Category: United States of America

Source: United States Navy

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — When our Nation awoke on Sept. 11, 2001, many carried on with their morning routine just like any other day, commuting to work, school, or wherever life took them that particular day. It was just another day in the United States…and then everything changed as 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes with the intent to cause a devastating blow to the country. Two of these flights, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, crashed directly into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in New York City – two staples of the city skyline crumbling to the ground veiled in flame and smoke as many watched on in horror of what was happening. American Airlines Flight 77 soon met a similar fate as it crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, never made it to its intended destination as the brave passengers stormed the cockpit and seized control, bringing the plane down in Shanksville, Pa. Sept. 11, 2001 was cemented in history as the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. 2,977 people from 93 nations lost their lives and more than 6,000 were injured, with 2,753 killed in New York, 194 killed at the Pentagon, and 40 killed on Flight 93. It was deemed a day we would “never forget.”

It has been 23 years since that fateful day – and yet many still recall exactly where they were when the towers fell and the Nation was shaken to its core. Our Nation rallied in its darkest hour, uplifting our brothers and sisters through tragedy and turmoil, instilling pride and strength in the American people. In the present day, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) continues to honor the fallen with the annual Patriot Day Fall-In for Colors Sept. 11. Hosted by the NNSY Veterans Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG) and the Chief Petty Officers Mess, the ceremony provided the workforce a moment to honor the memory and sacrifice of those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks, as well as echo stories of where they were that fateful day and how it impacted their lives. VET-ERG President Roger Bashaw provided the invocation and benediction for the ceremony, the chiefs provided a timeline of the events that transpired that day, and the U.S. Navy band, Command Master Chief (CMC) Stephanie Canteen, as well as bagpiper Lt. Col. (Ret.) Thomas Metz provided musical accompaniments as the workforce took a moment to pause in reflection.

Chief Warrant Officer (CW03) Edward Williams was one of the two keynote speakers for this event, sharing his personal story of where he was the day the towers fell. “I was a Boatswain’s Mate (BM3) on USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and we were about to go on deployment. Before that though, I wanted to take some time and return home to Jersey City, New Jersey with my family,” he shared. “I enjoyed my time there; however, three days before I was supposed to return for my deployment, I needed to go into Manhattan to Bank of America. I took the bus and the train, which was taking me right underneath the World Trade Center. The train’s doors would not open and many of us were trying to figure out what was going on. The train finally moved and let us out at Pavonia Newport, which felt like you were practically right across the street from the World Trade Center. When we were all finally off of the train, everyone was looking to the sky. Both planes had already hit the towers. I was in awe – not sure what was going on and thinking to myself this was an accident and this was something we would overcome. The last terrorist attack I remembered was in the Jimmy Carter era and it was the furthest thing from my mind.”

He continued, “And then, the buildings began to collapse. To see that happen and to watch the smoke and debris run across the water as if it were a sandstorm – I will never forget that. We all ran, trying to get away. None of us knew why this was happening to us. I had to walk all the way home – a comparable distance to the distance between Portsmouth and Suffolk here. At that time, the World Trade Center was a plateau for everything our country stood for. A symbol of trade in our economy and our efforts with the United Nations. Those antennas at the top of those buildings, when it collapsed, completely cut off a majority of our communications in the area. I remember when I got home, my mom was devastated because she knew I was underneath that trade center – and she didn’t know if I was going to make it home. I entered the house, pure white from the debris. And I didn’t realize until that moment my mother told me that we had just been involved in a terrorist attack. So when we think of Patriot Day, we need to ask ourselves, how did this event change our lives? It took me a week to finally get back for my deployment and we were deployed until August the following year. We were involved with numerous evolutions, pulling into ports had completely changed, and even standing watch had become different for all of us. The terrorists attacking on United States soil made this country different for many of us and still affects us today. So I ask you all to remember where you were 23 years ago and how it’s impacted you today.”

Machinist’s Mates (MMNC) Chief Tim Barth was the second keynote speaker and provided his own personal story of where he was that day. “I was working in Southern Pennsylvania as a substitute teacher. I got up early that morning for breakfast and to prepare to head to class for my certifications. I turned on the radio to a comedy show and I remember getting into my car to drive to my class at 8:46 a.m. when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. I remember the hosts kept saying on the radio that this was not a joke, this was not a prank, this was actually happening. By the time I had gotten to my class and finished up that morning, I returned to my car and turned on the radio again to find out a second plane had hit the World Trade Center, a plane had hit the Pentagon, the towers had collapsed – I sat there thinking to myself, what was going on? The world was turned upside down.”

He continued, “I had a half-day of work that afternoon with middle-schoolers teaching science. I don’t remember a lot about that day since it was such a whirlwind; however, I do remember those students just trying to make sense of everything happening. What was going on, what happened to these people? I had a hall duty that day and usually in the school there would be a lot of noise of classes going on, students chatting through the halls. That day, it was completely silent – save for the sound of the televisions playing the news from the same station in every classroom and every student staring at what was going on. And all we could tell them was, ‘watch and pay attention, you’re watching history happen right before your eyes.’ Every single person in my generation that I have talked to knows exactly where they were and what happened on that day. Everybody has a story – so I encourage everyone to tell those stories. The motto that came out of that day was, ‘never forget,’ and I know I won’t.”

Shipyard Commander Capt. Jip Mosman said, “Today that pride we felt after Sept. 11, 2001 remains strong in all of us – as we continue on the legacy of those who we have lost. And with new challenges ahead of us as overseas entities are once again threatening our way of life. We must remember why we do what we do here at NNSY. We must continue to execute our mission to return ships and submarines back to sea in support of our Sailors going into harm’s way in support of our Nation’s defense. Each of you are a vital asset to our Nation. You make our mission happen. This command isn’t a machine running on gas and oil, it’s an organization that runs on people. With the right focus for all of us to make it more efficient and more effective for the work to get done at the deckplate, we will be successful in our mission and help the Navy to be prepared for what might come. From leadership to our support codes to our waterfront warriors – we’re all in this together to secure our fleet as mission-ready. So as we continue to honor our fallen, let’s keep that pride alive and do our best in everything we do here at NNSY.”

Source: United States Navy

CARRIBEAN SEA (Aug. 29, 2024) – The sun beats down in Kingston, Jamaica, and sweat is already dripping down Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Smith’s face. He waits on a pier as a motorcade pulls up, and a black SUV with two American flags on its hood stops directly in front of his position. The U.S. ambassador to Jamaica steps out of the vehicle and Smith approaches him. He shakes hands with the ambassador and begins to introduce himself, saying something never before said by a Medical Service Corps (MSC) officer: “Good afternoon, sir. I am the mission commander for Continuing Promise.”

“I’ve always had an understanding of how important it is for the United States to partner and work well with our allies in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean,’ said Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Smith, mission commander for Continuing Promise 2024. “But this mission drove home that point in a way that will stay with me forever.”

From combat operations to humanitarian missions, MSC officers have supported the medical needs of the Navy and upheld the strong legacy of the corps for over 77 years. This continues today, with more than 3,000 active-duty and reserve officers currently in service and supporting various Navy missions. This year, for the first time in the Navy’s history, a major humanitarian mission’s leadership, commander and deputy commander, were both MSC officers.

During Continuing Promise 2024, Smith and his deputy commander, Lt. Cmdr. Alex Balbir, were among eight MSC officers who visited five countries in the Caribbean and Latin America to provide medical care, share knowledge with local medical professionals, and strengthen partnerships within the region. During the mission, several of those officers embarked aboard the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) and worked alongside other military professionals as well as civilian mariners from the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command.

Though Smith was mission commander for Continuing Promise 2024, he primarily serves as a reservist with Navy Reserve Destroyer Squadron 40 as the training officer. Out of his 27 years of military service, he has spent 15 of them as an MSC officer, while also serving previously as an enlisted service member in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a plans, operations, and medical Intelligence (POMI) specialist and has served with the Marines. Now, he leads a mission dedicated to medical planning and execution to improve lives across a region.

“I joined the Navy Medical Service Corps because I wanted to continue to serve my country and was interested in healthcare administration,” said Smith. “Ensuring patients have the best care possible at a systemic level has always been a focus of mine.”

Ensuring people in the countries visited get quality medical care is a major facet of the ongoing Continuing Promise mission. The mission’s embarked medical team made certain that this would become a reality. Cmdr. Brent Collins, an MSC optometrist, was among them.

Currently a staff optometrist at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Collins has had a long career leading up to his involvement in Continuing Promise. His first tour was in May 2010 where he was a staff optometrist in the optometry department at Naval Medical Clinic San Diego, California. Fourteen years later, he served as the optometry lead for Continuing Promise 2024, as well as the interim medical officer-in-charge when circumstances required him to take on that role temporarily.

“This mission has helped remind me to be grateful for the little things I take for granted,” said Collins. “It has also increased my appreciation for the privilege it is to work with such a diverse and talented group of people.”

Collins was not the only MSC officer that worked with military counterparts to support the mission. Lt. Cristina Lucatero-Diaz managed all transportation operations needed to get mission personnel to the site where they worked each day. At some locations, this required her to work closely with local police and military forces to ensure the safe transit of personnel. In addition to managing transportation and accountability, Lucatero-Diaz also volunteered for community relations (COMREL) events.

Outside of Continuing Promise, she is assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Jacksonville as a healthcare administrator and serves as the patient administration officer at Naval Hospital Jacksonville. Though she is now commissioned as an MSC officer, she started her career in the Navy as a hospital corpsman in May of 2004. Nine years later she was selected for the Medical Service Corps In-service Procurement Program and received her commission.

After completing Officer Development School, she went to her first duty station as a MSC officer at Field Medical Training Battalion-West, Camp Pendleton, California, as the operations officer and the administrative/personnel officer. After almost 10 years, and four commands later, she reported to the Burlington for Continuing Promise 2024.

“My favorite moment of Continuing Promise 2024 was during a COMREL event in Costa Rica,” said Lucatero-Diaz. “I volunteered to help paint a local school; over a two-day period, I had the opportunity to meet a school staff member. He shared stories and talked about the history of Costa Rica.”

By taking part in Continuing Promise 2024, Smith, Collins, Lucatero-Diaz, and the five other MSC officers on the mission treated or supported the treatment of more than 4,800 patients. What the MSC compliment and fellow medical professionals were able to accomplish on this historic mission will be added to the incredible legacy of the MSC community, shining brightly as a beacon of hope not just across the United States Navy, but around the world.

Source: United States Navy

The command is still in the early stages of the project, but in the end all 78 rooms in Barracks 2234 will receive a new coat of paint and vinyl laminate flooring to enhance the look, reduce upkeep and cleaning, and generally, just provide a better living environment for the service members.

The project started based on the question, “How can we make Sailors feel more at home?” said Unaccompanied Housing Leading Petty Officer Religious Specialist 1st Class Carl Miller. “It’s a much-needed upgrade and I am glad we are getting the process done.”

Although the work started in mid-August, the planning started nearly a year ago with the Region Housing Office and the installation Public Works team. The $1 million quality of life initiative is slated to be finished around mid-November.

As the rooms are being completed, service members are being moved from other rooms in the building so they can be renovated. So far, the responses seem to be good. Seaman Phoebe Frederick (USCG) moved into her room about two weeks ago.

“The rooms still look pretty similar, but I like the new floors a lot better,” she said. “It’s nicer and so much easier to maintain.”

Each suite has two bedrooms with two single beds, two bathrooms, a laundry room, and a common area with kitchen and living room. At full occupancy, the unaccompanied housing facility can hold 312 service members.

“It takes awhile to get the ball rolling, but the process has come together and hopefully we can get this done for the Sailors on-time and on-schedule,” Miller stated. “The Sailors that have moved love the rooms and it is a great feeling moving them into what feels like a new space.”

Once this project is finished, a different project is tracking that will replace the desks and chairs in the rooms with new furniture as a further upgrade.

Projects like these are being pursued across Navy Region Southeast to help make the living areas more comfortable for the Sailors. Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans has renovations ongoing at several buildings. NAS Key West is upgrading their unaccompanied housing, NAS Pascagoula is installing new flooring in their common spaces and The Sailors at MCAS Beaufort are getting new furnishings in the barracks.

“It is a priority across the shore enterprise to enhance our Sailors quality of life,” said Navy Region Southeast’s Regional Housing Director Harold Parker. “Everyone within the Fleet and Family Readiness team cares about our service members. We attempt to meet the needs of our Sailors, and if a concern for improvement is identified we will work to meet that goal.”

Source: United States Navy

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti welcomed Chief of Staff of the French Navy Adm. Nicolas Vaujour to the Pentagon today to discuss regional security, maritime stability, and increased interoperability between their navies.

The leaders discussed the future maritime security environment, emphasizing a shared understanding of the security landscape. Franchetti and Vaujour talked about strike group integration, cooperative efforts in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions, and the importance of sustainment to ensure long-term operational readiness.

During their office call they also highlighted the role of live, virtual, and constructive capabilities in enhancing operational effectiveness and advancements in robotic and autonomous systems to further strengthen their forces. Their conversation reinforced the partnership between the U.S. Navy and the French Navy, highlighted by recent joint exercises such as Exercise Chesapeake 2024, North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Exercise Neptune Strike 24-1, and Rim of the Pacific 2024. These exercises showcase their dedication to enhancing the seamless integration of their naval forces.

While at the Pentagon Vaujour attended the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Symposium, where he delivered the keynote address, and conducted office calls with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Lisa Sawyer, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt J. Rothenhaus, further strengthening bilateral and inter-service relationships.

Franchetti and Vaujour last met in January 2024 at the Paris Naval Conference.

Source: United States Navy

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (Sept. 12, 2024) – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro hosted the first-ever Department of the Navy Foreign Area Officers Summit at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Mahan Hall, Sept. 12, 2024.

The summit provided the secretary with an opportunity to interact with FAOs stationed all over the world, in addition to academy midshipmen, allowing him to share his priorities concerning global engagement, strategic competition, and interoperability with Allies and partners.

Secretary Del Toro was introduced by Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy Ms. Anne Gebhards, and National Security Council Spokesperson Mr. John Kirby later provided keynote remarks. Summit panelists included Lt. Gen. Joseph “JP” McGee, Adm. Stuart Munsch, and Lt. Gen. James Bierman.

The Navy Foreign Area Officer (FAO) community is a stand-alone restricted line community offering world-wide assignment opportunities to qualified naval officers.

“[FAOs] are in many ways the eyes and ears of the Navy and Marine Corps team,” said Del Toro. “It is my belief that FAOs operate at the front lines of the implementation of our National Defense Strategy, which is right where we need you.”

Naval officers selected for FAO are assigned a region of specialization, provided language and graduate education on an as-required basis, and detailed to FAO-coded billets in accordance with the Navy FAO career path.

“Together, we have emerged from the nascent phase of Department of the Navy FAOs, where we viewed FAOs as highly specialized and trained military diplomats—officers with language and cultural understand who could navigate the interagency environment and manage security cooperation programs or attaché duties,” said Del Toro.

FAOs duties include living and adapting to many different foreign countries—some austere and even dangerous, sometimes away from extended family members.

“In every corner of the world where the United States fights to uphold the rule of law and promote prosperity for all, we do it alongside our allies and partners,” said Del Toro. “And so, now, more than ever, it is imperative that we have the expertise of you, our FAOs, to shape the battlefield, deter conflict, de-escalate tensions, and, if necessary, prevail in conflict.”

Navy FAOs maintain a broad range of military skills and experiences: knowledge of political-military affairs; familiarity with the political, cultural, social, economic, and geographic factors of the countries and regions in which they are stationed; and proficiency in one or more of the dominant languages in their regions of expertise.

Navy FAOs can expect to serve on staffs of Fleets, Combatant Commands, Defense Agencies, and DoD military-diplomatic offices at U.S. Embassies. They provide expertise in planning and executing operations, provide liaison with foreign militaries operating in coalitions with U.S. forces, conduct political-military activities, and execute military-diplomatic missions.

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