job is to make sure that that decision remains a good decision for them.”

Carl Vinson Voice

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Maintaining the Line

Sailors inspect a catapult before launching an F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, from the flight deck of Carl Vinson. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis K. Mendoza.

SPS-73: Primary navigation radar; secondary surface search radar. .325 N.M. minimum range, 50 N.M. maximum range.

Precision Approach and Landing System (PALS) enables carrier pilots to perform instrument approaches under either manual or automatic control

DECKPLATE Deckplate Dialogues

“What is your favorite gadget and why?”

IT3 Chi Wong

“My IPOD. I can play movies and listen to music on the go.”

AM3 George Gore

“My Zune touch. Battery life, I can watch about 10 movies before the battery dies.”

PS2 (SW/AW) Raymond Grant

“My PSP. Everything I like to do on my off time I can do on my PSP.”