The Primary Loop Volume 1 Issue 3

Naval Nuclear Power Training Command

December 2019

Volume 1. Issue 3

Open Mic Night

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NPS Class 1905 Graduates

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Congratulations to NNPTC’s Sailors/Instructors of the Year

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NNPTC Sailor of the Year LN1 Lawrence

NNPTC Junior Sailor of the Year LN2 Transue

NNPTC Senior Instructor of the Year MMNC McClain

NNPTC Junior Instructor of the Year MMN1 Danso

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CMC’s Corner

The holidays are upon us, and as the year comes to a close I am encouraged by the promise of a new year. Please take the time this holiday season to call someone you haven’t spoken with in a long time and really connect with them. My challenge to you in the new year is: Strive to be the best version of yourself!

My favorite author, Andy Andrews, outlines in many of his books the seven decisions for a purpose-filled life. What follows are those decisions: Be responsible, seek wisdom, be a person of action, have a decided heart, choose to be happy, forgive, and persist without exceptions. If you choose to apply these decisions in your life I know your 2020 will be a year of fulfillment and purpose.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I look forward to seeing everyone back safe after the new year.

Motivational Quotes “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” - C.S. Lewis

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The sounds of applause roared through the Bowman Center Liberty Lounge aboard Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) as Sailors performed various talent acts during NNPTC’s first Open Mic Night, Dec. 6.

During the event, seven Sailors put their talents on display for their shipmates and peers.

Lt. John Gibson, a chaplain assigned to NNPTC, organized and hosted the event as a chance for people to showcase their talents and unwind from the intense academic curriculum and fast-paced schedule at NNPTC. “It’s important for us to host events like this because so much of what goes on at NNPTC is pressurepacked,” Gibson said. “People need to be able to decompress, and have fun and share what they can do.”

Gibson said Open Mic Night was the first of its kind since he has been at the command, and it was a way for Sailors to come together and share what they can do as a morale booster.

“They have done ‘NNPTC’s Got Talent’ in the past, but this is different in the sense that it was not a contest,” Gibson said. “I spend a lot of time with students, and I got the sense that something like this [event] is needed.”

Students and staff were encouraged to sign up and perform any sort of talent such as singing, poetry readings, artwork or even stand-up comedy.

“We rarely stop and think about how much talent there is within our ranks at the command,” Gibson said.

“This is an opportunity for people to share their talents.”

Electronics Technician (Nuclear) 3rd Class Damir Udbinac, a student in Nuclear Power School (NPS), from Frederick, Maryland, performed an original poem during the event.

“I really wanted to share that piece, and this was a good outlet to do it,” Udbinac said. “I had a great time, and it was cool seeing everyone perform and show a little bit of themselves.”

Electrician’s Mate (Nuclear) 3rd Class Enrique Cruz, a student in NPS, from Savannah, Georgia, performed

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sO pe Frank Sinatra songs. “ I found it very useful and soothing to be able to express myself,” Cruz said.

“I recently found out that I missed a karaoke event, so I was very happy to find out that this event was happening.”

Many friends and classmates were in attendance to watch the performances.

“Everyone was great and really looked like they enjoyed themselves,” said Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) 3rd Class David Thomas, a student at NPS, from Vallejo, California.

“I hope they do more events like this.”

Gibson said his hope is to host an open mic night event every month. The next open mic night is scheduled for January 10, 2020, in the Bowman Center gym.

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.

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CLASS 1905 GRADUATES NUCLEAR POWER SCHOOL Following NPS graduation, Sailors will attend prototype training at Nuclear Power Training Unit in Goose Creek, S.C.

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Kid’s Holiday Party 2019 Photos by MC2 Laura Elmore

“I love seeing my kids running around and participating in all of the activities!

- MA2 Justin Frazier

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“My favorite part of the party was having a snowball fight with Santa Claus!”

- Amelia, Age 4

“My favorite part of the party was cookie decorating and the snowball fight with Santa!

- Ryleigh, Age 9 the primary loop

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“...To make victory certain, we would have to march into Washington and dictate the terms of peace in the White House. I wonder if our politicians... are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices.” Isoroku Yamamoto

Marshal Admiral Isoroku Yamanmoto (Photo from the cover of the February 1942 issue of “Gakuhaku Shinnoyuki Japan”)

The Man Behind Midway

Story by Ensign Josh Warnick Photos courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Nearly eighty years ago, on December 7th, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched an audacious raid on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. It was to be the opening gambit of a campaign designed to quickly force an end to the War in the Pacific; a gambit on the success of which one of the Empire’s top naval officers had staked his entire career, and ultimately the fate of his nation.

Isoroku Yamamoto was born in 1884 in Niigata Prefecture in Japan, into an aristocratic family 10

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of samurai lineage. He graduated from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904, in time for the Russo-Japanese War, where he served aboard the armored cruiser Nisshin during the Battle of Tsushima. He went on to study at the Japanese Naval Staff College before coming to the United States to study at Harvard University and to work as a naval attache, a role in which he served until 1928, when he returned to Japan to take command of the cruiser Isuzu.

Yamamoto’s time in the

United States left a deep impression on him. It was due to his experiences in the U.S. that he would switch his focus as an officer from gunnery to naval aviation. He was very impressed by American industry, natural resources, and agricultural production; particularly the ease of access to sugar and salt, which in Japan were government monopolies.

After returning to Japan, he warned his allies and peers that Japan signing the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and fascist Italy would lead to war with the United

Aerial view of the U.S. Naval Operating Base, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii (USA), looking southwest on 30 October 1941.

Ford Island Naval Air Station is in the center, with the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard just beyond it, across the channel. The airfield in the upper left-center is the U.S. Army’s Hickam Field.

(Photo by U.S. Navy)

States, but he went unheard as Japan signed the pact in September 1940.

Despite his misgivings, Yamamoto went to work at planning an offensive against the United States. His experiences had left him convinced that the previous plans put together by Japanese strategists, in which submarines and carrier attacks would weaken American forces as they attempted to cross the Pacific before a decisive battleship engagement in Japanese home waters, would fail. Yamamoto’s plan instead relied on attacking Pearl Harbor to cover a drive into the resourcerich European colonies in Southeast Asia in order to buy time for Japan to consolidate its position. Interestingly, American wargamers had predicted that Japan would adopt the old attrition-decisive battle strategy, and had prepared their own War Plan Orange in light of this assumption.

Yamamoto’s gambit would ultimately be judged to be a successful operation, having dealt a severe blow to the United States Navy, but it would be let down by strategic failings elsewhere. With the achievement of the “Southern Expansion”, Japan’s armed forces began squabbling over the strategic direction of the country once again. Yamamoto argued that they should push

east to destroy the U.S. Navy and force them out of the war, but he was ironically betrayed by his conservative Navy colleagues, who felt his plan was too much of a risk. Yamamoto was also not the only officer with an idea of where to strike next, with some arguing that they should continue south to Australia or even west to India.

The delays suffered due to this strategic myopia were a critical factor leading the Combined Fleet to disaster at Midway, where it lost its carrier fleet and the initiative, spelling doom for the Empire of Japan.

Historians generally agree that Yamamoto was a naval aviation visionary and a gifted tactician, but the jury is out on his strategic prowess. He successfully planned and executed one of the most daring attacks of 20th century naval warfare, and truly surprised the United States, whose strategists had not foreseen a preemptive attack. However, he also prepared the attack based on outdated Mahanian naval doctrine, and failed to prepare an effective follow-up strategic move for his forces. It is possible that Yamamoto’s strategy might have succeeded if he had continued his drive east to crush the Pacific Fleet, but in the end, his concerns about Japan’s relentless march on the road to war proved to be correct. the primary loop

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New NAVADMINS Message from the CNO: Be Ready

Mission one for every Sailor - active and reserve, uniformed and civilian - is the operational readiness of today’s Navy. That means being ready both in our personal and professional lives. And part of that readiness is continuing to hold ourselves to high ideals of integrity and service.

Reflecting on my first three months as CNO, I want each and every Sailor to think about who we are as a Navy and the constitutional oath we commit ourselves to. That oath is what binds us together. It is the foundation of our profession. It is our north star. It defines us.

It is no overstatement to say that naval service requires deeper and broader knowledge than it ever has before. You must summon all your energy to ensure that we are ready to fight today...not tomorrow...not in some distant future...but today. That all starts with good order and discipline at every level of the chain of command.

To be clear, we must be men and women of integrity. We must be honorable. We must be standard-bearers. We must be above reproach. And we must not give anyone cause to question our fundamental values. That is what sets us apart as a fighting force.

Leaders, I am counting on you. I expect Commanders at every level to epitomize integrity and exemplify our core values at all times. Senior Enlisted Leaders, I expect you to anchor up and show

Photo by MC3 Kaysee Lohmann MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Dec 11, 2019) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Dylan Allsopp, from Hemet, California, signals to land an F/A-18 Super Hornet on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Mediterranean Sea.

your Sailors what right looks like on the deck-plates, day-in and day-out. And I expect every Sailor to display the character and honor that has always defined our Navy. These ideals are central to who we are.

The responsibility for ethical and professional behavior must be taken seriously - and we must own it at every level. We must be protectors and exemplify our values.

I’m counting on each of you to set a strong personal example of responsible behavior, both on and off duty.

While there is much work to be done, the tenacity and ingenuity of our Sailors will take us where we need to go - and do so at a Flank Bell. See you in the Fleet.

New Navy detailing tool gives Sailors greater capabilities

Say farewell to Career Management System Interactive Detailing (CMS-ID), and welcome in the new Sailor 2025 iniative-inspired Navy detailing tool: MyNavy Assignment (MNA). MNA was officially announced with the release of NAVADMIN 276/19, and went live Dec. 5, allowing all active duty and full time support Sailors to access it to review and apply for advertised billets.

MNA offers several new improvements to the order selection process, including allowing Sailors access throughout the entirety of every detailing cycle.

MNA provides an expanded job search capability, allowing Sailors to see all available vacant jobs, as well as jobs with upcoming vacancies. The job search feature also expanded, and now includes categories such as all jobs, my preferences, bookmarks, saved searches, by qualification, and rate commonality matches.

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With CMS-ID, Sailors were limited to five applications during an application cycle. With MNA, Sailors will be able to submit seven applications, with an application lifecycle tracker that gives Sailors a quick visual reference on the status of their application. Additionally, Sailors can bookmark up to 100 jobs of interest to save for future viewing and comparison.

With the new MyResume feature, Sailors can now present authoritative data highlighting their experience, pertinent skillsets and accomplishments, and general comments to help market themselves for desired billets.

MNA, which can be accessed through the quick links page at MyNavy Portal (https://my.navy.mil), uses a modern Graphical User Interface (GUI) to deliver a modern human resources service and experience to all who use MNA.

Navy News

Acting SECNAV Posthumously Awards Wings of Gold to NAS Pensacola Shooting Victims From Naval Air Training Command Public Affairs

U.S. Navy Photos Left to right: Ensign Joshua K. Watson, AN Mohammen S. Haitham, and AA Cameron S. Walters were the three Sailors killed during the Dec. 6 shooting at Naval Aviation Schools Command aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy posthumously awarded Wings of Gold, Dec. 10, to all three Sailors killed during the Dec. 6 shooting at Naval Aviation Schools Command aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

Acting Secretary of the Navy the Honorable Thomas B. Modly proclaimed Ensign Joshua K. Watson as a naval aviator, and Airman Mohammed S. Haitham and Airman Apprentice Cameron S. Walters as naval aircrewmen, Dec. 10.

“It is my honor today to present the Wings of Gold to the families of these three American heroes who were among the first to respond to horrific attacks upon our own naval family and tragically, were also our Sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting their brothers and sisters in arms,” said Modly. “Although this authorization pales in comparison

to their immense bravery in the line of fire, this winging represents the symbolic achievement of the coveted goal that all three came to Pensacola to accomplish: to join the long line of naval aviators, flight officers, and aircrewmen who have served the cause of freedom so valiantly for over a century.

Airman Haitham, Airman Walters, and Ensign Watson represent the highest virtues of naval aviation, and undoubtedly belong in that great fraternity of selfless service to our Navy, our Department, and our Nation.”

Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Daniel Dwyer oversees all undergraduate Naval Aviation training and is the designation authority for all naval aviators.

“The selfless acts of heroism displayed by these young Sailors the morning of Dec. 6 are nothing short of incredible,” Dwyer said. “They each embody the warrior ethos we

expect and require of all wingmen.

There is no doubt in my mind they each would have led the charge in their respective Naval Aviation careers. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our hearts are truly with the families and friends of our Shipmates.”

Commander, Naval Air Forces Vice Adm. DeWolfe H. Miller III is responsible for all Naval Aviation units. He expressed his condolences to the families of the Sailors and spoke of their bravery in the face of mortal danger.

“Ensign Watson, Airman Haitham and Airman Apprentice Walters are heroes,” Miller said.

“Their actions and sacrifice embodied the competence, courage and character of those who wear Naval Aviation Wings of Gold.

These wings were presented in honor of their brave actions and in everlasting memory of their sacrifice.” the primary loop

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Chaps’ Corner

Moving Forward

By Lt. John Gibson Command Chaplain

Perennial sloganeerings about “new beginnings” and “new year / new me” have surfaced much like they do near the conclusion of every year. No matter how good or bad things get, no matter how great – or not-so-great the previous year has been – it seems that people are always aching for a fresh start around this time of year, even as Christmas decorations go up and “all is merry and bright.”

The new year is just around the corner, and…well…what better time to “reinvent ourselves” and “do better”?

This especially seems to be the case for those of us who have faced hardship, catastrophe, and setbacks. When life has seemingly spent the past year throwing curveball after curveball in our direction, the question that continually resurfaces seems to be: how do we move on? How do we overcome disappointment, hope deferred, and unfulfilled expectations? What possible path can serve as a way forward for those of us most deeply affected by events that have taken place

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over the past year?

I honestly do not know.

A diploma and years of theological and doctrinal study at an accredited seminary both look great on paper, but have often come up woefully short in helping to navigate life’s greater challenges. I know that God is sovereign and that He has a plan. But even that truth sometimes fails to comfort as we navigate the muddy waters of life.

So what can we do? Perhaps a starting point might be for us to reflect on the wise words of the French playwright, Marcel Pagnol, who wrote:

“People find it difficult to be happy because they view the past as better than it was, the present as worse than it is, and the future as less resolved than it will be.”

Even now as I reflect on this sage advice, I find even myself often needing a reminder. How often do I look upon the past and long for “the good ol’ days,” while failing to realize that those good ol’ days which I long for had troubles of their own when I was facing them.

How often do I miss the reality that the good times of today are passing me by, relegating themselves to cherished memories which I will one day look upon with fondness …quite probably in the middle of whatever crisis I may be facing at that future date.

And speaking of the future, Pagnol is absolutely right: has there ever been a time when the future was not eventually resolved in one capacity or another? More to the point, at least for those of us who hold to some form of religious faith, has there ever been a time when God Himself did not come through for us; and provide for us; and give us new hope?

Perhaps, then, the answer is best characterized by God’s Word itself in Ephesians 5:15-17: “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk; not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” How do we achieve this principle? By simply moving forward and seizing each day with a renewed commitment to love ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and our world.

NAVY PHOTOS

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primary loop Commanding Officer Capt. Andrew G. Peterson III

Executive Officer Cmdr. Jeb Parm

Command Master Chief EMNCM(SS) Derek G. Gruell

NAPLES , Italy (Dec. 6, 2019) Hundreds of community members from Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples attend Navy Community Recreation’s annual Holiday Village Tree Lighting event at the Support Site Village Forum courtyard at NSA Naples (Photo by MC2 Donavan K. Patubo)

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

PEARL HARBOR (Dec. 7, 2019) Sailors aboard the USS Arizona Memorial reflect upon the lives lost during the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor prior to the 78th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony at Pearl Harbor historic sites. (Photo by Erin Huggins)

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: MA2 Frazer’s child, Rhowan talks with Santa Claus at the kids holiday party on Dec. 13. (Photo by MC2 Laura Elmore)

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Game Corner

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