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Kitty Hawk Helps New Sailors Adjust to Navy, Life on “Battle Cat”
Story Number: NNS040420-09
Release Date: 4/20/2004 2:48:00 PM
By Maria Lee, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- Sailors swept in to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) April 17 as part of USS Kitty Hawk's (CV 63) indoctrination program, which is designed to acclimate Sailors new to both the Navy and the world’s only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier.
The Kitty Hawk five-week indoctrination program requires Sailors to attend the base's area orientation briefing and intercultural relations course, attend training on alcohol abuse, recieve cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification, and become basic material maintenance management- (3M) and basic damage control-qualified. It also encourages new Sailors to participate in various community relations (COMREL) projects.
"In that five-week time frame, we have a Sailor that gets all those qualifications except for 3M,” said Chief Aviation Ordnanceman (AW) Voris Soileau, who helped develop the indoctrination program. “We get a Sailor ready to go to work and perform his or her job. You just can't beat that!”
According to Soileau, Kitty Hawk’s indoctrination groups have executed a variety of COMREL efforts, like helping with improvements to the new campgrounds on the Ikego housing detachment and coating Skate Land, a recreation facility located on CFAY, with fresh paint. They have also assisted with moving furniture for the American Red Cross.
Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class (AW/SW) Kevin Houghton and Culinary Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Michael May were two Kitty Hawk mentors present during a recent beach COMREL effort. Houghton and May donned protective plastic gloves along with everyone else, to help clear the area of as much debris as possible.
May described the opportunity he had been given to mentor new arrivals as “rewarding.”
"It’s really great to mentor young, fresh minds in the Navy,” said May. “They’re expecting so much, and we’re here to guide them in the right direction.”
"It’s an investment into the Navy, that we maintain a level of excellence wherever we go--whether it’s around foreign waters or within the continental United States,” added Houghton.
"I’ve been in ‘Indoc’ for one week and in Japan for about a month. I love it here; the experience is great. I’ve met a lot of new people,” said Fireman Matt Murdock. “At Indoc we learn about Kitty Hawk, about Japan, different things we can experience and how to be a ‘squared-away’ Sailor and do the right thing on the job.”
The program is benefiting more than just Kitty Hawk's new Sailors.
“In the end, seeing a new Sailor that came through Indoc with a ‘blue card’ (extended liberty past midnight due to consistently exceptional performance) and advancing his or her career is my reward," said Soileau. "This will be one job I will never forget.”
For related news, visit the Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cfay.
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