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FROM THE EDITOR

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Lincoln receivesNey Award

Photos of theWeek

The life of an ET aboard Lincoln

Well, shipmates, that makes two port visits in the books, and this deployment keeps chugging along. So shake the camel hair out of your jeans, set yourself a target date for earning your next warfare device, and get back to work.

It seems like some of the shops on Big Abe never stop working, though. When does Supply dept. find the time to stop everything and win another Ney Award for excellence? Do the ETs ever find time to sleep or rest at all?

Let’s get out there and try to keep busy by following the excellent examples these shops are setting for the rest of us. Trust me, this deployment will seem to just fly right by the harder you work and the more you achieve.

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Abraham Lincoln Visits BahrainThe aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)

departed Bahrain, Feb. 5, following a four-day port visit.

While in Bahrain, Abraham Lincoln hosted a reception and Sailors participated in Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR)-sponsored tours and volunteered for several community relations events (COMRELs).

“It’s always good for the crew to take a few days to relax in port and recharge their batteries,” said Capt. John D. Alexander, Lincoln’s commanding officer. “Our Sailors do outstanding work when we’re out to sea, so it’s important they get the opportunity to take a break, see new places and experience a wide range of cultures with our partners in the region.”

Abraham Lincoln hosted a pierside reception for U.S. and partner nation dignitaries and distinguished guests, Feb. 2, including Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

Sailors assigned to Abraham Lincoln and guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) experienced the local culture by partaking in MWR tours and events, including guided tours to Bahrain’s Grand Mosque and the Tree of Life. Crew members also swam with dolphins, fished and raced go-carts.

“I really loved swimming with the dolphins,” said

Aviation Maintenance Administrationman Airman Larry R. Manning. “It’s always been a dream of mine, and it’s finally happened.”

Engineman Fireman Alisha K. Owens said she appreciated the opportunity to visit with the locals and participate in a COMREL at the Kingdom of Bahrain Filipino Women’s Club.

“It’s a wonderful thing that we had time to give back to the community,” Owens said. “We were only there for a short time, and it really shows that-no matter where we are-we can lend a helping hand.”

Bahrain marks the second port visit of Abraham Lincoln’s 2012 deployment following a visit to Pattaya, Thailand. The ship departed Everett, Wash., Dec. 7, on a cruise that will take the ship around the world and to its new homeport of Norfolk, Va.

Lincoln and Cape St. George are part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ALCSG), which also includes embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 and Destroyer Squadron 9, comprised of guided-missile destroyers USS Momsen (DDG 92) and USS Sterett (DDG 104). ALCSG is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Story by MCSN Zachary Welch

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The Navy announced Lincoln has been selected as the 2012 Edward F. Ney Memorial Award for outstanding food service for the category of aircraft carriers, Feb. 3.

Last October, Ney officials visited various food services locations aboard Lincoln in order to evaluate the division’s efficiency, safety, accuracy, management and budgeting skills. A short time after the inspection, the Navy announced the ship had been selected as a finalist in the carrier class award category.

The Ney Memorial Awards Program is co-sponsored by the Secretary of the Navy and the Internal Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA) to recognize quality food and customer service at both shore and afloat commands. The goal of the award is to improve the quality of life for Navy personnel.

First place winners and runners up are scheduled to be recognized during an IFSEA conference, March 31, in San Diego. Awards will be presented during the joint military and IFSEA excellence in food service awards ceremony that evening.

This year marks the fifth time that Lincoln has won the Ney award, also winning in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2009. Lincoln was runner up in 1999 and 2006.

Knowing the difficulty of winning the award, Lincoln’s crew understands the privilege of being recognized.

“It was an honor just to be nominated,” said Senior Chief Culinary Specialist Philip Sannicolas. “And winning shows that our team really has the passion to do this on a daily basis.”

The award is named for Capt. Edward Francis Ney, an enlisted Sailor during World War I who later earned his commission as a supply officer. His work resolving difficulties within the military’s food service industry during World War II contributed to a higher standard of rationing in the Navy.

“The Ney Award is awarded to the best of the best, but it’s not only a competition,” said Chief Warrant Officer David Webb, a Ney inspector. “It’s a guideline for everyday business about the mess decks.”

Sannicolas said the award was made possible by the support of the command and the hard work of the ship’s Food Services personnel.

“We were nominated for our dedication to food service for the ship’s crew each day,” said Sannicolas. “All of our hours of hard work in preparation for the assessment paid off.”

Story by MCSN Sean Hillier

Lincoln Wins the

2012 Ney AwardAbe receives award for supply excellence, food service

U.S. Navy photo MC3 Jerine Lee

U.S. Navy photo MCSN Sean Hillier

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U.S. Navy photo MC3 Jerine Lee

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The Maintenance department of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2, the “Bounty Hunters,” kept the jets in full mission capable status as they flew

training operations in the Arabian Gulf, Jan. 28.VFA 2 is one of nine squadrons in Carrier Air Wing

(CVW) 2, embarked on Abraham Lincoln, which as a whole is preparing for flight operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

“During the transit, VFA-2’s maintenance team continued to groom the jets for operations in any area of responsibility to support major combat operations by maintaining their assets in full mission capable status,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rich Silva, the squadron’s maintenance officer.

After the transit to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), it was business as usual; CVW 2 began a full cycle of flight days. The maintenance team met new challenges with full back-to-back fly days, which put a lot of stress on the aircraft. Despite the demands, VFA-2’s maintenance team worked hard to keep the aircraft in flying condition.

Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Richard Landweer, the Bounty Hunters’ maintenance control master chief petty officer, said “the entire maintenance department really stepped up, providing quick turnarounds between flights to address maintenance issues discovered in-flight.”

Story by Lt. Mitch Cole

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VAW-116 Conducts Change of CommandCarrier Airborne Early Warning

Squadron (VAW) 116 held a change of command ceremony

Feb. 6 while deployed with USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

Cmdr. Paul M. Dale relieved Cmdr. N. H. Duong as commanding officer.

The ceremony took place airborne with a symbolic lead change. The lead change represents the passing of responsibility of the flight from one aircraft to another and involved three aircraft, including two E-2C Hawkeyes and one F/A-18C Super Hornet flown by Capt. David Silkey, commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2.

Duong assumed command of VAW-116 on Nov. 9, 2010. During his tour, the Sun Kings completed a transition from the E-2C Hawkeye

2000 to the glass cockpit CNS/ATM variant and deployed twice to the 7th and 5th Fleet areas of responsibility (AOR) with CVW-2, while attached to the Lincoln. Duong received transfer orders to Navy Air and Missile Defense Command in Dahlgren, Va.

“During my time as CO of this squadron, I have witnessed the hard work and selfless dedication by the Sailors in my command,” said Duong. “It has been an honor and privilege for me to serve my nation, as we worked together to do our part to defend freedom. I wish the Sun Kings the best during the rest of deployment and beyond.”

Dale, now the 38th commanding officer of the Sun Kings, most recently served at Headquarters U.S. Northern

Command prior to his assignment as Executive Officer of VAW-116. A native of Minneapolis, Minn., Dale graduated from the University of Michigan in 1994.

“VAW-116 is in a great position to continue its success,” said Dale. “We have several challenges ahead of us during the remainder of this deployment, but they are challenges that we will face as a team. I will strive to uphold the same standards of excellence that our Sun King Sailors have so greatly embodied.”

Previous assignments include: USS Lake Erie (CG-70), VAW-112, Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), and a department head tour at VAW-116.

Story by Lt. Blake A. Baccigalopi

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VAW-116 Conducts Change of Command

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Images of the WeekUSS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)

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U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Wade T. Oberlin

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U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Benjamin Liston

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U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Wade T. Oberlin

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There is a plethora of communications equipment aboard Abraham Lincoln, from satellite communication gear to line-of-sight radios, a variety that allows the ship to accomplish all of our communication needs. When the commanding officer needs to talk to the CO of another ship, if the

air boss needs to talk directly to the pilots during flight operations or if two Sailors need to talk to each other on different levels of the ship, the electronics technicians (ETs) make that all possible.

Unlike many other departments on the ship, ETs do not have a set workspace--all the communication equipment they work on is housed in different locations throughout the ship.

While the day-to-day work performed by Lincoln’s ETs may go largely unnoticed by most Abe Sailors, from the flight deck to the mess decks, to anywhere you can find Sailors having trouble with their shipboard communication devices, you are sure to find an ET doing some troubleshooting.

Electronics Technician 2nd Class Scott Freeman, of Combat Systems’ CS-9 division, said that ETs can go anywhere and can be attached to various units and commands.

“For our rate, we go everywhere and anywhere,” he said. “You’ll see us in port on top of the island, crawling across the yardarms looking for loose screws and bolts, working on the ship’s main antennas ... or we’ll be up on the signal bridge talking to the air boss. We really are everywhere.”

Freeman explained that because the equipment ETs work on is housed in such a wide variety of spaces, ETs must always remain flexible, on call to be anywhere and everywhere at once. Any place power is applied and circuits are used, ETs can be found. Anywhere people communicate, an ET is never far away.

The job of an ET is not an easy one, Freeman said. A lot of Sailors’ everyday tasks are aided by equipment maintained by an ET. Add up all the personnel aboard, account for the great number of spaces they occupy, and you start to get an idea of how much workspace is covered by only six or seven ETs every day.

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Abe ETs work on bridge-to-bridge communications for very high frequency (VHF), which allows the ships to communicate with other ships. They work on ultra high frequency communications (UHF), allowing personnel on board to communicate with aircraft in flight; they work on satellite communications circuits, including the internet-providing super high frequency (SHF). They must also juggle working on secure talking systems and crypto gear, maintain portable communications, including the hierarchal yet dynamic radio architecture (HYDRA) gear radios with electronic overrides that provide priority to certain groups. And there’s always work to be done on backup systems such as SINCGARS (SRC-54) and PRC-117s bridge radios.

Add to the work list that much of the equipment ETs maintain has a high tendency to malfunction, particularly because it is being used by many personnel, every day. To combat this, ETs must stand a roving watch, called an X-Ray watch, wherein the watchstander is in charge of maintaining and reporting all discrepancies of all communications gear to the combat systems officer of the watch (CSOOW).

“It’s a roving watch,” Freeman said. “Compared to other watches who have a fixed station, we are constantly moving. We could be on the signal bridge talking to the air boss; we could be at the Combat Direction Center talking to the tactical action officer, or on the forward keel of the ship fixing the WQC-2 underwater transponder. Sometimes, we’re constantly on the move.”

Since they work on different sets of equipment, ETs need to meet regularly to discuss timetables and plans for maintenance and upkeep. For example, if a culinary specialist or an aviation ordnanceman has to perform maintenance on a piece of equipment in their space, they may have to notify one or two different departments. An ET has to plan a week or more in advance to coordinate their maintenance because major systems will have to be taken offline.

“When we do maintenance on certain frequencies, the entire ship potentially loses communications ability,” said Freeman. “It’s a tremendous responsibility and certainly a lot of pressure on our shoulders to not only perform the maintenance but to complete it correctly.”

Freeman explained that as a division, a complete list of questions have to be put together and answered before any work can be conducted. The division needs to identify the problem, determine the impact, estimate the duration of any repairs, and predict the tactical impact of whatever communications may be lost.

So when you are walking the deck plates and see an ET, make sure you stop and thank them. It’s because of their efforts that what you take for granted works as well as it does. Emails to your family and friends, radio connection to your shipmates working on the decks above and below you--every system you use to distribute information electronically all works efficiently because of the work of ETs.

“We don’t sleep; it’s a 24-hour job. I’ve been awakened multiple times in the same night for a loss of communication with satellites. We definitely are the Maytag repairmen of the ship,” said Freeman.

Story and photos by MCSN Zachary Welch

“It’s a tremendous responsibility and certainly a lot of pressure on our shoulders.”

~ET2 Scott Freeman

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“It’s a tremendous responsibility and certainly a lot of pressure on our shoulders.”

~ET2 Scott Freeman

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Addison Nichole MartinezBorn: Jan. 1, 2012

Time: 7:58 a.m. Weight: 8 lbs.

Length: 19.75 in.Father: ISSN Louis Martinez

Brycen CorreaBorn: Jan 12, 2012

Time: 12:15 p.m.Weight: 7 lbs., 15 oz.

Length: 19.5 in.Father: ABH3 David Correa

Keilan VelasquezBorn: Jan. 28, 2012

Time: 3:20 p.m. Weight: 7 lbs.

Length: 19.75 in.Father: ABE1 Oscar Velasquez

Havella Victoria Bargerstock Born: Jan. 9, 2012Time: 1:55 a.m.Weight: 7 lbs., 4 oz.Length: 18 in.Father: MM2 Timothy Bargerstock

Rafael Vince MartinezBorn: Jan. 20, 2012 Weight: 6 lbs., 15 oz. Length: 18.5 in. Father: AM3 Rafael Martinez

Lincoln Lynwood BakerBorn: Feb. 1, 2012 Time: 6: 20 p.m.Weight: 6 lbs., 9 oz. Length: 20 in. Father: ABH1 Shawn Baker

Enzo Caleb UyBorn: Feb. 2, 2012

Weight: 6.7 lbs.Length: 19.25 in.

Father: ABE2 Renz Paulo Uy

Roy Aleksander PickleBorn: Feb. 5, 2012 Time: 8:18 p.m.Weight: 9 lbs., 1 oz. Length: 20 in. Father: ATC David Pickle

Briefly

eTC Holly MullinsCombat SyStemS

Chief Electronics Technician Holly Mullins, of Tehachapi, Calif., reported to Lincoln in April 2011. Now the Combat Systems maintenance manager, she is responsible for 67 major

maintenance systems.Before reporting to Lincoln, she spent more than a year at the

Center for Information Dominance Learning Site, San Diego, as the learning standards officer. A 15-year Navy veteran, Mullins said her favorite tour of her career was the four years she spent with a SEAL team as a tactical communicator.

Mullins said she became an ET because she wanted to fix things without getting dirty. She is passionate about accomplishing difficult maintenance tasks. She added that being in the Navy suits her because she has “job attention deficit disorder.”

“In the Navy, you get a new job every two to four years, and you never lose your rank or your retirement,” she said. “So by the time I get bored, it’s time to go somewhere else.”

When she isn’t out at sea or on the job, Mullins loves taking her jeep out in the dirt, camping or hiking with her dog. She said her wolfhound Luna is like a child to her.

Mullins is looking forward to arriving in Norfolk, where her first ship was stationed. She said she’s eager to see how much the area has changed during her time away. While there, Mullins plans to finish her master’s degree before she reaches her 20-year service mark.

Mullins advises other Sailors to take advantage of the opportunities available to them during their Navy careers.

“Learn a new skill. Get a new qual. Don’t just sit around and twiddle your thumbs,” she said. “Your days will go by a lot faster if you do stuff for yourself, I promise.”

Know your sHipMaTe

Photo and information provided by M

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Service members now will receive imminent danger pay only for days they actually spend in hazardous areas, Pentagon officials, Feb. 2.

The change, which took effect yesterday, was included in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law Dec. 31.

The act called for DOD to pay service members imminent danger pay only for the time they spend in areas that qualify for the pay. In the past, service members received $225 per month if they spent any time that month in an area where the pay was authorized. “This is a more targeted way of handling that pay,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby said.

Now, service members will receive $7.50 a day for days spent in these areas. Personnel who travel to the designated areas for periods less than 30 days should keep track of the number of days they are in the area to verify that they are paid for the correct number of days, officials said.

The military services are working to waive or remit debts for members who may have been overpaid for January, officials said. The services can waive this “when there is no indication of fraud, fault, misrepresentation, or when members were unaware they were overpaid,” Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.

Proration is based on a 30-day month, which translates into a rate of $7.50 per day. It does not matter if the month is 28 or 31 days long, officials explained; if service members serve in affected areas for the complete month, they will receive the full rate of $225 per month.

The Defense Department defines imminent danger pay areas as places where members are subject to the threat of physical harm or imminent danger because of civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism or wartime conditions.

(source: www.navy.mil)

DOD Begins Prorating Imminent Danger Pay