USS MILIUS COMMAND NEWSLET TER V OLUME 2 I SSUE 7
J ULY 2011
F ROM THE CO’ S D ESK June was an incredibly challenging month for the crew of MILIUS. We had over $1.7 million of shipyard and contractor work covering 156 jobs, spent well over $1 million on parts, and completed countless repairs to the ship. All of this progress came at a high cost in time spent onboard. We did have some help with PCU SAN DIEGO’s crew (about 60 people a day) and other Sailors onboard working side by side with MILIUS Sailors. We are in much better condition now, with many more systems operating in specifications than we had just a month ago. It was great to go to work every day and know that the ship was better than the day before! All of this work will continue into July, with the big INSURV inspection 25-29 July. The reason we’ve been working as hard as we have is INSURV only inspects the condition of the ship now, AS IS. There is no credit given for how hard we’ve been operating, how many deployments we’ve made, or how much work we’ve asked for that hasn’t been done. We are evaluated only on how the equipment works on the day of inspection. This is the hardest, most comprehensive inspection that the Navy does on ships and we’re having to work hard to prepare. We can expect to have to continue to push hard and work long hours in July. The payback is in a safer, better operating ship, a ship that will be easier to maintain in the future. We are all looking forward to getting past this inspection and getting back to regular working hours and a proper worklife balance, which is very important to me.
But we have to get past this inspection first; failing the inspection would make our working hours even longer, and would include working all weekends. We don’t want to have to do that, so we are paying the manpower price now – with every Sailors’ efforts continuing as they have been, I know we can succeed! Looking to the future, we have a busy fall, deployment, and then shipyard period. After the next deployment we will be home for at least 18 months before we deploy again. With our Ballistic Missile Defense role, MILIUS will always be in demand, but we should be normalizing deployments after the next one, with more and more ships capable of this mission coming online every year. There is recognition among the higher headquarters commands on how hard MILIUS has been working, and how successful she’s been at accomplishing the mission. We couldn’t do these things without the support of our families back home. I know I speak for the whole crew when I say, “Thank You!” We did achieve successes in June, passing our Medical Readiness Inspection, our Classified Material Assist Visit, earning First Runner Up for CIWS Excellence, and completing our Strike Certification. In addition, we promoted 18 Sailors, one Senior Chief, and four officers. We also had one officer, ENS Celline, earn her Surface Warfare Officer qualification. It was a busy and productive month! Sincerely, CDR Nikki Bufkin Commanding Officer
I NSIDE ISSUE :
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OMB 411
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MILIUS frontline 5 news
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USS MILIUS COMMAND NEWSLETTER
CMC’s CALL Happy 4th of July weekend. Now we are in the home stretch for INSURV. The crew is working hard and the ship is looking better everyday! The pictures of the ship were taken on July 2 and it is hard to believe that we will be ready for sea in a few days with the amount of work going on but with your Sailors determination ANYTHING is possible. I cannot say it enough how much I APPRECIATE your support and understanding for your Sailors during this trying period. You giving them a chance to reset while they are at home cannot be overstated. Thank YOU! A big BRAVO ZULU to the following Sailors on their recent reenlistments, achievements and awards: Reenlistments GSM1 (SW) Guadalupe Saldivar OS1 (SW) Stephen Peters OS1 (SW) Brian Mitchell BM2 (SW) Holly Libbey FC2 (SW) Michael Warford Navy Achievement Medal FC2 (SW) John McWilliams HM2 Tyrieka Sanders Combined Federal Campaign Letter of Appreciation FC1 (SW) Derrick Wilson SOQ/JSOQ/BJOQ will be announced in the next newsletter! Sincerely, CMDCM(SW/AW) Lisa Thomas
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OMBUDSMAN MEMO Happy July MILIUS Sailors and Families, I hope this finds you well. I want to say welcome aboard to all the new sailors and family members who have joined the MILIUS this past month. If you have any information or referral needs, please contact me via the ombudsman email and I will be happy to help you. You can also reach me via the Command Families page or via the Ombudsman page on Facebook. I also want to extend an invitation to all current MILIUS spouses to come out on Friday, July 15th, from 6:00pm-7:30pm to Spreckels Park on Coronado Island for a MILIUS Spouses picnic. For more details please check the Command Families page on Facebook or your inbox for an Evite. This is a great chance to come out and ask questions and find out information for the coming months, as well as have your voice heard.
Ombudsman Info:
[email protected] assistantombudsman69@ gmail.com OMB Phone– 619.417.9980 Careline– 619.338.1754
I know that schedules have been hectic and busy this past month, and that we are planning on another very busy and hectic month, but I want to encourage you to stay positive in light of all the challenges we have and will continue to face. Military life is not comparable to any other job in the world. Often so much is asked of sailors and their families that, at times, we can forget how tired and weary we really are. I know that the military asks a lot of all of us, however, I also know that the men and women who serve and those who stand beside them are tough, resilient, and up to the challenge. Let’s push through this last month together, confident that when we come out the other side of this difficult time that we will be better prepared to complete our missions; whether at home or on the warfront. Sincerely, Shannon Rivera Your USS MILIUS Ombudsman
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USS MILIUS COMMAND NEWSLETTER
3rd Annual Doggie Street Festival Sunday, July 31 from 9am-4pm Don’t miss the fun, entertainment, good eats, valuable pet information, products, services, speakers, music, special guests and much, much more at Southern California’s Largest Dog Adoption Focused Festival! You might even find your new best furry friend. Either way, this is the go-to celebration of our dog companions you just can’t miss! Last year 130 doggies found new homes at the Doggie Street Festival! For more information, please visit www.doggiestreetfestival.org
FOCUS San Diego Presents: “Mindful Over Matters” Thursday, July 28 from 12:30-2pm Mindfulness is a great technique used to increase awareness, improve attention, and decrease stress. "Mindful Over Matters" is a skill building group for kids to increase behavioral and emotional awareness. This FREE class is open for elementary school aged children. Take advantage of this great opportunity…drop off your kids for a great class while allowing yourself 90 minutes of free time. This event will be held at Naval Base San Diego, Bldg. 265, Second Deck (One building over from FFSC). Please RSVP by July 27 to 619.556.6075 or
[email protected]
4th of July Activities Ocean Beach Pier at 9pm- Ocean Beach fireworks will be launched from the end of Ocean Beach Pier. Best viewing for the fireworks is from the adjacent beach. Arrive early and bring your blankets. The pier will be closed to the public starting at 7pm. For more information, please visit www.oceanbeachsandiego.com/ fireworks-ob-pier.
Old-Fashioned Fourth of July -10am-4pm Celebrate America’s Birthday with live musical entertainment, a picnic lunch in the park, authentic crafters, a patriotic quilt display, delicious treats, an ice cream social, steam engine train rides, mock train robberies, free crafts and games for the kids, and much more! Old-Fashioned Fourt of July will take place at Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road, Poway, CA 92064.For more information, please visit www.poway.org.
Freedom Festival- Naval Base Point Loma, Naval Mine and ASW Center, 3-9pm Live entertainment, carnival rides, car show. For more information, please visit www. mwrtoday.com.
La Jolla Cove- Summer concert at 5pm and fireworks at 9pm.
OMB411
San Diego Area Career Fairs 2011 WHEN 10 July 9:30-4:00
WHERE WHAT Sony Pictures Studio L.A. Chamber Hiring Fair 10000 W. Washington Blvd Hiring Heroes in L. A. Culver City, 90232 (Register to attend: www.regonline.com/HiringHeroesinLA)
13 July 10:00-1:00
MCAS Miramar, Bldg 5305 Miramar Room www.mccsmiramar.com
Career Fair Career Resource Center
13 July Camp Pendleton Hiring Heroes Career Fair 9:00-2:00 South Mesa Staff NCO Club 202850 San Jacinto Road, Camp Pendleton (More Info - Phone 703-696-6243 or email
[email protected])
25 July 11:00 – 2:00
San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina 333 West Harbor Dr. San Diego
Career Fair National Career Fairs
For more information, contact Bob at 619-556-0089 or
[email protected] or visit www.nationalcareerfairs.com/career_fairs/details/CA/San_Diego/ July/25/2011/
FREE Sharp Memorial Hospital Summer Concert Series! Every Sunday from 5:30-7pm beginning July 10 Some of the best in entertainment and summer fun returns to Poway with the Sharp Memorial Hospital Summer Concert Series! Bring a blanket or chair, picnic dinner or snack, and have a great time with family and friends. The concerts are held at Lake Poway, 14644 Lake Poway Road, Poway, CA 92064 and Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road, Poway, CA 92064.
The festivities will kick off with a summer concert at Ellen Browning Scripps Park featuring a trombonist and marine Corp band. Fireworks will blast off La Jolla Cove and can best be seen from Ellen Browning Scripps park, as well as nearby La Jolla Shores and Kellogg Park. For more information, please visit www.lajollafireworks.org.
July 10 at Lake Poway: Diamond is forever! – Neil Diamond Tribute Band
San Diego Bay- from 9-10pm The Big Bay Boom July
July 31 at Old Poway Park: Dave Dekker & Swing West Band – Country & Western Swing
4th Fireworks Show is back for it’s eleventh year, promising another spectacular display over San Diego Bay. Fireworks will be discharged simultaneously from barges placed strategically around the Bay off Shelter Island, Harbor Island, North Embarcadero and Chula Vista. For more information, please visit www.thebigbay.com.
July 17 at Old Poway Park: Susan Craig Winsberg & Blackwaterside – Scottish & Celtic Folk July 24 at Lake Poway: The Corvettes – Doo Wop & Motown (50s & 60s)
Parking is free for residents and $5 for nonresidents at Lake Poway. A free shuttle service will be provided from the north parking lot at Poway High School. This event draws large crowds; please arrive early and plan on taking the shuttle. For additional information, please contact the concert location: Lake Poway 858.668.4770 or Old Poway Park 858.668.4576.
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MILIUS FRONTLINE NEWS Life on the Deckplates By Ensign Rhianna Cole
The past month has been rough for MILIUS’ Sailors. The working day has extended into the night and rolled into many weekends for some.
assesses the material condition and missionreadiness of the Navy’s ships and ensures each vessel is prepared for all tasking.
day from other ships to help out. Without this help, the crew would be working even longer hours.
For those on the ship, while it still may be hard to fully come to grips with the long hours and extensive work schedule, it can be even harder for the families and friends.
The inspection can be long but what is even longer, is the preparation and time in order to successfully pass.
If this inspection goes well, it will be a huge success for MILIUS and a huge weight will be lifted off the crew. While the details of the outcome are classified, it is publically known that over the last few years only a handful of ships on the West Coast have failed INSURV.
“I usually get home every night around 8:45 p.m.,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Willen. “Most of the time my son is asleep by the time I get home so I only get to see him on the weekends if I don’t have duty. It is a sacrifice and something that hurts now, but will help in the long run. It is better to do the long hours now than later. Engineering, and the ship’s condition, is getting better and we are improving.”
When a ship fails INSURV, it becomes a huge embarrassment for the crew and ship with coverage typically in Navy Times. Not only is it an embarrassment, but tremendous off-ship oversight and presence is in abundance to ensure discrepancies and issues are addressed and fixed because the ship must be re-inspected.
The schedule and workload leads many on the outside to wonder, and ask questions of their Sailor. However it might not be something the member wants to talk about once home. What is INSURV? What are the inspections coming up? What do they involve? What happens? The Commanding Officer and Executive Officer have addressed the work schedule in previous newsletters, but with the inspection quickly approaching, a closer look inside the world of INSURV might help families.
“MILIUS is our ship,” said Executive Officer Commander Shedd. “We take great pride in maintaining her.”
In the process of restoring the ship
To assist in demonstrating the material condition of equipment, each division within each department must adhere to checklists and procedures to conduct maintenance and demonstrate operability on their equipment. This strict adherence must then be shown to inspectors to be assessed.
MILIUS is taking preventative action now to ensure not only is the ship in better condition and to pass the arduous inspection, but the crew doesn’t have to do re-work.
In addition to the evaluation of equipment, INSURV inspects each program onboard the ship to ensure environmental, safety, medical and financial measures are being taken per Federal law. Life onboard MILIUS has been quite chaotic with the amount of maintenance being conducted as well as the majority of the workday being consumed with meetings to track deficiencies, jobs and progress. CDR Bufkin with Inspectors
A lot of pressure is being forced upon MILIUS to do well. This pressure, while stressful, has ensured MILIUS received proper funding to get parts and supplies as needed.
INSURV, the Board of Inspection and Survey, consists of a board of members who carry out designated requirements outlined by the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations.
Right now, MILIUS has $1.7 million in work being done on the ship with over 150 jobs being orchestrated simultaneously to ensure MILIUS is on the right track.
These requirements can be found in greater detail on their website, www.public.navy.mil/ usff/INSURV.
All departments are working long hours to accomplish their work-lists to ensure MILIUS has a successful INSURV next month. MILIUS is also receiving anywhere from 30 to 40 people every-
Overall, the Board of Inspection and Survey
MILIUS sailor hard at work preparing for INSURV
“While it is demanding and challenging to prepare for INSURV, especially in light of MILIUS’ past operational schedule, we are the ones that benefit the most,” said Commanding Officer Commander Bufkin. “We are restoring our ship to the safe, working and operationally ready environment she should be if she is always fully funded. While hard, it is great to go onboard the ship every day knowing she is better than she was the day before. And all that greatness is directly the result of MILIUS’ Sailors work.”
