july landmark

LAND MARK

The Official Newsletter of USS Emory S. Land (AS 39)

Volume 7 issue 4 July 2016

LAND MARKVolume 7 issue 4 July 2016

The Official Newsletter of USS Emory S. Land (AS 39)

On the cover: Samuel Green gets frocked to third-class by his wife and MM1 Lara.

LANDMARK

BIG CHANGES

POINT CLUB OPENS

CO’S CORNER

CMC INTERVIEW

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

CLEAN UP

COMMAND PICNIC

4 22

8 24

14

26

28

30

32

10

12

18

FROCKING

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BAKE SALE

FINANCE TIPS

SHIP’S STORE

BECOMING A LEADER

First Class Petty Officer Association holds a bake sale on the mess deck!

DC1 Wells gives some tips on being financially sound.

See photos from recent change-of-command ceremonies here on Guam.

A new recreational facility opens up for Sailors and civilian mariners on Polaris Point.

Captain Prokopius speaks to the crew.

CMC Greene answers some questions on ESL matters.

Chaplain Skelton has a new message for the crew.

See what the Junior Enlisted Association has been up to!

Get a look at photos from the command picnic held on Polaris Point!

ESL Sailors advance to the next pay grade.

MC3 Doan tells the story behind the changes to the ship’s store.

Read about MM3 Green’s advancement and the continuation of tradition.

$$$

FrockingCeremony

“It’s not about the rank or paygrade, it’s about leading by example and charting the course for

everyone else around you.

-MMCS Paul James

PUBLIC AFFAIRSEmory S. Land

Frocking

JULY 2016Landmark

“What is your ambition? You joined for a reason. You may not have a road map yet. Be willing to go out there and strive for the information you need to succeed.”

-MMCS Paul James

FrockingPUBLIC AFFAIRSEmory S. Land

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CELEBRATE THE LIBERATION OF GUAM

LIBERATION DAY PARADE JULY 21

The Road to Becoming

a LeaderWhat does the word frock mean? According

to the Naval Historical Center, in the 15th century it related to a monk’s cloak. When monks would put on the frock cloak, they were “investing with priestly office or privilege.” This idea of using a piece of clothing to symbolize growth or assuming more responsibility found its way into the naval world during the age of sail. The outer jacket for a midshipman was a short coat, while a lieutenant wore a longer frock coat. When a midshipman was advanced to take on the duties and responsibilities of a lieutenant, he donned the frock coat. This tradition has continued, in certain aspects, in the U.S. Navy today.

Sailors today are frocked by having their newly-advanced rate insignia pinned on their uniform. Advancing Sailors assume the duties and responsibilities of the next higher rank or pay grade. A Sailor’s first opportunity to get frocked occurs when he or she makes petty officer third class and continues all the way up to master chief. The advancement is more than just better pay and position. It is a testament to their hard work and dedication. With the support of peers and family, they have done everything asked of them and more. Frocking is at the heart of every Sailor.

More than 25 USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) enlisted Sailors were advanced to the next pay grade during the spring cycle. The frocking ceremony on the Emory S. Land was conducted in the ship’s classroom with family, friends and peers filling the seats. For Samuel J. Green, the ceremony was especially important to him. Not only was he making petty officer third class, but his newlywed wife, Carissa, was going to help tack on the petty officer collar device. For Green, the frocking was a memorable one he said he couldn’t have achieved without the support of his family, the support of his Navy leadership, and his own hard work.

Green said he never anticipated joining the

“Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and you will regret it all your life.”

-Abraham Lincoln

A Civil War-era naval officer’s frock coat.

By MCSN Dan Willoughby


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Navy, but it has been worth it.“I didn’t always want to join,” said Green.

“When I was in high school, I would always get newsletters from the Navy. I wondered why these people were sending me all these letters. I wanted to go to college with a month left to go in high school, but I didn’t want to put the financial stress on my mom. I was like, ‘Why don’t I look at my options?’ The military offers tuition assistance. I thought the military wouldn’t be a bad thing for me. I was a hell raiser. Joining the military shaped my life and molded me into a better human being and man.”

Green said his father taught him valuable lessons on being a man, and the Navy has helped better equip him to face adversity.

“I lost my dad when I was 15 years old,” said Green. “That was the toughest time of my life. It wasn’t easy. He taught me a lot. He always said, ‘You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.’ I thought he was saying that to make me mad, but now I see that he was right. The biggest challenge in the Navy, so far, is adjusting to living alone. Life away from family for a long period of time has been difficult. One of the things I had to get used to was that life goes on, and you have to learn how to adjust.”

Adjusting is exactly what Green has done so far on the Emory S. Land, said Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Sandro Lara, Green’s leading petty officer.

“So much has changed with Green since I first met him,” said Lara. “He has become someone you can rely on. He has become someone born into R-2 division. He has really matured and become more responsible.”

Lara said with the increased responsibility, comes the need for Green to be even more of a leader. “Green is in charge of three peers now. He

helps with qualifications and is now the RPPO (Repair Parts Petty Officer). Overall, he has grown and taken on more responsibilities. His mindset is on the job and he is really focused.” Focus is exactly what Green needed while he studied for the spring exam. “The first time I took the test I didn’t really study, and I missed it by one point,” said Green. “I thought this recent test was harder than the first test I took, but this time I studied and it paid off. For the people that didn’t make it; study.” Green said enveloping all of his

recent success was the support from his family and leadership. “MM1 Lara is my LPO now. He has been one of my biggest supporters since I arrived on board,” said Green. “He has guided me the whole way. My wife helps me out when I have a bad day and brings me up. It’s good to have that support when you’re home. My uncle, who was a chief, has also been a huge support. I call him and ask for advice. Family is a huge influence on me.”

Over 21,000 Sailors were frocked during the spring cycle, and even though each of their stories are unique, one thing that is similar between all of these Sailors is the hard work and motivation to excel. These Sailors take with them, to the next pay grade, the duties and responsibilities of that pay grade just as Sailors of the past did. They are not alone. Right beside them is the support of family and peers. Frocking is the heart of every past, present and future Sailor, and the reason Sailors strive for excellence, because they believe that they can achieve what they set out to do, even if it is difficult.

“One of the things I had to get used to was that life goes on, and you have to learn how to adjust.” -MM3 Green

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FCPOA Bake Sale

“Donations from this event go to the First Class Petty Officer Association.We make sure we find ways to give the money back to junior Sailors.”

-“Big Dog” LN1 Demetric Hart


“I think it went great. We actually earned about $100

more than we thought we would.

I feel it was very successful.”

-HT1 Rachel Reynolds

FCPOA

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GOODFINANCES

What you can do to be more financially sound.

Monitor your budget.

Take Fleet & Familycourses.

Immerse yourself in an

affordable hobby.

Establishcredit.

“It all starts with having a budget and knowing where you can spend. In order to have good credit, you have to establish credit, and show you are responsible.”

DC1 Victoria WellsCommand Financial Specialist

CommandPicnic

Emory S. Land held a command picnic for Sailors, civilian mariners

and their families.


Picnic

“I thought the basketball tournament was a success. The idea is to get people involved with each other. People who don’t know each other, can come together on familiar grounds, compete and have a good time.”

-DC1 Jeffery Dallemand

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PicnicPUBLIC AFFAIRSEmory S. Land

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Picnic

“I helped set up the picnic. ESL command functions are fantastic. ESL pulls out all the stops, everybody had a good time. Also, any time you get to hit a volley ball at the captain, it’s a good time.”

-HT2 Dylan Baker

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Changes of command

Sailors from USS Emory S. Land recently supported change-of-command ceremonies for USS Chicago,

Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadron 3 and CSS 15.


“I am excited to serve as your commanding officer and become part of the crew. I know we will continue the professionalism and hard work I’ve already seen in my short time here and look forward to the adventures that lie ahead of us.”

CHICAGO

-Cmdr. Brian Turney USS Chicago (SSN 721)

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MPSRON 3

“To the masters and crews, I’ve been impressed with your ships as I’ve conducted my turnover.

I continue to be in awe of the immense capability that this squadron contains and

how smoothly operations are conducted across the 7th fleet AOR by such a small group of

folks. I look forward to working with such a professional team.”

-Commodore Eric C. Linfors, Commander,

Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadron 3


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SUBRON 15

“Submarine service is a team sport. Without my teammates, past and present, there would be no accomplishments.”

-Capt. David G. SchappertCommander, SUBRON 15

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THE SHIP’S STORE RE-OPENS

By MC3 Michael Doan

The ship’s store aboard the submarine tender

USS Emory S. Land re-opened June 9, following a 3-day

period of remodeling and rebranding.

The Navy Exchange Service Command

(NEXCOM) sent merchandising specialist Veronica

Naughton to work hand-in-hand with the Ship’s

Servicemen as well as local Naval Base Guam NEX

representatives to develop and fund an improved layout

for the store.

The new design incorporates Navy Pride graphics

featuring pictures of the ship, more shelf space, and a

wider variety of products.

“It was nice to be able

to come to Guam and help with

the rebranding,” said Veronica

Naughton, merchandising specialist

from NEXCOM. “I have been to

other ships to help with their ship’s

store being rebranded, but this

ship’s store really sticks out for me.

This is a gorgeous ship’s store.”

With the expertise of


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specialists sent from NEXCOM the ship’s store was able

to open again in a timely fashion.

“We are very lucky to have had Veronica and her

team out here for this evolution,” said Cmdr. Cameron

Rogers, the ship’s supply officer. “We are the first

permanently forward-deployed ship to get this treatment,

and it is very exciting for us to be able to benefit from

their expertise. I think the crew will be very happy with

the results.”

“NEXCOM paid for the branding opportunity

because they wanted to spice up the store and make

it more presentable for the crew,” said Chief Ship’s

Serviceman Jarmaine L. Moore, leading chief petty officer

for the Customer Service division aboard Emory S. Land.

With its central location on board, the crew was

able to see the day-by-day transition from the old to the

new and the shelves being stocked with more than 150

new items.

“I have heard some of the crew walking by and

saying ‘thank you, I haven’t seen this store so stocked,’”

said Moore. “And, my reply to that is, we are not even

fully stocked yet. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“I really do like all the new stuff,” said

Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Seth Fairfax, a Sailor assigned

to Emory S. Land. “I am single-handedly going to keep

our MWR well funded,” an allusion to the fact that a large

portion of the store profits go toward funding the ship’s

Morale, Welfare and Recreation program.

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JEAClean Up

The Junior Enlisted Association organized a clean up of Polaris

Point in preparation of the command picnic.


Clean Up

“It went amazingly. People really came together, and the before-and-after was totally noticeable. They did a great job cleaning up.

-ET1 Troy Lee

“It made me feel good because

it gave people a chance to play

volleyball right outside of the

ship, instead of going to the

base. It’s our own space!”

-IT3 Ashley Benjamin

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Point Club Grand Opening

A new recreational facility has opened up on Polaris Point for Sailors and civilian

mariners. The Point Club has something for everyone.


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“I’m so excited about the new Point Club. They’ve got so much to offer. I’m going to spend a lot of my free time there.” -HT3 Meredith Moss

GRAND OPENING

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Captain Mark A. ProkopiusCommanding Officer

USS Emory S. Land (AS 39)

CAPTAIN’S CALL

Friends, Family, and Crew of the USS EMORY S. LAND,

The past two months have been successful for Emory S. Land. Sailors onboard continue to exceed all expectations while supporting submarines and surface ships in the 7th Fleet area of operations. Over the last two months, we have provided maintenance and support to USS BUFFALO (SSN 715), USS CHICAGO (SSN 721), USS GREENVILLE (SSN 772), USS KEY WEST (SSN 722), USS OHIO (SSGN 726), USS TOPEKA (SSN 754), and USS TUCSON (SSN 770). Additionally, the crew completed a short-fused repair for the Peruvian Navy vessel BAP Ferre.

I continue to be impressed with the level of dedication and focus given to the submarines and ships we support. As I walk around the shops, I see Sailors working at full capacity, often in shift work, completing high quality work in a timely manner. Feedback from the Commanding Officers of the ships and submarines continues to be very positive. They recognize the enthusiasm and professionalism that Sailors assigned to Land demonstrate on a daily basis.

Over the past several months, our crew has also completed several annual inspections. Each area evaluated – Weapons, Medical, Supply, & Safety - exceeded the fleet standards. I was most proud of the positive comments that the inspectors made about the attitude and professionalism of the sailors on the deck-plate. Each of you continues to make incremental improvements in the programs you manage.

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Independence Day weekend. I encourage all of you to take advantage of our time in port to explore Guam and enjoy your time here. We will have another opportunity for extended liberty later this month with the celebration of Guam’s liberation from Japanese occupation during World War II on July 21. I encourage all of you to attend the parade, and if possible, volunteer to represent ESL by marching with our float.

As we head into the heat and rain of Guam’s summer season, be sure to keep safety in mind no matter what activity you are doing. Keep working hard and have a productive month.


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Capt. Mark A. Prokopius, commanding officer of USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) and Military Sealift Command civilian mariner Michael S. Flanagan, officer in charge aboard Emory S. Land, pose for a photo with a plaque the ship received after winning the Fiscal Year 2015 Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Quality Award. (U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Michael Doan)

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Q: The last time I interviewed you, you were just checking into the command. How have you acclimated to life on Guam and the ESL?”

A: “Guam is good. It’s a little bit of a shock going from the 350 Sailors we had to almost 800 now, because with that comes all the problems of having a big crew. We are undermanned in some divisions. My concern is whether, ESL or Frank Cable, all the Sailors are being taken care of.

But Guam is definitely good. I like it. I’ve been SCUBA diving; I’ve gotten my daughters certified in SCUBA diving. I’m pretty much loving surface ship life.”

Q: The NBA Finals just wrapped up. Were you following it closely? Did you have any rooting interests?

A: I wanted the Cavaliers to win. There are a lot of LeBron haters out there, but Cleveland needed a win. Plus the CO is from that area. I have no loyalty to either team, but it’s nice for Cleveland to have a win.

Q: Any thoughts on the command thus far?

A: The command is great. Sailors’ attitudes are positive. I know a lot of people say there are differences between the Cable and the Land, but generally the climate seems good. I get comment cards and emails and things like that, and I think people appreciate it.


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Interview with CMDCM Greeneby MC3 Jason Amadi

Q: What was the idea behind having people submit comment cards and posting them outside your office?

A: I think if you ask the crew to give you feedback and tell you what’s going on, you have a responsibility to get back to them. That’s really what it’s all about. Sailors have complaints and some of them are legit and some of them are not. Some of them are just weird. Like someone asked, ‘can we play Born in the USA before field day?’ and I said, ‘absolutely.’

I think it’s important to let the crew know what’s going on. You can’t make everyone happy all the time, but letting Sailors know their opinions were at least considered in your decision-making process is important.

Q: There have been some changes since you’ve come aboard, for example, the changes to field day. How has the truncated field day been received thus far?

A: I think Sailors like it. We have a clash sometimes of two different mentalities: submarine and surface. On a submarine you have a lot of things to do to keep you busy. I mean, on the ship there’s a lot of spaces you own. For instance, bilges, you know. We don’t own a lot of that. So as I analyzed that and took some feedback from the previous command climate survey that said ‘Hey, why are we doing field day for two hours? What are we going to do during field day that we’re not going to catch during sweepers?’

The answer is there’s some focus areas that are important to get the crew to stop and take care of. So now we only do that for an hour and after that, people have the rest of the day with their divisions or departments.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say to the crew?

A: Keep up the hard work. We’ve had some incidents. We’ve had some issues with alcohol and just like the Captain said, we’re going to hold people accountable for it. But that being said 99.5% of the crew is doing fine. We’ve had three or four people mess up out of a crew of about 800. A lot of times, we forget to reflect and acknowledge that the majority of the crew is doing things right.

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“Grief never ends but changes. It’s a

passage, not a place to stay. Grief is

not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of

faith. It is a sign of love.”

~Author unknown

All of us, at some point in our

lives, have or will experience

some form of grief; whether it was

due to the death of a family member

or friend, the loss of a friendship or

relationship or the loss of something

significant in our lives.

Whenever there is a loss of any

type, there is going to be grief. Grief

will manifest itself in many different

forms from crying, to rage or anger,

to feeling guilty and even a sense of

hopelessness. It is okay to have or

experience each form and type of grief

and to go through it more than once.

You have permission to even

be angry with God and to cry. Why?

Because it is a natural human emotion

to grieve. There is no order or method

to grief. It is at your own pace.

To allow yourself to grieve

allows you the ability to be able to

work through the situation, be it a

death or loss. One main thing to

remember is that you will NEVER get

“over it” nor should you. However,

as each day goes by and you begin to

allow yourself to work through your

grief, it will become easier to handle.

You will find yourself

remembering the good times and the

ability to finally smile, breath and let

go. To let go of all the guilt and pain

as you embrace the gift they blessed

you with by being in your life, if even

for a brief moment.

A way to honor to the ones we

have lost in our lives is to continue to

live after they have left us. Allowing

our lives to reflect the love they

embodied in us and share it with others

keeps their legacy everlasting.

For those relationships and

friendships we feel may have ended

to soon, we can look at those as

opportunities to learn even more about

ourselves and what we truly desire out

of life. Not every person who enters

our lives is meant to stay. Remember,

there are no coincidences in meeting

someone by chance. It is chance to

love, learn and live.

Chaplain’s orner

Lieutenant Takana SkeltonCommand ChaplainUSS Emory S. Land (AS 39)


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Commanding OfficerCaptain Mark A. Prokopius

Executive OfficerCommander Brian C. Rednour

Command Master ChiefCMDCM (SS/NAC) William L. Greene

Public Affairs OfficerLieutenant Bradley Newsad JAGC

Leading Petty OfficerMC1 (SW) Brandon ShelanderEditing/Design/Journalism

MC3 Jason AmadiMC3 Michael Doan

MCSN Dan Willoughby

The Official Newsletter of USS EMORY S. LAND (AS 39)

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