The Carl Vinson Voice is an internal document produced by and for the crew of the USS Carl Vinson and their families. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government or the Departments of Defense or

the Navy and do not imply any endorsement thereby.

Story by MC2 Byron C. LinderUSS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

VOL 1 / NO 50 December 9, 2010

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kevin Harbach

Two days ago, Carl Vinson Sailors commenced the morning with an acknowledgement of a watershed event in world history which transpired 69 years ago; the Japanese Imperial Navy’s attack on America’s Pearl Harbor, Hawaii naval base.

Over 2,400 Americans were killed and over 1,100 wounded in the attack, which sank four U.S. Navy battleships and damaged four more. The attack also damaged 188 aircraft. The following day, the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt stated the Pearl Harbor attack was “a date which will live in infamy” in his speech to Congress.

Executive Officer Cmdr. Putnam Browne spoke on the ship’s 1MC before the day’s work began to urge Vinson to remember and honor the Sailors killed in the attack throughout the day.

Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Clarence Thompkins, an Oakland, Calif. native assigned

See PEARL HARBOR` page 2

Carl Vinson Voice2

Publisher Capt. Bruce H. Lindsey

Commanding Officer

Executive Editors Lt. Cmdr. Erik Reynolds

Public Affairs Officer

Lt. Erik Schneider Deputy Public Affairs Officer

Managing Editor MC2 Ashley Van Dien

Photo Editor MC2 Adrian White

Layout and DesignMC3 Jessica Robertson

Staff Writers/Photographers

MC2(SW) James EvansMC2 Byron Linder

MC3 Jessica RobertsonMCSN Kevin HarbachST

AFF

It was a rallying cry to our nation that we had to do something, and we did, rallying the world around us,” said West.

West emphasized the importance of remembering history to guide the present.

“While Tom Brokaw has talked about that day as representative of America’s greatest generation, we are America’s next greatest generation, and we must keep that legacy alive,” he said.

Religious Programs Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Jesse Seward, a Phoenix, Ariz. native assigned to Vinson’s Religious Ministries Department, explained how the sacrifices made in Pearl Harbor made the modern Navy stronger.

“This gives me something to fight for. This gives us more motivation if something comes up again,” he said “We know what to do, and we can defend ourselves.”

Carl Vinson Voice2

to Carl Vinson’s Combat Systems department, explained the significance to the Navy history.

“It was a great loss to our Navy, and we take it for granted sometimes, what those in the past have fought for. I hope people look at this and fight even harder for our country. This attack was directed toward the Navy. It was unexpected, but we went ahead and won the good fight,” he said.

Lt. Cmdr. James West, one of three Carl Vinson chaplains, held a memorial service in the ship’s chapel to encourage a strong focus on remembering how their predecessors’ sacrifice created an influential global-level response.

“People didn’t know where (Pearl Harbor) was, and the Navy was there.

`PEARL HARBOR` Cont.

Lt. J.G. Dennis Pelina and Ship’s Serviceman 3rd Class Tyriek Lyons run to clear the danger area after attaching cargo to the underside of an SH-60B Seahawk on the flight deck during a vertical replenishment at sea with the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Yukon (T-AO 202). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans.

3December 9, 2010

With more and more effort being made to streamline the modern Navy and maximize the lifespan of existing resources, Carl Vinson’s Electrical Motor Rewind (EMR) shop, of Engineering Department E-Division, provides a valuable service to the ship by extending the life of a wide variety of shipboard motors.

Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class (SW) Patrick Bryant, a Nashville, Tenn. native and electrical motor rewinder, explained the process of rewinding a motor requiring clockwork precision. Ten steps must be taken to prepare the motor to receive new parts, totaling over two days worth of work. Creating and installing the new parts, along with sealing and testing the motor, said Bryant, consumes a rewinder’s work week.

“It’s a long process. When a motor’s burned up, it’s not going to be back up in 24 hours. It takes a week to rewind a motor, depending on our backlog,” Bryant said.

The appealing cost benefit of rewinding a motor versus purchasing a new one, explained Bryant, adds up to thousands of dollars saved on board Vinson with every rewind.

“A brand new motor can cost from $1,500 to $30,000. Rewinding will cost about half that, so we save the Navy and the Vinson a lot of money, over a couple thousand dollars per motor after everything’s said and done,” said Bryant.

The EMR shop provides a variety of services beyond resurrecting shipboard ventilation motors and other vital equipment.

“We work dawn to dusk with at least 10 trouble calls per day. We work on tag-outs, and train other departments on tag-outs or anything electrical. We take care of all Engineering, and we’re centrally located so everybody comes to see us,” explained Bryant.

The busy schedule fits Bryant’s mentality well, he said.

“We’re a trouble call shop. I don’t like sitting around, and if we didn’t have trouble calls, we’d probably hate that. The day goes by a whole lot faster when you’re getting work done,” Bryant said.

Despite being the lone dedicated motor rewinder, Bryant made a point of acknowledging the experience present on board Vinson.

“We have three rewinders aboard, with one TAD and one as a work center supervisor. But there’s people on board that have rewound motors before that can show you what needs to be done. Everyone works and does their part. We may need someone to tag out so someone else can work on equipment or vice versa.”

The five-week Electrical Motor Rewind Course Bryant attended in Norfolk, Va. gave him the baseline to build his valuable skill set.

“We learned how to make coils, rewind motors,

Rewind Shop Keeps Carl Vinson MovingStory by MC2 Byron C. LinderUSS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Patrick Bryant, native and electrical motor rewinder, uses a grinder to prepare motor coils for stripping. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Byron C. Linder.

rip them apart right way, and take readings. A lot of knowledge that goes into that. You have to bake it the right way, dip it the right way, lay coils the right way, and hook up connections. It’s tedious and time consuming, but anyone can learn it,” he said.

Bryant readily acknowledged Vinson provided a perfect platform to put his newly-learned skills to work.

“I’m more of a visual person. There’s only so much you can get out of a book. Once I’m actually there seeing someone do it, or doing it myself, that’s when it clicks.”

Vinson’s EMR provides an ideal ground for education in a valuable trade, Bryant said.

“As far as working with electricity every day, everything today is electrical. Being an electrician, you learn a trade and have the skills for a decent job you can use anywhere,” he said.

Carl Vinson Voice4

of command ombudsman in June 2010. She commented on how being married to a Sailor

“[Before he was on the ship], I knew the basic stuff, like how to read an LES (Leave and Earnings Statement), but I had no idea what DESRON (Destroyer Squadron) was or did, and I didn’t know air wings were a permanent fixture on the ship,” Berensen revealed. “I had no idea how the air and surface community worked. Now I’ve learned how the ship really operates and how my role as an ombudsman fits that operation. I feel I benefit from his knowledge greatly.”

Berensen chose to be a command ombudsman out of a love for the Navy, and a desire to give back to the naval community.

“I wanted to do something that would benefit others and use my experiences throughout the years to help a young spouse. If at the end of my tour as ombudsman I have made a difference in just one other person’s life, then I have accomplished my goal.”

Berensen’s husband began his career as an enlisted Sailor, and Berensen said being familiar with the enlisted and officer communities allows her to do her job better. And it’s a job that Berensen and fellow ombudsman Harris are very good at, said Vinson’s Command Master Chief (CMDCM) April Beldo.

“Much of our success is tied directly to the work they do supporting our Navy families,” said Beldo. “They provide a very valuable link between the command and our loved ones, and they’re very good about providing feedback when there’s an issue that needs to be addressed.”

Berensen shared her feelings on being a link between Sailors and their families.

“I feel extremely honored to know that I play an intricate part in keeping [families] connected to their Sailors. I am so proud to be a part of team Carl Vinson. I’ve grown very fond of the command leadership and I’m amazed at all the support I’ve received since becoming an ombudsman,” she said.

The respect Berensen has received from Vinson’s chain of command is mutual, said Beldo.

“Our ombudsmen are amazing. They don’t get paid and they never ask for credit, but they are the backbone for our families while we are away.”

For useful information visit www.vinsonombudsman.tumblr.com, and to contact your command ombudsmen, call Jennifer Berensen at 619-301-4806, email Vinson.ombudsman8@gmail.com, or Vonda Harris, 619-301-4742, email Vinson.ombudsman7@gmail.com

Story by MC3 Jessica RobertsonUSS Carl Vinson Staff Writer

VINSON families have been building up to this for months. Workshops, pre-deployment briefs and countless reminders from the chain of command have helped our loved ones prepare for the kind of separation that comes along with a deployment. But there is a small group of volunteers who are in place for those times when even the most prepared family member may need a helping hand.

Carl Vinson has two ombudsmen in place with three others who have been recently appointed and are in the training pipeline. Their role is to provide a direct link between families and the command. They offer information and valuable resources for the education and empowerment of Sailors and their families. Most importantly, all of that is done with compassion, and is accomplished in confidentiality when necessary.

“It’s my honor as an ombudsman to provide an empathetic heart and to assess a situation quickly to provide the best support in order to resolve a family’s issues, no matter how big or small,” said Jennifer Berensen, one of the two Vinson ombudsmen.

Berensen and her counterpart, Vonda Harris, take their jobs very seriously. Berensen urges Sailors and their families to not discuss the ship’s movement or port calls or list deployment dates on their Facebook, Myspace or Twitter accounts.

Berensen added she and Harris are happy to help families with any concerns or issues, day or night.

“Each request we are asked to fulfill is important to the mission here at home,” said Berensen. “The job of an ombudsman doesn’t end at a certain time of the day. We’re available to the families 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Berensen explains why command ombudsmen are so important.

“We are the families’ voices,” she said. “We, the command ombudsmen, can give them the right guidance and voice their concerns to the command. It allows the families that are left behind to know that even though they stay behind, they’re not forgotten. They, too, have a chain of command, and we have their best interests at heart.”

Berensen’s been married to Lt. Dane Berensen, Vinson’s Electronic Warfare Officer, for 18 years. They’ve been assigned to Carl Vinson since February 2009. Berensen took on the role

Vinson Ombudsmen Link Sailors with Home

5December 9, 2010

Carl Vinson family members gathered at Sea World San Diego on December 4th to enjoy a picnic lunch and a day at the park

Therese Guinane, Fun Boss aboard Carl Vinson, explained the importance of the event’s timing. “It was an annual party. We try to do an event for the crew every winter. This year being deployed, the week after we wanted to get the families’ minds off their loved ones being gone. It was free to come out, and we had a picnic lunch, face painting, and a day at the park.”

Guinane expressed her appreciation for the extremely high turnout.“We were expecting between three and four hundred families and we ended up with over 600. Everyone was excited. The venue and type of event was more well-recieved than we thought it would be.”

The Carl Vinson Command Ombudsman have been asked to contribute to the Vinson Voice while the crew is on deployment. We feel very honored to be able to address such a large group of supporters during this challenging, yet amazing, time onboard the USS Carl Vinson.

This week we would like to just check in with you and see how you are holding up? If you didn’t already know this, the USS Carl Vinson command ombudsmen have sailors aboard the ship as well. We experience the same emotions as you. We struggle as we

become adjusted to the new schedule for our families, we struggle with the lack of communication with our Sailors and we struggle with running a household on our own. Please do not feel alone! As time moves forward those struggles start to diminish and we find a solid routine. We encourage you to get plugged in. Volunteer your time in an area that brings you joy, go back to school or just take some time out for yourself over the next few months. Deployments can be difficult, but if you surround yourself with a positive and uplifting support system you will

be able to focus on the great things that a deployment can bring for those of us here at home.

As the weeks pass and we contribute more articles to the Vinson Voice we will focus on things that will be of great benefit to you. We will do our best to give you a solid foundation in making this deployment a time of empowerment and motivation. If you have anything that you would like the command ombudsman to touch base on please feel free to send us your suggestions to the ombudsman website. We will try our best to fit the needs of the families that are supporting the mission here at home.

As always it is our honor to serve you, the families and friends of the USS Carl Vinson!

Jennifer Berensenwww.vinsonombudsman.tumblr.com

Greetings Carl Vinson Families,

U.S. Navy photo layout by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Byron C. Linder

Carl Vinson Voice6

AS3 Shane FritzAviation Support Equipment Technician 3rd

Class Shane Fritz is the Gold Eagle of the Day for 2 Dec. He took ownership of an aircraft spotting dolly that had been down since February. After six hours troubleshooting, he was able to isolate the problem, make repairs, and bring the dolly to a “Ready for Issue” status, while simultaneously providing “by the book” OJT to five Sailors on troubleshooting, repair and upkeep of the aircraft tow tractor.

Deckplate Dialogues“What are your goals for deployment?”

“I want to get my other pin (ESWS) and hopefully learn more

about ship supply.”Logistics Specialist 2nd Class (AW)

Arthur Simpson

“I want to save a lot of money out to sea, hit some cool ports and

see my family when we pull in.”Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling)

Airman Ricardo Soria

“I want to earn my wings and take some NCPACE courses.”Aviation Electronics Technician Airman

Michael Clarke