WORTH Pampers Bataan's Female Sailors

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Tamekia Perdue, USS Bataan Public Affairs

USS BATAAN, Mediterranean Sea (NNS) -- The Women's Organization to Reach Teach and Help (WORTH) aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) held a beauty shop day for female Sailors and Marines in the ship's barber shop May 22.

Beauty shop day was organized to provide female service members aboard time to spend with one another in an atmosphere not typically found aboard Navy ships.

"Sometimes you just need an outlet," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SW) Connie Blevins, one of the many active members of WORTH. "Sometimes you just want to talk to another female that might understand what you're going through. I can hang with the guys for 12, 16, or even 18 hours a day, but at the end of the day, I want to be a female. I am a female. I want to go somewhere and just be a girl."

WORTH is an organization started by senior enlisted female Sailors aboard Bataan as a way to give junior female Sailors guidance and an outlet to discover themselves.

Beauty shop day is the first of many WORTH-organized activities for female service members aboard Bataan.

"We decided to come up with the beauty day, so we could go over the regulations of how we can wear our hair, what's acceptable, and what isn't, as well as boost morale for the junior personnel aboard," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SW/AW) Trinika Savage.

WORTH members opened the beauty shop doors to all females aboard Bataan, providing hair, nail, and eyebrow care.

"It is a free event, and all of the services were donated by the talents [of female Sailors] aboard Bataan," said Blevins.

A day at the beauty shop gave Bataan's females an opportunity to relax and feel pampered.

"I got my nails and eyebrows done, and it made me feel quite elated," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate Fueling 3rd Class Ananasa Dobson. "There is never a day for females to take a break and get something done for themselves without it being after taps in the berthing."

According to Blevins, the members of WORTH are trying to coordinate beauty shop day at least once a month. The goal is to boost the morale aboard the ship and continue to give females the beauty outlet they normally would not obtain on a warship.

There are a number of planned events for Bataan's current deployment. Movie night, bingo, and fitness challenges are just a few of the upcoming events in the works.

Bataan is the command ship of the Bataan Amphibious Ready (ARG) group, supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.