BOXER TRIAD TABLE OF CONTENTS CAPT. COMMANDING GATOR RONALD OFFICER DOWDELL 3 10 ON THE

CAPT. Beanbag EXECUTIVE DALE Resurrection OFFICER HEINKEN 4 12 STREET AM3 Diana Escobar Los Angeles, CA CMDCM(SW) COMMAND 1 What was your favorite part of Bahrain? VERONICA MASTER olden The most interesting part was the culture. It just blew my mind how different CHIEF everything is there compared to California. HOLLIDAY ators 6 14 G 2 We’re halfway through deployment, what have you accomplished so far? I got my Air pin. Now I’m trying to get my ESWS, CDI, and be a part of the 500 pound club. The 3 Where do you see yourself in 5 years? $10,000 On a squadron, or maybe special programs for AMs. 8 Question 4 What advice would you give to someone who is about to go on deployment? Bring socks! Lots of socks! PUBLIC PUBLIC AFFAIRS AFFAIRS OFFICER MCCS(SW/AW) ADAM VERNON

PUBLIC AFFAIRS MC1(SW/SCW/AW/IW) AG1 Mario Novello LPO BRIAN CARACCI STATUS OF THE NAVY Naples, FL EDITOR MC2(SW/AW) JUSTIN RANKIN As of August 12th, 2019 1 What was your favorite part of Bahrain? We were there for so long so it was a good stress relief. Even though it was a working port.

CONTRIBUTORS 2 What has been the biggest inconvenience so far on deployment? Amphibious Assault Probably how crowded the gym gets in the evenings. Active Duty: 335,469 Ready Reserve: Ships underway MC2(SW) JOHN MCGOVERN Officers: 55,485 101,583 USS Boxer (LHD 4) 3 What’s been your biggest accomplishment during this deployment? MC2(SW/AW/IW) DAVID ORTIZ Enlisted: 275,489 Selected Reserves: 5th Fleet Helping our team get qualified on their pre-reqs. MC2(SW) DALE HOPKINS Midshipmen: 4,495 48,196 USS Wasp (LHD 1) MC3(SW) ZACHARY BEHREND Pacific 4 What are you looking forward to after deployment? MC3(SW) JESSICA HATTEL Meeting my fiancee on the pier. MC3(SW/AW/IW) Navy ALEXANDER KUBITZA Department Deployable Battle MC3(SW) KEYPHER STROMBECK Individual Ready Civilian Force Ships: Aircraft MC3(SW) JUSTIN WHITLEY Reserve: Employees: 290 (operational): 42,362 274,854 Deployable Battle 3700+ Reserves currently Force Across the Fleet: YN3 Deonte McCloud mobilized: 81 Indianapolis, IN 3,064 1 What was your favorite part of Bahrain? Deployed Ships The party scene. Or whatever helped me relieve stress. Aircraft Carriers Underway: Underway 55 (19%) 2 Where do you see yourself in 5 years? USS Eisenhower (CVN 69) Ships Underway for Stationed in Japan on shore duty as a YN1 - with red stripes. FAIR USE NOTICE USS Lincoln (CVN 72) Local Ops / Training: 5th Fleet Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a 25 (9%) 3 What advice would you give to someone who is about to go on USS Truman (CVN 75) deployment? copyrighted work, including such use by a reproduction in copies or phonorecords or Atlantic by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, USS Reagan (CVN 76) Bring as many hygiene items as you can. Bringing extra shirts wouldn’t news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or Pacific hurt either. research, is not an infringement of copyright. 4 What has been the biggest inconvenience so far on deployment? The fluctuating schedule. This publication is an authorized publication for military members aboard amphibious assault ship USS BOXER (LHD 4). The contents of Bark of the Boxer are not the official views of, or endorsed by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the United States Navy. 3 USS BOXER (LHD 4) | BARK OF THE BOXER | 2019

It’s loud. Thuds resonate throughout the locker room Copeland from people banging their heads against the walls. Others touched on punching the ceiling tiles out of place and screaming as what’s next for loud as they can. It’s the biggest game of the year for his future in everyone in the room, and you can feel the energy from the Navy after every soul, all except Boxer. from junior midshipman “In Noah Copeland, Navy’s February I’ll first-team fullback. be heading Every ritual is the to the United same for him, even Arab Emirates if it’s the Army- for a year to Navy football game. Copeland understands what he must continue to do be in charge Everybody in order to ensure that his ever-changing team aboard of a Navy Working Capital Fund inventory and has their own pre-game Boxer remain stout. then I’ll be coming back to San Diego to join the ritual. He prefers to sit “The biggest thing is always taking care of new expeditionary sea base ship USNS Miguel in front of his locker your people; Your E6 and below are your bread and Keith (T-ESB 5) to be the ship’s supply officer.” quietly with his eyes butter,” said Copeland “If you don’t take care of As Navy football approaches later this closed, bobbing his them, you’re not going to catch that 50-yard pass or month, he hopes to watch his football team while head to slow music as his hands adjust to the tape on run for that touchdown. You’re going to get sacked.” out at sea. his fingers and wrists. He provides a sharp contrast to the Copeland acknowledges the importance of “Having to wake up or stay up for football is mayhem happening around him. comradery from his playing days at the Academy and going to be rough, but I’m excited to watch my boys “I’m a leader by example. It’s one of the biggest qualities that what it can do for his shipboard division. get back on the right track. We ended up 3-9 last year, I care about,” said Copeland, who rushed for 56 yards and a “It’s but I know the coaches will be taking care of them.” touchdown off of only 5 carries that cold December night in 2013. something that “Being a part of something that was bigger than myself and being a I’ve learned part of a brotherhood that the Academy was made me develop into in my playing the leader I am today.” days. I want Copeland, the youngest of three siblings in his family, was my shop drawn to team sports from his time growing up playing with his to be like a brother and sister. family where “I always knew I wanted to be a part of a team. Being the everyone youngest of three, you always want to be involved, so I saw wants to take where I fit in when I started playing sports. I loved it.” care of each The ensuing year, Copeland was elected offensive captain other,” said by his teammates. Copeland. “I will never disappoint a family member “I was not campaigning for it,” said Copeland. “I didn’t want to because it means more than disappointing a friend or deal with the politics that came with it. All I wanted was to play ball. a coworker. That’s what I’m trying to foster here.” I didn’t play for the media or the accolades. I ended up loving it and Even after leaving the academy and joining finding out that you can’t learn to lead people if you’re just doing Boxer, Copeland hasn’t stopped being part of a what you want all the time.” winning team. Serving as the ship’s wardroom officer When you look at a football program and a department in 2018 and later that year as the services officer, aboard a Naval vessel, you can find certain qualities to be his efforts helped the ship win 2019 Navy Captain dramatically similar. It’s a place where a leader like Copeland can Edward F. Ney Award. use what he’s learned playing football and apply it “I don’t look at these [awards] as just all me,” to his division. said Copeland. “You’ve got to look at everyone you work “The whole layout is basically like a football team,” said hard with and understand that this is a team effort.” Copeland, who is now a Lieutenant serving as Boxer’s

services officer in supply department. “The department head can be looked at as the general manager or the head coach. The chief petty officers and division officers can be looked at as the skill players that get most of the credit for the success of the team. E6 and below are in the trenches opening up holes, blocking and doing all of the dirty work. Everyone, just like football, has a role to play.”

would What you do wi Certificate of Deposit (CD) th $10,000 ? Although less accessible than a savings account or MMSA, a certificate of deposit (CD) can be a great short term investment option. A CD is a savings product that pays a fixed interest rate if you keep your money in It may be a dream for some people, but having a ton of extra cash will it for a specified period of time (known as a term). As a rule, the longer the term, the higher the interest rate. n A common strategy is a CD ladder, where you stagger the maturity date of CDs to get both higher rates and io be a reality for many of us on return to homeport. Hopefully you’ve st access to your money. ue been saving a bit, but even if you haven’t it isn’t too late! So make a plan to save, and instead of buying that Charger at 29% interest when 00 Q ,0 we get back, consider some of these (hopefully smarter) alternatives. 10 $ To Contribute To Your Retirement e h Keep in mind, the suggestions listed here are just that, and this list is T by no means exhaustive. Always do your own research, and sit down Max out your 401k with a Command Financial Specialist or someone knowledgeable that you trust before making any major decisions. A 401(k) is a retirement savings plan provided by an employer. The Thrift Savings Plan is our 401(k), the main disadvantage of a 401(k) is that the investment options are limited. The Thrift Savings Plan offers just five index fund options (plus Lifecycle target-date funds created from these options). The main advantage is To Get Out Of Debt that the money you contribute to a 401(k) will lower your taxable income for the year dollar for dollar. Also, if you have the Blended Retirement System, you can get matching contributions up to 5%, which is free money! Increase your emergency fund The contribution limit for your 401(k) in 2019 is $19,000. Wait, how is increasing my emergency fund going to help me get out of debt? Because without an emergency fund, when an unexpected expense comes, you’ll most likely be paying for it in credit or Max out your IRA/Roth IRA some form of loan, which means more interest payments and more debt, making an already bad An IRA is an individual retirement account available to anyone. One of the biggest benefits of an IRA is that situation worse. it offers access to a virtually unlimited number and type of investments, giving you much more control over The unfortunate reality is that many service members live paycheck to paycheck - but if you’ve made your investment options. A Roth IRA is also an option. The maximum contribution to an IRA in 2019 is the decision to get out of debt and live by a budget, you must have an emergency fund. In a perfect $6,000. world you should have at least three months worth of expenses in your emergency fund, but even A good strategy (if you can manage it) is to invest in your 401(k) up to the matching limit, then in a Roth starting with a goal of $1,000 is better than nothing. IRA to the contribution limit. However everyone situation is different, so it always pays to do your own Pay off high-interest credit card debt homework and speak to a financial adviser (such as the Command Financial Specialist) before making any major decisions. Paying off debt is an investment with a guaranteed excellent return. You’ll save far more in interest payments by paying off a $10,000 credit card at 15% interest than you would gain from letting that money sit in a savings account (unless you need to build an emergency fund first!) 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and built this one to withstand the impact of a drop but also weighed down for an accurate drop,” said Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Carlos R. Freireizurieta, who works in Boxer’s Paraloft shop. “The WWII bean-bags were filled with stuffing but the one I made is weighted down with a one- pound steel bar sown into the bottom of the naugahyde (artificial leather) and webbing package,” said Freireizurieta. The message container Freireizurieta created was dropped onto Boxer’s flight deck as a proof- of-concept option for silent communication. Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 crewmembers onboard an MH-60S Sea Hawk delivered the container. Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Carlos R. Freireizurieta sows “We’ve got the best communication technology together naugahyde and web materials that will be used as a message onboard our helos [helicopters] but today we delivery container between aircraft and ship. Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 2nd Class practiced the use of a more conventional form of Bradley Peterson runs to a bean-bag dropped on the flight deck during an exercise to communicate aircraft-to-ship communication in the event electronic Under radio silent conditions, Boxer leadership with Boxer from an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter. communication is not an option,” said Lt. Taryn could send a message to pilots using a helicopter’s “SISS” Steiger, the pilot who flew the HSC-21 Sea onboard mechanism or briefly landing on the Hawk tasked to drop the bean-bag on Boxer. flight deck. Boxer Resurrects WWII Communication Tactic Aboard Boxer, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate “In some cases we use our rescue hoist to deliver By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Frank L. Andrews, Amphibious Squadron Five Public Affairs (Handling) 2nd Class Bradley Peterson darted toward and retrieve parts and messages or we would land the bean-bag container dropped on deck, scooped it and have someone get out and retrieve the message,” One hundred ten degree heat radiated from to use his radio but flew his SBD over the Enterprise up and ran it to Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain’s said Steiger. the flight deck of Boxer as an MH-60S Sea Hawk flight deck and dropped a bean-bag notifying the Mate (Handling) Cedric Williams who delivered the With modern day aviation advancing helicopter swooped in and dropped a message ship of the Japanese patrol boat ahead. A video message to the intended recipient, Capt. Jason A. technologically and despite new levels of resurrecting an 80-year-old aircraft-to-ship posted by Archive.org shows actual video of a Burns, Commander, Amphibious Squadron FIVE. communication between aircrafts and ships we alternative communication method. SBD rear gunner dropping a bean-bag down to the “The purpose of the bean-bag drop was to show cannot forget those before us who have pioneered Historically, war tends to accelerate change and Enterprise flight deck that day and shows a Sailor timely pilot-to-ship communication can be done tried and true alternative communication methods. drives rapid developments in technology. Even with picking up the bean-bag, then running to the island without electronic transition,’ said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Lt. James “Barney” Barnitz legacy carries on today as superior modern capabilities, the U.S. Navy still keeps to deliver it up to the bridge. Brown, the HSC-21 detachment officer in charge. was demonstrated aboard USS Boxer. a foot in the old sailboat days and for good reason. The bean-bag design progressed when USS “Together HSC-21 crew and Boxer demonstrated During the sea battles Essex (CV 9) ran out of timely communication from the aircraft to the ship of WWII, U.S. Navy pilots them and Navy pilot Lt. during EMCON [emissions control] procedures.” beat enemy eavesdropping James “Barney” Barnitz The fleet of the 1940s was outfitted with single by flying low and slow was directed to provide regular-frequency-band radios and the power above the flight deck and replacements. Barnitz switch was safety-wired in the “off ” position so dropping a weighted cloth went to see the Essex that the crews could use only in abject emergencies. container with a note Parachute Riggers and The broadcast waves of those radios would bounce inside. This alternative out of their innovation, back and forth between the earth’s surface and form of communication the bean-bag was cut and the ionosphere, and was termed a “bean- sown into a more durable transmissions from bag drop.” During the form. Fast-forward such equipment Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, 80-years to August 2019 could be detected Japan, a Douglas SBD where Boxer’s Paraloft over the horizon Dauntless pilot spotted shop was tasked to make a by both friendly a Japanese patrol vessel new bean-bag specifically and enemy forces. approximately 50 miles for a helo-to-deck drop. Listeners could detect ahead of USS Enterprise “I started with the and plot the direction (CV 6). The pilot believed original measurements of the senders, even An actual message container called a “bean-bag” used to deliver messages from an aircraft to the he had been seen by the A U.S. Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless drops a message container of the bean-bag used on at great distances. known as a “bean-bag” on the flight deck of USS Enterprise (CV 9) ship during WWII. In order for airborne pilots to safely communicate with the ship, each plane Japanese and decided not while crewmembers dart to catch the message to deliver it up to the USS Enterprise in 1942 was equipped with several bean-bags in which a note could be placed and dropped to the deck of ship’s bridge. (Photo provided by the Naval Aviation Museum) the carrier as the pilot slowly flew over. (Photo provided by the Naval Aviation Museum) olden Gators Week of July 19th Week of August 9th

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CPL Riley Falk SGT Millio Aros

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