March 9, 2012 -- Penny Press

2 INSIDE

FROM THE EDITOR

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Band Performsfor the Crew

Photos of the Week

In the Spotlight:VFA 137

If you’d like to see a good cross-section of how we balance our time out here, this week is as good a peek into the life of the Lincoln crew as any.

As giant and impressive a warfighting vessel as this is, it is still a confined space, and we’re here around the clock, week after week. Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Julian Vincent blows off steam and maintains his focus the way many of us do--exercising as often as we can. And when we have the opportunity, we jump at the occasional offer to host entertainers who are generous enough with their time to visit us to thank us for all we do out here. Our latest guests, Bowling for Soup, rocked the hangar bay and lifted our spirits, and they couldn’t have been nicer guests.

But, as our look into the work schedule of VFA-137 will remind you, we only have so much time to rest out here. When the weights are re-racked and the guests depart, its back to work. After all, we have a nation to defend.

3VOLUME 24 , ISSUE 10

4 THE PENNY PRESS

Nothing could stop him from his goal, and no one was going to stop him from what he was about to do. Not even himself, though he had been his own

worst enemy in the past. Not now, not anymore. His focus couldn’t be broken, and his confidence would not waver. No one could touch him. He took a deep breath and it was up. His confidence, his self-esteem, his power and 405 pounds --eight 45-pound plates on a bar. With one push, they were elevated all at once.

The man underneath the heavy weights, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Julian Vincent, knows well the level of commitment required to even attempt to lift 405 pounds. For Vincent, lifting weights in the gym not only improved his physical strength, it changed his outlook on life and gave him a better perspective on his abilities as a man.

As a child, he saw himself as a quitter. Growing up in Birmingham, Ala., Vincent was always trying to find new hobbies. When he tried to draw or tried to write, he grew discouraged by the fear that other people would tell him he wasn’t any good, that he had no talent. Vincent, full of youthful insecurities, believed the negative feedback he

heard from others. As a result, he quit the hobbies of his youth.

“Almost everything I used to do as a kid, I quit,” he said. “I used to write a lot as a kid; I would draw a lot too. Just from having people tell me that it wasn’t good, it got me really discouraged and I just didn’t continue.”

Vincent was first introduced to weight lifting in high school. Working out with his high school football team, he grew really close with the other players. He trained with them constantly, but he never played for the team. Though he really enjoyed playing football, and he knew he could play, he was his own worst enemy. He allowed his doubts to keep him off the field.

“I worked out with the football team, but I wasn’t on the team,” he said. “I wasn’t committed. I really believed that I wasn’t good enough to play. All those times people told me I wasn’t good enough, I actually started to believe it myself.”

Following high school, after Vincent joined the Navy, he started to turn his life around. At his first command, Naval Station Great Lakes, Vincent got his hands on some books about the muscle-pumping, bodybuilding icon


Arnold Schwarzenegger. He soon began to learn the how-tos of fitness and bodybuilding. He quickly grew attached to reading various fitness books and learning the ways of the body builder. But going from an average male and training your way up to the level of the body builder athlete is hard work, and it takes mass quantities of something Vincent had previously lacked—commitment.

“I started going to the gym, but I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “So one day I saw this guy (Brian Panus), and he was really huge, and I asked if i could work out with him and he agreed.”

“I started working out with him for two years straight, and he showed me everything,” Vincent said. “He showed me what to do and how to do it; he helped me become the person that I am today. He was my inspiration.”

Once he adopted a workout routine, Vincent quickly started seeing results in his physical abilities and learned that he was capable of doing anything he put his mind to. All it

“To me there is no limit to what I can accomplish anymore.”

~HM3 Julian Vincent

Continued under “Lift,” Pg. 15

6 THE PENNY PRESS

Grammy Award-nominated punk rock band Bowling for Soup entertained a crowd of hundreds of Sailors during an underway

concert aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), March 2.

The concert was part of a tour sponsored by Navy Entertainment in conjunction with Lincoln’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation program.

Sailors filled the hangar bay to hear the band perform several hit songs, including “1985,” “High School Never Ends,” “Almost,” “Punk Rock 101,” and the Grammy Award-nominated “Girl All the Bad Guys Want.”

Jaret Reddick, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the Denton, Texas-based band, said he appreciated the opportunity to play for the crew.

“We’re over there living it up, while you guys are out here keeping us safe,” Reddick said. “It’s the least we can do to come out here and try to entertain you for 90 minutes, get to know you a little bit better, and let you know we haven’t forgotten about you. We appreciate all of your sacrifices.”

While aboard, the band received a tour of the ship, signed autographs, posed for photographs and ate lunch with crew members.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Recruit Rebeka Graham, a fan of the band since she was nine years old, said it was a great opportunity to enjoy some live music and get a break from the daily routine of deployment.

“I loved it,” Graham said. “Being on a ship in the middle of the ocean, I would do this any day. We work long hours. We don’t get much time off. These guys came out and took time out of their schedule to play for us, and that’s awesome.”

Story by MC2 Jonathan IdlePhotos by MCSN Zachary Welch

LINCOLN ROCKS OUT TO

BOWLINGFOR SOUP

U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Carlos Vazquez

U.S. Navy photo by MCSA Karolina Martinez

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10 THE PENNY PRESS

Aboard Lincoln, Sailors assigned to the Kestrels of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 are making a difference by keeping aircraft in the highest state of

operational readiness.Although launch and recovery are essential parts of the

mission, maintenance, aircraft cleanliness and safety checks are equally important to every $80 million aircraft.

Lt. Brad Panzarella, a pilot for VFA-137, said the squadron’s Sailors make the difference.

“Maintenance crews work 24/7 to get our aircraft up in the air. We’re lucky they’re working hard to get the planes in operational condition so we can support the ground troops for Operation Enduring Freedom,” Panzarella said.

With more than 200 personnel, the Kestrels do more than just launch and recover aircraft. When flight operations are not going on, the crew is performing maintenance on the squadron’s F/A-18 Super Hornets around the clock. For every hour an aircraft is up in the air, seven man hours of maintenance are required.

With an average enlisted age of 22, the responsibility of the VFA-137 Sailors to maintain the squadron’s birds is tremendous.

“Every day is a technical challenge,” Panzarella said. “Our maintenance members do a lot of things to get the aircraft up and running.”

Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Matt Becker said it’s an important job.

“It’s a big responsibility for someone that’s only been in the Navy for one or two years. The pilots trust us to inspect the aircraft body, take fuel samples and check tire pressure. When we do find problems, we note them and have various rates within our squadron diagnose and fix the problem,” said Becker.

On no-fly days, they wash the aircraft from the landing gear to the body with fresh water and turco (special soap for the skin of the jet) to prevent the jet from corroding. Everyone from the squadron helps perform maintenance on the aircraft to make sure they are ready to go for the next fly day.

The maintenance personnel inspect the aircraft before they launch to ensure there are no issues, take fuel samples from the jet to make sure that the fuel is not bad and chock and chain the aircraft to secure them to the flight deck. The crew even performs maintenance on aircraft during flight operations. When the day crew goes off work, the night check crew comes in and does all the maintenance that needs to be done throughout the night.

The VFA-137 squadron is always busy, no matter what time of the day it is. From the neverending maintenance to the ongoing testing of fuel samples, the crew is always busy.


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Kezia Santana AndradeBorn: Jan. 25

Time: 1:00 p.m. Weight: 5 lbs., 11 oz.

Length: 18.25 in.Father: ABHAN Julio Andrade

Addilene Ann WhittBorn: Feb. 19

Time: 7:31 a.m.Weight: 7 lbs., 9 oz.

Length: 20.5 in.Father: ABE2 Matthew Whitt

Amy Rose RayBorn: Feb. 25

Weight: 6 lbs., 11 oz.Father: IC3 Joshua Ray

Chase Edward Ferguson Born: Jan. 29Time: 7:54 p.m.Weight: 8 lbs., 8 oz.Length: 19.5 in.Father: IC3 Keith Ferguson

Christian Matthew BeltranBorn: Feb. 20 Weight: 6 lbs., 2 oz. Length: 19 in. Father: ATC Matthew Beltran

Mae Olivia KittleBorn: Feb. 26 Weight: 7 lbs., 13 oz. Length: 20.5 in. Father: LS3 Brandon Kittle

Asher Colin EllisBorn: Mar. 2

Time: 11:02 a.m.Weight: 5 lbs., 14 oz.

Length: 19.5 in.Father: ABE2 Benjamin Ellis

Briefly

ABeAN lAureN frederickAir Dept./V-2 DiVision

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman Lauren Frederick works in Air department’s V-2 catapults division aboard Lincoln.

The St. Augustine, Fla. native joined the Navy in September 2009 to travel the world and pursue a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science. She reported to Lincoln in February 2010. Frederick said she was inspired to work with aircraft because her family has a long history working in aviation.

“Everyone in my immediate family has worked with aircraft,” she said. “Ever since I was a little kid, it’s been a dream of mine to work with aircraft.”

When she’s not working on catapults or standing watch, she enjoys sitting down and getting acquainted with a good book. She reads all different kinds of books and loves to learn.

“I just received a Kindle for Christmas,” she said. “Anytime I’m not working, I’m glued to the screen.”

In the future, she intends to become fully qualified in her craft and to re-enlist for another four years.

“I don’t want to be in for just one term of enlistment,” she said. “So far, the Navy is teaching me a lot, and it has given me a chance to experience many different things. I’m not ready to stop.”

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took was time, patience and persistence. These days, Vincent goes to Lincoln’s Jungle Gym, Monday through Friday, and he walks in with a set exercise routine each day.

“The reason people are not seeing results is because they lack patience, persistence and commitment,” he said. “It took time to get where I am now. A lot of people don’t know it took me three years to get to my current level of fitness.”

Vincent stresses the importance of going to the gym with a set plan and goals in mind. Walking into the gym not knowing what you are doing is the first mistake he said people make. Many injuries, he said, can come about as the result of bad form while stretching or using gym equipment.

“I was that guy at one point,” he said. “Do some research and focus on your goals and on what you want to accomplish, and you will get there. If you want to accomplish something, you have to stay committed. Have that drive and tenacity to just do it, and don’t worry about what other people think.”

Having proven to himself that he can do anything he sets his mind to, Vincent could care less if someone thinks negatively about his abilities. Weight lifting has not only made him into a stronger person physically, it has helped him with his confidence, helped him become a better corpsman and a harder worker and has helped him with his school work. He plans to be a businessman one day, and he plans to continue weight training through college and beyond.

“Now I want to do everything,” he said. “I want to start writing and drawing again, I also want to play piano. I want to continue to lift and get as big as possible. To me, there is no limit to what I can accomplish anymore.”

LIFT,continued from Pg. 4

March 9, 2012 -- Penny Press

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