March 12, 2015

What’s Inside...

Public Affairs Officer Howard Samuelson Assistant Public Affairs Officer Mrs. Natalie Stamey

SEABEES IN FUJI Page 4

Leading Petty Officer MC1(SW/AW) Barry Riley Editor MC3 Jason C. Bawgus Skywriter Staff MC1(SW/AW) Barry Riley MC3 Ryan G. Greene

PHYSICAL FITNESS READINESS Page 6

Host Nation Relations Masako Takakura Sumie Maruyama Ikumi Tanaka Webmaster Noriko Yamazaki

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP Page 8

CAPTAIN’S CALL AT VFA-102

Contributors MWR Marketing FFSC Commissary Public Affairs Navy Exchange Public Affairs The Tenant Commands

ON THE COVER

In this edition of Captain’s Call the NAF Atsugi Commanding Officer and MACS Holmes visit VFA-102 with guest host AZ3 John Lantz to bring you the latest news and updates from around the base. Click the video to watch, or visit here.

2

Kylee Porter prepares to serve tea during a traditional japanese tea ceremony at Naval Air Facility Atsugi’s Host Nation Relations Office.

Photo by MC3 Jason C. Bawgus II.

NAF Atsugi Doubles Down on Energy Environmental Division

From left, Environmental Engineer Akihiro Kojima, Richard Reiss and Stephen Lee, both of NAF Atsugi’s Environmental Department, review paperwork for installation energy usage.

Story by MC3 Ryan G. Greene The Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi Public Works Department (PWD) Environmental Division won two different Department of the Navy awards for Cultural Resource Management and for Environmental Quality for fiscal year 2014.

The awards are presented biannually following the holistic evaluation of commands of all sizes, both ashore and afloat.

There are 10 categories. NAF Atsugi was the only installation to win awards in more than one.

“During fiscal year 2014 alone, we considered more than 30,000 environmental requirements for more than 50 construction and rehabilitation projects and service contracts,” said NAF Atsugi PWD Environmental Program Director Richard Reiss.

“Our successes are a product of the installation commanding officer’s commitment to our Environmental Management System, cooperation with

base tenant commands, a culture of cooperation within the public works department and a partnership with NAVFAC Far East regional support staff who provide clear guidance and committed support.”

It was under Public Works Officer Cmdr. Jeffery Sherwood that the current environmental program began to take shape, Reiss added.

Under Sherwood’s guidance, Reiss and his team were able to address significant backlogs and current taskings and restructure how the environmental team tackled its most important jobs, preserving the environment.

“These awards are not passed around lightly and because of how they evaluate commands, we had a serious uphill struggle,” said Environmental Engineer Akihiro Kojima, the primary architect behind the environmental division’s new approach to handling work orders and processing.

3

Kojima’s approach combined multiple documents and notes to create two master spreadsheets to be used by the department to maximize their efficiency.

“I know a little about computers, and it helped me to help everyone else,” Kojima said. “This entire process, from start to finish has been a community effort, and I’m very thankful that I’ve had these friends and coworkers to manage it with.”

Sailors and their family’s ability to receive clean and fresh drinking water, electricity, and a myriad of other services has been directly enhanced by the efforts of the Environmental Division, Kojima added. Updated and streamlined processes allow NAF Atsugi to improve its environmental posture which includes compliance with Japan Environmental Governing Standards, federal executive orders, and Navy-wide environmental policies. All of this is done with a staff of five people and a limited budget.

“These awards are a great demonstration of the commitment NAF Atsugi Sailors, Employees and Families have toward being good stewards of the environment,” said NAF Atsugi Commanding Officer Captain John Bushey. “Bravo Zulu to our environmental and public works team. It’s also more than awards and recognition; it’s a sincere, shared understanding that we have an obligation to the concepts of energy conservation, land preservation, and a responsibility to protect our environment.”

Atsugi Seabees lend hand to Camp Fuji office renovations

Story by MC1 bARRY rILEY

bUILDER 2ND CLASS GENE MILLER, OF PUBLIC WORKS ATSUGI, LAYS A LAYER OF GLUE IN PREPARATION FOR PLACING CARPET TILE.

Story by MC1 bARRY rILEY Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Public Works recently paid a visit to Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji to complete a nearly $32,000 carpet replacement.

During the week-long evolution, Builder 1st Class Jeffrey Parks, Construction Electrician 2nd Class Anthony Crawford, Steelworker 2nd Class Gary Cole, Builder 2nd Class Gene Miller and Engineering Aid 3rd Class Jay Murphy were tasked with replacing 1,400

square feet of carpet tile and 360 linear feet of baseboards in the command triad’s office spaces and conference room.

According to NAVFAC Atsugi Assistant Public Works Officer Lt. j.g. Allison Islin, the project had been in the works for a while, and both parties were glad to finally put it into action.

“Camp Fuji was very pleased to see this carpet installation completed, and we were happy to get it off the checklist,” said Islin, who serves as a liaison for Camp Fuji projects. “It’s great to be 4

able to support our Marine Corps counterparts. We’re continuously building a positive relationship between NAVFAC and their facilities maintenance office.”

The job, which began on Feb. 18, started with the old carpet being taken up, which Crawford explained was a rather tricky task in itself. Most of the furniture in the office spaces was moved out, but larger items such as desks and cabinets wouldn’t fit through the door frames, and had to be moved to one side of each room.

This meant they could only work on one portion of a room at a time.

“We only could do half of the room at a time because you can’t place furniture on top of the new carpet for at least 24 hours after it’s laid,” said Crawford. “It was like playing Tetris with the furniture, but we made it work.”

Murphy said another challenge the group ran into was a shortfused request to complete the commanding officer’s office first.

“We were on a rush with the commanding officer’s office because he was out of the office at the time, and the chain of command wanted to have his carpet replaced before he came

CAN DO! CAN DO

back,” he explained. “That left us with only a day or so to finish it.”

Crawford said due to the fact that there was a diverse team of Seabees, each brought a different experience level to the table which made for a unique learning experience.

“We all took it as a good opportunity for training,” said Crawford. “This was my first time laying carpet tiles, but it was good having that hands-on experience.”

Murphy shared Crawford’s sentiments, adding that each Seebee should learn what their coworkers know how to do, and this was a perfect time to do just that.

“Every Seabee knows a little bit of another Seabee’s job,” said Murphy.

“This is what we are constantly doing, consistently training and getting better at our jobs.”

The project, which was projected for completion on Feb. 27, was actually finished two days early, which the team attributes to their “can-do” attitude.

“That’s just what we do,” said Crawford.

“Some days during the project they had to tell me it was time to go home for the day, because I would have kept working.”

“There was a big sense of accomplishment when it was all said and done,” said Murphy. “Being in a battalion for three years, it really reminds me of what being a Seabee is all about… busting your butt to get the job done.”

bUILDER 1ST CLASS JEFFREY PARKS, OF PUBLIC WORKS ATSUGI, PREPARES TO LAY CARPET TILE DURING A RECENT RENOVATION IN CAMP FUJI.

5

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PUBLIC WORKSBAWGUS ATSUGI PHOTO BY MC3 JASON

pfa preparartion: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PASS Story by MC3 Jason bawgus

It’s time for Sailors to lace up their running shoes and get moving to prepare for the 2015 Cycle 1 Semi-Annual Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA).

With the PFA less than a month away, Naval Air Facility Atusgi’s Command Fitness Leader (CFL) Religious Programs Specialist 1st Class Larrifour Hermida urges Sailors who haven’t started preparing to begin immediately to perform at a high level.

“Sailors should be maintaining a good health and fitness routine year-round,” said Hermida.

The PFA consists of a Body Composition Assessment (BCA), which measures the Navy’s established guidelines of “maximum weight for height,” and a Physical Readiness Test (PRT) consisting of curl-ups, push-ups, and a 1.5 mile run.

Alternative cardio tests can be done on a stationary bike, elliptical, treadmill or a 500 meter swim.

Sailors can contact their command fitness leader CFL and ask for a courtesy BCA. A check-in, or courtesy BCA, is a proactive measure to help Sailors in meeting BCA standards.

Hermida said Sailors whose BCA exceeds Navy standards need to start working out now.

Full extension at the top of a push-up to the get the most out of every repetition.

Remember elbows must reach a 90 degree bend.

Failing the BCA portion during the PFA results in an automatic overall failure.

Decreasing a percentage of body fat can be more difficult than just losing weight.

In order for Sailors to reach BCA standards they should focus on proper nutrition and exercise.

In addition, there are small fitness tests Sailors can do on their own to gauge where they are.

6

“A good way to test your curl-up performance is to go through a full workout and then do the curl-up portion of the PRT to check your core strength,” said Hermida. “If you can comfortably pass after a workout then you should have no problem when you are well-rested.”

The push-up portion of the test requires Sailors to reach at least a 90 degree bend with both elbows and then pushing

all the way up.

Although the PRT requires push-ups and curl-ups, there are also several alternative exercises one can do to help increase their overall score.

“If you run through a mock PRT every time you work out you’re going to burn out,” said Hermida. “Instead of just standard push-ups, try doing the plyometric or incline version, and instead of curlups see if you can hold a plank for 45 seconds.”

Most of the exercises for the PRT can be done without the use of any equipment and in a space as small as a barracks room.

“When it comes to distance running, 1.5 miles is not that far,” said Hermida. “To Hand must maintain contact to shoulders at all times during the sit-up portion of the test.

train for the best possible time, Sailors should focus on improving their long distance, intermediate and sprint performance.”

These can be divided throughout the week with Sailors aiming for around 150 minutes of cardio a week.

“Alternate between a slow two-or three-mile run, a fast paced 400-to 800-meter run, and 40 to 50-yard interval sprints,” said Hermida. “150 minutes sounds like a lot but its only 30 minutes a day, five days a week.”

Samples of a six-week program to improve all of the required exercises, as well as the scoring chart for each of the age groups, can be found at http://www.navy-prt.com/.

For more tips on improving your overall PFA score or if you need to double check and make sure you’re within standards visit your CFL.

Push-ups are done Mon. Wed. and Fri. , Sit-ups are done Tues. Thurs. and Sat. MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

ONE

10x3 rest 10x2

25x3

10x5

Incline 15x3

15x4

25x3 rest 10x2

rest

TWO

15x3 rest 15x2

30x3

15x5

Incline 20x3

20x4

30x3 rest 10x2

rest

35x3

40x2 rest 40x1

Incline 25x3

MAX x3

MAX x3

rest

45x3

10x3

Incline 35x3

30x4

45x3

rest

30x3 rest 30x2

55x3

60x2 rest 60x1

Inlcine 35x3

35x4

55x3

rest

35x3 rest 35x2

60x3

25x5

Incline 40x3

MAX x3

MAX x2

rest

WEEK

THREE FOUR FIVE SIX

20x3 rest 20x2 25x3 rest 25x2

Chart courtesy of Navy-PRT.com

7

training the relief...

NAF Atsugi First Class Petty Officers’ Mess hosts professional development workshop

MASTER-AT-ARMS 1ST CLASS CHRIS NASH FACILITATES A PERIODIC EVALUATION WRITING COURSE AS PART OF THE BASE’S FIRST CLASS MESS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE FOR JUNIOR SAILORS. PHOTOS

BY MC1 BARRY RILEY.

8

Story AND PHOTOS by MC1 BARRY RILEY Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi’s First Class Petty Officers’ Mess (FCPOM) recently began offering a professional development workshop for all E-5 and junior personnel around the base.

The workshop is geared toward helping junior Sailors with subjects like test-taking skills and developing good study habits for advancement exams, periodic evaluation and award writing, reading a profile sheet and more.

According to Master-atArms First Class Chris Nash, who serves as the NAF Atsugi FCPOM Vice President, the idea for the course came about through a series of meetings between the FCPOM, NAF Atsugi Junior Sailor Association (JSA) and Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) cabinet members.

Among the topics discussed in the gatherings was a request from the junior personnel for

things such as a how-to class on evaluation writing and explanations on specific Navy programs and administrative messages.

From there, the FCPOM put their heads together and came up with a plan of attack.

“This is a program the junior Sailors wanted, and we took it for action,” said Nash. “I’d like to see it develop into a year round training and mentorship program that gives junior Sailors tools

9

for what is expected of them as developing leaders in the navy.”

NAF Atsugi JSA Vice President Culinary Specialist Second Class Kalia Vang feels the workshop came right on time, and she jumped at the opportunity.

“I personally think it’s a great opportunity for us to take in and enhance our professional knowledge,” she said.

“I recently had to write my evaluation, and I was struggling because I had never done it before, so I am looking forward to learning things like that.”

The workshop meets biweekly on Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon in the Fleet and Family Support Center’s 2nd floor classroom and is open to all E-5 and junior personnel.

There is no need to sign up.

“It’s all about helping our junior personnel get to where we are at… training our relief,” said Nash.

SAVED ROUNDS

Photos from around the naf atsugi community

Commuity Champions

PHOTO BY MC3 JASON BAWGUS

The Following is a list of this month’s naf aTSUGI Southside Fenceline Clean-up Participants.

HNRO HOSTs TEA ROOM GRAND re-OPENING

CFAF

LS1 Lee LS1 Martin

BHC

HN Porquiado HN Park

CVW-5

naf atsugi SAILORS TAKE E6 advancement exam

PHOTO BY MC1 BARRY RILEY

AD3 James AN Krueger

Air Ops

ABH2 Gonzales

VRC-30

Salome

CNATT

ETC Love

VFA-102

naf aTSUGI 1ST CLASSES PARTICIPATE IN BASE CLEAN-UP 10

PHOTO BY MC1 BARRY RILEY

IT3 Levine

Thank you!

Learning and Development Roadmaps Now Instantly Updatable

From Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs

Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) announced Feb. 10 that the Navy’s comprehensive enlisted career guides, Learning and Development Roadmaps (LaDR), have transitioned to a Web application that is easily-accessed and instantly updatable.

Available through Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) and Navy Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (Navy COOL), LaDRs are a vital tool that help guide enlisted Sailors throughout their career advancement, and are available for all enlisted ratings and paygrades.

“The LaDRs effectively provide Sailors and their leadership a guide that displays in one location all of their current and projected enlisted training and education requirements as they advance,” said Richard Nein, NETC LaDR program analyst. “The LaDRs also include suggested certifications, apprenticeships and educational opportunities that can help with job performance and advancement.”

Previously, LaDRs were static .pdf documents reviewed and updated annually, drawing from revisions and modifications submitted to NETC by 13 separate learning centers and three training support centers throughout the Navy.

By using the newly-launched application, the learning centers are able to review and directly update the LaDRs as needed for their specific ratings and the changes are reflected and available to Sailors immediately. LaDRs support a career-long learning continuum, helping Sailors prepare for their role in the fleet.

“LaDR accuracy and standardization are now greatly improved,” said Tom Smith, NETC Enlisted Professional Military Program coordinator. “We’ve added a sample career path to all LaDRs; a short document developed by detailers and community managers that outlines the ideal career for a Sailor to follow in their given rate, to include tours, education, and assignments. It’s a valuable tool for a senior and a subordinate to have a discussion about that person’s career. It gives a junior Sailor a career path to follow.”

Master Chief Navy Counselor James Brady, Command Career Counselor for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), is a strong believer that LaDRs are tools that can significantly help a Sailor’s career

11

navigation window.

“LaDRs play a vital role in a Sailor’s career right from the start,” explained Brady. “We as command career counselors should ensure that every Sailor gets a detailed explanation of how to utilize this valuable tool throughout their time in the Navy. Not only will it make them a better Sailor, but it will also prepare them for the private sector, college, and life itself. It is highly stressed the LaDR be reviewed regularly by the Sailor and referenced by the chain of command during Career Development Boards.”

Air-Traffic Controller 2nd Class Michelle Coleman plans to make master chief one day.

“I like that the LaDR shows you where you need to be for the next pay grade,” said Coleman. “It’s a lot of valuable information, including online courses, a degree plan, and shipboard qualifications. Also, the recommended readings and leadership courses are appreciated.”

For more information about LaDRs, visit Navy Knowledge Online: www.nko.navy.mil. For more information about Navy Credentialing Opportunities On-Line, visit www.cool.navy.mil.