The responsibilities of the PR’s also include one of the most essential pieces of equipment while the aircrew is in flight – The pilot’s helmet. “We also deal with setting up the pilot’s helmets,” said Reeves. “Some of the helmets allow them to see on the visor whatever the FLIR on the bottom of the jet sees. Some of the helmets allow them to fit NVGs (night vision goggles) on them.” Before any aircraft leaves the flight deck, there is a joint effort between the ship’s company PR’s and those dedicated to the squadrons to ensure the safety of the aircrew if the “big if” does indeed happen. Though it goes without saying that no one, including the PR’s, wishes that the aircrewmen ever have the opportunity to use their survival equipment, the PR’s aboard Big E take great pride in ensuring that it is operable in the unfortunate case that it is needed. “Having the pilots come in our shop and tell us that we are doing a good job makes my day,” said Reeves. “They can’t survive without our gear. So, whatever is needed of me, I get it done.”

September 18, 2012 Issue“We are Legend”Newsletter Edition

USS Enterprise (CVN 65)

The Shuttle Big E PR’s: The Last Line of DefenseStory by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian G. Reynolds

USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – Any seasoned Sailor will tell you that countermeasure is one thing that the Navy does very well. It is a principle that is drilled into the minds of Sailors from the beginning of their training. Given the obvious importance of flight operations aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the “Big E” and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 team takes a myriad of precautions against worst-case scenarios that could threaten both the lives of aviators and the mission itself. Of the many rates that deal with this broad subject, the occupation of Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PR) is one that immediately comes to mind. PR’s are responsible for ensuring that the pilot or aircrewman’s survival equipment is in working order in case the unthinkable happens. In essence, the PR’s are the pilot’s last line of defense. “My job is rewarding,” said Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Richard E. Dell, a PR assigned to Enterprise. “It is rewarding because I know that if the aircrew need to use our gear in an emergency, we are going to save their lives.” Aboard Enterprise, the various occupational specialties of a PR are divided between the ship’s company PR’s and squadron PR’s. The ship’s company PR shop, or I-Level, is responsible for parachutes and oxygen items. The individual squadron PR shops, or O-Level shops, are responsible for G-suits, harnesses and the survival equipment that the pilot actually carries on their person. “We handle all of their survival gear,” said Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 3rd Class Donald Reeves, assigned to the Knighthawks of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136. “We also repair any problems that they might have with their gear.” “In our shop we perform I-Level maintenance and inspect, repair, and modify aviation life support equipment,” said Dell. “We contribute because the aircrew would literally not be able to breathe without our equipment.”

Aircrew Survival Equipmentman Airman Marrion K. Phillips performs a 30-day inspection on an MBU-23 oxygen mask. (MC3 Gregory White)

Tuesday, September 18, 2012Page 2 The Shuttle

The Shuttle is published and printed daily underway and bi-weekly in port by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Media Department, FPO AE 09543-2810. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Please direct all story ideas, questions and comments to MC1 (SW) Steve Smith at smithsw@cvn65.navy.mil.

Public Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Sarah T. Self-Kyler

Executive OfficerCapt. G. C. Huffman

Commanding OfficerCapt. William C. Hamilton, Jr.

EditorMC3 Brian G. Reynolds

The Shuttle

USS Enterprise (CVN 65)

Command Master Chief CMDCM (AW/SW) Dwayne E. Huff

Big E Happenings

Ship’s Serviceman Seaman Dantrell Clark, from Chicago, scans items for sale in the ship’s store.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 3rd Class Jonathan Hamm, from Battle Creek, Mich., checks equipment in a storage space

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) Airman Brittny Johnson, from Clearwater, Fla., opens a fuel inlet.

Photos by MC3 Scott Pittman

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) Airman James Blakeney, from Canton, Ohio, checks a fuel sample for clarity.

Aviation Ordnanceman George Leftrich, from Amarillo, Texas, hangs weapon tie-down chains in a magazine.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Page 3The Shuttle

In the News

of repeated Iranian threats to try to close the Strait of Hormuz,” according to Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East specialist for the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service in Washington. Participating nations will conduct mine-hunting and mine- countermeasure operations with MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters, as well as explosive ordnance disposal, diving, and small-boat exercises and port-clearance operations focused on underwater improvised explosive devices, according to the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet, which is headquartered in Bahrain. The exercise will focus “on a hypothetical threat to mine the international strategic waterways of the Middle East, including the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf,” the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, said in a statement.

The U.S. and 29 other nations have begun the biggest mine-clearing exercise in the Persian Gulf region, a show of force as tensions escalate over a threatened Israeli attack on Iranís nuclear facilities. The 12-day exercise that started yesterday involves Western nations such as the U.K. and France, as well as participants as varied as Japan, Yemen, Jordan, New Zealand and Estonia, according to the U.S. Navy. In an effort to avoid a showdown with the Islamic Republic, it won’t extend into the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway between Iran and Oman through which as much as a fifth of the world’s traded oil is shipped daily. In addition to serving as a warning to Iran, the display of power will “signal to Israel that the United States has a military option available” and show “U.S. resolve to its Persian Gulf allies, especially in the face

U.S. Leads Biggest Gulf Mine Exercise In Signal To IranBy Tony Capaccio, BLOOMBERG

The cost of the damage runs to tens of millions of dollars. “Yes, we assess that this attack was well-organised, well-equipped and destroyed six Harrier jets, they damaged two additional Harrier jets and they destroyed buildings, they killed two US Marines, but we must not forget out of those 15 attackers, we killed 14 and captured one,” Katz told AFP. The Taliban said the assault was conducted to avenge an American-made film that insults Islam and which has sparked a violent backlash in Muslim countries across the world. They also said that had they found Harry they would have killed him. NATO insists the insurgency, now in its 11th year, is on the back foot with Afghan forces taking the lead over 75 percent of the population, as part of a phased departure of most Western troops by the end of 2014.

KABUL - NATO was forced onto the defensive Monday over a humiliating attack on one of its most heavily guarded bases in Afghanistan that destroyed six US fighter jets in unprecedented damage in the 10-year war. At a weekly press conference given by the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) at its closely guarded headquarters, chief spokesman Brigadier General Gunter Katz was pressed on Friday night’s assault. ISAF says it is still investigating how Taliban commandos, armed with suicide vests, guns and rockets and wearing US uniforms, breached the perimeter wall of Camp Bastion, in the southern province of Helmand. The vast base -- where Prince Harry is deployed -- was deliberately built in the middle of the desert to have a vantage point.

NATO Defensive Over Unprecedented Afghan Base Losses By Mushtaq Mojaddidi, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dempsey on Sunday called the escalating insider attacks a “very serious threat” to the Afghanistan campaign. Dempsey vowed that something has to change in order to address the escalating problem, and he suggested that the Afghans need to take the matter as seriously as the Americans do.

TOKYO -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday that while he is very concerned about rogue Afghan troops and police turning their guns on U.S. and allied forces, he sees the insider attacks as the “last gasp” of a Taliban insurgency that has not been able to regain lost ground. The defense chief’s comments followed unusually sharp criticism from Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the

Insider Attacks On US Troops Concern PanettaBy Lolita C. Baldo, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tuesday, September 18, 2012The ShuttlePage 4

Big E Entertainment

ACROSS1. Slip5. Very slow in tempo10. Quick14. Conceal15. Heavenly hunter16. Margarine17. Absent Without Leave18. He eats no meat20. Territorial reserve

22. Dissolvable23. Tin24. Awry25. An orderly grouping32. Ancestors33. Embankment34. Steal37. Only38. Assail39. A Maori club

40. French for “Summer”41. A type of small mammal42. Auspices43. Nobility45. The outer layer of the Earth49. Japanese apricot50. Nag53. Clear up57. Inadvertent59. One who accomplishes60. Sodium chloride61. Pleasant62. Colored part of an eye63. Type of sword64. A common green newt65. 1/100th of a dollar

DOWN1. Bogus2. Flightless bird3. False god4. Fragile5. Affectionate6. District7. 18-wheeler8. “Comes and ____”9. Savvy about10. Meeting place11. Excuse12. Aquatic mammals

13. Notes19. Winged21. Bronzes25. Backside26. Part of a plant27. Part in a play28. Lacquer ingredient29. Plateaux30. What’s happening31. Mesh34. Indian music35. Ear-related36. Not idle38. Tavern39. Occasional41. Old hat42. Air force heroes44. Egg dish45. Pursue46. Summary47. Parental brother48. Malice51. Formally surrender52. A round handle53. Dash54. Old stories55. Blood vessel56. At one time (archaic)58. A large open vessel