Tsunami USS Benfold’s Story Relief - navy.mil · MAGAZINE OF THE U.S. NAVY APRIL 2005 TsunamiUSS Benfold’s Story Relief [Number 1056] ... IndonesiaÕs Banda Aceh province and

THE AIR CREWS’ MISSION

M A G A Z I N E O F T H E U . S . N A V Y

A P R I L 2 0 0 5

TsunamiUSS Benfold’s StoryTsunamiUSS Benfold’s Story

ReliefRelief

[Number 1056]

[Features]

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April

A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S

[Departments]Around the Fleet — 8

Focus on Service — 38

The Final Word — 40

20 The Face of Kindness

Mere days after a tsunami ripped through parts of southeastern Asia, killing more than200,000 people, Sailors from USS Benfold (DDG 65) and other ships and squadrons fromUSS Abraham Lincoln’s (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) provided aid to survivors inIndonesia’s Banda Aceh province and beyond, during Operation Unified Assistance.P h o t o b y J O 1 ( S C W / S S ) J a m e s G . P i n s k y

14 Bringing Them InFrom the Cold

In 1962, a P-2V Neptune aircraft crashed on the KronbergGlacier in Greenland after launching on a familiarization missionfrom Keflavik, Iceland. After an extensive search, it was officiallydeclared lost at sea. There were other expeditions, but thisyear, after more than 40 years in the deep freeze of Greenland,the Navy brought its fallen shipmates home.

30 Below the WaterlineIf the water is warm and your computer or television has power,you never think of how that happens aboard ship. Dozens ofSailors comprise the unseen force who keep the ship moving.And just like in a big city, they go largely unnoticed until thewater runs cold or the lights go out. For most engineers, that’sexactly how they like it, because if no one knows they’re there,it means everything is working.

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[On the Front Cover]Rank played no part in who volunteered

during Operation Unified Assistance.Here, LTJG Kristi Tjoa, auxiliaries officer,

USS Benfold (DDG 65), carries rice to a

waiting helicopter with her fellow Sailors.

P h o t o b y J O 1 ( S C W / S S ) J a m e s G . P i n s k y

[Next Month]All Hands finds out what the Seabees

are doing in Iraq.

2 3

Fishing vessels and debris litter the shoreline following the Dec. 26 tsunami. Views like thisgreeted the Navy Oceanographic Office’s SurveyTeam as it traveled along the Indonesian coastlinesearching for navigational hazards.P h o t o b y J O 1 ( S C W / S S ) J a m e s P i n s k y

4 A L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S 5

Number 1056 • April 2005www.navy.mil

Secretar y of the Navy

The Honorable Gordon R. England

Chief of Naval Operat ions

ADM Vern Clark

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AWARDS

Speaking with SailorsMaster Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

MCPON (SS/AW) Terry D. Scott

One of the questions I receive most

often from Sailors during all hands

calls is about the progress of the

Perform to Serve (PTS) program. I firmly

believe this is a necessary program that our

Navy will use to help build our future force

and help us put Sailors where

we need them the most.

Now, with nearly two years of statistics, I can say with an emphatic“yes” that the program is working.

Of course PTS doesn’t mean thatin continuing your Navy career youshould expect to transfer from onerating to another throughout yourcareer. In fact, since the inception ofPTS, more than 80 percent of Sailorshave stayed within their rating.

PTS shouldn’t be a reason foranxiety, either. PTS applications aresubmitted regardless of your intentions to continueyour career or separate from the Navy. Of the56,000 total applications, 3 percent of those Sailorshave been asked to separate. Of those, seven of 10Sailors were not willing to convert to another rating.

The Navy is a competitive workforce, and ifyou’re willing to continue to serve — we want to doeverything we can to allow that to happen.

When it comes time to put in your PTS applica-tion, you’re now receiving more options than when

the program began. Even though chances are goodif you would prefer to stay in your rating, youshould still have a back-up list of optional ratingswhen it comes time to make the decision to stayNavy. Sailors applying for PTS now have the choice toreenlist with the “convert only” option. For example,an electronics technician who wants to reenlist only

if he or she could convert to interiorcommunications specialist — thatoption is available on the PTS application.

There are those who prefer tostay within their rating but are willing to convert to a variety of different jobs. Because of their flexibility, the Sailors who make thatchoice are the most likely to getselected for retention. Even so, PTSdoesn’t often ask these Sailors toconvert. Many are still allowed toreenlist within their rating.

It’s important to talk to yourcareer counselor 15 months prior to

your EAOS to turn in your application. Sailors whowait until the last minute greatly reduce their chancesof approval.

I want to emphasize: less than 3 percent of thePTS applicants have been asked to separate. As wecontinue to build the force of our future Navy, wewant to ensure the success of our current missionand beyond.

Perform to Serve was not a program intended as a tool to separate Sailors from our Navy. It is anecessary tool to find Sailors early in their careerswho are looking for challenges in other ratings, andgetting them on the best path to succeed. It is atool that is working and a program that we canexpect to be in place for years to come.

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Speaking with Sailors is a monthly column initiated by the Master Chief Petty Officer of theNavy as a way of reaching out to the men andwomen of the fleet, whether they are stationed justdown the road or halfway around the world.

The MCPON discusses the progress of Perform to Serve

All Hands (USPS 372-970; ISSN 0002-5577) Number 1056 is published monthly by the Naval Media Center, Publishing Department, 2713 Mitscher Rd. S.W., Anacostia Annex, D.C. 20373-5819. Periodicals postage paid

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The time has come to bring the bike out of mothballs!Make your cycling season a safe one.

http://safetycenter.navy.mil

DOD is launching a newpreventive healthcare program called “Healthy

Choices for Life,” the department’ssenior medical adviserannounced recently.

The purpose of the Tricare-managed program is “to putinformation in the hands ofindividual service members andfamily members so that they canchange their behavior,” Dr. WilliamWinkenwerder Jr., Assistant

Secretary of Defense for HealthAffairs, said during a recentinterview at the annual TricareConference.

The program will focus onpersuading people to quit smoking,to moderate drinking habits andto exercise and lose weight tobecome and stay physically fit,he said.

Smoking cigarettes and cigars,binge drinking and overeating/lack of exercise “are things we do

to ourselves,” Winkenwerder said.Adopting more moderate

health habits enables people “toavoid bad health outcomes andbad health problems” like lungcancer, emphysema, liver andbrain damage, diabetes, heartattacks and strokes, he noted.

Winkenwerder said about $13 million has been budgeted tofund pilot programs over thenext few years. Some features ofthe pilot projects under consider-

ation include 1-800-smoking-and drinking-cessation phonelines, and dedicated Web sitestouting healthier lifestyles, hereported.

The program is envisioned asa DOD-wide and -managedendeavor rather than separateprograms run by each armed service, he noted.

Story by Gerry J. Gilmore, who is assigned to American Forces

Press Service

DOD Launches ‘Healthy Choices forLife’ Pilot Program

and disbursing clerk (DK) ratingsinto a new rating: personnel specialist (PS).

This merger will be automaticfor PN- and DK-rated Sailorsand will occur Oct. 1.

“This merger further alignsthe rating with civilian personneland pay professionals, and moreappropriately captures the 21stcentury roles and responsibilitiesof Sailors with these uniqueskills,” said YNCM (SW/AW)Michael Harris, enlisted commu-nity manager of the PN rating.

Current and planned advancesin shipboard pay and personnelpractices and technology havecreated efficiencies that led toconsolidating the two ratings,personnel officials noted. Themerger will allow all aspects ofpay and personnel services aboardfleet units and numerous shorestations to be performed by thenew PS rating.

The current PN rating badgeof crossed manual and quill will beworn by all personnel specialistsonce the merger is complete.Sailors in the DK rating mustswitch to the personnel specialistrating badge by Oct. 1. Those DKswho will transfer to the FleetReserve or retired list by Sept. 30,

2007, have the option of retainingthe DK rating badge.

Selective reenlistment bonusand special duty assignment payfor applicable personnelmen anddisbursing clerks will continue to be paid after conversion topersonnel specialist is complete.

For more information,including exam and chief pettyofficer board schedules, pleasesee NAVADMIN 295/04 availablesoon on the Web at www.bupers.navy.mil/navadmin.

For related news, visit theChief of Naval Personnel NavyNewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cnp.

Story by LTJG Kyle Raines, who isassigned to the public affairs office,

Chief of Naval Personnel.

DOD ExpandsHealth AssessmentProgram FollowingDeployments

Dr. William WinkenwerderJr., Assistant Secretary ofDefense for health affairs,

recently announced the imple-

mentation of a new clinical program to assess the health ofservice members three to sixmonths after redeployment,focusing on support to thoseneeding assistance with posttraumatic stress disorder, psycho-logical and social readjustmentissues.

The program expands therange of care offered to servicemembers through the pre- andpost-deployment health assess-ments, begun a few years ago andexpanded in 2003. These assess-ments are screening proceduresto gather health informationfrom deploying and returningservice members that aid com-

munication with a healthcareprovider, and assist in evaluatinga service member’s health.

“This new initiative is designedto assist service members whohave returned from areas ofcombat operations to ensure their health and well being,”Winkenwerder said. “The thrustis to bring them in and ask, ‘Howare you doing?’ ‘How is yourfamily doing?’ ‘Are you havingstress or adjustment issues?’‘How can we help you?’”

Winkenwerder noted the needfor such attention and support inthe time period of weeks to monthsafter return. The assessment willconsider the overall health of the

The new computers are partof a larger plan under ONE-NETto replace most of the Navy’snetworks overseas and put themunder a centralized controlauthority for more than 41,000users on shore installations fromEurope to the Far East.

ONE-NET, short forOCONUS Navy EnterpriseNetwork, is similar to theNavy/Marine Corps Intranet(NMCI), and will provide userson shore installations overseas asingle integrated network.

“ONE-NET provides central-ized information assurance,intrusion detection, monitoring,reporting tools, processes andremediation,” explained DavidMackenzie, program manager forONE-NET. “Any attempts toenter the system will be noticedon ONE-NET. The network hasless entry points, firewall compli-ance... all Navy firewalls are notnecessarily compliant with DODregulations. Our enterprise willensure the Navy firewall policy isenforced. We’ll have consistencyacross the board.”

The transition to ONE-NETis being directed by the NavalNetwork Warfare Command(NETWARCOM), Norfolk.

“Approximately 7,000 newcomputers are to be installed fornetwork users that fall underONE-NET in the Far East region,

beginning this spring,” said CDRTeresa Bandur-Duvall, deputychief information officer at NET-WARCOM. “By early summer,about 8,300 workstations are togo to the European region.”

ONE-NET will provide secureand reliable data service to allmilitary personnel who use boththe classified and unclassified sidesof the network. The classifiedside is SIPRNET, which stands forSecure Internet Protocol RoutedNetwork, while NIPRNET is theNon-secure Internet ProtocolRouted Network, the unclassifiedside that connects to the Internet.

“Unlike NMCI, ONE-NET isnot a CNO-mandated network atthis time,” noted Bandur-Duvall.“Some Navy customers are stillevaluating the benefits of joiningthis OCONUS-wide enterprisenetwork. We will begin withupdating the computers for thefleets and regional users underCNI (Commander, NavyInstallations) for base operatingsupport.”

Computers issued underONE-NET won’t be low-end,according to Ken Higa, assistantprogram manager for Base-LevelInformation Infrastructure atProgram Executive Office (PEO)C4I and Space, San Diego. “Thesenew computers will exceed thetypical user needs – the first shipment will have a 3.2 GHZ

processor and a 40 GB harddrive. After three years, all ONE-NET workstations are slated tobe ‘refreshed’ (or swapped out)to new PCs.”

ONE-NET will be composedof OCONUS Regional NetworkOperating Support Centers as“hubs,” with the OCONUS LocalNetwork Operating SupportCenters at remote locations,similar to the spokes on thewheel of a bicycle.

“Everything purchased, con-figured or implemented forONE-NET will be done in con-junction with enterprise policiesand directions,” explainedBandur-Duvall.

So far, only Naval SupportActivity Bahrain has been com-pletely “cut over” to ONE-NET,where it supports about 2,400network users across 73 tenantcommands. The initial phase of cut-overs is projected to be

completed by September 2007,though the goal is to eventuallyhave all overseas network usersfrom Naples to Guam tied togetherunder ONE-NET.

For related news, visit the NavalNetwork Warfare Command NavyNewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/nnwc.

Story by JOC(SW/AW) JosephGunder, who is assigned to the pub-

lic affairs office, Naval NetworkWarfare Command.

Personnelmen,Disbursing ClerksBecome PersonnelSpecialists

As part of its Human CapitalStrategy, the Navyannounced plans in January

to merge the personnelman (PN)

A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S

Around the Fleet

6 A L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l 7

Aviation Machinist’sMate 1st Class (AW)Craig Felix was recentlynamed Sailor of the Year forNaval Air Depot Jacksonville,Fla. Felix, an 11-year Navyveteran, attributes his success to the chiefs andmaster chiefs who mentoredhim in his career. “They kepta close watch on me andalways pushed me in the right direction,” he said. Felix now wantsto pass on the things he learned from them to other Sailors.

S h i p m a t e s

ONE-NET to Bring New Computers, MoreSecure Network to Overseas Users

More than 15,000 new computers are setto be installed at Navy bases overseasas part of the migration to ONE-NET,

the Navy’s newest enterprise network.

ET1 Shane Nash replaces a computer hard drive at theInformation Technology Service Center, Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

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Ricky’sTourBy JO1 Mike Jones www.rickystour.com

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To be considered for the “Around the Fleet” section, forward your high resolution (5” x 7” at 300 dpi) images with full credit and cutline

information, including full name, rank and duty station to:

[email protected]

Mail your submissions to:Navy Visual News Service

1200 Navy Pentagon, Rm. 4B514Washington, D.C. 20350-1200

Click on the Navy’s home page, www.navy.mil, for fresh images of your shipmates in action.

© MA1 Steven Richards of CampLejeune, N.C., taunts “President Jack,”

a military working dog assigned to Commander Fleet Activities

Yokosuka, prior to unleashing him during a bite exercise. P h o t o b y P H 3 J a s o n T . P o p l i n

¶ Following treatment aboard USNS Mercy(T-AH 19) an Indonesian patient is assistedfrom a helicopter by U.S. Navy personnelduring his transfer back to UniversityHospital, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.P h o t o b y P H 3 R e b e c c a J . M o a t

¶ Army Spec. Jeffrey Potts, a member ofthe Armed Services Blood Bank Center,draws blood from the arm of a donorduring a blood drive held aboard NavalStation Everett, Washington. P h o t o b y P H 3 D o u g l a s G . M o r r i s o n

¶ DC3 Jiri Haken works-out on a seated bench press at an outside gymon the deck of the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67). P h o t o b y P H 3 B e r n a r d o F u l l e r

Around the Fleet

8 A L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l

returning service member, withemphasis on mental health andreadjustment. Current data showonly a small percentage of indi-viduals report problems immedi-ately following deployment.

“In some cases, service members may have concerns, butunderstandably, want to go home,”he said. “Some two to threemonths later or more they mayexperience health issues andadjustment problems, but maybe reluctant or not know how toseek help.”

“We have the capacity and thedesire to manage these issuesproactively,” he said, “and it is theright thing for us to do. With thisnew disciplined and caring process,we intend to remove stigma andreach those needing support.Importantly, we also will beimplementing this program formembers of the Reserves andGuard, and expect that throughour partnership with the VA andour own Tricare program, we willbe able to provide the services.”

Winkenwerder directedimplementation of the programby early spring 2005. A workinggroup is preparing policy andprotocols for a smooth imple-mentation. The working groupincludes representatives from theoffices of the military services’surgeons general, family servicesteams, the National Guard Bureau,Reserve Affairs, the Armed ForcesEpidemiological Board and othermilitary medical organizations.

Story courtesy of DOD.

Initiative to HelpInjured Troops GetsStartup Funding

DOD has startup fundingfor a new initiative for service members injured

in the global war on terrorism, a

senior official said recently.“We’re looking at possibilities

for internships and other typesof trial employment,” John M.Molino told attendees at the 17thDOD Disability Forum. “We’realso looking at possibilities formentoring.

“We intend for every injuredor disabled veteran to have asmany opportunities as he or sheneeds to achieve his or her maxi-mum potential on active duty orin our civilian work force,” saidMolino, the acting Deputy Under-secretary for Equal Opportunity.“We are here for the people whofight to protect us.”

In addition, the department iscontinuing and expanding itsother efforts on behalf of peoplewith disabilities, Molino noted.

He told the group that DODwill continue using initiatives thathave worked well in the past, suchas the Workforce RecruitmentProgram for College Students withDisabilities, which is co-sponsoredwith the Labor Department.

He pointed out that each year,the Office of the Secretary ofDefense funds about 200 summerjobs through the college recruit-ment program.

“In the past 10 years, we’vebeen able to document almost2,000 hires (1,833) at DODactivities around the world,”Molino noted. “In FY04, we hired248 persons. In mid-March 2005,we’ll release a CD-ROM withinformation concerning 2,000students and recent graduates withdisabilities who are looking forsummer or permanent positions.”

He advised conferees to get intouch with their component’sdisability program manager orDOD’s administrative coordinatorfor the workforce recruitmentprogram to find out how to benefit from the program.

Molino also encouraged con-ferees to participate in the DOD“e-mentoring” program for disabled students.

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Around the Fleet

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“The mentors are volunteersfrom our civilian workforce andthe military services,” he pointedout. “This year, 50 students signedup. The matches have now beenmade, but we continue to needvolunteers. Student goals andinterests are phenomenally varied,so we need mentors in a verybroad range of occupations.”

The DOD Computer/Electronic AccommodationsProgram (CAP) is another programMolino highlighted. It providestechnology to make facilities,programs and activities usablefor disabled workers at no cost tothe requesting organization.

“This program now servesactive-duty members of the military services and civilianemployees,” Molino said. “It provides real solutions for realpeople by eliminating barriers inthe electronic environment.

“Legislation a few years agoauthorized us to serve the entirefederal community,” he said.“Last year, CAP supplied morethan 5,500 accommodations toDOD organizations and partneragencies outside DOD.”

According to Molino, DODwelcomes Americans with dis-abilities in its civilian workforce,increasingly in the military services, and in its facilities, pro-grams and activities worldwide.

Story by Rudi Williams, who isassigned to American Forces Press

Service, Alexandria, Va.

DOD AnnouncesNew Policy onPrevention andResponse to SexualAssault

The new DOD sexual assaultpolicy was recently deliv-ered to Congress by David

S.C. Chu, Undersecretary ofDefense for Personnel andReadiness.

The policy provides a founda-tion through which the departmentwill improve prevention of sexualassault, significantly enhancesupport to victims and increaseaccountability.

“The department is movingforward to make real changesand to make those changes stick,”Chu said. “Sexual assault is acrime and is not tolerated.”

During the past year, thedepartment has been workingcollaboratively with the services,members of Congress andnational experts to address thecrime of sexual assault withinthe Armed Forces. As a result, theJoint Task Force for Sexual AssaultPrevention and Response wasestablished in October 2004 asthe single point of accountabilityfor DOD’s sexual assault policy.

Its initial task was to developpolicy incorporating the criteriaset forth in Public Law 108-375,the Ronald W. Reagan NationalDefense Authorization Act forFY05, which directed the depart-ment to have a sexual assaultpolicy in place by Jan. 1, 2005.

The department needs consis-tent sexual assault preventioneducation across the services tocreate a greater understanding ofwhat constitutes a sexual assault,risk factors and preventive mea-sures. Service implementation ofthese policies will have a sub-stantial impact on creating a cul-ture of prevention and an envi-ronment that protects the healthand well being of our uniformedservice members. The sexualassault policy will ensure thatthere is uniformity in the stan-dards of care and the same support systems are standardthroughout the services.

The policies reflect recom-mendations from the department’sJoint Task Force on Care forVictims of Sexual Assault. Core


continued on page 13

¶ SN Dean Borbely creates a knotted awning in the Canvas Shop aboard USS Harry S. Truman(CVN 75). P h o t o b y P H A N G r e g o r y A . P i e r o t

§ CTTSN Annette McKean monitorsa radar screen during her watchaboard USS Abraham Lincoln(CVN 72). P h o t o b y P H A N P a t r i c k M . B o n a f e d e

© HM2 Neville Parris, assigned toWeapons Company, 3rd Battalion,3rd Marine Regiment, searches an

Afghan man at a vehicle checkpoint near Khost Province,

Afghanistan. P h o t o b y M a r i n e C o r p s S t a f f S g t . B r a d l e y R h e n

Ä EM2 Albert M. Navarro carefully rewinds a motor used for ventilating shipspaces on board the amphibious transport dock USS Denver (LPD 9).P h o t o b y P H 2 L a Q u i s h a S . D a v i s

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areas include specific guidelinesfor how to investigate complaints,medical treatment and care forvictims, commander’s checklistsfor response actions, reporting ofsexual assault information, andexpanding access to care throughcollaboration between militaryinstallations and local communitysupport. A summary of the policyis available at www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2005/d20050104sum.pdf.

Story courtesy of DOD.

Navy Extends EarlyTransition Programfor FY05

The Navy has extended theopportunity for eligibleSailors interested in leaving

the Navy before the end of theiractive obligated service (EAOS)this fiscal year under anotherinstallment of the EarlyTransition Program.

This voluntary programapplies to Sailors in the active,Reserve, full-time support andcanvasser recruiter communities.

“Because of our continuedhigh reenlistment rates and lowattrition rates, the Navy can continue to extend this earlytransition option to our Sailors,”explained VADM Gerry Hoewing,Chief of Naval Personnel. “As wefully develop and implement ourHuman Capital Strategy, we willcontinue to look for options thatwill best benefit our Sailors andthe fleet.”

Those Sailors wishing to takeadvantage of this program musthave their request received byAug. 1. Commanding officersmay grant separation leave, butpermissive temporary duty andinvoluntary separation pay arenot authorized.

The requested separation date

under this program must be nolater than Aug. 15; a waiver ofthis requirement will not be considered.

Sailors who are enrolled inthe Montgomery GI Bill programwill receive one month of benefitsfor each full month served onactive duty up to a maximum of36 months. Those dischargedunder this program who haveserved 20 months of a two-yearenlistment or 30 months of athree-year enlistment will receive36 months of benefits.

For Sailors who received anenlistment bonus, they will berequired to repay the portion ofbonus received for active-dutytime not served. Those Sailorsunder a selective reenlistmentbonus contract are not eligiblefor transition under this program.

All Sailors are encouraged toconsider service in the NavyReserves once their active-dutytime is complete. The Blue toGreen program also providestransitioning Sailors the oppor-tunity to make a seamless switchto the active-duty Army withouta break in service. Both of theseoptions are available for Sailorstaking advantage of the EarlyTransition Program.

For more information refer toNAVADMIN 026/05, available onthe Web at www.persnet.navy.mil/navadmin/nav05/nav05026.txt orcontact your Command CareerCounselor.

Story by LT Kyle Raines, who isassigned to the public affairs office,

Chief of Naval Personnel.



© Quartermaster of the Watch,QM1(SW) Richard Hubbard

prepares to give position reports as USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)

steams into San Diego Harbor after an at-sea period.P h o t o b y P H 3 K i t t A m a r i t n a n t

§ An Indonesian boy plays witha beach ball in the playroomaboard the Military SealiftCommand hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). P h o t o b y J O 3 I s a a c N e e d l e m a n

Ä Marine Corps Cpl. Rodger LaGrange, assigned to Marine Fighter AttackSquadron (VMFA) 115, cleans the canopy of an F/A-18A+ Hornet on theflight deck of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). P h o t o b y P H A N P h i l i p V . M o r r i l l

USS Saratoga (CV 3) steamed through the Golden Gate with her flightdeck jammed with 3,712 cheering Navy veterans from the Pacific duringOperation Magic Carpet. By the end of Magic Carpet, she had brought29,204 Pacific war veterans home, more than any other individual ship.

Around the Fleet

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15A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S14 A L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l

S t o r y b y J O 1 C h a r l e s L u d w i g a n d P H 2 ( D V ) J e f f r e y L e h r b u r g ,p h o t o s b y P H 2 ( D V ) J e f f r e y L e h r b e r g

Bringing Them In From the Cold

After more than 40 years in the deep freeze of Greenland, the Navy brings fallen shipmates homeAfter more than 40 years in the deep freeze of Greenland, the Navy brings fallen shipmates home

¶ The glacier’s terrain was not the typical Navy search andrecovery environment. The inherent ice and cold conditions inGreenland led to several unique problems for the team.

“The first day the wind was rough, andthen it rained a little, and that changed thelandscape of the scene significantly. Weeven lost a day due to low visibility, so thejob was a work in progress.”

The adverse conditions turned even themost routine personal activities into achore. “Doing everything took five times aslong to do,” said CAPT Thomas L. Sparks,from the staff of Commander, Naval Air

Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. “Washing yourhair in 33 degree water was a unique experience. It was painful. It was that coldout there.”

It all just added to the unique nature ofthe team’s mission. Swinging immediatelyinto a recovery mode represented a shift inthe group’s usual tasking. Normally, rescueis first on the docket for Navy teams. Onlyafter all hope is lost do they turn their

thoughts to recovery efforts.In this case, a 42-year delay rendered

the rescue phase irrelevant. “It’s a changein mindset from my typical job in that atthis point we obviously switched fromrescue to recovery,” Huff said. “It definitelychanges the approach to the problem.”

And in Huff ’s case, it changed hisapproach to investigating the accident.

“There’s a big difference between seeing

17A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S BRINGING THEM IN FROM THE COLD

T hey had all the best training possiblein the Navy, but right now, as theywatched their main dining tent

careen toward an iceberg-filled ocean, theyfelt as if nothing in the world couldpossibly have gotten them ready for this.

In fact, the 16-member Navy recoveryteam living on a glacier in the ironicallynamed country of Greenland couldn’t havefelt less prepared for their mission at thatmoment.

The point was unmercifully drivenhome as the Norfolk-based Sailors andtheir civilian counterparts scurried downthe frigid, bitter sheet of ice, trying in vainto salvage the food and tent that theyconsidered essential to their survival on theunforgiving face of the Kronborg Glacier.

It felt like the most futile of all strug-gles, but it was only one of the problemsfor which no amount of Navy trainingcould prepare them.

And that was before the team got tostart their primary mission – recoveringremains from a P-2V Neptune aircraft crashsite that was more than 42 years old.

The Navy’s team was in Greenland lookingfor the bodies of five aviators lost in a 1962 crash.

“This was definitely unique. I think itexceeded all the training the Navy gives us

as aviators up to this point,” said CDRCharles Huff, the chief aircraft mishapinvestigator on the scene from the NavalSafety Center in Norfolk, Va. “I’d like tothink that I’ve been in one of everything,but this was definitely new for me.”

The P-2V Neptune aircraft crashed onthe glacier after launching on a familiariza-tion mission from Keflavik, Iceland. TheNavy searched for the twin-engine, propeller-driven aircraft, but after an extensive search,it was officially declared lost at sea.

Then, in 1966, a group of geologistsfound the accident site not in the sea, buton the glacier, along with the bodies ofseveral of its crew. After notifying Navyofficials of the find, a recovery team wassent out to bring the remains back to theUnited States for burial.

On the glacier, the team found severalbodies and departed Greenland afterdestroying the aircraft with explosives.

That cycle started over again when thesame geological team returned to the crashsite many years later and saw human remainsin the snow. The Navy responded by sendingout another recovery team.

This time, the team included 16 people,seven Navy experts and nine civilians. Theyincluded an aircraft mishap investigator, aNavy corpsman, several dog handlers, a

combat photographer and a few experiencedmountain guides.

The opportunity to finish off the decades-long mission was seen as an honor to thosetasked.

“It was a privilege to be part of a teamthat was bringing back Americans whowere doing their duty for the country,” saidMaster-at-Arms 1st Class Rudy Hutchinson.“All I was hoping for was to get all of themback to the states this time. It’s what wewere all hoping for.”

From the beginning, the Navy crew real-ized this mission would be different fromthe prior efforts. In 1962 and 1966, therecovery teams had to dig through manyfeet of snow and ice to get even a glimpseof the crash site. This time, due to meltingon the glacier, the entire crash site wouldbe exposed.

So right off the bat, the weather inGreenland aided the team. But that’s wherethe weather help ceased, according toHutchinson, a dog handler for the Navy team.

“Besides having the site fully exposedfor what we think was the first time, theweather was something tough to get usedto,” he said.


¶ Camping out in Greenland meant relatively meager accommodations, with the crew sitting on folding chairs or, in some cases, cardboard boxes while huddling around a single table for a cup of morning coffee.

¶ CDR Charles Huff, chief aviation mishapinvestigator for the Naval Safety Center, combsthrough debris, looking for remains and clues tothe plane's fate.

© CDR Charles Huff and Philip Pool’e, a mountain guide, cross a

crevasse during recovery operations.

Ä Susan Frank and cadaver dog Tucker, volunteers fromthe Bucks County, [Pa.], Search and Rescue, look for possible humanremains. Team members searched a two-by-three mile area of theKronberg Glacier for wreckage and remains.

Ä LCDRs Christopher Blow and Steve Dial examine a wing left inthe wreckage of the aircraft. Finding more wreckage this size on the glacierwas a tough chore for recovery workers.

19A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S BRINGING THEM IN FROM THE COLD

an aircraft on the runway or having flownin one and seeing one that obviouslysuffered from impact or fire damage,” hesaid. “I tried to study up on this aircraft,obviously an older one, so that when wegot to the site we could more easily findremains via the wreckage. We wanted tofind them and see if we could unlock whathappened to the craft.”

Despite all efforts to find the crash’scause, Huff and his team had to come tothe same conclusions that the prior teamscame to. The accident’s cause was, and

remains to this day, undetermined.But that didn’t make their efforts fruit-

less. After spending time literally crawlingthrough ice, snow and wreckage, teammembers finally did find more remains ofthe flight’s five crew members left behind.

“It was an emotional thing for us,” Huffsaid. “It’s hard for people to understand.We were on our hands and knees diggingfor remains. It’s a tough thing to deal with.”

“We accomplished what we felt wecould going in,” Hutchinson said. “I justhope that this can give some of these guys’

families a sense of closure. That’s what thismission was really all about.”

And for that, their training had them prepared enough.

Ludwig is a photojournalist assigned to AllHands, and Lehrburg is a photographer’s mateassigned to Combat Camera, Atlantic, Norfolk.


Website Exclusive

Find more photos online atwww.news.navy.mil/media/allhands/flash/ah200504/feature_1/

Ä P-2V Neptune, circa 1966. US Navy Photo.

¶ Digging out of large trenches was something to whichrecovery workers had to adjust, since the glacier’s landscape varied greatly.

¶ Most wreckage remaining at the original crash is in small fragments,a result of a 1966 recovery mission where the plane was intentionallydestroyed with explosives.

Ä Once at the crash site, workers held amemorial service for the crew members of theplane that had crashed more than 40 years ago.

© A member of the Navy recoveryteam takes a break at the crash site.

§ The Navy had technology on theirside in the search, as LCDR Christopher Blowused a Mark 26 metal detector to locate smallerpieces of the plane.


THE FACE OF KINDNESSThe story of air crewmen inOperation Unified Assistance

S t o r y a n d p h o t o s b y J O 1 ( S C W / S S ) J a m e s P i n s k y

© Smiles, like the one on the face of this young

Sumatran survivor, were allthe thanks Navy volunteers

needed to stay motivatedthroughout the relief efforts.

Ä AW2(AW/NAC) RobertMaynard, assigned to HelicopterSquadron (HS) 2, worked feverishly like the rest of his fellow air crewmen, ferrying supplies from relief sites to themost remote regions of tsunami-stricken Sumatra.

It’s tough to forget the faces of the Sailors who hand youyour first meal in days.Mere days after a tsunami ripped through parts of south-

eastern Asia on Dec. 26, 2004, survivors from Indonesia’sBanda Aceh province, isolated from worldwide relief effortsby washed out roads, flooded fields and massive destruction,witnessed what many might call a miracle.

Launched from the very seas that killed tens of thousandsof Indonesia’s sons, daughters, parents and friends, scores ofpowder-gray flying machines and the men who ride themraced across the skies, delivering hope packaged as food,

23A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S THE FACE OF KINDNESS22 A L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l

water, shelter and medicine to the “lucky”ones the tsunami left alive. It was a sightneither the survivors nor Sailors likeAviation Warfare Systems Operator 1stClass Joseph Sabia will ever forget.

“Just the look in their eyes … you knewthey were really appreciative when wedropped it,” said Sabia, an air crewmanassigned to Helicopter Support Squadron(Light) (HSL) 47.

Sabia still recalls his first relief missionlike it was five minutes ago.

“We were flying, and we saw fourstranded individuals with broken bridgeson both sides, and the water was high,”said Sabia. “We came in and made ourturn. It looked like seven kids and a father.They were patting their bellies saying theywere hungry and thirsty. We came into alow hover and dropped about 100 poundsof Bisquick and maybe about another 200pounds of water to them. It gave me a tingle

up my spine and chills all over my body.”While it may have given Sabia chills,

his efforts, and the efforts of his fellowhelicopter-powered humanitarians gaveSumatrans hope, and word spread quicklythat helicopters equaled help. Survivorswaved colorful flags, and made other elab-orate signaling devices to get the attentionof the pilots and their air crewmen. Some

Ä Survivors of the Dec. 26, 2004,tsunami rush to greet a U.S. Navy helicopter dropping off humanitarian relief. Despite the devastation, Indonesians like those picturedhere remain strong in spirit. “It’s impressive tosee people who have so little still give whateverthey have as a way of saying, ‘thank you,’” saidAW1 Joseph Sabia, of Helicopter AntisubmarineSquadron (Light) (HSL) 47. “It shows a lot of character.”

§ Early in the relief efforts,huge crowds sometimes made landing helicoptersat the aid sites unsafe for survivors and the helicopter crews. The air crewmen compromisedby dropping humanitarian aid in central locations.Here, AE3(NAC/AW) Dan McGourty, drops reliefaid to survivors in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Ä HM3 Melissa Crowe, assigned toHelicopter Submarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 47,communicates with Indonesian Security Force personnel during a humanitarian aid drop nearBanda Aceh, Sumatra. Crowe used body languageand several key Indonesian phrases to help identifyvictims in need of medical attention. Corpsmenlike Crowe deployed with helicopter crews toremote regions of the tsunami-stricken areas toexpedite Indonesian’s recovery from the disaster.

© Thousands of pounds of food,shelter, medical supplies and fresh waterwere transported to remote regions of BandaAceh Province and beyond by helicopter.

With the storm clouds of starvationbeing whisked away with every turn of thehelicopter’s blades, the survivors, gratefuljust to make it another day, often came tothe landing zones bearing gifts of hospi-tality, proving that while tsunamis mighttakes lives, homes and food, they can’twash away character. Witnessing suchunselfish acts moved Sailors liked Sabia.

“Them giving us coconuts shows thateven in a disaster like this, there’s alwaysroom for kindness,” said Sabia.

Throughout Operation UnifiedAssistance, America’s military contributionto the tsunami relief efforts, Navy heli-copters and their crew, flew from sunup to sundown, averaging three to fivehumanitarian-aid drops a day, settingrecords for flight hours, and inspiringSailor ingenuity.

“[The squadron] averaged 40 hours offlight time a day, which is an exorbitantamount of time compared to what weusually fly,” said Sabia. “Normally, we’daverage about 40 hours a month.”

The crews flew each mission as if justone more bag of rice meant the differencebetween life and death, because it did. Eachflight’s payload was maximized to whatthey could safely get away with.

“We modified our aircraft by taking outour sonobuoy launchers, and all of ourseats except one to get more room,” saidSabia. The extra room sometimes meantan extra medical worker, engineer or otheraid worker, and a few more bags of ricemade it to the survivors one trip sooner.

The Sailors pushed themselves to theirlimits because they knew exactly what theirefforts meant – saving lives.

Dedicated flight crew and hundreds ofSailors back at a makeshift relief site onsoccer fields at Banda Aceh’s SultanIskandar Muda Air Force Base made therecord-breaking pace for helicopter reliefefforts possible. There, helicopters – some-times four or five at a time – took off andlanded with the choreography of aBroadway musical, coupled with thetension of a Los Angeles County emer-gency room.

But, according to the air crewmen whoflew into the most ravaged parts of BandaAceh, every flight was well worth the effortbecause they not only save lives, but alsoreceived rare gifts that millions of peoplearound the world who donated time,money, supplies, and prayers will likelynever get: gestures of gratitude frompeople in need.

Sailors like Aviation Electrician’s Mate3rd Class (NAC/AW) Dan McGourty, afellow HSL-47 air crewman, got to see the

smiles, tears, waves and celebrations thattook place throughout the tsunami-stricken regions of Indonesia with theirvery own eyes. The air crewmen under-stand it’s a gift that comes with a lot ofresponsibility.

“I’m thankful to be able to represent theUnited States Navy’s efforts to help thepeople of Indonesia,” said McGourty. “It’simportant that I be as helpful as possiblebecause it’s my face they’ll remember.”

According to the reactions air crewmenreceived at the landing zones, the Navycouldn’t have picked a better spokespersonfor the United States, moreover the Navy.

Saved lives, rekindled hopes, heartyhandshakes, and immortality amongsttsunami survivors thanks to stories they’resure to tell for generations all add up to aircrewmen realizing that the humanitarianmission they accomplished in Banda Acehmight be as good as it gets in their life-times.

“This is probably the pinnacle of mycareer,” said Sabia. “I’ll probably neverexperience anything as devastating as this,or as rewarding. It’s a mission we lookedforward to doing every day.”

Especially when any day’s mission couldend with memories like Sabia’s.

“On my fourth day I picked up a 3-year-old child who was burned all over herbody,” said Sabia. “Picking her up andtending to her really touched me. I don’thave kids, but helping her really cut me tothe core. I think I’ll always rememberhelping that little girl, and getting her to ahospital.”

And like any other day for the aircrewmen during Operation UnifiedAssistance, the Navy’s Good Samaritansand their thunderous flying machinesascended back into the heavens leaving thesurvivors with food in their bellies, hope intheir hearts and vivid memories of thefaces belonging to the Sailors who helpedthem when no one else could – the faces ofNavy air crewmen.

Pinsky is a photojournalist assigned to All Hands.

25A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S THE FACE OF KINDNESS

more industrious survivors even turnedtheir house foundations, which thetsunami mercifully left as if it knew thehelicopters would need them, into landingdecks marked with red tile, colorful paint jobs and one even sporting anAmerican flag.

But creative landing sites and scores of

hungry survivors weren’t the only lastingimpressions on Sailors’ minds.

During the first few days of the reliefefforts, landing sites were chaotic scenes withsurvivors not knowing when, or if the heli-copters and their precious aid might return.

“It was such an experience when thepeople rushed the helicopter,” said HospitalCorpsman 3rd Class Melissa Crowe, alsoassigned to HSL-47. “I can’t imagine beingso hungry and thirsty that I might fightwith a neighbor or friend.”

Crowe was just one of several medicalpersonnel attached to USS AbrahamLincoln’s (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group(CSG) who was able to conduct medicalsurveys and provide immediate medical carein the most remote regions of Banda Aceh,thanks to the versatility of Navy helicopters.

“I’m thankful for the technology wehave that enables us to provide this kind ofrelief,” said Crowe.

But the helicopter crews weren’t theonly ones bearing gifts.


Ä It was impossible to keep tsunamivictims from rushing U.S. Navy helicopters dur-ing the early days of the humanitarian aid dropsnear Banda Aceh, Indonesia

in such a devastated environment.“We had to put some of the crew’s

[worries] to rest,” said Hospital Corpsman1st Class (SW) Shawn Brooks, USSBenfold’s independent duty corpsman.“[Things] like ‘are we going to see deadbodies all over the place?’ ‘What do we do?’‘If we get out there and start drinking thewater, are we going to get sick?’ ‘Are wegoing to get malaria?’”

Despite educating the crew about the

inherent dangers associated with workingin a humanitarian relief effort as inIndonesia, true to Benfold’s name, thecrew’s hearts conquered any fears.

“One of the most amazing things tome,” said Brooks, “was even after thetraining, we had more than 300 people onboard put up their hands to volunteer.They said, ‘Hey, we want to help out anyway we can.’”

And they helped every way Sailors

should, and some ways no one else could.Regardless, the work was grueling.

“It was incredibly hot over there,” saidBoatswain’s Mate 1st Class ChristopherAzevedo, a Benfold Humanitarian AidRelief Team (HART) volunteer. “There wasplenty of work for us, and no matter howmany helicopters we loaded with food,there always seemed to be another onecoming back for more.”

A team of Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Hospitalman 3rd Class Edward C.Benfold would be proud.

More than 50 years after the KoreanWar, this sailor was posthumously awardedthe Medal of Honor for sacrificing his lifeto save his shipmates, 300 members of theArleigh Burke-class destroyer bearing hisname helped save the lives of tens of thou-sands of perfect strangers.

Organized into teams of eight Sailors,Benfold volunteers flew into Banda Aceh

daily to work at Sultan Iskandar Muda AirForce Base. There, they joined Sailors fromother USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)Carrier Strike Group (CSG) ships andsquadrons, working hand in hand withinternational military and civilian reliefworkers to unload humanitarian aid fromtrucks to waiting helicopters ferrying aid tosurvivors that no one else could reach.

Despite the crew’s overwhelming moti-vation, they did have fears about working

27A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S BENFOLD’S BENEVOLENCE26 A L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l

BENFOLD’SBENEVOLENCE

A Tsunami Relief Story

Ä Hundreds of volunteers from USS Abraham Lincoln’s (CVN 72) carrier strike group donated their time every dayduring Operation Unified Assistance to make sure crucial relief supplies made it to the survivors of the tsunami.

Ä STG3 Monica Knowlden made sure she lived up to her ship’s namesake byworking unselfishly for the good of others. USS Benfold (DDG 65) was named after HM3Edward C. Benfold, who earned the Medal ofHonor during the Korean War.

§ Crucial relief supplies, like freshwater, had to reach isolated survivors asquickly as the helicopters could deliverthem. Salt water from the tsunami’s wavescontaminated much of the area’s normaldrinking water supply.

S t o r y a n d p h o t o s b y J O 1 ( S C W / S W ) J a m e s P i n s k y

the job done.”The effort had an immediate impact on

the Sailors.“I felt good about what I did,” said

Seaman Johan Flores. “I feel like I reallymade a difference. This is my first deploy-

ment, and already this is the best thing I’veever done in my life.”

And they did, again and again. Eachevening, the crew eagerly waited to heartheir names announced over the ship’s1MC, placing them on the next day’sHART. In this lottery-drawing environ-ment, once a Sailor’s name was called, heknew he’d better make the most of hisopportunity, because volunteer HART dutyonly came around once every 15 days.

From the very beginning, Benfold’s crewaccepted the ship’s new mission with theright attitude, despite ending a port call inHong Kong early, and delaying an eagerlyanticipated trip back home to San Diego.But Sailors aboard Benfold knew thathelping out strangers in a foreign land wasabsolutely part of the Navy’s mission.

“It’s my job to help people out,” said SNFrank Jimenez-Medina. “I’m from Columbia,and I would want us to help out people frommy country, too, so I wanted to help here.”

But Benfold’s contributions to OperationUnified Assistance included far more thanbodies eager to move supplies onto Navyhelicopters. The destroyer also served as afloating gas station close to shore for thecountless helicopters from AbrahamLincoln’s CSG.

Although several ships in AbrahamLincoln’s CSG supported helicopter opera-

tions, several factors contributed to Benfoldbeing such a popular landing platform.

“We’d like to say it’s because of our boxlunches that the pilots like to come here,”said Operations Specialist 1st Class EricGonzales. “But our current mission and ourproximity to land made us an ideal platform.”

Benfold typically operated closest to landbecause of an embarked hydrographicsurvey team remapping the Indonesianwaters affected by the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami.

“The tsunami wiped out tons of shore-line,” said Forrest Noll, a hydrographerwith the Naval Oceanographic Office. “Itchanged the landscape drastically. Whatused to be the high point of the beach is allunder water. One harbor has disappeared;you can’t even tell it was there.”

For some of Benfold’s Sailors, it will bean experience that will last a lifetime.

“This is the kind of stuff that you neverforget,” said Jimenez-Medina. “I’ll alwaysbe saying that I was here and helped. Mychildren will know and my grandchildrenwill know that I was here.”

And, maybe Hospitalman 3rd ClassEdward C. Benfold knows, too.

Pinsky is a photojournalist assigned to All Hands.

29A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S BENFOLD’S BENEVOLENCE

communicators deployed to support therelief efforts at Sultan Iskandar Muda AirForce Base, and took note of the Sailors’

steadfastness while helping survivors,regardless of the conditions.

“Our impression,” said AviationOrdnanceman 1st Class (EOD) KevinParra, EOD master technician, EODMU 11Det. 1, “is seeing the Sailors out here beingtasked with a job that they’re not normallyrequired to do, and doing it well.

“Everybody just came out here and theyendured the rain, they endured the heat,the mud and the arduous conditions to get


§ Temperatures in the high 90s,coupled with high humidity and heavy workloads, tired out even the most seasoned Sailors. Ä Every helicopter landing the Navymade allowed the aircraft’s crew to witness firsthand the people whose lives they helpedsave through their efforts.

© The flight deck crew aboard USSBenfold (DDG 65) supported more than 100helicopter landings on her flight deck duringOperation Unified Assistance.


Engineering on USS Donald Cook

S t o r y a n d p h o t o s b y P H 1 ( A W ) S h a n e T . M c C o y

When you turn on your faucet at home, water flows. Flip a switch, and you have light. Adjust the thermostat, and you have heat. In cities you havepower plants, water plants, sewage plants, heating and air conditioningcompanies and fire departments, all of which have their own specialists who know their job, and only that job.

¶ GSMFN Weston Rebbe wipes the underside of a gas turbine engine after the accidentalrelease of halon gas during Basic Engineering Casualty Control Exercises.

makes you feel like a mole.”All that time below decks allows the

engineers to become one with their equip-ment, like a mechanic with his prize car onwhich he knows every ding, every wire andthe exact pitch of the engine when it isworking correctly.

“I listen to the sounds of the ship,” saidFonteno, “and with eight and one-halfyears sea time, I can hear when something’snot quite right.”

The years of sea time is not rare forengineering ratings. Many of them chooseback-to-back sea duty, and the years ofexperience usually keeps ships like USSDonald Cook ahead of the game.

“I’ll take what I know from the fiveships I’ve been on and drill my guys on it,so we are ready for any inspection thatmight come up,” Fonteno said.

Donald Cook’s engineering department

hands out written knowledge tests atrandom, even on the mess decks and inberthing. “Our chief and LPO keep on usall the time, with questions,” said Hudson.“If we don’t know the answer, it’s always‘look it up and get back to me.’”

In the jungle of equipment and pipesfound in the main machinery spaces,knowing the answers isn’t easy. From themoment a new fireman checks aboard,they’re learning where each lever, valve,gauge and button is and, more importantly,what it does.

“I’ve been aboard for three weeks andall I have been doing is learning about thespaces,” said GSMFA Weston Rebbe. “It’snot how I envisioned it would be in school.Everything is a lot more open and exposedthan I expected.”

The three decks in each of the enginerooms might be more exposed than Rebbe

33A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D S BELOW THE WATERLINE

Navy ships have one engineering plantthat handles all this and a whole lot more,because this floating city must move.

But, just like at home, when you’reaboard ship, as long as the room tempera-ture is tolerable, the water is warm andyour computer or television has power, younever think of the work that goes into makingit happen. Dozens of Sailors comprise theunseen force who keep the ship moving.And just like in a big city, they go largelyunnoticed until the water runs cold or thelights go out.

“The only time we are noticed is whensomething goes wrong,” said Gas TurbineSystem Technician (Mechanical) 2nd Class(SW) Darrell Hudson. “Most people don’thave any idea what we do down there until they come down for their warfarequalifications.”

For most engineers, that’s exactly howthey like it. “When no one knows we’rethere, it means everything is working,” saidGSM2(SW)Leslie Cachero. “It means we’redoing our job.”

While underway, their job requires a 24-hour watch and hourly checks of allequipment gauges. The amount of timespent below decks might throw manypeople into a state of depression, but engineers are a different breed.

“I like to stay down there,” saidGSM1(SW) Kelvin Fonteno, Main EngineRoom 1’s leading petty officer. Most ofCook’s engineers seem to agree. “We are inour own little world down there,” saidHudson. “The first month and a half of thewar [Operation Iraqi Freedom], we spentbelow decks, and when we were calledtopside for quarters, the sun blinded us. It


¶ When you become an engineeraboard USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) the backarea of the mess decks is reserved seating formeals.

© GSM2 Chance Sizemore (left) breaks down the purpose of the planned

maintenance system (PMS) to new crewmanGSMFN Weston Rebbe.

¶ GSE3 Henry Gore watches for areflash of a Class “C” fire during BasicEngineering Casualty Control exercises.

Ä The Engineering OperationalSequencing System manuals containinformation for every machine and are foundon each level of the main space.

nets,” said HT1 Jacob Fehr, the LPO ofrepair division.

Due to the structural damage and theintensity of the job, Donald Cook decidedto use Shore Intermediate MaintenanceActivity (SIMA) for the repairs. The shipwas due to get underway again in two daysfor exercises and without repairs, the shipwould not be able to participate. Becauseof the time repairs would take, SIMA wasunable to take on the task.

“The job came back to us in ship’scompany, and we had it fixed in eighthours.” said Fehr.

“R” division’s damage controlmen arethe ship’s elite fire fighters who make upthe at-sea fire party and handle all of thedamage control training for the crew. Tokeep the at-sea fire party trained to thelevel the ship expects, members attendnumerous fire fighting schools and drillconstantly.

“We are trained to be the ‘best of thebest’ in fire fighting and damage control. Ifsomething really happens, we are the oneswho are called on.” said DCC(SW/AW)Stephanie Rutledge.


thought, but they are in no way uncluttered.The engine room of a Navy ship is one ofthe most amazing examples of creative useof space you’re likely to find. In some cases,it’s hard to determine where one deviceends and the next begins.

One surprise to most visitors is that themain spaces of Donald Cook are as spotlessas the mess decks.

“While gas turbine plants are typicallycleaner than other plants, we pride ourselveson how our spaces look,” said CWO2Phillip Snarr, the main propulsion assistant.“This is Donald Cook’s standard, and wekeep it this way 24/7.”

Not all engineering spaces can be keptas clean as the engine room, though. Casein point, the general workshop, home tothe hull technicians (HT) and damagecontrolmen (DC) in repair division. Theshop is not dirty, but it’s in constant use,with Sailors welding, grinding and fabri-cating anything the ship might need.

HTs, besides being the Navy’s plumbers,are capable of a multitude of jobs, fromwelding an overhead mount for a televisionto repairing the flight deck so the ship canconduct flight opps.

“When pulling out for a family daycruise, the tug smashed the line-up lightsfor helicopter landings and the aft safety


¶ GSM2(SW) DarrellHudson is one of the manyengineers aboard USS DonaldCook (DDG 75), who keep theship running smoothly.

§ GSM3 LawrenceLimage juggles multipletasks while standing watchduring Basic EngineeringCasualty Control exercises.

§ GSM2(SW) StephenLadue draws a “prior tofuel” oil sample from a service tank as part of hisjob as “oil king.”

© GSE1(SW) PepitoValdez removes a bad circuit

board that was causing falsealarms to sound in the Central

Control Station.


In the eyes of a DCC there is no suchthing as a perfect drill, there is alwaysroom for improvement. According toRutledge, “We just have some young ‘DC’men who need to be molded, but it won’ttake long for the young fire party toimprove since the ship is in a phase oftraining heavy on damage control.”

To “top-siders,” engineering may seemto be one of the most exclusive clubs onthe ship. In fact, on Donald Cook’s messdecks, there’s a section of seats that belongexclusively to the engineers, DCs and HTsincluded.

“When I was a seaman I sat anywhereon the mess decks. But once I became anengineer, I was told, ‘you don’t sit overthere anymore. You’re one of us now. Yousit with us,’” Hudson said proudly.

“Engineers carry the ship,” Rutledge

said. “If anything goes down in engineering,the rest of the ship can’t do their jobs. A lotof people forget that. They take their water,lights, AC and electrical power for grantedand don’t realize that it’s all supplied bythe engineering department.”

So, the next time something stopsworking, it shouldn’t be the first time youtake notice of the ship’s engineers. Thinkof them as you drink fresh water at thewater fountain or while you enjoy your e-mail from home. And the next time youpass an engineer in the “p-way” you mightwant to thank your shipmates who workbelow the waterline.

McCoy is a photojournalist assigned to All Hands.


¶ As nozzleman during a mainspace fire,MR2 Richard Sanchez will be the first man into the spaceafter halon has been deployed.

Ä EM2(SW) Patrick Frank studiesfor an advancement exam while standingswitchboard watch in Main Engine Room 2.

© The engineers of Main Engine Room 1have custom painted many parts of the engine room,

including the deck.

39A P R I L 2 0 0 5 • A L L H A N D SA L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l38

Focus onService

Leaving home and family to join the Navy is hard enough for most, but when you sign

your name to a contract not knowing what you will be doing for the next four years, it can

be downright frightening.

Still, thousands of recruits sign up every year with hopes of ending up in a job they

enjoy. A recruit can easily become a fireman in engineering on a frigate or just as easily

direct aircraft on a carrier as an airman. Seaman Pierre Shannon became a seaman

aboard USS Cole (DDG 67)

Like all undesignated Sailors, he is trying to find where he fits in our Navy. Should he

strike into a rating aboard Cole, so he can quickly leave deck department and work with

hospital corpsmen in medical? Or maybe ride out his time in deck and get into a rating

elsewhere in the Navy?

Shannon, even though promised an “A” school, has decided to remain in deck and

become a boatswain’s mate. He likes his job and has excelled among his peers aboard

USS Cole.

“The work we do in deck is hard and it has made us into a very tight group, almost

family,” said Shannon. “I turned down my guaranteed Master-at-Arms ‘A’ school because

I really enjoy what I do now.”

Undesignated Sailors are the backbone of the naval work force, and many of them

choose to make the Navy just a passing phase in their life. But for some, the shot in the

dark hits its mark and they find a career and a home.

McCoy is a photojournalist assigned to All Hands.

S t o r y a n d p h o t o b y P H 1 ( A W ) S h a n e T . M c C o y

IN THE

GOING UNDESIGNATED

COULD LEAD A SAILOR ANYWHERE

SHOTDARKIN THE

SHOTDARK

A L L H A N D S • w w w . n a v y . m i l40

The Final Word

The Carson ConnectionS t o r y b y J O 1 C h a r l e s L . L u d w i g

There are some people out there, people typically under the

age of 25, who were wondering what all the fuss was when

Johnny Carson died in January. For them, NBC’s “Tonight

Show” means only one thing – Jay Leno.

I am definitely not one of those people. It seems like I can

always remember at least knowing about Carson, either through

commercials or listening to my parents talk about what they had

seen him or one of his guests do the night before.

And when I was about 12, I considered it

a seminal moment in my life when my mom

and dad began letting me stay up late to

watch Carson’s monologue. It didn’t take

long for me, then a lanky, rail-thin preteen,

to understand the hype, even if I could only

watch for five or 10 minutes.

Fact is, Carson was as brilliant and

quick-witted a comedian then, in 1989, as

he was in 1969. The bits all seemed so

seamless to me, no matter if he was playing

“Carnac the Magnificent” or just chatting

with sidekick Ed McMahon or one of his

more than 25,000 guests. He was a natural,

or at least it seemed that way.

And that’s why I was shocked when I was

skimming through the Associated Press’

timeline of his life and saw this tidbit:

“1943-1946 – serves in U.S. Navy.”

What? How could I have not known that the man I felt I knew

so well had such a strong connection to me, in this day? But I

guess I shouldn’t feel too bad; very few people outside of the crew

of USS Pennsylvania (BB 38) actually knew he served during

World War II. Well, he did, and quite proudly at that.

Carson enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Norfolk

High School, Norfolk, Neb., in 1943. The 17-year-old enlisted in

the Navy on June 8 as an apprentice seaman enrolled in the V-5

program, which trained Navy and Marine Corps pilots. He had

hoped to become a pilot with the program, but instead was sent to

Columbia University for midshipman training before being

stationed in the Pacific aboard USS Pennsylvania.

Although he came aboard the ship on what was officially the

last day of war, Aug. 14, 1945, Carson still got a firsthand lesson in

the consequences of battle. Two days prior, Pennsylvania was

torpedoed in the Bay of Okinawa, and as the newest and most

junior officer, Ensign Carson supervised the removal of 20 dead

Sailors.

That proved to be the low point in his Navy career. Carson was

later known for taking time to entertain the

enlisted crew, constantly performing magic

and comedy acts to keep spirits high. That

continued for another year, before Carson

left the Navy and enrolled at the University of

Nebraska. Sixteen years later, nearly everyone

in America would know his name.

And the rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

His banter and clever skits, peppered with

his trademark heartland charm, made so

many people feel like they knew the man

behind the show. For 30 years, watching

Carson every night was akin to having a 60-

to 90-minute nightly visit from your next-

door neighbor.

He was sort of a status symbol to me.

After all, getting to stay up to watch him

made me feel like an adult before I was 13.

And I soon learned his comedic abilities were more than I could

have imagined then.

As we now look back at his life, most people will take the time

to talk about how he made them laugh as he perfected the art of

late-night chat and comedy.

And me? Now I think I’ll remember him a little differently.

Ludwig is a photojournalist for All Hands.

All Hands’ photo editors are looking for the year’s top photos for the October “Any Day in the Navy” issue.

Deadline for submission is July 15, 2005.After reading the instructions at

www.mediacen.navy.mil/still/anyday.htm,send your best shots taken between July 1, 2004,and July 1, 2005, to: [email protected]

July 1, 2004 – July 1, 2005

P h o t o - i l l u s t r a t i o n b y P H 1 ( A W ) S h a n e T . M c C o y