Local Kenyan fi shermen watch as a Marine Corps TRAM unloads cargo from Uniform 61, a Landing Craft, Utility, ferrying troops and supplies ashore for Exercise EDGED MALLET. See story on Page 6. (Photo by MC1 Nathanael Miller)

Cmdr. Etta “C.J.” JonesCommanding Offi cer

e took time during one special day this month to stop and give thanks for what we have. Just on this ship we have many blessings to be thankful for, such as good food, hot water, decent living conditions, and shipmates who are ex-perts at their jobs.

Life is a constant series of change. Since this ship deployed back in August, its mission has changed drastically from week to week. In October we changed Commanding Offi cers. This is why I advocate checklists. They minimize the impact of change and ensure new faces can draw on the large knowledge this ship’s Sailors have gathered during 39 years of operations.

Ships that “set the standard” are ships that use the ASA checklists and pre-inspection checklists. Unlike life, the Navy is an open book test. We KNOW what inspectors want to see, and we have the checklists for EVERYDAY use. Yet people often baulk at using a checklist, saying things like, “It’s just too complicated” or worse yet, “I’ve done this 100 times.” But, think about it--checklists are part of every day life:

-Packing lists for vacations are common. -Grocery lists for shopping. -Hurricane preparedness list for the home and family. -Just checking your wallet for your ID, credit card and cash before liberty is a mental checklist.

Checklists are “living documents.” We can update them. Using checklists makes our lives easier, safer, and enhances our professional abilities. Relying on checklists can ensure safe and consistent shipboard operations.

I remind each of you that none of us will be here forever. Only the reinforcement of best practices will continue to ensure our safety -- if we utilize our proven checklists. Memory is fragile. Shortcuts build on shortcuts. The written word can overcome this tendency and keep us all on the right track.

Don’t be afraid to pull out checklists as a part of daily training. There is good information there just waiting to be used. When the time comes for you to depart, record your knowledge and wisdom by updating the checklist.

Wasn’t your arrival on board made easier by a check-in sheet? Wouldn’t your life be simpler if you had a list of things you need to accomplish in the next 10 years to pay off all of your debts and reach all of your goals? I cannot give you that one, but I know your CPOs and LPOs can provide lists to ensure your safety and day-to-day success on PONCE and in the Navy!

Do the right thing!

W

ovember marks the celebration of Military Family Appreciation Month. I would like to take this submission and devote it to our families, near and far. We would like to express our appreciation to our families for their unwavering support throughout the year and our careers.

Without your support we could not execute the mission expected of us. “With-out you, there is no me,” we all have heard and uttered the same words at one time or another. With our lifestyle, what is asked of us, and our ever changing schedule, these words are found to be true in every family associated with a Ponce sailor.

We all joined the Navy for a variety of reasons. One common bond that we all seem to share about our accession into the Navy is our family. Whether it is family tradition and heritage, 3rd generation Navy, or providing a better struc-ture for your immediate family, the family bond is present in all of us.

During the course of our deployment, especially during the Holiday Season, our thoughts and prayers are always with you. Although phone calls may be

far and few in between, letters often delayed, and emails sometimes sketchy due to operational commitments our love for our families grows deeper and deeper each day.

As some of you may already know, we do refer and treat each other as family. We rely on one on another for every aspect of our lives while underway. Each Proud Lion does take into consideration the crew member right beside him. We are responsible for each other training, safety, and well being. Therefore, in a round about way, we have two families. That being said, nothing will ever take the place of home. Our Culinary Specialists prepared a feast for Thanksgiving meal. The food was outstanding and plentiful. No matter who prepares the meal, it could Emeril, Paula Dean, or even Martha Stewart, nothing will ever compare to home.

Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for your love, patience, support and understanding. To our extended family, our Ombudsmen and Family Readiness Group, thank you for taking care of home while we are not there. Thank you for all of the letters, banners, and emails. It brightens our day whenever we see a new banner, we get one every mail call, posted on the Mess Decks. Every Proud Lion anxiously scans through the banner looking for a note from a family member. Melanie, Tosha, Paulina, and Theresa, you are the greatest. We could have not asked for a better group of ladies to be our Ombudsmen and lead our Family Readiness Group. Thank you for volunteering because we could not afford to pay you for all of your hard work.

Cheri, Brandon, Brittany, Lexie, and Ethan, still and always will be my fi rst and last thought of the day.

As a reminder to all of our families, “Without you, there is no me.”

CMDCM(SW) Yves RaynaudCommand Master Chief

N

RANDOM PHOTOKING OF THE WORLD!

SEYCHELLES - (Nov. 9, 2010) BMSA Dustin Holroyd was photographed standing on top of the world ... er, on top of Morne Seychellois overlooking Victoria, Seychelles, and USS Ponce tied up in its harbor.

At 2,969 feet Morne Seychellois is the highest peak on the island of Mahe. Several of Ponce’s Sailors and Marines made the hike to the peak, and all had a day they could be look back on fondly ... and sore feet to ice as well! (Photo is courtesy of BMSA Dustin Holroyd)

Lt. John KellyChaplain

ark Twain wrote a story called “The Terrible Catastrophe.” It involves a group of people who get trapped in a fatal situation. They either escape now, or they die. They are on the verge of a terrible catastrophe. Twain did not want the story to end unhappily, but he couldn’t fi nd a way to save the people. It was like being trapped in a plane that is seconds away from crashing.

He concluded his story with these two sentences: “I have these characters in such a fi x that I cannot get them out of it. Anyone who thinks he can is welcome to try.” In one way it’s an unfair ending. But in another way it’s a good ending because it makes you think, it makes you get involved.

In many ways this small story and it’s ending(s) is comparable to the human situation that each of us is a part of. Sin has entered the world and it’s spreading like wildfi re. We are trapped and there is no way we can save ourselves. God, our Creator, saw the tragic situation and like Twain, He did not want to see our

story end sadly. He loved us too much for that to happen so he sent His only Son into the world to become a member of the human race to help us start over again. Jesus did not bring God’s Kingdom to completion…he left that to us.

Advent is the season when we call to mind the terrible situation that the world was in before Jesus came. Only by appreciating it can we celebrate with proper joy Jesus’ coming. But Advent is more than that. It is also the season when we call to mind that Jesus will come again. We are living in the interval between the lightning of Jesus’ fi rst coming and the thunder of his second coming. What the angel said to the Apostles’ right after Jesus was taken up into heaven still applies: “Why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11).

Our job on earth, as we wait for Jesus’ return, is to roll up our sleeves and complete the work Jesus gave us to do. We are to build the Kingdom of God on the foundation that Jesus laid down for us when he was with us. We are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger in our midst, work for peace, and love another as Jesus loved, and loves us.

Advent challenges us to ask ourselves three important questions: 1) What are we doing – right now – to build God’s Kingdom on earth? 2) What should we be doing – right now? 3) What will we begin to do – right now – as we celebrate the Season of Advent? St. Paul puts it very well when he says: “Our salvation is closer that when we fi rst accepted the faith. The night is far spent; the day draws near.” Therefore, “cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

MADVENT IS UPON US

THE EDGE OF THE MALLETStory and photos by MC1 Nathanael Miller

MANDA BAY, KENYA - The men and women of the Proud Lion and her embarked units got a chance to both show off the United States’ capabilities, and learn a bit from the military forces of a valuable ally.

Exercise EDGED MALLET brought Ponce and her personnel into contact with the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya in a two-week training exercise that allowed both militaries to sharpen skills, build deeper friendships, and practice working together.

Although EDGED MALLET was primarily a Marine show, the Sailors of “Uniform 61,” an LCU attached to Assault Craft Unit 2, and Beach Master Unit 2, both embarked aboard Ponce, got a chance to get ashore and support the exercise.

The Sailors of BMU2 set up a beachhead on a small beach in Manda Bay and ensured a smooth, effi cient fl ow of Marines, supplies, and equipment. Uniform 61 acted as the fl oating bridge that got the Marines and their gear from Ponce to the beachhead.

EDGED MALLET provided a rare opportunity for Ponce’s Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team

to get some time to practice their own hard-won skills. The VBSS team was able to train with Kenyan forces and even U.S. Navy special forces who were in Kenya for the exercise. This gave the VBSS team a chance to learn new skills and get their performance evaluated by a fresh set of eyes.

Multinational exercises such as EDGED MALLET provide the United States a chance to deepen relations with friendly nations, and show the fl ag in regions of the world that are vital to U.S. interests. These types of exercises allow U.S. forces to ensure they can fi ght as one team with our allies should a regional confl ict demand a military response.

During the last days of Exercise EDGED MALLET, Ponce herself got to host a delegation of Kenyan army and naval offi cers. The foreign offi cers toured the ship’s bridge, gun mounts, engine room, and got to watch Uniform 61 tie up in the well deck.

As December breaks over the world, the Proud Lion is turning her prow back out to sea. But the friendships and experience gained during EDGED MALLET will last for years to come.

ENS Jared Hickey shows the visiting Kenyan offi cers Ponce’s position on a chart while LT Edward Quinones

waits to lead the group on to their next stop while touring the ship.

The Kenyan offi cer had the chance to observe operations on the bridge,

in the engine room, and the LCU docking in well deck. They arrived

on board the 7-meter RHIB, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride out,

even though they got soaking wet. In fact, given a choice of return-

ing to Kenya on the 7-meter or the LCU, they opted for the 7-meter!

Poor snakethe vi

Unifotook o

RP3 Jerry Morris got the stuffi ng “knocked” out of him during three different medical drills in one day. First, he was “bitten” by a e. Later he was “mauled” by a baboon, and fi nally had his leg “amputated” by a land mine. Still, his patience in acting the part of ctim provided the corpsmen ample opportunity to dust off their fi eld medical skills.

orm 61 spent the exercise bringing troops and equipment ashore. Occasionally, the landing craft on Marines and Kenyan forces and enabled them to storm the beach in true “Devil Dog” style!

Photos by MC1 Nathanael Miller

A exotic jungle species to most Americans, ba-boons are as common to Kenyans as squirrels are to us. While they do tend to be shy, they live right next to man.

Vervets are smaller monkeys that are as much at home scampering up a nearby palm tree as they are racing along the barbed wire atop a fence. Like baboons, they are most noticeable in the mornings and evenings-the cooler parts of the day.

Orioles, marsh terns, and herons are a few of the birds you can see along Kenya’s coast. Although we have these birds back home in the States, the African side of these families have developed some unique features, such as theoriole’s yellow plumage.

The millipedes are big, but they’re harmless. Patience and a lack of movement will let you watch the ghost crabs scuttling about the beach in the morning. Just like in the States, Africa has Golden Orb Weavers-more commonly known as banana spiders.

November ReenlistmentsCongratulations, and thanks for staying Navy!

MM3 Jordan HeadrickMM3 Stephen Piper

CS1 Garrett Richards MM1 timothy Shaw

MM3 Matthew Jackson

ANOTHER RANDOM PHOTO

INDIAN OCEAN (Dec. 2, 2010)-GM2 Joshua Leach fi res a 9mm pistol while GMSA Christopher Canning (far left) and GMSN Jeremiah Yeater watch. Leach was taking his turn on the fi ring line during a live-fi re training exercise held on the Proud Lion’s fl ight deck. (Photo by MAC Christopher Heffely)

FASTEST GUN INTHE INDIAN OCEAN!

Congratulations,

Shipmates!

BM2 JONATHAN P. BRYANT

LS2 DAVID I. ESPARZA

BM2 MICHAEL A. FORD

CTT2 MATTHEW R. J. GROH

MM2 DERRICK D. HERNANDEZ

MM2 James Joiner

EN3 Carl Allison

CS3 ANGEL C. ALMAREZ

CS3 NICHOLAS C. BASONE

DC3 ADAM W. BEACH

MM3 Justin Bruce

BM3 LEONARD T. BUDZINSKI

EM3 CLAUDE J. BURCH

BM3 DAMIEN L. CHILDRESS

MM3 AHAMED S. CHOWDHURY

QM3 Casey Dysvick

MM3 MARCUS D. GRANT

LS3 CHRISTOPHER M. GREENE

EN3 ADAM L. HRUSKA

LS3 JOSE A. MENDEZFIGUEROA

IT3 GABRIEL A. PEREZ

QM3 Shane Perritt

EM3 SALVADOR A. RONQUILLO ESCOBAR

DC3 ROBERT G. TRAINOR

OS3 DAVID M. WOLERY

QM3 ZHANG SHIXI

BM2 JONATHAN P. BRYANT

LS2 DAVID I. ESPARZA

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YET ANOTHER RANDOM PHOTOA PILLAR OF THE

SHIP’S COMMUNITY!

INDIAN OCEAN (Nov. 21, 2010) -Dressed out in fl ash gear, BM2 Jonathan Bryant instructs one of Ponce’s newer Sailors, SN Robert Hannan, on how to set up I-type shoring during a massive General Quarters drill. The event mobilized every training team on the ship and was conducted complete with sound effects, simulated casualties, and oodles of “hits” to the hull. The whole shebang culminated in an abandon ship drill. (Photo by MC1 Nathanael Miller)

CS3 Angel Almarez puts the fi nishing touches on a cake before bringing it out to the serving line.

orking in a steaming hot kitchen amid clanking cutlery, a cadre of culinary craftsmen create fresh, hot meals for more than seven hundred servicemembers every day.

This is the world of the Culinary Specialist, or “CS,” a group of Sailors charged with keeping a ship’s hard-working crew fed and ready to enter the fi ght if called upon.

Food Service Division Leading Petty Offi cer, Navy Culinary Specialist 1st Class Jerome McMiller, described the amount of staples the Ponce uses every day just for breakfast, “On an average day we breakout 45 gallons of milk, 90 dozen eggs, 12 cans of pancake mix, 60 lbs. of bacon.”

The logistics of getting the food out to the ship consume much of McMiller’s time. “I have to know how much we have on board at the present time and how much I will need to last us until we will be able to get another replenishment.”

Handling the day-to-day preparation, cooking, and cleaning is McMiller’s team of culinary specialists. These Sailors make the edible magic happen. Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Jon Edwards believed the Navy would be a good means toward a career in the kitchen. “I always wanted to go to culinary school, but didn’t have the funding to go,” Edwards said.

The Navy’s culinary school is only four weeks long, Edwards said, but the curriculum is relatively advanced.

“They go over two years of schooling in a four week school, so it’s a very advanced course and you have to be able to keep up.”

One thing Edwards said he couldn’t learn in school and had to experience out in the fl eet was how to meet

the challenge of cooking for hundreds of people every day. “I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 16 years old, and I’ve done parties for 800 people, but I’ve never done that consistently meal after meal.”

The culinary specialists will begin preparing the next day’s meals the night before. After the dinner meal is over and clean up is fi nished, all the food needed for the next day is “broken out” of the various storerooms and hauled up to the galley. Some of the food stuffs have to carried up from four decks below the galley.

The ship’s crew has a two-hour window in which to get each meal. While the

crew is lining up to get breakfast, the culinary specialists are already working on lunch. As soon as the breakfast meal is over, the galley is reset in preparation for lunch. Lunch is served on Ponce from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. “While that’s going on,” Edwards said referring to the lunch meal, “we have people prepping dinner. It’s a non-stop operation.”

“It’s hard to keep everybody happy,” Edwards said. “It doesn’t always work out, but you just try and make the best of it. I think we do a pretty good job of it—nobody seems to starve out here!”

Masters

ess

of the

Story and photos by MC1 Nathanael Miller

W

CS3 Jon Edwards has to put some muscle into stirring enough “fi ve spice” chicken for nearly 700 hungry servicemembers.

During the two hours allotted to serving each meal, the serving line is a very, very busy place. It takes a lot of work and sometimes a lot of speed to keep up with the several hundred Sailors and Marines waiting for chow. CSSR Jason Reyes and CS1 Jerome McMiller tag-team cooking and serving up fresh, hot Philly cheese steak sandwiches during lunch. While they are out here on the line serving, other CS’s are in the back, already hard at work preparing dinner and planning the next day’s breakfast.

Recreational activities abound in the Seychelles. The Pirate’s Arms was a popular watering hole for the Proud

Lions. MM3 Christopher Jordan, EN1 David Johnson, EN3 Ramon Holloman,

and MMFN Evander Jackson enjoyed a few good meals there. MMFN David

Blodgett did some souvenir hunting while on liberty. Of course, as EM3

Salvador Ronquilloescobar shows, the beach was probably the biggest draw,

with the turquoise water and gentle breeze providing hours of relaxation at

places like The Coral Strand or theBerjaya resort. (Photos by MC1 Miller)

Seych-A Photograp

Wildlife fl ourishes on Seychelles, from the humble praying mantis to more exotic species (praying mantis photo by DC3 Sergiu Cretu). One of the most famous animals in Seychelles are giant tortoises. Despite heavy hunting during the 18th and 19th Centuries, a large colony of these survived on the isolated Aldabra Atoll, and today these creatures are one of the islands’ most famous symbols (tortoise photo by MC1 Nathanael Miller). Background photo by AN Johannes Hanselmann

helleSphic Journey-

After almost being turned around while only one day out, USS Ponce made it

to the Republic of Seychelles for a visit from November 8th-11th. Tied up in

picturesque Victoria, Ponce’s crew got to relax after more than a month at sea. MC1 Nathanael Miller caught this view of the ship in port while taking the bus

back from a community relations project organized by Chaplain Kelly at the Beau

Vallon Primary School. Sailors andMarines painted hand rails and also put

up some murals in the dining hall. Before leaving, they posed with some of

the students and teachers for a group photo. The school’s headmaster is on

the far left, just behind Chaplain Kelly. (Group photo by RP3 Jerry Morris)

Some of the crew were able to travel the whole island of Mahe and discovered that the

southern end of the island also possesses some incredible scenery. (Photo by EM2

Jermaine Moore)

THE THANKLESS JOBPop quiz time, folks! What do you think HTFN Joshua Hampton is doing in this photo?

A) Practicing ballet B) Playing fantasy football C) Fixing a toilet D) Posing for a sculptor E) All of the above

If you selected “C” you’re correct! (It’s always “C,” isn’t it?) Anyway, how many times a day do you use the head? DON’T ANSWER OUT LOUD! Just think about it, and think about what would happen if the ship’s plumbing system went down the drain. With miles of piping running through Ponce’s hull and more toilets than I care to sit and think about, we are all dependent on the Hull Technicians to keep this system running. Next time you see an HT fi xing a toilet, take a moment to thank them. You see, what they do is vitally important to all of us, yet it is a classic Thankless Job.

by MC1 Nathanael Miller

Each month The Lion’s Den will feature a Thankless Job that is usually ignored, but critical to the safe and effi cient operation of our ship. If you have a Sailor who does a Thankless Job, let PAO know and we’ll be all over it like a bug on a windshield!

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM

The Proud Lion Basketball Team spent part of their liberty burning up the court against the Seychelles National Team.

SN Barfi eld led Ponce in scoring with QM2 Miller contributing heavily as well. In the end, the island nation proved a bit too much of an opponent for the Lions, and took the game.

Ponce head coach FC1 Jermaine Mitchell commented on the game,“We absolutely appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity to represent Ponce and, to an extent, our country. Unless you’re a professional ball player, it’s not everyday you get to play a team representing an entire nation.”

PONCE TAKES THE FIGHT TO SEYCHELLES

Ponce’s CMC, Yves Raynaud, and the Proud Lion Basketball Team pose with the Seychelles National Team following the hard-fought game. As FC1 Mitchell pointed out, it’s not every day that a ship’s team gets to play against a national squad.

Courtesy of FC1 Jermaine Mitchell, Head Coach

SN Cyle Cason holds QM3 Edir Coronado’s head immobile as CS2 Eric Strobeck applies a fi eld dressing to the “open stab wound” in Coronchest during a medical training team exercise.

HM1 Jason Overly, briefs QM3 Coronado on the details of the day’s

medical training exercise. Coronado agreed to act the role of a stabbing victim. After getting briefed on the

nature of the injuries and the typical ways the human body responds to such

trauma, Coronado headed up to the designated space and started acting.

Meanwhile, Overly and HM2 Phillips watched the fi rst responders to ensure

they were following proper fi rst aid procedures.

he alarm bells sounds over the 1MC, and the words “Medical emergency, medical emergency!” echo throughout USS Ponce, sending Sailors racing to the aid of one of their own.

Today is a Medical Training Team exercise, designed to keep Ponce’s crew sharp in the use of their fi rst responder skills in case an actual medical crisis befalls a shipmate.

HM1 Jason Overly, Ponce’s Independent Duty Corpsman, is in charge of today’s drill. Even though Ponce has a fully-manned medical department, the IDC is sort of a physician’s assistant, bridging a skill gap between the general corpsmen and the ship’s doctor.

“Medical training drills we hold twice a week,” Overly ex-plained. Each one is located in a different department because each part of the ship presents unique challenges to the fi rst responders. Injuries can occur high up near the signal shack, or all the down in aft steering, a small space that is accessible only by a narrowladder descending several decks.

Today’s drill is based on a scenario of a Sailor being stabbed during an argument and stumbling into a random space with a sucking chest wound (a wound that opens a hole in a lung) and a facial laceration.

The medical team will get a volunteer “victim” and

While being observed by HM2 Mario Phillips, FC3 Carlos Rivera yells for help after QM3 Edir Coronado, “injured” with a stab wound and facial laceration, stumbled into Rivera’s shop and noisily collapsed during the exercise.

dress up the injured body part with make-up and appliances known as “moulage,” which can simulate multiple types of wounds. The “victim” will then go to the designated space and start acting.

QM3 Edir Coronado was today’s “victim.” Coronado, currently the Damage Control Petty Offi cer for the Exec. Department, was making his rounds checking on safety equipment when Overly asked him to perform in the drill.

Coronado enjoys acting the role of the victim, and also fi nds that his own medical education being signifi cantly improved. “When you’re doing it, you hear everything. You hear about how to treat a certain wound, how to put a splint on your leg, how to lift with the stretcher bearers.”

After donning the required moulage to simulate the needed injuries, Coronado made his

way topside, stumbled into the appropriate shop, and started screaming. Overly and HM2 Mario Phillips began running the responding Sailors through the proper steps, testing them to see what, if any, gaps exist in their fi rst aid knowledge.

“Our fi rst responders are responding outstandingly,” Overly said. Ponce’s Sailors can take comfort knowing that if they are in a real medical emergency, they will quickly be taken care of by a highly trained fi rst responder.

T

nado’s

Anatomy

Exerciseof an

Story and photos by MC1 Nathanael Miller

Holiday Routine!or “A Weekend in the Life of USS Ponce”

“Team Nike” won the 3-on-3 basketball tournament after

more than eight hours of play on Nov. 20. Back row: HM2 Mario

Phillips & BMSN Kevin Parham; in front are SA Leon Barfi eld & QM2 David Miller. During the day, BMSA Michael Mello was

one of many burning up the fl ight deck chasing victory.

Photos by MC1 Nathanael Miller

Ponce normally takes Saturday off and only mans essential watches. This “holiday routine” lets the offi cers and crew

catch their breath and refocus for the coming week. The weekend of Nov. 19-21 was no different. CTT2 William Vogel

took advantage of the CMC-sponsored night fi shing on the 19th. On the 20th, EN3 Adam Hruska took some time alone

to unwind and practice on his skateboard. The fl ight deck nonskid made doing some tricks diffi cult, but he managed to

have a good time and get some serious air.

ThanksgivinG

Thanksgiving found the Proud Lion in the Indian Ocean. The Food Service Division outdid themselves with a fantastic spread. To help out, the Chiefs Mess and the First Class mess took turns performing most of the messing duties, while the captain led some of the wardroom in helping serve the crew.

Photos by MC1 Nathanael Miller

The mess deck tables were rearranged to try and create more of a “family” feeling for the meal. Once a ship-mate was fi nished with the main course (and any seconds they went back for), a cornucopia of ice cream, cookies, and small snack cakes awaited.

Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Manny SchwartzThis good-natured grease monkey is likely to be found spending his liberty time back home tearing apart anything mechanical just for the fun of it. In fact, he once combined a coffee maker and the carburetor from a 1957 Studebaker in an attempt to create a high-speed espresso injector that succeeded in blowing up his garage. Manny loves machines and enjoys showing off the en-gines and other equipment he is working on. Visitors are always welcome in his engine room!

Character Sketch

FLIGHT OF THE PONCEMC1 Nathanael MillerPublic Affairs Offi cer

o there I was, walking along a road after getting some photos of vervet monkeys when I abruptly found myself walking amongst Baboons in the Mist. They were all around me, mothers carrying little babies hanging from their bellies, older males who stopped to greet me with a cool “Yo!” before they went on...

Ok, so there really wasn’t any mist to speak of along Manda Bay in Kenya, and none of the baboons said “Yo.” Still, 13 years after joining the Navy and one day before my 39th birthday I’m literally standing in a crowd (gaggle? group? fl ock?) of baboons crossing the road around me.

Why did the baboon cross the road? I don’t know; I didn’t ask.

These are wild animals, so when this crowd of them suddenly came out of the brush on my left and just crossed the road all around me, I stopped. Being an

obsessive compulsive photographer, I got a couple of shots, one of which is on the “Wild Africa” page ( the baboon crossing in front of the TRAM).

But it was a great moment, akin to the fi rst time I swam with sharks off Guam. For an American these are exotic animals usually seen only in zoos. Thanks to the Navy/Marine Corps mission, I got to do what many of us dreamed of doing when we were little: walk among these animals in an ancient land as if it were the most common thing to do every day.

With us hitting the three month mark in this cruise, it is easy to forget about taking time to appreciate those moments that we only have because we’re in the Navy. That doesn’t mean constantly changing missions aren’t maddening or long hours frustrating. It does means mitigating those by appreciating the gnarly moments as best as you can. After all, only a small handful of us Americans ever get to walk among baboons.

S

ENFR Charles pulls a used oil fi lter from the LCPL’s engine. Charles can be found around the ship ensuring his machinery is in good shape. (Photo by MC1 Nathanael Miller)

ENGINEMAN FIREMAN RECRUIT

ANTON CHARLESReported on board: 16 August 2010

Department/Division: ENG, A/DIV

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Years in the Navy: Less than one

Favorite thing about being a Sailor: Having the opportunity to be a part of a prestigious branch of the military.

Best sea story? I don’t really have one since this is my fi rst voyage out to sea, but I hope to have some soon!

Hobbies: Basketball, soccer, baseball. Since I’m out to sea my hobbies right now are getting qualifi cations and doing PMS.

Future plans: I plan on being a lifer and becoming a CWO, but for now I’m working to make 3rd by the end of deployment.

Words of wisdom: My experiences make me who I am, and so should yours.

ARABIAN SEA (Nov. 3, 2010) - Frozen in time by a high-speed camera shutter, a common dolphin seems to fl y low over the water after breaching the Proud Lion’s bow wave. (Photo by MC1 Nathanael Miller)