AM3 KeAvon D. ColeMAnHSM-77 “SaberHawkS”

Know Your ShipMAte

Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class Keavon Coleman, a native of Houston who grew up in Oklahoma City, has been assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) since December 2008. He joined the Navy

for a change of scenery and to continue his education and his career. Coleman makes parts for MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and works as a

landing signalman enlisted (LSE) for launch and recovery operations. He said his favorite part of the job is working with metal fabrications and fiberglass while making parts.

Coleman’s many job qualifications include fuel surveillance technician, tire and wheel, plane captain, landing signalman among many others.

While on deployment, Coleman said his goal is to advance in the next exam cycle to petty officer 2nd class. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

He would also like to continue taking classes to obtain his bachelor’s (and eventually his master’s) degree. And even with everything else going on, he’s got his sights set on trying out for the all-Navy basketball team.

In the future, Coleman said he will be looking to go from enlisted to officer to help increase his options throughout his Navy career.

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Story and photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zachary WelchMeet linColn’S new weAther SpeCiAliSt

If your job consisted of creating a predictive model of the Earth’s climate from data on temperature, humidity, moisture and cloud

cover, without making major mistakes, you’d have one heck of a difficult job to get it right

day in and day out. And what if you had to analyze the data while limiting

your degree of error to deliver the most accurate forecast possible? Trying to forecast the weather is a difficult job. It’s never automatic, it’s always changing and it can be quite a guessing game.

That’s exactly what Lincoln’s Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) Officer Lt. Cmdr. John Marburger has to deal with on a daily basis. .

“We take all the observations from around the world, and we assimilate all that data into one big ball. We have computers run future projections, and we get the model of the climate that is used on board the ship and throughout the Navy,” he said.

Marburger and his crew are responsible for collecting, recording and analyzing meteorological and oceanographic information. They make visual and instrumental observations of weather and sea conditions to provide immediate, up-to-

date weather forecasts and warnings for the ship.“The decisions you’re making as a meteorologist or

a forecaster are going directly to an admiral, general or captain who has to decide whether or not to move a fleet, leave them in port, or send aircraft out of an airfield because they have certain limits they can fly under. It’s a major responsibility,” said Marburger.

While the METOC office works hard to provide reliable information for Lincoln, Marburger said they remain misunderstood by most Sailors.

“The differences between a meteorologist aboard a ship and the Channel 5 weatherman are many,” he insisted. “They are very much generalists. They understand what an ‘H’ and an ‘L’ mean on a chart; they understand how to draw a cold front, stuff like that. They get the basics of meteorology, but typically they tend to be journalists.”

Marburger said TV news forecasters are usually looking ahead to a five-day, work week forecast. He said they deal simply with questions concerning picnic planning and drive time conditions. Not only can METOC personnel provide those simple sorts of predictions, they can forecast how

- See METOC continued on page 153

The Maintenance Support Center (MSC) aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) plays a central role in the ship’s

Maintenance, Material and Management (3M) system.

Although there are only 12 Sailors in MSC, their responsibilities support all of Lincoln’s crew. Their mission is to minimize the workload on the entire ship by providing logistical and technical support to work centers, maintenance personnel and work center supervisors.

“We are the middle ground between the technician and supply. We carry 26,777 drawings on hand and about 60,000 drawings total of everything from electrical schematics, engineering systems and more,” explained Logistics Specialist 1st Class Jorge Cazares, one of MSC’s technical experts as well as the shop’s leading petty officer.

Billets assigned to MSC are filled by experts to support departments on board. These subject-matter experts have authority to add and delete parts from the shipboard allowance list and provide information about technical manuals, allotment part lists and allowance equipage lists.

“People come to us with questions about equipment because we’re the best of the best. We hold a lot of

responsibility, so we have to be dependent and reliable to answer anyone’s questions to help them do their jobs,” explained Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) 2nd Class George Coleman, MSC’s designated librarian.

MSC oversees and supports the configuration of more than 167,000 pieces of equipment aboard Lincoln. Due to the complexity of the ship’s maintenance system, the support center also determines equipment legality based on the Naval Ship’s Technical Manual.

With such a broad range of expertise, MSC plays a key role in many shipboard inspections. During Lincoln’s last 3M inspection, MSC provided logistical support and technical data to inspectors.

“The 3M inspectors make sure the ship’s preventative maintenance system (PMS) is being completed accordingly and they also look at technical drawings to ensure they are accurate. Without MSC, there wouldn’t be a department of experts who could take charge of the ship’s PMS; Sailors wouldn’t have a designated space to ask experts questions about maintenance or verify equipment,” said Cazares.

Although MSC may be hectic, the team feels a sense of gratification at the end of the day.

“Overall, we feel productive and we feel like we do something valuable for the ship,” said Cazares.

MSC: CritiCAl to linColn’S MAintenAnCeStory by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Naranjo

U.S. Navy photo by MCSN K. Ashley Lawrence

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Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Wade T. Oberlin

Ever wonder what it would be like to take a cruise on an aircraft carrier? What’s that? You say you’ve already had the

experience?While those of us assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln

(CVN 72) already have extensive knowledge of life at sea aboard the ship, not everyone gets to see Abe from the eyes of a distinguished visitor (DV).

DVs are typically wide-eyed civilians with their hands glued to point-and-shoot cameras. You may have caught glimpses of herds of them meandering through the hangar bay with child-like excitement, or possibly on the flight deck, anxiously awaiting launch and recovery operations.

Who are these visitors? Why do they come here for brief 24-hour stays, and what do they learn from their experience on board?

Since Lincoln has limited opportunities to accomodate guests, those who do make it out here are chosen by nomination and invitation and are usually community leaders likely to share the pride and professionalism of our ship and our Sailors with their peers. Doctors, lawyers, foreign nationals, educators, producers, musicians, military retirees and government contractors gather here for the majestic experience that makes for a full day on the Lincoln.

The DVs that visit Lincoln are a diverse bunch. Coming from around the world, these men and women in some way benefit our mission at sea. After accepting their

invitations to visit, these visitors are brought on board via carrier onboard delivery (COD) with instructions to bring spare changes of clothes, cameras, personal items and their imaginations.

Lincoln then provides the means for them to stay comfortably onboard during their short visit. All Lincoln divisions in some way provide for DVs, especially those working behind the scenes in Hotel Services, Wardroom Services, Ship’s Services, Media department and all divisions that give time to speak on their own behalf during shipboard tours.

“Having DVs on board is a great opportunity to show how a modern warship is run by the highly trained Sailors we employ,” said Ship’s Serviceman 2nd Class Anthony Palmer, the stateroom supervisor. “Personally, I also think it’s a good program to show people exactly what their tax dollars are going toward and how they directly affect our lives at sea.”

After visiting Lincoln’s various spaces, DVs see how Sailors live, eat and work at sea. The information they receive is plentiful and the time they have to take it all in is limited. When DVs eventually sit down to watch the COD safety brief before leaving the ship, they often report feeling exhausted but fulfilled.

The distinguished visitor program shows people how we live day-to-day. The program is designed to show them how we operate so they can better understand Navy life. The next time you see DVs, let them know who you are and what you represent here on Abraham Lincoln.

StrAngerS in A StrAnge lAnD: DvS on BoArD

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U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Jerine Lee

U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Travis Mendoza

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U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Brian Morales

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I LOVE FOOTBALL!!! I’m not afraid to say it, and if they’d let me, I’d talk about football every week. They won’t, though, but I’m happy for every chance I get. As we are only about a quarter of the way through the season, I’m going to talk about the most surprising teams and disappointing teams so far. I’m also going to talk about the best moments of the season so far, and then I’ll look ahead at what the season still has to offer. So without further ado, here we go!

nFl AnD nCAA FootBAll reviewStory by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zachary Hunt

NFLBiggest Surprise: If you had told me when the season began that Detroit would be one of the two unbeaten teams left in week five, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But here they are, with two come from behind wins against Minnesota and Dallas, along with two impressive victories against Tampa Bay and Kansas City. If Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, then I fully expect the Lions to make the

playoffs as a wildcard team.

Biggest Disappointment: Dallas is sitting at 2-2, but they are still the most disappointing team in my book. They have a wealth of talent, especially on offense, but they just continue to shoot themselves in the foot. I hate to put it all on one man, but let’s face it: Tony Romo always finds a way to lose the game. If the Cowboys want to return to the glory days, then Romo needs to step up or step off.

Greatest Moment So Far: The Bills’ come from behind win against the Pats was without a doubt the most epic moment of this season so far. While there were bigger rallies and more relevant wins, this was a game of great significance. Buffalo hadn’t beaten New England in their last 12 tries, and the fact that they overcame such a staggering margin to do it just proved that Buffalo is on the rise.

Looking Ahead: There are obviously many questions left to be answered at this point of the season. Detroit has a huge Monday night game against Chicago. We’ll see if they’re a legitimate threat in the

NFC North. Tampa beat Atlanta for the first time in two years. If they can do it again, they might rob Atlanta of a wildcard and even challenge New Orleans for the division championship.

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NCAABiggest Surprise: Clemson has come out with a vengeance this season, running all over the competition. They’ve already beaten Auburn and Virginia Tech, and it doesn’t look like they’ll face much of a challenge for the ACC. As long as they don’t fold under the pressure, they should run the table. Their late season match-up with South Carolina will be a must-watch game.

Biggest Disappointment: Even though they only have one loss, I think South Florida was derailed last Saturday. They were in great position to march onward to a Big East championship, but they got trounced by Pittsburgh. They looked absolutely overmatched and dejected in the second half of that game. The Bulls will definitely need to find their swagger again if they expect to make a run in the second half of the season.

Greatest Moment So Far: Some highly touted matches have proven to be busts. I still think the best overall moment of the year was Baylor knocking off TCU in the first week. That game was thrilling to the finish, and the best part of it was that no one was expecting it. Plus, no one expected the Bears to end up on the winning side, and we all know that America loves an underdog.

Looking Ahead: Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma are the teams to beat this year. The upcoming showdown between ‘Bama and LSU will be monumental, and is likely to decide

the SEC Championship. I have the Tide winning that game and going on to play Oklahoma in one of the best national championship games in history. This is a season, however, where winning out will be critical. If either of these teams stumble, they can kiss those big picture dreams goodbye.

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At 2:00 a.m., the morning begins for Lt. Jeff Storer, a helicopter pilot assigned to the

Saberhawks of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77.

After waking and donning his flight uniform, Storer heads to the wardroom to grab a cup of coffee before diving into the day’s early morning prep work.

By the time 3:00 a.m. rolls around, it’s time for the day’s mission brief. The events of the day ahead are covered during a mission overview for the various personnel that will be involved in a simulated Strait of Hormuz transit exercise. At roughly the same time, HSM 77 pilot Lt. Andy Poreda, a.k.a. “Rainman,” is just turning in for the night after landing back on the ship sometime around midnight. Poreda has been up in the air for some five hours conducting a separate training mission.

“There’s a wide variety of things we do as helicopter pilots, such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and search and rescue,” said Poreda. “It keeps things interesting.”

Helicopter pilots are tasked with a diverse range of missions at varying times on different days, requiring them to be very adaptive to an irregular sleep schedule.

“We can pretty much fly 24/7. As helicopter pilots, one of the big things that goes along with that is that I may not see other pilots from the squadron for days at a time,” Poreda said.

Poreda said he tries to sleep during the day as the opportunity presents itself. He said the squadron attempts to give its pilots eight hours of sleep per day as possible.

“But whether or not you get that on a carrier is up in the air,” added Poreda.

Story and photos by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Mason Campbell

A helo pilotSo while Poreda caught up on his

rest, Storer sat through the mission and safety briefs in the early hours of the morning. He said that while the briefs were lengthy, they were necessary to the completion of the Saberhawks’ mission.

“We make sure after the brief to communicate with everyone and discuss any questions we have and get everyone on the same page. In the event of an emergency, we’ll know what to expect from each other,” Storer said.

The pilots go through flight instructions and other pre-flight operations much the same way that other Sailors approach maintenance. They take their time to ensure that every step is performed as required knowing that the slightest error could result in a mishap or injury.

Following the briefs, the pilots and

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A helo pilot

assigned flight crew go up to the flight deck to inspect their helicopters with flashlights and conduct the physical pre-flight checks. They go over every nook and cranny to ensure absolute safety before the time comes to begin the mission. All the briefs, safety meetings and physical checks of their “birds” takes around five hours before the mission can begin.

“At that point, we’re ready for takeoff. Then there’s the slow, benign climb, not very aggressive at all,” said Poreda.

Now the mission is underway. Pilots communicate with the air traffic controllers back on the ship, monitoring each move involved with getting the helos in the air. Orientation, Poreda said, is the key word to remember when flying over the ocean. A pilot must keep his frame of reference and trust his instruments while in flight, especially at night.

“Once you get up in the air, things happen a lot quicker,” Storer said. “Communication is essential to safety.”

Poreda said the HSM 77 pilots always make sure they remain aware

of anything that might pose a potential risk to the operation during the flight.

In no time, the sky is bustling with MH-60R Seahawks carrying out their various individual missions. For this morning’s event, the mission is de-confliction. The helos are acting as a mobile barrier between surface contacts like the small boats Lincoln has encountered during past Strait of Hormuz crossings. Poreda said there will typically be at least one helicopter in the sky or on indefinite standby for future similar evolutions.

Helicopter squadron flight schedules are dissimilar to those of fixed-wing aircraft. The flexibility of helicopters offers agile landing and takeoff options for these pilots. However, with this advantage comes a drawback for the pilots. They must work around the rest of the show, and usually for longer periods of time.

“We’re the first ones to take off and the last ones to land,” said Storer. “It’s all very compressed on the timeline.”

Each fixed-wing flight cycle has a gap of an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and twenty minutes between cycles. Helicopter pilots must land

after the last fixed-wing recovery and take off again before the next fixed-wing launch.

“We come in and change crews and get gas in about fifteen to twenty minutes. That’s it,” Storer said. “If we can’t fit that into the timeframe and get off the flight deck, they have to shut us down.”

When the demanding simulated Strait of Hormuz evolution finally comes to an end, it’s time for Storer to debrief, wind down and hit the rack. And just as this mission comes to an end for one pilot, another is already beginning for Poreda, who is scheduled to take off later that day at 4:00 p.m. Poreda will debrief for his mission, receive a summary of everything that has happened, troubleshoot if needed and start discussing the beginnings of the next scenario on the schedule.

Ready to be called away at any time for anything from a rescue mission to a submarine threat, the pilots of HSM 77 train constantly for a variety of mission requirements. There’s always a portion of the team continuing the mission, keeping the birds in the sky.

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Story and photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zachary Welch

The crew of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) welcomed a young race car driver to the ship, Oct. 5.

Sixteen-year-old Zach Veach, who races for Andretti Autosport and develops apps for

the Android operating system, visited the ship with his father as part of a group of 16 distinguished visitors.

During the visit, Veach met Lincoln Commanding Officer Capt. John D. Alexander and toured the ship’s various spaces with Sailors from the ship’s Media department. Veach said that many features of the ship caught his interest, including the wardroom, flight deck and bridge.

“Growing up, I always played and envisioned myself as being in the military, so I came because I wanted to see how things work aboard an aircraft carrier,” he said. “After seeing everybody and all the individual factors that go into making the ship run, it’s quite an honor to just be here. It means a lot to me.”

Veach also said he respects Lincoln’s crew and appreciates their service to the country.

“In just the short time that I’ve been aboard, I’ve

really been impressed with how friendly and open all the Sailors have been,” said Veach. “You come into this situation with the notion that everyone is going to be rigid and not approachable. But in fact, it’s the opposite; you can really see first-hand that these men and women are really doing something with their lives that they believe in.”

Near the end of Veach’s group’s visit, Lincoln’s Executive Officer Capt. Timothy Kuehhas gathered all the distinguished visitors in one of the ship’s ready rooms to make them honorary naval aviators. Kuehhas explained the significance of call signs, explaining that the majority of the time, pilots earn their call signs when they make notable mistakes.

At the end of the visit, Veach said he was pleased with his visit.

“Riding aboard a carrier was something I wanted to do and was quite excited about doing,” he said. “It’s quite amazing out here. My main dream was always to be a race car driver. After seeing all that there is to see here, a jet plane is nothing more than a race car in the sky. I could definitely see myself as a Marine or Sailor in the future.”

linColn welCoMeS Young rACer For viSit

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MetoC(continued from page 3)

linColn welCoMeS Young rACer For viSit

weather patterns will affect a myriad of platforms including flight operations, special sea and anchor details, the ship’s ability to use its sensors and an enemy’s ability to use their sensors or engage us in battle.

As if fighting the weatherman misconceptions wasn’t enough, Marburger and other Navy meteorologists also have to live with the knowledge that weather forecasting is not a perfectionist’s field of study.

Marburger said the reality of the job is that, as a forecaster, he’s always going to be wrong about something or other. So the important fact to remember, he said, is to try and limit how much he’s wrong.

“There’s not a temperature read every ten feet all over the earth horizontally and vertically. Therefore, the errors start with the models we make. Our job as meteorologists is to beat the computers in what they’re saying. We try to limit that degree of error and give the most accurate forecast possible,” he said.

In order to learn from their less accurate forecasts, Marburger and the rest of his staff conduct shop meetings to review what did and didn’t work from the previous day to correct whatever errors might have been made.

“We take our job very, very seriously, and we want to make sure we’re making a difference to the ship and to the people on the ship that have jobs that are more difficult, more dangerous and harder than the job we do. So if we bust a forecast, we go through a detailed process of trying to look at what we were viewing and what we missed so we can correct those mistakes,” said Marburger.

Results from the Fiscal Year 2012 Selective Early Retirement Board have been approved and notifications are complete, according to NAVADMIN 295/11, released Oct. 4.

Board results are posted for individual access through BUPERS online accounts. In accordance with ALNAV 061/11, officers selected for early retirement have also been notified by letter routed via their immediate superior in command.

The FY-12 Selective Early Retirement Board (SERB) reviewed the records of active duty unrestricted line captains and commanders who met eligibility criteria outlined in NAVADMIN 006/11.

Navy convened the SERB after high retention, reduction in officer billets and low attrition among senior active duty unrestricted line officers resulted in an excess. The board was used as a force management measure to balance the force and ensure sufficient senior officers are available at the right times in their careers to

serve in critical fleet billets, according to the message.

Like the enlisted retention board and senior enlisted continuation board, SERB is a force-management tool to help the Navy meet its congressionally mandated end strength.

SERB complies with statutory requirements of Title 10, United States Code, Section 638 and conforms to Department of Defense Instruction 1332.32 and SECNAVINST 1420.1B as a means to manage officer strength excess.

Officers selected for early retirement are encouraged to participate in the Executive Transition Assistance Program.

For more information about the SERB, or to read the NAVADMINs, visit www.npc.navy.mil or contact NPC customer service center at 1-866-U-ASK-NPC or CSCmailbox@navy.mil.

For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.

From Navy Personnel Command Public AffairsnAvY releASeS SerB reSultS

U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Bill Paisley

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