Vinson Voice MAY6_LQ

I T I: C’ C | R  S | G G | M S Vol 03 No 47 | May 6, 2012

ASIST

APPLIED PPLIED S SUICIDE UICIDE INTERVENTION SKILLS TRAINING STORY BY

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MC3 (SW/AW) Rosa A. Arzola | Carl Vinson Staff Writer

dvancement. Warfare pins. In-rate qualifications.

Deployments. Collateral duties. Physical fitness. Family issues. Loneliness. Work environment pressures. These are all common stress factors in a Sailor’s life.

“There are times, though, when stress factors can become too overbearing for a Sailor and can eventually lead to feelings of sadness, hopelessness and thoughts to stop their own suffering,” said Vinson Command Chaplain Lt. Gregory Hazlett.

According to statistics provided by Navy Personnel Command Cover illustration by: MC3 Phoenix C. Levin | Carl Vinson Staff Graphic Artist

(NPC), the rate of suicides for the 2011 calendar year (CY) was 14.5 percent per 100,000, for 51 reported suicides. There have been 20 reported suicides so far in CY 2012.

A select group of Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 Sailors have completed the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) course, which is designed to teach proper intervention skills so a Sailor can feel comfortable, confident and competent in protecting a Shipmate from the immediate risk of suicide, Hazlett said. The ASIST program costs hundreds of CONTINUE ‘ASIST’ ON PAGE 2

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dollars to complete in the civilian world, but Carl Vinson and CVW-17 Sailors received the training at no cost.

ASIST, a two-day course offered through the LivingWorks organization, is a suicide intervention workshop that began in 1982 in a rural Alberta community and has now spread to the rest of Canada, Australia, Norway, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland and the United States.

According to the program’s website, it is the most widely-used suicide intervention program in the world with more than 30,000 participants who complete this workshop annually.

“I have seen this program work in my office,” Hazlett said. “I deeply believe that there are Sailors alive today that were at such a high risk I am not sure they would have been alive if it weren’t for ASIST.” Hazlett explained although the Navy runs a general military training for suicide prevention, ASIST augments the existing program by going more in-depth with intervention.

“Intervention in the Navy generally consists of going to the chain of command and informing them of someone being suicidal,” Hazlett said. “The immediate default is to sweep them off to Medical into the quiet room or to a chaplain. We don’t necessarily take care of the issue, and it doesn’t solve the reason why that person is such at risk.”

Chief Aviation Electrician’s Mate (AW)

Christopher Watkins, Helicopter AntiSubmarine Squadron (HS) 15’s Aircraft Division leading chief petty officer, was one Sailor who attended the workshop.

“Suicide is a touchy subject that a lot of people are scared of,” Watkins said. “Many Sailors don’t want to talk about or get involved because they think it would make the situation worse, or they don’t know what to do so they just avoid it.”

ASIST has allowed him, along with other participants, to be ready and prepared to help out a Shipmate in need before it is too late.

“It is probably one of the best trainings I have gotten in the Navy,” Watkins continued.

“A lot of the training we get is mostly focused on the recognizing signs of a person thinking of suicide. There hasn’t been a lot of training in my time in the Navy on actual intervention, so having people on the deckplates or in work centers with this type of training can be a great benefit to help out a Shipmate in need.”

Watkins explained ASIST teaches a simply laid out method for how to help somebody on the edge.

“When you start this workshop, everyone is apprehensive with the subject of suicide,” Watkins said. “But we left with trusted tools that allow us to help somebody who might be at risk.”

Watkins added the need to increase the number of Sailors getting involved in this workshop.

“The more ASIST-trained personnel we

have, the more likely we’ll have them available at the right place and time,” Watkins said.

“Increasing the number is only going to help a person with suicidal thoughts and is going to be that much better for the Navy in general.”

According to Religious Programs Specialist Seaman Ashley Schumacher, assigned to Command Religious Ministries Department, ASIST focuses on three major concepts important to communicating with someone who is potentially suicidal.

“In order to intervene correctly, you have to follow three steps - connect, understand and assist the person at risk,” Schumacher said.

“People who aren’t comfortable dealing with such situations are prone to panic or afraid to say the wrong thing. ASIST teaches you that it’s important to be straightforward and ask the question ‘Are you thinking of committing suicide?’ If that is the case with that individual, then you follow the steps in order.”

Schumacher added many people with suicidal thoughts do not initially intend to take their lives.

“A lot of times people who are suicidal are just begging silently for someone to reach out to them and help them,” she said. “Life is precious. There are many trials of pain and suffering in life, but it is worth living.”

ASIST is augmenting an overall effort to further educate Sailors on the suicide prevention training already conducted through Navy training channels. An article detailing this training will appear in a future edition of the Vinson Voice.

Qm3 (SW) Matthew Rivera teaches QMSN Lisa Barker, assigned to the Navigation Department, how to find a fix on a chart on the bridge Vinson. Photo by MC3 (SW/AW) Nicolas C. Lopez

May 6, 2012

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PROVIDED BY

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Saying Goodbye

Cmdr. K.J. Shuley | Carl Vinson Chaplain

n the recent weeks a lot of people have left the ship, and headed on to other assignments, or transitioned out of the Navy.

It’s hard to believe how fast the time passes, and all of a sudden that colleague, friend, or co-worker who has been with you for a while is now leaving.

I have said goodbye to a number of really good folks over the course of my time here. It’s never easy to do. But it’s interesting to see where those people will turn up.

One of my really good friends from a previous command was here with me for almost two years. It was a great privilege to work with him again.

Another of my friends that was here with me was the son of two really good friends that I met over 20 years ago.

That was amazing.

Here he was, all grown up, with more gray hair than me, doing a great job, highly respected, very capable, and good to his subordinates.

I could honestly say that his parents did well and he really turned out to be a superb Naval officer and a tremendous individual.

Throughout the farewell process, make sure that you get a chance to say thanks, to wish the person well in their

next chapter of their life, and to say goodbye.

I have always regretted not being able to say goodbye to friends and colleagues when the circumstances did not permit me to do so.

In certain situations, like deployments with boots on the ground, we were asked not to say goodbye for operational security reasons. So I did not. But I always hoped that people would understand.

The advice I’d give about goodbye is try to say goodbye whenever possible. And hope that you might work with the person again.

Try to say something positive and complimentary. Always take the high road when it’s time to say goodbye.

After all, soon enough, it will be your turn. The legacy we leave behind is the most important personal thing that we accomplish during our time on board the ship.

The reputation that we develop here precedes us to our next assignment, or the next chapter of our life.

And if you get a chance, please stop by my office to say goodbye, because I always appreciate that.

Please feel free to join us at any of the worship services, classes, community relations projects, and special events sponsored by your chaplains, RPs, and lay leaders.

We are always happy to see you there.

AD2 Rafael Barbosa, assigned to the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department’s IM-2 Division, cleans and inspects an F414 G-400 turbofan in Vinson’s jet shop. Photo by MC2 Benjamin Stevens

Vinson Voice

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Rewrite the Script STORY BY

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MC3 (SW/AW) Luke B. Meineke | Carl Vinson Staff Writer

inson’s Tobacco Cessation Program, facilitated by Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Melanie Torrez, Medical Department’s Preventive Medicine leading petty officer, recently concluded its fifth and final class for the 2012 deployment..

Forty Vinson Sailors, over the course of four weeks attending the American Cancer Society’s “Freshstart” program, learned the tools to help them stop using tobacco products.

“It was continuous. It started on the 19th of December and my last class ended two weeks ago,” Torrez said. “Overall I think it was good. One of my patients came up to me the other day. He punched me in the arm and said, ‘Hey! Still going well.’ But, I know there are people who went through the program that fell off the wagon, so to speak. But, most of the people who came through the program were people who were smoking or using tobacco products for more than 10 years.”

An addiction and habit that spans that amount of time is written into a Sailor’s daily ritual and it’s challenging to rewrite that script, Torrez added. “Not only are you changing the habit itself, but you’re changing everything around it, everything that’s associated with it,” she said. “It takes awhile to readjust, to reprogram yourself.

Going from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day to having four or five out of a four-day liberty port – that’s phenomenal.”

After identifying why they smoked, the Tobacco Cessation classes helped Sailors identify and avoid nicotine triggers, and develop coping mechanisms and techniques to avoid relapses in the effort to maintain a nicotine-free lifestyle.

However, Torrez stressed the group setting and interaction were the most effective characteristics of the cessation program. It is for that reason no classes will be offered during the post-overseas movement (POM) leave period.

“We’re not going to run the classes because there are not going to be enough people to actually benefit from running the class,” Torrez said. “The whole idea of the class is to have a group-based therapy to build camaraderie between each other and to feed off one another as to what works and what doesn’t work for quitting.

If we only have one or two people in class it

doesn’t benefit them.”

Though Vinson Medical won’t be offering cessation classes right upon return to homeport, Sailors still have options if they want to quit.

“If people want to quit when we get back, or they tried to while we were underway and just couldn’t, I’m suggesting people go over to Naval Medical Center Balboa to their Health Promotions Clinic,” Torrez said. “They have tobacco cessation programs there.”

The same applies to air wing personnel regardless where they are stationed, Torrez added. “Every command has some sort of Health Promotions, and that’s where you find the Tobacco Cessation programs.”

With Vinson’s Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) following POM, Torrez acknowledged planning for future cessation classes will be difficult, but it is her desire to see the class continue while Vinson is moored pier-side.

“It’s going to be a little difficult being in PIA because Medical itself, we are moving off the ship for a while,” Torrez said. “Logistically, I’m still trying to figure out where we’re going to go. Medical doesn’t have enough space for the actual providers, let alone for the classes, so it’s going to be a little tricky. But in the months we have POM period, hopefully we’ll be able to work something out where we’ll be able to have something either on the barge or at the clinic.”

Regardless of their chosen outlet or avenue,

Torrez warned Sailors the stresses at home, while different, are as potent as those present during deployment.

“You might get back and your family has their routine, you have your own routine – don’t let that stress make you pick up the cigarette or pick up the chew again,” she said.

“When it’s all said and done, that stress is eventually going to subside and you’re only going to be left with that addiction again and back to where you were before.”

Whether it’s cold turkey or tapering down to a gradual termination, Torrez encouraged Sailors to find a motivation. “Find that reason that will make you quit – wife, kids, expenses – and focus on that.”

Torrez said she is always available to those Sailors wanting to quit tobacco and hopes to be in touch with those Vinson Sailors who are participating or look to participate in the program. As soon as she has information, Torrez said she will notify the command through the plan of the day. Any Sailors with questions about the Tobacco Cessation program or about how to contact Naval Medical Center Balboa to participate in their program are encouraged to email Torrez using the ship’s global e-mail.

“I just want to help people,” Torrez explained. “My mom has respiratory illnesses directly connected to smoking. I don’t want to see people in her situation later on down the line. If I can help one person avoid that, it’s worth it.”

May 6, 2012

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Winning Tiger T-Shirt Design

Congratulations to ABEAN Lourdes Basbas and LSSN Xuan Wang for winning the contest!

Vinson Voice

6

Review:

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

Final Grade: C+

COLUMN BY

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MC2 (SW) Byron C. Linder | Carl Vinson Staff Writer

welve years ago, Capcom released Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 (MVC2), a 2D fighting game featuring a slew of characters from Capcom’s video games and Marvel Comics’ massive library of titles facing off in three-on-three team battles with increasingly bright, screen-filling explosive results.

Capcom’s never been shy about releasing sequels, going back to the numerous iterations of Street Fighter II before we actually got the third game in the series (even going anime-style with Alpha and a misguided trip to 3D along the way), but the Vs. games have always been about steadily increasing the roster without significant changes to the core game. It’s smart for an arcade fighter – you played the last game, Capcom’s Akuma (Left) faces off against Marvel Comics’ Magneto (Right) in Capcom’s new iPad title Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. you’ll be able to jump right in to the new one.

I remember playing what was essentially the first game in this disappointing to see that some effort wasn’t made to smooth out particular Vs. series with Marvel (Capcom’s got two others), the rough lines. Several older games have had some semblance of X-Men: Children of the Atom, at the arcade with my younger a facelift for their mobile debut (Grand Theft Auto 3, Max Payne, cousin. While it didn’t have the over-the-top gore appeal of Mortal The Bard’s Tale) but MVC2 just shows up, as is.

Kombat 3, it was a game we were both able to pick up and play The problems really come to light with the controls. The touch pretty easily and didn’t get my aunt threatening to send me to screen joystick and buttons are, simply put, terrible. The rapid-fire sleep outside in the snow for corrupting impressionable youth. combos and special moves can be pulled off, but it seems like it’s And over the years, I’ve checked in with the series here and there mostly luck rather than skill. Holding the iPad while pulling off through Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, and the these carpal acrobatics also gets tiring after about a half-hour. The first Marvel vs. Capcom. default controls offer some modified single-button combos, but I MVC2 personally stands out significantly because in 2000 it was able to switch out to a six-button layout in the Options menu brought three very different people from very different walks of and actually make some headway. life together into the common area of the dorm I was living in to Despite those setbacks, the fun is still there. I was still driven, play the game on my Sega Dreamcast when we probably should for no logical reason, to keep racking up points to unlock more have been out socializing or studying. and more characters in the roster. In a way, MVC2 on iPad is the So why the trip down memory lane? Capcom has re-released most faithful adaptation of the arcade game, in that it’s not the sort MVC2 for the iPod and iPad for a very reasonable $2.99 (or about of gaming marathon fun you had with the console version - it’s six credits at an arcade machine) on the App Store. The price is something you do to kill 20 minutes or so and you move on to the a promotional gimmick to tie in the new Avengers movie, and I next game. I can definitely see the appeal of playing multiplayer don’t know how long it will stay that low. But of the three games I over Bluetooth while in line waiting for chow, but again, that’s downloaded during our Australia port visit, MVC2 was sadly the done in short bursts. most disappointing.

The bottom line? MVC2 for iPad is a very good casual game Right out of the gate, the description notes the graphics haven’t hampered by a bad touch screen control interface. If it’s still three been updated to support the iPad 3’s high-definition display, bucks when we arrive in our next port, it’s worth a trip back in and even on my iPad 2 they looked a little worse for wear. It’s time.

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May 6, 2012

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Vinson Voice

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DIALOGUES D E C K P L A T E

| What bad habit did you quit during deployment? |

“I stopped spending money on stuff I didn’t need.”

“I stopped procrastinating on my qualifications.”

OS3 (SW) D a m i a n H a i r s t o n

B r y a n

“I stopped biting my fingernails.”

“I stopped snacking.”

Li r i an

HTFN F u e n t e z

CS3 Oro z c o

ABH3 (AW) A m b e r L a w s o n

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The CDC is responsible to the Operations Officer for the coordination of all matters pertaining to combat operations, the proper functioning of CDC, and the aircraft under its control.

CDC is also responsible for the execution of tactical orders for the carrier and air wing during battles. Orders are issued by the CV Tactical Action Officer (TAO) under the direction of the Commanding Officer. The TAO is also responsible for the coordination and control of the various warfare modules in CDC.

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Flex Deck is a special type of flight operation in which the flight deck is kept ready (flexible) to launch and recover aircraft at short and irregular intervals of time. The operations are performed when there is a calculable and significant threat of attack against the carrier. The normal cyclic interval of 90 minutes is typically reduced to between 40 and 60 minutes.

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