THE GATORGROWL

Consequences

Mail CallGun Qualification

Vol. 3 Issue 3

Iron Man

The editorial content of this newspaper is prepared, edited and provided by Bataan’s Public Affairs Office. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of military services at sea. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Navy and do not imply endorsement thereof.Commanding OfficerCaptain John “J.C.” CarterExecutive OfficerCaptain Eric N. Pfister

Command Master ChiefCMDCM(SW/AW) Scott HarvillePublic Affairs Officer MCC(SW/SCW) Dennis Herring

News Team 5MCC(SW/SCW) Dennis HerringMC1(AW/SW) RJ StratchkoMC1(AW/SW) Julie MatyascikMC1(AW/SW) Gary Prill

MC3(SW/AW) Erik Foster MC3(SW/AW) Nicholas Frank CottoneMCSN Caleb Strong

Layout and Design MC3(SW/AW) Nicholas Frank Cottone

Editor MC1(AW/SW) Gary Prill

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1ODU Baseball vs.William & Mary

Norfolk Admiralsvs. Lehigh Valley

2Sherrie Marcie & The DIVA Jazz Orchestra

4NSU Baseball vs. Delaware StateNSU Softball vs. UMESODU Baseball vs. CharlotteNorfolk Admirals vs. Hershey Bears

3NSU Softball vs.UMESNSU Baseball vs.Delaware StateODU Baseball vs.CharlotteNorfolk Admirals vs. Hershey Bears

5ODU Baseball vs. Charlotte

8ODU Baseball vs. VCU

6ODU Baseball vs. Liberty

9 7NSU Baseball vs. Norfolk Tides

11NSU Baseball vs. UMES

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12NSU Baseball vs. UMES

15ODU Baseball vs. VCU

13 16NSU Softball vs. Longwood

14 18NSU Softball vs. Delaware StateODU vs. MarshallNorfolk Tides vs. Durham BullsPortsmouth Tuner Fest Spring 2015

17ODU vs. Marshall

Norfolk Admirals vs. Lehigh Valley

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25 24HBCU Greek Explosion 2015

APRIL

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NORFOLK, Va. — Did you make the right decision? The last thing you wanted to see in your rearview mirror after having a night out with friends was flashing red and blue lights. Having a lapse in judgment and driving after a few alcoholic beverages makes that scenario that much worse. How will this bad decision affect you?

“The combination of court fees, fines, and the cost of losing your drivers license, the price of receiving a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) can range from $5,000 to $20,000. In Virginia people with Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .02 and .07 are considered Driving While Intoxicated (DWI),” said Legalman First Class Danielle Greeley of Portland Maine. “People with levels of .08 to .14 will result in the person’s license being suspended for one year. Anyone whose levels are .15 to .19 will receive a mandatory sentence of five days in jail. A BAC level of .20 will receive 10 days in jail.”

“When a Sailor is charged with a DUI out in town, an enlisted Sailor that is an E-7 and above must go and retrieve the Sailor from the precinct and bring them back to the ship right away,” said Master-at-Arms Second Class Zachary Bixby of Debary, Fla. “Once the Sailor is on the ship, the command’s Master-at-Arms then administers another breathalyzer test and the Sailor undergoes a urinalysis. Once all the tests are complete the Sailor is told to go to sleep for the night. When they

wake up they are administered another breathalyzer to ensure their BAC now reads 0.00. Following that the Sailor is read their rights and turned over to their Chief to await further instructions from their chain of command.”

Damage to a Sailor’s chances of promotion can also be included into the equation.

“Aside from the monetary costs and expenses, being charged with a DUI automatically reduces you down in rank and you receive a Significant Problems (SP) evaluation,” said Navy Counselor First Class James Lutes from Otsego, Mich. “Receiving a SP evaluation means we cannot submit you to Career Way Points or CWAY.”

CWAY is the system used to gain approval for retention. After receiving a SP evaluation the person must wait two cycles before they are eligible for

retention and are entered back into CWAY.

“Sailors run into the situation where they are around their three year mark and are trying to re-enlist.” said Lutes. “For people in this circumstance, it’s not possible to have two evaluation cycles so they are basically forced to separate from the Navy.”

Bataan has several options for Sailors who run into this situation when they weigh the option of driving under the influence. One program is called the “Safe Ride” program.

“Sailors are given cards throughout the year that when they call the number, the cab company will give them a ride home and pay for the cab at a later date. There aren’t any repercussions to using the card and it allows the Sailor to get home safe even if they find themselves in a pinch,” said Lutes.

Advice, Consequences of a DUI ConvictionStory & Photos By MC3 Nicholas Cottone

The Keep What You’ve Earned campaign seeks to encourage responsible drinking among Sailors by celebrating the achievements in their Navy careers. Through recognition of their hard work and dedication, Sailors are reminded of their accomplishments—and how much they have to lose if they make poor choices regarding alcohol. The campaign actively engages Sailors as advocates for responsible drinking.

What You Can DoAs alcohol abuse prevention personnel, you are our frontline of defense against destructive drinking habits in the Navy. However, you can’t do it alone.

•Reach out to fellow ADCOs/DAPAs to get help answering your questions and share best practices.

•Engage local organizations and businesses to provide safe-ride programs, support alcohol-related policy enforcement and offer alcohol-free social, extracurricular and public service options as alternatives to drinking.

•Share ideas with local supporters on prevention programs, intervention strategies and other ways to promote responsible drinking habits and discourage excessive alcohol use.

Go to WWW.naDap.navY.mil•Learn how to engage Sailors in meaningful ways that respect their careers,

achievements and personal decisions.

•Download the implementation guide and suite of multimedia products for display on your base.

•Use the campaign resources to support all levels of Navy leadership.

key Tips To share wiTh sailors•Plan ahead for a safe

ride home.

•Don’t try to “keep up” with others.

•Know your limit before you get there.

Help our sailors Keep wHat tHey’ve earned

KEEP WHATYOU’VE EARNED

DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

YOU’VE EARNEDKEEP WHAT

YOU’VE EARNEDKEEP WHAT

KEEP WHATYOU’VE EARNED

DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

navy alcohol and Drug abuse prevention

For more information:

Visit www.nadap.navy.mil or call 1-866-U-ASK-NPC

Department of U.S. Navy Navy Personnel Command OPNAV/N135 5720 Millington, TN 38055

encourage our sailors to Drink responsibly.

Tips for navy alcohol abuse prevenTion personnel

They’ve earneD iT.help Them keep iT.

Does running, swimming, and biking hundreds of miles throughout the day sound like a good time? Chief Warrant Officer Phillip Burt, from Jacksonville, Fla. is training to compete in an Ironman scheduled for Oct. 23 in Wilmington, N.C.

Why are you doing an Ironman?I’ve done a 100-mile ride, a couple marathons, and swam my whole life so I said, “Why not?”

What got you started training for an Ironman?I’ve always done the 5k’s as something fun to do. A buddy of mine introduced me to triathlons a few years ago. I had been running marathons at the time. But I was so wiped after a marathon, that it took me about a week to recover. I tried the triathlon and the next day I was back out there training and pressing on.

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Story & Photos By MC3 Erik Foster

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What’s your favorite method of physical training?I dabble back and forth between endurance racing and Cross Fit for a long while. It just depends on my mood because I get bored real easy, so this year is going to be endurance stuff, and next year I’ll switch back to cross fit. I’ve got a cross fit gym at home so I try to incorporate that with my training.

How do you feel about this being your first Ironman?It’s a big jump from the usual Olympic distance triathlon and I’m a little nervous about it, I’m not going to lie. Once I set my mind to something, I do it. I could finish an Ironman if I went out tomorrow, but the condition of my body after the race would not be where it needs to be. I want to feel good during the race and finishing it and still feeling good is what I’m shooting for.

... IRON continued from previous page ...

What’s your favorite method of physical training?I dabble back and forth between endurance racing and Cross Fit for a long while. It just depends on my mood because I get bored real easy, so this year is going to be endurance stuff, and next year I’ll switch back to cross fit. I’ve got a cross fit gym at home so I try to incorporate that with my training.

How do you feel about this being your first Ironman?It’s a big jump from the usual Olympic distance triathlon and I’m a little nervous about it, I’m not going to lie. Once I set my mind to something, I do it. I could finish an Ironman if I went out tomorrow, but the condition of my body after the race would not be where it needs to be. I want to feel good during the race and finishing it and still feeling good is what I’m shooting for.

Tell me about your training plan…My training routine consists of a sprint plan, an Olympic plan, a half Ironman plan, and a full Ironman plan. It turns out that all the plans put together gives me enough time to finish them before the Ironman in October.

What keeps you motivated through your training?For me it’s proving that I can do it. I’m not going to win it but hey, I completed an Ironman. It’s a bucket list item and if I have a goal I train better. If I exercise without a motive, I get lazy, but if I have a date set, I am more regimented in my training. How many people in the world can say they completed an Ironman? Prove how much the human body can endure and put your mind to it.

Why is doing the Ironman so important to you?The biggest thing is to set the example for my kids. So that they know that I’m constantly pushing myself and challenging myself so they’ll do the same thing as they get older. They learn better from my example then from anything I could ever tell them. That being said, balancing my job, having a family, and training for an Ironman is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

What are you looking forward to most?The thing I’m looking forward to most is the finish line. The event in Wilmington, N.C. is one of the top five places in the world to compete in the Ironman series. We got a hotel and were going down a few days early to sightsee and stay a day after to recover. I’m looking forward to all the competitors around me motivating me. Seeing my family on the racecourse as I’m going through when it gets hard. Seeing my little boy and little girl cheering for me; there’s no feeling like it.

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NORFOLK, Va. -- USS Bataan Sailors are changing their address from a commercial format to a residential format to save money, save man-hours and quicken the process of mail transfer when they change commands.

“Our mail is considered commercial mail and when it’s commercial it has to be sorted manually,” said Logistics Specialist 2nd class Sean Robinson from Bloomfield, N.J. “The United States Postal Service (USPS) decided to switch our formatting to save money and man hours. Ship’s addresses are being converted to residential formatting so USPS can automate and reduce operating costs.”

When transferring to a different command sometimes mail will stay in the system longer than it has to while it searches for the recipient. The new formatting will shorten the wait time.

“If you transfer, this will make it so your mail isn’t floating in the system,” said Robinson. “Searching for you wherever you go next, it’ll stop that process sooner than it usually does. U.S. postal service will direct it straight to your next command, or wherever you go.”

When you transfer, there are steps you need to take to ensure your mail goes where it should.

“When a Sailor transfers, they have to go to usps.com and check-out,” said Logistics Specialist 2nd class Leo Mundt from New Buffalo, Mich. “When they check out on that site, their mail will automatically be forwarded to the address they put so they won’t have to worry about the mail getting redirected. It will be a quicker process so they’ll get their mail when they transfer.”

Bataan Sailors need to update their addresses, especially when renewing their driver’s license.

“Personnel that get their mail sent here need to use their new address. Especially when renewing your license with Department of Motor Vehicles. Whatever address they have is the one they are going to send it to. If they mail to your old address it will be return to the sender. The older version of Bataan’s address will no longer be valid after April 1st.”

It is going to be a requirement that you check out with the post office when you transfer.

“It’s going to be required to check out with the post office so that your mailbox can be eliminated and it can be moved somewhere else,” said Logistics Specialist third class Ashli Alexander, from Charleston, S.C. “This way, we’ll know where you’re going when you check out.”

Story & Photos By MCSN Caleb Strong

Sailors receive personal addressesSnail Mail

Sailors receive personal addresses

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Bataan Shoots For the Sky

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Recently Bataan crew has been qualifying or re-certifying Sailors in the use of the 9MM Pistol, M16 Rifle, and 240MM Machine Gun. This qualification allows more Sailors to rotate security watches aboard the ship. During the time on the weapon’s range, they are taught the phases of fire. This consists of multiple scenarios testing Sailors’ response to stressful situation while still maintaining positive control of their weapon. Sailors also receive training on weapons handling, safety, along with target acquisition and control. As USS

Bataan (LHD 5) sits dry-docked at BAE Naval Shipyard, the key focus changes from the typical mission of a U.S. Naval Warship. During this time the crew focuses on making the ship and her Sailors ready to return to the fleet following this period of availability. The training is a priority since Bataan has had numerous new check-ins to the command since the ship’s return from deployment in October 2014. This training includes in-rate qualifications, damage control watch standing and most importantly security forces qualifications.

Story By MC1 Gary Prill

Bataan Shoots For the Sky

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Photos By MCSN Caleb Strong

USS BATAANPUBLIC AFFAIRS