Training video got Navy vet Bob Barker’s goat
April 24th, 2012 | Coast Guard Ethics Medical Navy Training | Posted by Jacqueline Klimas
For Navy veteran Bob Barker, the price is never right when it comes to using goats to train Navy and Coast Guard medical personnel.
He’s written a letter to both Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging them to replace training on live animals with lifelike human simulators.
Barker’s letter comes just a week after the release of a video showing a live goat that appeared to be conscious while its legs were sawed off with tree trimmers during a Coast Guard training session. According to a PETA press release, veterinarians watching the video said the goats didn’t seem to be properly anesthetized.
“I have long been a supporter of efforts to preserve the health and well-being of our troops, most recently donating to a number of projects that directly aid the recovery of injured servicemembers and assist their families during this difficult time,” Barker wrote in the letter to the two secretaries. Barker has donated millions of dollars to Semper Fi, which provides financial assistance to wounded Marines and their families, and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which serves military personnel injured in service and their families, according to a PETA press release.
In his letters, Barker asked Panetta and Napolitano to invest in modern human simulators, which better prepare servicemembers for combat medicine and spare animals.
“It is clear from this video that dismembering and then trying to mend live goats in these crude procedures is worlds apart from treating an injured human on the battlefield. Thankfully, realistic human simulators that breathe, bleed and even have bones that break have been shown to do a much better job at preparing medical providers to be able to treat traumatic injuries than does the use of animals. Unlike animals, these simulators accurately mimic human anatomy and physiology and allow trainees to repeat procedures until they are skilled and confident,” Barker wrote.
It’s just a drill: USS Princeton target in mock attack
March 23rd, 2012 | Naval Base San Diego Navy Training | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
Buoyed by some Hollywood hype, the Navy’s weeklong large-scale training exercise “Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield” generated a bit more excitement today than the annual security drill tends to muster around the Navy town of San Diego.
Naval security boats gave chase to a motorboat with gun-toting men racing through San Diego Bay that came dangerously close to the cruiser Princeton as it headed out of the bay. The suspected “terrorists” tried to scuttle their boat along a beach at North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, but a fiery explosion wounded two men as two others raced for cover in nearby buildings. It would be a few hours before Navy security forces finally caught the gunmen at the air station.
Smoke rises from a mock explosion during a security drill along San Diego Bay for the 2012 Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield exercises. (Navy photos by MCC David Rush)
Calm had returned by afternoon. But the realism of the exercises threw off morning walkers and commuters caught a little off guard by the explosions and crackle of gunfire courtesy of Strategic Operations. The San Diego-based tactical training contractor is run by Hollywood producer Stu Segall, and the company specializes in realistic training events that can often includes fiery blasts, real amputees and amplified sounds of battle.
“We had pyrotechnics. We had explosions. We had gunfire. We had corpses on the beach,” said Navy Region Southwest spokesman Brian O’Rourke. “It was great.”
A medic tends to a "casualty" during the "Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield" security exercise drill March 22 at North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, Calif.
Clear morning weather drew a sizeable contingent of news reporters, including just about all but one local TV news station. The Hollywood effects, which Strategic Operations routinely incorporates into military combat and medical training it provides troops through military contracts, this year breathed life into the training exercise’s scripted play, which often can be slow and dull. The sounds and sights provided news cameras with almost nonstop action and imagery, to their unexpected delight. “Usually during this training, the media is like, ‘um, can we go?’” O’Rourke said. “Today, it was like, ‘can we stay?’”
This year’s exercises, overseen by U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Navy Installations Command, are being played out at most naval installations throughout the Navy and continue through March 24. “The goal is to prepare our security forces to be ready for any potential threat,” Adm. John C. Harvey, Jr., Fleet Forces commander, said in a statement. “As we’ve seen with the tragic attacks in France, threats are constantly evolving and are often presented in places and circumstances where we feel safe. These exercises provide us the opportunity to train together with our joint and inter-agency partners to maintain a high level of readiness to respond to any potential threats right here at home.”
Mullen honored at SWO School
March 7th, 2012 | Admirals Chief of naval operations Navy Training | Posted by Jenn Rafael
The Adm. Michael G. Mullen Auditorium was dedicated March 1 at Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, R.I. Here, Mullen, wife Deborah Mullen and son Lt. Michael Mullen Jr. unveil the auditorium's dedication plaque. // MMC Aurain Rodriques/Navy
He may have retired in September, but retired Adm. Mike Mullen’s legacy lives.
An auditorium was dedicated in his name March 1 before a graduation ceremony at Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, R.I.
In speaking to Department Head Class 215, Mullen reflected on his own department head graduation and the training he received throughout his career, according to a Navy news release.
Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs and former chief of naval operations, also had kind words for the school: “Newport has always been a great Navy town and a big part of our family’s life. Likewise, SWOS is at the heart and soul of my Navy career. Both Deborah and I were excited to be back home.”
Rough day at Bold Alligator
February 6th, 2012 | Amphibious operations Bold Alligator Navy Photos Training | Posted by Bill McMichael
Between rolling blackouts and very limited connectivity, the press gaggle I was with out on Wasp and Kearsarge this weekend had a devil of a time getting on line long enough to transmit stories back to land. Timing is everything. I finally managed to get one sent Sunday night from Kearsarge that was posted Monday morning.
It was a pretty blustery day out there Sunday — so much so that flight operations were practically non-existent. But as the story notes, it was fun watching the topsiders track some “bad guys” who disembarked early afternoon into a small boat or two.
Master-at-Arms 1st Class (SW) Erwin Piper (left) scans the seas for possible enemy contacts while Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Evan Richardson makes a logbook entry Sunday aboard the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge, underway off the North Carolina coast during exercise Bold Alligator. // Photo by Bill McMichael, Navy Times
It also gave me a renewed appreciation for just how hard it is to spot small objects out on the water when there is any sort of inclement weather. The cloud ceiling was low and sometimes, what was visible disappeared into the fog.
Here’s a late-morning view of a choppy day at sea, looking aft, from the top of the Kearsarge’s well deck:
That's the dock landing ship Oak Hill trailing the Kearsarge Sunday and, we're pretty sure, the cruiser Anzio in the distance, as the six-ship group (and another in front of it) simulates a strait transit. // Photo by Bill McMichael, Navy Times.
Bold Alligator
February 2nd, 2012 | Amphibious operations Bold Alligator Navy Training | Posted by Bill McMichael
I’m spending Friday AM cruising south to MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., where I’m to take a noon hop out to the Wasp to begin Navy Times’ coverage of a certain gi-normous amphibious training exercise you may have heard of by now. Bold Alligator is the biggest Navy-Marine Corps at-sea training exercise in some 10 years.
As part of Bold Alligator, Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit prepare to board an MV-22 Osprey Jan. 31 to depart from the amphibious dock landing ship Gunston Hall during a Certification Exercise, the final qualification before their scheduled spring deployment. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lauren G. Randall
Wasp is sort of the exercise mothership, so that’s where we’ll get our senior leader interviews and exercise briefings. On Saturday, I’m slated to fly over to Kearsarge and begin covering the training itself, as the Navy-Marine Corps team prepares to launch an amphibious assault that will take place sometime over the following few days.
Connectivity at sea can be dicey, as many of you know. I’ll do my best to keep you posted on the goings-on here and on our web site.
Meanwhile, looks like a Super Bowl XLVI party at sea. The last time I watched the Super Bowl away from someone’s living room, I was in a tent with an Army air defense artillery unit outside Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where the air strikes for the first Gulf War were underway; the launch of the huge armored assault and the famous “left hook” was three weeks away. The Giants won that one 20-19 when the Bills’ Scott Norwood missed a last-second field goal wide right.
Who are you picking this Sunday? Seems to me the Giants are rolling at the right time.
Rescue swimmers … are awesome
December 19th, 2011 | Amphibious operations COMPTUEX Navy Photos Rescue swimmers Ships Training | Posted by Bill McMichael
No matter what the service, military rescue swimmers are a pretty remarkable bunch. In addition to being skilled at their normal rating duties, they’re able — and willing — to be lowered into some pretty hair-raising situations that most normal folks would regard as out of the realm of possibility.
The Atlantic waters looked to be fairly calm when the dock landing ship Gunston Hall conducted a man-overboard drill last week, as you can see:
Engineman 3rd Class Michael E. Kenyon, a Gunston Hall search and rescue swimmer, gets lowered into the water Dec. 15 for a shipboard recovery man-overboard drill. Gunston Hall is underway participating in Composite Training Unit Exercise, a major requirement for the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group certification for deployment. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lauren G. Randall
That’s a long way down, though. In addition, the water temperature was on the cool side. According to the National Oceanographic Data Center, the average water temp off the Virginia coast this time of year is in the mid-to-high 40s. Not so extreme on this day — it was 65 degrees, according to Lt. Megan Shutka, spokeswoman for Amphibious Squadron 8.
Still, not exactly shower-warm! Put yourself in Kenyon’s place in this pic:
Kenyon rescues 'Oscar', the ship's man-overboard prop. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lauren G. Randall
No word on what Oscar thought of the conditions …
Busy days and nights aboard Ike
October 19th, 2011 | Carrier qualifications Carriers Life at Sea Navy Photos Ships Training Underway replenishment | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is deep into the basic phase of pre-deployment training while underway in the Atlantic. Technically, it’s taking part in a Tailored Ship’s Training Availability and Final Evaluation Problem, or TSTA/FEP, and conducting carrier qualifications for Carrier Air Wing 7 fliers.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower Oct. 14. // U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
Ike will be out for several weeks to come, so it’s a busy time for the crews of the ship and the wing. All that activity demands fresh stores of all sorts. On Oct. 18 — not clear if it was pre-sunrise or post-sunset — the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic delivered the goods.
The fast combat support ship USNS Arctic sails alongside Ike during an Oct. 18 underway replenishment. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julia A. Casper
During an UNREP, the flight deck remains quiet — but under a watchstander’s careful eye.
Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Nicholas Blackburn of the Eisenhower stands watch during an underway replenishment with USNS Arctic. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julia A. Casper
Haze gray and underway
September 27th, 2011 | Carriers Life at Sea Navy Photos Ships Training Underway replenishment | Posted by Bill McMichael
This simple yet atmospheric photo should resonate with anyone who’s ever been at sea …
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Apprentice Raymond Duenas waits on the elevator operator during replenishment at sea operations aboard the Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the background is USNS Lewis and Clark; USNS Arctic also took part in the "unrep." Ike is currently underway in the Atlantic conducting carrier qualifications. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tony Bloom
No pain, no gain
September 23rd, 2011 | Carrier qualifications Carriers Life at Sea Master-at-arms Navy OC spray Photos Security Force training Training | Posted by Bill McMichael
So you want to be a Navy master-at-arms or join a ship’s security force? Know that this is a hurdle you’ll have to clear:
Air-Traffic Controller Airman Tom Smith, from Boston, Mass., is sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) while qualifying for a certification to carry OC spray and a baton as part of the security force aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike is underway in the Atlantic conducting carrier qualifications. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
Yep, that’s a faceful of Oleoresin Capsicum spray — a staple of master-at-arms “A” school training and part of a requirement for shipboard security force qualification. But you don’t just get a level one (directly in the face) spray shot of the (obviously) non-lethal pepper spray, which burns like the dickens and can cause breathing problems. You have to show you can fight through the pain and do your job:
Airman James Fritz, from Pittsburgh, Pa., performs defensive strikes after being sprayed with OC spray while qualifying to be certified as part of the security force aboard Ike. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
That guy in the Storm Trooper gear? He’s gotta go down, as well:
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Larmonz Lynn, from Toms River, N.J., performs a takedown after being sprayed with OC spray while qualifying for a certification to carry OC spray and a baton as part of the security force aboard Ike. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
Like they say, you really gotta want it.
Down and dirty
September 19th, 2011 | Carrier On-Board Delivery plane Carriers Maintenance Maritime operations Naval aviation Photos Ships Training | Posted by Bill McMichael
The carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is underway in the Atlantic conducting carrier qualifications for naval aviators, but it’s the unglamorous and often tedious work below decks that keeps the fliers going.
Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class David Zaveson and Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Eric Bieber of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 5 conduct routine maintenance on an SH-60F Seahawk aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. // U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tony Bloom
A zillion things can go wrong with an aircraft — especially aircraft that operate in a maritime environment and bounce onto aircraft carriers. That requires checking everything from the big stuff to internal leakage.
Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class (AW/SW) Orrintell Whyte checks for oil leaks on the tail gear of an HH-60H Seahawk of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 5 in Ike's hangar bay. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Albert Jones
All the work has to be tracked.
Aviation Electrician’s Mate 1st Class (AW/SW) Christopher Carbee of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 5 writes his findings in a log during a final inspection on an HH-60H in the hangar bay of the Eisenhower. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Albert Jones
Then there’s the support for the support — the ancillary work.
Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Katrina Everett, right, and Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Mark Perkins fix a leak on the hydraulic tank of a spotting dolly in Ike's hangar bay. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
These unsung efforts underpin what everyone is hoping for topside: safe flight operations.
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class (AW) Jason Winfrey directs a C-2A Greyhound, assigned to Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120, on the flight deck of the carrier Eisenhower. Ike is currently underway conducting carrier qualifications. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Albert Jones