Stars & Stripes - 04.20.18 by Metro Spirit

Volume 10, No. 19 ©SS 2018

FRIDAY, A PRIL 20, 2018

Sidelined and under suspicion Foreign-born recruits, promised fast track to citizenship, stuck in ‘mindless bureaucracy’ Page 2

ILLUSTRATION BY NOGA A MI - RAV Stars and Stripes

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COVER STORY

FRUSTRATION, FOREBODING Stuck on US bases under a cloud of suspicion, foreign-born recruits languish in fear BY DIANNA CAHN Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON heir brains, specialized talents and home country made them sought-after assets for the U.S. military. Now, these ambitious, welleducated Army recruits are finding themselves sidelined and under suspicion, many stalled wherever they were when the rules changed in late 2016. For some, that means being stuck under the restrictive rules of basic training or Army job specialty training in essential lockdown with few privileges, little to do and, as foreigners pending permanent immigration status, uncertainty about their futures. Since 2009, the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program has attracted 10,000 foreign-born recruits with language and medical skills to fill a recruitment and talent gap in the Army. In exchange, those mostly 30-somethings were offered the promise of professional advancement and a fast track to citizenship. But that stalled after the Department of Defense determined in September 2016 that MAVNIs posed “counterintelligence and security risks” (further detailed in a May 2017 memo) and instituted lengthy security screenings for every recruit in the program. Many MAVNIs in basic training or the next level, known as advanced individual training, have been held over at these entry points, spending a year or longer under harsh conditions in units that are supposed to host soldiers for just weeks or months. They can’t work in their fields or use their skills. Several, particularly those who have not naturalized, describe strict rules under which they are required to walk across base with a buddy, cannot drive or drink alcohol, have limited if

M AYA A LLERUZZO/AP

U.S. servicemembers take an oath of citizenship during their naturalization ceremony at al-Faw Palace at Camp Victory in Baghdad in 2009. To view an image documenting MAVNI restrictions, go to: stripes.com/go/citizens any permission to leave the base and are stuck with almost nothing to do but basic chores. Army memos obtained by Stars and Stripes confirm that beginning in November 2016 — just weeks after the Pentagon instituted the enhanced background checks — the Army deputy chief of staff of personnel issued a “stop move” order, barring MAVNIs from traveling until they had “completed all phases of security investigations” and received “favorable adjudication.” The documents outline the level of privileges that MAVNI holdovers are given, depending on what stage of training they’d completed. Naturalized soldiers had less onerous restrictions. They could get an overnight pass to leave base with brigade commander approval. Those without U.S. passports were more restricted. The documents — from November 2016 to February 2018 — show that many of the

restrictions on MAVNIs are still in place. “They won’t give them any privileges. They are stuck on base,” said Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer formerly with the Army who was instrumental in creating the MAVNI program and ran it for several years. “It’s this kind of mindless bureaucracy in which they are just going to discriminate against a whole group of people and don’t think about the repercussions of what they are doing,” she said. “There is no concern for the soldier’s well-being or morale.” For soldiers stuck in these predicaments, frustration is mixed with a sense of foreboding. They are foreigners tainted by suspicion — national assets now labeled as possible national threats. They are unsure whether they have started life as Americans or are treading water as soldiers only to be deported from the country they consider their home. “We are in a state of fear,” one holdover said. “We don’t know who to trust.”

Fear of backlash The Department of Defense declined to answer questions or release details about MAVNI recruits stuck in these restrictive conditions, citing ongoing litigation and “out of respect to the legal process.” There are at least two class-action lawsuits filed by MAVNI Army reservists seeking resolution on related issues, but those lawsuits do not include all MAVNIs, including those on active duty. And the lawsuits are limited in scope. Pentagon spokesman Maj. David Eastburn said the department “is not facilitating interviews with MAVNIs at this time.” Eastburn repeated one of two answers he gave to several Stars and Stripes questions stating that servicemembers are free to speak in a personal, nonmilitary capacity as long as they are not on base. But many of the MAVNIs are not allowed off base, and nearly all who spoke with Stars and Stripes said they wished to remain anonymous, fearing discrimination and backlash from higher-ups who could

influence their fates. “Before I joined the military, I never had a brush with the law,” said one 30-year-old MAVNI — a science lover who holds bachelor’s degrees in zoology with an emphasis on medicine, biochemistry and biotechnology and has a master’s in pharmacology. He has been waiting to naturalize since he began basic training in mid-2016, he said. “I worked in the [emergency room], did research. I even helped discover a new drug,” he said. “Now that I joined the military, I am labeled a security threat. If I am under arrest, tell me what I am accused of. They can’t just hold us as prisoners.” Another MAVNI recruit with a master’s degree who got stuck after an injury at basic training described disdain from officers in the unit because of the “MAVNI tag.” “We don’t have protection coming from the top,” she said. “If the protections and the right guidance are not coming from them, what can we expect SEE PAGE 3

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‘It’s this kind of mindless

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from people who work on more operational things in the field? Because of this, we are in a state of fear. We don’t know who to trust.” Stock, a fierce advocate for MAVNIs, charged that the Pentagon was discriminating when it cast suspicion on the group as a whole, violating its own policies of equal opportunity. “You don’t decide you are going to do crazy vetting on 10,000 people because you think one is a spy,” she said. “They turned a positive program that was helping national security into a train wreck that is ruining people’s lives,” she said. “And they’ve done more harm to national security with harming the program than they did to help it with all this vetting.”

The Army memos On Nov. 7, 2016, just one week after the Pentagon introduced the new set of security screenings for the MAVNIs, the Army’s deputy chief of staff of personnel, Lt. Gen. James McConville, issued a document withholding travel orders for soldiers in the program until they completed the screening requirements. Screening for MAVNIs entailed more background checks than for ordinary soldiers, and more were introduced in 2016, including an indepth counterintelligence review and interview. The screenings are laborious and time-consuming. An office at the Pentagon is tasked with reviewing each case to decide whether the soldier is suitable for service. A second document signed by Maj. Gen. Anthony Funkhouser, under the heading U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis, Va., detailed the privileges those soldiers would be given under the “extended hold status.” “MAVNIs will remain under the IET (initial entry training) unit and governing regulation and will not be moved to permanent party units or control,” the document said. The documents, along with others obtained by Stars and Stripes from a lawyer investigating the issue, confirm that MAVNI holdovers were mostly limited to the same privileges as their fresh-out-of-high-school fellow recruits, who would come through these training points and move on. “I’ve watched people who came through basic or AIT (advanced individual training) after me become sergeants, and here I am sitting here,” said one AIT holdover — who graduated college with a dual major in chemical biology and mathematics in three years because she was eager to get to medical school. A reservist, her

bureaucracy in which they are just going to discriminate against a whole group of people and don’t think about the repercussions of what they are doing.

’

Margaret Stock immigration lawyer instrumental in creating the MAVNI program

progression stalled after she completed AIT in February 2017. Reservists who got stuck mid-process and are not naturalized are in a real bind. Once they complete entry training, they work for the Army only two days a month. Their student visas or work permits have expired. Without citizenship, they have no legal status to work or even renew a driver’s license. The soldier’s student visa expired while she waited for naturalization. So had her passport from her country of origin, which is under threat from Islamic State. She can’t go back and she can’t move forward. She needs a battle buddy to go most places on base, and though she’s been given the privilege of leaving base, her sergeant needs to know where she is at all times. She said she’s become known as the “problem soldier” because no one knows what to do with her. “If I had known this would happen, I would have been back home,” she said. In his Nov. 7, 2016, memo, Funkhouser wrote that “if naturalization is not complete, this should be a priority of each command to ensure this process is completed as soon as possible.” It added that no reserve MAVNIs will be released from active duty until naturalization is complete. Asked about those documents and stories from holdovers stuck on its bases, the Army deferred comment. Instead, a spokeswoman shared a 2017 general document outlining privileges that soldiers receive and said all other questions should go through the Pentagon.

Naturalization Along with instituting the enhanced screenings, the Pentagon in October 2017 changed the rules on naturalization, creating a lot of confusion for MAVNIs. According to Oct. 13, 2017, documents, foreign-born legal permanent residents who joined the military would no longer be eligible to naturalize after one day of service during combat time — which is what is stated

in current immigration and naturalization law. Rather, they would have to serve 180 days to be eligible. But while the policy change said that “these changes reflect lessons learned from the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest pilot program,” the change appeared to be directed at legal permanent residents — green card holders, who are different than MAVNIs. In any case, the MAVNI program had already been halted. The Defense Department stopped recruiting under MAVNI in late 2016 and let authorization for the program expire in September 2017. The Pentagon cited the logjam in security clearances; it’s unclear whether the program will be reinstated. In one of the MAVNI class-action lawsuits, the 180-day requirement was determined not to be retroactive for MAVNI recruits. But the same proceedings decided that the Pentagon’s 2016 enhanced security checks were retroactive. MAVNIs, no matter when they enlisted, would not be issued the necessary Defense Department paperwork to naturalize until their security screenings were completed and adjudicated favorably. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would work with the Pentagon. “We work hand in hand,” said Arwen FitzGerald, a spokeswoman for USCIS in San Antonio, Texas. “To change immigration law requires an act of Congress,” she said. “We are following DOD policy.” With policies so unclear and clarification being hashed out in a limited capacity in court, many holdovers find answers hard to come by. Field-level Army units dealing with the holdovers have different understandings of these policies. One holdover who has been stuck at basic training described submitting her naturalization paperwork on her first day. She’s spent the last year and a half trying to keep track of it. At one point, she said, it was lost; later, it was sent to an old address for her to sign. She did not receive it until months later. Then, when she sent back the

signed document, she said she was told the form was an old version and she needed to submit a new one. In early 2017, she said, she was told that naturalizations were on hold. They resumed shortly over the summer, then halted again, she said. In January, USCIS closed naturalization offices at three military training bases. FitzGerald said that with the 180-day rule change, recruits were not eligible for naturalization during basic training so it no longer paid to have those offices open. For holdovers awaiting their security screenings, that is probably the case. But remaining MAVNIs are shipping out to basic training only after security checks have been completed. Many have served six months by the time they ship out. They would be eligible for naturalization during basic training. Closing those field offices made that impossible.

The background check The military has not released precise figures of how many holdovers are stagnating on Army bases. There appears to be little consistency in who moves forward and who is held back. Some active-duty MAVNIs got naturalized early but are stuck at initial entry training, while others have made it into combat units even though they are not citizens. One MAVNI soldier graduated college with a near-perfect GPA, got a master’s in aviation science and then, with language and science skills, he joined the Army, deploying to Afghanistan — and later Iraq — repairing combat aircraft while weathering incoming rockets. Even after deploying, the 34-yearold immigrant from China said he feels stuck and at risk. His student visa expired since he joined the Army in 2015. His wife’s did too. He deployed to Afghanistan in December 2016 wondering if she and their young son would be deported before he got back. Now he checks the status of his citizenship application constantly with immigration officials. He’s written to his senator and gone through his command. The answer is always the same: “The reply in my case is pending background check,” he said. Another MAVNI graduated his job specialty training before the rules changed, but his naturalization never went through. He inquires regularly with defense and immigration authorities. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told him that he needed a counterintelligence screening, which wasn’t required when he came in. So he went to his command’s intelligence officer to see about the screening. SEE PAGE 4

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MILITARY/COVER STORY

US special ops, partners launch drills in Niger BY JOHN VANDIVER Stars and Stripes

STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. special operations forces kicked off their largest exercise in Africa on April 9 in Niger, a country that is at the center of a growing counterterrorism mission. The focus of the two-week Flintlock 2018, which involves eight African and 12 western countries, is the day-to-day threats faced by local forces on the ground, the top U.S. commander of special operations troops in Africa told reporters before the exercise. “The scenarios will be based on real-world threats of the violent extremist organizations currently threatening our partner nations in the greater Sahel,” a belt of territory between the Sahara Desert and the Sudanian Savanna, said Maj. Gen. J. Marcus Hicks, head of Special Operations Command Africa. The emphasis has shifted from a focus on tactical proficiency of small units to the command and control of joint forces, he said. Niger has emerged as a hub for U.S. operations in the region. A new drone site is being developed in the central Niger city of Agadez, where a Nigerien military base will play a key role in this year’s exercises. A joint multinational headquarters for Flintlock will be set up in Agadez, where military teams will conduct command and control over tactical units spread out in Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Those countries, along with Chad, Mali and Mauritania, are part of a joint regional response force involved in regional counterterrorism. West Africa is home to numerous extremist groups, such as Nigeriabased Boko Haram, Islamic State and various al-Qaida-aligned organizations. ISIS and al-Qaida affiliates are descending through central Mali, threatening not only Mali but also Burkina Faso and Niger, Hicks said.

FROM PAGE 3

The soldier is not on the list, the intelligence officer told him. Getting on that list — well, that was beyond the scope of the officer, the soldier said. He said he feels lucky that he’s been able to come this far, but he’s up against a wall. He can’t commission and worries even a promotion to sergeant

C HRISTOPHER K LUTTS/Courtesy of the U.S. Army

A U.S. Army Special Forces weapons sergeant observes a Nigerien army soldier during marksmanship training as part of Exercise Flintlock 2017 in Diffa, Niger, in February 2017. In October, four U.S. soldiers were killed in western Niger in an ambush while on patrol with Nigerien forces. The incident has brought increased scrutiny to U.S. efforts in Niger and has raised questions about whether American troops are taking on unnecessary risks to counter what is still a regional threat. So far, jihadis in Western Africa have not demonstrated

will be off the table until he becomes a citizen. Meanwhile, his command is unaware of his status. He worries that should it come to light, he’d be in even worse shape. “So I am stuck,” he said. “My case has been forgotten. It’s like a blessing and a curse at the same time.” Stock, who hears from MAVNIs facing these road-

a capacity to strike the U.S. directly. Niger is an isolated, land-locked country that is among the world’s poorest. The government is struggling with persistent food shortages as the population is set to double in 18 years. The concern is that fragile countries like Niger could become vulnerable to extremist groups looking for potential havens.

blocks almost daily, said she is aware of a MAVNI who was deployed to Europe with her family before September 2016. They were just about to ship home when the new rules were handed down, along with the “stop move order.” Her husband and children had returned to the states, but she is a holdover, sitting on a base in Europe awaiting her security screenings.

“Africa matters to us because it is a preventive medicine theater versus an emergency medicine theater,” Hicks said. “What I mean by that is that these threats, as they exist in Africa, are at a level where they can be dealt with … at a very low cost.” vandiver.john@stripes.com Twitter: @john_vandiver

Another holdover is stuck in Korea. His wife is an Army soldier stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. In an email to Stock that the soldier gave permission for Stars and Stripes to use, he said his wife is living off post but they are not eligible for a housing allowance until he receives his orders to move. The situation is negatively

affecting their financial situation, he said, and it is damaging their marriage. “There are also a few other MAVNIs in my unit that are experiencing the same issue, ma’am,” he wrote. “Is there anything my chain of command or myself can do to resolve this issue?” cahn.dianna@stripes.com Twitter: @Dianna Cahn

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Air Force to probe rise in Class C mishaps BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — The Air Force’s top general has ordered a probe into low-level, nonfatal aviation mishaps, asking investigators to determine whether underlying issues are responsible for an uptick in their frequency in recent years, Air Force officials said April 10. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief of staff, ordered recently that the Safety Office at Headquarters Air Force review Class C mishaps in an effort to drive down their occurrences, said Maj. Ken Scholz, a spokesman for the service. The general is concerned the lower-level incidents, if unchecked, could result in higher rates of more serious crashes. A Class C mishap is defined by the Defense Department as an incident resulting in damages costing $50,000 or more but less than $500,000 in repairs or a nonfatal injury that results in more than one day away from work. Class A mishaps, the most serious, cause more than $2 million of damage, the permanent destruction of an aircraft, a fatality or a permanent disability. “Any accident is one too many,” Gen. Stephen Wilson, the Air Force vice chief of staff, said at the recent Future of War Conference in Washington. “We spend a lot of time making sure we have the safest program we possibly can.” The review comes on the heels of a week in which five military aircraft crashed in the United States and Africa. The crashes left seven servicemembers dead and four aircraft destroyed and prompted U.S. and Djiboutian officials to ground American military aircraft operating out of the tiny Horn of Africa country that includes an American base key to operations in areas including Yemen and Somalia. The incidents included the April 4 crash of an Air Force F-16, which killed Thunderbirds pilot Maj. Stephen Del Bagno during training for the demonstration team’s upcoming airshows. The Air Force has canceled all Thunderbirds performances through at least April 22 since Del Bagno’s death, scrapping planned appearances at shows in California, Florida and Ohio, the squadron’s commander, Lt. Col. Kevin Walsh, announced April 9.

Despite Del Bagno’s death, which remains under investigation, Air Force officials said Class A and Class B mishap rates have gone down in recent years. Wilson said that 2014 and 2017 were “the safest years” that the Air Force has recorded in terms of Class A mishaps. But crash data, recently examined and published by Military Times, show even as the higher level incidents have receded, the rash of Class C mishaps have driven the Air Force to seven-year highs in reported aviation accidents. Some analysts and lawmakers have linked the increase in aviation and other noncombat mishaps to sequestration-mandated defense budget cuts in recent years. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, have pointed to sequestration as the underlying issue in the crashes, saying repeatedly the military is facing a readiness crisis. McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot, is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Thornberry is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. But Pentagon officials have pushed back on the idea that funding is to blame for increases in aviation and other mishaps. Scholz, the Air Force spokesman, said that the service had not reached that conclusion. “I won’t speculate on suggested correlations between mishaps rates and funding but as our aircraft age, it costs more to fix them,” he told Stars and Stripes. Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff, said April 5 that military aviation was not in a crisis, but he promised the Pentagon was investigating recent crashes to determine whether they were linked. The published data show that aviation incidents have spiked since 2013, the year sequestration was implemented. At least 133 servicemembers were killed in crashes between fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2017, the data show. Twenty-six troops have been killed in aviation crashes since fiscal year 2018 began Oct. 1. dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC

‘ Any accident is one too many. We spend a lot of time

making sure we have the safest program we possibly can.

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Gen. Stephen Wilson Air Force vice chief of staff

D EVIN M. L ANGER /Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Zackary Tapia, assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, takes the Navy-wide E-5 advancement exam at Naval Station San Diego on March 8.

Navy advancement change to require pretesting online BY JASON BEHNKE Stars and Stripes

Come September 2019, sailors will have to pass an online military knowledge test in order to take the E-4, E-5 and E-6 advancement exams. The test, announced last week by the Navy, contains 100 questions pertaining to professional military knowledge. It must be passed once per pay grade before a sailor is eligible to take the actual advancement exam. “Direct feedback from sailors” was the reason the Navy gave for the change. “As part of Sailor 2025 and rating modernization efforts, the PMK exam continues to emphasize the importance of Professional Military Knowledge, while also taking this initial step into the electronic exam process,” Karim Cole, master chief of the Naval Education and Training Command Force, said in a statement. Currently, advancement exams consist of 150 individual job-specific questions and 25 military knowledge questions. The new advancement exam will contain 175 questions focused solely on the sailor’s job field.

The last major change to the advancement exams occurred in 2012. Before that, the test was 200 questions, with a greater focus on professional military knowledge for higher pay grades. The online exam for military knowledge will cover five topics: leadership and character, career information, professional conduct, naval heritage and seamanship. Sailors must achieve a passing score of 80 percent on each topic, with the ability to retake each section until achieving a passing grade. Sailors must pass the professional military knowledge exam before they can be eligible to start the advancement exam. Sailor 2025 is the Navy’s initiative to improve and modernize personnel management and training systems to more effectively recruit, reward and retain sailors. Future program initiatives include revamping pay and personnel systems, transforming the performance evaluation system and easing movement between active and reserve components. behnke.jason@stripes.com Twitter: @JasonFromSD

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PACIFIC

Navy to deploy 2 Triton spy planes to Guam BY WYATT OLSON Stars and Stripes

The Navy’s first two operational MQ-4C Triton spy planes are slated to deploy to Guam later this year, a Navy official said April 9. The service will send two more Tritons to Guam by 2021 for surveilling Pacific Ocean hot spots, Triton program manager Capt. Dan Mackin told reporters April 9 at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space exposition in Maryland. The high-altitude drones will be able to provide combat information to expeditionary and carrier strike groups and can communicate directly with the Navy’s manned P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The addition of the landbased drones, which weigh about 16 tons and have a 131-foot wingspan, comes at a crucial time in the Pacific.

K ELLY SCHINDLER /Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

A Navy MQ-4C Triton lands at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., in 2014. Two of the spy planes are scheduled to deploy to Guam this year and two more by 2021. At a Senate committee hearing in March, U.S. Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris told lawmakers that he did not have enough spy aircraft “because there isn’t enough to go around.” He said he lacked the needed intelligence, surveil-

lance and reconnaissance, or ISR, aircraft to verify any future denuclearization agreement that might come out of the upcoming proposed meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. China’s increased activities

in the South China Sea, where it has militarized disputed islands, have also intensified the need for U.S. surveillance. Beijing has installed electronic jamming equipment on two of the artificial islands it has built in the sea, the Wall Street Journal reported April 9. Mackin said that four Tritons operating out of Guam will allow continuous 24-hour, seven-day orbit. “One on the way out, one on station, one on the way back and one in maintenance,” he said. The first pair of Tritons will be able to track targets on water surfaces from as high as 60,000 feet. The data will be transmitted to Naval Station Mayport, Fla., or Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. The information could also be sent to the Navy’s submarine-hunting P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

“One of the main reasons that the Navy decided to fund Triton was to have that teaming arrangement, to be able to communicate back and forth between P-8s and the Triton aircraft,” Mackin said. “One of the primary missions of P-8 is to do the anti-submarine warfare and ISR, not necessarily things you want to do at the same time.” The MQ-4C Triton is based on the Air Force’s RQ-4B Global Hawk surveillance drone. The Air Force operates a small fleet of Global Hawks out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, although five of them were moved to Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo for several months last year because of favorable weather conditions. olson.wyatt@stripes.com Twitter: @WyattWOlson

F-35B stealth fighter to headline Iwakuni’s air show festival BY JAMES BOLINGER Stars and Stripes

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — For the first time, America’s most advanced stealth fighter will perform aerial maneuvers at an air show in Asia during next month’s Friendship Day at MCAS Iwakuni. The F-35B Lightning II will demonstrate its hovering, vertical landing and short takeoff capabilities for more than 210,000 people expected

For more information on the Friendship Day festival, visit www.friendship-day.net to attend the 42nd annual festival May 5, Marine 1st Lt. Melissa Heisterburg, deputy director for MCAS Iwakuni Communication and Strategy Operations, said April 12. This year also marks the first time that the Navy’s Carrier Air Wing 5 — which recently relocated to Iwakuni from Naval Air Facility Atsugi

— will be heavily involved in the event. The wing will provide a variety of static displays, including F/A-18E and F Super Hornets, E-2D Hawkeyes, E/A 18G Growlers and Black Hawk helicopters, she said. Another first: The Army’s parachute team, nicknamed the Golden Knights, will present the American and Japanese flags for the opening ceremony, Heisterburg said. The group has never before

delivered both flags for an air show. Aerial performances will include the Pacific Air Forces’ F-16 Demonstration Team, an MV-22 Osprey demonstration and a Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration that will feature simulated closeair support, aerial refueling and tactics used by Marine infantry in combat. The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force will showcase its multirole F-2 fighter, and

the Japanese Ground SelfDefense Force will perform an airborne rappelling demonstration. Also appearing will be Yoshihide Muroya, a Japanese aerobatics and race pilot who was the first Asian to compete in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, and Masahiro “Whiskey Papa” Utsumi, an internationally renowned aerobatics pilot. bolinger.james@stripes.com Twitter: @bolingerj2004

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PACIFIC

Life on the USS Carl Vinson

A Navy pilot lands a fighter jet aboard the USS Carl Vinson last month in the Philippine Sea. CAITLIN DOORNBOS/Stars and Stripes

Jet catapults, general quarters and karaoke round out time on warship BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS Stars and Stripes

ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON, in the Philippine Sea — With the bone-rattling roar of a Super Hornet’s fiery red engines, three words came to mind: God bless America. Watching the catapults of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson fling fighter jet after fighter jet into the skies during drills last month over the Philippine Sea inspired more patriotism than the grandest of Independence Day fireworks. A mishap extended what was meant to be a five-hour press tour of the Carl Vinson into 30 hours aboard Carrier Strike Group One’s flagship. A propeller on the C-2A Greyhound carrying 12 reporters was damaged during the flight from Okinawa and had to be repaired in the hangar bay. The extra time provided a window into an average day at sea on the nuclear-powered warship.

In the air The media embark began on a March Friday morning when we climbed into the twin-engine Greyhound through its rear door. Our heads were squeezed tight by a cranial helmet with goggles and hearing protection. Chests were padded with life vests in case of what a crewmember called “the unlikely event of a water landing.” I strapped myself

Get a taste of a day in the life on a U.S. aircraft carrier: stripes.com/go/carlvinsonlife into my seat with belts pulled tight in a four-point harness around my shoulders and waist. The plane showed signs of its decades of use. Wear and tear in the cabin included torn leather, dented metal and rust. The newest models were last delivered in 1990 — before I and many of the Carl Vinson sailors were born. When the time came to land two hours later, we were cued with a “here we go!” from the crew and braced for impact. There was a loud thud as the plane hit the flight deck — but it didn’t stop. We’d missed the arrest cable and needed to circle to try again. My stomach turned. Adding to my unease: My stepmother’s father was killed 50 years ago during a carrier landing. His A-3 Skywarrior snapped the arrest cable on the USS Shangri-La and fell into the Sea of Japan. A second “here we go!” came minutes later, and the plane screeched to a halt from 120 mph. I was thrown back into my rear-facing seat — designed to accommodate abrupt landings — and groaned. After stepping off the plane, we were rushed off the runway to the first of many staircases we would climb during

our visit. Several floors down, we were greeted by the scent of roast beef and potatoes. We chose a meal from a smorgasbord including chicken, fish, rice and salad fixings and sat down to eat. Sailors chatted, laughed and watched a Harrison Ford flick as they dined.

A well-oiled machine Back on the flight deck, we watched aircraft launch and land. Sailors dressed in a variety of colors moved quickly and methodically around dozens of planes, helicopters and jets. The colors designate the role each person plays in the mission. For example, those who work with aviation fuels wear purple. A Hawkeye moved into position along a catapult track built into the flight deck. Its wings and tail planes unfolded as its propellers spun. After the thumbsup cues from two sailors dressed in white crouching below both sides of the plane, a shooter in yellow launched the steam catapult that flung the aircraft to flying speed in about two seconds. A few minutes later, sailors in yellow waved their arms to direct a Growler into the vacated space. Its engine roared and its pilot braced for takeoff as the crouching sailors gave another thumbsup. Seconds later, the jet was airborne off the edge of the Carl Vinson as catapult steam danced across the runway.

In just 20 minutes, about five of the more than 70 aircraft aboard the Carl Vinson took off. The 4.5-acre ship carries F/A-18C Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2 Hawkeyes, MH-60S/R Seahawks and C-2 Greyhounds. Lt. Adam Pennington, a shooter on the Carl Vinson, called that pace “average,” and said they worked more than 100 launches that day. After the last jet took off, the crew switched gears so that a group launched earlier in the day could land. The planes zoomed into position, their pilots perfectly aligning the tailhooks with the steel wire ropes strung across the deck before coming to an abrupt stop. The complicated operation continued with ease as the sailors went about their business-as-usual routines. But even after more than two months straight of near-daily flight operations, danger looms in sailors’ day-to-day jobs. With 5,000 people aboard the 95,000ton vessel working in cramped spaces among massive machinery, aircraft and bombs, the chance of tragedy is always in mind, Pennington said. “There’s a saying in the Navy: ‘If you’re feeling safe on a flight deck, you better turn around because you’re about to die,’ ” he said. Should the worst happen, all hands must know what to do in case of an emergency. SEE PAGE 14

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The next morning, the carrier would practice “general quarters,” calling all sailors to man their battle stations and react to imaginary threats announced over loudspeakers. “General quarters, general quarters. All hands, man your battle stations,” a voice called out at 8 a.m. “Reason for general quarters is hostile air threat.” For two hours, the voice announced scenarios, including reports of smoke on the ship and incoming torpedoes. Each sailor had a job, whether it was donning damage-control gear to pursue fires, sending fighter jets into the air or simply staying out of the way. The Pacific Fleet knows the chance for catastrophe all too well. Last year, 17 sailors died in two separate destroyer collisions near Japan and Singapore. The Navy credited crew damage-control efforts for saving those ships and preventing more lives from being lost.

After dark It’s not all serious business aboard the Carl Vinson. Life for its 5,000 sailors must have balance and some sense of normalcy during deployments. For some, that means cutting loose at night by singing karaoke in the mess hall. Several sailors stood before their peers that Friday night and crooned out tunes. Their camaraderie was nearly tangible. Each chorus was met with cheers. Without a drop of alcohol, these tough sailors relaxed and socialized at rows of tables reminiscent of a high school cafeteria. One sailor belted out a moving rendition of Zac Brown Band’s “Colder Weather,” about leaving loved ones behind — a

reminder of the sacrifices servicemembers make by giving up time with loved ones while on deployment. There’s no cellphone service thousands of miles away from any shoreline, and contact with family back home is limited. Several floors above, flight operations continued into the night. No cameras were allowed after dark; it was lights out on the ship deck and anything besides the soft yellow and blue illuminations along the runway could thwart the pilots’ abilities to land. From vulture’s row on the carrier’s tower, I counted five aircraft swarming from miles above. Their red flashing lights stood out like crimson stars weaving around the Big Dipper. As each jet approached the deck, its thunder boomed through the night’s silence. They were nearly invisible in the darkness until their tailhooks hit the arresting cable and sparks lit up the flight deck. Only once did I see a jet miss like our C-2 Greyhound had that morning. With 3,000 rooms and numerous identical corridors and hallways, it’s easy to get lost aboard what Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, Carrier Strike Group One spokesman, called a “floating city.” After retiring for the night, on my way back from the shower room in my bathrobe, I took a wrong turn and passed the commander’s office. A helpful sailor escorted me back to my room.

Ready for home Reporters spent the final hours aboard watching the Carl Vinson, USS Wayne E. Meyer guided-missile destroyer and the Japan Mari-

Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher Terry Leonard, Editor Robert H. Reid, Senior Managing Editor Tina Croley, Managing Editor for Content Doreen Wright, U.S. Edition Editor Michael Davidson, Revenue Director CONTACT US 529 14th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20045-1301 Email: stripesweekly@stripes.com Editorial: (202) 761-0900 Advertising: (202) 761-0910 Michael Davidson, Weekly Partnership Director: davidson.michael@stripes.com Additional contact information: stripes.com

CAITLIN DOORNBOS/Stars and Stripes

Carl Vinson sailors work on a Seahawk aboard the aircraft carrier last month. time Self-Defense Force’s JS Ise helicopter destroyer sail in formation as part of a bilateral training exercise, which Hawkins called “routine.” The exercise marked the fourth nation that Carrier Strike Group One interacted with during the deployment that began Jan. 5, Hawkins said. The Carl Vinson made history when it sailed into Danang earlier in March, becoming the first U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam since the war ended more than four decades ago. That afternoon, we flew back to Okinawa, where the accommodations of civilization — including comfortable beds — awaited us. doornbos.caitlin@stripes.com Twitter @CaitlinDoornbos

This publication is a compilation of stories from Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense for members of the military community. The contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including the Defense Department or the military services. The U.S. Edition of Stars and Stripes is published jointly by Stars and Stripes and this newspaper. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DOD or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. Products or services advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.

Carl Vinson returns to San Diego base BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS Stars and Stripes

The USS Carl Vinson returned to its homeport at Navy Base San Diego on April 12 after a historic, three-month deployment to the Western Pacific. Since its departure Jan. 5, the nuclear-powered warship patrolled the South China Sea and interacted with four nations, including a groundbreaking port visit to Vietnam in March, the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier dropped anchor in the country since the Vietnam War ended more than four decades ago. The sailors received a “warm welcome” in Vietnam, Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, Carrier Strike Group One spokesman, told Stars and Stripes during an embark in March. “One of the things we wanted to focus on during the port visit to Vietnam was not necessarily military-to-military en-

gagement, but more peopleto-people interactions,” he said. Other international interactions over the deployment included drills with the Japan Maritime SelfDefense Force and passing exercises with the French navy, Hawkins said. The Carl Vinson also visited the Philippines, where some sailors volunteered to pack boxes of relief items for victims of the Mayon volcano eruption in January that displaced tens of thousands of residents. The deployment was part of the Navy’s “3rd Fleet Forward” initiative, in which ships assigned to the 3rd Fleet remain under the control of their home fleet instead of switching to the 7th Fleet’s watch after entering its jurisdiction past the international dateline. The concept is meant to allow each fleet to concentrate on its own ships. doornbos.caitlin@stripes.com Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos

Friday, April 20, 2018

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com/when or email info@tabsaugusta. com.

Sacred Heart Cultural Center Includes landscape and floral exhibits, speakers, a vendor market, a tour of gardens and more. Garden Festival hours are Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from noon-5 p.m. Tours are from noon-5 p.m. each day. Three-day tickets: $25, advance, or $30 at the door. One-day ticket (not including garden tours): $10. Visit sacredheartgardenfestival.com or call 706-826-4700.

Sat Apr 21

9am - 5pm Sacred Heart Garden Festival

5pm - 9pm Boots, Brews & BBQ Columbia County Amphitheater This event includes live music by Jared Ashley and food trucks including Smokeshow BBQ and Riverside BBQ. Columbia County Exchange Club will operate full bars with $4 beer, $5 wine and $6 mixed drinks. $5, general; free admission for park pass holders. The event continues from 5 to 9 p.m. April 27 with Blue Brindle Band. Email events@ columbiacountyga.gov or call 706-8683484. For park pass information, visit evanstownecenterpark.com/parkpass.

7pm The Augusta Broadway Singers Goes to the Movies Church of the Holy Comforter Under the direction of Les Reagan, TABS will present Broadway choruses that have been featured in movie musicals, from 1917 to the present day (including “Porgy & Bess” and “Beauty and the Beast.” $20, ages 13 and up; $10, ages 12 and under. Visit tabsaugusta.

10am - 5pm Augusta Toy & Comic Show Hilton Garden Inn Augusta This event includes an artist alley, cosplay competition, trivia contest, cosplay minigolf and more. $5, general. Visit eventbrite.com.

7:30pm Chopin and Beethoven Miller Theater An Augusta Symphony production. $23$66. Visit millertheateraugusta.com or call 706-842-4080.

Sun Apr 22

11am - 3pm Israeli Festival Congregation Children of Israel This inaugural festival honors the 70th anniversary of the birth of the state of Israel and includes authentic Israeli and Middle Eastern foods for sale, Israeli music and information on life in Israel. Call 706-736-3140 or email ccirabbi@ cciaugusta.org.

7pm Rockin’ Road to Dublin Bell Auditorium A fusion of rock and Irish music and dance. $27-$65. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit georgialinatix.com.

Wed Apr 25

8pm Black Violin Miller Theater $28-$58. Visit millertheateraugusta.com or call 800-514-3849.

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