July 24, 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 43

Months of preparation have taken place for this one event and it was over in less than a minute. It’s a very precise exercise which took place on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) using Rolling Airframe Mis-sile (RAM) launcher one, July 22.

“This has been a collaborated effort between Combat Systems Depart-ment and Opera-tions Department,” said Lt. Dale Cross-man, air defense weapons coordi-nator. “Weapon shoots don’t hap-pen all that often due to budgets, but when the opportu-nity comes around, we’re definitely go-ing to take advan-tage of it.”

The whole event was the bread and butter of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) for the Operations and Combat

Systems Departments. With roughly 50 people from both departments involved, along with a group of civil-ian engineers, it was an all-hands effort.

“It’s a ship-wide collaborated effort with other departments, such as navigation and air, who have vital roles in the ship’s placement.” said Cmdr. Keith Patton, Combat Direction Center (CDC) officer and defensive coach for the event.

During the shoot, drones were launched from Pa-cific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Barking Sands in Kuai, Hawaii, toward the ship. Two shots, against inbound threats, using live

warheads were fired from the number one rolling air-frame missile launcher.

USS Nimitz Defeats Inbound ThreatStory by MCSN Jess Lewis

USS Nimitz’ (CVN 68) Fire Controlman load the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher one with ordnance prior to a launch exercise July 21. (Photo courtesy of FC2 Brian Keown)

What’s Inside RemindersPFA Information: BCA: Aug. 27-31, Sept. 17-21 PRT: Sept. 4-7, Sept. 24-28September Advancement Worksheets:E6: July 28-Aug. 2 E5: Aug. 6-10 E4: Aug. 13-17JEA Meeting 0900 Today -1st Class Mess

Minister of DefensePg. 3

Chief PinningPg. 4 & 5

MSC InspectionPg. 6 & 7

*Medical Waivers due by Aug. 28

See RAM Pg. 7

Commanding OfficerCAPT Jeff S. RuthExecutive OfficerCAPT Buzz Donnelly

Command Master ChiefCMDCM Teri McIntyre

Public Affairs OfficerLCDR Karin Burzynski

EditorMC3 Ryan Mayes Lead Designer

MC3 Renee L. Candelario

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All. submissions are subject to review and screening. “Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families. Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Chris-topher White was selected as the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz’ (CVN 68) Sailor of the Day, July 23. On a daily basis, whether he is at work or not, he is responsible for the safety of the ship’s computer network. White installed anti-virus software as well as other safeguards resulting in zero vul-nerabilities in the ship’s information assurance readiness.A native of Philadelphia, Miss., White went to school at Mississippi State University where he learned most of what he knows today. “Most of what they taught me there helped me in the Navy,” said White.White spends his free time hanging out with friends, playing video games, and playing drums. He said he played in a drum line in high school and college. “It feels good getting to wear the Sailor of the Day badge,” said White. “Driving the ship was probably one of the better experiences I’ve had on the ship.”

Nimitz Recognizes Sailor of the Day Story and photos by MC3 Devin Wray

Capt. Jeff Ruth, commanding officer of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) named Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Christopher White Sailor of

the Day, July 23 in the Pilot House.

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Christopher White works at his computer station in a combat systems space July 23.

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The Chilean Minister of Defense, Andres Allamand, visited the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) July 21 as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012.

Sailors from different nations, such as Chile, Colum-bia, Peru and Australia, are currently working on board Nimitz. Chile alone has provided 11 officers and four enlisted personnel to work on the carrier throughout RIMPAC. Allamand visited to get a firsthand look at the joint efforts between the Nimitz crew and the Chilean sailors currently on board.

“Chile has been a part of RIMPAC since 1996,” said Capt. Luis Sanchez, Chilean sea combat commander from Command Task Group (CTG) 170.1. “The only year we didn’t send ships, we sent staff to help.”

Allamand’s visit to Nimitz meant a lot to the Chilean sailors on board and was one more aspect in increas-ing interoperability between two different nations.

“It’s an outstanding experience having him on board,” said Chilean Cmdr. Arturo Oxley, operations officer from CTG 170.1. “He’s the first minister to ever come on RIMPAC and visit another U.S. ship with us on board.”

For Sanchez, this is his first time as Sea Combat Commander on an international ship and has been ap-preciative of the hospitality he and his crew have been

receiving since embarking July 6. “We have been very busy, but it’s been very good

training that we’re receiving here,” said Sanchez. The goal for the Chilean navy while on this RIMPAC

is to enhance their capabilities of working with other countries, the other international task forces on board Nimitz and how to better coordinate between part-ners.

“Each year we participate in UNITAS (Latin for unity) which is an exercise done in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,” said Sanchez. “We take what we learn here at RIMPAC and apply it there. The more you know about what you’re doing, the easier it is to work together.”

The average sized group of the Chilean strike group is eight to 10 ships. However, during RIMPAC, they have the opportunity to work directly with 18 different ships while integrating themselves into Nimitz’ ship life.

“Seeing the battle rhythm of the force, how the air wing operates and the flow of operations here is very impressive,” said Oxley.“We are working hard to achieve the goals of the ship, like completing our man overboard muster in less than four minutes.”

Chilean Minister of Defense Visits USS Nimitz Story by MCSN Jess Lewis

Chilean Minister of Defense, Andres Allamand (back,center), poses for a photo on the flight deck of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) along with Chilean distinguished visitors. (Photo by MC3 Ryan Mayes)

Page 3

“In your future as a chief petty officer, you will be forced to endure adversity far beyond that imposed upon you today. You must face each challenge and adversity with the same dignity and good grace you demonstrated today. By experience, by performance, and by testing, you have been this day advanced to chief petty officer...Your entire way of life is now changed,” read Command Master Chief “Spike” Call to a room filled with Sailors. Front and center stood the newly pinned Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Samuel Vasquez, the primary recipient of these words.

Vasquez, assigned to the Wallbangers of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117, was promoted to the rank of senior chief during a ceremony in the VAW 117 ready room on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), On July 1.

A native of Carlsbad, New Mexico, Vasquez believes that a career in the Navy was his destiny.

“I don’t know if you believe in fate, but that’s what it was,” said Vasquez. “I had a choice between aviation or Seabees. I had been working in construction and knew that I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life. My dad was a mechanic. I used to help him out, and I really liked working with cars.”

The aviation machinist mate (AD) rate enabled Vasquez to follow his interest while allowing him the opportunity for new experiences. He admits he never thought he’d make it to where he is now: leading Sailors as the Line Division’s leading chief petty officer (LCPO).

“I just took each day as it came,” said Vasquez. “I played it enlistment by enlistment. Each time, the Navy

Story and photos by Lt. Achala Edirisinghe,

(VAW) 117 PAO

front&center

Cmdr. Frederick Goldhammer, commanding officer of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117, and Master Chief Aircraft Maintenanceman present the newly pinned Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Samuel Vasquez his promotion.

Page 4

offered me the best opportunity to have a good life and provide for my family.”

Vasquez gives full credit to his wife for providing the support he needed at every point of his career.

“The best moment in my naval career?” Vasquez asked. “The day I got married. I wouldn’t have met my wife if it wasn’t for the Navy.”

Vasquez met his wife, Charo, while he was stationed in Rota, Spain with the Sandeman of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 2 and “refused to let her go.”

Charo Vasquez acknowledges her support of her husband’s career, but says his success is also a result of his passion.

“The main key to his success was himself,” said Charo Vasquez. “[He] is a very hard worker and is very dedicated to his job. He cares about his petty officers; always motivating them and showing them how to work as a team.”

The “work hard” theme is the key factor to Vasquez’ success and has been the driving force behind his work ethic at VAW 117.

“Sammy hit the ground running when he got here,” said Call. “He’d find a way to get the job done without questions. He’ll reach out and grab things, even if he didn’t have to, and see it all the way through. Then he’d say, ‘What else can I do?’”

While working with the line division, Vasquez continually seeks to impart this value to his own Sailors. He credits his Sailors as being the best part of his duties as the line LCPO.

“I’m here because of you all,” he said to his Sailors as his first words as a senior chief. “I’m here for the blue shirts. You make me work hard and that’s what you have to keep doing. You have to work hard, come in with a good attitude, and stay of out of trouble. Then

everything else will work, and you’ll be where I am.”

According to Vasquez, the energy on the flight deck and the energy of his Sailors is the highlight of his job.

Vasquez will be able to expect many new things to come along with his new rank.

“More responsibility is the main thing,” said Call. “We expect the senior chiefs to have a command-wide scope. They will have a more

active role in big decision making. Sammy will now have to lead his Sailor and his peers. He brings a fresh mind since he comes from a P-3 Orion background. He’s enthusiastic and works shoulder to shoulder with our Sailors. He already has earned a tremendous amount of respect in the short time that he’s been here. He’s going to do great things.”

“I don’t know if you believe in fate, but

that’s what it was.”

As is customary during a chief promotion,Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Samuel Vasquez passes his anchors to Aviation

Structural Mechanic 1st Class Andre Tagulao.

Aviation Electrician’s Mate Airman Ian Wightman and Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Samuel Vasquez display the evidence of

mentorship and hard work, the core foundations of the Banger team.

Page 5

Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz’ (CVN 68) Maintenance Support Center (MSC) are readying their shop for the Command, Naval Air Forces assist visit scheduled for the first week of August.

The visit is a preparatory step for Nimitz’ MSC as it steams into an audit slated for the first week of December. CNAF will inspect and verify that Nimitz’ MSC is following the proper directives and procedures it set in place to ensure Nimitz is running an effective MSC program.

“They will look at our entire program and make sure we are doing things by the book,” said Chief Logistics Specialist Ignatius E. Okeiyimor, MSC’s leading chief petty officer. “Our tech manuals, our validations program, our library and how up to date we are on logging our ship’s configuration changes. We will show them how we work to answer questions Sailors might have in regards to maintenance. CNAF will look at our entire program so that we have a clear understanding of what we need to do to prepare for our audit and better serve our crew.”

MSC is a liaison between maintenance shops and supply. It maintains technical manuals, ship drawings and configurations, using these resources to ensure Sailors understand what they are working on, where it is, how to fix it and what tools to use when it comes to maintenance. MSC provides a centralized location where Sailors can fill in their maintenance knowledge gaps. It is made up of temporarily assigned personnel who are picked from departments throughout the ship, such as engineering, weapons and reactor, giving customers a broad base of technical experts to aim their questions.

“We cut down the time between having a question and finding the answer when it comes to maintenance,” said Okeiyimor.

“Our goal is to help in any way we can, customer service is the main thing we do,” added Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Anthony Phipps, MSC’s leading petty officer.

Crucial for crewmembers to properly maintain the condition of the ship, a poorly functioning MSC can be catastrophic, said Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Mark Tyrrell, MSC’s tech manual librarian.

“If a Sailor uses the wrong tech manual and employs the wrong tool, that might down that piece of equipment,” said Tyrrell. “What if that equipment is critical for launching or recovering aircraft? What if it means the difference between the ship accomplishing its mission or failing to reach an objective? We work to ensure that doesn’t happen, and that‘s the importance of the assist visit and, eventually, the audit. We need to prove that we can fill that role for the ship.”

To prepare for the CNAF visit, MSC conducted a self-assessment that highlighted areas needing improvement, such as keeping all tech manuals up to date, but it also instilled a bit of confidence in the team.

“We have identified some areas of improvement and I assume there may be more found during the assist visit, but everything is correctable and this will only make our program better,” said Phipps.

Nimitz MSC Prepares for Upcoming InspectionStory and photo by MC2 (SW) Vladimir Potapenko

Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Mark Tyrrell, USS Nimitz’ (CVN 68) technical manual librarian, reaches for a tech manual that a customer requested in MSC July 15.

Page 6

Regardless of CNAF’s presence and the looming pressure of an audit, the MSC team works to improve its ability to serve Nimitz and its crew. Conducting training once a week no matter in port or at sea, MSC personnel strive to have a working knowledge of all skills and jobs found in the shop.

“Half of the crew is new, but we have a cross-training program to make sure everyone knows more than just what they brought with them when they came to MSC,” said Phipps.

Not only looking to develop skills during assigned training hours, the MSC team sees the value in on-the-

job-training.“We always ask for help from each other when

one of us knows a system better than the others,” said Tyrrell. “By doing so, we constantly reinforce our strengths through teaching and progress with our weaknesses through a questioning attitude. We are constantly working together to satisfy the needs of the customer, but also to improve ourselves.”

It is that kind of attitude and attention to detail that makes Okeiyimor feel encouraged in advance of the assist and audit, he said. “We’re right on track.”

“Our primary mission is to keep anything from hitting the ship,” said Fire Controlman 1st Class (SW) Brian Hadler, remote control station (RCS) operator for the close-in weapons system (CIWS). “If things were to go wrong and control over the drones was lost, my job would be to shoot down the drones before they hit the ship.”

As part of standard ship training, this exercise was specifically designed to ensure the weapons system is fully functional and also as practice defense against any incoming threats.

“Basically, the ship is the goalie and we have to make sure the other side doesn’t score any points,” said Patton. “These drones were coming in fast, low and aimed at a specific target. We had the RAM launcher set to shoot two missiles along with the CIWS manned up as a backup in case the missiles didn’t take the drones out. We’ve gone through months of prepa-ration, gathering proper data of missile performance and practicing engaging the point defense weapons system during general quarters (GQ), all for about 15 seconds of excitement.”

The missile shoot was successful. The RAM mount launched its missiles on cue, propelling the missiles at speeds over mach two as they honed in on the target.

“We didn’t have any complications with the shoot,” said Crossman. “Missiles were launched and targets were hit as planned. We’re ready to defend Nimitz in case of an enemy attack.”

RAM: Ship Conducts Successful Test Fire

Rolling Air Frame Missile launcher one on board Nimitz. (Photo courtesy of FC2 Brian Keown)

continued from PG. 1

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