Vol. 8 Issue 46
PROUD
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TRUSTWORTHY
Laid to rest MC3 Jonathan Vargas Sailors aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) participated in a burial-at-sea ceremony held on the starboard aircraft elevator April 4. During the ceremony, the remains of
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BOLD
eight Sailors were committed to their final resting place in the Atlantic Ocean. “Unto almighty God we commend the soul of our brother departed, and we commit his body to the deep;…” said See BURIAL, pg. 2
U.S. Navy photo by MC1(SW/AW) Tommy Lamkin
Capt. Rick Nielsen, Kearsarge Executive Officer, commits the cremains of passed Sailors to the sea. Kearsarge performed its first burial at sea of the year April 4.
In Brief... Labor longer than ever According to new research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Birth and Human Development, mothers take significantly longer to give birth today than they did 50 years ago. Dr. S. Katherine Laughon compared data of almost 140,000 deliveries from the early 1960s and the early 2000s, and found that
today´s moms are mostly older and weigh more than the moms 50 years ago. Also epidural injections are more common today. “Older mothers tend to take longer to give birth than do younger mothers. But when we take maternal age into account, it doesn´t completely explain the difference in labor.
Salmonella in 19 states The salmonella outbreak in 19 states that sickened 90 people may be linked to sushi,
April 6, 2012
USSTRATCOM General visits KSG MCSA Brent T. Hurley Brig. Gen. Robert E. Wheeler, the Deputy Director of Operations, Headquarters U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. visited the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) April 4. Brig. Gen. Wheeler came aboard to show the importance of the ship’s mission to USSTRATCOM. USSTRATCOM is a Functional Combatant Command that combines the synergy of the U.S. legacy nuclear command and control mission with responsibility for space operations; global strike; Defense Department information operations; global missile defense; and global command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR), and combating weapons of mass destruction. Brig. Gen. Wheeler was very impressed with the proactive coordination and positive attitude of the crew aboard the Kearsarge. Wheeler told Kearsarge ComSee GENERAL, pg. 2
federal health officials, who are looking into the causes of the infections, believe. No deaths were reported, though at least seven people were hospitalized. At the center of the investigation are six clusters of restaurants in Texas, Wisconsin, Maryland, Rhode Island and Connecticut. FDA spokesman Curtis Allen says the illnesses were caused by Salmonella Bareilly poisoning. Previous outbreaks of Bareilly have been linked to bean sprouts.
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April 6, 2012
THE SUMMIT
NAVY NEWS
ONI aboard KSG
MCSA Brent T. Hurley Civilian analysts from the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) hitched a ride aboard the multipurpose amphibious-assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) for its most recent underway. They were aboard to better understand their main customer, the Navy. “We all agree this is a very valuable experience, to gain the experience and respect for what happens every day on a ship,” said David Brown, an electrical warfare analyst. Brown said his favorite part of the ship thus far was the Combat Control Center and he was very impressed with the coordination and skillset displayed by the crew. “I’ve been an analyst with ONI for three years and I wish I would have done this before to better appreciate the fleet,” said Kathryn Hampton, a counter space Narcotics Analyst with ONI. She enjoyed just being able to observe the daily operations of the Joint Information Center (JIC), because the Intelligence Specialist’s are who they speak with most often. Hampton and Brown both said if given the opportunity they would be more than willing to get underway with the Kearsarge again.
GENERAL manding Officer Capt. Dorian F. Jones that he could tell that the crew of Kearsarge really cared about the mission and worked hard to include STRATCOM as part of the crew.
U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Jonathan Vargas
Brig. Gen Robert E. Wheeler (right) looks out the bridge window as Kearsarge Commanding Officer, Capt. Dorian F. Jones, explains the ship’s capabilities. Wheeler was aboard April 4 to see first-hand an amphibious assault ship at work.
BURIAL Kearsarge Chaplain Lt. j.g. Brett Sabella. The ceremony was SabelCommanding Officer Capt. Dorian F. Jones
“I’m happy to be a part of a ship that is so gracious and willing to work well with STRATCOM,” said Wheeler. is currently underway completing mobility qualifications conducted by Afloat Training Group, Atlantic.
la’s first burial at sea. “It’s all about the families. Some of them have been waiting up to six months for this moment,”
Executive Officer Capt. Fredrick J. Nielsen Command Master Chief CMDCM(SW/AW) David Randall Public Affairs Officer MCC(SW/AW) Hendrick Dickson Editor MC1(SW/FMF) Chad V. Pritt Photojournalist Staff MC1(SW/AW) Tommy Lamkin MC2(SW/AW) Tom Henderson MC3 Corbin Shea MC3 Jonathan Vargas MC3(AW) Tamara Vaughn MCSA Tyler Hurley
U.S. Navy photo by MC1(SW/AW) Tommy Lamkin
Sailors aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) give a 21-gun salute during a burial at sea April. 4. In all, the cremains of eight former Sailors were laid to rest in the Atlantic Ocean.
he mentioned. “It’s an honor to provide this service for the families and it provides closure for them. It is a sense of relief and the families are grateful for the service.” Capt. Rick Nielsen, Executive Officer of Kearsarge, served as the burial officer. “It is a privilege and an honor to conduct a burial at sea and for these Sailors,” said Nielsen. “This generation of Sailors understands the sacrifice of our predecessors and the significance of this tribute to them and the families they have left behind.” Sailors from a Seaman First Class to a Commander were all buried together, returning them to the sea upon which they once served.
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April 6, 2012
THE SUMMIT
U.S. & WORLD NEWS
Maryland ‘winner’ appears, but mystery deepens CNN The Maryland Mega Millions mystery only got more confusing after a woman who claimed to be one of three winners of a record prize appeared with her lawyer -- and without the ticket. “I have not seen the ticket, nor do I want to see the ticket,” said attorney Edward Smith, as Marlinde Wilson, who was an hour late for the news conference, stood behind him. She did not speak. “We believe it to be a legitimate claim,” Smith continued. “When it is time to present the ticket or whatever it is that needs to be presented to the lottery commissioner, I am sure that we will be there.” Meanwhile, Maryland State Lottery Director Stephen Martino announced a 2 p.m. press conference on Thursday at
which officials said he would discuss the “status of the winning ticket,” among other things. Although scant information was given, that event will likely be more illuminating than the news conference Smith gave on Wednesday. Smith lectured the media gathered in his cramped office and told them not to pester his client, who bought tickets for a pool of workers at a Baltimorearea McDonald’s but claimed the winning ticket she holds was bought separately. “God knows, by next week or next month, this will all be over and we will still be friends,” Smith said. Wilson, 37, earlier told the New York Post the winning ticket was stashed somewhere in the McDonald’s restaurant where she works.
Photo courtesy of CNN
“I have not seen the ticket, nor do I want to see the ticket,” said attorney Edward Smith, right, as Marlinde Wilson stood behind him.
“I left my ticket there, and it’s somewhere safe that only I know about,” she told the newspaper through a Creole-speaking translator. “I don’t think she wants her 15 minutes of fame,” Smith said. “We just want y’all to go home.”
A Maryland Lottery spokeswoman told FoxNews.com that no one has claimed the recordsetting prize as of Wednesday afternoon. Three winning tickets were sold in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois. Of those states, only the winner in Illinois must be identified.
Zero tolerance for Pakistani militant leader defiant after U.S. slaps $10 million bounty on him sexual assault Navy News Service There is no place for sexual assault in our Navy and efforts are underway to eradicate it from our ranks, said the director of Navy’s 2012 Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) initiative April 4. “We can get this right in our service. We can set the example of what is really acceptable behavior; what is a good professional command climate, how we set the right environment for the right behavior to occur and we can really get to a zero incidence,” said Vice Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, Chief of Naval Personnel and director. Approximately 600 sexual assaults were reported in the Navy last year according to Van Buskirk, “But no incident of sexual assault is acceptable in our Navy.” Department of Defense (DoD) defines sexual assault as intentional sexual contact characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent.
CNN A day after the U.S. slapped a $10 million bounty on one of Pakistan’s most notorious militant leaders, he responded by scheduling a press conference near army headquarters Wednesday in a sign of defiance that could anger Washington. Analysts have said Pakistan is unlikely to arrest Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, founder of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, because of his alleged links with the country’s intelligence agency and the political danger of doing Washington’s bidding in a country where anti-American sentiment is rampant. Saeed, 61, has been accused of orchestrating the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people, including six American citizens. But he operates openly in Pakistan, giving public speeches and appearing on TV talk shows. He has used his high-profile status in recent months to lead a protest movement against U.S. drone strikes and the
resumption of NATO supplies for troops in Afghanistan sent through Pakistan. The supplies were suspended in November in retaliation for American airstrikes that accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. The U.S. said Tuesday it issued the bounty for information leading to Saeed’s arrest and conviction in response to his increasingly “brazen” appearances. It also offered up to $2 million for Lashkar-e-Taiba’s deputy leader, Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, who is Saeed’s brotherin-law. The rewards marked a shift in the long standing U.S. calculation that going after the leadership of an organization used as a proxy by the Pakistani military would cause too much friction with the Pakistani government. “I think the sense has been over the past few months that this kind of reward might hasten the justice system,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
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April 6, 2012
THE SUMMIT
TECHNOLOGY
Augmented reality ... Google it
Photo courtesy of Google Inc.
A model wears a pair of Google’s augmented reality glasses, codenamed ‘Project Glass.’ The company recently confirmed rumors that it was working on the wearable technology on its Google+ page along with a request for input from the general public
U.S. Navy photo by MCSA Tyler Hurley
CNN Google on Wednesday unveiled Project Glass, a secret program designed to bring augmented-reality to the masses. The team leading the initiative are part of Google’s clandestine Google X labs, a branch of the company that focuses on futuristic tech and big picture concepts, such as space elevators, robots and driverless cars. Now with the project ready for public testing, the team has begun releasing fresh information on their Google + page
What is your rank and name? MMFN (SW) James Harry What is your hometown? Reno, Nev. How long have you been in the Navy? Three years. Why did you join the Navy? To travel. What is your job? Machinist’s Mate. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Back home with a family. What has been your greatest achievement since joining the Navy? Meeting great people and making
with requests for feedback. “We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input,” the team wrote in a post. “Please follow along as we share some of our ideas and stories. We’d love to hear yours, too.” According to a February report from the NYTimes, Google’s new Android-powered glasses will allow you to check your email, update your Facebook, or even check-in to your favorite restaurant.
memories. What has been your most rewarding/exciting experience since joining the Navy? Being able to see over 10 countries and more to come. What are some of your personal goals? Finish my five years in the Navy and go to college. What is your favorite quote or words to live by? New day, new adventures. Who are your heroes? My mother. What is your favorite sports team? San Diego Chargers.