THE ASHINGTON URVEYOR W S SEPT. 8, 2017 By MCSN Oscar Albert Moreno Jr. THEPEOPLEBEHIND THESAILORS A STORY OF PERSONNEL By MCSN Julie Vujevich THISDAYINNAVYHISTORY THE BATTLE OF VIRGINIA CAPES By MC2 Anna Van Nuys BETTERBREAKFASTMONTH THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING A BREAKFAST ROUTINE On the cover: (Sept. 7, 2017) PS3 Sherane Blackman reviews documents at her desk inside the Personnel office in the Maritime Building. (Photo by MCSN Oscar Albert Moreno Jr.) PHOTO of theDAY W (Aug. 31, 2017) Capt. Michael Bratley, center, and his family pose for a photo during his promotion ceremony. (Photo by MC3 Joshua DuFrane) The Washington Surveyor Commanding Officer Executive Officer Command Master Chief CAPT Glenn Jamison CDR Colin Day CMDCM James Tocorzic Public Affairs Officer Deputy PAO Media DLCPO Media LPO LCDR Gregory L. Flores LTJG Andrew Bertucci MCC Mary Popejoy MC1 Alan Gragg Editor Staff MC3 Alan Lewis MC2 Alora Blosch MC3 Devin Bowser MC3 Shayla Hamilton MCSN Julie Vujevich MC2 Jessica Gomez MC3 Carter Denton MC3 Kashif Basharat MC2 Kris Lindstom MC3 Joshua DuFrane MC3 Brian Sipe MC2 Bryan Mai MC3 Jacob Goff MCSN Oscar Moreno MC2 Anna Van Nuys MC3 Jamin Gordon MCSN Marlan Sawyer The Washington Surveyor is an authorized publication for Sailors serving aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73). Contents herein are not the visions of, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding Officer of USS George Washington. All news releases, photos or information for publication in The Washington Surveyor must be submitted to the Public Affairs Officer (7726). *For comments and concerns regarding The Washington Surveyor, email the editor at [email protected]* THEPEOPLEBEHINDTHESAILORS A STORY OF PERSONNEL By MCSN Oscar Albert Moreno Jr. o matter what duty station a Sailor get assigned to, they Nare accompanied with endless paperwork and documents under their name. From Page 2’s to performance evaluations to even pay issues, the pa- per trail seems endless and without any sense of organization. Luckily, the Personnel department aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is stacked with qualified Sailors, ready to take on any and all issues that may come their way. Personnel is split up to five different sections, with customer service being the hub of the department. Customer (Sept. 07, 2017) ABH 1 Charles Paulino, left, getS clarification on a document by PS2 Malik Jalloh, (Photo by MCSN Oscar Albert Moreno Jr.) service is split up into two sections: Pay and Personnel. Pay handles pay benefits ing and complex overhaul (RCOH) Per- known as Personnel Department, and and issues, like flight deck pay and fam- sonnel Department can be located in the that is to uphold the standard they have ily separation allowance. Personnel han- Maritime Building in Newport News at placed on themselves to do their best on dles re-enlistments and Page 2’s. 2600 Washington Ave. Suite 203. How- a daily basis. “At customer service, we try to help ever, there is a duty Personnel office in “Personnel is an intricate process with Sailors with any questions that they may Room 220 of the Floating Accommoda- lots of moving parts,” said Chief Per- have,” said Personnel Specialist 2nd tion Facility (FAF) for any necessities sonnel Specialist Bradley Mcanuff, Per- Class Shavaughn Hunter. “Sailors will that need to be taken care of while Sail- sonnel Department leading chief petty always have questions, from pay issues ors are on duty. PS’s use TOPS (transac- officer. “Each and every one of those and reenlistments, and it’s our job to tion online processing system) to trans- 12,000 transactions a month are done eliminate most if not all uncertainties fer all documents from the ship to the by our detailed-orientated Sailors. The that Sailors may have.” main building, allowing PS’s on duty to aptitude test you take before you enter The remaining three sections are sep- start on Sailors’ needs on the spot. the military gauges a person to a job that arations/transfers, travel/receipts and “TOPS acts like a liaison from the fits a specific description. These Sailors the education service office. Separa- ship to the main office and vice versa,” want to be here and they want to help.” tions and transfers deals with any end of said Hunter. TOPS also is like an ac- The Personnel Department works MCSN Julie Vujevich service documents or transfers to other countability log on our side of things. It hard with excellence on their minds as commands. Travel and receipts takes keeps track when the document was cre- they proceed to handle every transac- care of any travel situations and new ated, where it was sent, when it was read tion that comes their way with proper checks-in, and the Education Service and its current location. It eliminates execution every time. Office helps with any school questions, the issue where paperwork is left at the For more information, contact your online or on campus, advancement bottom of the stack and deadlines start duty PS at room 220 on the FAF, or Per- exams and signing exam worksheets placing Sailors in a bind,” said Hunter. sonnel at (757) 534-1582 at the Maritime whether they take the test or not. Both the junior Sailors and Khaki’s Building. During George Washington’s refuel- play an important role in the machine THISDAYINNAVYHISTORY THE BATTLE OF VIRGINIA CAPES By MCSN Julie Vujevich t began in 1775 with “the shot though combat ceased in 1781 with Concord, Bunker Hill, Fort Ticon- heard ‘round the world,” and the surrender of British forces at deroga, Valley Forge and Trenton. I ended with the surrender of Yorktown, the war was not fully re- Many are not often taught, however, British General Charles Cornwallis solved until 1783 when the Treaty the Siege of Yorktown may not have at Yorktown, Virginia, marking the of Paris was signed, recognizing been such a key battle in the war end of the Revolutionary War. the sovereignty of the United States if it hadn’t been for a naval battle Over ten years of strained rela- and formally concluding the war. which had happened over a month tions between Britain and the col- Many of the battles of the Revolu- earlier. onies was followed by the initia- tionary War are so notable that they The Battle of the Chesapeake, or tion of open combat in April 1775 are remembered by name to this day. the Battle of the Virginia Capes, is at Concord, thus beginning a war As children, Americans were taught one very few Americans have even that lasted eight long years. Al- about the battles of Lexington and heard about. Most likely due to the Battle of the Virgnia Capes The French fleet was lead by Rear Admiral Francois Joseph Paul, the Comte de Grasse 1781 Information courtesy of C3i magazine The surrender of Lord Cornwallis October 19, 1781 at Yorktown (Photo courtesy of Library Congress) A French fleet successfully prevented the British fleet from entering Chesapeake Bay and relieving Major General Lord Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown, Virginia. After a siege by American and French forces, Cornwallis was forced to surrender on 19October 1781, an event that led the British to abandon their effort to prevent American independence. fact that no Americans took part in Yorktown their resupply and escape “This engagement was one of the the battle. The battle took place be- route. Because British ships couldn’t decisive battles of history,” wrote tween the French, whom were allied come to their aid, the British had Michener, “for when it was termi- with the Americans, and British na- to abandon all hope of retreat, and nated, with the French line of battle vies. instead were forced to surrender to still impregnable, the English had to On Sept. 5, 1781, a French fleet of General Washington and his colonial withdraw, leaving the Chesapeake 24 ships engaged a British fleet of army. Cornwallis’ surrender hap- open to the French fleet. Rocham- nineteen ships in the Battle off the pened less than two months after the beau was now able to bring thou- Virginia Capes. The battle lasted Battle of the Chesapeake. sands of French soldiers south for for several days with no decisive While neither side won nor lost the the final thrust against Cornwallis; victory. The British fleet redirected battle, the French fleet succeeded in the iron blockade of the Atlantic their forces on Sept. 13, returning to the prevention of the British fleet ports was broken. New York to regroup and repair their from relieving the besieged army “It became a battle without a damaged ships. of Cornwallis at Yorktown, leading name, a triumph without a celebra- The British naval blockade was ef- to the eventual surrender of some tion. It accomplished nothing but the fectively broken by the Battle of the 7,000 British troops to the combined freedom of America, the establish- Chesapeake. As a result, the French American and French army. ment of a new system of government wound up in possession of the bay. James A. Michener wrote in his against which all others would even- The French were then able to supply fictionalized novel of the event, tually compare themselves, and a re- the American land forces with heavy Chesapeake about the impact that vision of the theory of empire.” artillery, also denying the British in the battle had on American history. BETTERBREAKFASTMONTH THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING A BREAKFAST ROUTINE By MC2 Anna Van Nuys s the end of summer draws completely skipping breakfast you both of which are among the leading near, children begin to fin- are going to impair your ability to causes of death in Americans.