The Carl Vinson Voice is an internal document produced by and for the crew of the USS Carl Vinson and their families. Its contents do not neces-sarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government or the Departments of Defense or the Navy and do not imply any endorsement thereby.

VOL 1 / NO 39 August 25, 2010

replenishment at sea times twoStory by MCSN Rosa Arzola

USS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adrian White

Carl Vinson completed two replenishments at sea (RAS) with USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USS Stockdale (DDG 106) yesterday.A RAS allows ships to exchange the food, fuel and

supplies necessary to stay at sea for extended periods of time without having pulling into port.“It’s not common for aircraft carriers to give fuel to

other ships. It’s usually the other way around but this was important hands-on training for the Sailors on board,” said VINSON’s Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) (AW/SW) Shawn Wilson.

According to Lt. Cmdr. Tony Diaz, Carl Vinson’s First Lieutenant, this was the first time that Vinson has serviced two ships in a row since pulling out of a Refueling Complex Overhaul.“The crew has come a long way in the past two years,”

said Wilson. “It is no longer a green crew. We are now trained Sailors who conduct business by the book, in a professional manner.”The evolution, a battle group training exercise to

prepare the ships for Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and deployment, provided training for

See RAS, Page 4

Carl Vinson Voice2

Follow Vinson on Facebook: www.facebook.com/USSCARLVINSON

Publisher Capt. Bruce H. Lindsey

Commanding Officer

Executive Editors Lt. Cmdr. Erik Reynolds

Public Affairs Officer

Lt. j.g. Erik Schneider Deputy Public Affairs Officer

Managing Editor MC2 Ashley Van Dien

Photo EditorMC2 Adrian White

Layout and DesignMCSN Rosa A. Arzola

Staff Writers/PhotographersMC3 Heather Roe

MCSN Rosa A. Arzola

Sailors, It’s All About YouStory by MC1 (AW) LaTunya HowardPersonnel Command Public Affairs

Navy Personnel Command (NPC) has an all new “My Personnel Information” link on the NPC homepage, directing Sailors to a single grouping of web links for personnel information and career management.

“This is all about the individual Sailor,” said Capt. Hank Vitali, director of the Personnel Services Delivery Transformation Office at the Bureau of Naval Personnel.

“The ‘My Personnel Information’ page (the first listing under quick links) is a first step in response to requests from the fleet for a single self-service-online site for personnel service delivery capabilities,” Vitali said. “We’ve heard the fleet loud and clear and are working to develop an enhanced ‘portal’ that provides Sailors direct access to the most commonly used applications and sources of career information.”

The “My Personnel Information” page has four main functions; personnel records, self-support,

training and education, and Customer Service Center support. Sailors can access their official military personnel file, their physical readiness information, submit an electronic-leave request, enter the Defense Travel System or request a Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript.

“There are 20 links to personnel records information, self service and support sites, training and education, customer service - even post-incident personnel accountability via the Navy Family and Accountability System,” said Vitali. “We’ll leverage the

feedback and lessons learned from the ‘My Personnel Information’ page into the requirements for the future Navy Human Resources Portal under development for our active and Reserve Sailors.”

For more information or to provide direct feedback on “My Personnel Information” visit http://www.npc.navy.mil (quick links to the left), or contact NPC Customer Service Center at CSCMail@navy.mil or 1-866-U-ASK-NPC.

For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.

Personnel Specialist 3rd Class (SW/AW) Carl Vizzi works in Personnel Department on board, where Sailors can receive information regarding their personnel records. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Haran.

3August 25, 2010

Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Felicia Sherrill reshelves books in the ship’s library. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Heather Roe.

Story by MC3 Heather RoeUSS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

Vinson Library Offers Options, Boosts Morale

After a hard day at work, a priority on many Sailor’s minds is relaxation. A great place to find what a Sailor is looking for is the Learning Media Resource Center (LMRC) aboard Carl Vinson.There, Sailors are able to unwind

from a long day at work and concentrate on something other than what is going on in their work centers.“The library is a great place for

Sailors to get away from their working environment and get a chance to relax,” said Religious Program Specialist Seaman Jesse Seward, the assistant library officer for LMRC. “Since the air wing has come on board, we have 350 to 400 Sailors visiting the library a day.”LMRC offers many media-

orientated activities for Sailors to utilize. There are more than 1,400 movies to choose from, with a wide range of genres. Along with the large collection of movies, LMRC has a movie theater equipped with wireless headphones for up to 22 Sailors to use. Gaming systems and computers are

also a popular choice among Sailors who visit the library.

“Sailors like the library because they can use the internet to talk to their spouses and family members,” said Seward. LMRC also has more

than 6,000 books and MP4 audio books for Sailors to check out. “I like the library

because it has a lot of books to choose from,” said Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Seaman Leizle Aspili, a Sailor in Vinson’s Intel Department. “I like that I can check my Facebook too.” LMRC on board not

only helps the Sailors of Carl Vinson, it has also reached out to other branches to boost morale throughout the military. “LMRC has donated

(items) to Balboa Hospital, which donates to other military organizations,” said Seward.LMRC recently donated 1,200 MP4

audio books to Balboa Hospital, who in turn, donates to Naval Regional Library, Wounded Warriors Association, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

The library is open from 10 a.m. until 12 a.m. to ensure all Sailors who are interested in visiting are able to. Morale is a key factor to the efficiency of a ship’s performance and the library is available for the convenience of Sailors.

many junior Sailors.“The Sailors did very well,” said Diaz. “We were

challenged but we got the job done, and they learned about how to safely and properly rig the station.”“This RAS was important because it served as training to

many Sailors who will be out on a deployment and will be expected to know what to do,” said Wilson.Conducting a RAS evolution requires not only knowledge,

but concentration and focus. The receiving ship comes alongside and maintains 160 to 180 feet of lateral separation and both ships have to maintain a speed of 13 knots. There are multiple dangers involved in a RAS, so safety is always a priority.“There’s always the chance of a fuel-hose rupture,

someone falling over the side, a collision between ships, or a rig-break if the proper distance is exceeded between the two vessels,” said Diaz. “Safety is important because we don’t want anybody to get hurt or killed, and we don’t want to damage equipment.” During this RAS, Vinson gave 93,000 gallons of fuel to

USS Stockdale. This is the first time that USS Stockdale has ever received fuel.

Carl Vinson Voice4

RAS Continued

Photos by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adrian White and Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Rosa Arzola

5August 25, 2010

Photos by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adrian White and Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Rosa Arzola

Carl Vinson Voice6

Sailors participate in a mass casualty drill on the flight deck. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Rosa A. Arzola