T h e O f f i c i a l M a g a z i n e o f U S S M A K I N I S L A N D ( L H D 8 )

INSIDE:MKI namesake history

Sailors Volunteer in Hong Kong Photos of Singapore

ATIAROUND THE ISLAND

Answers available on page 14

TABLE of

CONTENTS

Staff:

Commanding Officer:CAPT ALVIN HOLSEY

Executive Officer:

Command Master Chief:

Public Affairs Officer:

Deputy PAO:

CAPT MICHAEL S. FEYEDELEM

CMDCM(SW/AW) THOMAS MOORE

LCDR MICHAEL L. SMITH

MCC(AW/EXW) BRADLEY SAPP

Lead Editor:MC2(SW/AW) LAWRENCE DAVIS

Copy Editor/ Quality Control:MC1(SW) CORWIN COLBERT

MC1(SW/AW/SCW) RONALD GUTRIDGEMC2(SW) PRINCESS BROWNMC2 (SW) CHRISTOPHER LINDAHLMC3 ETHAN TRACEY MC3 ROBIN PEAK MCSN DENNIS GRUBE

Media LCPO:MCC(SW/AW) ADAM VERNON

AROUND THE ISLAND is an authorized publication for the crew member of USS Makin Island (LHD 8). Contents herein are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding Officer of Makin Island. AROUND THE ISLAND is edited, prepared and provided by the MKI media division. All news releases, photos or information for publication in AROUND THE ISLAND must be submitted to the Public Affairs Office. All submissions are edited for accuracy, clarity, brevity and conformance to style. The staff reserves the right to edit or reject any submission.

MC Cornerpg. 3

MALUS AMPHEX 14pg. 4-5

MKI NAMESAKE pg. 8-11

HONG KONG COMRELpg. 13

quarters the better we will return. My last bit of advice is controlling the

amount of stress we all deal with being in the military. We are away from family, friends, loved ones, nearing the other side of the world, work is tough, qualifications are never ending, mission, mission, mission.

That’s what we do, that’s who we are, but it’s how we deal with all that which makes Makin Island successful. Stress is necessary in the right amount. If your Chief or LPO were to stop pushing you to qualify, there would be no stress, there would be no qual and there would be one less watchstander to relieve the watch. This stress is good in the right amount. If you are not qualifying, that small piece of good stress may turn out to be a ton of bad stress. Not good, right? To find that place in between good and bad is what we call stress control, not enough we become bored, time drags too much and it could affect our health. Now to control this, find your way of coping. Use the goals you set and stay on track, find a quiet place to cool off and relax if you become overwhelmed. Seek advice from your mentor, ask a friend, write down what stresses you and figure out the right course to manage bad stress and if necessary, add good stress. I have seen too many Sailors in my career hold on to things that stress them out in a bad way take it out while on liberty, maybe displaying destructive behavior, consuming large amounts of alcohol, then unleashing the rage they’ve locked up inside. This will only add to what is already there so take steps now to remove bad stress, identify it, write it down, set goals to overcome, and be a better person when we return.

Find or exercise your means of dealing with stress. So go ahead, play that game, watch that movie, but include achieving goals and becoming a better shipmate in your daily routine. Level up in life.

This month’s contributor: GSCM (SW) SEAN dAVIdson

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So how many times a day do you wish everyone had the same personal or hygienic habits as you so that the world or life on the ISLAND were a better place to be? I’m going to cover a few life changes that we can all make in order to better survive closequarter living and my own advice on setting goals and reducing stress over our deployment.

First, let’s go over setting goals. So here we are, month one into deployment, have you set goals to keep you occupied and make you a better person for our return to San Diego? As I observe shipmates around MAKIN ISLAND I see some honing their skills on the XBOX, some spending quality time watching movies, many in the gym or hangar bay improving their fitness and others hanging out with friends discussing who knows what. Ask yourself this; is what I’m doing on a daily basis going to make me a better person? Will it help me score better on the next advancement exam? Will I have more money in the bank or return with all my bills paid off? Part of figuring out the goal you want to set is reflecting and finding an area to improve. If you have a lower fitness score, can you improve that, or do you get anxious when the body composition is approaching? Does the thought of debt stress you out? Is life after the Navy a concern? Are you preparing yourself for that future move to civilian life? There are many questions to ask yourself, but here on the ISLAND there are many more answers.

How do we set goals and achieve them? Now that you have asked yourself the tough questions, write them down and decide which ones mean the most to you. Let’s take fitness and health as an example: My story; I became a runner after my first Navy PRT. My score was okay but not great for a 20-year-old. I decided that it is never going to get easier the older I get so set a short term goal and started planning and writing a schedule to increase my run time. I did some research into improving cardio fitness and in my plan, scheduled run days with a variety of running styles, speed work, endurance, tempo runs, and recovery. In less than six months I was able to take almost two minutes off my run time. It worked! So after the next cycle I set a longer term goal

with short cycle goals built into the plan. Long term was to run the PFA in under nine minutes until I retire, the short cycle goal within that was to decrease my time each PFA. Now 24 years later it still works, but like I wrote earlier, it never gets easier, but my plan is keeping me on track.

Can this work for you? Sure, but only if you commit to a better self, write down your goal, track your progress, and watch the results. This same model can be applied to any goal, whether increasing fitness, decreasing debt and securing future financial fitness, improving rate knowledge, or attainment of a college degree. Makin Island has the resources to help you help yourself, just do it.

Next, let’s cover close quarter living. This applies to all of us, both the young and the old, (you know who you are), the salty sea dogs, and our new shipmates. How we live on a daily basis, our habits, our interactions, the choices we make, and how we treat one another have an impact on all those around us. To make our deployment less stressful, think about things that you can change or think about changes you would like to see others change to make life that much better. Attitude and common courtesy go far in making our living conditions the best they can be. “Please” and “thank you” are two simple steps but what else can we do? Think of what your pet peeves are. Do you hate when others leave a dirty sink or trash in the angle irons? Consider your habits. Do you have personal habits that others might find offensive? Well why not adapt and make lifestyle changes that will improve a shipmate’s day? Clean up after yourself. If you drop food on the deck during chow, pick it up. Flush after use. Wash the toothpaste out of the sink and wipe the sink for the next user. Small things that can mean a lot. Challenge yourself to be kind to a shipmate, say good morning to passing shipmates, wait and hold a door open for those passing behind you, or simple daily encouragement to show your support for a shipmate struggling to meet their goals or qualification. We are all in this together and the better we can adapt to being in close

Marines and Sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and members of the

Malaysian Armed Forces officially completed Malaysia -United States Amphibious Exercise 2014 (MALUS AMPHEX 14) at Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia, Sept. 2.

MALUS AMPHEX 14 was a realistic and challenging exercise that brought service members closer and improved both nations’ abilities to work bilaterally, and provide regional and global security.

The exercise was designed to foster and sustain cooperative and international relationships with an emphasis on amphibious and humanitarian operations within the context of a stability and security operation.

“One of the most important things is America’s ability to create relationships and re-establish or rekindle relationships with foreign nations,” said Capt. Larry Iverson Jr., commanding officer of Echo Company, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 11th MEU. “I think we’ve been successful with that in this operation. For us, this means more than just teaching the Malaysians about amphibious operations.When we walk away from here, the Malaysians are going to think back to this experience and say, ‘hey, the guys we worked with were really good people.’”

Throughout the exercise, approximately 550 Marines and Sailors with the 11th MEU partnered with members of the 7th and 22nd Royal Malay Regiments. Planners from Amphibious Squadron 5 and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group also participated in the coordination of amphibious operations with the Malaysian Armed Forces.

11th MEU and MAF executed operational training evolutions incorporating shipboard familiarization, weapons familiarization, amphibious rehearsals with ship-to-shore connectors, live-fire ranges, rapid response planning process, and execution of an amphibious assault.

MALUS AMPHEX 14 also included a two-day medical and dental outreach project, which provided patient care to local civilians. Marines and Sailors from Combat Logistics Battalion 11, 11th MEU, partnered with the Royal Malaysian Medical Corps, treated 335 medical and 172 dental patients during the two days of operations.

At the same time, CLB-11 Marines partnered with the Royal Malaysian Engineer Regimentto conduct a general engineering project at Tanjung Labian, Sabah, where engineers refurbished bleachers, sepak takraw courts, and the local community center.

At the closing ceremony, Lt. Gen. John Toolan, Commander U. S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, congratulated both forces for having a successful bilateral training exercise and spoke on the partnership between the U.S. and Malaysian forces.

“I am particularly proud of the professionalism and teamwork demonstrated between the Royal Malaysian 7th and 22nd Regiment forces and the Marines and Sailors of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.”

By Cpl. Demetrius Morgan11th Marine Expeditionary Unit

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GUNG-HOThe story of the Makin Island namesake

Story by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Christopher Lindahl, USS Makin Island Public Affairs

While Hollywood continues to churn out fictional fantasies about futuristic wars, Special Forces operations or superhero-esque spying organizations, few are capable

of capturing the level of difficulty and insurmountable odds of the true story of the raiders of Makin Island.

The modern day military cinema is littered with scenes of such operations, launching a silent sneak attack in the dark of night using their tiny rubber raiding crafts, with faces blackened to match their attire.

What few know, however, is that one raid, often overshadowed in the events of World War II, set the stage for a series of military operations that are now common place in both reality and the silver screen.

Over the course of two days, Aug. 17 - 18, 1942, Marine Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson led 222 men from two companies of the 2nd Raider Battalion on a raid of the small, triangular-shaped Makin Island, a small atoll in the Pacific’s Gilbert Island chain. With Carlson were two notable officers, Major James Roosevelt, Carlson’s executive officer and son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and 1st Lt. Oscar F. Peatross, who would later author a manuscript and rise to the rank of Major General in the Marine Corps.

A raid at that time was not new to the military, nor was the concept of Marines working with the Navy to accomplish such a raid, nor was the son of a president serving in battle.

The raid did, however, serve as the first amphibious raid attempted from submarines, a precursor to what is now considered routine by the U.S. Special Forces.

Carlson’s team embarked the submarines USS Argonaut and USS Nautilus in Pearl Harbor and began the long journey to Makin Island before disembarking early that Monday morning under the shroud of night in their tiny rubber raiding crafts. Immediately the raiders found trouble. Heavy seas, rain and strong wind swamped the small boats and drowned out their outboard engines.

Strong tides then threatened the submarines, forcing them to back away. Never deterred, Carlson instructed his company commanders to push forward to the beach. Without engines however, the Marines had to paddle vigorously through the misery to reach their landing zone on time; a mark that they still hit.

Peatross’ boat was one of the first to reach the beach where he and his crew were clouded in confusion, unaware of the rest of the raider’s whereabouts.

As Peatross recounted in his memoirs, “so far, I had many more questions than answers. Doubt began again to gnaw at my self-confidence.”

Before the rest of the boats hit the beach and still concealed from enemy detection, Carlson’s team spotted a large troop transport and small boat that they would surely encounter. Using only radios, Carlson’s own compass readings, 6-inch guns, and a whole lot of good fortune and expert marksmanship, the submarine Nautilus fired blindly and sunk both vessels.

It was a struggle from that point to simply regroup and carry out the mission objectives and the raiders would go on to face heavy sniper

fire, flame throwers, tanks, machine guns, and a barrage of bombings and air attacks from a total of 12 planes.

Against all odds and outmanned, the raiders evaded the bombings and eliminated nearly every enemy. Carlson’s raiders even shot down two of the planes, one of which was carrying 35-40 reinforcements.

History debates the success of the mission objectives, as the treacherous obstacles and “Murphy’s Law” scenarios impeded the men’s ability to fulfill every objective, it is logged generally as a mission accomplished.

And Carlson’s mission? To detract attention from the Japanese forces in Guadalcanal.

“Its exposed position left it sufficiently sensitive to a raid as to bring out the reaction we desired, which was to deter the reinforcement of Guadalcanal, under attack by the First Marine Division even as the commodore spoke,” said Peatross in his manuscript, recalling the time they first heard news of the planned raid.

The mission was also designed to serve as a morale booster of sorts; one that would encourage the troops while showing the world that the U.S. was taking control of the Pacific.

“What’s better than a sneaky little raid to show we’re on the offensive?” asked Chief Gas Turbine System Technician (Electrical) Dale A. Furr.

The undeniable ability of the raid to boost spirits and instill pride within the ranks has since led to two feature films and the naming of two proud U.S. warships, which have carried with them the same will, determination, and teamwork that brought the majority of the raiders home from that battle.

The first was a Casablanca-class escort carrier (CVE 93), commissioned less than two years after the battle, May 9, 1944, that served a purpose very similar in nature to today’s amphibious assault ships.

CVE 93 quickly rose to action and joined in the war efforts, creating her own legacy through hard work, dedication and human sprit.

As described by then Radioman 2nd Class Gus Youngkrist, “Her guns and planes destroyed 21 Japanese planes, many small ships, and an undetermined number of enemy installations on a score of islands. She was awarded five battle stars, the Navy Unit Commendation and the admiration of her Force and Fleet Commanders. Yet her history is more than a history of numbers, it is a record of a group of men working together, successfully completing a big job.”

CVE93LHD

8Today, the Navy’s newest deployable amphibious assault

ship carries with it the same Makin Island name as she carries forward the traditions and spirit of the events before her.

Furr, assigned to the current namesake, USS Makin Island (LHD 8), and regarded by much of the crew to be an expert on Naval history, said the use of the namesake is appropriate for the type of ship.

“A lot of the amphibious assault ships are named after major actions,” he said. “As far as Makin Island is concerned, I don’t think anything was done on that scale with Marines on subs during World War II.”

The ship itself was designed with Navy and Marine Corps integration as its primary function and has the ability to conduct a wide range of amphibious operations while supporting any variety of landing craft as well as a full flight deck capable of launching air assaults, reconnaissance and rescue missions.

As this newest crew of more than 2,500 Sailors and Marines walks the passageways in the early stages of the ship’s second deployment, they pay tribute to the original raiders by proudly serving on the ship that carries with her the moniker “Raiders” and Carlson’s famous motto of “Gung Ho,” which, translated from the Chinese, means “work together.”

Not to be understated and in yet another tribute to the events of the raid, the two rigid hull inflatable boats that Makin Island carries with her are named Nautilus and Argonaut.

And as this journalist puts a wrap on this story, he will retire to his dinner chow and sit in a nice corner of the mess decks named “Carlson’s Café.”

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Fourteen Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) visited young men at

the Hong Kong Student Aid Society Holland Hostel as part of a Community Relations event (COMREL) Aug. 21.

Cmdr. Timothy Moore, chaplain aboard Makin Island, and the chaplain department organized and facilitated the COMREL event.

“Going out and doing projects like this shows a lot of compassion and it’s a different and truly meaningful way to experience the culture of a place,” said Moore.

The day started with a brief on the history and general overview of the program led by Superintendant Chan Wing Chun.

Chun said that since 1967 Hong Kong Student Aid Society has been providing a plethora of services targeted at young men ages 11 and up with various personal and family issues. The organization, in part, works at developing students through a range of recreational activities including music and sports.

The service members had the opportunity to experience some of the activities first hand during their visit.

Five students performed as a band for the service members and later the students invited the service members to compete with them in a rowing competition and basketball game.

The basketball game had two service members and three students to each team. The teams would rotate in players every ten minutes so everybody that wanted to play could. The game lasted one hour and everyone at the hostel was in attendance watching. Though no score was kept, the service members and students high-fived and congratulated each other every score and at the end of the game.

“It was a great time,” said Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Salvador F. Orbita. “It’s an amazing feeling knowing that in some small way you affected someone positively even if it’s just playing sports or sharing your experiences with them.”

When asked what his most memorable moment of the day was Moore said, “The concert and the basketball game. Music and sports are universal languages, and even though we come from different places, it was amazing to see that unity among the service members and the students with those two activities.”

Chun said in regards to the visit, “We are really grateful to have had these men and women come here to spend time with the boys. Watching the way they interacted with each other is truly amazing and it really meant a lot to the students here.”

The Chaplain department is planning to facilitate more COMREL events throughout deployment and service members are encouraged to contact them for details and opportunities to serve on a project.

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robin W. Peak, USS Makin Island Public Affairs

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CFLREMINDERFitness Tip

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Burning that Flab? Get RealisticGet real tip No. 1: “You can’t spot reduce,” says Darlene Sedlock, PhD, an associate professor of kinesiology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. “Nobody wants to hear that.”Translation: If you’re hankering to get rid of the jeans spillover or the pot belly, you need to burn fat from head to toe. “Anything to reduce your overall body fat will help,” she says.

Get real tip No. 2: You need to give it some time. “There’s no easy fix to the flab,” Sedlock says. “Over time, some of the flab will disappear,” if you’re diligent about the eating and exercise plans. Give it several months, she suggests. Your weight might not change, but you will notice a difference in the way your clothes fit, she says.

Get real tip No. 3: This is perhaps the cruelest. You probably can’t expect to be as flab-free as when you were 20. “Skin loses elasticity as you age,” Sedlock says. The sagging of the skin adds to the unsightly appearance of flab, she says.