My Journey back to Ethiopia

 By Air Traffic Controller 1st Class (AW/SW) Dawit Melaku

I'm in the military. Whenever you hear the word military, you always think offensive. You think-war, battles and what not. But the military does other things, like what we did for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Japan and earthquake in Haiti. The military is a big, big help to countries in need.

I was originally born in Ethiopia, and my family and I were refugees. We left to Kenya and shortly after, a company sponsored us to come to America. I was six years old when my family and I moved to the South Bronx. I went to college and got my degree in business management, but after September 11, I decided I wanted to be a part of the U.S. government because they did so much for my family and me. In order to do that, I needed to have either military or police background.

So, I joined the Navy. My first command was an amphibious assault ship, after it was decommissioned, I was stationed at Fleet Area Control Surveillance Facility San Diego. There, as a 2nd class, I was a Facility-Watch Supervisor which is the highest qualification you can get, and is usually reserved for 1st Class or above. When I was up for orders, I wanted to do what was best for my career. Everyone I talked to told me to go to a carrier. I selected a carrier and it just so happened to be USS Nimitz.

Guardians of the flight deck: Crash and Salvage

By ABHAN Jonathon D’araujo

I always knew I was going to serve, I just didn't know when. I was studying fire science in school, but I was kind of slacking off. I remember being on YouTube looking at all of these crash and salvage videos. I started emailing the guy who had uploaded them. It turned out he was in crash and salvage back in the 70s. He told me all about their jobs and the schools they can attend. I emailed a couple other Aviation Boatswain's Mates (Handling)., and everything I heard about ABH was all positive. I knew that's what I wanted to do. ABHs are the only ones who have fire trucks and I would be getting hands-on firefighting training.

When I first got to the ship three years ago, I remember thinking, "this place is huge!" I didn't think I'd ever be able to see everything around the ship.  Now if you ask me where anything is, I can tell you where it is and take you right to it in less than two minutes. The ship seems so small now.

People always associate the Navy with the aircraft carriers, and it's a surreal feeling sometimes. Living on an aircraft carrier is not at all like living at home. Out to sea, our roof is the flight deck so when planes land you hear it -- and when they turn the planes on, you definitely hear it.

Volunteering in Cambodia

by HM1 (SW/AW) Jonna Obermiller

For as far back as I can remember I’ve had a passion for the dental field, it probably stemmed from the fact that my uncle was a dental lab technician in the Navy. I remember being in his lab playing with wax on the lathe and in his drawers of plastic teeth.

I joined the Navy a little over 13 years ago as a deck seaman. I was a striker and knew I wanted to be a dental  tech. At the time we had two separate ratings – DT (dental technician) and HM (hospital corpsman).  When the two ratings merged I had the NEC 8752 (basic lab technician) and now 8708 (dental hygienist), so I’ve always worked in dental.

Shortly after the ship moved to Washington I was looking for a way to get involved in the community doing something that I was passionate about. I found an organization called Medical Teams International that has mobile dental units that provide free dental care to low income and the homeless in the Seattle area. This became the perfect volunteer opportunity for me. I made good friends, later learning about the international volunteer opportunities the organization offered and before I knew it I was planning my first trip to Cambodia with MTI.

JEA: This is our ship

AO2 Beauchamp addresses USS NIMITZ Junior Enlisted
Association.

By Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class William Beauchamp,

USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) Junior Enlisted Association President

When I was in high school I wanted to become a police officer. They always told me, “Join the military. Get a little bit of discipline.” You know, all that good stuff. When I came into the Navy, it was rough; I really couldn’t stand it. It was just so routine and there was just so much negative input from my divisions. It was hard for me to actually take the Navy seriously. Now, six years later, I’ve taken the lessons I’ve learned and look at things differently. There’s a purpose behind everything we do in the Navy, even something as little as cleaning a head and dusting an angle iron – there’s always a purpose for it. Of course it might be repetitive and redundant, but it’s necessary.

"There’s a purpose behind everything we do in the Navy..."

My goals when I joined the Navy were to better myself and to see the world, and since I’ve been in, I’ve accomplished both of those goals. Being out at sea and just meeting new people are probably my favorite things about the Navy, I love seeing that bond we develop as a work center. Usually while we’re in port, I just want to get the work done and go home, but when we’re out to sea it’s a different story. You develop relationships that you never thought you would with people you barely talked to, and of course, pulling into ports is a lot of fun.

One experience after another

By Operations Specialist 3^rd Class Andrew Call, USS Nimitz (CVN 68)

This time last year I had just graduated boot camp and after a hiking trip with my wife, I was on a plane flying from North Carolina to San Diego. Not long after I arrived, Nimitz was on its way to Bremerton. During that time I was a Seaman in the Deck Department, which was cool because I was able to stand watch on the helm under instruction. It was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. 

I took control of the helm at the Washington - Oregon border. It was honestly a little intimidating since I was only supposed to be at the helm for 30 minutes, but two hours later I was still in control of the ship. It was really interesting because the water was really rough. To have the ship moving around that much was definitely not what I expected, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Just Keep Pushing: Strong Heart, Determination required for Nimitz Sailor to apply to Navy Diver program

By  Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Johnathan Villalobos, USS NIMITZ (CVN 68)

Being here in Bremerton has taught me a lot about why I am in the Navy. My father served, my grandfather served, but I also wanted to do something for my family. I would later find out that there was something more to this than I realized. 

I’m a non-nuclear Electrician’s Mate; we’re in the Engineering Department.  What’s happening now with the EM rate is that we basically only have the option to change rates, since they are phasing out our rate. Some people don’t want to convert, so they’ll just get out, but that isn’t an option for me.

I’m from San Diego, so I’ve been in the water my whole life. Doing underwater rigging or even a rescue that can return a loved-one to a family is something I want to do; Navy Diving is what I have to pursue. I loved the idea that you’re working with such a tight knit group of people. So I asked myself, “What can I do to get this done while Nimitz is in DPIA?” I can swim in the morning, swim in the afternoon, and go to the naval hospitals to work on getting my Navy Diving package together.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate: Flight Deck Warrior

By:  Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3^rd Class Tyson Collinson

Air department is the bread and butter of an Aircraft Carrier and Aviation Boatwain’s Mate (Handling) , or ABHs, are found on the Flight Deck (V-1 Division) and the Hangar Bay (V-3 Division).  I have a little experience in the Hangar Bay, but my home as an ABH will forever be found on the Flight Deck.

You may have seen the commercials, pictures, posters, and our rate in movies. We are called “skittles” on the Flight Deck of an aircraft carrier. The color of jersey we wear represents the title we hold. Yellow shirts are Aircraft Directors who direct, taxi and move aircraft. Blue jerseys are Tractor Drivers, Elevator Operators, and Plane Handlers. Red is Crash and Salvage and Maintenance (the flight deck fire fighting team).

Then there’s me, the one wearing a Blue Float Coat and a Yellow jersey, the Tractor King. I’m in charge of all Ground Support Equipment on the flight deck and help out wherever needed.

I’ve heard the statement, “you pick your rate you pick your fate,” numerous times when we are spread thin across the flight deck, continuously laboring and pulling tow bars or lugging around 35 lbs at minimum. We have no choice but to operate effectively on little sleep after meals eaten in 15 minutes or less. You’re waiting to hear “Final-Final” come over the 5-MC indicating that you’re coming to the end of a smooth 16-hour workday, but an aircraft comes in for recovery.