As the 2012 presidential election gets closer, Sailors aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) still have time to register and vote for their Commander in Chief.

The only way this is possible is through the qualified and capable hands of the postal service offered by Supply Department’s S-1 division.

“We receive the ballots and distribute them just like regular mail,” said Logistics Specialist Seaman Jessica Penadelgado. “When they are completed and we receive them back from Sailors we enter a serial number that is on the ballot and upload it onto MPSA (Military Postal Service Agency). Everyday we go onto the website and register votes.”

Because of the added time lapse for military units deployed across the globe, and the timeliness of a presidential vote, the registration and voting ballots get head of the line privilege.

“The ballots are priority over regular mail,” said Penadelgado. “They go in front of any other mail that Sailors may be receiving.”

In order to handle sensitive documentation, such as a Sailor’s ballot, the handles are required to have a certification handled by MPSA. This ensures that the ballot is correctly dealt with and submitted properly.

“There are two representatives on Nimitz that can handle the ballots,” said Penadelgado. “Myself and (Logistics Specialist 1st Class Julio) LS1 Hernandez had to take a course on the MPSA website. The course was to make sure that we were not going to tamper with the ballots or open

them. We receive them, record them and then send them out.”

Unlike the registration for the primary elections, which is still ongoing, presidential election registration is the same for everyone, regardless of a Sailor’s home of record.

“For the registration process you have to go to the website provided,” said Penadelgado. “When the website opens it asks where the user is from and asks for information to verify it. Then you actually print out an envelope that has prepaid postage and send in the form and envelope through our mail center, here. The only way you can register is by mail or fax. You can’t register online.”

Once the registration has been accepted, the individual Sailor’s ballot will be mailed to the ship.

“The ballot comes addressed to each Sailor,” said Penadelgado. “It’s very much like when the ship was in California. The Sailors will receive the ballots in the mail and mail them back in instead of going to a voting center.

June 30, 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 32

Nimitz’ Mail Prepared for Voting SeasonStory and photos by MC3 Jacob Milner

Sailors sort and prepare to deliver mail to shipmates in Nimitz’ hangar bay two.

See “VOTE” page 3

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class (AW) Elena J. Goes, an administrative separation clerk aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), was selected as the ship’s Sailor of the Day June 29. Aboard Nimitz, Goes has prepared more than 100 military justice cases, 50 powers of attorney, completed 20 administrative separations and managed four special courts-martial and one administration separation board. Originally from Bogotá, Columbia, Goes joined the U.S. Navy in July 2008 to embrace American culture. With the help of her coworkers in Nimitz’ Legal Department, Goes has made learning English a prerogative, and her piers help her expand her vocabulary daily. In her spare time, Goes enjoys running and spending time with her husband Tom, and their two children, Sarah and Thomas. Goes is striving to become a Legalman and aspires to complete her bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies.

USS Nimitz’ Sailor of the Day

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class (AW) Elena J. Goes sits at her work station in Nimitz’ Legal Department.

Photos by MC3 Ian Cotter

Capt. Jeff Ruth, commanding officer of USS Nimitz, named Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class (AW) Elena J. Goes Sailor of the Day, June 29 in the Pilot House.

Commanding OfficerCAPT Jeff S. RuthExecutive Officer

CAPT Buzz DonnellyCommand Master Chief

CMDCM Teri McIntyrePublic Affairs OfficerLCDR Karin Burzynski

EditorMC2 Robert Winn Lead Designer

MC3 Jacob Milner

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.

Page 2

They get it, fill it out and just drop it back into a mail box.”

With a straight forward and simple process, the registration and votes of Sailors should be sent and counted in time to have influence on who their next boss will be.

“I think Sailors should be motivated to get out there and vote,” said Fire Controlman 2nd Class Brian Keown, a Combat Systems departmental voting assistance representative. “After all, we are selecting our new Commander in Chief and leader of the free world.”

Vote: Sailors Have a Say in the White HouseContinued from page 1

Mail is sorted and stacked in Nimitz’ hangar bay two as it is prepared to be delivered to Sailors.

Page 3

There are 4,500 crew members aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Keeping record

of these Sailors is a monumental task especially, when it comes to their health and wellness. It requires a certain devotion to the care of others that can be found throughout the medical facility.

The Birth Month Recall (BMR) office is the front line of total Sailor care and the hospital corpsmen that work within the small office are dedicated in keeping their shipmates healthy and well.

“I love helping people,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Erin Johnson. “That’s what we do here every day,” explained the aspiring pediatric nurse.

When new Sailors arrive to the ship for the first time, one of the first stops within the check-in process is the BMR office.

“New check-ins are given five days to report to medical,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jessica Williams. “We check their records and get them entered into our system. It can be a long process if they come from certain commands that don’t have all their information in the electronic system we use. We will go through and individually update the records of each individual right down to every shot they’ve been given since joining.”

Ensuring the ship’s company has up-to-date vaccinations and immunizations is a large part of what these corpsmen do.

“Working here has been a great opportunity for me to get familiar with the immunization process,”

said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Grady Fox. “Making sure everyone gets the

proper treatment is very important and I’m glad I get to do it. I’d potentially like to pursue a career as a physician’s assistant, so this a good way to get some

of the experience needed.” With so many

Sailors to care for, the team

follows a simple

yet

Good Health is Not an Option

Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Shaun Gobble, a new Nimitz check-in, receives a vaccination from Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Grady Fox in the Birth Month Recall office of the ship.

Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Shaun Gobble, a new Nimitz check-in, has his vital signs checked by Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Grady Fox in the Birth Month Recall office of the ship.

Story and photos by MCSA Ryan Mayes

Page 4Page 4

effective system. “Sailors are required to complete an annual periodic

health assessment (PHA),” said Williams. “We schedule the checkup for the Sailors birth month so they won’t forget. They have all month to complete the checkup and it’s hard to forget your birthday, so it doesn’t leave anyone with an excuse to not come see us.”

Beyond dividing the crew by birth month the BMR office has taken steps to make the annual checkup even more painless.

“We are now asking each department to arrive on specific days during the week,” said Williams. “This way we can be expecting you and it will cut down on the wait time when lines form.”

Even though the BMR exists solely for the benefit of the crew, many would prefer to avoid the annual checkup.

“I think people avoid us because they are afraid they are going to receive a shot,” said Williams. “They procrastinate and don’t come see us and that becomes a problem later. This affects the general well being of the ship. Everyone needs to be cared for and be mission ready and that is what we do. We are really good at helping if you need to have your BMR check. Even if it’s afterhours, one of us is on duty. Stop by and we will try to help.”

While underway the business hours for the BMR office are 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Mondays are reserved for Air, Medical, Dental and Navigation departments. Tuesdays are Reactor, Deck, Religious Ministries and Safety. Wednesday is for Engineering, Combat Systems and Training. Thursdays are Security, Supply, Admin and Weapons. Friday is Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Department, Operations and Media. Saturday is for Legal and is open to stragglers from all other departments.

Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Shaun Gobble, a new Nimitz check-in, has his temperature taken by Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Grady Fox in the Birth Month Recall office of the ship.

Page 5Page 5

Story and photos by MC2 (SW/AW) Eva-Marie Ramsaran

Machinery Repairman 2nd Class Justin Persek turns down a deck drain on a lathe.

Page 6

if we can’t fix it, it ain’t broke

Most Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) know the difficulties of not

having items readily available to them for repairs while at sea, but there is a solution to that.

Machinery repairmen (MR) in the Machine and Engraving Shop’s primary purposes are to produce and manufacture parts not easily obtainable on the ship while underway and perform emergency repairs to hatches, scuttles, the flight deck, distilling units and just about anything on the ship.

“We are like the fix-it-all of the ship,” said Machinery Repairman 2nd Class (SW) Stephen Hughes Jr., Machine and Engraving Shop leading petty officer. “We do emergent repairs on the ship’s systems like A/C units, distilling units and anything that breaks that they need us to assist them in repairing.”

The MRs do a lot of repairs around the ship as small as fixing a broken bolt, but sometimes they can’t repair an item so they fabricate it from scratch in their shop.

Machinery Repairman 3rd Class Stephen Mills, an engraver in the shop, said he gets most of his custom orders from the DC (damage control) shop or the aircraft maintenance personnel. “We are supposed

to be the most knowledgeable on taking things apart and putting it back together and making a new piece to go into an old piece.”

The MRs not only fix things, but they also engrave in their shop. They can engrave glass, metal, plastic and wood. Most of the things they engrave are

labels to enhance

the material conditions of the ship. “We basically make and engrave everything cool

that is on the ship,” said Mills. “We engrave a lot of the farewell items like ‘skateboards’ (aircraft carrier plaques), signs, congratulatory plaques and boatswain’s pipes.”

Many Sailors or distinguished guests receive plaques, keepsakes or gifts when they visit or depart the ship. Some gifts like the ‘skateboards’ are made in the Carpenter Shop by the hull maintenance technicians (HT), who work hand-in-hand with the MRs.

“Sometimes we will make something out of nickel, copper, brass or titanium as a farewell gift then we engrave it,” said Mills.

The hardest part of their job is organizing all the engraving requests they get daily and the long work days.

“We get a couple hundred requests a day,” said Hughes. “Every single day we get about 20 to 30 engraving requests with multiple engravings on them. We’re also on the flying squad so that requires us to do work at different hours throughout the day.”

Despite the long hours, “I’m a machinist. I like fixing things. I like making things from nothing,” said Hughes. “It’s awesome working here because there is a sense of accomplishment every time I do.”

A boatswain’s pipe is engraved with the name of who it is to be presented to in the machine shop.

Machinery Repairman Fireman Kirsten Bishop shapes a brass fitting with a lathe in the machine shop

Page 7

if we can’t fix it, it ain’t broke

Channel 7Channel 6

1000 / 2200

Madea’s Big Happy Family

1200 / 0000Prom

1400 / 0200

Hangover 2

1600 / 0400Rio

1800 / 0600Arthur

0800 / 2000

Meet the Parents

Channel 5 Channel 29

Harry Potter and the Deathly

Hallows Part 2

Larry Crowne

Chronicles of Narnia

Crazy, Stupid, Love

A Better Life

Harry Potter and the Deathly

Hallows Part 1

Indian Jones:

Temple of Doom

Transformers: Dark of the

Moon

Green Lantern

Rise of the

Planet of the Apes

Conan the Barbarian

Rocky Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds

Happy Gilmore

Legend of the

Guardians

Inception

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Sherlock Holmes

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