CDR C. Spencer Abbot “Soupbone” Commanding Officer Skipper’s Domain Greetings Mace family! Once again we find ourselves “haze grey and underway” aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73), conducting flight operations across the western Pacific Ocean. It’s been a great start to 2014 for the Royal Maces, with some time to enjoy the fantastic “sakura” (cherry blossom) season with family and friends in Japan following an extremely successful trans-Pacific training detachment to NAS Fallon, Nevada in February/March. This major undertaking required us to coordinate with the U.S. Air Force for KC-10 and KC-135 tanker support to take eight FA-18E Super Hornets across the seemingly endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean via Wake Island and Hawaii. On the way, our pilots and maintenance “chase crew” enjoyed the chance to explore Wake Island, the “Alamo of the Pacific,” rich in World War II history with pillboxes, bunkers and equipment from the World War II era located across the island, and some good snorkeling to boot! Fallon Naval Air Station offers an extensive range training complex where the squadron is able to operate our Lot 34/35 FA-18E’s to the limits of their performance, training across a broad range of mission sets on the nearby ranges stretching across vast portions of the high desert of Nevada. The Maces have had the opportunity to train in Fallon two years in a row, having made the same trip in spring 2013 to “trade up” for the advanced version of the Super Hornet we now fly. Royal Mace maintenance has done an outstanding job of grooming these new jets, and I can confidently state that the reliability of our aircraft and the quality of their combat systems have been the best I’ve ever seen from any squadron, a direct result of the sustained hard work of our Avionics Technicians (AT’s) and many others across the fleet’s finest maintenance department. After traveling back across the Pacific courtesy of some help from our U.S. Air Force “big wing” tanker colleagues, we had to bid farewell to someone who has been a stalwart member of the Royal Mace team, Command Master Chief “Jun” Crucillo. Master Chief Crucillo did an outstanding job leading our Chiefs’ Mess and looking out for Royal Mace Sailors as our CMC, and we wish him “fair winds and following seas” as he undertakes his important new role as Command Master Chief of Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS MOBILE BAY (CG-53). The Maces have been pleased to welcome Master Chief Rudy Johnson as our incoming Command Master Chief, coming from a tour at Commander, Naval Forces Japan and bringing tremendous experience both in the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) and across the fleet. Not long after taking on CMC responsibilities, CMDCM Johnson promptly joined Royal Mace XO CDR Adrian “Boa” Calder as “Mayor” and “Deputy Mayor” respectively of Iwoto (formerly known as Iwo Jima), as they spent over two weeks on the island diligently organizing and managing this year’s Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) detachment in support of the entire air wing. BZ Boa and CMC! Of the many unique opportunities available to CVW-5 Sailors, the chance to visit the “living museum” of Iwoto/Iwo Jima is a truly memorable experience indeed. While in Iwo, we had the chance to reenlist AM2 Evalle, and promote Lieutenants Moore, Islin, and Jacobs, at the top of Mount Suribachi on the south end of Iwo, the site June 2014 Vol. 5 / No. 1 MIYF BAM Gram
Transcript
CDR C. Spencer Abbot “Soupbone” Commanding Officer
Skipper’s Domain
Greetings Mace family! Once again we find ourselves “haze grey and underway”
aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73), conducting flight operations across the
western Pacific Ocean. It’s been a great start to 2014 for the Royal Maces, with some time
to enjoy the fantastic “sakura” (cherry blossom) season with family and friends in Japan
following an extremely successful trans-Pacific training detachment to NAS Fallon, Nevada
in February/March. This major undertaking required us to coordinate with the U.S. Air
Force for KC-10 and KC-135 tanker support to take eight FA-18E Super Hornets across the
seemingly endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean via Wake Island and Hawaii. On the way,
our pilots and maintenance “chase crew” enjoyed the chance to explore Wake Island, the
“Alamo of the Pacific,” rich in World War II history with pillboxes, bunkers and equipment
from the World War II era located across the island, and some good snorkeling to boot!
Fallon Naval Air Station offers an extensive range training complex where the squadron is able to operate
our Lot 34/35 FA-18E’s to the limits of their performance, training across a broad range of mission sets on the
nearby ranges stretching across vast portions of the high desert of Nevada. The Maces have had the opportunity
to train in Fallon two years in a row, having made the same trip in spring 2013 to “trade up” for the advanced
version of the Super Hornet we now fly. Royal Mace maintenance has done an outstanding job of grooming
these new jets, and I can confidently state that the reliability of our aircraft and the quality of their combat systems
have been the best I’ve ever seen from any squadron, a direct result of the sustained hard work of our Avionics
Technicians (AT’s) and many others across the fleet’s finest maintenance department.
After traveling back across the Pacific courtesy of some help from our U.S. Air Force “big wing” tanker
colleagues, we had to bid farewell to someone who has been a stalwart member of the Royal Mace team,
Command Master Chief “Jun” Crucillo. Master Chief Crucillo did an outstanding job leading our Chiefs’ Mess and
looking out for Royal Mace Sailors as our CMC, and we wish him “fair winds and following seas” as he undertakes
his important new role as Command Master Chief of Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS MOBILE BAY
(CG-53).
The Maces have been pleased to welcome Master Chief Rudy Johnson as our incoming Command
Master Chief, coming from a tour at Commander, Naval Forces Japan and bringing tremendous experience both
in the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) and across the fleet. Not long after taking on CMC
responsibilities, CMDCM Johnson promptly joined Royal Mace XO CDR Adrian “Boa” Calder as “Mayor” and
“Deputy Mayor” respectively of Iwoto (formerly known as Iwo Jima), as they spent over two weeks on the island
diligently organizing and managing this year’s Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) detachment in support of the
entire air wing. BZ Boa and CMC!
Of the many unique opportunities available to CVW-5 Sailors, the chance to visit the “living museum” of
Iwoto/Iwo Jima is a truly memorable experience indeed. While in Iwo, we had the chance to reenlist AM2 Evalle,
and promote Lieutenants Moore, Islin, and Jacobs, at the top of Mount Suribachi on the south end of Iwo, the site
CMC’s Corner
June 2014 Vol. 5 / No. 1
MIYF
BAM Gram
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CDR Adrian “Boa” Calder Executive Officer
of the iconic flag-raising by U.S. Marines on 23 February 1945 depicted at the Marines Corps Memorial near
Washington, DC. While on top of Mt. Suribachi, we reflected that the Oath of Enlistment given by AM2 Evalle
and the Commissioning Oath given by our three lieutenants are little changed from those given by the 28,000
U.S. Marines who gave their lives in February and March 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Royal Mace Sailors
had the chance to tour the island and visit many of the caves and defensive fortifications constructed by the
Japanese commander, Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. For anyone interested in learning more about
the history of Iwo Jima, I recommend “The Lions of Iwo Jima” by Major General Fred Haynes, USMC (Ret.) and
James Warren, and “So Sad to Fall in Battle: An Account of War” by Kumiko Kakehashi, analyzing Lieutenant
General Kuibayashi’s letters home, which were memorialized in Clint Eastwood’s movie “Letters from Iwo Jima.”
Lieutenant General Kuribayashi, who had spent time in both the U.S. and Canada prior to the war, showed
remarkable leadership in devising and mounting a tenacious defense of the island, turning Iwo Jima into by far the
most densely fortified and well-defended eight square miles on the planet in the early months of 1945.
Royal Mace pilots had the chance to practice and refine their carrier landing skills at Iwo, and shortly
thereafter, to begin flight operations, day and night, good weather and bad, aboard USS GEORGE
WASHINGTON, as we commenced our “Carrier Qualification” training off the coast of Japan Soon thereafter, we
had the chance to frock twenty-seven newly-advanced U.S. Navy Petty Officers in the ship’s Fo’c’s’le, as those
Sailors reaped the benefits of their hard work and joined the ranks of many generations of Sailors who have gone
before them in rising to positions of greater responsibility and leadership in service to their country. As we look
forward to the coming deployment, the Royal Maces salute those who have gone before us, at Iwo Jima and
across the Pacific, in setting the foundation for a stable and prosperous Asia-Pacific region, and we are proud to
have our chance to serve and contribute. MIYF!
XO’s Alley
Greetings from USS GEORGE WASHINGTON as we begin our summer
deployment! It’s been a great past few months for the Royal Maces. In April, our
squadron officers, chiefs, and spouses participated in the Naval Air Facility Atsugi
2014 Friendship Festival Air Show, an event illustrating Naval Aviation’s commitment
to our partner nations within the Asia-Pacific region. The event provided an
opportunity to showcase the pride and professionalism of Royal Mace Sailors to over
60,000 foreign nationals and regional Department of Defense personnel, making a
substantially positive impact on U.S.-Japan relations in the Pacific region. Recently,
many Maces returned from a detachment to Iwoto, Japan where pilots conducted
Field Carrier Landing Practice. Additionally, we participated in the Iwoto
Distinguished Visitor Reception, an event representing all of Carrier Air Wing FIVE
and paying tribute to our host nation. You may have also heard of a certain cruise
video that has created quite a buzz recently. Our very own LT Tarr created the
cruise video of our Maces at work and set it to music. His attention to detail and creativity resulted in a fantastic
product that has been well received. In fact, the National Archives Center has requested the video so that it can
be archived as part of the history of Naval aviation! To date, the 5-minute cruise video “teaser” has garnered over
750,000 views online. With all of this going on, deployment is once again upon us. I was pleased to see that
some family members were able to make it to the pre-deployment brief where we had several speakers from
various programs address the Sailors and families in attendance. I urge you to utilize all the resources at your
disposal to ensure you have all of the support you need while the squadron is away, to include our outstanding
Ombudsmen Mrs. Roxanne Glodowski and Mrs. Heather Barrera. As always, thank you all for everything that
you do. From the home front to the flight line, you are all immensely important and your support and dedication
remains our greatest asset.
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CMDCM(AW/SW) Rudy Johnson Command Master Chief
CMC’s Corner
Maces, family & friends, welcome once again to the CMC’s Corner.
I have been onboard for several months now and I am truly impressed with all the work our Sailors do every day. I want everyone to know and understand that my job as the CMC is to help Sailors and family members. I like to help people and feel it is my duty to take whatever steps are needed to take care of the Mace Family. Use me to the fullest extent possible.
In February and March we completed a successful SFARP in Fallon and a lot of
work went into keeping the jets mission ready. As you know we are now embarked onboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) and I have spent the last eight days on the flight deck to really get a feel for what it is to be a Royal Mace Enlisted Sailor in the Maintenance Department. I have worked with the line division (brown shirts), shooters (white shirts), Ordnance Men(red shirts) and the Flight Deck Control Chief. I can now tell you from firsthand experience how hard the work is on the flight deck. I am sure some of you may have noticed some pictures of the maintainers on the Facebook page. I am trying to get more of that type of publicity going so that everyone can get an idea of what we do here in the squadron beyond flying jets. I am open to any suggestions on how to make our squadron better.
I would like to take the time to welcome our newest Ombudsman Roxy Glodowski to the team. Being an
Ombudsman is a tough but important job, and I am happy to have her on our team. “Congratulations” are in order to our newest Board Eligible First Classes! Your hard work and extra
studying paid-off.
AM1 BERUMEN RENE SIERRA AM1 BEVERAGE THOMAS CHARLES AO1 BOYD LAMAR VAUGHN AM1 BROWNING NATHAN DAVID AT1 BRUMMERSTEDT MARK ADAM AME1 HONOMICHL RANDY ALLEN AD1 JACKSON TEYRONN MARTELL AE1 LAPIKAS DANIEL JASON AO1 OLIVER JULIAN MARCUS AD1 PANINGBATAN RUDY AGRIPA AM1 VINLUAN MARVIN
I would like to say farewell to CMDCM Crucillo who has done a great job in the command and left me a smooth operation to run and tweak to even greater success.
Lastly, please take care of each other both aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) and ashore
as we continue on our upcoming deployment—Maces take care of Maces! Command Master Chief
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART ABOUT THE STRIKE
FIGHTER ADVANCED READINESS PROGRAM TRANS-PACIFIC DETACHMENT?
“"SFARP offered the Royal Maces the opportunity to fly in the best training environment in the world."– LT Andrew “SMUG B” Moore
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ROYAL MACES LEAD THE WAY
Hello Royal Mace family and friends! It has been a very busy Spring for the entire VFA-27 team. After
returning from our normal 6 months of underway time in December, the Maces hit the ground running, with a large
portion of the squadron heading to NAS Fallon, NV in February and March for a month of SFARP training with the
instructors from Strike-Fighter Weapons School Atlantic and the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center (NSAWC). It
was the second time in a single calendar year that the Maces have crossed the Pacific Ocean to receive training
in the United States, and the experience and professionalism definitely showed during the trans-Pacific crossing
and SFARP. Those that didn’t join us in Fallon were putting in extra hours to make sure that aircraft A06 (which is
a leftover from the squadron’s legacy jets) was flyable, and thanks to the hard work of the entire A06 team, it flew
successfully for the first time in over 900 days, and then all the way across the Pacific Ocean with Royal Mace
Maintenance Officer LCDR Peter “Sosaj” McMorrow! The stellar performance of the A06 team in Atsugi, led by
ADC Escoto, and the Maces on detachment in Fallon, have kept VFA-27 firing on all cylinders. As we prepare for
our summer deployment, there is no doubt this teamwork and excellence will keep the Maces at the tip of the
spear of America’s 911 Air Wing. MIYF!
Maintenance Officer LCDR Peter "Sosaj" McMorrow and LT Kyle "LAB" Matson flying near Mt. Fuji just
before a big snowfall (photo by CO CDR Spencer "Soupbone" Abbot). The "Japanese Alps" of Nagano
Prefecture are visible in the distance.
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Above, a flight of three Royal Maces soar over the Golden Gate Bridge, piloted by LCDR Peter
“Sosaj” McMorrow, LT Andrew “Smug B” Moore, and LTJG Billy “>Thrust<” Case. Below, Royal
Mace 200 takes gas from a USAF KC-135 tanker, and four Royal Mace jets in a “diamond”
formation with Honolulu and Diamond Head visible in the background. (Photos by Mace CO CDR
Spencer “Soupbone” Abbot)
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Above, Royal Mace Officers and the VFA-27 Airframes Shop at the reenlistment for AM2 Evalle
and the promotion ceremony for Lieutenants Moore, Islin and Jacobs atop Mount Suribachi on
Iwoto/Iwo Jima in May 2014. Below, three Royal Mace aircraft in front of Mount Suribachi, and
then over Kitano Point on the north end of the island where Lieutenant General Kuribayashi’s forces
made their final stand in late March 1945.
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MACE FACE
PICTURE BOARD
(clockwise from left)
AO2 Branche being presented the JSOQ award for the 1st Quarter of FY-14 by CDR
Abbot, Commanding Officer; AM3 St. Laurent and AM1 Berumen perform maintenance
on a Royal Mace F/A-18 aircraft; Royal Mace Officers line up in front of a Royal Mace
F/A-18 for one last photo to bid farewell to LT Flor.
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MACE FACE
PICTURE BOARD
(clockwise from top left)
Royal Maces hard at work on Mace 200; Mace 201 inbound for the wires; PSSN Smyre is
honored as USS George Washington Sailor of the Day!
LT Albert Flor LT David Tarr AOC Edward Madera LTJG William Case AME1 Daniel Hall PR1 Donald Turner AO2 Sterling Ingram PS2 Theophilus Fontenot YN3 Dominic Allen AM3 Roberto Cervantes HM3 Jordan Gumiran AD3 Adam Parker
ROYAL MACE OF THE MONTH
AMAN Jeffrey Bishop
SAFETY PRO OF THE MONTH
November – AT2 Zachary Hays
SENIOR SAILOR OF THE QUARTER
1st Quarter – AO1 Julian Oliver
2nd
Quarter – AD1 Jackson
JUINOR SAILOR OF THE QUARTER
1st Quarter – AO2 Reon Branche
2nd
Quarter – PS2 Theophilus Fontenot
ROYAL MACE SPONSOR OF THE QUARTER
1st Quarter – HM1 John Espeleta
ENLISTED AVIATION WARFARE SPECIALIST (EAWS)
AD3 Karl Hunsaker AM3 Corey Smith AD3 Timoci Vatuloka LS3 Vincent Diaz AOAN Gregg Pendleton AE3 Colby Burge AOAN James Cook AOAN Cameron Pittman AOAN Victor Lanier AO3 Derrick Minnitsharp AO2 Ruben Colchado AO3 Edwin Rios PROMOTIONS LT Matthew Purvis AZCM Gilbert Armijo LS3 Jharel Ruffin IS3 Chanice Gray AO1 Ricardo Delacruz AM3 Jeffery Chapman LS1 Daniel Neal AO3 Randall Galloway AO2 Ronald Baker III AME3 Matthew Harp
AM2 John Borrman AE3 Silvia Heredia
AT2 Donnel Daley Jr. AO3 Kim Johnson
AT2 Jeremiah Keef AO3 Victor Lanier
MA2 Dimitris Mack AM3 Segar Minchella
AZ2 John Martin AT3 Corey Norris
AT2 Aaron Michael Norton AZ3 Luke Rado
LS2 Naby Layey Toure PS3 Terrence Smyre
AME2 Abdulkalim Zakari AO3 Jairmiya St. Hilaire
AM3 Jeffery Nathan Bishop AO3 Kyle Webster AME3 Nicholas Winecoff AT3 Dusti Wilcox Birthdays February LT Kyle Matson AE2 Jeffrey Wagner AOC Scott Hedtke AD3 Carsten Friesen AOC Anthony Hickman AN Christopher Bazan AT1 Mark Brummerstedt AMAN Jeffrey Bishop HM1 John Espeleta AOAN Leonard Foy AT1 Robert Hoglen IS3 Chanice Gray AD1 Teyronn Jackson LSSN James McNulty AD1 Rudy Paningbatan ADAN John Nguyen AM1 Adriano Ramelb AEAN Gerardo Romero IT2 Harley Dominguez PSSN Terrence Smyre AT2 Thomas Morlock AOAN Kyle Webster March LCDR Justin Halligan AT2 Grady Calhoun LT Jeffrey Bolstad AM2 Kimemerson Dapiaoen LT Christopher Daniels AME2 Scott Jackson LT Tayler Oakes AD2 Jailson Ramos LT Jeffery Spencer AM3 Christopher Hoskins CWO3 Michael Patterson AT2 Thomas Huntsman AMCS Michael Dobson AT3 Alexandria Nason ATC Carlo Querubin AD3 Timoci Vatuloka PSC Gregorio Roble LSSR William Blackwell AE1 Frank Canada CSSN Taylor Gerveler AE1 Jason Pickering AOAN Cameron Pittman AD2 Gerino Alvarez AT3 Dusti Wilcox LS2 Stevileigh Barr April CDR Charles Abbot AO1 Julian Oliver ENS Jeremy Campbell AD1 John Palmer AZC Maribel Alfaro AM2 Maxwell Alimo AMC Joshua Glowdowski AT2 Cody Deboer AM1 Nathan Browning AME2 Laura Huerta BM2 Ernesto Jamie AD2 Deshundri Richardson AE3 Ameigh Araujo AD3 Adam Parker AT3 Michael Ramirez AOAN Jamilla Anthony AMAN Marvin Dijamco AMEAN Bao Huynh AMAN Segar Minchella LSSN Brian Yi May AMC Yaroslav Tsarenko AD3 Karl Hunsaker AE2 Blair Geil AO3 Richard Pence AZ2 John Martin AT3 Patrick Meurer AME2 Abdulkalim Zakari AMAN Cole Bovey PR3 Nicholas Bostic CSSN Chevaun Robinson AM3 Cody Chapman AA Mark Thompson
LCDR Blaine Felloney CMDCM Rudy Johnson LS1 Miguel Garcia AO1 Johnathan Groves HM3 Jordan Gumiran MA2 Dimitris Mack AMAN John Manns IS3 Chanice Gray LSSN Brian Yi AEAA Devon Thompson AMAR Hector Barba LSSR William Blackwell AR Gilbert Yanez
