Sailors and Marines aboard USS Bataan (LHD 5) are looking toward the future by learning economic skills through financial management seminars that started this July.

These seminars, which include a variety of budgeting and financial planning possibilities, are designed to educate service members and their families to avoid unnecessary financial issues that could arise or have been overlooked already.

According to Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class Timothy Kelly, one of Bataan’s command financial specialists, it’s important to make service members aware of the money they spend. After not having spent as much money during

deployment, increasing awareness should be a priority to ensure financial success.

“Before we know it we’re going to be home from deployment,” said Kelly, originally from Arlington Heights, Ill. “I plan on trying to hit as many topics as possible to prepare service members for the increase in expenses when they get home. I really want to prevent all of their hard earned money saved up from being spent on one large item and putting them directly into debt.”

Promoting planning, budgeting for savings

accounts, controlling spending, and negotiating deals as part of a lifestyle is a key component to the seminars.

“People should understand that saving for the future is just paying themselves in

July 18, 2014Volume: 2 Issue: 14

Look Inside!New Advancement Charts, Page 2 | Combat Information Center, Pages 4 & 5 | Fancy Work, Page 6

Finance cont. page 3

Bataan Sailors and Marines Account For The FutureBy MCSN Aaron T. Kiser

Fifteen Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy became the second group to embark the amphibious assault

ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) for summer training from June 23 - July 18.

During the summer, these Midshipmen are assigned to various units throughout the Navy for training intended to give them first-hand experience in the fleet. This training is designed to assist them later when they request which areas of the Navy or Marine Corps they would like to serve.

The group of Midshipmen were paired up with junior

officers and enlisted, known as running mates, who helped with preparing the future officers for shipboard life. Running mates were instrumental for training and preparing Midshipman for their future in the Navy. During the stay, they provided important information based on personal experiences and professional knowledge.

“This was my first time being a running mate,” said Personnel Specialist 2nd Class DeeAnn Cabrera, from Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. “It was an eye opening experience to show a future officer around the ship, which helps them make their decision on their future job.”

While aboard Bataan, the Midshipmen spent their time ovserving in work spaces such as engineering, supply, personnel, and deck which are designed to broaden their prospective as future leaders.

Midshipmen Spend Training Cruise Aboard BataanBy MC3 Mark Hays

Photo by MCSN Nicholas Frank CottoneMidshipmen cont. page 2

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The editorial content of this newspaper is prepared, edited and provided by Bataan’s Public Affairs Office. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of military services at sea. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Navy and do not imply endorsement thereof.

Commanding OfficerCaptain George J. Vassilakis

Executive OfficerCaptain John “J.C.” Carter

Command Master ChiefCMDCM(SW/AW) Kevin M. Goodrich

Public Affairs Officer MCC(SW/SCW) Dennis Herring

News Team 5MC1(AW/SW) RJ StratchkoMC1(AW) Julie MatyascikMC3(SW) Mark Andrew HaysMC3 Erik Foster

MC3(SW) Chase HawleyMCSN Nicholas Frank CottoneMCSN(SW) Aaron T. KiserMCSN(SW) Michael J. Lieberknecht

Layout and Design MCSN Nicholas Frank CottoneEditor MC1(AW/SW) RJ Stratchko

“I got to spend a lot of time in deck department,” said Midshipman Morgan Jung from Tenstrike, Minn. “During the RAS (Replenishment-at-Sea) I helped the Deck Department Sailors who maintain the Phone and Distance line which was a really neat experience.”

During their cruise Midshipmen saw firsthand an amphibious assault ship’s capabilities by riding in a Landing Craft Air Cushion, CH-53 Super Stallion, touring the inside of a tank, and helping Bataan’s Landing Signal Enlisted Sailor direct aircraft onto the flight deck.

“I think I want to be a pilot,” said Midshipman Meghan Moloney, from Springfield, Va. “After directing in Helo’s with the LSE’s, I was sold on pursuing my future as a pilot. I want to experience that everyday.”

During their three week stay, Bataan’s leadership provided hands on training that Midshipmen cannot get at the Naval Academy.

“What better way to train our future officers than onboard the Bataan,” said Capt. George J. Vassilakis, Commanding Officer, USS Bataan (LHD 5). “Being on deployment, doing real world missions is something the academy just cannot offer in a classroom. The future of the Navy is bright with Sailors like these preparing to

lead it.”Bataan is the flagship for the Bataan

Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Photo by MC3 Chase Hawley

New Advancement Charts

Midshipmen from Front Page

PMA: Performance Mark AverageSS: Standard Score (What you scored)AWD: Award Points IA: Individual AugmenteePNA: Pass, but did not advance pointsSIPG: Service in paygradeED: Education

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JULY

BINGO

SATURDAY NIGHTLIVE

Warrior Day

POKER

DOMINOS TOURNAMENT

SPADES / ZUMBA

POKER SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

SPADES / ZUMBA

SPADES / ZUMBA POKER / ZUMBA

SPADES / ZUMBA POKERTABLE TOP GAME NIGHTZUMBA

SPADES / ZUMBA

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the long run by writing down a plan and talking about it,” said Kelly. “A lot of people are overwhelmed with their budget and think that it’s ok to always live in their debt, but that’s why I’m here to show them in black and white that they can be free of it and profit greatly.”

The seminars are open to all officers and enlisted members aboard the ship to help them develop goals that are realistic but allow a comfortable lifestyle.

“This is an all hands invitation for general financial management and we have so many different resources and services to help people,” said Kelly. “I’m here to make sure anyone, whether they are in financial trouble or not, is on track to maintain financial freedom so they can spend their money the way they want.”

Finance from Front Page

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NCCM Takes Pride in Fancy Work TraditionBy MC3 Erik Foster

“When I first joined the Navy, I came to my first ship, the USS Doyle (FFG 39), as an undesignated seaman,” said Master Chief Navy Career Counselor Ellis Picheloupe, command career counselor aboard Bataan. “I ended up striking Boatswain’s Mate, made 3rd Class, and started learning knot tying from there.”

According to Ellis, fancy work has been around since before the founding of the U.S. Navy. He says the purpose was to protect wood from saltwater damage, and it also served as a way for Sailors to show pride in their ship through their unique designs.

“On my first ship we had fancywork all over,” said Ellis. “Everywhere you went there was something we were doing fancywork on to spruce it up. We did it everywhere from the ladder wells, to the quarterdeck, to the boat deck. That was back in the day, but now, due to the cost of the rope and the line, it hinders a lot of

people from doing it.” Ellis says you have to know a lot of the

basic knots to be a Boatswain’s Mate such as the clove hitch and the bowline. As you become a senior Boatswain’s Mate, you have to know all the complex knots related to fancywork.

“When you walk into a space, you want it to look good,” said Ellis. “Fancy work makes that happen. It gives the space uniformity. If you go to the CO’s passageway, the Boatswain’s mates did a great job on those handrails.”

Ellis used to make macramé style of knots on canvas sheets to make different decorative articles using cord for the quarterdeck. He says it makes the quarterdeck look nice and gives it a personal touch.

“My favorite piece of fancywork is the backbone,” said Ellis. “The half-hitches have an alternating pattern that creates a spine that runs along a single edge of the

railing compared to the spirals that aren’t alternating.”

Ellis uses his skills to present works of art for departing Sailors so they can look back and remember their time aboard the ship.

“The tradition of giving away paddles at the end of a tour has been in the Navy for a long time,” said Ellis. “I started doing it several years ago and now I make paddles with fancy work everywhere I go.”

Ellis tries to make each paddle different but says when he makes so many and there is his standard for presentation, they start to look the same. Ellis says that most everyone is presented a plaque to hang on their wall when they leave, and presenting them a paddle to hang on the wall has more of a traditional meaning.

“Fancy work is an art that I’ve been doing for a long time,” said Ellis. “It’s one of those things that I really enjoy doing and plan to keep doing.”

Photos by MC3 Erik Foster

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The United States Navy promoted Michelle Janine Howard to the rank of four-star admiral July 1 during a ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus presided over the ceremony and administered the oath of office.

Adm. Howard is the first female four-star in the 238 year history of the United States Navy.

“Michelle Howard’s promotion to the rank of admiral is the result of a brilliant naval career, one I fully expect to continue when she assumes her new role as vice chief of naval operations, but also it is a historic first, an event to be celebrated as she becomes the first female to achieve this position,” said Mabus. “Her accomplishment is a direct example of a Navy that now, more than ever, reflects the nation it serves - a nation where success is not borne of race, gender or religion, but of skill and ability.”

“Michelle’s many trailblazing accomplishments in her 32 years of naval service are evidence of both her fortitude and commitment to excellence and integrity,” said Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations. “I look forward to many great things to come from the Navy’s newest 4-star Admiral!”

Howard, the Deputy CNO for Operations, Plans, and Strategy, will

relieve Adm. Mark Ferguson III as the 38th Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) later this afternoon.

Howard is a 1978 graduate of Gateway High School in Aurora, Colo. She graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1982 and from the Army’s Command and General Staff College in 1998, with a Masters in Military Arts and

Sciences. Howard’s initial sea tours were aboard

USS Hunley (AS 31) and USS Lexington (AVT 16). While serving on board Lexington, she received the secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins award in May 1987. This award is given to one woman officer a year for outstanding leadership. She reported to USS Mount Hood (AE 29) as chief engineer in 1990 and served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She assumed

duties as first lieutenant on board the USS Flint (AE 32) in July 1992. In January 1996, she became the executive officer of USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and deployed to the Adriatic in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, a peacekeeping effort in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Sixty days after returning from the Mediterranean deployment, Tortuga departed on a West

African training cruise, where the ship’s Sailors, with embarked Marines and U.S. Coast Guard detachment, operated with the naval services of seven African nations.

She took command of USS Rushmore (LSD 47) on March 12, 1999, becoming the first African American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy. Howard was the commander of Amphibious Squadron Seven from May 2004 to September 2005. Deploying with Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 5, operations included tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and maritime security operations in the North Arabian Gulf. She commanded Expeditionary Strike

Group Two from April 2009 to July 2010. In 2009, she deployed to CENTCOM theater, where she commanded Task Force 151, Multi-national Counter-piracy effort, and Task Force 51, Expeditionary Forces. In 2010, she was the Maritime Task Force commander for BALTOPS, under 6th Fleet.

She was the 2011 USO Military Woman of the Year, and the 2013 NAACP Chairman’s Image Award recipient.

Navy Promotes Michelle Howard to 4-Star AdmiralBy Defense Media Activity

Photo by MCC Peter D. Lawlor

H Y D R A T E !

You’ve worked hard for your career as a Sailor. Only one-fourth of 17- to 24-year-olds in the United States are even eligible for Navy service, and even fewer are capable of enduring the physical and emotional challenges of being a Sailor.1 From boot camp to advancement exams, job training and deployments, you have met thesechallengeswithhardwork,sacrificeanddedication.

Making responsible drinking choices is an extension of that dedication. Just one bad decision while drinking alcohol can jeopardize everything you’ve earned. Sailors involved in alcohol incidents face serious consequences, including:

•Loss of rate or pay

•Separation from the Navy

•Civilian consequences, such as finesandjailtime

Irresponsible drinking not only threatens your health and career, it threatens the Navy’s ability to be mission-ready.

SIGNS THAT YOU MAY BE DRINKING TOO MUCH: •Not having control over

the amount of alcohol you consume

•Alcohol negatively affecting your work and/or relationships with others

•Poor judgment and risk-taking

•Confused thinking

•Difficultyrememberingdetails or events

•Slow reaction time andreflexes

•Distorted vision and blackouts

•Angry and/or depressed mood

KEEP WHAT YOU’VE EARNED

KEEP WHATYOU’VE EARNED

DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

YOU’VE EARNEDKEEP WHAT

YOU’VE EARNEDKEEP WHAT

KEEP WHATYOU’VE EARNED

DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

For more information, speak with your command Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor (DAPA), visit www.nadap.navy.mil, or call 1-800-U-ASK-NPC.

Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention

THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK

YOU’VE EARNED IT.DON’T WASTE IT.

DRINK RESPONSIBLY, EVERY TIME:•Plan ahead for a safe ride home.•Don’t try to “keep up” with others.•Know your limit, before you get there.

IT WASN’T EASY GETTING HERE. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

1. Gilroy, C. (March 3, 2009). Prepared statement of Dr. Curtis Gilroy, Director for Accessions Policy, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness before the House Armed Services Subcommittee “Recruiting, retention, and end strength overview.”