WE ARE THE DECKPLATESStory and Photos by MC3 Linda S. Swearingen

continued on page 4

The Junior Enlisted Association (JEA) on board

the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is looking for highly motivated and enthusiastic Sailors to join its organization.

“The purpose of the JEA is to provide an atmosphere for every junior Sailor on board that meets their professional and personal goals,” said Legalman 2nd Class Pahl M. Sayeski, of Los Angeles,

JEA vice president. “It is driven by the unity of being among their peers so they can create a positive impact within their work center, the Nimitz and their local community.”

Sailors from ranks E-5 and below

April 10, 2013

Vol. 2 Issue 5

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. Gerald R. Beaman, visited the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) April 9 while the carrier strike group was underway for operations off the coast of California.

3rd fleet, arriving

Commanding OfficerCAPT Jeff S. RuthExecutive Officer

CAPT Buzz DonnellyCommand Master Chief

CMDCM Teri McIntyrePublic Affairs OfficerLCDR Karin Burzynski

EditorMC2 Glenn Slaughter

Lead DesignerMCSN Kole E. Carpenter

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All. submissions are subject to review and screening. “Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families. Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

SAILOR DAYOFTHE

A California City, Calif., native, now a Sailor on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), was named Sailor of

the Day, April 9.Hull Maintenance Technician Fireman Dennis

A. Nemeth performed his duties in a highly professional manner. He aggressively troubleshot and repaired a low point drain clog to group four of the countermeasure washdown systems in less than two hours. His technical expertise was vital in ensuring Nimitz completed the countermeasure washdown certification, allowing flight deck operations to commence in support of the 2013 deployment.

Additionally, Nemeth was responsible for the expeditious tracking, troubleshooting, and completion of more than 100 habitability trouble calls and 30 Automated Work Requests to the CHT

system, drastically reducing the impact on the quality of life to Nimitz Sailors.

“I’m kind of surprised,” said Nemeth. “I’m also glad that they picked someone from my shop because, with all our hard work, we deserve the spotlight every once in a while.”

Nemeth joined the Navy June 27, 2011 for a new beginning.

“I used to play baseball in college,” said Nemeth. “After I got injured, I couldn’t play anymore. That’s why I decided to joined the Navy.”

Nemeth hasn’t always been on track, but he is back on his feet and blazing the right trails.

“Get qualled and stay motivated,” said Nemeth. “I’ve been in trouble before, and it took a couple of months to find my motivation again and get back on track. The key is to stay positive and find good outlets to relieve stress.”

If Nemeth doesn’t make the Navy his career, he plans to return to college to play baseball and become a plumber.

Story and Photos by MC3 Vanessa David

Page 2

From West Orange, New Jersey, she has been a SAPR victim advocate for two months.

“When I was at my first command, I went through the training but they had a requirement that you had to be e5 and above,” said Knowlden.

When Knowlden found out that onboard Nimitz there is no pay grade requirement to become a SAPR victim advocate, she gladly became one because she wanted to help others.

A San Antonio native, she has been a SAPR victim advocate for ten years in the Navy, and knows the importance of staying collected when helping a victim.

“Sexual assaults happen and people aren’t always able to deal with the crisis right,” said Shackelford. “I like being level headed during a crisis and helping people through that.”

Shackelford enjoys being a SAPR victim advocate, and hopes the program will be passed down to new Sailors so that they still maintain a high level of standards for reporting and ensure that the victim is taken care of.

AO1 Jasmin Shackelford

AD3 Lelyn Knowlden

SAPRAdvocates

LE

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INTERVENE

SUPPORT

COMMIT

HEARTHEY YOU

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from every rate on board Nimitz are members of the JEA and it provides an opportunity for junior Sailors to network with other junior Sailors.

“The chiefs have the chief mess, the first classes have the first class mess, but the junior Sailors on board don’t really have a place to network,” said Sayeski. “So we are trying to create a place where E-5 and below can meet and network with each other for things such as ESWS and EAWS training, 3M and damage control qualifications.”

The JEA even has it’s own motto much like the chief’s mess on board Nimitz.

“Our new motto is ‘We Are the Deckplates’,” said Sayeski. “We are having coins made that say it.”

Members of the JEA are planning on bringing events to Nimitz during the upcoming deployment to keep the crew motivated.

“We do a lot of COMSERVES [community service projects] in our homeport of Everett,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Jennifer R. Cruz, of El Paso, Texas, a JEA member. “During deployment we plan on doing a lot of activities like bingo nights, karaoke and dodgeball.”

Besides being an E-5 or below Sailor, there are only two requirements for joining the JEA: pay the yearly $20 dues and to attend at least three meetings every quarter.

“The JEA meets twice a month which makes it easy to attend the mandatory three meetings a quarter,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Jared J. Whitefield, of London, JEA president.

Besides participating in the various events the JEA

puts on, there are other benefits to joining the JEA. “It gives the junior enlisted something else to focus

on while out to sea,” said Whitefield. “It gives them something to focus on besides work.”

Sailors who are interested in joining the JEA are encouraged to attend a JEA meeting or to contact a member of the JEA for more information.

“The chiefs have the chief mess, the first classes have the first class mess...So we are trying to create a place where E-5 and below can meet...”

-Sayeski

continued from page 1

Page 4

Citing a series of technological breakthroughs, Navy leaders announced plans Apr. 8 at the

Sea-Air-Space exposition to deploy for the first time a solid-state laser aboard a ship in fiscal year 2014.

“Our directed energy initiatives, and specifically the solid-state laser, are among our highest priority science and technology programs.

The solid-state laser program is central to our commitment to quickly deliver advanced capabilities to forward-deployed forces,” Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder said. “This capability provides a tremendously affordable answer to the costly problem of defending against asymmetric threats, and that kind of innovative approach is crucial in a fiscally constrained environment.”

The announcement to deploy the laser onboard USS Ponce (AFSB[I] 15) comes as Navy researchers continue to make significant progress on directed energy weapons, allowing the service to deploy a laser weapon on a Navy ship two years ahead of schedule.

The at-sea demonstration in FY 14 is part of a wider portfolio of near-term Navy directed energy programs that promise rapid fielding, demonstration and prototyping efforts for shipboard, airborne and ground systems.

“Our conservative data tells us a shot of directed energy costs under $1,” Klunder said. “Compare

Above: The Laser Weapon System (LaWS) temporarily installed aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) in San Diego, Calif., is a technology demonstrator built by the Naval Sea Systems Command from commercial fiber solid state lasers, utilizing combination methods developed at the Naval Research Laboratory.

Navy Leaders Announce Plans for Deploying Cost-Saving Laser Technology

that to the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs to fire a missile, and you can begin to see the merits of this capability.”

“The future is here,” said Peter A. Morrision, program officer for ONR’s Sold-State Laser Technology Maturation Program. “The solid-state laser is a big step forward to revolutionizing modern warfare with directed energy, just as gunpowder did in the era of knives and swords.”

Officials consider the solid-state laser a revolutionary technology that gives the Navy an extremely affordable, multi-mission weapon with a deep magazine and unmatched precision, targeting and control functions. Because lasers run on electricity, they can be fired as long as there is power and provide a measure of safety as they don’t require carrying propellants and explosives aboard ships.

“We expect that in the future, a missile will not be able to simply outmaneuver a highly accurate, high-energy laser beam traveling at the speed of light,” Klunder said.

For more information, go to Navy.mil.

FUTURE WEAPON

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Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Rodneika Byrd lays out line.

Aviation Electrician’s Mate Airman Mathew Hanck inspects a landing gear switch on an F/A-18C Hornet.

PLATESdECkaround the

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