The Primary Loop Volume 1 Issue 2

Naval Nuclear Power Training Command

November 2019 Volume 1. Issue 2

Day of Caring 2019 Page 6

The Forgotten Arm of the Navy Page 12

SAILORS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Hometown: Apopka, Florida

Why she joined: I joined the Navy to change my direction in life. My dad was in the Navy, and I have always wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Favorite part of the Navy: My favorite part of being in the Navy is the huge diversity of people, as well as the varieties of challenges I have been met with.

ETN3 Arita B. Harris

What are you looking forward to most in the fleet? I’m looking foward to traveling the world and challenging myself.

Hobbies: Swimming, traveling, golf.

Hometown: Vandalia, Ohio

Why he joined: I joined to serve my country as a second generation service member, and to further my education with the possibilty of becoming an officer.

Favorite part of the Navy: I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. Knowing that while I am serving the United States, I am also serving as role model.

What are you looking forward to most in the fleet? Seeing my training take over in place of natural reactions and making a new family out on the sea.

Hobbies: Golf, Weightlifting, hiking, and wrestling.

FN Michael T. Brandt

Hometown: Jackson, New Jersey

Why he joined: I didn’t know what I wanted to study or where I wanted to go to school.

The idea of a career, education, and traveling the world interested me.

Favorite part of the Navy: I’m always looking to improve in the Navy. I’m always stirring to get better at my job, as a Sailor, and as a person.

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FN Brendan T. Sheerin the primary loop

What are you looking forward to most in the fleet? Traveling. I didn’t travel much growing up. The idea of going to different countries and seeing the world excites me.

Hobbies: I love sports. My favorite to play or watch is hockey. My favorite team is the New York Rangers.

CMC’s Corner

“It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: ‘And this, too, shall pass away.’ How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!” - President Abraham Lincoln A simple sentence that conveys how short life can be, while also encouraging us to be grateful for life’s blessings. Opportunities abound here at NNPTC for staff and students both, professionally and personally. My hope is everyone is looking for those opportunities, ready to seize upon them, and be the best they can be, while also being grateful and thoughtful, because “This too shall pass”. In the best or worst periods of my life/career. Those four words being me back to reality and remind me to be grateful for the opportunities presented to me. Sometimes I seized them, and sometimes I didn’t.

Motivational Quotes “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

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EMN1 Dennis Leach, left, and HM2 Timothy Monroe swap sea stories as part of Recruit Training Command’s Warrior Toughness training.

Warrior Toughness:

NNPTC Continues RTC’s Vision Story and photos by MC2 Jessica Gomez Sailors assigned to Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) attended Warrior Toughness “train the trainer” training at Recruit Training Command (RTC) in Great Lakes, Illinois, Oct. 22 to 24.

Twenty-two NNPTC Sailors attended the training, which taught them methods and techniques needed to continue teaching Warrior Toughness to Sailors as they transition from recruits at RTC and become students at NNPTC.

Warrior Toughness is a holistic character development program designed to build Sailors’ abilities to perform under acute and sustained stress.

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“Warrior Toughness is an integrated idea that you have to train the body, mind, and soul altogether to create great warriors,” said Lt. Eric Brown, a Navy chaplain assigned to RTC. “Toughness is, first of all, the ability to take a hit and keep going.

Second of all, Warrior Toughness is the ability to endure the long, slow grind of the day and perform; and lastly, to perform under pressure.”

During the “train the trainer” training, the Sailors learned about the warrior mindset, mindfulness, self-talk, and other methods that incorporate what RTC has come to define as the Warrior Toughness program. Mindfulness and applied exercises were emphasized areas of

the training.

Since November 2018, 90 NNPTC staff members have received the training at RTC so they can implement the Warrior Toughness Training Initiative as part of NNPTC’s Sailor development program.

“The NNPTC Warrior Toughness Initiative is fundamentally changing the way Sailors are trained at the command by providing the opportunity for Sailors to develop their character, competency, and connectedness through skilled facilitators and instructors,” said Senior Chief Electronics Technician (Nuclear) Joseph Holtz, the character development training lead

Staff assigned to NNPTC perform mindfulness excerises before physical training at RTC.

at NNPTC. “NNPTC incorporated the core concepts of the RTC Warrior Toughness program into our existing Character Development Training (CDT). In addition to CDT, the embedded mental health group and chaplains perform training utilizing mindfulness techniques at key points in our students’ path through our school.”

After completing basic training and arriving at NNPTC, Sailors jump right back into Warrior Toughness training and continue building upon their foundation.

“Students begin receiving this training during their indoctrination week prior to starting nuclear field ‘A’ school,” Holtz said. “Students follow the Warrior Toughness curriculum through the

SOCS Corbin Cornelison, center-right, talks to NNPTC staff about how self-talk and other techniques can help when performing tasks such as SEAL-led physical training.

entire pipeline at NNPTC.”

Holtz said NNPTC was selected to create a Warrior Toughness curriculum model at NNPTC that can be used as the basis for all “A” schools across the Navy.

“As Sailors progress through their Warrior Toughness training, they develop their character, connectedness, and competency,” Holtz said. “The ability to navigate stressful situations and the demanding academic challenges improves through their journey at NNPTC. The ability to enhance our Sailors’ toughness allows them to stay focused on their mission of successful completion of the training pipeline.”

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Timothy Monroe, a behavioral

health technician at NNPTC, attended the training. He said he has seen first-hand how the Warrior Toughness training concept can help service members.

“While working with the Marines, we frequently utilized mindfulness in and out of the field for PTSD, sleep, anger, anxiety, and performance enhancement with incredible results,” Monroe said.

“If the students fully utilize their training from Warrior Toughness as it expands over their time at NNPTC, I have faith their performance will improve.”

NNPTC’s mission is to train officer and enlisted students in science and engineering fundamental to the design, operation, and maintenance of naval nuclear propulsion plants.

Command Master Chief Derek Gruell speaks about Warrior Tougness to indoc classes.

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Students and Staff assigned to Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) pose for a photo aboard USS Yorktown (CV 10) at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museums during Day of Caring.

Day of Caring Contributes to Community Story and photos by MC2 Laura Elmore

More than 900 students and staff assigned to Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) volunteered for Trident United Way’s 19th annual Day of Caring, Nov. 15, throughout the Charleston, South Carolina, area.

The Trident United Way Day of Caring matches nonprofit agencies and schools with volunteer teams for the largest single day of community service in the area, helping them build capacity and advance their missions.

“I think it’s important that our students take a half-day off academics to Patriots Point and other places around the community to give back because this community is so good to us,” said Capt.

Andrew Peterson, commanding officer of NNPTC. “They give us as much as we give them. It’s part of why we all 6

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serve in the first place, which is to give back to our community.”

The students and staff of NNPTC dedicated more than 4,000 man hours at various locations across the Low Country, including multiple schools, a retirement home and aboard the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.

Electrician’s Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class Ryan Orwig, NNPTC’s Day of Caring coordinator, said it is important for Sailors to build a foundation of giving back early on in their careers.

“Events like Day of Caring really set the students up to not only mentally put the Navy first in their lives, but to value that commitment of service to others,” Orwig said. “It’s also really important for helping them pass on that tradition to others at their next

command. Building a foundation early on in “A” school and Power School is really important.”

Orwig said many months of planning went into Day of Caring and the students and staff at NNPTC were looking forward to this volunteer opportunity.

“The command has been incredibly supportive of getting out there and getting involved in the community,” Orwig said. “Every year they are really good about trying to focus as much time as possible to giving back. This year especially, our goal was to try to get every student out into the community.

The weather did not exactly play too well today, but we still had tremendous support from everyone.”

Despite the rain, students and staff were still able to participate,

with much appreciation from the organizations who benefited from their time and efforts.

“I think it’s great they are able to come here and help us with a lot of projects that we can never seem to get to,” said Bobby Kotlowski, event manager for Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, and a Marine Corps veteran. “A lot of these spaces are filled with items that we have been trying to get rid of since the ship was decommissioned and every year the students come here and we fill up several dumpsters with stuff we don’t need anymore. We have a very small crew of only about 125 employees, so we just don’t have the time to get around to the things that the Sailors are helping us with today.”

Yeoman 2nd Class Natasha A. Stillman, assigned to NNPTC, spent the day reading to kids and organizing lesson plans and materials for the teachers at Marrington Elementary School. She said the school was excited to have the Sailors there to assist the teachers and to interact with the students.

“They loved it, they were so

happy,” said Stillman, from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. “I had such a great time volunteering and reading to kids. I think it was important for us, as Sailors, to see how we positively impact the community just by helping for a day.”

Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) 3rd Class Ty D. Kervin, a Nuclear Power School student at NNPTC, was one of the volunteers at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum during Day of Caring.

“I feel like it’s important for us to study, but this is also very important,” said Kervin, from Greenbrier, Arkansas. “There’s so much history here Sailors should experience, because this is what we were built off of and it feels amazing to be able to give back. Just knowing people have gone before us to give us our freedom, and get us to where we are today, makes me really proud to be out here volunteering.”

NNPTC’s mission is to train officer and enlisted students in science and engineering fundamental to the design, operation and maintenance of naval nuclear propulsion plants.

Electrician’s Mate (Nuclear) 3rd Class Noah Weber, a Nuclear Power School student at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC), cleans aircraft aboard USS Yorktown (CV 10) at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum during Day of Caring.

“Events like Day of Caring really set the students up to not only mentally put the Navy first in their lives, but to value that commitment of service to others,” Orwig said.

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Trident United Way 19th Annual Day of Caring

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The Trident United Way Day of Caring matches nonprofit agencies and schools with volunteer teams for the largest single day of community service in the area, helping them build capacity and advance their missions.

Photos by MC2 Elmore and MC2 Gomez

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Kids Halloween Party 2019

Photos by MC2 Laura Elmore

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Pictured above: Task Force One underway during Operation Sea Orbit in 1964 with USS Bainbridge (CGN 25), top, USS Long Beach (CGN 9), middle, and USS Enterprise (CVN 65).

Nuclear Cruisers:

A Forgotten Arm of the Nuclear Navy Story by Ensign Josh Warnick Photos courtesy of the U.S. Navy Many Americans today are aware that our submarine and carrier fleets are powered by nuclear energy, but for decades following the discovery of nuclear power, naval architects and engineers designed prototype after prototype to investigate the vast possibilities opened up by the promising new technology. One of the concepts they experimented with was the nuclear cruiser.

The role of a cruising warship, or cruiser, during the Age of Sail was to scout, raid, and carry out naval operations independent of a main fleet concentration. As new technologies for propulsion extended range, boosted speed, and eliminated reliance on wind power, the task and 12

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name of mid-sized ships capable of operating independently remained the same. Nuclear power, therefore, was a clear technological match for “true cruisers”, freeing them from the need to refuel that had hampered their predecessors.

The USS Long Beach (CGN 9) was commissioned in 1961, becoming the first nuclear-powered surface combatant in the world and the last “true cruiser” the United States would build, with all subsequent cruisers being built on scaled-up destroyer hulls.

She was followed shortly thereafter by the USS Bainbridge (CGN 25), which was commissioned in 1962 with the hull designator DLGN for “destroyer leader, guided missile, nuclear” but

would be reclassified as a cruiser in 1975. Together, the USS Long Beach, USS Bainbridge, and USS Enterprise (CVN 65) would take part in Operation Sea Orbit, a demonstration cruise conceptualized by Vice Adm. John S. McCain, Jr., in which the three ships would circumnavigate the world without refueling. The purpose of the operation was to echo the cruise of the Great White Fleet in 1907, announcing a new era of American naval power in which the surface fleet was no longer tethered to the shore. One of the most visible symbols of American military power was now, with the help of nuclear power, a blue-water fleet in a sense never before seen in the world.

The United States would go on

Admiral Usakove (ex-Kirov), lead ship of the class, next to the Slava-class cruiser Marshal Ustinov.

to build seven more nuclear-powered cruisers, and would be alone in operating nuclear-powered surface combatants until 1974, when the Soviet Union constructed the Kirov, the lead ship of a class of four battlecruisers that would haunt NATO strategists and continue to see service into the present day. As the age of naval aviation continued and the battleships were gradually decommissioned, the battleshipsized Kirov-class ships would become the heaviest surface combatants in operation in the world. Their construction also marked a milestone of significant growth for the Soviet navy, which had previously held a position of diminished importance relative to the army and air force.

Nuclear cruisers offered significant capabilities that their respective navies took advantage of to the very end,

but with the end of the Cold War, they were deemed too expensive and complex, and all of the American cruisers and two of Russia’s four Kirovs were decommissioned. Today, the two remaining Kirovs are undergoing modernization and are scheduled to return to service in the early 2020s, but as recently as 2013, the Kirov-class Pyotr Velikiy served as a flagship for the first regular Russian patrols of the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic Ocean. With this major strategic theater being opened up to naval power by the recession of sea ice, the United States Navy experimenting with the “distributed lethality” concept, and with new naval powers such as China and India experimenting with their own strategies, the forgotten arm of the world’s nuclear navies might find a new relevance in a changing world.

USS Bainbridge (CGN 25) underway in the Suez canal on Feb. 27, 1992, while en route to the Mediterranean Sea with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) battle group.

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It’s Just a Car!

Chaps’ Corner

By Lt. j.g. Pete Canales Command Chaplain

As I read the note my assistant handed me when I returned from lunch, my mind began to race and wonder what exactly did “someone hit my car” mean. Was my family okay? Was my car okay? I was just about to begin an appointment with a Sailor; do I leave them waiting as I find out, or do I wait until afterward to call my wife?

Instantly my mind started to race with all of the possibilities, and what would come if I prioritized one over the other, and vice versa.

In that moment I had to decide if I should call my wife to be assured the car (and family) were okay, or attend to the Sailor awaiting an appointment.

I did feel helpless for I had no other details of what happened other than the note.

I had to distinguish importance vs. priority, while using situational context to determine how urgent both circumstances were and which I should attend to first. Experience, maturity, and a lot of faith played a big role as I decided how to proceed.

Importance is “the state or fact of being of great significance or value”. We are continuously presented with matters we must place value of importance on, and decide where they fit in our current circumstance. For me, my family is of most importance in my life. I would bend over backwards for my family’s safety, happiness, and wellbeing. I needed to know that they were okay. But I was also concerned about whether or not the car was okay.

Priorities are different from that which is important to us. I prefer 14

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the British definition that states “the right to take precedence or to proceed before others”. Priorities can shift around. In that particular moment, my priority shifted from my scheduled appointment, to my family, and then back to my scheduled appointment once I concluded that my family was safe. Our ability to prioritize can have a major impact in how successful we are in both our personal and professional lives.

Finally, we must be mindful of the context; or in other words, the immediate circumstances in that given time. Context can play a big role in the amount of stress our mind/body/soul experiences in any given scenario. This is where experience and maturity come into play, not to mention my trust in my wife.

After receiving the note, I needed to be sure my family was okay, but I also did not want to leave the Sailor, who was needing to meet with me, waiting. Given the context of the note, I was able to estimate the severity of the accident was likely not urgent enough to delay the appointment, and I could call my wife afterwards.

Even though my family is at the top of my list of importance, I concluded in that moment that I could prioritize my appointment above the note. The car, though important to me, does not trump my family or appointments in the list of priorities.

After all was said and done, and with the counseling session over, I called my wife. To say I was not anxious or stressed would be a lie, but it was not

overwhelming because I felt confident in my analysis of the circumstances and the faith I had in my decision.

She told me it was a hit and run and that everyone was safe. At that point stress and anxiety turned to a bit of frustration and annoyance as I could now focus on the potential damage to our beloved vehicle. I reminded myself “it’s just a car”. I was relieved when she said only the bumper was slightly scratched, but still irritated that the person who hit our precious vehicle did not leave a note. There was not much we could do at that point, so we simply accepted the outcome and moved on; after all, it was “just a scratch”.

The scratch is still a reminder of the event. I’m thankful it wasn’t worse and that no one was hurt. It was a reminder of what is important and how I prioritize.

It was also a test of faith.

I’m reminded of what God tells us in Hebrews 11:1: “faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”, or having certainty in what we cannot see. I was able to make my decision while trusting God had everything under control. My faith influenced my instinct that everything was okay and I was making the correct importance vs. priority calculation. It allowed me to remain calm and collected throughout the appointment.

You may find yourself still wondering “what type of car does he have?” If so, stop by my office; I’d love to talk about it. We can also have a discussion about your priorities!

NAVY PHOTOS

the

primary loop Commanding Officer Capt. Andrew G. Peterson III

Executive Officer Cmdr. Jeb Parm

Command Master Chief EMNCM(SS) Derek G. Gruell HAAKONSVERN NAVAL BASE, Norway (Oct. 18, 2019) Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) work alongside Norwegian crane operators to guide an MK-48 Advanced Capability torpedo into the submarine during an ordnance onload at the Haakonsvern Naval Base in Bergen, Norway, Oct. 18, 2019. (Photo by MCC Travis Simmons)

Public Affairs Officer Lt. Louis W. Wood

Assistant Public Affairs Officer Lt. j.g. Amelia Waddell

Media Leading Petty Officer MC1(SW/AW) Darren M. Moore

Editors/Layout MC2(SW/AW/IW) Jessica Gomez

Contributors MC2(SW) Laura R. Elmore Ensign Josh Warnick PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 12, 2019) Coast Guardsmen assigned to Maritime Safety Response Team (MSRT) West prepare to be hoisted up from the deck of aerial target launch ship (ATLS 9701) onto an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Chargers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 while conducting helicopter visit, board, search and seizure training operations off the coast of San Diego. (Photo by MC2 Ryan M. Breeden)

Answer Key

The Primary loop is an authorized Publication for the staff and students of Naval Nuclear Power Training Command.

Contents herein are not the visions of, or endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding Officer of Naval Nuclear Power Training Command.

All items for publication must be submitted to an editor at least five days prior to publication.

To contact The Primary Loop staff, call (843) 794 - 8011 Cover photo: Sailors assigned to Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) organize flashcards for staff members at Marrington Elementary School during Trident United Way’s 19th annual Day of Caring. (Photo by MC2 Jessica Gomez)

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Veterans Day

Game Corner

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