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FROM THE EDITOR

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Show Off Your Ink

Lincoln Iron Chef

Life ashore has been on our minds for eight months, so every now and then we pull the ship over and touch land just so we don’t forget what it’s like.

After passing through the Suez Canal and entering the Med, we headed straight for some R&R in Turkey. Belly dancing, sightseeing tours, fashion shows, friendly (and interesting) locals--Antalya, Turkey had a little something for everyone. If you’re not convinced, just look inside.

Once we left port, we were all eyeing our calendars a little more closely. Just a couple of weeks to go...

And then somewhere on the timeline, as the remaining days of deployment peeled away, a funny thing happened. We slipped through the Strait of Gibraltar and headed for open ocean. We were free! The only thing standing between us and home was time...

Yeah, life ashore is definitely on our minds, now.

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6 VOLUME 24 , ISSUE 26

Carrier Strike Group 9 transited the Suez Canal, July 16, departing the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) and entered the U.S. 6th Fleet AOR en route to the United

States to complete an eight-month deployment.The strike group transited the Suez Canal after six

months in the U.S. 5th Fleet AOR conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and combat flight operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

While in the 6th Fleet AOR, the strike group conducted a full range of maritime operations and theater security cooperation efforts in concert with coalition, joint, interagency and other partners in order to improve maritime safety and security.

“This team has worked long and hard in support of OEF and other NAVCENT initiatives over the

last six months,” said Rear Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9. “As we depart 5th Fleet and pass the baton to the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, we are confident that they will continue our efforts, and we leave the AOR knowing we did everything in our power to promote security and stability in the region and to support our troops and forces on the ground in Afghanistan.”

The Suez Canal connects the Arabian Sea, where CSG-9 was supporting OEF, with the Mediterranean Sea by way of the Red Sea. Enabling ships to sail between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, it is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes.

Ten days after entering the Mediterranean, Abe transited the Strait of Gibraltar to enter the Atlantic Ocean and begin the last leg of her eight-month journey.

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10 THE PENNY PRESS

After nearly eight months at sea, we’re all comfortable with life underway. With Lincoln finally closing in on our new homeport, it’s

time for Abe Sailors to finalize our plans and make arrangements for life in Virginia.

With such a large military presence in the Hampton Roads area, Lincoln Sailors have a variety of options when it comes to housing. For those who meet eligibility requirements, privatized military housing is available throughout the region. Interested parties can apply at one of two Navy Housing Welcome Centers in the area.

Sailors are required to check in with one of the welcome centers prior to negotiating for off-base housing.

For Sailors looking to buy a home in the Hampton Roads area, options are usually plentiful and prices compare favorably to the rest of the country. However, the area’s high demand for rental homes and apartments has caused those prices to inflate. Sailors looking for the best deals on properties should note that homes on the peninsula (Hampton and Newport News) are cheaper than those in Southern Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth and Chesapeake).

More information about leasing properties in Hampton Roads is available at www.ahrn.com, www.apartmentguide.com and www.hrtide.com.

The Hampton Roads area also has a variety of choices when it comes to child care. The Commonwealth of Virginia licenses, regulates and monitors child care providers through its regional social service office. Individual cities may also regulate child care providers. Contact local social services agencies for more information.

Getting To KnowVIRGINIA

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Parents in need of child care can contact the Navy Mid-Atlantic Region Child Placement Program, Child Care Assurance Plan and the Child Care Answer Line for information on different child care providers in the area.

Parents with school-aged children will need proof of immunizations, a birth certificate and an up-to-date physical before enrolling their child in Virginia’s public schools. Each municipal and county in the Hampton Roads area has its own school district and requirements may vary between each district.

For public and private school listings parents can search www.miltaryk12link.com or www.militarystudent.dod.org.

For more information on these programs and organizations and more visit the Command Religious Ministries Department sharepoint webpage and search under Return and Reunion 2012.

“...what we actually did (today) blew me away.”

-Capt. Don Gabrielson

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When the scores were calculated all three contestants were within two points of each other through the first two courses. The deciding factor of the competition was Williams’ dessert, fried ice cream, which earned him a near perfect score from the judges.

“I had high hopes for what we could do today,” said Capt. Don Gabrielson, the commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) and a judge of the event.

Culinary Specialists of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9 faced off in an “Abe Lincoln Strike Group Culinary Showdown,” aboard

Lincoln, July 14.The event put Culinary Specialist 1st Class

Christopher Williams, Culinary Specialist 1st Class Aldan Johansen, and Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Timothy McDowell’s culinary skills to the test, with only 20 minutes to prepare each course of the meal; appetizer, entrée, and dessert, with a random mandatory ingredient for each course.

“We put on this competition to showcase the talents of our culinary specialists in Carrier Strike Group Nine,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Harrison Wright, Lincoln’s food service officer.

“I’m excited that I get to show off a true skill,” said Williams, “I’ve been cooking since I was young and I love getting a chance to show what I can do.”

After each team completed their meal, it was then presented to a panel of seven judges, who evaluated the meals based on presentation, originality, taste and creativity.

“I’ve been cooking since I was young, and I love getting a chance to show what I can do.”

-CS1 Christopher Williams

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“But what we actually did blew me away.Once all the meals had been presented and the

judges made their final decisions, Williams was announced the top chef of the Abe Lincoln Strike Group Culinary Showdown.

“This is the first time I participated in a competition like this,” Said Williams. “It feels amazing to win on my first try.”

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13VOLUME 24 , ISSUE 26

Sixty-two Sailors from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34 qualified as Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialists (EAWS) while deployed with Carrier

Air Wing (CVW) 2, as of July 16.VFA-34’s EAWS completion rate is now 92.2

percent of all eligible personnel, up from 61.2 percent when the Blue Blasters left for deployment in December 2011.

The qualification program recognizes those enlisted Sailors who have achieved a significant level of professional skill, knowledge and experience in direct support of naval aviation and the VFA-34 mission. Requirements for the program include completing a warfare qualification card consisting of five phases; demonstrating practical knowledge during walk-arounds of VFA-34 aircraft; completing a comprehensive written exam; and completing an oral board presided over by four EAWS-qualified board members.

The Blue Blasters’ EAWS program coordinator, Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate John Connelly, and assistant coordinator Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st

Class Steven Gifford started deployment tasked with qualifying as many Sailors as possible and meeting the requirements for the squadron to hang the EAWS pennant. To fly the pennant, a squadron must have 75 percent of their Sailors EAWS-qualified. VFA-34 earned the right to fly the pennant, April 8.

Connelly believes the success of his program lies with the qualifiers themselves.

“The achievement of the EAWS pennant is a testament to the hard work and dedication that the young Sailors displayed,” said Connelly. “Most of the people who completed their qualifications out here did so after they had already put in 10-12-hour shifts on the flight deck, which is amazing.”

Typically, the Sailors putting in the longest days are among the most junior in the squadron, said VFA-34 Command Master Chief Kevin Martin.

“Their drive and determination have put us over 90 percent qualified, an amazing accomplishment when you consider that more than 100 of our Sailors are E4 and below,” said Martin.

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Troops To Teachers Teach The Navy

The director for the Virginia Troops to Teachers (TTT) program visited Naval Station

Norfolk, July 19, to inform Sailors of a possible second career, “serving students.”

Attendees were able to gain insight into the process of becoming a teacher, including certification requirements and job opportunities.

Joe Wargo said, “It’s important to educate the military about this program because so many people are transitioning out of active duty service and need to know this information.”

Sailors with a baccalaureate degree or higher are eligible to begin the teaching certification process to become a teacher. However, many Sailors may already qualify to become a vocational/technical teacher.

Sailors only need the equivalent of one year of college courses and six years of experience in a vocational or technical field to begin the certification process.

To complete the process, individuals can use an Alternative Certification Program (ACP) or University Teacher Preparation Program. Sailors may benefit from an ACP, since this method offers online courses to obtain the teaching certification.

Military members from all of the armed forces can use tuition assistance for their teaching certification while on active duty.

(source: www.navy.mil)

SUPPLY DEPT./S-5 DIV.

Ship’s Serviceman Seaman Chelsea Tapp is from Ripley, Tenn. She joined the Navy in December 2010.

“I joined the Navy so I could see the world,” she said.Tapp walked into her recruiter’s office and chose to be a ship’s

serviceman because she felt herself to be a great “people person” who likes to see people smile after she has helped them out.

She now works in Lincoln’s enlisted barbershop and enjoys cutting her shipmates’ hair.

“I like to do hair, and I love to help my fellow shipmates,” she said.

Tapp enjoys her rate and takes pleasure in helping Sailors get that cleaner look. “I take care of my people, and they take care of me,” she said.

Even after working hours are over, she said she continues to find herself cutting and fixing hair for the people around the ship. “At work, I do hair. After work, I do hair,” she said.

“I also exercise in my free time. I’m getting ready for Virginia Beach.”

Throughout the eight-month deployment, she has stayed positive by remembering a few words of motivation: “I always like to tell people, ‘don’t let others get you down, just smile and be happy.’”

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