Month: November 2022

Source: United States Navy

It was roughly 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 8 when Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Xavier Escalante and Master-at-Arms 2nd Nikolas Bullock were waiting for two individuals to finish tying down a forklift on a semi-trailer and clear the area so they could begin a training onboard NSA Naples Capodichino.

While tying down the forklift, one man fell off the truck, hitting his head.
Escalante and Bullock sprang into action immediately.

“The first thing I thought when he fell was to get out of our unit [vehicle] and see if he was okay,” said Bullock.

“I asked him if he was okay. I saw his eyes roll to the back of his head, he wasn’t breathing and he started to turn purple. I started administering CPR [Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation] to him.” Escalante said.

After Escalante did about 10 sets of chest compressions, Bullock began to administer CPR to victim while Escalante went to call emergency dispatch. After Bullock administered one round of CPR the man regained conscious and began breathing.

Escalante and Bullock ensured the man stayed in place while emergency dispatch personnel were on the way to the scene.

In the meantime, Master-at-Arms Seaman Sarah Meader came with a first aid kit and stabilized the victim’s neck until Emergency Services arrived on scene.

Commanding Officer of NSA Naples, Capt. James Stewart recognized Escalante, Bullock, and Meader for selflessly responding and helping the victim regain consciousness.

“These Sailors embody the courage the Navy looks for in our fighting force,” said Stewart, “Force readiness is such an important aspect of our mission because you never know when the call to action comes. It could be on a carrier in hostile waters or as you’re driving down your home street. For that, I am proud for their performance and it was an honor to award them for their efforts.”

NSA Naples is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed, when they are needed to ensure security and stability in the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility.

For more news about NSA Naples and the Sailors who serve onboard the installation, please follow us on Instagram @NSANaples and Facebook at facebook.com/NSANaples/.

Source: United States Navy

Sama Sama, meaning “togetherness” in Malay, is an exercise designed to promote regional security cooperation, maintain and strengthen maritime partnerships, and enhance maritime interoperability. It is an annual partnership between the Philippine Navy and the U.S. Navy, while Lumbas is a yearly exercise between the Philippine Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.

This year the exercises were combined for the first time and helped to strengthen longstanding alliances of the participating forces.

“It was really exciting and challenging working with multiple countries in a singular effort to find the ‘survivor,’ and incredibly rewarding once we did so,” said Naval Aircrewman (Operator) 2nd Class Garrett Carlston, after successfully concluding a search-and-rescue exercise.

Combat Aircrew-3 of the “Red Lancers” also participated in a subject matter expert (SME) exchange with members of the Philippine Navy at Clark Air Base on Luzon Island, Philippines. During the SME exchange the aircrew gave tours of a P-8A Poseidon and explained how the aircraft executes both anti-submarine warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

During the exercise, the U.S. and Philippines emphasized togetherness by bringing members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on board a VP-10 aircraft during a mission exercise flight.

“It was great having the Filipino riders onboard demonstrating the aircrafts capabilities and how we can all work together towards a common goal,” said Lt. Cmdr. Douglas Tengler II, the officer in charge of the squadron’s Philippines detachment.

The “Red Lancers” are based in Jacksonville, Florida and are currently operating from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The squadron conducts maritime patrol and reconnaissance, as well as theater outreach operations, as part of a rotational deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

Source: United States Navy

The Naval Order of the United States paid for the restoration and transportation of the nameplate.

“The Naval Order is honored to have played a small role in getting the nameplate here,” said Capt. Bob Whitcop, USN-ret., representing the Naval Order of the United States. “The Naval Order plays a role in the preservation of Naval history and this is just one example of what we do.”

“I would like to thank members of the ship’s crew who worked tirelessly on this, especially Mr. Douglas Darch, who put on the hat of a logistics officer and oversaw the transportation and transformation of the ship’s nameplate from being an artifact blowtorched off the hull of the former museum ship to a beautiful commemoration of the ship, her crew and her namesake that we are proud to have on display here at the Quarterdeck of the Navy,” said Capt. Mark Zematis, NSGL executive officer.

The Great Lakes NEX team designed and installed the display.

Leigh Barbour, NEX facilities manager, designed the nameplate mounting and installed it. “Leigh was very engaged in making sure the plate was displayed with dignity,” said Chris Ponchak, Navy Exchange Great Lakes general manager.

Mindy Eddy, NEX photo lab manager, added the additional photos on the display and pulled together a photo album and additional literature.

Theresa Hagen, NEX operations manager, designed the layout on the wall and assisted during the installation.

“When we were offered the opportunity to place the Barry nameplate here, we were very excited about it,” said Ponchak. “There are up to 160,000 family members who come through this door annually to receive their tickets to attend recruit graduations and each and every one of them are going to walk by this nameplate and see this. So I think it’s a great place for it.”

USS Barry (DD-933) was one of 18 Forrest Sherman–class destroyers, and was the third U.S. destroyer to be named for Commodore John Barry. The fourth destroyer named for Commodore Barry, DDG-52, is still in the fleet. Camp Barry, part of mainside south and the current home for Navy Band Great Lakes and the Naval Reserve Center, is also named for Commodore Barry.

Barry was the first captain placed in command of a warship commissioned for service under the continental flag. After the war, he became the first commissioned U.S. Naval officer, at the rank of commodore, receiving his commission from President George Washington in 1797. So he is not only the first commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, but also the first flag officer.

After her commissioning in 1954, USS Barry (DD-933) served in the Caribbean, Atlantic, Mediterranean, and in the Vietnam War, for which she earned two battle stars.

Decommissioned on Nov. 5, 1982, she became the “Display Ship Barry,” a museum ship at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., in 1984.

After decades of being a display ship, restoration of Barry to allow her to continue as a museum was believed too expensive. Also, the planned construction of a fixed-span bridge would have trapped her at the Washington Navy Yard. Scrapping was the only realistic option. An official departure ceremony for the ship took place in October 2015, and she was towed away in May 2016 to be scrapped in Philadelphia. Scrapping was completed in February this year.

The nameplate, taken from the stern of the ship, was transferred to the Naval History and Heritage Command. It was renovated and subsequently transported to Great Lakes through the generosity of the Naval Order of the United States. Barry’s former skipper, Capt. Greg Streeter, USN-ret., contacted the base in summer 2021 to find out if NSGL had any interest in displaying the nameplate and received an enthusiastic response from NSGL and the NEX.

“History is… preserved in the form of monuments and memorials,” said Whitcop. “In the case of the USS Barry stern nameplate, you have taken a piece of history and preserved the memory of thousands of things that the stern nameplate represents. And then you placed it here.”

Source: United States Navy

The primary focus for this year’s GAMCOTS was to serve as a forum to ensure Pacific Submarine Force leadership remain aligned under Jablon’s priorities of Warfighting, People, and Safety. It also served as a venue to highlight efforts and initiatives which will shape and guide the submarine force over the next year.

In line with the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Commander’s Guidance, GAMCOTS focused on warfighting readiness. Additionally, the symposium covered several recent submarine force initiatives which include changes to training and deployment preparations that raise overall combat readiness. These initiatives ensure rapid response to Indo-Pacific crises when called upon.

In addition to emphasizing warfighting readiness as well as tactics, techniques, and procedures, GAMCOTS also illustrated efforts which are underway to improve quality of life, talent management, and wellness resources to keep the Sailors in the fight.

Jablon also acknowledged the importance of Sailor readiness to completing the mission.

“Our asymmetric advantage against our competition is the high quality of our Sailors,” said Jablon. “As leaders in the Submarine Force, our top priority is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our warfighters so they can focus on maintaining combat readiness. Events such as GAMCOTS enable leaders to come together to share insights and participate in discussions which collectively make our force stronger.”