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Celebrating 20 years of serving the Hampton Roads Navy family

Vol. 21, No. 38 Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com | 09.26-10.02.13

Celebrities honor local Sailors with three-day visit bases By Katisha Draughn-Fraguada Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads Public Affairs

NORFOLK

hard work. During the all hands calls, Nathan touched on his goals for readiness, jointness and value; he talked about the national budget impasse and how Navy Medicine is making strides to operate more efﬁciently. Nathan also stressed NMCP’s importance to Navy Medicine and the staff’s ability to provide care on the battleﬁeld and around the world.

Chief Navy Career Counselor (EXW/ SCW/SW) Arusha Johnson, assigned to Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training (MCAST) Command, was awarded the 2013 Cheryl Foster Award, Sept. 18 in Norfolk. Johnson earned the award for her outstanding volunteer service to the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of South Hampton Roads’ women in crisis domestic violence emergency shelter and hotline program. Since May 2012, Johnson has served South Hampton Roads by providing immediate safe haven, emotional support, and referrals to survivors of domestic violence as a crisis hotline operator.

Celebrities from the entertainment and sports industry visited Sailors, family members and base personnel during a three-day visit to different Hampton Roads area bases Sept. 18-20. Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads (NSA HR) hosted the celebrities as they visited their headquarters compound, NSA-Portsmouth (Naval Medical Center Portsmouth), Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), and NSA Northwest Annex. They also received tours and interacted with Sailors on the USS Vella Gulf and USS Arlington and played in the Celebrity Golf Tournament at Sewells Point Golf Course. “We wanted to host this event because a lot of our service members and their families have had to endure so much this year. This is a good opportunity for them to get their minds off of the many issues that they deal with on a daily basis and just have some fun and meet some great celebrities,” said John Lucas, NSA HR MWR Director. Celebrities included actress Kelly Carlson, former Major League baseball pitchers Bret Saberhagen and Lee Smith, premier NBA three-point shooter, Dale Ellis and former NFL wide receiver, Willie Gault. “I can’t put it into words what an honor it was to meet all of these great military members,” said baseball legend Saberhagen. “We wanted to interact with them and say thank you for their service and for allowing us to have the freedoms that we enjoy today.” Saberhagen has pretty close ties to the military because his grandfather used to ﬂy an aircraft. Saberhagen said he always wanted to participate in military work but when the opportunity arose for him to visit Afghanistan, things did not work out. So he was very thrilled to come to the Hampton Roads area and ﬁnally receive that chance. The celebrities began their trip with a meet and greet at Pub One Grille at NSA HR. Sailors and their families were able to meet the celebrities, receive autographs and enjoy free pizza from the newly remodeled restaurant. They then traveled to NSA-Portsmouth and visited the Wounded Warrior Unit and the Fisher House. They also toured the USS

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MC2 (SW) Anna Arndt

NMCP hosts Suicide Prevention and Awareness Campaign By MC2 (SW) Anna Arndt NMCP Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth hosted a Suicide Prevention and Awareness Campaign contest Sept. 19. Twelve groups from the hospital, USNS Comfort, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and the Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group provided information to staff and pa-

tients about how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and how to offer help and support. The displays were judged by CMDCM (SW/AW/FMF) Michael James; Cmdr. Tim Richardson, NMCP acting deputy commander; and Lt. Cmdr. Marion Collins, command suicide prevention coordinator. Radiology took third place with “All Hands on Deck for Suicide Prevention,” the Coalition of Sailors Against

Destructive Decisions (CSADD) took second place with “Bystander Intervention,” and the Substance Abuse Rehab Program (SARP) came in ﬁrst place with “Suicide Among Veterans.” The Navy’s theme this year is “Thrive in Your Community.” Sailors are encouraged to come together to work on a project that beneﬁts others. “The importance of this campaign is to drive home the impor-

Navy Surgeon General visits NMCP, congratulates new CPOs

CMDCM (SW/AW/ FMF) Michael James signs the pledge to be positive and help prevent suicide.

tance of training and education,” said Collins. “With our Navy training, ACT is very important: ask, care and treat. If we see a shipmate that may be having some depression or symptoms or who is very sad, you don’t want to just ignore that; you want to ask what is going on and then make sure they get to the appropriate resources.”

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MCAST SAILOR’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE RECOGNIZED By MC1 Matt Daniels MCAST Public Affairs

By Rebecca A. Perron NMCP Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH

Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, Navy Surgeon General, spent two days at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Sept. 12-13, capping the visit by serving as the keynote speaker for the Chief Petty Ofﬁcer Pinning Ceremony. Nathan kicked off the visit by meeting with the Command Executive Board and then held two all hands calls, one with E-6 and below and the second with ofﬁcers and civilian employees. In between, Nathan served lunch to staff and patients in the galley. He ended the day by meeting with leaders from the

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Rebecca A. Perron Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, Navy surgeon general, addresses Naval Medical Center Portsmouth staff during an ofﬁcer and civilian all hands call on Sept. 12.

hospitals at Joint Base LangleyEustis to discuss the enhanced Multi-Service Market that stands up Oct. 1. Day two began with tours of the clinics, the emergency room and operating rooms. Staff proudly presented their “Wildly Important Goals” scoreboards which depict staff goals for the clinic or department to reduce health care costs while improving health care outcomes. Nathan was impressed with their boards and complemented them on their

COMREL More than 1,500 Sailors from the USS USS Abraham Lincoln volunteered in seven different cities at more than 30 different community relations (COMREL) events, Sept. 20. » see A11

VIRGINIA BEACH

LEADERS HONOR MISSING, CAPTURED TROOPS, FAMILIES The Defense Department will never stop working to bring captured and missing service members home, defense leaders pledged at a Pentagon ceremony Sept. 20.

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SHAG AT THE FOODBANK Dance, dine and donate at the 3rd annual Shag at the Foodbank, Sept. 26 in Hampton. The Virginia Seafood Council will be serving delicious all-you-caneat seafood. » see C1

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