In This Issue...

GROWLTHE GATOR

Bystander Intervention

Memorial RunWomen’s Symposium

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 4

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 John “J.C.” CarterExecutive OfficerCaptain Eric N. Pfister

Command Master ChiefCMDCM(SW/AW) Scott HarvillePublic Affairs Officer MCC(SW/SCW) Dennis Herring

News Team 5MCC(SW/SCW) Dennis HerringMC1(AW/SW) RJ StratchkoMC1(AW/SW) Julie Matyascik

MC1(AW/SW) Gary PrillMC3(SW/AW) Erik Foster MCSN Caleb Strong

Layout and Design MCSN Caleb StrongEditor MC1(AW/SW) Gary Prill

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The Keep What You’ve Earned campaign seeks to encourage responsible drinking among Sailors by celebrating the achievements in their Navy careers. Through recognition of their hard work and dedication, Sailors are reminded of their accomplishments—and how much they have to lose if they make poor choices regarding alcohol. The campaign actively engages Sailors as advocates for responsible drinking.

What You Can DoAs alcohol abuse prevention personnel, you are our frontline of defense against destructive drinking habits in the Navy. However, you can’t do it alone.

•Reach out to fellow ADCOs/DAPAs to get help answering your questions and share best practices.

•Engage local organizations and businesses to provide safe-ride programs, support alcohol-related policy enforcement and offer alcohol-free social, extracurricular and public service options as alternatives to drinking.

•Share ideas with local supporters on prevention programs, intervention strategies and other ways to promote responsible drinking habits and discourage excessive alcohol use.

Go to WWW.naDap.navY.mil•Learn how to engage Sailors in meaningful ways that respect their careers,

achievements and personal decisions.

•Download the implementation guide and suite of multimedia products for display on your base.

•Use the campaign resources to support all levels of Navy leadership.

key Tips To share wiTh sailors•Plan ahead for a safe

ride home.

•Don’t try to “keep up” with others.

•Know your limit before you get there.

Help our sailors Keep wHat tHey’ve earned

KEEP WHATYOU’VE EARNED

DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

YOU’VE EARNEDKEEP WHAT

YOU’VE EARNEDKEEP WHAT

KEEP WHATYOU’VE EARNED

DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

navy alcohol and Drug abuse prevention

For more information:

Visit www.nadap.navy.mil or call 1-866-U-ASK-NPC

Department of U.S. Navy Navy Personnel Command OPNAV/N135 5720 Millington, TN 38055

encourage our sailors to Drink responsibly.

Tips for navy alcohol abuse prevenTion personnel

They’ve earneD iT.help Them keep iT.

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Alcide (Bull) Sylvio Benini was born 15 October, 1921, in Cologna, Italy. With his mom Elvira (Zanoni), sister Ancilla, and brother Adriano, he boarded the Conte Grande ship and immigrated to the United States entering though Ellis Island in February 1930, to join his father Luigi Benini who was working in the coalmines of Pennsylvania.

Alcide joined the Army 6 May, 1940, arrived in the Philippines Jun, 1940,

and was captured 7 April, 1942. He survived the Bataan Death March,... Japanese Death Ships, and the Japanese POW camps, serving three years and four months, until the end of World War II.

He returned to the US 15 October 1945. After his release he served with the 82nd Airborne Division Pathfinder platoon.

During his assignment to the

Pathfinder Platoon, Benini was a fully trained Master Parachutist.

In January, 1953 he left the Army and enlisted in the United States Air Force to establish the Air Force Pathfinders later renamed Combat Controllers.

He achieved the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt). Named in his honor is the Benini Heritage Center and Museum located at the Combat Control School at Pope Field, NC.

USS Bataan CPO 365 participate in a beautification and rehab of spaces aboard USS Wisconson as part of a communicty relations project.

Sailors from USS Bataan participate in a habitat for humanity community relations project painting a historic home in downtown Norfolk.

Illustration By MC3 Erik Foster

Photos By MC1 Gary Prill

Bataan Sailors working in the community

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Photos By MC3 Erik Foster and MC3 Nicholas Cottone

Bataan Death March

MeMorial runStory By MC3 Erik Foster

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Sailors from the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) participated in the fourth annual Bataan Death March Memorial Walk at the Dismal Swamp Trial in Chesapeake, Va., to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the forced march during World War II.

Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Soldiers from the area spent the morning walking and running in three different events including a 16.6-mile walk, five-mile walk, and one-mile family walk.

“We had a great turnout of Bataan’s Sailors supporting the event by participating in the run/walk events and volunteers supplying water, working the registration tables,” said Capt. John Carter, Commanding Officer, USS Bataan, who participated in the five-mile event.

After Bataan Sailors completed the event honoring the fallen American

and Filipino service members, they had the opportunity to hear from some guest speakers such as Bataan Death March survivor, Mr. John Mims.

“At one point, it didn’t feel like I had a life left,” said Mims, when asked what his first reaction was to being taken prisoner. “The 60-mile march was terrible. You couldn’t even visualize what it was like unless you were there.

“If there was one thing that got me through the whole thing, it was waiting to get back to my girl friend I met before the war,” said Mims. “I met her and stayed with her for 59 years.”

“Service members of all branches walked the different distances today. Now imagine doing it over many more miles with no shade, no food, no water, and brutal treatment by the enemy forces,” Carter said. “The heroism the 70,000 American and Filipino service members showed defending the islands will never be forgotten.”

“Freedom has never been and never will be free,” said guest speaker Randy Forbes, a U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District. “Whether it’s the sacrifice we have called upon Master Sergeant Mims to make, or the sacrifice any men and women in the service may be called upon to make; it isn’t free.”

“Even when you’ve added up all of our nation’s weapon’s systems, platforms and technology, the greatest attribute we have is just the ability to persevere,” said Forbes. “And that is what they were willing to do. George Washington said to his troops, if we can just survive we can win, and win they did.”

By the end of the event, Bataan Sailors said they got in a great workout, heard stories from the Death March survivors and families, and most of all honored the 70,000 American and Filipino service members who were part of the forced march.

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Bystander InterventionUSS BATAAN - April is Sexual Assault

Awareness and Prevention Month. The theme this year is to ‘know your part. Do your part’. For USS Bataan (LHD 5) Sailors, it is an opportunity to build on the existing encouragement to ensure all are committed to creating a command environment of professionalism, self-worth and respect through Bystander Intervention to the Fleet (BI2F) training.

I2F training is often associated with sexual assault prevention, however this training goes beyond stopping potential sexual assaults.

BI2F is part of a broader Navy strategy designed to prevent destructive behaviors and motivate Sailors to act when they see, hear, and recognize signs of an inappropriate or unsafe situation.

“Bystander intervention is not just for sexual assault awareness,” said Chief Gunner’s Mate John Mathewson. “We want Sailors to feel comfortable in coming forward to their chain of command or to challenge the situation and help resolve the conflict.”

The 2-hour training was broken into peer-led sessions covering sensitive issues Sailors encounter personally, such as, bullying, hazing, fraternization, suicide and physical, alcohol and drug abuse. Sailors interacted with each other in small group conversations, discussing situations seen in various thought-provoking videos and through their own personal experiences.

“You wouldn’t hesitate to intervene if you saw a shipmate about to fall overboard or walk into a propeller –

why wouldn’t you do the same when a shipmate is about to drive after a night of drinking?” said Sharp. “This training helps empower Sailors to know they can intervene and stop behaviors that are not in accordance with the Core Values and Navy Ethos.”

From the early days of naval service, we have carried much guidance in a changing Navy through our Navy core values. They consist of three basic principles – Honor, Courage, Commitment.

According to our Navy core values, in honor, we will conduct ourselves in the highest ethical manner in all relationships with peers, superiors and subordinates; abide by an uncompromising code of integrity, taking responsibility for our actions and keeping our word; we are held responsible for our professional and personal behavior. Courage is the value that gives us the moral and mental strength to do what is right, even in the face of personal or professional adversity. With commitment, we are

caring for and protecting our shipmates and others in need; show respect toward all people without regard to race, religion, or gender.

“If a behavior is not in accordance with the values and ideals expressed in the Navy Ethos and Core Values, it requires intervention.” said Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman William Sullivan.

“When we talk about situations that require intervention, we’re talking about circumstances and behaviors that fall on the continuum of harm,” said Mathewson. “Our focus is to what we call the left side of the continuum of harm.”

The continuum represents the area in which we live, work and spend our lives. Imagine an infinite straight line. On the left side are behaviors such as foul language, horseplay and other low-level behaviors that could be considred harmless. As one moves down the line there is a build up to more serious issues, such as, physical abuse, substance abuse and possibly criminal behaviors, bringing one to the right-hand-side.

“Intervening to stop inappropriate behaviors, such as sexual harassment, can help prevent sexual assault,” said Yoeman 2nd Class Shaun Sharp. “We lead by example, encouraging Sailors to be leaders because there is no rank in bystander intervention.”

“Everyone is a leader. Everyone has a voice,” said Mathewson. “Stopping something little may stop something major that could end their career, or worse, their life.”

Story By MC1 Julie Matyascik

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NORFOLK, Va. - Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) provided hands-on lessons in routine pump repair maintenance to USS Bataan (LHD 5) Ship's Force (S/F) in their production shop in Norfolk, Virginia, on April 15.

MARMC's pump shop provides a 'Self Help Lab' where ships on the waterfront can send Sailors for assistance, training and routine maintenance with pump repairs. This creates an atmosphere where S/F can ask questions from seasoned MARMC Sailors and civilians, including managers, about the various aspects of pump repair.

"These Sailors were very interested in coming over here and overhauling a few of their pumps while Bataan was in a Chief of Naval Operations Avail," said MARMC Pump Shop Zone Manager Jason Smith. "So we saw this as a great learning opportunity to help them repair their own pumps."

The Pump Shop Self-Help Lab provides all the necessary tools and

equipment needed to make almost any repair.

"The Sailors worked on pressing liners out of the pumps, and loading the bearings and seals correctly. There are also a lot of measurements involved, which they probably haven't seen before," said Smith.

The Pump Shop Self-Help Lab is yet another capability, in addition to MARMC's Maintenance Assist Teams (MATs), the command is providing to the ships on the waterfront.

MARMC's MATs aim to increase equipment and systems material readiness, and reliability, through enhancing shipboard Sailors hands-on maintenance ability to "find, fix, and document' material deficiencies using preventative maintenance systems, integrated comprehensive monitoring program tasks and technical manuals. MARMC currently has ten MATs: auxiliary, deck, electrical, gas turbine, valve, rigid-hulled inflatable boat, watertight door, gun, laundry and

galley team."We encourage any ship that needs

help with their pumps to come over and we would be more than willing to not only repair the pump, but show their Sailors general maintenance and repair best practices," said Smith.

MARMC Provides Pump Repair ShopTraining Bataan Sailors on Pump Repair Story by Chris Wyatt, MARMC Public Affairs

Photo By MC3 Erik Foster

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NORFOLK, Va. – More than 65 USS Bataan Sailors attended the 2015 Women’s Waterfront Symposium, March 31, 2015, hosted by Commander Naval Surface Force Atlantic at the C9 auditorium at Naval Station Norfolk.

The symposium encouraged service members stationed in the Hampton Roads area to find the opportunities, solutions, and resources for success through interaction with men and women in leadership roles from across the surface force.

The premise of the day followed the metaphor of having a “voyage plan”, which is a basic knowledge and an important part of sailing navigation by gathering information, planning a course, identifying waypoints and calculating courses and distances to get

to your port of destination.Keynote speaker, Rear Admiral Mary

M. Jackson, Commander, Navy Region Southeast, believes this using this plan is the same foundation one should carry over in their professional and personal life.

“Set a course, make course adjustments and constantly reassess your voyage plan,” said Jackson. “It is very basic. Take this same thought process and think about where you are and where you are going. For us in the Navy, we must figure out our destinations and waypoints, you need to study the conditions between your professional and personal windows of opportunity.”

A popular window of opportunity addressed at the symposium was the window opening for women in the submarine forces. A female Sailor now has the career decision prospect to make a rating conversion into the submarine community.

Capt. Rodney E. Hutton, Commanding Officer, Trident Training Facility, reached out to the more than 600 in attendance and asked them if they were ready to take on a new challenge

Photos and story by MC1 Julie Matyascik

Women’s Symposium

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and be a part of the submarine forces future.

“Is this part of your voyage plan? It may not have been part of your plan but courses change,” said Hutton. “Take on a new challenge. Go excel in the submarine force by doing something I know you are going to love.”

According to Hutton, the first 34 rating conversions are happening now for female enlisted sailors from grades E 1 to E 8. The first two crews will be integrated in 2016, with an additional two to four crews added each year through 2021.

Seamen Emily Miller and Devin Morris, who have been in the Navy for only eight months and reported undesignated to the USS Bataan together found the event to be a real eye opener and have hopes that they can someday be part of the submarine fleet’s elite crew.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to be one of the first enlisted females on a submarine,” said Morris. “I am going to look into it further by talking to our career counselor and checking out the website.”

“We really didn’t know what to expect of the event, this is our first time,” said Miller. “I especially liked hearing Master Chief Beldo speak, she was very funny and inspiring.”

Seaman Miller referred to guest

speaker, Fleet Master Chief April D. Beldo. Beldo made history with titles such as: the first female command master chief (CMC) of Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.; first African-American female CMC of an aircraft carrier and the first female and African-American force master chief for Naval Education and Training Command. She currently is the first African-American female fleet master chief for Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education.

Beldo shared valuable insight in how she accomplished so much in her 32 years of service.

“We are better when we capitalize on

our differences and embrace diversity,” said Beldo. “I honored those who have gone before me. I acknowledge it is not a right but a privilege to wear the uniform that I wear today.”

When asked what attributes did it take for her to be a fleet master chief she said, “Humility first. It is one of our most important characteristics we have in our DNA. Next comes: perseverance, sacrifice, focus, determination, faith, positive self-esteem, integrity and friends and a supporting loving family.

The responsibility of being a Sailor is not a job; it is a way of life. We all need to aspire to be the best Sailor that we can be.”