Vinson Voice FEB 14

In This Issue: Mass Casualty | black History | Barricade Drills | President’s Day

Vol 03 No 02 | February 14, 2013

Welcome

Aboard STORY BY

MC3 (SW) Heather Roe| Carl Vinson Staff Writer

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arl Vinson and 449 Sailors assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 left Naval Air Station North Island Feb. 11 to begin carrier qualifications after a seven-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA).

The Gold Eagle/Quicksand team are conducting a precision approach and landing system (PALS) certification and a flight deck certification during the 9-day underway period to qualify for future flight operations.

The PALS certification is significant to the aircraft and pilot, as well as the ship, because it provides guidance and allows an aircraft the option of automatic approaches to the ship, explained Jake Kiehlmeier, a flight-test engineer attached to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23). “PALS is most useful when a pilot is unable to see due to inclement weather or when an aircraft suffers a malfunction that could prevent a routine landing. It allows us to recover aircraft safely in any situation not considered normal.”

However, it’s a complicated process to “groom the landing system” and involves multiple, varied passes by aircraft, Kiehlmeier added.

There are three phases the ship must complete in order to achieve the PALS certification. The first

Photo By MC2 (SW/AW) Tim Hazel

CONTINUE ‘FLIGHT OPS’ on PAGE 2

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FROM ‘FLIGHT OPS’ ON PAGE 1

Photo By MCSN Iain L. Stratton

Sailors watch from Vulture’s Row as an F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 makes an arrested landing on the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson. phase is known as the fly level legs. This phase ensures the shipboard radar is accurately seeing the aircraft at the correct altitude for a safe landing.

Phase two involves low approaches over the ship to align the automatic carrier landing system (ACLS) and instrument carrier landing system (ICLS), Kiehlmeier explained. ACLS allows the aircraft to automatically land itself if anything were to happen that would hinder the pilot from landing the aircraft manually. ICLS provides guidance to the pilot during manual flight. Both systems make up the vital PALS. During phase three, pilots fly mode one approaches, using ACLS to automatically approach the carrier and then the system will land the aircraft.

“We’re talking with the pilots and making sure the system is controlling the aircraft correctly,” Kiehlmeier said. “And we’re also making sure the system is landing them in the right spot on the flight deck.”

Along with earning the PALS certification, Carl Vinson and CVW17 Sailors are earning personal qualifications on the flight deck to ultimately support normal, yet integral day-to-day flight deck operations.

“It’s important that we’re getting the deck crew, the pilots and the maintainers in the squadrons the training to work on the flight deck safely,” said CVW-17 Command Master Chief, CMDCM (AW/SW) Matt Laing.

CVW-17 personnel have 21 aircraft, including three variations of the F/A-18 fighter jets, E-2C Hawkeyes, and EA-6B Prowlers on Carl

Vinson as we conduct PALS and flight deck qualifications, said CVW17’s Public Affairs Officer Lt. Mike Frisby. “Thirty-two pilots are also getting qualified or re-qualified in day and night flight operations.”

Over three days, Carl Vinson and CVW-17 will follow a detailed schedule to ensure the necessary qualifications are met for both crew on the flight deck and the pilots in the air.

The first day of flight deck qualifications, 50 arresting-gear traps were required by the crew and pilots, Laing said. As the crew progressed to day two, they accomplished 70 day traps and 40 night traps.

Day three consists of cyclic operations: aircraft will trap on the flight deck, taxi to the catapults and launch off the ship again, Laing added.

“It ensures Carl Vinson conducts flight operations safely. You need to learn how to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run, because we haven’t done flight operations in so long,” Laing said.

“This is a way for Sailors and pilots to re-familiarize the principles of what it takes to conduct safe flight operations.”

While Carl Vinson and CVW-17 have completed two Western Pacific deployments together in the last two years and have demonstrated proficiency in flight deck operations, carrier qualifications are necessary to ensure safety on the flight deck.

“We look forward to working with the air wing and the ship as a team. The success that Carl Vinson and CVW-17 has had over two deployments is a testament to the professionalism and teamwork the ship and the air wing have when they integrate together,” said Laing.

“And we’re looking forward to continuing that level of success out here during carrier qualifications and in the future.”

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Photo By MCSN Iain L. Stratton

Photo By MCSN Iain L. Stratton

Photo By MCSN Jacob Kaucher

Photo By MCSN Iain L. Stratton

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Vinson Voice

Mass Casualty STORY BY

Training Together to Save Lives

MC2 (SW/AW) Luke Meineke| Carl Vinson Staff Writer

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“ e train like we fight.” It is a commonenough phrase heard on the deckplates, especially during general quarters. On the first day of Carl Vinson’s 9-day underway, however, the phrase was given a twist: “We train like we fight to save lives.”

Carl Vinson Sailors understand the need to be prepared for anything, especially while out to sea. In an effort to further be prepared should the worst happen, Sailors from throughout the ship, led and instructed by medical department personnel, conducted a mass casualty drill in hangar bay 2 Monday.

“A mass casualty exists when the number of critically injured patients exceeds a medical department’s ability to immediately provide the needed care each patient needs,” explained Col. James E. Boyd, Carl Vinson’s senior medical officer (SMO). “On Carl Vinson, we define that as five or more individuals that require immediate medical attention for serious or critical injuries resulting from a single incident.”

Mass casualty events are also inherently chaotic, added Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW/AW/FMF) Michael Richards, medical department’s radiology technician.

“We deal with the care and tracking of numerous patients at once while evacuating those injured Sailors into an area that is safe to be able to render care.”

“Learning to manage this chaos and

Photo By MCSN Jacob Kaucher

optimize care for the injured is what our mass casualty drills are all about,” Boyd explained. “The biggest thing we gain from these drills is getting used to and managing the chaos with clearly-defined plans and processes that can adapt to any situation or environment.”

Sailors assigned to deck department, who were holding a muster in hangar bay 3 when a mock explosion occurred and casualties were inflicted, acted as first responders to the drill. They provided basic first aid to those injured by utilizing the emergency first aid boxes located in the hangar bays while the petty officer of the watch called away “mass casualty” on the 1MC. “Then the stretcher bearers reported – those are Sailors from all around the ship who are attached to repair lockers or battle dressing stations that encompass the stretcher bearer response team,” Richards explained. “They provide either patient care or patient transport. Once ‘mass casualty’ is called away, we have mass casualty boxes which are almost like foot lockers. Those will be pulled out, set up and used to treat the injured personnel.”

“The medical and dental departments will all be responding once a mass casualty situation has been declared and announced,” Boyd said. “Also key are our security teams, stretcher bearers and weapons department elevator operators who work together to secure the triage and treatment areas, provide initial care and transport the

Photo By MCSN Jacob Kaucher

injured to more definitive care locations.”

Medical department constructs mass casualty training sessions to incorporate the injuries found in the “GITMO 8” training series, which covers the treatment of the most common wounds and injuries. This grooms the entire crew to be competent first responders until medical personnel reach the victim.

“We had a facial laceration, an arm amputation, a sucking chest wound, an abdominal evisceration, a compound fracture and head injuries,” Richards said.

“We covered about the whole gamut of injuries that we would see.”

With a large number of injured Sailors, prioritizing care of patients, or triage, is essential to saving the most lives possible.

The severity of the wound is what determines priority, Richards explained.

“Someone with airway complications is going to take a higher priority than someone with a compound fracture,” he said. “The compound fracture is going to be debilitating if it’s not cared for, but we have hours to take care of that. Anything dealing with the airway or the heart takes priority to just about anything else.”

While there can be no detracting from the fundamental importance of a fullyprepared Carl Vinson crew in the event of emergency, Monday’s training was especially crucial for one significant reason.

“There are a lot of new faces around the ship,” Richards said. “The new Sailors need to be trained – not only corpsmen, but ship’s company – on what’s going to

Photo By MCSN Jacob Kaucher

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Photo By MCSA Kristopher Haley

Sailors participate in a mass casualty drill in the hangar bay aboard Carl Vinson. happen if there is a mass casualty and what they should be doing. That’s evacuating the patients, providing first-responder care, and – once medical personnel arrive – assisting them with any further help that is required.”

“Every Sailor is expected to be proficient in the basic ‘GITMO 8’ wound care,” Boyd added. “The first on the scene will be your buddies. We have a rapid response team of four corpsmen ready to go at all times that can be anywhere on the ship in minutes, but to mobilize and set up for a mass casualty situation takes more time. The initial lifesaving care provided by the first Sailors on the scene can mean the difference of life or death for some individuals.”

Above all, Carl Vinson needs a competent and capable crew to ensure the safety of all hands. The “GITMO 8” training, duty section training, mass casualty training and general quarters all serve to produce a crew able to save itself.

“The biggest thing is, when we’re underway, the only medical care that can be provided is through medical department,” Richards explained. “We only have 30 people to cover - under a full complement onboard - 5,000 Sailors. We can’t be everywhere at once, so you need to rely on each other to take care of each other.

It can take medical a couple of minutes to respond and if your shipmate is unwilling or unable to help you out, you’re going to

be in trouble. We have to be able to rely on each other to take care of ourselves.”

The initial response of the Sailors first on the scene is the area where we need the most improvement, confirmed Boyd. “They are key to the initial care of the wounded and getting them to the patient collection area. Anytime and anywhere on the ship an actual or simulated patient is found they need to begin initial care and send someone to call medical at j-dial 222 or the navigation bridge at j-dial 211. This aspect of our ship’s medical response will be looked at closely during our Afloat Training Group (ATG) inspections, but, more importantly, it is the right thing to do to be prepared to care for our fellow Sailors in an actual event.”

Photo By MCSN Jacob Kaucher

Photo By MCSN Jacob Kaucher

Photo By MCSN Jacob Kaucher

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CVN 70 and CSG-1 AHOC Celebrate

Photo By MCSN Iain L. Stratton

Photo By MCSN Iain L. Stratton MCSA Samuel LeCain| Carl Vinson Staff Writer

STORY BY

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“ rom the traffic light, the first blood bank, the incandescent light bulb, the potato chip and the gas mask; the impact of the contributions of African Americans in all facets of American society is tremendous. Though we highlight these contributions during Black History Month, the role of African-Americans in history is researched and remembered year-round,” said Interior Communications Technician 1st Class (SW/AW) Thomas J. Ingram, an American Heritage Observance Committee (AHOC) member.

The theme of this year’s Black History Month, “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington”, was presented to the crew with a cake-cutting on the aft mess decks in the afternoon. In the evening, supply department put on a special dinner reflective of African-American/Black culture and Carl Vinson and Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1) AHOC committees gave a presentation on the foc’sle.

Deck department’s 1st division officer Lt. j.g. Jade Calhoun, Operations Specialist 3rd Class Sharlyn Bayonne, and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman (AW) Paitra Johnson sang the national anthem. Sixteen AHOC members then paid tribute to key events in history and the achievements of specific African-Americans whose service in the armed forces and in the community between the time of the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom helped pave the way to freedom.

“In January, 1944, The Golden Thirteen began their 2-month officer training course,” said Operations Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Mone’t Hazelton of CSG-1. “There were already one hundred thousand AfricanAmerican enlisted men in the Navy. None, however, had been able to go through training to become officers. Responding to pressure from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Adlai Stevenson, the Navy began the training of 16 African-American enlisted men at Camp Robert Smalls, Recruit Training Command (RTC), Great Lakes. Twelve were commissioned as ensigns; one was appointed as a warrant officer.”

Carl Vinson’s Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) 2nd Class (AW) Ryan Bucchi spoke of Executive Order No. 9981, issued by President Truman, which desegregated the military. “The order stated that ‘It is hereby

declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.’”

After each of the 16 AHOC members presented their piece in American history, they picked up a photograph depicting their selected person or event and began to create a visual bridge starting with the Emancipation Proclamation, spanning the 100-year time period between it and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and ending with a description of the stated goals of the march.

Operations Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Aaron Paul followed the presentation by introducing the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Lt. Cmdr. Michael Payne, Carl Vinson’s damage control assistant, who spoke about the importance of taking the time to reflect on our history.

“This is the month where we take time out to learn, not just about the people and their great contributions to our society, but also to better understand our own personal journeys as Americans. Black history is American history,” Payne emphasized.

Payne went on to describe the circumstances and oppressions that led to both the conception of the Emancipation Proclamation and the movement that swelled into the March on Washington, underscoring the necessity to never lose sight of the lessons gleaned from our past.

“As we look back at these two events we must always keep in mind that our work is never complete,” Payne said. “There is still work to be done. I do not speak only to race relations or equal opportunity, but also to our relation to the larger global society. At the core, we want to be good citizens of the world, but even greater stewards of the unwritten responsibility, to enable the next generation to have it better than the previous.”

Following an a cappella rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” by Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class (AW) Dwayne Foster, Carl Vinson’s Command Master Chief CMDCM (AW/SW) Jeffrey Pickering offered his closing remarks to end the celebration.

AHOC events aim to encourage Sailors to embrace their heritage and diversity in the Navy, said Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/AW) Webster Nicholson, dental department’s leading chief petty officer and an AHOC member. “The Navy and the ship do a great job of promoting diversity and it’s very exciting that we can celebrate Black History Month on Carl Vinson underway.”

“The event went really well. The entire AHOC diversity crew put together a fine program with zero discrepancies,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW/AW/FMF) Xavier Johnson. “Everything was great from the speakers to the singers. I’m proud to have been a part of it.”

Photo By MC3 Giovanni Squadrito

NOW PLAYING

Photo By MCSA Kristopher Haley

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CARL VINSON CINEMA

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TWILIGHT: NEW MOON I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT TYLER PERRY’S GOOD DEEDS JOHN CARTER SWEET HOME ALABAMA THE PRINCESS & THE FROG VALENTINES DAY TWILIGHT: NEW MOON I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT TYLER PERRY’S GOOD DEEDS JOHN CARTER SWEET HOME ALABAMA

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WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER FAST AND THE FURIOUS 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 RUDY 50/50 BOYZ N THE HOOD SAFE HOUSE WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER FAST AND THE FURIOUS 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 RUDY 50/50

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MEGAMIND NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 THE BIG YEAR JACK AND JILL TOWER HEIST WALL-E ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD MEGAMIND NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 THE BIG YEAR JACK AND JILL TOWER HEIST WALL-E

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DODGEBALL: UNDERDOG STORY THINK LIKE A MAN SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD HIT AND RUN THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY QUANTUM OF SOLACE PITCH PERFECT DODGEBALL: UNDERDOG STORY THINK LIKE A MAN SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD HIT AND RUN THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY QUANTUM OF SOLACE

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CLASH OF THE TITANS CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS LIFE AS WE KNOW IT PEARL HARBOR PEARL HARBOR (PART B) THE RUNDOWN YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN CLASH OF THE TITANS CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS LIFE AS WE KNOW IT PEARL HARBOR PEARL HARBOR (PART B) THE RUNDOWN

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CADDYSHACK DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS GOODFELLAS GROWN UPS I LOVE YOU MAN LEAN ON ME CADDYSHACK DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS GOODFELLAS

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BARRICADE MCSA Matthew Carlyle| Carl Vinson Staff Writer

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t doesn’t happen often, due mostly to the reliability of an aircraft’s tail hook assembly, but if circumstances arise requiring a Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 aircraft to perform an emergency landing, Carl Vinson is well-prepared.

Picking up right where they left off at the end of a second consecutive Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment more than eight months previous, Carl Vinson Sailors successfully conducted barricade arrestment training on the flight deck Feb. 11.

During training or in an emergency, the barricade, a large nylon net used to safely “catch” an aircraft during emergency landings, is stretched across the flight deck and attached to two stanchions by flight deck personnel.

“We have to assemble it within five minutes, but usually we can do it anywhere from two to

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two-and-a-half minutes,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class William Walsh, assigned to air department’s V-2 division.

After the barricade is rigged, the stanchions are raised from the flight deck, creating a 20-foot-high net that stretches across the landing area. Pilots, whose landing gear is inoperable or whose tail hooks fail to lower, must aim their aircraft into this net. When executed properly, the barricade wraps the aircraft completely and arrests its momentum into a safe landing. Though it can only be used once, no ship can conduct flight operations without it. And it is the barricade’s capacity to save lives during an emergency that motivates all responsible during these training evolutions.

“When a disaster happens, we have to rely on each other,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman (AW) Nabil Pareja, assigned to air department’s V-2 division. “You never know when we might be in that situation.”

Photo By MC2 (SW/AW) Tim Hazel

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CAPT. KENT D. WHALEN COMMANDING OFFICER

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DIALOGUES D E C K P L A T E

| What are you doing for your significant other while away for Valentine’s Day? | “I sent her a sweet Valentine’s Day card.”

“I sent him Valentine’s Day stuff a month ago. I sent him cards and candy.”

m m 3 John Browning

C S S A P a t r i c e D Av i s

“We celebrated Valentine’s Day early with a romantic dinner at the Hyatt Hotel downtown.”

“I got her a teddy bear, flowers and cooked for her. We did it early since I knew I wouldn’t be there.”

A B H 3 ( A W ) Christopher Le wors

A C 3 Jermaine Francis

“We exchanged Valentine’s Day gifts before I left.

I got him a golf divet repair tool.”

“I already got her a purse from Tory Birch, and we’re going out to dinner when I get back.

Nothing too special.”

M A 3 E l i za be t h Mohlm a s t e r

M M 3 Seth Folwer

“I’m just keeping contact since we’re underway.

I’ll talk about my day, say “I love you,” and that I’m still here.”

“When we get back we’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day. We’ll probably go to the beach since he got me surf lessons. I can’t wait to see him.”

A C 2 A ndre w R obe rts

E T 2 ( S W ) C ynthia Bachorski

ESWS||EAWS

B&A CRANE: The boat and aircraft crane’s primary function is to on and offload the ship’s small boats and damaged aircraft. The main hook has a lifting capacity of 50,000 lbs., with a critical lift at 42,500 lbs. the auxiliary hook has a maximum capacity of 6,500 lbs.

The crane is located just aft of auxiliary elevator #3.

Air Officer:

Responsible to the Commanding Officer for the supervision and direction of aircraft launching, recovery, visual landing aids (VLA) and the shipboard handling of aircraft. Air Officer determines the case launch and recovery of all aircraft embarked on the carrier. He is also responsible for visual controllers of all aircraft operating in the carrier control zone.