The Lighthouse News - April 23, 2014

Vol. 14, No. 8 | Thursday, April 24, 2014www.thelighthousenews.com

WHATS INSIDE

By Andrea Howry

Lighthouse

After a years absence, two

events are returning to Naval

Base Ventura County (NBVC).

The Admirals Cup, a sprint

triathlon that takes place before

the Armed Forces Triathlon

Championship (AFTC), is sched-

uled for Saturday, May 31, at

NBVC Point Mugu. However, it

is not open to the public this year;

only those with base access will

be allowed to compete, and pre-

registration is required.

Also coming back is the

WoundedWarriorTrainingCamp

for Sailors andCoastGuardsmen

who are overcoming serious in-

juries and illness. Last year, train-

ing camps were held at several

different locations across the

country, but the 40 athletes and

staff will be returning to NBVC

Port Hueneme July 9-13.

We are very pleased to be able

to host a training camp again, as

well as the Admirals Cup, said

FredMorgan, Recreation Direc-

tor forMorale, Welfare and Rec-

reation (MWR) at the base.

The Admirals Cup fell victim

to funding issues last year. In past

years, many participants had

Admirals Cup, WoundedWarrior camps return

Photo by MC1 Charles Panter / nMCb 4

UT2 Rodrigo Diaz of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 yells instructions to dismounted troops

during a convoy security element field exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett last month. The full battalion is currently

at the site for its field training exercise (FTX). For more about the preparations and preliminary training

exercises that go into a full FTX, see Pages 16 and 17.

TRAINING DAYS

By Andrea Howry

Lighthouse

The long-awaited Jakes

Wayback Burgers is now open

in the Navy Exchange food

court at Naval Base Ventura

County (NBVC) Port Huen-

eme, and its doing something

unique to the restaurant

chain:

Its serving breakfast.

This is new for Jakes, and

Jakes opens

in NEX

food court

TheNorthMugu Road gate

at Naval Base Ventura County

(NBVC) PointMugu reopened

Monday, April 21, after being

closed for nearly 14 months.

The gate, which closed in

February 2013 due to a safety

N.Mugu Road

gate reopens

SEE EVENTS, PAgE 24

SEE JAKES, PAgE 24

SEE REPAIRS, PAgE 24

BU2 Thad Dodds of Naval Mobile

Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3

unveils the command coin plaque

he carved for the Seabees plot at

the Senior Community Garden in

Oxnard. Page 6

EARTH DAY 2014

Naval Base Ventura County once

again is winning awards for its

environmental stewardship, and that

leads off four pages of Earth Day

news coverage in this edition. Learn

the pitfalls of trying to do a wildlife

count, see who won the Earth Day

5K, find out what got recycled

during a recent event and find out

what to do to protect yourself from

mosquitos and rattlesnakes as the

weather heats up. Pages 11-14

Youngsters at Naval Base Ventura

County (NBVC) Point Mugu were

treated to a puppet show earlier this

month in an effort to teach children

what to do in the event of a fire,

quake or other disaster. Page 20

By Captain Larry Vasquez

NBVC Commanding Officer

The LighThOuse is puBLished aT NO COsT TO The gOVerN-

meNT eVery OTher Thursday By The sTar, Of CamariLLO,

Ca. The sTar is a priVaTe firm iN NO way CONNeCTed wiTh

The deparTmeNT Of defeNse Or The uNiTed sTaTes NaVy,

uNder wriTTeN CONTraCT wiTh NaVaL Base VeNTura

COuNTy. The LighThOuse is The ONLy auThOrized CiViLiaN

eNTerprise Newspaper fOr memBers Of The u.s. NaVy,

CiViLiaN empLOyees, reTirees aNd Their famiLy memBers

iN The VeNTura COuNTy area. CONTeNTs Of The paper are

NOT NeCessariLy The OffiCiaL Views Of, NOr eNdOrsed By,

The u.s. gOVerNmeNT, aNd The deparTmeNT Of defeNse,

Or The deparTmeNT Of The NaVy aNd dO NOT impLy eN-

dOrsemeNT ThereOf. The appearaNCe Of adVerTisiNg iN

This puBLiCaTiON iNCLudiNg iNserTs aNd suppLemeNTs,

dOes NOT CONsTiTuTe eNdOrsemeNT Of The deparTmeNT

Of defeNse, The u.s. NaVy Or The sTar, Of The prOduCTs

Or serViCes adVerTised. eVeryThiNg adVerTised iN This

puBLiCaTiON shaLL Be made aVaiLaBLe fOr purChase, use

Or paTrONage wiThOuT regard TO raCe, COLOr, reLigiON,

sex, NaTiONaL OrigiN, age, mariTaL sTaTus, physiCaL

haNdiCap, pOLiTiCaL affiLiaTiON, Or aNy OTher NON-meriT

faCTOr Of The purChaser, use, Or paTrON. if a ViOLaTiON

Or rejeCTiON Of This equaL OppOrTuNiTy pOLiCy By aN ad-

VerTiser is CONfirmed, The puBLisher shaLL refuse TO

priNT adVerTisiNg frOm ThaT sOurCe uNTiL The ViOLaTiON

is COrreCTed. ediTOriaL CONTeNT is ediTed, prepared

aNd prOVided TO The puBLisher By The LOCaL iNsTaLLa-

TiON puBLiC affairs OffiCes uNder The auspiCes Of The

NaVaL Base VeNTura COuNTy puBLiC affairs OffiCe.

COmmaNdiNg OffiCer

Capt. LaRRY VaSQUEZ

Chief sTaff OffiCer

Capt. SCott LoESChkE

COmmaNd masTer Chief

CMDCM pERCY tRENt

puBLiC affairs OffiCer

kIMBERLY GEaRhaRt

LighThOuse ediTOr

aNDREa howRY

[email protected]

805-989-5281

fiNd us aT:

facebook.com/

NavalBaseVenturaCounty

puBLisher

MaRGIE CoChRaNE

adVerTisiNg deparTmeNT

437-033

N aVa L B a s e V e N T u r a C O u N T y

please submit your questions or comments to Lighthouse editor andrea howry at [email protected]

800-221-sTar (7827)

Ask the

Captain

Thursday,April24,2014

TheLighthouse

www.TheLighthouseNews.com

Question: I know money for basic maintenance

is tight right now, but thats no excuse for the mess

I see around common areas. Cigarette butts, store

receipts and dog waste arent a maintenance issue;

this is a behavior issue. What happened to taking

pride in your neighborhood?

Answer: Thank you for allowing me to address

this issue. I think weve all seen that great sign that

says Your mother doesnt work here, so pick up

after yourself and had a good laugh, but its true:

No one is going to pick up after us. We have to do it

ourselves.

Cleaning up after yourself is a basic tenet of

being a good neighbor, coworker and friend. If you

smoke a cigarette, put it out in an ashtray. If your

pet makes a mess, pick it up. If you finish your soda,

find a recycling container. None of us would throw

trash on the kitchen floor when the can is two steps

away, but we see exactly that happen in outdoor

spaces all the time.

As we recognize Earth Day, this is a great time to

think about our shared responsibilities to our instal-

lation, our community, our country and our world.

This Friday, commands around the installation will

participate in an Earth Day clean-up event a sort

of FOD walkdown for Naval Base Ventura County.

Join us as we beautify our home and re-establish

good, earth-friendly habits to continue for the rest of

the year.

Do you have questions or suggestions? You can

submit them via this forum at [email protected],

online using the COs Suggestion Box at http://cnic.

navy.mil/ventura/index.htm or at www.Facebook.

com/NavalBaseVenturaCounty. You can also follow

NBVC on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NBVCCalifor-

nia and keep up on the latest news and events.

Why is the base looking so messy?


TheLighthouse


CommunityCalendar

LUncheon: Federally

Employed Women,

11:30 a.m., Bard

Mansion. Speaker is

U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley. Info:

Silvia Faulstich, 805-701-8167.

24

FATheR-DAUGhTeR

DAnce: 3:30 to 6

p.m., Hawkeye Country

hangar, NBVC Point

Mugu. Sponsored by VAW-116

Family Readiness Group. $10

per father-daughter couple, $3

each additional daughter. Info:

[email protected].

26

April

RUn FoR ReLIeF:

11:30 a.m., Bee Hive

Gym. EXWC First and

Second Class Petty

Officers Association

hosting run to support Navy-Marine

Corps Relief Society. Info: Page 9.

24

IWo JIMA TALK:

1 p.m., Seabee

Museum. Dr. Kenneth

Marra will discuss the

background and importance of

Iwo Jima during World War II. Free;

base access not required. Info:

982-5167.

26

MILITARY spoUse

AppRecIATIon evenT:

10 a.m., Bee Hive Gym.

Fleet & Family Support

Center event. Info: Page 19.

8

May

A demonstration by the Force Protec-

tionK9 unit and another one by taekwon-

do students are part of the free Military

Kids Day event set for 10 a.m. Saturday,

April 26, outside the Youth Center at Na-

val Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point

Mugu.

A kids run kicks everything off, with

the K9 demo set for 11:30 a.m. and the

taekwondo demo scheduled for 12:30

p.m.

Set up until the event ends at 2 p.m. will

be booths featuring perennial Ventura

County Fair favorite Gene West and his

wooden toys, the Fleet & Family Support

Centers dinosaur dig and the Sea Cadets.

The Morale, Welfare and Recreation fit-

ness van will also be there.

The Teen Center TorchStone Club will

be selling food and drinks.

Professional henna artists, face painters

and glitter artists will also be on hand,

courtesy of Lincoln Military Housing.

Worldwide,more than 1million children

have at least one parent serving on active

duty. This event is intended to show ap-

preciation to those youngsters.

For more information, call 805-989-

7580.

K9, taekwondo demos set for Kids Day

Event starts at 10 a.m.

Saturday, April 26, at

NBVC Point Mugu

Youth Center

By CE3 Jessica J. Pettit

NCG 1

Seabees from Naval Mobile Construc-

tion Battalion (NMCB) 5 are building

restrooms at the Naval Base Ventura

County (NBVC) Port Hueneme soccer

field near the Pleasant Valley Gate.

For years, the soccer field has been used

for physical training, sports days and soc-

cer all without a restroom in sight.

People must have run across the park-

ing lot into the building next door, and

Im sure sometimes the building was

closed, said Builder 1st Class Anthony

Foster.

The convenience of having a restroom

nearby is expected to increase use of the

field, resulting in improved physical fit-

ness.

Eleven Seabees started the project in

November. The crew leader, Builder 2nd

Class Nathan Manning, thinks highly of

his crew and says their morale has been

high through the entire process.

Its awesome to come to work and

know even if Im having a bad morning

that things will turn around on the job site

because my crew is going to impress me

Heads up! Seabees building restrooms at soccer field

phoTo bY ce JessIcA J. peTTIT / ncG 1

BU3 Andrew Tuggle of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 guides a concrete pour while directing other Seabees during the

construction of restroom facilities at the Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme soccer fields near the Pleasant Valley Gate.

See ReSTROOMS, Page 23

LUncheon: Military

Officers of America

Association (MOAA)

local chapters 50th

anniversary celebration, 11:30

a.m., Las Posas Country Club.

$30. Speaker is retired Vice Adm.

Norbert Ryan. Info: 388-2901.

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TheLighthouse


By BUCN Laine Pulfer

NMCB 3

Seabees fromNavalMobile Construction

Battalion (NMCB) 3 completed a 24-hour

relayrunFriday,April.11, tohelpraiseaware-

ness about sexual assault.

Friends, family members and Seabees as-

signed to NMCB 3 gathered at Naval Base

VenturaCounty (NBVC) PortHueneme on

aquarter-mile trackat9a.m.,Thursday,April

10, to kick off the 24-hour nonstop event.

This run was a different way to get the

message across to Live Our Values: Step up

to StopSexualAssault,said the runs coor-

dinator, Chief Builder JesseGarcia-Montes.

People will remember this event with help

fromour collectionof beads andT-shirtswe

gave to participants.

Runners received their T-shirts after regis-

tering for the runandweregivenabeadafter

eachcompletequarter-mile laptoaddtotheir

colorful strand.

The relay provided Seabees and other vol-

unteers the chance to not only reflect on the

importanceof stoppingsexualassaultbutalso

toshowrespect to thosewhohavebeenorare

still affected by sexual assault.

In addition to the relay, NMCB 3s Coali-

tionof SeabeesAgainstDestructiveDecisions

(CSADD) presented a skit to kick off the

24-hour evolution.CSADDsvicepresident,

Builder ConstructionmanAshley Racy, cre-

ated the unique skit that focused on male

sexual assault in order to highlight a lesser

known fact and better support the days im-

portantmessage.

I wanted to do something different be-

cause a lot of people fail to recognize that

malesarealsoaffectedbysexualassaultnot

just women,Racy said.

Achem-lightvigil at sunsetwas conducted

to pay respect to victims affected by sexual

assault throughout2012.Each light stickrep-

resented 10 sexual assaults, resulting in a vi-

sual display of the more than 2,000 docu-

mented sexual assaults that occurred in the

Navy during 2012. Seabees, familymembers

even the furry four-leggedonescontin-

ued running into the night as the 200-plus

chem-lights glowed on the side of the track.

As NMCB 3, we truly care about the

troopsandabout raisingawarenessof sexual

assault, said Garcia-Montes. We have 60

victimadvocatesall trainedandwillingtohelp

any possible victim. This command doesnt

just talk about raising awareness with no ac-

tion theywalk the walk.

By the end of the relay, participants had

run more than 4,000 miles longer than a

coast-to-coast run.

NMCB 3 holds 24-hour relay

Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 stand in line to turn in their

beads April 11 after completing NMCB 3s 24-hour relay run. Participants received one

bead for every quarter mile completed.

More than 200 chem-lights one for every

10 sexual assaults documented in the Navy

in 2012 are part of a vigil that took place

the evening of April 10.

PHOTOS By BUCN LaiNe PULfer / NMCB 3

From left, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3s training officer, Lt. Cmdr. John

Beattie; commanding officer, Cmdr. Gordon Meek III; and operations leading chief petty

officer, BUCS Kevin Nolan, lead NMCB 3 through the final laps of the battalions 24-hour

relay run, April 10-11, designed to help raise awareness about preventing sexual assault.

Its to raise awareness of

sexual assault

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TheLighthouse


5

It would be great if students could

arrive home from school with assign-

ments they can do independently for

homework. Many times, however, par-

ents find themselves taking on the role

of a teacher when trying to help their

children with homework. Although the

interaction between parent and child

is important, these evening homework

rituals can sometimes become frustrat-

ing for both parent and child.

So that children can receive the help

they need, the Department of Defense

and Tutor.com partnered in 2010. This

benefit is free to military families; non-

military families must pay a fee. The

student and tutor will work in an on-

line classroom, which runs right in the

web browser window. Users can chat,

draw on a two-way whiteboard or up-

load a document to work on together

with the tutor.

Although a valuable resource, log-

ging into Tutor.com used to be some-

what complicated. It required users to

initially log onto Navy Knowledge On-

line (NKO) before accessing the Tutor.

com website. Users concerns were

heard and changes were made.

Users can now access the service at

www.tutor.com/military. Click on the

branch of service affiliation (Army,

Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps) to see

instructions for how to gain access.

Now, instead of authenticating through

the NKO website, users can certify

their eligibility and create an account

directly from the Tutor.com website.

This change has the potential to get

users into the service and get them the

help they need more quickly.

There is also a new demo video of

the service at www.tutor.com/military.

Click the watch a video link.

Since it has become fairly common

for individuals to access services via

mobile apps, Tutor.com has also add-

ed Tutor.com To Go. Students can get

the download and watch a how it

works video at www.tutor.com/togo.

Users with an account can log in right

from their mobile device. They can

even use the devices camera to take a

picture of a chalkboard or paper-based

assignment, put it in a virtual locker

and use it in a session with a tutor. The

locker is available by virtue of the user-

name and password used to log in, so

users with a Tutor.com account can

have access to the materials in their

locker, whether theyre connecting with

a Tutor.com tutor from the mobile de-

vice or any computer.

Tutor.com can act as a no-fee proof-

reader of essays or research papers,

and it can serve as a late-night geom-

etry tutor. Tutors cover all math, sci-

ence, social studies and English sub-

jects from K-12 to the introductory

college level. Theyll help with home-

work, studying for standardized tests,

or writing a paper whatever the stu-

dent is working on.

Active duty military members can

also use tutor.com for college classes.

Additionally, career specialists can

also help with resumes and job search-

es.

Whether the user is an active duty

service member or a dependent, Tutor.

com is a valuable educational resource.

It is available 24 hours a day, seven

days a week, and is closed only on New

Years Day, Independence Day, Thanks-

giving and Christmas.

For questions regarding Tutor.com,

visit www.tutor.com/military, read the

FAQs, or watch a demo video.

For any education related information,

please visit http://navylifesw.com/ventura/

families/cyp/slo/. For great articles about

education in the Southwest Region, click

on the Academic Anchor tab for the latest

newsletter. The NBVC school liaison officer

can be contacted at 805-989-5211 or at

[email protected] for any K-12 education-

related questions.

Free for military, Tutor.com can help relieve homework stress

School

connection

withMonica

James


TheLighthouse


Seabee Chapel

Port Hueneme

Building 1433

Phone: (805) 982-4358

Protestant

Sunday worship service: 9 a.m.

Choir rehearsal: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Catholic Mass

Sunday: 11:15 a.m.

Confession by prior appt.: 10:45 a.m.

Wednesday: 11:30 a.m.

Confession by prior appt.: 11 a.m.

Womens Bible Studies

Tuesday: 10 a.m., Book of I Samuel.

Wednesday: 9:30 a.m., The God I

Never Knew. Childcare provided.

Mens Bible Studies

Thursday: 11:30 a.m., Fire on the

Mountain. Lunch provided.

Soup Fellowship Study

Sunday: 5 p.m., Foundations of

Apologetics. Potluck.

Catholic Religious Education

Pre-K through high school

Tuesdays, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Chaplains serving NBVC

Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Han

Command Chaplain

Lt. Lesa Welliver

Staff Chaplain

Father Antony Berchmanz

Catholic Priest

Volunteer opportunities

Call the Seabee Chapel at (805)

982-4358 to register for the following

volunteer opportunities:

Disaster drill

7 a.m. to noon Friday, May 2, Freedom

Park, Camarillo. Victims needed for

post-quake scenario.

Vacation Bible School

9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday,

July 14-18, Seabee Chapel.

Worship schedule

It is D-1 and my RP and I are set to

jump from the LSA (Logistical Staging

Area) to the FOB (Forward Operating

Base) this evening.

At midnight, it is game on.

The enemy has been observing our

movements and something big appears

to be on the horizon. Plans and provi-

sions have been made for fortifying the

FOB, and security patrols have com-

menced. Intel continues to come in, and

we have a thorough understanding of the

enemys capabilities and tactics.

However, due to a certain consider-

ation, I can guarantee the enemy will not

inflict a single casualty. That consider-

ation is that Naval Mobile Construction

Battalion (NMCB) 4 is currently con-

ducting a field training exercise (FTX).

The enemy is notional and meant to train

us, not kill us.

As I was observing the calculations be-

ing made to defend against this notional

enemy while we also labor to complete

our hypothetical humanitarian mission,

another notional battlefield calculation

came to mind that must be considered by

everyone in the real world. It comes from

a parable that Jesus told the large crowds

that were following him around at the

time. He told them, What king, going

out to confront another king in battle,

will not sit down first and determine

whether he is able with ten thousand to

oppose the one coming against him with

twenty thousand? If he cannot succeed,

he will send a representative while the

other is still a long way off and ask for

terms of peace (Luke 14:3132).

This parable comes toward the end of

a short, terse admonition to the multitude

in which Jesus challenges them to con-

sider what it will cost them to truly follow

him. Jesus follows the parable with this

statement, In the same way therefore not

one of you can be my disciple if he does

not renounce all his own possessions

(Luke 14:33).

These types of statements are not ex-

actly calculated to gain popularity with

the crowds. Increasing popularity, how-

ever, was not the point.

Jesus point is that the one who would

follow him must consider Jesus to be

more important than anything else. Jesus

is saying that he must have first place in

the heart of the one who would follow

him. By renouncing all of ones posses-

sions, Jesus is not referring to a vow of

poverty, as could be gathered from the

context of the passage, but is simply say-

ing that he must come before anything

else in the lives of those who choose to

follow him.

The parable concerning the two kings

functions as a caution and an encourage-

ment. Jesus parable communicates that

those who follow him as King should be

able to do the math and figure out that

renouncing all of their possessions (i.e.,

putting Jesus first in their lives) is as sen-

sible as it would be for a king to seek

terms of peace with a much stronger king

who is coming against him.

At the time of writing, NMCB 4s FTX

has another 10 or so days before it has

run its course. At that time, the mission

and the enemy will evaporate. What,

hopefully, will not evaporate is the skills

that were honed during the exercise.

One skill set of particular importance

to maintain is the ability to do the math

on all the variables of a complicated mis-

sion in a hostile environment so that a

successful plan can be developed. That

is one skill set that is highly practical in

the spiritual realities of life as well, and

precisely what Jesus was encouraging his

audience to do in order to determine who

or what should take first place in their

lives.

War games and reality: Spiritual lessons from the field

Chaplains

corner

withLt.Kenneth

Stiles

NMCB4

By Andrea Howry

Lighthouse

The Seabees plot at the Senior Commu-

nityGarden inOxnarda longtimeproject

of the Religious Ministries Team at Naval

BaseVenturaCounty (NBVC)isnowbe-

ing tended by base teenagers as a service

project.

Weve taken over this plot in the com-

munity gardenas away to improve the com-

munity, said Kecia McDonough, teen co-

ordinator for NBVC Child and Youth

Programs. We knew it needed to be done.

The service project, part of the Boys &

Girls Clubs Big Help program, got under

way Thursday, April 10. Six teenagers who

were enrolled in the Teen Centers Spring

Camp because their schools were on spring

break spent several hours weeding the plot

and getting it ready to replant.

I love volunteering, and I love gardening

at home,saidKatelynnEnderby, 16,whose

dad,SeniorChief AviationElectronicsTech-

nician Patrick McAnally, is with Carrier

Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW)

112.

The teens were working in the shadow of

a large circularplaque thatBuilder2ndClass

ThadDodds carved to look like a command

coin.Theplaquebears thewords,Honoring

the courage of themilitarys commitment.

Dodds,whoenjoys carpentry, volunteered

tomake theplaqueand finished it justbefore

deploying with NavalMobile Construction

Battalion 3 last year. But there was no time

to install it, so the plot remained unlabeled

until this month.

Now, the words Naval Base Ventura

CountyandEst. 2013make it clearwhich

of the 17 plots in the garden is NBVCs re-

sponsibility.

I hope you all enjoy it,Dodds said.

Teens tending Seabees garden

Photo by AndreA howry / Lighthouse

Counselors and teens who take part in Teen

Center activities at Naval Base Ventura

County tend the Seabees plot Thursday,

April 10, at the Senior Community Garden

in Oxnard.

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TheLighthouse


Dozens of youngsters

scoured the produce depart-

ment Saturday, April 20, as the

commissary atNaval Base Ven-

tura County, Port Hueneme,

put on its annual Easter egg

hunt.

Commissary workers and

volunteers hid nearly 500 eggs

among the apples, oranges and

other produce and placed sev-

eral on the shelves below so

little ones would have a better

chance of finding a treasure.

This year, organizers let the

little ones search first, then

opened it up to the bigger kids

something Navy retiree Ja-

son Blissard appreciated.

Last year she only got one,

he said as he watched his

daughter, Sasha, now 4, collect

more than a dozen eggs in her

basket.

Sasha got so many this year

she offered to share.

The event, held during the

Month of the Military Child,

started with a quick lesson in

nutrition and a stretching ex-

ercise led by ProduceManager

Kathy Rogers.

Twenty-six baskets of candy

and goodies were given away

in a raffle, and there were also

tables set up where children

could get temporary tattoos,

have their faces painted and

make Easter egg baskets.

Oranges, apples and eggs

Enjoying her first Easter egg

hunt, Brook Mangold, 3, looks for

more treasures as she gets a lift

from her mom, Nicole. Brooks

dad is CM3 Timothy Mangold

with Naval Mobile Construction

Battalion (NMCB) 4.

Photos by AndreA howry / Lighthouse

Sasha Blissard, 4, offers to share what she

collected during the commissarys Easter

egg hunt. Sasha came with her dad, Jason

Blissard, a Navy retiree.

Youngsters find the goodies in the produce section of the

commissary at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme

during an Easter egg hunt Saturday, April 19.

Egg hunt held in

commissarys

produce section


TheLighthouse


By Andrea Howry

Lighthouse

The girl didnt really think about it be-

fore she said it. She just blurted out her

answer, like so many junior-high school

kids do.

The word wasnt sad or lonely or

even angry, any of which would have

been an expected reply to the question,

How do you feel when your parent leaves

on deployment?

No one anticipated Joyful.

Her answer was met with stunned si-

lence.

But the dad and daughter who had

prompted the discussion knew exactly

what the girl meant. And so did some of

the other preteens in the room, a couple

of whom slowly smiled and whispered,

Yeah.

Think about it. Youre 11 or 12 and your

parents are starting to bug you and you

just want them to leave you alone and

suddenly, one of them does! A dream

come true! Joy!

The freedom to give such a frank, un-

inhibited answer and to learn that oth-

ers feel a little bit the same way deep down

inside is whatMilitary Kids Club is all

about, and its why Construction Me-

chanic 1st Class Phillip Shropshire of

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3

agreed to visit the group at the invitation

of his daughter, Isabelle Garcia.

The discussion took place at E.O.Green

Junior High School in Oxnard earlier this

year, just three weeks after Shropshire re-

turned home from the Philippines, where

he had helped build a school. Dad talked

about what he went through being away

from his family for six months; his daugh-

ter shared her feelings, too. And around

the table, preteens talked about their emo-

tions during deployment.

I get in trouble more, one fessed up.

Because Dads not here, I can get away

with stuff, said another.

Whenheshere,onegirl said, its always

You shoulddo this andyou shoulddo that.

And then he leaves andhes not always bug-

ging me about doing chores.

Mydad sentme aCDwith him reading

to me. I cried.

Shropshire said thatwhile all deployments

are rough, theyve become easier since his

first one in 2003.

Technology is way better,he explained.

With Skype and email, we can talk every

day if we want to. In some ways, this last

one was a lot easier than any other deploy-

ment Ive done.

The worst part, he said, is simply being

away: You go home to yourself.

Shropshire said the battalionwas briefed

on thepitfalls of homecoming, andhe spent

a lot of time thinking about what hed do

and wouldnt do when he walked through

the door.

I didnt want to just come in and all of

a sudden be in charge, he said. They

warned us that doesnt work well.

Isabelle said his decision paid off.

We rode bikes and went to Chuck E.

Cheese, she said.

Yeah, I gaveher a coupleof weeksbefore

I startednagging,Shropshire said. Itmade

coming home a lot easier.

One thing everyone agreed on: When a

parent comes back aftermonths in another

country especially one where the food,

theweather, the culture and the bugs are all

different theres a lot to talk about.

Kids open up about how they feel when a parent deploys


Isabelle Garcia and her dad, CM1 Phillip Shropshire of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion

3, talk about how deployments affect their family dynamic during a Military Kids Club

meeting at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard. Shropshire had recently returned from

a six-month deployment to the Philippines.

Military Kids Club is run by the

Fleet & Family Support Center

(FFSC) at Naval Base Ventura Coun-

ty. Children from military-connected

families meet during lunchtime or af-

ter school to share ideas about coping

with issues most families dont have

to face, deployments and frequent

moves among them. For more infor-

mation or to find out which schools

have a club, call the FFSC at 805-982-

5037.

About Military Kids Club

By Zoe Rose Peck

NMCRS volunteer

At the Navy-Marine Corps Relief

Society (NMCRS), volunteers are ready

to help Sailors, Marines and their fam-

ilies during all phases of their lives.

One of the most exciting but stressful

times is post deployment, when families

are readjusting to the way it was before.

Highlights include visiting family and

friends, home cooking and sleeping in

your own bed; however, this is also a

time to reset and establish a budget

based on new fiscal realities.

Securing a financial future is key, and

NMCRS can give tips and set up a bud-

get in an effort to create proper savings

and spending habits.

When deployed, service members

might have received special pay that

provided extra income. Hopefully, this

extra money was put into a savings ac-

count or used to pay down debt. If you

werent able to save, or if unexpected

spending occurred, now is the time to

reassess and get a handle on finances.

NMCRS offers a free individualized

budget session that focuses on creating

a spending and savings plan. This is

done by categorizing spending habits,

such as paying bills and buying food,

clothing and gas. It is important to try

and reduce discretionary spending and

get rid of unnecessary services like

cable and Internet packages.

One of the first things a family may

want to do after everyone is together

again is to take a trip. But without a

grasp on a spending and savings plan,

this may not be realistic. Getting back

to a normal life requires all members

of the family to do their part.

Deployments are a part of military

life. The best way to prepare for them

is to take a look at finances and see

what worked and what didnt in regards

to saving and spending. The key is to

strike a balance so that the family can

enjoy the perks of having a loved one

home.

NMCRS is a steppingstone to build-

ing a successful financial future, and

the effort spent now on sticking to a

budget will be worthwhile in the end.

To set up an appointment, call 982-

4409.

NMCRS can help families with post-deployment spending plans

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TheLighthouse



NCG 1

Seabees from Naval Base Ven-

tura County volunteered to help

support the Autism Society Ven-

tura County (ASVC) in its April

6 Aut2Run at California State

University Channel Islands to

promote awareness and help for

people affected by autism.

The volunteers passed out wa-

ter, handed out fruit and spread

encouragement to the runners.

Some Seabees directed traffic and

helped with the set-up and take-

down of the event.

I love to get out into the com-

munity, said Yeoman 1st Class

Aaron Jackson of Naval Con-

struction Group 1, who directed

traffic to ensure the runners

safety. Its a great time being able

to help out other people for a

great cause and a great way to be

an ambassador for not only my-

self but the Navy as well.

Volunteers may have signed up

for different reasons, but everyone

came together for the same out-

come: to improve the communi-

tys understanding of autism.

My cousins autistic, so I can

relate with a lot of these people,

said Constructionman Lesley

Herrerapelayo of Naval Mobile

Construction Battalion 5, who

spread encouragement to those

whowere almost at the finish line.

Its really nice to see everyone

coming together to do something

great and educational for the

kids.

The races included 5K, 10K

and 15K runs around the univer-

sity campus as well as a FunRun.

More than 1,000 people partici-

pated in at least one of the events,

raising more than $100,000 to

help ASVCs mission to make a

life-changing impact for local

families and individuals living

with autism.

Seabees and other Sailors in the

region volunteer for dozens of

events in the community every

year.

Seabees volunteer, encourage runners

Photos by CE3 JEssiCa PEttit / NCG 1

Constructionman Lesley Herrerapelayo, left, and UT3 Kristina Costabile,

both volunteering from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5,

encourage runners during the Autism Society Ventura County s Aut2Run

event April 6 in Camarillo.

CE3 Jacob West, left, and CE3 German Valdez, volunteering from Naval

Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, offer encouragement at the

Aut2Run event April 6.

Naval Base VenturaCountywent into

the Easter weekend in first place in the

Corporate Games, an annual Ventura

County event that pits local businesses

and organizations against one another

in competitions ranging from softball

to horseshoes.

The base is competing against 32

other teams two of them also from

theNavy inDivisionAA.Going into

the weekend it had a total of 41 points.

In second place wasAmgenwith 27 and

the County of Ventura with 24. A sec-

ondNavy teamhas 11 points and a third

has two. Points are based on the number

of gold, silver and bronzemedals a team

has, plus participation.

Weekend standings showed the base

has three goldmedals, two silver medals

and a bronze. The gold medals were in

basketball, beach volleyball and indoor

volleyball. The silver medals were in

darts and kickball, and the bronze was

in dodgeball. The base also got one

point for participating in bocce ball.

Robert Bonner, who works for Naval

Facilities Engineering and Expedition-

ary Warfare Center, is organizing base

participation in Corporate Games. He

says participants nine men and three

womenare needed for the tug-of-war

that takes placeMay 10, the last day of

competition.

The overall CorporateGames cham-

pionship may come down to the tug-of-

war pull, he said.

Those interested should call him at

982-5317 or email him at Robert.bon-

[email protected]. He is posting photos of

the events to https://www.facebook.

com/pages/NBVC-Corporate-

Games/729146580451819

NBVC in first place in Corporate Games

The First and Second Class Petty Of-

ficers Association at Naval Facilities En-

gineering and Expeditionary Warfare

Center (NAVFAC EXWC) is facilitating

a 5K run/walk to benefit theNavy-Marine

Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) at 11:30

a.m. Thursday, April 24, outside the Bee

Hive Gym at Naval Base Ventura County

(NBVC) Port Hueneme.

Registration begins at 10:45 a.m.

For information, contact Construction

Mechanic 1st Class Matthew Ramirez of

NAVFAC EXWC, association president,

at [email protected].

April 24 Run for Relief benefits NMCRS

10


TheLighthouse



NCG 1

Builder 1st Class Deanna Dimeo of

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5

was named the 2013 Pacific Fleet Shore

Sailor of the Year (SOY).

Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander

of U.S. Pacific Fleet, made the announce-

ment March 28 in Hawaii.

Dimeo went on to compete for Naval

Operations Shore Sailor of the Year in

Washington, D.C. She was one of five

finalists for the award, which ultimately

went to Cryptologic Technician Collec-

tions 1st Class PatriciaMadigan of Navy

Information Operations Command Ha-

waii. That announcement was made Fri-

day, April 18, at the Pentagon.

According to Harris, about 100,000 Pa-

cific Fleet Sailors competed for the SOY

awards.

They do not accept second-best at any-

thing they put their minds to. Theyre win-

ners, always have been, always will be,

Harris said. They exemplify the highest

standards of service to our nation, at

home and abroad, at sea and shore, in

combat and in peace.

Dimeo said she has tried to do her best

throughout her career.

It is such an honor for me to represent

not just the Pacific Fleet, but a Navy Ex-

peditionary Combat Command and the

Seabees, she said. My goal has always

been to do my very best at all aspects of

my job, from rating expertise to knowledge

of Navy-wide programs and policies to

taking care of Sailors.

According to Command Master Chief

Corey Heinrich of Naval Construction

Group 1, Dimeos hard work and dedica-

tion became apparent when she stated

facts and opinions on current events and

debate topics that are currently prominent

in the Navy.

Her opinions really leverage all of the

programs that are in place to help Sailors

and Marines become successful to the

Navy, and thats the institutional expertise

of being a Sailor, said Heinrich.

NMCB 5s Dimeo named as

Pacific Fleet Sailor of the Year

BU1 Deanna Dimeo of Naval Mobile

Construction Battalion 5 is the 2013 Pacific

Fleet Shore Sailor of the Year (SOY).

May 1 is the deadline to apply for a

Can Do scholarship awarded by the

Bee Club of Naval Base Ventura Coun-

ty (NBVC).

The club will be giving two individ-

ual $1,000 scholarships this year.

These scholarships are open to any

qualified student graduating from a

Ventura County high school who is a

dependent of any military member as-

signed to NBVC. GED and home school

graduates are also eligible.

The Bee Club is a naval officers

spouses group whose mission is to pro-

mote U.S. Navy Seabee and Civil En-

gineer Corps heritage, and to provide

friendship, mentorship, social activities

and support amongst the spouses of

military officers in the Ventura County

area.

Scholarship monies were raised at the

Bee Clubs fall auction and other fund-

raising efforts.

Can Do Scholarship applications

are available online at www.BeeClub.

org. For more information visit http://

www.BeeClub.org.

Application deadline for

Bee Club award is May 1

Theyre winners, always

have been, always will

be, admiral says


TheLighthouse


11

EARTH DAY 2014

For the sixth year in a row, Naval Base

Ventura County (NBVC) has been recog-

nized by the Chief of Naval Operations

for its environmental stewardship.

NBVC received aFiscal Year 2013Chief

of Naval Operations Environmental

Award for its Environmental Quality-

Team and another one for Sustainability-

Industrial Installation.

We are pleased that NBVC has been

recognized for its environmental quality

and sustainability program efforts, said

Dan Shide, environmental program direc-

tor for the base. This is a confirmation

thatNBVC is committed to ensuring com-

pliance with environmental regulations

and implementing sustainable practices

such as energy and water conservation.

The six members of the Environmental

Quality Team at NBVC were lauded for

creating an environmental management

system, a way to quantify and document

exactly how the base affects the environ-

ment how much energy it consumes,

how much water it uses, how and what it

recycles and how it can improve those

practices.

NBVCs Environmental Management

System is a fundamental component in

supporting NBVCs daily operations and

enhances the way business is carried out

by standardizing methods and processes

in an environmentally sustainable man-

ner, Shide explained.

Once the system was in place, the team

could get tenant commands involved in

audits, reviews and training, creating

workforcemultipliers in other words,

getting the entire base on the same page

about the need to protect the environ-

ment.

Those accomplishments set the stage for

the sustainability award.

NBVC has already met the Navys 2015

energy and water reduction goals, but it

hasnt stopped looking for ways to con-

serve even more, adding solar heating

systems and replacing bulbs and controls

in 52 buildings that have older, less effi-

cient lighting systems.

Interior facility lighting presents one

of the largest opportunities Navy-wide for

energy savings, states the bases nomina-

tion form for the sustainability award. At

Base earns environmental honors for 6 years in a row

By Andrea Howry

Lighthouse

Counting animals for a wildlife survey

is never as easy as 1-2-3.

Four girls from Santa Clarita found that

out during their recent tour of Naval Base

Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu.

The junior-high and high-schoolers were

on a spring break field trip organized by

the Santa Clarita chapter of the American

Association of University Women

(AAUW). All have a strong interest in

science, technology, engineering andmath

(STEM), so their leader, Cookie Fessler,

contacted base officials about bringing the

girls on board for a tour.

Valerie Vartanian, a natural resources

managerwith the EnvironmentalDivision,

jumped at the opportunity to share her

love of the sciences with the girls. She en-

listed the help of her co-worker, Rebecca

Kelley, who set up a telescope overlooking

MuguLagoon so the girls could do awild-

life count.

Just before lunchtime on Wednesday,

April 9, the girls began counting harbor

seals sprawled on the sand across the la-

goon. Kelley cheated: She used the tele-

scope and a clicker to get the most accu-

rate count, then asked the girls what theyd

come up with.

Answers ranged from 26 to 50.

The actual number was 128.

Bewildered, the girls looked into the

telescope and saw the problem: pups.

Many of the seals had given birth, and

the tiny pups were almost impossible to

see without the telescope.

In addition, the mounds of marine

mammals that looked to be three or four

seals cuddled up were actually made up

of a dozen or more, and only a trained

Theyre down for the count

PhotoS by AndreA howry / LighthouSe

How many harbor seals do you see in this photo? A hint: It was taken just a few minutes after the girls touring Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu had left the area, and

there are fewer than the 128 counted on their visit. For the answer, see the last paragraph of the story.

Valerie Vartanian, a natural resources manager at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point

Mugu, discusses the environmentally sensitive lands on and around the base with Brinly

Xavier, left, and Abril Jimenez. The girls were touring the base to learn about the Navys

involvement in science, technology, engineering and math as part of a program put on by

the Santa Clarita chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Girls attempt a wildlife

survey, but learn animals

can hide in plain sight

See AWARDS, PAge 13

See WILDLIFe, PAge 12

12


TheLighthouse


EARTH DAY 2014

eye would have known.

This is why consistency in animal

counts is extremely important,Vartanian

explained. Different people doing the

same count are going to see different pat-

terns, and you could end up with wildly

differing numbers, just as we did.

In addition, the weather, the time of day

and whether the tide is in or out can all

affect a count.

Being consistent over time and seeing

the trend, thats whats important, Var-

tanian said.

She explained that the Navy needs to

conduct wildlife surveys to make sure the

animals some of which are threatened

with extinction continue to thrive. Sud-

den decreases could indicate a very real

problem the presence of a toxin per-

haps, maybe something that could harm

humans.

The tour began with Vartanian showing

the girls the sensitive environment where

the Navy works the wetlands and

beaches, in addition to the lagoon and

talked about how they all work together

with the plants and animals to create a

unique ecosystem.

Mugu Lagoon is the bottom of a wa-

tershed the final collection point for

whatever gets dumped farther up Calle-

guas Creek.

We get whatevers up there,Vartanian

said, then asked the girls to guess the two

most common pieces of trash found in the

lagoon. They guessed correctly with plas-

tic bottles, but missedNo. 2: childrens toy

balls.

They float,she explained, then stressed

the importance of recycling.

In discussing wetlands restoration, Var-

tanian talked about differences in soils and

why its important to know their many

qualities. The amount of water soil con-

tains, the amount of clay everything

determines how man can manipulate it,

whether food can be grown in it, whether

houses can be built on it.

Soil is fun! she said. Its not just

dirt.

Anyone who can say that and actually

mean it is a true lover of the sciences, and

her infectious spirit scored high with these

budding scientists.

I found it very interesting, said Brin-

ly Xavier, whowants to be an obstetrician.

I think restoring the wetlandsbringing

them back to their true native state is

something we should continue to do.

Abril Jimenez, who wants to go into the

field of astronomy, agreed.

I always thought a military base was

just about warfare, she said. But now I

realize its also about the environment

the plants and the animals that are

there. This was really fun.

For readers who did their own seal count

in the accompanying photo: Kelley said

there are about 115 seals pictured. Those

darn pups.

continued from 11

count offers girls a peek into a career in the sciences

Three dozen people took part in the

Earth Day 5K Thursday, April 17, at

Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC)

Point Mugu, enjoying a course that of-

fered outstanding views of the wildlife,

beaches and wetlands the Navy has won

awards for protecting.

With several schools on spring break

that week, many of the runners and

walkers were children. The fastest fe-

male, in fact, was 12-year-old Breanna

Gomez, who came in fourth place over-

all with a time of 20 minutes, 44 seconds.

She ran with her 15-year-old brother,

Danny, who came in second, and her

mom, Maricela, and dad, James, who

works for Naval Air Warfare Center

Weapons Division.

Breanna is in a running club, the Cos-

mos, and her brother runs for Adolfo

Camarillo High School.

Their parents said they are both trying

to get in shape after several years of not

running. James Gomez credited his kids

with helping him cross the finish line in

31 minutes, 3 seconds.

They helped motivate me, he said.

Participants were treated to views of

harbor seals and birds in Mugu Lagoon

and pelicans swooping low over the

ocean and Family Beach area.

Builder 2nd Class John Hart of Naval

Mobile Construction Battalion 5 won

the event with a time of 17 minutes, 45

seconds.

Im trying to get in shape by run-

ning, he said. Youll see me at next

months run.

The lunchtime runs are put on month-

ly by Morale, Welfare and Recreation.

The next one is the Spring Fling 5K, set

for May 15 at NBVC Port Hueneme.

Registration is at 11 a.m., and the run

starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Bee Hive Gym.

For more information call 805-982-5173

or 805-989-7728.

earth day

5K features

scenic views

Photos by AndreA howry / Lighthouse

Runners and walkers take off at the start of the Earth Day 5K April 17 at Family Beach, Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu.

James Gomez, who works for Naval Air Warfare Center

Weapons Division, gets a final boost at the finish line from

his son, Danny, 15. Danny his sister finished in the top four,

then went back onto the course to offer encouragement.

BU2 John Hart of NMCB 5

crosses the Earth Day 5K

finish line first with a time of

17 minutes, 45 seconds.

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TheLighthouse


13

EARTH DAY 2014

File cabinets, air conditioning units,

desks, a refrigerator, even lawn chairs were

turned in for recycling as the Naval Fa-

cilities Sustainable Solid Waste Manage-

ment Program hosted a metal recycling

event Tuesday and Thursday, April 15 and

17, at Naval Base Ventura County

(NBVC).

Were cleaning house, Janie Hughes,

who works with support equipment at

Naval AirWarfare CenterWeapons Divi-

sion, said as she dropped off some old

office furniture at the NBVC PointMugu

recycling center April 17. If it werent for

this, wed have to wait for a big trash can

to be brought over. Were right next door,

so this makes it easy.

Lloyd Nash, program coordinator, said

the tonnage of material collected over the

two days should be available later in the

month.

Metal recycling

event yields desks,

appliances, chairs


Lloyd Nash, left, the program director for the Naval Facilities Sustainable Solid Waste

Management Program, and motor vehicle operator Jose Daniel Martinez prepare to recycle

a metal desk accessory turned in by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division during

a metal recycling event Thursday, April 17, at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point

Mugu. A similar event was held April 15 at NBVC Port Hueneme.

NBVC, there is a focus on developing

energy projects that utilize the latest and

most efficient lighting systems for offices,

warehouses, hangars and workshops.

Other projects cited in the nomination

form include:

Irrigation systems were improved at

68 locations on base.

A project to install seven wind turbine

generators on SanNicolas Island is under

way, with startup expected later this

year.

Recycling efforts continue to improve.

In Fiscal Year 2012, waste diversion from

landfills totaled 4,023.13 tons. The fol-

lowing year, the total was 5,772.82

tons.

Finally, the base strives to make the

public aware of its environmental protec-

tion efforts, taking part in events ranging

from Earth Day celebrations to an En-

ergy Awareness Golf Tournament, which

it hosted at the Seabee Golf Course.

Awards earned

continued froM 11

14


TheLighthouse


EARTH DAY 2014

California has a variety of snakes, most

of which are harmless. An exception to

this is the rattlesnake.

Rattlesnakes can cause serious injury to

humans on rare occasions, even death.

Generally not aggressive, rattlesnakes

strike when threatened or deliberately pro-

voked, but given room they will retreat.

Most snake bites occur when a rattle-

snake is handled or accidentally touched

by someone walking or climbing. Ap-

proximately 8,000 people are treated for

poisonous snake bites in theUnited States

each year. However, the California Poison

Control Center notes that rattlesnakes ac-

count for about 800 of those bites each

year, with one or two resulting in death.

Point Mugu has one native species, the

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus

oreganus helleri).

Rattlesnakes are nocturnal hunters; they

will stay by a rodent trail and wait for prey

to go by. Sometimes they will come out

during the day to warm themselves, espe-

cially in the mornings. Do not step or put

your hands where you cannot see them

and avoid wandering around in the

dark.

Step on logs and rocks, never over them,

as a snake could be coiled up behind the

barrier where you cannot see them. Be

careful when stepping over the doorstep.

Snakes like to crawl along the edge of

buildings where they are protected on one

side. Keep an eye out when walking

through dense brush, watchwhere you put

your feet. If you are out in the brush wear

over-the-ankle boots and loose-fitting long

pants.

Many a useful and non-threatening

snake has suffered a quick death from a

frantic human who has mistakenly identi-

fied a gopher snake, racer or other snake

as a rattlesnake. This usually happens

when a snake assumes an instinctual de-

fensive position used to bluff adversaries.

A gopher snake has the added unfortunate

trait of imitating a rattlesnake by flatten-

ing its head and body, vibrating its tail,

hissing and actually striking if approached.

If you encounter any snake it is a good

idea to move slowly away from it.

Discourage snakes by removing piles of

boards or rocks around buildings. Use

cautionwhen removing those piles there

may already be a snake there! Encourag-

ing and protecting natural competitors like

gopher snakes, king snakes and racers will

reduce the rattlesnake population in the

immediate area. King snakes are actually

predators of rattlesnakes, so they are a

good snake to have around.

If you see a rattlesnake in the occupied

areas of Naval Base Ventura County

(NBVC) call 911. They will alert the prop-

er responder to handle the snake. If you

are out in the natural areas and see a

rattlesnake, leave it alone and go a safe

distance around it. You can also call

NBVCEnvironmental at 805-989-3808 to

report it.

This information was provided by Valerie

Vartanian, natural resources manager for the

Public Works Environmental Division, and Dan

Jaquez, site safety manager for the Public

Works Safety Office. Some information was

provided by the Department of Fish & Game.

As weather warms up, rattlesnakes emerge: Heres what to do

Photo by Valerie Vartanian / naVFaC SW

Only one native species, the Southern Pacific

Rattlesnake, is native to the mainland area

that includes Naval Base Ventura County.

Mosquito season is upon us.

The mosquito program at Naval Base

Ventura County (NBVC) generally runs

fromMay through October of each year.

The Navy works with the Ventura Coun-

ty andCalifornia state vector control agen-

cies, as well as other federal and state

agencies, to control the mosquito popula-

tion on the base and in surrounding ar-

eas.

With about 22 species of mosquitoes

active at NBVC some flying by day,

some by night you are bound to have

some annoying encounters during the

warmer months of the year. There are

two types of mosquitoes normally found

aboard NBVC:

Aedes, which appear in early season

and prefer salt marsh wetlands. They are

considered nuisancemosquitoes most-

ly because they bite during the day but are

less likely to carry diseases.

Culex, which show up in mid- to late-

season, preferring fresh water. They bite

at dusk, evening and dawn and are con-

sidered vectormosquitoes because they

are more likely to carry disease.

No matter their preferred time of day,

all mosquitoes have one thing in common:

their need for water in which to breed and

grow.

Before laying their eggs, mosquitoes

seek a blood meal from a warm-blooded

host a bird, a dog, possibly even you.

In search of ameal, mosquitoes are drawn

to carbon dioxide given off by your breath,

your body heat and your own moisture.

They track you down by your skin tem-

perature and by your sweat. The main at-

traction is the carbon dioxide you ex-

hale.

When feeding on you, mosquitoes actu-

ally inject their saliva into your skin to

help extract your blood. It is the saliva

that causes the itching you feel after being

bitten.

Mosquito bites can spread serious dis-

eases such as Western Equine Encephali-

tis, St. Louis Encephalitis and West Nile

Virus. Only females bite. Males drink

flower juices.

Adult mosquitoes lay their eggs on

moist surfaces near water or directly onto

still water. In industrial areas, equipment

that is covered by tarps or waterproof

plastic may harbor these pests in puddles

on the plastic or in suitable cavities near-

by. The equipment itself may even be con-

figured in such a way that water can pool

on it, making an ideal habitat.

The entire life cycle (from egg to adult)

for a mosquito can be as little as four days

or as long as onemonth.Most of themos-

quitoes found here have a life cycle of

seven to 10 days. This is important to re-

member so that you can regularly change

water outside in pet bowls, bird baths or

childrens pools before adults emerge.

Mosquitoes are a natural part of the

environment in which we all live. The lar-

vae and adults provide a food source for

other organisms. Luckily, they are only

active seasonally in this area, coming out

in spring and dying off by fall.

For more information on the mosquito,

check out the following websites:

Center for the Disease Control West

Nile Virus, www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/

westnile

California Department of Health Ser-

vices, http://www.westnile.ca.gov/

Ventura County Environmental, www.

ventura.org/envhealth/programs/vector-

control

What you need to know now that mosquito season is here

Here are some ways to avoid having your yard become a mosquito breeding

ground:

Empty anything that holds standing water old tires, buckets, plastic covers,

toys and items waiting to be recycled, like empty bottles and cans.

Every week, change water in birdbaths, fountains, wading pools and animal

troughs.

Make sure roof gutters are draining properly, and clean your clogged gutters

in the spring and fall.

Fix your leaky outside faucets and sprinkler systems.

Make sure your windows and door screens are bug-tight. Replace or repair

as needed.

Dont let your yard become a breeding ground

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TheLighthouse


15

More than 1,000 state and federal tax

returns were prepared this year at the

self-service tax center at Naval Base Ven-

tura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme,

resulting in refunds of more than $1.3

million.

The results are in, and I am extreme-

ly ecstatic with them, said Salvador

Gonzales, the legal assistant clerk in the

Region Legal Service Office, Detachment

Ventura, who organizes and staffs the tax

center every year. Despite several set-

backs this year a late opening due to

the government shutdown and elimina-

tion of Saturday service we still as-

sisted clients with completing 1,046 fed-

eral and state returns with a total refund

of $1,304,144.00. I am convinced we

would have surpassed last years number

1,094 returns if we didnt have those

elements to contend with.

Even though the center converted to

self-service two years ago, many of the

volunteers who had helped staff it for

years still come to help answer questions.

That has proven to be a big draw, Gon-

zales said.

The majority of comments from the

taxpayers after completing their returns

said that they were extremely pleased and

felt at ease in maneuvering through the

program, especially with the assistance

of a volunteer, Gonzales said. The

number of volunteers is what makes our

tax center so unique because at other

centers you generally wont find the one-

on-one assistance.

Gonzales said the Naval Construction

Training Center allowing use of its class-

rooms was another key factor to the

centers success.

Their IT department is also a huge

assistance when it comes to computers

and laptops issues, he said.

The center opened Jan. 29 and closed

April 11.

Tax center refunds total $1.3 million

Six Sailors, a Marine and a Coast

Guardsman will share honors with five

local youths Friday, May 9, when the

Channel Islands Council of the Navy

League holds its annual Military and

Youth Recognition Dinner at the Oxnard

Elks Lodge.

The event begins at 6 p.m.; dinner is at

7.

The event is open to the public, but res-

ervations are required by May 1. Cost is

$35. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 873,

Port Hueneme, 93044. For more informa-

tion, call Bob Quinn at 805-485-3995 or

Arlene Fraser at 805-377-0468.

The Elks Lodge is at 801 South A St.,

Oxnard.

This years awardees are, from theNavy,

AD3 Brittany Lofgren, YN2 Andrea

Pelayo, AD1 Ovel Johnson, CM1 Chris

Shultz, HM1 Leslie Cachero and MA1

Scott Chilko. The Marine is Cpl. Marco

V. Tolentino. The Coast Guardsman is

BM2 Francisco M. Quilantang.

The youths being honored are Navy

Junior ROTCCadet Cmdr. Nancy Lopez;

Navy Sea Cadet Corpsmen PO1 Luke

Siebler andCPOTannerGlantz; andNavy

League Cadet Corpsmen PO3 Juan Bue-

naventura and PO3 Macarios Casanova.

Annual recognition dinner honors military, youth

The 2014 YourNavy in Ventura Coun-

tybase guide is now available at the Fleet

& Family Support Center and online at

www.mybaseguide.com.

The free guide includes information

about basic services offered at Naval Base

VenturaCounty, commands stationed here

and maps of the community areas on the

installation.

Frequently used phone numbers are also

included.

Pick yours up today.

Base guide available at FFSC, online

In keeping with the Navys energy

policy, heating plants are being shut

down for the summer, with all work ex-

pected to be completed by Friday, April

25.

As a result of budget reductions, Na-

val Base Ventura County continues to

operate at CommonOutput Level (COL)

4, requiring thermostats to be set no

lower than 80 degrees (for human com-

fort only) during cooling season.

Supervisors are requested to inform

employees of these actions. For more

information, contact Tom Santoianni,

NBVC installation energy manager, at

805-982-4075.

Heating systems shut down; thermostats must stay at 80

16


TheLighthouse


By Lt. j.g. Brad Lawler

NMCB 4

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 is

now well into its field training exercise (FTX), but that

wouldnt have been possible without the battalions 40-

Sailor Supply Department completing its mission of

bringing all the necessary supplies, tools, food and con-

struction material to the FTX site. These men and

women worked for months to ensure the battalion had

everything necessary to succeed.

Its very important for us tobe thoroughlyprepared,

said SeniorChief Logistics Specialist VirgilioCristobal,

the departments leading chief petty officer. If we leave

behind even the smallest thing, the battalions operations

can be put at a disadvantage.

The breadth of logistical support for a field training

exercise can feel daunting, especially since there are no

second chances. Anything the battalion needs during

the three weeks they are at Fort Hunter Liggett needs

to be ordered, packed and transported into the field.

The department is broken down into three divisions:

FoodService,MaterialLiaison/CentralToolRoom, and

Supply.

The division that is themost important to themorale

of the battalion is without a doubt the Food Service

Division.

Under the guidance of Chief Culinary SpecialistWil-

lie Mack Jones, the battalion culinary specialists and

food service attendants operate a full field galley for two

weeks, including a specialmeal for Easter Sunday.Dur-

ing their time in the field, the division will serve tens of

thousands of hot meals to hungry, tired Seabees.

TheMaterial Liaison/Central ToolRoomDivision is

responsible for all of the constructionmaterial and tools

needed for the battalions projects and defensive perim-

eters. Every piece of wood and strand of razor wire

needs to be available at amoments notice and account-

ed for throughout the exercise. This job does not end

until everything is safely returned to storage at Naval

Base Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme at the

conclusion of the exercise.

The third division is known simply as Supply. The

logistics specialists of this division are responsible for

consumable items used by everyone in the battalion:

light bulbs, paper, batteries, etc.Theyworked formonths

to ensure the thousands of needed items were in place

to support the Seabees in the field.

We take the time tomake sure all the different com-

panies of the battalion can order what they need, said

Logistics Specialist 1st Class Blanca Sanchez, the divi-

sions leading petty officer. Its important for us to or-

der all the right items and have them ready for the cus-

tomers.

FTX cant happen

without supplies

Photos by MC1 Charles Panter / nMCb 4

ET2 James Riffe-Lipert, of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4, secures the area for a convoy during a convoy

security element field exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett last month.

By Ensign John Michael Nurthen

NMCB 4

NavalMobileConstructionBattalion (NMCB)4sConvoy

Security Element (CSE) recently completed a three-phase

trainingpipeline that started in the cozy classroomsof Naval

BaseVenturaCounty (NBVC) PortHueneme, continued on

to Combat Town at NBVC Point Mugu, and ultimately

culminated in a field training exercise the firstweekof March

in themuddy fields of FortHunterLiggett along theCentral

California coast.

The purpose of this training was to introduce, learn and

apply the techniques, tactics and procedures necessary to ex-

ecute as a successful and efficient CSE in order to increase

NMCB4swarfighting capabilities andprepare themfor con-

tingency convoy operations in a combat environment.

During the first phase of the training, which beganFeb. 3,

the 53-person CSEwas introduced to topics such as the em-

ployment of the M9 service pistol and the M4 service rifle.

Moving fromthe classroomto the small arms shooting range,

they were able to practically apply techniques such as transi-

tioning from one weapon to another, shooting on the move

and in close quarters, and the expedient reloading of each

weapon on themove.

The second phase of training took place at two separate

locationsatNBVCPointMugu.The first locationwasknown

as the Combat Convoy Simulator (CCS). CSE planned and

executedmissions in a lifelike virtual environment shown on

eight separatemovie screens covering 360 degrees. Following

aweek in theCCS, theymoved to theHomeStationTraining

Lanes,more commonlyknownasCombatTown,andwere

pushed to their physical limitswhile instructed on the tactics,

techniques and procedures necessary to operate in a hostile

urban environment.

Followingurbanskills training, theCSEdeployed224miles

north to FortHunter Liggett for the third and final phase of

their in-depth training. They were able to bring together all

of the skills they had been working on all homeport.

Exhausted fromfive intensedaysof training,CSEreturned

homeMarch 5.

Convoy Security Element completes training

A Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle operated

by Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB)

4 crosses a bridge during a convoy security element field

exercise last month.

40-Sailor department makes

sure they get to training site


TheLighthouse


17

By Lt. j.g. Joseph DeMarzo

NMCB 4

Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Con-

struction Battalion (NMCB) 4 recently

completed a decontamination exercise at

Naval BaseVenturaCounty before heading

out to the field exercise training at Fort

Hunter Liggett along the Central Califor-

nia coast.

The daylong decontamination exercise

was carried out by 40 battalion personnel

under the watchful eyes of the battalions

leadership andNaval Construction Train-

ing Center (NCTC) evaluators.

The training evolution exercised the

battalions ability to respond and recover

from a chemical, biological or radiological

(CBR) attack. Specifically, it challenged the

battalion to properly decontaminate per-

sonnel and equipment to quickly return to

the mission.

Seabee units are expected to continue the

mission with limited delay or loss of capa-

bility when facedwith aCBRattack. They

are trained to stay in the fight, and this

Can Do attitude sets them apart from

other fighting forces.

The exercise kicked off with a convoy of

three vehicles being notionally hit and con-

taminated in a chemical attack. The attack

quickly forced the CBR team into action,

and they donned their full chemical suits,

commonly referred to asMissionOriented

Protective Posture (MOPP) gear, to allow

them to safely operate in the deadly envi-

ronment.

After donning their gear and selecting

an adequate site for decontamination op-

erations, two survey teamswere sent to the

area to ensure it was clear of any agents.

Once an all clear was determined, the

remaining personnelwere able tomove into

the area.

A decontamination site is made up of

multiple stations, including an entry control

point (ECP) to control vehicle and person-

nel flow, a vehicle washdown station to

remove vehicle contamination, a MOPP

gear exchange for personnel to receive new

MOPP suits, and an assembly area for per-

sonnel to rendezvous and continue their

mission. Establishing the proper layout of

the site requires rapid planning and deci-

sion making. The stations must be spaced

at pre-determined distances, and the ori-

entation is highly dependent upon wind

direction and terrain that can change at a

moments notice. These key factors were

taken into careful consideration by the

teamas theydeveloped their site andmoved

in their equipment.

After the site was established, contami-

nated vehicles arrived at the ECP. Under

the close guard of ECP security personnel,

the contaminated passengers inside the

vehicles disembarked and were led to the

MOPPgear exchange station to receive new

MOPP suits while the vehicles continued

to the washdown station. After all the ve-

hicles and personnel were deemed clean,

they were able to regroup at the assembly

station and continue on with their con-

voy.

The exercise participants were a part of

the battalions CBR Team, a specialized

unit of 102 personnel trained to detect,

respond and recover from a CBR attack.

The team members are pulled from each

company throughout the battalion and

receive instruction fromNCTCs Disaster

Recovery Schoolhouse and through unit

driven training during homeport. The in-

struction and training ensures they meet

their required capabilities to include detect-

ing CBR attacks, marking contaminated

areas and decontaminating units in an ex-

pedient manner.

The teams performance throughout the

exercise was flawless, which quickly led to

passing marks for the evolution. Through

teamwork and communication, the par-

ticipants demonstrated the required techni-

cal skills, command and control to execute

operational decontamination in a timely

manner.

With the completion of this exercise, the

battalion and CBR team could focus their

efforts on the field training exercise going

on now and Pacific deployment later this

year.

Decontamination exercise a prelude to NMCB 4s FTX

Photo courtesy NMcB 4

Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 wash down a simulated

contaminated vehicle during an operational decontamination exercise at Naval Base

Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme last month. The exercise was in preparation for the

battalions field training exercise currently taking place at Fort Hunter Liggett.

By Lt. j.g. Delroy McEwan

NMCB 4

CAMP ROBERTS In

keeping with the readiness

requirements for the upcom-

ing deployment to the Pa-

cific, Naval Mobile Con-

struction Battalion (NMCB)

4 traveled to the National

Guard Ranges at Camp Rob-

erts last month for Fire Team

Leader training.

Under the instruction and

supervision of Naval Con-

struction Group One (NCG

1), Seabees received training

on leadership development,

individual combat skills,

land navigation, patrolling

and defensive operations.

NMCB 4 had a class of 32

students engaged in the Fire

Team Leader exercise March

10-15.

Day-to-day activities var-

ied from classroom lecture

sessions to practical applica-

tion and live fire at several

firing ranges.

I believe this was a good

opportunity for the student,

said Utilitiesman 1st Class

Edward Payne, the leading

petty officer. All petty of-

ficers should get the privi-

lege of partaking in training

exercise of such high quali-

ty.

Classroom instruction was

given on each weapon sys-

tem, followed by live fire.

Weapons such as the M203

Grenade Launcher, M18A1

Claymore Mine, M136 AT4

Antitank Rocket, M16A3/

M4A1 and M67 hand gre-

nades were used during the

course.

Classes on communication

equipment were also given,

specifically the RF-310 Ra-

dio. Instruction included

how to clear the radio of any

information and basic pro-

gramming of the radio.

The students also did day

and night patrols, in which

they received instructions on

use of compasses and Night

Vision Goggles (NVGs).

Seabees learn weapons, radio skills

Photo By Mc1 charles PaNter / NMcB 4

CM3 Edward Lopez, of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4, loads a

training round into an M203 40mm grenade launcher during a Fire Team Leader

course at Camp Roberts.

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18


TheLighthouse


Twenty-four Naval AirWarfare Center

Weapons Division (NAWCWD) employ-

ees graduated from the Engineer and Sci-

entist Development Program during an

April 2 ceremony at China Lake.

NAWCWD Executive Director Scott

ONeil kicked off the ceremonywith some

advice for the future.

Congratulations, you have come a long

way to get here today, ONeil said. Its

a big milestone graduating from this pro-

gram. After college I knew I wanted to be

an engineer but I didnt know exactly what

that meant or what field to go into. Pro-

grams like this can help you find the direc-

tion you want. We are fortunate to have

this at NAWCWD.

The graduates this cycle were Aaron

Lehmann, Al Khatib, Brittany Perez,

Christopher Calderon, Christy Banks,

David Gregory, David Pedersen, Eddie

Nguyen, Eric Abernethy, Greg Diehl, Ian

Leong, Jacob Barkley, Jarron Lembke,

Jeffrey Krise, John Rettig, Jose Corona,

Katie Hatland, Kenneth Sanchez, Mat-

thew Lee, Nathan Conde, Oswald Yang,

PeterWitkowski, Raena Phillips andRan-

dall Drobny.

ONeil explained the importance of cre-

ating goals now and throughout their

careers.

I encourage you to develop a 25-year

plan for both your career and your per-

sonal life, ONeil said. I am not saying

you have to know exact details of every-

thing you want, just an idea. Sit down and

figure out what motivates you and decide

where you want to end up. Find mentors

and supervisors you look up to and listen

to their advice. I still have mentors. Do

this and it will help give you a sense of

direction.

Participants are eligible for graduation

after completing 300 hours of training,

multiple tours and required certifications.

This can take three to five years.

24 graduate from development program

Construction Mechanic 2nd Class

Romel G. Miguel has been awarded the

Navy and Marine Corps Achievement

Medal for being selected Naval Construc-

tion Group (NCG) 1 Instructor of the

Year for 2013.

Miguel qualified 620Navy personnel on

crew-served weapons while going through

live-fire exercises with no mishaps.

As a field training exercise instructor,

Miguel led 119 Seabees who completed

107 missions that mirrored realistic sce-

narios, making eight units deployment

ready.

Miguel named NCG 1 Instructor of the Year

Public visits to SanMiguel Island (SMI),

part of the Channel IslandsNational Park

(CINP), have been temporarily suspend-

ed.

Due to safety concerns, theDepartment

of the Navy, which is the landowner at

SMI and is represented locally by Naval

Base Ventura County, has asked the Na-

tional Parks Service via the CINP Super-

intendents office to halt all recreational

visits to the island.

The island was used as part of a bomb-

ing range during and after World War II.

The closure is necessary to ensure public

safety while the Navy conducts a risk as-

sessment and, if necessary, clean-up at the

island. The length of the closure will de-

pend on the risk assessment findings, but

the island will likely not reopen to visitors

this year.

Navy-owned SanMiguel Island closed to public

Spring into Spring swim lessons for

adults and children are now being offered

at the Seabreeze Aquatics Center, Naval

Base Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hue-

neme.

Session 1 is half over and Session 2 be-

gins May 6. Each sessio

The Lighthouse News - April 23, 2014

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