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Greetings Abe Warriors! Another week closer to getting into the yards (hopefully). Work is still going strong on the ship. The Berthing Team hasn’t been sleeping on the job; in fact they are ahead of schedule! The Norfolk Admirals treated the crew to a morale boosting game, and none of our Sailors are missing any teeth after the game. A good time was had by all! Lincoln Sailors got some target practice during the Captain’s Cup Dodgeball tournament this week. It’s been a good, hard week of work and fun for Lincoln Nation! Keep up the motivation and remember, it’s not just about working hard, it’s about playing hard as well. Hooyah Lincoln!

From the Editor

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Sailors have been working to clear out crew living spaces aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

One of Weapons Department’s assignments during Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) is the berthing team. Their responsibility is to remove hundreds of racks and lockers from 37 berthings to prepare for RCOH. The berthing team is comprised of Sailors from all over the ship who will remain on the team for the duration of RCOH. These Sailors receive hands-on training with civilian contractors on how to properly disassemble the hardware in berthing.

Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Jon Solis, berthing team’s Leading Petty Officer, said the process is broken into three phases.

“Phase one consists of taking out all racks, mirrors and lockers; anything that can be unscrewed comes out. Also, the berthing receives a thorough cleaning from top to bottom,” said Solis.

The process for clearing out a berthing takes anywhere from one to four days depending on its size. Once the racks are removed, they are carried down to hangar bay two.

In phase two, the berthing team completes any maintenance that needs to be done. This can include replacing lighting or cleaning heads.

“We make sure everything works and is in the best condition possible,” said Solis. “This makes phase three easier.”

That phase includes collecting all the hardware needed to refurbish and reinstall everything in the berthing at the end of RCOH.

“We want to keep the same people who cleared the berthing to continue on with installation when

the time comes,” said Solis. “We already have a team that is properly trained and familiar with how to deal with this.”

Solis said that engineering department berthing will be done first.

“When the time comes to move out of RCOH, we will need the engineering folks the most to get the ship up and running,” said Solis.

Chief Aviation Ordnance Juan Nevarez, Production Chief for the berthing team, said the current system for clearing out the ber nhing is very efficient.

“The people we have working for us are very motivated,” said Nevarez. “They work hard to ensure the job is done fast, but also done right.”

Nevarez said the chain of command frequently notices how diligent their workers are and have come up with a few systems to reward these Sailors.

“I told these young people if they work hard and keep this project ahead of schedule, I’ll let them out early every day,” said Nevarez. “We’re six months ahead of schedule ,so I gladly keep my word.”

Nevarez has also come up with another way to reward the hard work of his people.

“At the end of the month, we pick a Sailor who’s been displaying hard work and reward them with 24 hours of liberty,” said Nevarez.

The berthing team also cleans and maintains the remaining berthings that will not have the

hardware removed.“Because of berthing team’s dedication, we will

be finished with this project in no time,” said Solis. “We have the proper motivational tools needed to do the job, hence why we are ahead of schedule.”

Story and photo by: MC3 Jonteil JohnsonLincoln’s Berthing Team Rips Out Racks

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ON it’s an all-hands effort

“We need to keep people from being desensitized to suicide, because we need to be able to recognize the signs clearly.”

U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Joshua Walters

Story by MC2 Kyle Henley

The path to suicide begins with a single thought. Military suicides accounted for a greater loss of life

than combat did in 2012, reaching a record high of 349 deaths. USS Abraham Lincoln has a plan to help prevent its Sailors from acting on that single thought.

“As soon as we reached Norfolk, suicide prevention became one of the Captain’s top priorities,” said Lt. David Duprey, one of Lincoln’s Chaplains. “Suicide is a serious problem for ships in the yard, so we’ve put together a three tiered program to help those people in need.”

Those tiers are: A one hour small group training focusing on identifying warnings and stressors, a three hour small group focusing on building leadership awareness and aid, and a professional quality instruction known as Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).

Duprey wants every Lincoln sailor to be active in suicide prevention, including attending at least the first tier of preventative training.

“The training is very participant oriented,” said Duprey. “We don’t focus on power points; we want active participation. We want to engage Sailors in taking care of each other and knowing the signs to look for to start the process of support.”

Many commands offer a first tier to their Sailors, but Lincoln’s second tier is where they are making the difference.

“In the second tier Sailors have no choice but to participate. It’s small groups, a lot of role playing, identifying signs and stressors. We talk about the warning signs, stressors both internal and external. We

talk about when we need to step in and ask the question, ‘are you thinking about suicide?’” said Duprey. “We’re prepping them for ASIST, and so far everyone that has been to tier two wants to go forward. They want to learn how to help people.”

A major factor in Lincoln’s suicide prevention training is making Sailors and leadership recognize what is appropriate to joke about.

“We need to make a change,” said Duprey, “We’ve all made or heard the jokes, ‘Oh today is so bad I might just be better off dead,’ or anything along those lines. We need to keep people from being desensitized to suicide, because we need to be able to recognize the signs clearly.”

Duprey wants all Sailors to realize that they can get the support they need from a variety of places: medical, the Chaplains aboard Lincoln, or the Ship’s Psychologist, Lt. Gregory Asgaard. In an emergency, Sailors can call 911 or go to any military treatment facility, including Portsmouth Naval Hospital and Langley Air Force Base’s Hospital.

For Duprey, suicide prevention isn’t just a part of his job.

“It’s one of my top three reasons to wear this uniform,” said Duprey. “I have a personal connection to the people I serve with. It’s not just a job I want to do so much as the job chose me, and I’ve been blessed with the ability to help.”

With the three tier program, a medical staff and Chaplain staff that wants to help, Lincoln’s Sailors have a great safety net to keep from acting on that single thought.

“LINCOLN NIGHT”

Story and photos by: SN Phylicia Hanson

The Norfolk Admirals celebrated Lincoln Night at the Scope Arena, March 6. USS Abraham Lincoln

(CVN 72) Commanding Officer, Capt. Karl O. Thomas and Lincoln Junior SOY Seaman Alex Penegar, a member of Lincoln’s Medical Department, ceremonially dropped the official game puck.

“This was an amazing opportunity that I never dreamed I would be able to do in my Navy career,” said Penegar. “Not only to be receiving this award, but also to be able to drop the game puck with the CO at a hockey game in honor of our command.”

The Lincoln Color Guard presented the colors during the singing of the National Anthem, sung by a cast member from “Jersey Boys”.

“I have been a part of the Color Guard since mid-deployment, and I have

to say that being on the ice presenting the colors is one the coolest things I have done since becoming part of the Color Guard,” said Yeoman 3rd Class Nayshona Jones. “It is moments like this that are so memorable in your career.”

Morale, Welfare and Recreation department (MWR) coordinated the event in conjunction with the Norfolk Admirals management team.

“Being able to put on events like this makes my job so worthwhile,” said Shannon Smith, Lincoln’s MWR Officer. “Having the support of the CO to have these events on a weekday also helps open opportunities for more events.”

Though the Admirals lost a close battle in overtime, 3-2, against the Charlotte Checkers, the game was all around fun for the nearly 200 crew members who attended.

Norfolk AdmirAls host‘lincoln Night’

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8Photo by SN Phylicia Hanson

Photo by MCS3 Joshua Walters

Imagesof the

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9Photo by SN Phylicia Hanson

Photo by MCSN Michael Raney Photo by SN Phylicia Hanson

Photo by MCS3 Joshua Walters

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The event for the month of March for USS Abraham Lincoln Captain’s Cup is a dodge ball tournament. The first round of

the tournament started March 6 on Naval Station Norfolk.

“Fourteen teams from different departments came to compete today” said Fire Controlman 1st Class Terence Collins, the event coordinator. “Each team is competing for points toward the overall Captain’s Cup championship.”

The tournament wasn’t just a way to get some exercise while having a good time.

“The command putting on events like this lets me know that they care about us,” said Interior Communications Electrician Fireman Cortney Mcintyre. “It shows that they want us to have fun

and succeed.”For some the team building aspect was what

made them want to play in the first place.“It’s a great way to get the command together

and build our team spirit,” said Electronics Technician 3rd Class Matt Griffith. “It doesn’t hurt that it is a whole lot of fun too.”

At the time of this writing Weapons department teams one and two, Combat Systems (CS-0) and (PM-17), Reactor department teams one and two, and Operations all survived their first matches and will meet again at the Q-80 gym.

The fun doesn’t stop with the Dodge Ball Tournament though, coming up in April, Combat Systems will host a golf tournament and Security Department will host a weight lifting competition.

Target Practice:Captain’s Cup Dodge Ball

Story and photos by MC3 Zachary Anderson

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Story and photo by MC3 Christina Naranjo

12 THE PENNY PRESS