First Responders Trained to Aid

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Shayla D. Hamilton,

USS George Washington Public Affairs

CORAL SEA (NNS) -- Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) work in high-risk environments with many dangers that lurk up and down the ship's passageways.

To equip Sailors on board and combat these dangers, hospital corpsmen (HM) use their experience, knowledge and skill to train the crew to become first-responders.

"As a first-responder, you have a greater chance of saving a life if you know what you're doing," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Iris Alcantara, first-aid medical training team (MTT) facilitator.

Sailors are trained to properly respond to emergency situations and apply first-aid measures taken to save a life, limit infection and prevent further injury. First-aid training provided by the MTT gives Sailors hands-on experience and teaches the fundamentals to assess for and prevent further injury to personnel.

"Check for breathing, check for bleeding, check for shock," said Quartermaster Seaman Timothy Hernandez, first-aid training apprentice. "Those are the fundamentals that go into assessing the situation before treating. You have to know what's going on in order to properly treat someone."

After completing the first responder training and gaining proficiency, Hernandez now assists with teaching. He said that he feels valuable to the GW team by becoming a first-responder and, in turn, having the opportunity to give the same training to other Sailors.

"The most rewarding part about conducting this training is seeing Sailors with no medical background be able to perform [first aid] efficiently," said Alcantara. "The goal is to train everyone to be capable of treating the most common wounds."

During the training, MTT facilitators also covered the three degrees of burns and how to treat them, types of bleeding and ended with the proper way to carry a patient.

According to Alcantara, in the constant effort to properly train Sailors on board with the most up-to-date first-aid responder procedures, George Washington has played an integral role in keeping its training facilitators' first-aid skills sharp.

"It makes me proud to see first-responders do what we [HMs] can do after all of this training," said Alcantara. "It is comforting to know that there are Sailors who aren't HMs but can respond and help a casualty in an emergency situation."

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. George Washington will conduct a hull-swap with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) later this year after serving seven years as the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan.

USNS Spearhead Begins Mission in SOUTHCOM AOR

From U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy is deploying joint high speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) to Central and South America and the Caribbean to conduct subject-matter expert exchanges and orientations in support of a regional exercise, June 15 to Oct. 10.

The exercise, Southern Partnership Station - JHSV 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15), is an annual international exercise that provides the opportunity for U.S and partner nation forces to operate in a multinational environment, refine coordination and improve interoperability.

The forces will improve upon fleet experimentation activities and conduct counter illicit trafficking operations in support of the exercise.

USNS Spearhead will conduct several port visits to make subject-matter experts available to host-nation maritime services.

During these visits, the SPS-JHSV 15 command element will conduct engagements designed to strengthen cooperative partnerships.

Spearhead will carry a command element and military teams from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and civilian personnel representing the Military Sealift Command. Additionally, USNS Choctaw County (JHSV 2) will carry out an intra-theater lift of U.S. Marine Corps personnel and heavy equipment throughout the month of June, in support of the exercise.

SPS-JHSV 15 is a U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)-directed operation planned by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO)/Commander, U.S. 4th Fleet (C4F) and carried out by Spearhead.

For additional information about SPS-JHSV 15, contact USNAVSO/ U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs by email at comusnavo-c4f_mypt_pao@navy.mil or by phone at (904) 270-4843/4813.

USNAVSO/U.S. 4th Fleet employs maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations in order to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships that foster regional security in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.

USNS Safeguard Conducts Turnover with USNS Salvor in 7th Fleet

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jay C. Pugh, Commander, Task Force 73 Public Affairs

SUBIC BAY, Philippines (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) relieved USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) of duties in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility, June 12.

Safeguard relieved Salvor after completing a three-month depot repair period in Singapore to improve its material condition readiness.

Both ships transited to Subic Bay, Philippines to conduct the turnover. Safeguard will support Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines with a diving and salvage exchange at the end of the month.

"We're happy to have Safeguard back to help carry out our diving and salvage mission in the Indo-Asia-Pacific," said Lt. Cmdr. William Sumsion, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 73 diving and salvage officer.

Safeguard and Salvor transferred diving and salvage gear assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 throughout five days of turnover. Approximately 17 divers are embarked aboard Safeguard to complement the 30 civilian mariners that make up the ship's crew. The divers and crew aboard Safeguard regularly conduct salvage, diving, towing, heavy lift operations and theater security cooperation missions for 7th Fleet, including most phases of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in South and Southeast Asia.

This year, Safeguard will support seven CARAT exercises and a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) mission in Cambodia.

"Salvor did a great job filling in for Safeguard while she was in the yards," said Lt. John Money, CTF 73 surface operations officer. "It's good to have Safeguard back. They're one of the most employed, hardest working assets we have in 7th Fleet."

Additionally, while operating in the Asia-Pacific region, Salvor completed a two-week bilateral salvage operation with the Republic of Korea Navy, Salvex Korea 2015, successfully towed USAV Port Hudson (LCU 2035) from Thailand to Japan and escorted USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak (T-AK 3005) from Japan to Singapore.

Safeguard is a forward-deployed rescue and salvage ship operating out of 7th Fleet and is part of CTF 73. CTF 73 conducts advanced planning, organizes resources and directly supports the execution of maritime exercises, such as the CARAT exercise series with Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste; the Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) with Vietnam, and the multi-lateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Paratroopers visit Normandy for 71st D-Day anniversary

by Staff Sgt. Melissa Parrish
4-25 IBCT Public Affairs

6/15/2015 - SAINTE-Mère-Église, France  -- Sixteen paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and who are currently deployed to Kosovo, received the opportunity of a lifetime to attend festivities marking the 71st anniversary of Operation Overlord June 2 through 8.

June 6, 1944 marked the commencement of Overlord - or "D-Day" for short. A cross-channel invasion originating in England, the now famous air and seaborne move on fortress Europe formally kicked off the Allied advance into western Europe during World War II and spelled ultimate defeat for Hitler's Nazi Germany.

To mark such a mammoth feat, the Spartan paratroopers attended and participated in several ceremonies paying homage to fallen Soldiers and visited the different areas of the operation such as Omaha and Utah Beach, Sainte-Mère-Église, Picauville and Carentan.

Retracing the footsteps their forebears blazed 71 years ago allowed the Spartan paratroopers to immerse themselves in the rich military history of Normandy for an entire week.

Sgt. Timothy Brant, a paratrooper with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4/25th IBCT (ABN), said spending the week in Normandy was a dream come true.

"Getting to walk around and see the history and what the paratroopers did here has been amazing," said Brant. "We visited all of the sites and I was able to jump out of a period C-47 [Skytrain]. I jumped just outside of the original Drop Zone D. I was able to look out all over Normandy. It was an incredible feeling. You always hear the stories and look at photos, [but] I was able to really see what these paratroopers saw."

Given the presence of an authentic C-47 painted in the recognizable D-Day invasion paint scheme and configured for paratroop drops, Brant paid for the opportunity to jump from the same aircraft paratroopers did 71 years ago.

"As I sat in the aircraft looking out the door watching the ground go by, I tried to imagine what those paratroopers felt like right before they jumped in," said Brant. "I tried to imagine the thoughts that had to be going through their minds ... I tried to envision what that would feel like."

But Brant had another reason for paying to jump from the storied aircraft; his grandfather, Staff Sgt. Harold Smock, was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division who parachuted into Normandy on June 6.

"My grandfather was a part of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment," said Brant. "He jumped into Normandy and participated in the operation. I found out what he did after he passed away.  I wish I knew exactly where he was here, but just knowing I was in the same area as he was 71 years ago really is just an unexplainable feeling."

Also in Brant's possession was something that made its second trip to Normandy - Smock's dog tags, which have stayed by Brant's side since joining the Army.

"I jumped his dog tags into Normandy so they have been jumped in here twice," added Brant. "I carry them every single day."

For Spc. Michael Piper, a paratrooper with 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4/25 IBCT (ABN), the week spent in Normandy was a humbling one and he, too, has a close connection to D-Day.

"My grandfather jumped into Normandy and when he landed he was shot in the lung by a sniper," Piper said. "If the bullet would have hit six inches higher it would have killed him and I wouldn't be here today."

Piper's grandfather, Lt. Theo Elmer, and paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, left a huge mark on Piper's life that led to where he is today.

"My grandfather passed away when I was a teenager, but he made a huge impression on my life," said Piper. "He is the reason I am a paratrooper today. Just knowing what he did here has been an honor."

Piper carried his grandfather's photo with him on the last day of the trip where he jumped into a ceremony with 300 other Allied paratroopers onto Iron Mike Drop Zone just outside of Sainte-Mère-Église.

"The jump was the highlight of the trip for me," Piper said. "I am so thankful to have this part of my lineage and to know people still appreciate what they did here and are thankful for their sacrifices."

All of the Spartan paratroopers had smiles on their faces as they exited the drop zone and shook hands with D-Day veterans and people from all over the world that came out to cheer them on.

"This has been a fulfilling moment in my life and I will never forget it," added Piper.

"I know everyone that came took something away," said Brant. "Learning something in a history book is one thing, but walking in the footsteps and just being here puts it all into perspective."

Air Force marine patrol prevents suicidal drowning

by Senior Airman Ned T. Johnston
6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

6/11/2015 - MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- "Gearing up for work every day, we prepare for any number of different scenarios. We prepare ourselves physically and mentally to handle whatever we could encounter that day. We'd like to believe, here in the marine patrol, that we're ready for anything," explained Senior Airman Cale Schumacher, 6th Security Forces Squadron marine patrolman.

February 15, 2015, tested the legitimacy of Senior Airman Schumacher's statement when he and three other marine patrolmen witnessed and subsequently rescued a woman who was trying to commit suicide by driving her motor vehicle off of a boat ramp on MacDill into the Hillsborough Bay.

Schumacher and Senior Airman Christopher Fitchett were on their way to the boat ramp to launch their patrol boat for the day when they saw a vehicle backed up to the edge of the water on the ramp.

"When we got out of our truck and approached her vehicle to see what was going on, she covered the windshield with a sun visor and floored it in reverse into the water. Her car didn't immediately sink, but it did start to drift away from the ramp into the bay," explained Schumacher.

With the car slowly sinking and drifting away from the shoreline, Schumacher knew he needed to act quickly. He jumped into the water to retrieve the woman from the vehicle as Fitchett alerted the other patrol boat in the area of the situation. When Schumacher reached the vehicle, he tried to break the sunroof with his elbow, but to no avail.

"I called back to Fitchett at the truck to throw me a baton, so that I could break into the car," said Schumacher. "When Fitchett threw me the baton from the dock, I was able to break my way into the vehicle."

This was just the start to the rescue mission though. With a now broken passenger-side window, the car was taking on even more water than before. The woman inside the vehicle was warning Schumacher that she didn't want to have to hurt him, and that she wanted him to leave her to die.

"When I entered the vehicle, the woman had her seat belt fastened, and she had locked her arms through the steering wheel," explained Schumacher. "She fought every attempt I made to try and remove her from the vehicle."

Meanwhile, Staff Sgt. Melvin Santos and Senior Airman Colin Williams in the other patrol boat came to the scene and saw that the vehicle had traveled a good distance from the ramp and that it was now in deeper water. In an effort to get the vehicle to shallower waters, they used their patrol boat to push the vehicle as close as they could back to the boat ramp.

Schumacher was finally able to gain compliance from the woman and took her out of the vehicle through the now fully submerged passenger-side window.

Security Forces personnel detained the woman when Schumacher made it to shore with her and MacDill fire fighters used a fire winch to pull the vehicle from the bay. Authorities later found a knife in the woman's waistband and a new pistol in the trunk of her car with 75 rounds of ammunition.

Schumacher finished recalling the events that took place that day by saying, "my team being prepared to handle extreme circumstances was the difference between that woman taking her own life or us saving it."

673d fuels flight named best in the Air Force

by Air Force Staff Sgt. Wes Wright
JBER Public Affairs

6/15/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The Air Force recently recognized the 673d Logistics Readiness Squadron's Fuels Management Flight as the best in the Air Force after the flight was named the winner of the 2014 American Petroleum Institute Award.

"The award is like winning the Super Bowl, World Series and Stanley Cup all at one time," said 673d LRS commander, Lt. Col. John Harris.
The award recognizes the wing having the best fuels management operation, and includes the facility, equipment and vehicle support from outside the fuels management flight.

In order to beat out the competition, composed of the best major command fuels management flights from across the Air Force, the men and women of the fuels management flight knew their work was cut out for them.

Their performance during the competition timeline produced no fewer than 40 bullets in their entry form. Air Force officials referred to the unit as "a clear cut winner" across three judged sections: direct mission support, innovative management and quality of life programs.

Senior Master Sgt. Ron Crowl, 673d LRS Fuels Management Flight chief, one of the architects of the award package, said the award of this magnitude is special because for many Airmen, it can be a one-time opportunity.

"You don't win this type of award every day," Crowl said. "It says a lot. Based on the criteria and grading scale, it is no easy task to try and encapsulate everything this flight does, and does well, in 40 lines on an Air Force Form 1206. These Airmen knock it out of the park every day, and I had plenty of outstanding accomplishments to work with."

The squadron's commander was particularly proud of what the flight did to secure funding for new and improved infrastructure, which was a major bullet in their award package.

"They lobbied for, and got funding for, a truck offload facility, which increases our capability to receive fuel," Harris said. "Most recently, they lobbied for and got funding for a new $7 million operations facility that strategically locates this flight closer to its customer base. That improves our mission capability exponentially. I'm so proud of what they have been able to accomplish."

While their accomplishments are too many to list, some of the highlights included managing the movement of  more than 400 million gallons of fuel between home station and deployed locations, saving the Air Force millions of dollars by using innovative practices and procedures, crafting the Air Force's first-ever F-22 Raptor Forward Area Refueling Point plan, and much more.

According to Crowl, what makes the flight's achievements even more impressive is that the flight operates out of three geographically separated areas, which is atypical of standard fuels operations. JBER is larger than any base in the Pacific Air Forces in terms of sheer physical area.

All the other PACAF bases combined would fit within JBER's fence line, making logistics a high hurdle to clear.

In addition to the geographical size of JBER, the diverse joint base mission sets also provide a scale reference to the volume and pace of work the fuels management flight brings to the installation.

"It is a challenge from a command and control standpoint," Crowl said. "But these guys make it look easy."

Another challenge the fuels management flight regularly overcomes is the subarctic conditions.

"It gets very cold on this flightline and it makes it really difficult to do our job," said Airman 1st Class Levi Roark, 673d LRS fixed facilities technician. "We face the challenge of not only being cold and wet ourselves, but the elements also affect the fuels infrastructure. We have to keep things from breaking and maintain our response times at the same time. It's difficult, but we've maintained and overcome. We have the best fuels flight in the Air Force to show for it."

However, according to Harris, there's something far more important that sets this flight apart.

"I could tell you about how we support more than 80 aircraft, while ensuring the inventory of more than 12 million gallons of fuel, all while battling arctic conditions," Harris said. "Or, I could tell you about the important missions we support, like NORAD's combat-alert cell that ensures our territorial integrity, or the Air National Guard's alert and C-130 mission; or perhaps the C-17 airdrop mission standing by at a moment's notice to deliver Pacific Command's only airborne combat capability anywhere in theater. While all of these are important, what really sets this flight apart is its strategic vision and its heart."

Harris said JBER's fuels flight is unique in its leaders' ability to look beyond the day-to-day tactical mission of launching jets and develop a strategic vision to make the operation and the flight better for future Airmen.

"But perhaps the true key to success for this flight is it's a family," Harris said. "This flight rallies around its Airmen in an unbelievable way. The level of morale here and the way these Airmen look after each other is breathtaking."

Airmen of the squadron echoed their commander's sentiment.

"When I got to the JBER fuels flight, I knew I was part of an awesome team," said Master Sgt. Elizabeth Warren, 673d LRS Fuels Environmental Safety Office noncommissioned officer in charge. "I'm really glad the rest of the Air Force knows it now, too."

Roark said the closeness and "we're a family" spirit that permeates the flight makes the award personal to each member.

"There's really no words to explain how great it feels," Roark said. "As hard as we work, my team, my brothers and sisters, all the sweat, blood and tears ... we are hard workers who love to work, because we work for each other. We work for family. There's a saying I learned here that has always stuck with me. 'Just as metal sharpens metal, so does one man sharpen another,' and that says a lot about this flight."

Harris also pointed out that while the award was given to the Fuels Management Flight, they didn't win it in a vacuum.

"While this fuels flight earned and deserved this award, they didn't do it alone," Harris explained. "Our refueler maintenance section in the Vehicle Management Flight makes sure the fuel trucks are up and running 365 days a year.

Another key component is the 773d Civil Engineer Squadron's water fuels maintenance team. They make sure the fuels infrastructure is running top of the line, which is key to making sure we can get fuel from point A to point B. This was a total team effort from all across our squadron and supporting units."

Harris said it's difficult to properly encapsulate the character of the fuels management flight but that one thing was clear, "At the end of the day, these guys epitomize JBER's motto: Arctic tough and family strong," he said.

Buckner lifeguard finds fulfillment training others

by Airman Christopher R. Morales
JBER Public Affairs

6/15/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- "I like the skill of swimming and seeing students progress," said Mae-Lin Ynacay, lifeguard and water safety instructor at the Buckner Physical Fitness Center. "Even if it's something as simple as kicking more efficiently, I find satisfaction in seeing them progress."

She was born and raised in northern California, and was a varsity swimmer for three of her high school years in Sacramento.

She worked as a junior lifeguard during the summers at that time.

To become a lifeguard, one must complete the Red Cross course to become proficient in CPR, handling choking victims and other tasks.

Ynacay went to college in Oregon for a Bachelor's degree in Chinese Studies. She decided to join the Army with her passion to help others and a goal to be a medic. But due to her knowledge of the Chinese language, the Army needed her in intelligence.

She served eight years, then decided to follow her dream, moving to Alaska to pursue a doctorate at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

"The military was challenging, but I learned a lot," Ynacay said. "I miss the military in a lot of ways, like the camaraderie."

"I used to do martial arts back in the day, crossfit, triathlons; I think I have a pretty good range of physical activity experience in order to incorporate that, with swimming, to help people get back on their feet, literally," Ynacay said.

Ynacay worked as a lifeguard with basic rescue skills at the Buckner PFC in November 2014.

"Mae-Lin is a treat to work with and she is a team player," said Savannah Ericksen, lead lifeguard for the Buckner PFC. "We [at the Buckner PFC] pride ourselves on an above-average staff, so she fits right in."

Ynacay took courses to be a water safety instructor, which involves hydrodynamics, principles of water and teaching underwater movement mechanics.

The Buckner PFC pool offers swimming lessons to patrons age six months to adults. Red Cross certification courses are also offered in lifeguarding, first aid, CPR, automated external defibrillator and water safety. They host several events during the year for the community.

Ynacay teaches these swimming classes which are tailored to skill level and how comfortable students are in the water.
Ynacay is aiming for a master's degree in either biomechanics or kinesiology, in the meantime, she is striving to become a qualified physical therapist.

"You're helping people learn to move who are hindered otherwise and teach them how to move again, get them functional in life.
"I think swimming would be an excellent incorporation if I were to become a physical therapist," Ynacay said.

Swimming is a full-body workout, toning muscles as an aerobic exercise with underwater resistance. It is also a common exercise for recovery as the water alleviates the pressure of weight.

"It helps to know, as a lifeguard - someone who saves lives and teaches people how to swim - when we reach out to others and show them water safety, they could save the lives of others and themselves," Ynacay said.