Arguably the best view on the ship belongs to Primary Flight Control where Aviation

Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 2nd Class Rachel Brunmeier acts as the Tower Supervisor.

Brunmeier, a native of Moreno Valley, Calif., checked on board Nimitz in June 2008 and originally worked in V-2 as an ABE with the “Bow Cats.” After about a year and a half, she was sent to the wardroom as a food service attendant.

“I believe I just got lucky and happened to be in the right place at the right time,” said Brunmeier. “The

current Air Boss at the time happened to be talking about Pri-Fly to my divisional officer and about how they were lacking bodies up there. I just happened to be walking by when the Air Boss asked me where I worked and if I would like to come up and work in Pri-Fly.”

Not knowing exactly what Pri-Fly really was, her curiosity got the best of her.

“The moment I stepped inside and saw how beautiful the view was, I knew I wanted to work there,” said Brunmeier.

May 9, 2013 Vol. 2 Issue 21

Story and Photos by MC3 Chris Bartlett

WINDOW TOTHE

DAILY DIGEST

Continued on page 4

ASAN Samuel WootenAT3 Anthony Williams

Story and Photo by MCSN Nathan McDonald

Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Samuel E. Wooten, of Mount Shasta, Calif., was

named Sailor of the Day May 8 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Wooten performed 85 night time launch and recovery evolutions of four Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 MH-60R aircraft while leading seven junior Sailors in the completion of more than 70 daily and turnaround inspections.

“This came as a surprise, actually,” said Wooten. “It’s cool.”

Wooten’s leadership is credited with contributing to the completion of 74 sorties totaling 289 flight hours, the qualification of seven flight deck observers four Plane Captains, two Landing Signal Enlisted and three support equipment operators.

“My motivation is just the fact that I want to rank up,” said Wooten. “I want to rank up as fast as possible.”

Story by MC3 Chris BartlettPhoto by MCSN Nathan McDonald

Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Anthony Williams was named Sailor of the

Day May 7 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

As Line Shift Supervisor for Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, Williams trained and mentored more than 20 personnel resulting in the qualification of five Plane Captains, eight break riders, eight intake duct divers and eight aircraft move directors.

Additionally, he contributed to the flawless execution of more than 100 turnaround inspections and more than 250 mishap-free flight hours.

Finally, his stellar mentorship of all Line Division trainees and creation of tailored, individualized training plans allowed the Black Knights to produce the highest quality Plane Captains in preparation for the squadron’s 2013 combat deployment.

William’s initiative, loyalty, and total devotion are in keeping with the Navy’s highest tradition.

Commanding OfficerCAPT Jeff S. RuthExecutive Officer

CAPT Buzz DonnellyCommand Master Chief

CMDCM Teri McIntyrePublic Affairs OfficerLCDR Karin Burzynski

EditorMC2 (SW) Jason Behnke

Lead DesignerMC3 George J. Penney III

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

Page 2

Three Sailors on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) were recently awarded Space and Naval Warfare Systems

Command (SPAWAR) coins.Information Systems Technician (IT) 3rd Class

Ryan W. Barnard, of San Diego; IT2 John M. Loeffler, of Robertsdale, Ala.; and IT2 James R. Neff, of Vancouver, Wash., were awarded SPAWAR coins April 10.

“SPAWAR does research and development for all branches of the military,” said Barnard, an IT in CS-5 (combat systems five). “Anything that is up and coming in the military, they have their hands in it.”

Capt. John Robey, Program Manager, Fleet Support Program, SPAWAR Fleet Readiness Directorate, awarded the three ITs the coins in recognition of their technical expertise.

“The SPAWAR command consists of mostly civilians, but is run by the Navy,” said Loeffler,

an information assurance officer (IAO) in CS-2. “They provide updates to us on how our systems are run and how to protect them from hackers or cyber attacks.”

According to Neff, a communication watch officer (CWO) in CS-1, the SPAWAR representatives came on board Nimitz to work on the ship’s SPAWAR equipment and to perform updates.

“I got awarded the SPAWAR coin for my assistance with fixing the IT equipment we have on board that deals with SPAWAR,” said Neff.

The SPAWAR representatives initially came from San Diego to Nimitz to observe first hand how the updates they installed during the ship’s dry dock period in its homeport of Everett, Wash., were complying since their assessment during COMPTUEX.

“It was a big deal to be given the coins,” said Loeffler. “It was a lot of recognition to our shop. It’s good to get a little recognition for what you’ve done. Part of the recognition is due to the hard work of the other IAOs who I work with in CS-2.”

Story and Photos by MC3 Linda S. Swearingen

DEVELOPINGEXCELLENCE

Page 3

The next thing she knew, she was transferred to V-5 and has been there ever since.

“I worked my way up from having no qualifications to becoming the Tower Supervisor which is the highest you can go,” said Brunmeier. “I don’t know if anyone will ever get as lucky as I did as to how I got to work in Pri-Fly but when we do need more bodies, we only recruit people from Air Department.”

As the Tower Supervisor, her job is to make sure the Tower runs smoothly, professionally and, most importantly, she makes sure the Air and Mini Boss are happy.

She also ensures that everything is in working order, because every piece of equipment supports flight operations.

“It is my job to make sure I know all of the equipment we use inside and out so I can verify it is working properly,” said Brunmeier.

Making sure that the entire crew is properly trained and qualified for their specific watch station is also her responsibility.

“I should always have the full knowledge of each watch station so I can answer any and all questions that may arise,” said Brunmeier.

Primary Flight Control’s mission is to support the Air and Mini Boss and act as safety observers for the flight deck.

“Since we are located on the O10 level and

have the biggest windows on the ship, we can see everything that happens on the flight deck, and it’s our job to stay vigilant in pointing out any potential safety hazards that others might not be able to see,” said Brunmeier.

Pri-Fly works on a flight to flight schedule which means if there is a flight plan scheduled then they will be working.

“It is important for us to be able to stay alert even during the long hours since safety of the flight deck is of the upmost importance,” said Brunmeier.

She has never been a fan of being cooped up in a room with no windows so working in Pri-Fly has been a dream come true.

“Getting to come to work and see the ocean and the sun shining every day makes me extremely grateful and privileged to work up here,” said Brunmeier.

Along with the incredible view, she enjoys the people she is surrounded by that make her job a positive experience.

“The Air and Mini Boss are really down to earth officers and really set the mood for the tower,” said Brunmeier. “They keep it professional but also like to listen to music and joke around with us, which makes it a really enjoyable environment to work in.”

This will be her third deployment in the five years she has been in the Navy and she will soon be up for shore duty.

“I realize this will be my last time going out to sea for the next three years so it really makes me appreciate being out here,” said Brunmeier. “You get to see different parts of the world on these deployments, so it really makes it worthwhile. I love being able to go home and share sea stories with my friends and family.”

She will be enrolling in classes to continue her education in psychology and law once she gets to her shore command.

“That’s why I reenlisted for shore duty, so I can focus on school and getting as much as I can done,” said Brunmeier.

When the day comes for Brunmeier to get out,

Continued from page 1

ABE2 Rachel Brunmeier

Page 4

and that date is still up in the air, she wants to make sure she is stable and has a solid plan.

“My plan is to be a rep for the disabled because both my parents are disabled, and I have seen them struggle a lot because of people taking advantage of them,” said Brunmeier.

Growing up as an only child, she took on a lot of responsibility helping her parents.

“When I was little I was hooking up the lights in the house, and I would do a lot of the work they needed help with,” she said. “I didn’t mind it, its just how I grew up.”

You can easily make a case that the strong

qualities she possesses today are because of her upbringing.

Brunmeier not only has a great view from the tower but also where she stands with her future while in the Navy and when she gets out.

Those who would like to see the best view on the ship are encouraged to take that climb up to the O10 level to Pri-Fly.

“We love what we do up here and we always encourage everyone to come up and get a little taste of flight operations from our point of view,” said Brunmeier. “We are always happy to give tours and answer any questions you may have.”

Page 5

AROUNDDECK PLATES

Photos by

MC3 Raul Moreno(Top)

MCSN Derek Harkins(Bottom Left)

MC2 (SW) Andrew Jandik(Bottom Right)

THE

A Marine assigned to the Death Rattlers of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323 observes flight operations on the flight deck.

A hose team performs a firefighting exercise during a mass casualty drill in the hangar bay.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EOD) prepares to be recovered after a fast rope exercise aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Preble (DDG 88).

Page 6

Channel 7Channel 6

1000 / 2200Hugo

1200 / 0000The Big

Year

1400 / 0200

The THreeMusketeers

1600 / 0400Puss inBoots

1800 / 0600

JackandJill

0800 / 2000

Adventuresof

Tin Tin

Channel 5 Channel 29

The Artist

JoyfulNoise

Jerry Maguire

Akeelahand the

Bee

The RumDiary

My WeekWith

Marilyn

The Grey

Men in Black

Womanin

Black

Contraband

12 Rounds

Top Gun Marvel’sThe

Avengers

Taken 2

Life of Pi

The Town

TheGreenZone

MissionImpossible

3

02 - AFN News 03 - AFN Xtra 04 - AFN Sports 05 - 8MM Movies 06 - 8MM Movies 07 - 8MM Movies 08 - ROLLER 09 - NTV 10 - FLIGHT DECK 11 - CNN 29 - DVD MOVIES 30 - DVD MOVIES

TV

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Lockout

The HungerGames

ThinkLike AMan

A ThousandWords

Diary OfA MadBlack

Woman

Channel 30