In This Issue: Haiti Two Years After | Chaplain’s Corner | Pump It Up Part 2 | Movie Schedule
Vol 03 No 7 | January 15, 2012
Vinson Remembers Operation Unified Response
Vinson Voice
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Operation Unified Response: Two Years Later STORY BY MC2 (SW) Byron C. Linder | Carl Vinson Staff Writer
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ighteen tons of medical supplies. 161.5 feed) IV fluid.” the beach provided direction to the incoming tons of food. 87,200 gallons of water. Vinson proceeded at max speed for two aircraft at the makeshift landing strip. 1,186,200 pounds of cargo. 2,200 sorties full days to Haiti, and was on station to begin “When the directors came back every flown. 435 medical evacuations. 60 patients providing assistance Jan. 15. night, they were exhausted. When they treated in Medical. “We could really hear the waves hitting weren’t directing the helicopters in, they Two years ago today, these numbers the side of the ship in our berthing. We were were helping with the working parties and represent the metrics of humanitarian relief moving with a purpose. I’ll never forget how unloading pallets,” Everson explained. Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 loud it was,” Jimenez said. When the medical casualties began Sailors provided the stricken citizens of Air Department’s Leading Chief Petty coming in, Jimenez worked the night shift in Haiti following a devastating 7.0 magnitude Officer Master Chief Aviation Boatswain’s the ward. But the demand allowed for very earthquake Jan. 12, 2010. Mate Robert Everson (AW/SW) had reported little off time. When the earthquake struck, Vinson aboard exactly one week prior to Vinson “Most of us weren’t even leaving Medical. had departed its homeport The culinary specialists of Norfolk, Va. for a threebrought food to us. People month cruise around South who spoke French or Creole America to explore the ports would do their regular job and and arrive to a new home in volunteer for another eight San Diego after spending five hours in Medical translating,” years in refueling complex he said. overhaul. The crew had As prepared as he was for passed basic certification the blunt trauma and infection from Commander Naval Air casualties, Jimenez found other Forces Atlantic and had been factors extremely challenging. underway for sea trials and “What they can never pilot carrier qualifications, prepare you for is the smell but the majority of the crew of gangrene. When it was had never participated in kids, that’s what got me the carrier operations, explained most. Seeing the gangrene Vinson’s Command Master and knowing a kid’s going to Chief, CMDCM(AW/SW) lose his leg is the worst,” he Pilots and crew members assigned to Helicopter Mine-Countermeasures April D. Beldo. revealed. Squadron 14 (HM-14) unloaded water and supplies from an MH-53E Sea “You can’t even describe Dragon as part of relief efforts in Haiti. Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing 17 Vinson remained on station this crew back then as were conducting humanitarian and disaster relief operations in the island for a month, flying supplies inexperienced. Two-thirds nation in response to the earthquake disaster. Photo by MC2 Daniel Barker. out and treating the injured. had never been to sea and the Everson observed the Sailors’ next thing you know we’ve received tasking getting underway, and had just completed teamwork and selflessness were the key from higher authority,” Beldo said. “They a deployment aboard USS Ronald Reagan elements in making the operation a success. had to come together quickly and that’s what (CVN 76). “All the bottled water and Gatorade on the they did. It was truly amazing, seriously eye “I was fully engaged really quickly. ship was flown off, and no one complained -watering.” Normally you try to feel your way around, about it. It’s hard to see kids and entire The orders to proceed directly to Haiti but it was just going back to that operational families living in the conditions they were in and provide assistance would demand mindset,” Everson said. “Sixty-eight percent and not want to help out,” he said. “Everyone considerably more supplies than were aboard. of Air Department had never been underway pulled together, lived by the ‘one team, one Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW/AW) before, and we’re the largest department on fight’ motto, and we executed a flawless Silberio Jimenez, an Oxnard, Calif. native the ship. But you did not have one Sailor that game plan.” and physical therapy technician assigned to didn’t want to get engaged.” “I look back at those few weeks off the coast Vinson’s Medical Department, explained the The flight deck was a hive of activity, with of Haiti with tremendous pride,” said Beldo. ship had to bypass a scheduled port visit to Sailors bringing supplies on from other “Our Sailors were incredible, and I’m sure Mayport, Fla. and have the required extra ships, and loading pallets of water and many of them still think of those few weeks medical supplies airlifted to the ship. supplies into the helos for transport to the every day, and I hope they take great pride in “We were going to go through this stuff like beach. Engineering Department had set up what they did,” she said. “They showed the this,” Jimenez said, snapping his fingers. “We a water station behind the island, running rest of the world that, as Americans, we have went through a lot of antibiotics, dressings, hoses from a pipe to fill water bottles for the a goodness about us and we are willing to wound irrigation fluid and (intravenous drip victims, and Air Department personnel on help any country in need.”
CH AP L
January 15, 2012
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ORNER C ’S
MESSAGE FROM
Cmdr. K J Shuley | Carl Vinson Chaplain
Step Up Your Game W
e only need to take a quick look at AFN Sports to see that the NFL Playoffs are upon us. Teams work through the preseason and battled through 16 games of the regular season, with Wild-Card Weekend taking place last weekend and Divisional Rounds taking place this weekend. Often when we watch athletes compete at the highest level, we see amazing things, unexpected things, and special things. We have gone through a preseason of sorts with our preparations, and through a regular season of sorts with our journey to our appointed place of duty. Now we are, in a sense, in the playoffs, where the speed of the game increases, and the stakes are even higher.
It is now time to step up our game and to leave everything we have out there on the field of play. Our Shipmates, our Navy and our Nation are counting on us. Our allies and our partners are relying on us. Let’s trust the Higher Power, as we understand it, and let’s give this part of our deployment our absolute best. And while we’re at it, let’s take some time to develop our spirit, as well as our bodies and minds. Feel free to participate in any of the worship services, classes, or events hosted by your Chaplains and Religious Programs Specialists. Thanks for taking a few minutes to read and reflect on this topic. It’s my privilege to serve you.
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PHOTOS BY: MC2 (SW) James R. Evans | MC2 Benjamin Stevens | MCSN George M. Bell | Carl Vinson Staff Photographers
Taken from the 24th edition Blue Jackets’ Manual
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response
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vacuating U.S. citizens from dangerous areas or situations has been a long-standing mission of the Navy, and helping people survive the ravages of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, is an unpredictable but vital task the Navy is often called upon to carry out. Because of a potato blight in Ireland and Western Scotland between 1846 and 1849, two million people either died or emigrated. In 1847 USS Jamestown and USS Macedonian carried food that had been donated by Americans to the relief of thousands. To show their gratitude for having been saved from starvation, some of the residents named their children after the two ships. In 2005, Navy ships arrived off America’s Southern coast
to assist Gulf Coast residents in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane named Katrina. USS Bataan and USS Iwo Jima, ships designed to conduct amphibious assault operations, took on a very different mission, using Sea Stallion and Sea Hawk helicopters to conduct search-and-rescue missions, while Navy hovercraft evacuated victims, and SeaBees cleared debris and helped in many rebuilding efforts. While combat operations are a well-known aspect of the Navy’s history, there have been and will continue to be many occasions when the Navy’s resources are turned to saving lives and helping large numbers of people who are in distress. The Navy’s expeditionary character and its great mobility make it uniquely positioned to provide assistance.
Vinson Voice
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Operation UniO 161.5 87,200 2,200 435 18
“While you’ve been working the last two weeks, the world has been watching. You may not have seen it, but you’ve been all over the television, the newspapers and the internet. You have become the faces of the Navy’s slogan, ‘A Global Force for Good.’ No one can possibly doubt the sincerity of that phrase - not after what you’ve accomplished here.”
TONS OF FOOD
GALLONS OF WATER
SORTIES
|CAPT. BRUCE H. LINDSEY|
MEDEVACS
TONS OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES
“It was amazing just to see their faces and their gratitude. It was a very sweet moment to know that they’re not going hungry tonight.” | LT. JEFF ROSS |
PHOTOS BY: MC2 (SW/AW) Adrian T. White | MC2 Candice Villarreal | MC2 Michael C. Barton | MC2 Daniel Barker | MC3 (SW) Aaron Shelley | MC3 Megan L. Catellier | Carl Vinson Staff Photographers
ified Response Operation Unified Response January 15, 2012
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Haiti January 12, 2010
USS CARL VINSON 7.0
2 years later...
Magnitude earthquake
PUMP IT UP PART 2
Vinson Voice
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SERIES BY
Stepping it up on the deckplates
MC3 (SW) Luke B. Meineke | Carl Vinson Staff Writer
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t’s 1900, Thursday, and Vinson’s hanger bay, under the orange glow of sox lights, transforms as a growing group of Sailors gather for Chief Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (SW/AW) Jose D. Castillo’s step class. The genesis for Vinson’s popular fitness class began 6 years ago, when Castillo, Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department’s (AIMD) IM-2 800 Division branch chief, attended a step class offered at a Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) gym. Castillo, who hates running, thought step was a legitimate replacement for his cardio workout. “It’s great because I lose weight – a lot of weight. I look forward to the music, the intensity. When you’re doing it, you get absorbed into this little zone and forget about everything else,” he said. Castillo’s class represents a combination of everything he has seen and enjoyed from personal experience. He has merged workouts from high-intensity step-aerobic classes and YouTube videos to develop a routine he incorporates into his class. The hour-long class begins with basic step exercises, then three 15-minute intervals of different step exercises to increase the heart rate, so everyone gets 45 to 50 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes to stretch and cool down, Castillo said. The class’ high level of intensity made step an approved Vinson fitness enhancement program (FEP) class, which has further increased attendance. “You will get drenched,” said Yeoman (SW/ AW) 1st Class Nancy Kearney, Administration Department’s X-2 Division leading petty officer. “Guys will, too. If any guy think it’s too easy or it’s only for girls, they should come try it.” “We had a couple of guys try the class and they didn’t come back,” Castillo laughed. “It’s not easy. When class is done, my shoes are soaked, my socks are soaked – I’m soaked! And it feels good,” he added. “It’s a perfect ending to a miserable day or a great day. You come, work your ass off and then call it a day.” However, one of the class’ biggest draws remains the spirit Castillo has instilled in it.
“The class is great, it motivates you to come back,” Kearney said. “Once you think you have it – once you know the moves and think you can go up another step, Chief Castillo changes it up and it’s hard again.” Castillo and his students recommend step to help break the monotony of customary exercise and of deployment. “It’s fun and a really good workout,” insisted Yeoman 2nd Class (SW/AW) Michelle Brown, assigned to Administration Department’s X-2 Division. “Chief Castillo just keeps going. It’s really motivating.” “I think they get a kick out of the noises and the arm motions I make,” Castillo joked. “The more Sailors like the class, the more I like it. It really feels good when someone asks me when the next class is. On those days that you don’t really feel like doing class, that makes you want to get out there and do it.” And the open area of a hangar bay makes step class an inviting break for Sailors accustomed to working out in the gyms. “You don’t have to fight anybody for space at the gym or wait for a machine,” Castillo said. “I try to change the moves and the music and keep it interesting. Being here so long, doing our work every day – you need a stress reliever. So, I’ll just go get my steps, set up my speaker and wait for people to show up.” Anyone interested in joining Castillo’s step class need only look and listen for the boisterous, PT-geared Sailors dominating an entire hanger bay Mondays and Thursdays at 1915 and Tuesdays and Saturdays at 1500.
Sailors participate in step class, an exercise regiment lead by Chief Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (SW/AW) Jose D. Castillo in the ship’s hangar bay. Photos by MC2 Benjamin Stevens and MCSN Andrew Haller.
NOW PLAYING CARL VINSON CINEMA
January 15, 2012
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CHANNEL 6 PG&PG-13
CHANNEL 7
ALL REQUEST Call J-6789
SUNDAY
PG-13&R
A request will only be taken when the previous movie’s credits start rolling. Requests are first-come, first-serve. Once a request has been made, no more requests will be taken until another movie is over. Make sure you request a movie rating appropriate to the channel. 0815 1045 1300 1445 1630 1800 2000 2230 0045 0230 0415 0545
THE KARATE KID 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA ALL ABOUT STEVE BE KIND REWIND SHREK GET SMART THE KARATE KID 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA ALL ABOUT STEVE BE KIND REWIND SHREK TOOTH FAIRY
BEOWULF 3:10 TO YUMA THE DEBT SHANGHAI KISS RAMBO THE FAMILY THAT PREYS BEOWULF 3:10 TO YUMA THE DEBT SHANGHAI KISS RAMBO THE FAMILY THAT PREYS GOOD LUCK CHUCK
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88 MINUTES APPALOOSA YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS THE COMEBACKS DATE NIGHT 88 MINUTES APPALOOSA YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS THE COMEBACKS DATE NIGHT
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THE WOLFMAN UP IN THE AIR ARTHUR THE BANK JOB WALK THE LINE THE COLOR OF MONEY THE WOLFMAN UP IN THE AIR ARTHUR THE BANK JOB WALK THE LINE
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MONDAY
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THOR SWING VOTE CLASH OF THE TITANS SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING BANDSLAM EAGLE EYE THOR SWING VOTE CLASH OF THE TITANS SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING BANDSLAM EAGLE EYE
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THE BLIND SIDE THE FAMILY MAN BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA FLASH OF GENIUS THE LAST AIRBENDER MAMMA MIA THE BLIND SIDE THE FAMILY MAN BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA FLASH OF GENIUS THE LAST AIRBENDER NIGHTS IN RODANTHE
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MARLEY AND ME ROCKY 2 SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES MR. BEAN’S HOLIDAY SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS 2 MARLEY AND ME ROCKY 2 SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES MR. BEAN’S HOLIDAY SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS 2
30 DAYS OF NIGHT COP OUT CONAN THE BARBARIAN BLADE DEFIANCE EDGE OF DARKNESS 30 DAYS OF NIGHT COP OUT CONAN THE BARBARIAN BLADE EDGE OF DARKNESS
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X-MEN: FIRST CLASS YOU AGAIN WHERE EAGLES DARE WHIP IT THE DARK KNIGHT X-MEN: FIRST CLASS YOU AGAIN WHERE EAGLES DARE WHIP IT THE DARK KNIGHT
28 DAYS LATER UNKNOWN THE TOURIST THE WHOLE NINE YARDS A FEW GOOD MEN DUE DATE 28 DAYS LATER UNKNOWN THE TOURIST THE WHOLE NINE YARDS A FEW GOOD MEN SUPERHERO MOVIE
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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE CITY OF ANGELS THE TRUMAN SHOW FAST AND FURIOUS 4 STEALTH LEAP YEAR WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE CITY OF ANGELS THE TRUMAN SHOW FAST AND FURIOUS 4 STEALTH LEAP YEAR
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS WIN WIN THE HOUSE BUNNY WHITEOUT MICHAEL CLAYTON 127 HOURS THE HEARTBREAK KID PINEAPPLE EXPRESS WIN WIN THE HOUSE BUNNY WHITEOUT 127 HOURS
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Vinson Voice
DIALOGUES D E C K P L A T E
| Why do you think humanitarian assistance is important? | “It paints a great picture for what we represent. It shows we aren’t just here to fight wars, we are here to promote peace and aid any country that needs our help. We hope to bring stability to any area we are operating in.” CS1 (SW/AW) A l e x
Va s q u e z
“Because you can’t plan for emergencies, we train all the time so that we’re ready. If you stay ready, you never have to get ready.”
HN Rya ne Ba nni s t e r
“Our country was founded on high morals and principles. We try to embody that reality of peace that we fight for and defend.” Ashley
RPSN Schumacher
“In any time of need we are there to help, and, hopefully, we can expect the same help in return. Also, it’s the right thing to do.”
B i l l y
MM2 N e w m a n
STAFF
|PUBLISHER|
CAPT. KENT D. WHALEN
STAFF
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COMMANDING OFFICER
|EXECUTIVE EDITORS| LT. CMDR. ERIK REYNOLDS PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
LT. ERIK SCHNEIDER
ASSISTANT PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
|EDITOR IN CHIEF|
MCC (AW) MONICA R. NELSON
ESWS||EAWS
MEDIA ALCPO
|MANAGING EDITOR| MC2 (SW/AW) LORI D. BENT
|PHOTO EDITOR|
MC2 (SW) JAMES R. EVANS
|GRAPHICS/LAYOUT|
Steam is the principal source of energy and is supplied to the catapults by the ship’s reactors. The steam is drawn from the ship’s reactors to the catapult steam receivers or accumulator, where it is stored at the desired pressure.
Flight crews for alert condition aircraft shall be called away early enough to permit a normal preflight inspection, start, warm up, and completion of takeoff checks by the alert time specified in the air plan for the condition of readiness to become effective.
MC3 PHOENIX LEVIN
|STAFF WRITERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS| MC2 (SW) BYRON C. LINDER MC2 BENJAMIN STEVENS MC3 (SW/AW) ROSA A. ARZOLA MC3 (SW) MEGAN L. CATELLIER MC3 (SW/AW) NICOLAS C. LOPEZ MC3 (SW) LUKE B. MEINEKE MC3 (SW) AARON SHELLEY MCSN ANDREW K. HALLER