Nimitz News - April 14, 2013

April 14, 2013

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who's the boss? this guy knows fun. page 6

it's coming are you ready for

the line?

Vol. 39 No. 13

Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff S. Ruth Executive Officer Capt. Buzz Donnelly Command Master Chief Master Chief Teri M. McIntyre Public Affairs Officer Lt. Cmdr. Karin Burzynski Media Division Officer Lt. Jason Scarborough Media LCPO MCC (SW/AW) Mike Jones Media Production Chief MCC (SW) Gregory Roberts Media LPO MC1 (AW/SW) Michael Cole Editor MC2 (SW) Glenn Slaughter Lead Designer MC3 George J Penney III MCSN Kole Carpenter Media Department MC2 (SW) Jacquelyn Childs MC2 Ashley Berumen MC2 (SW) Robert Winn MC2 Andrew Jandik MC2 (SW) Nichelle Bishop MC2 (SW/AW) Ian Cotter MC3 (SW) Renée L. Candelario MC3 (SW) Ryan Mayes MC3 Shayne Johnson MC3 Jacob Milner MC3 (SW) Devin Wray MC3 Christopher Bartlett MC3 (SW) Alexander Ventura II MC3 Linda S. Swearingen MC3 (SW) Jess Lewis MC3 W. J. Cousins MC3 Vanessa David MC3 Derek Volland MC3 Phillip Ladouceur MCSN Nathan McDonald MCSN Joshua Haiar MCSA Kelly Agee MCSA Victoria Ochoa MCSA Aiyana Paschal MCSA Andrew Price Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions must be in by Friday, COB. Submissions are subject to review and screening.

“Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families.

Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

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CHAPLAIN'S CORNER Lead with Integrity Lead by Example Exodus 23 : 2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong… do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.”

T

here was a cartoon that appeared in the New Yorker magazine that depicted two professional businessmen sitting together in a jail cell. One man turned to the other and said, “All along, I thought our level of corruption fell well within community standards.”

How can we ensure that our community’s standard or culture of integrity is congruent with what is right? We must begin with looking at ourselves.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man. His character determines the character of the organization.”

Our personal influence as leaders has a profound effect on the community in which we serve; therefore, our character as individuals is paramount. For we will be confronted with decisions between doing what is acceptable to many or doing what is right. Our personal integrity will lead us away from popular decisions and toward principled decisions.

This week, may we be mindful of our impact on the integrity of those around us and ask God for the strength to lead by example.

Chaplain (LT) Phil Hogan Destroyer Squadron 23

SITTING DOWN WITH

THE

FUNBOSS INTERVIEW AND PHOTO BY MCSN NATHAN R. MCDONALD

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ohn Porter, more commonly known around the deck plates as “Fun Boss”, seems a perfect fit for his job title.

An easy smile and engaging personality betray the 14 years and seven deployments he has under his belt as the Fun Boss first for USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and now USS Nimitz (CVN 68). He is charged with nothing less than maintaining the sanity of a city at sea, and he has come up with a variety of ways to bolster morale.

Q. What is background?

your

and sports. Any night we can set up the basketball court is a huge night, too. We have guys who want to play Dungeons and Dragons. Nothing is outside of the realm of possibility.

Q. Can you get a sense of when the deployment is starting to wear on the crew?

Space is always an issue. Everyone is always fighting for more storage space or to get space for something. If I could have the basketball court out every night, I would.

A. Oh absolutely. You get those long underway periods where things are rough because of intense training. Then

Q. Being called the boss of fun seems like a great job. Do you ever feel pressure to live up to the title?

A. This is by far the coolest job ever.

A lot of the times it’s like being a playground attendant, really. I oversee everything, and I have a great crew. It’s you guys who are the ones who come up with ideas. The Wednesday MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) meetings are where the ideas come out.

professional

A. I’ve been doing this for 14 years.

It was only supposed to be for 16 months, believe it or not. Before that, I was the Outdoor Recreation Specialist at Fort Lewis in Washington for 10 years. Prior to that I was a partner in a sporting goods store and before that I have six years of military experience.

Q. Do you tailor events to the crew?

Q. What sort of activities do you organize while underway?

A. We do all sorts of things like card games, sports activities and movie nights.

Q. What are your favorite activities?

A. I’m a dodge ball fanatic. I really like basketball as well. Any sort of activity we can do in the hangar bay is always great, as well as anything involving cards.

Q. What seem to be the most popular activities?

A. Movie nights and game nights are the big ones, followed by talent shows

The other ports that don’t have as big of an American presence are where you do more tours and shopping.

you know it’s time to start doing things – bingo nights are huge. You can feel the tension – that’s when it’s the most fun to do something. On a whole, a cruise can go fast or go on forever. As it is now, we have a great schedule.

Q. What are the best parts and most challenging parts of being the Fun Boss?

A. Working on upcoming port visits is the fun part. Making sure you have enough to do is the hard part, but it’s also very rewarding. Any ports that have a big naval presence are easy to organize things like sporting events for.

A. You have to. Every crew is different.

You just have to adjust to what the crew wants to do. Soccer is a big one. You might have 50 or 60 Sailors on the deployment who are really into soccer and the next one you’ll only have a handful.

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your work?

A. Hanging out with the crew. When the crew comes in your office and thanks you – by far, that’s the most rewarding part. It’s an old cliché, but it’s true. I like the travel, too. Plus, every three years you have a new crew, which keeps everything fresh and new.

The ship and air wing crew drives everything. Without them, you can’t do anything. It’s definitely a team effort.

You can’t leave anyone out.

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Photos By

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I

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like being a machinery repairman because I get to make something out of nothing. I work as a locksmith, engraver and machinist, but machinery work is definitely my favorite part of my job.

Machinery Repairman 3rd Class Sully M. Martinez, of Madera, Calif.

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y MC3 Linda S. Swearingen

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T

he boisterous ceremonies of “Crossing the Line” are of such ancient vintage that their origin is lost.

Observances of this nature took place in the Middle Ages, when ships crossed the 30th parallel or passed through the Straits of Gibraltar.

It is highly probable that ceremonies marking the Crossing of the Equator were passed to the Anglo-Saxons and Normans from the Vikings and were intended as a test for the crew to determine whether or not the novices on their first cruise could endure an arduous life at sea.

During present day Equator crossing ceremonies, King Neptune, the mythological ruler of the seas, is paid due homage by Sailors and presides over the initiation into his realm of Polliwogs, lowest of the low and firsttime “crossers” .

When a ship crosses the line, rank has no privilege - a senior officer who is still a Polliwog is initiated with all of the other Polliwogs.

Custom and tradition dictate that the oldest and most distinguished senior Shellback member of the crew presides in appropriate garb, as “King Neptune” and “Davey Jones” and is the official Messenger for the King.

The court consists of the “Royal Scribe” and other such members as his majesty designates.

Once deemed worthy by the King and Court by passing a series of tests, each Sailor becomes a “Trusty Shellback” and is given a much-treasured certificate of acknowledgement and recognition, signed by King Neptune, the Commanding Officer, and Davey Jones listing exact longitude and latitude of crossing.

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Glossary

Boisterous; adj: (of a person, event, or behavior) noisy, energetic, and cheerful; rowdy Arduous; adj: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring Novices; N: a person new to inexperienced in a field or situation.

or

Shellback; N: Those who have crossed the equator.

Polliwog; N: A tadpole. A Sailor who has not crossed the Equator. They must try to prove to Neptune they are worthy of “crossing the line”.

King Neptune: Roman Mythology the god of water and of the sea. (Greek equivalent Poseidon) Davy Jones (Locker): the bottom of the sea, esp. regarded asa the grave of those drowned at sea. The evil spirit of the sea.

American Sailors would rather not talk about Davy Jones and his infamnous locker.

They prefer to just leave him an indefinite, unbodied character who keeps to his place at the bottom of the sea.

Pressed, they will profess that they do not know what he looks like, his locker to them is something like an ordinary sea chest or coffin, always open to catch any sailor unfortunate enough to find himself in the sea.

For you must know that any craft who’d fain Cross the Great Sea Lord’s Special Royal Domain Must pay the tribute that King Neptune wishes And be received by mermaids, bears, and fishes.

We will see you on the morn, And any who resist will wish he had not been born.

A

Approaching The

Line Uniforms

• Green camouflage trousers, old flight-deck pants or an old pair of blue coveralls.

• loose fitting white t-shirt with a black “WOG” written across the chest.

• Old tennis shoes/sneaker are desired footwear.

• *Kneepads and gloves are highly recommended.* • Males: PT shorts or bathing suit underneath uniforms • Females: A one-piece bathing suit or sport bra covered with a blue t-shirt and PT shorts underneath uniform.

Royal Court

• Khaki or NWU trousers with loose fitting blue t-shirt and command ball caps.

• An appropriate pirate theme costume or accessories can be added.

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A

Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class Megan Brooks has a hobby that is very different than the average Sailor.

Prior to joining the Navy, 20-year-old Brooks was a licensed pilot and flight instructor.

Brooks’ interest in aviation started during her teenage years when she obtained her pilot’s license before her driver’s license.

When the economy took a turn for the worse, Brooks found that she didn’t have enough people coming to her for flying lessons since learning how to fly can be an expensive hobby. This is when Brooks started looking into job opportunities within the Navy.

“I always knew I wanted to join the military because of my family’s military history,” said Brooks. “I chose the Navy because it gives you the choice of choosing the job you want before you join, and I wanted to make sure I got a job in aviation.”

Brooks originally hails from Damascus, Ore., which is a small town with a population of less than 11,000.

“It’s tiny,” said Brooks. “There’s only one stoplight, a bar, a Bi-Mart, a Dairy Queen and a Safeway.”

Brooks was only 17 years old when she got her pilot’s license for single engine fixed wing aircrafts, and she was 15 years old when she started to take flying lessons.

“It was totally random how I got interested in flying,” said Brooks. “One day I decided out of nowhere that I wanted to learn how to fly. I went down to the airport with my Aunt, gave the instructor $150, and he took me up into a plane to start my lessons.”

When Brooks joined the Navy in 2011 she applied for the officer program, but was told she would have to wait a minimum of two years, so she decided to join the Navy as an enlisted service member and try to cross over into the officer program as a pilot at a later time.

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“I applied for NROTC [Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps] when I came into the Navy,” said Brooks. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t picked up for the program. When I went to MEPS [Military Entrance Processing Station], they gave me a list of all the jobs that I qualified for. I wanted to do something in aviation since I was a pilot, so I picked AM [Aviation Structural Mechanic] because I get to work on the planes even though I don’t get to fly them. I still get to be around aviation.”

So far, Brooks has excelled at her job as an Aviation Structural Mechanic and has already obtained more NECs than the average Sailor in her job with her time in rate.

“I have three NECs so far: composites, welding and paint and final finish of naval aircraft,” said Brooks.

According to Brooks, the best thing about flying is how addictive it can become.

“It’s addicting because of the adrenaline rush,” said Brooks. “It’s like NASCAR. You just want to go faster.”

Even though she’s not currently instructing others to learn how to fly, Brooks is still working toward her personal goals in aviation.

“Eventually I want to become licensed as a helicopter pilot, which I’m working on right now,” said Brooks.

“So far I’ve already logged more than 200 hours in helicopters, and I’m looking to log more hours when we return from deployment.”

The AVIATOR

Story by MC3 Linda S. Swearingen Photo by MC3 Raul Moreno

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Sunday 14, 2013

SPORTS

For more information, see Stars and Stripes.

Tiger Four Back 10

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