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March 16, 2015VOL. 4| ISSUE 4

NIMITZNEWS.WORDPRESS.COM

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mCC gREgoRy RobERts media lCPo

CmdCm gREg REnniCk Command master Chief

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mC2 JEss LEwis

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mC3 LauREn JEnnings

mC3 viCtoRia oChoa

mC3 nathan mCdonaLd

mC3 siobhana mCEwEn

mC3 aiyana pasChaL

mCsn shauna sowERsby

mCsn dEREk voLLand

mCsn Chad andERson

mCsn Cody dECCio

mCsn dEanna gonzaLEz

mC2 phiL LadouCEuR alPo

nimitz news

media department

in this issue

Nimitz Sailor, ABH3 An Ngyuen, contributed her time and language skills to help find the bodies of fallen U.S. soldiers in Vietnam.

As Nimitz enters the yards, the battlefield shifts to preparing for the future. Sailors from S2 division made their transition from the ship to the barge and are changing the way they serve Nimitz Sailors.

MCSN Shauna Sowersby shows us the sights and sounds of Washington’s

captial city.

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Superb technical expertiSe iS what it took for IT2 Curtis T. Vance to set up the temporary LAN in less than 48 hours consisting of 16 switches and over 267 computers. A driving force is the phrase used to describe CS2 Kordrey D. Rucker as he and his team work to renovate berthings. Instrumental best describes how Mr. Eldie Williams is leading the layout and construction of scaffolding used in both of the MMRs supporting Dis-tilling Unit work. These six Sailors and two PSNS workers exemplify how strong work ethic fueled by the principle of ship, shipmate, self can lead to an expedited completion of Nimitz’ EPIA. Their devotion demonstrates the utmost dedication to mission success.

Nimitz will be regularly recogniz-ing those Sailors and PSNS workers who show the initiative and com-mitment to be named Fighters of the Week.

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Running along the center of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) between two major passage-ways sits the mess decks, a place almost always occu-pied by Sailors. Since the ship has made the homeport change the space has slowly became desolate. The ta-bles have now disappeared, the smell of cookies no longer escapes the bakery and there are no Culinary Specialists (CS) rushing about preparing to feed the thousands of men and women on board.

The Nimitz became uninhabitable on Jan. 21 forcing S-2, the Supply department that prepares and serves the crews’ food, to no longer be able to pro-vide meals on board the ship. They had to transport the supplies they own on board to the barge located off the pier.

The process of moving was time consuming and labor intensive and took the work of the entire division to get the process done before their deadline. There are many changes being endured by the division but they are using the maintenance period to change the way meals are served and revamp the training received by their Sailors.

The barge has new and updated equipment with a bigger galley and more space. The CSs spent the be-ginning of their time on the barge familiarizing them-selves with the different galley layout.

“We work out of one galley now and serve the two different mess areas,” said Culinary Specialists 3rd Class Doug Couch, a watch captain in the barge galley. “Instead of cooking three different sets of the same product from three different galleys we’re just cooking it all together. It’s going to be more efficient.”

Not only has the division lost the number of gal-leys that they normally occupy, they have also lost manning. Roughly 20 members of the division are assigned to the ships support team and 10 more are temporary assigned duty to other divisions. Even though they are working with less Sailors the upcom-ing changes to the menu should allow S-2 to improve the quality of their product as they adapt to their new demands.

“If we break more food out than customers we feed then we lose money, so the menu is quite smaller now,” said Chief Warrant Officer James Reid, Nim-itz’ Food Service Officer. “It’s not all you can eat and there is no grab and go. There will be one soup, two main entrees, two veggies and two starches. It’s a lot more like the way small boys and cruisers serve their meals.”

Along with a change of menu comes a change in the quality and taste of the food.

“Ninety percent of what we are making on the

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CS1 Leonardo Dumenden trains CS3 Douglas Couch on frying fish.

S2CANDOStory and photo by MC3 Holly Herline

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barge is made from scratch,” said Couch. “Everything is fresh. The cooks that we have in the galley now are more passionate than the ones we had underway. The quality over here is going to be a lot better.”

Improving meals for Nimitz Sailors is not the only goal S-2 is working toward. They are going to use the yard period to improve the leadership of their young Sail-ors and get them training that is going to benefit them, the department and the ship as a whole as they get training to produce better quality product for Nimitz Sailors.

“I get to go to a school and actually learn what my rate is supposed to be,” said Couch. “I’ve learned a lot in the last year but to actually be able to sit down and learn it from a book or instructors who have been doing this for a long time will be beneficial. It’s pretty exciting.”

On top of sending Sailors to school, S-2 is also fo-cusing on getting them quality experience in the kitchen

while they have the advantage of serving smaller num-bers during the maintenance period.

“We really want to start getting the cooks trained, be-cause underway the training didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” said Reid. “We’re going to have growing pains but that’s where the supervisors will step in and give them more on-the-job training in the kitchen. This yard period is going to benefit them and give them time to grow. They are going to become better cooks and leaders. I want them to become well rounded and learn every facet of their rate. The goal is to have them learn something new every day.”

S-2 has brought to life an unfamiliar galley and hopes to raise the standard of work while gaining the experience to grow individually and as a department. All they have to do now is keep spirits alive and use the next 16 months to improve on what they do best, serve the Nimitz Sailors.

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ASSIGNMENT: VIETNAM

When Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Third Class An Nguyen was first asked if she wanted to return to the land of her ancestors, time was working against her. There were only three weeks until the selection process for the next Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Recovery Team to Vietnam would come to an end. It was a time to think fast and take action. For Nguyen, the answer was clear.

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LOCALS PREPARE THEIR BOATS FOR THE DAY.Pfc. Keith Austin

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for nguyen, thiS waS more than juSt a chance to go home. It was a opportunity to make a difference. By participating in this operation, she would be aiding in the search and recovery of fallen American sol-diers who had fought during the conflict in Vietnam. This aid might provide a chance for the families of those soldiers to finally have closure, even after all this time.

Nguyen would be filling the position of a lin-guist. First, Nguyen had to prove she could speak Vietnamese fluently and understand the meaning of its conversation. With some help and support from her chain of command on board Nimitz, she was off to receive her brief and then over to Vietnam.

Once there, Nguyen was the key communicator between two teams, one from the U.S. and one from Vietnam.

“A lot of us just knew how to fight wars, not how to work with other countries on that level,” she said.

Any miscommunication between the JPAC team leader and the Vietnamese officers created hostility between the two groups. Linguistically, Nguyen was the only one who understood what was going on, and it was up to her to ease the tension. In addition to language differences, weather conditions contrib-uted to the volatile climate of the group.

Even though it was a dry season, the jungle air hung heavy with sweltering temperatures and hu-midity. As the team walked around, their boots sank into the ground, leaving deep impressions in the mud.

“Searching for remains was harder than I ever

thought it would be,” said Nguyen.Trying to find any sign of bones was an all-hands

effort that sometimes seemed to never pan out.The teams looked everywhere the personnel

were last reported missing. A tarp was strung up over these areas and soil was shoveled into buck-ets. Then, the volunteers pushed the soil through tent screens. Any pieces too large to be screened were either human remains or just an ordinary rock.

“I remember the first day I looked for remains,” said Nguyen. “Each time I ran my hands along the screens, hot dust kicked back up into my face. By the end of the day, I was tired and just wanted the day to be over.”

Then, the anthropologists showed her what they were looking for: a tiny bone fragment. She knew now the hard work had its rewards.

“Seeing us make a difference like that gave me the motivation to keep going,” Nguyen said.

After two weeks, Nguyen’s whole body was bruised from all of her hard work. She went home with numb hands and a bad back that still hurt even weeks after returning.

Nguyen said the struggle was well worth it; she now had a family of volunteers she could laugh and cry with. Much of her off time was spent reacquaint-ing herself with her native culture, as well as with the Vietnamese volunteers and their families.

In addition to searching for remains, the volun-teers visited nearby towns.

“These were not easy places to get to,” said Nguyen. “We traveled by boat – we even went

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through tunnels in mountains to arrive at Tam Coc. They did not have much.”

Once they arrived, the volunteers used money they had put together to provide school supplies for children.

“It was amazing to give back to each other,” said Nguyen. “I brought candy from my family to give to anyone I saw. When it ran out, I bought more.”

Nguyen said she remembered three little kids in particular who sat and waited every day at the same place for her to bring them candy.

“I felt bad after a while,” said Nguyen. “Many kept the candy to bring home to their families even if it had to wait hours in the heat melting in their pockets before they could. That really hit me.”

The volunteers did more than just share candy: They fixed broken bikes, and provided minor medi-cal care to those in need.

The Americans used these opportunities to give back to a country that was gracious enough to allow them to comb through their grounds. And, the Viet-namese were quick to show gratitude for the teams

presence and generosity.As it came time for her to leave Vietnam, Nguy-

en realized this was an experience she would never forget. She knew by volunteering for the mission, she and other members of the recovery team had touched many hearts; both in Vietnam and back home.

The program’s mission did not end after the re-mains of the fallen were found. Back in the states, DNA would match the remains with missing per-sons. The team was then able to return the remains to the families for a final resting place after decades of uncertainty.

“I am honored to be in the U.S. military,” said Nguyen. “I know if I fight for my country and go missing, my country will look for me, and for my family, even after 50 years or more.”

It is through this honor and loyalty to coun-try and family that Nguyen was able to obtain the unique and invaluable opportunity of returning to the land of her ancestors and bringing home those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

MC3 LAUREN K. JENNINGS

LEft: abh3 NGUYEN HANDS OUT CANDY TO VIETNAMESE CHILDREN Right: A TYPICAL SCENE IN VIETNAM AS A MOTHER AND CHILD FLOAT DOWN A WATERWAY WITH GROCERIES.Pfc. Keith Austin

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11OLYMPIA

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the morning iS criSp, clean and Sunny, the kind that since living in Washington I have learned to appre-ciate. I get in my car and put on the Rancid track “Olympia, WA” and set out for my hour drive. I care-fully listen to the lyrics, “and New York City, I wish I was on the highway…back to Olympia.” The town was great enough for Tim Armstrong to write a song about and I wanted to find out for myself exactly what that pull to the city was.

Although an hour each way to make it to Olympia seems like a long trip to make in a day, the moment I see Mt. Rainier against the backdrop of the clear blue sky makes the drive in itself worth it. The further south I drive the more scenic the view becomes with a thick tree line surrounding the highway and an occasional glimpse of the mountains.

My first stop is at the New Moon Cooperative Café, a quaint diner hidden by the scaffolding from construction next door that is situated in the downtown area on 4th Street. There are only nine tables total. The place is small, but comfortable and inviting. My wait-ress is an adorable red haired girl named Kat who is originally from Chicago. She suggests The Halo, an English muffin topped with a fried egg, melted Gouda, tomato and avocado with a side of home fries. I place my order and after Kat walks away, I sip my coffee and glance around the diner. It’s an interesting café, with political cartoons scribbled on butcher paper hanging from the walls and a kitchen that has less space than most kitchens in even the smallest of homes.

the moment I see mt. RaInIeR agaInst the backdRop of the cleaR blue sky makes the dRIve In Itself woRth It.

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I wIsh I was on the hIghway back to olympIa

OLYMPIA, WA - RancId

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my food arriveS quickly and it doesn’t take me long to eat the entire thing. I’ve decided this is the place I will come back to on my future trips to Olympia, as the food is fantastic and my total bill adds up to less than ten dollars. As I’m paying I ask Kat

what there is to do here in Olympia. She tells me that since the bars aren’t open yet the best part about down-town Olympia is the shopping, which I decide I’ll save until the end of my day. She recommends Priest Point Park, which is just right up the road. Despite my original-ly planned itinerary, this is where I decide to go to next.

The park is less than two miles from downtown and can be easily found thanks to a large sign at the entrance. After I park my car I stumble around for a bit, trying to find this majestic waterfront that Kat had talked up so much. I walk by an outstanding—even by adult stan-dards—playground and fight the urge to commandeer the fake pirate ship. I’m on a mission to find this waterfront so I just can’t stop walking and looking. I finally find what looks like a trail into the woods and off in the dis-tance I can see some water so I decide to head down this rabbit hole. I quickly realize that choosing this trail was a big mistake but I press forward. After losing my footing and nearly rolling down a small hill, I look back to see a small sign warning visitors not to go the direction from which I just came. Thankfully it was early enough in the day that there was no one else around to see my idio-cy. Out of breath and slightly embarrassed I finally find the opening to the waterfront and the view confirms that this is unmistakably the place Kat had told me about. I pause for a moment to breathe in the fresh air and admire the scenery. I walk closer to the water and decide right away that I’ve worn the wrong shoes for this adventure. The shore is entirely made from mud, the kind that sticks to the bottom of your soles and could possibly suck the shoes right off your feet if they weren’t tied tight enough. This is decidedly the kind of place that either parents with small children or local fishermen would appreciate the most. There’s not much else to do so I decide to leave, to make the trek back up a different hill. I know just the place to go next.

Approximately six miles down the same road there is a park that my daughter and I have gone to several times. You won’t find it on the Olympia tourism website, nor will you really ever hear anyone talk about it, which is exactly why we frequently go. I found Burfoot Park by

accident a couple of years ago and it still remains my fa-vorite place to go in Washington to this day. The greatest thing about this park is that regardless of how many times I’ve been, there’s always something new to discover and today is no different. The late morning sun is shining down on freshly cut grass and even though it’s still only late February, there are flower blooms on the bushes that welcome me in to the park. My daughter isn’t with me today so I don’t have to do the usual trip to the massive playground that sits directly in the center. I drive around the circle driveway and park in my usual area, right next to the blatantly marked trail to the beach. From the play-ground to the thick Washington foliage that envelopes the trail to the beach itself, it’s like crossing multiple states in a matter of 30 minutes. The trail is an easy hike, a bit muddy today, but it’s not enough for me to turn around. The last section of the trail is marked by a small wooden bridge leading you onto a wide open pebble beach, right on Boston Harbor. I would suggest coming early in the day when the tide is low. This is the kind of place where one can spend a good couple of hours on the right day but today I just don’t have that kind of time so I sit on a large piece of driftwood for about a half an hour before going back to my car. It’s just the right amount of Zen that I needed for the day.

I go to the tourist information center to find out more about the great capitol of Washington State. Sam, the friendly girl at the tourist information center tells me about some good shopping downtown and because this is the second time I’ve heard about how wonderful it is, this is obviously my next, and final, destination for the day.

Park anywhere on the main roads downtown and you will inevitably find a good store to go into. For ladies the shopping possibilities are endless. Several boutiques pepper the downtown area among the endless bars and restaurants. Aside from boutiques there are all kinds of stores for kitschy home items, stores with fun gifts and lots of second hand stores. I’m exhausted from both of my hiking adventures so I don’t stay long. But one could spend an entire day here. Shopping, eating and drinking, and that is what a lot of Olympians seem to be doing today. The town overall has a friendly feel and because it is a quick and scenic hour drive from Bremerton, is completely worth making into a day trip.

As I’m leaving the lyrics once again pop into my head. “I wish I was on the highway…back to Olympia,” and today Armstrong’s sentiment seems to ring truer than it ever has before.

story and photos by mcsn shauna sowersby

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