1. THE WINDSOCK
August 2012
Fleet Weather Center, San Diego Newsletter
Read the story under
GRAT JOB LINCOLN TEAM the CO’s column!!!!
UPCOMING EVENTS
AUGUST
14 All Hands
COMMANDING OFFICER COLUMN
Greetings, Shipmates. If my first three weeks in Command are any indication, we’re in the midst of a busy summer, with
Pride and Professionalism!
much more to come. I’d like to focus this month on recognizing some special achievements by some of our
teammates, and also to highlight some upcoming events of importance.
First, let me congratulate all of you on the successful completion of FWC-SD’s first Command Inspection. The inspection
team from our ISIC, Naval Oceanography Operations Command, came away very impressed by the quality of our
administrative, operations, and sailor and family readiness programs. Thanks very much to the many members of the
FWC SD team who worked very hard to earn these impressive results.
Second, please join me in congratulating LCDR(sel) Scott Spilker and LCDR(sel) Chuck Browder on their selection for
promotion to LCDR. This is a major milestone in their careers, and reflects a great deal of hard work and dedication to
the Navy and nation.
Take some time this month to welcome back our shipmates from USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, returning from deployment,
and from USS NIMITZ and USS ESSEX, when they return from operations. Our shipmates on the USS JOHN C STENNIS SGOT
will be deploying soon, and we wish them all the best.
August will be a busy month at headquarters. RDML Brown will relieve RADM White as CNMOC on 03 Aug. Here at FWC
SD we’ve had some leadership changes, as well (besides your new CO). LCDR Keefer has assumed duties as N3, and
CDR Hinz transitions to his new job at COMTHIRDFLT. We also had a recent change of leadership at our Fallon
detachment, where LT Dave Hadaway assumed duties as Officer in Charge, replacing LCDR Keith Everett, who has
retired.
Busy times, and a busy team – seems to be par for the course here at FWC SD. I’m very pleased and proud to be here,
and to be in Command of this amazing team. It’s an honor. Please remember: Mission First, People Always, Attitude is
Everything, and Do The Right Thing.
When the USS ABRAHAM LICOLN SGOT stationed out of FWC-SD, started their 2011-2012 deployment, they had one major
goal. In addition to giving outstanding Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) support their goal was to achieve 100%
dual enlisted warfare qualification.
The Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS) and Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) qualifications provide Sailors
with extensive knowledge of their respective ships and aircraft platforms. Earning both qualifications is absolutely essential
to a successful career in the Navy and on June 17th, they did just that!
Led by LCDR Marburger (DIVO), AGC Savant (LCPO), and AG1 Druiett (LPO), four members of the team earned their
second warfare pin, and three members qualified in both warfare areas on this deployment, resulting 100% duel
qualification. Reaching this goal was the icing on the cake during the deployment they completed 43 ship board
qualifications, nine college classes, five USMAP certifications, 24 COMRELs, capping off an exhausting and highly
successful eight month deployment. The USS LINCOLN team’s exceptional initiative and enthusiasm to succeed are a
testament to every SGOT team around the world. Bravo Zulu LINCOLN Team!
Page 1 THE WINDSOCK ● Volume II, Issue 7 ● Fleet Weather Center San Diego ● (619) 767-1271

2. OMBUDSMAN CORNER
It has been my pleasure serving as the Fleet Weather Center Ombudsman over the past 12 months. You should all
be very proud of the command you are building. The caliber of Sailors I've been able to work with have made this
experience very personally rewarding. Thank you.
You may or may not have heard, but I have moved to Monterey, California and will have to regretfully pass the
Ombudsman torch. You will be in good hands however, as Mellissa Armes, wife AGC (IDW/ AW/SW) David “Myron”
Armes, has graciously volunteered to be your new Ombudsman. She is the Mother of three boys, David 15,
Christopher 12, and Andrew 10. She currently works for VONS in La Jolla, and is excited to be here as your newly
appointed Ombudsman. Out of the 16 years of marriage she has been an Ombudsman for 8 of those years. She
previously served at Naval Maritime Forecasting Center/Joint Typhoon Warning Center (NMFC/JTWC) in Honolulu, HI
and the Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (NTTU) in Biloxi, MS. She is anxious to get involved in the Command
and will be there for all of you in any way she can. She will be happy to assist you with any concern, issue or
questions you may have.
The Ombudsman contact information will not change so you can get in touch with Mellissa just like you would me.
FWC-SD Facebook Website
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fleet-Weather-Center-
San-Diego/296038170413913
FWC-SD Ombudsman: Victoria Mitchell (619)-207-9634
CMC SOAPBOX fwcsdombudsman@gmail.com
August is upon us! Before I dive right into it, I would like to take a moment and welcome back the USS ABRAHAM
LINCOLN (CVN-72) Team from their 8 month deployment. It is great to have them back here at home at Fleet
Weather Center.
As with every year, August also means the advancement exams are right around the corner. I highly encourage
everyone to go to the Navy Advancement website and download the bibliographies for your upcoming exams. It is
a great tool and it lists what instructions and training manuals you should study from prior to taking the exam. Take
the time now to study. Waiting until the week of the exam is not the best practice. I look forward to seeing your
names on advancement list!
The month of August is also full of Naval history and the history of our great nation. It was on August 14 th 1945, Japan
agreed to surrender during World War II after two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Three
years prior on August 17th, the first amphibious attack from submarines took place as the USS NAUTILUS and USS
ARGONAUT landed 222 Marines onto Makin Island. In 1845 the U.S. Naval Academy was established at Annapolis, MD
on the former site of Fort Severn. Admiral William Radford became the first Naval Officer appointed to the Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1953. We also saw advances in technology as the first ship-to-shore satellite radio
message was sent from USS ANNAPOLIS in the South China Sea to Pacific Fleet Headquarters at Pearl Harbor. These
are but a small sampling of our Naval history, take a moment and look back, you will be surprised what you will find.
FWC-SD AT COMIC-CON
Ten lucky Sailors from Fleet Weather Center San Diego (FWC-SD) had the
opportunity to volunteer at the sold out San Diego Comic-Con International show
July 12th – 15th, in partnership with the Single Marine Program (SMP) from the Marine
Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego.
Comic-Con International is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to
creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms,
primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the
historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.
The single service members volunteered in the Autograph Area, which staged more than 25,000 autograph seekers
throughout the convention, aiding in crowd-control and raffle drawings for highly sought after autograph lines. This
was the place to go for a special memento from a variety of artists, authors, and actors from every area of popular
culture. Nearly 100 service members from MCRD and FWC-SD combined were able to volunteer throughout the
course of the convention, which ran from Thursday through Sunday. During breaks in volunteering, Marines and
Sailors were able to view the main exhibition hall, attend any available panels, or seek autographs and pictures. All
in all, it was a great opportunity to be a part of the biggest comic book and pop culture exhibition in the world!
CAPTION: FWC-SD volunteer AG3 Shawn Kramer, poses with three fans of the popular anime cartoon “Sailor Moon” at Comic-Con
International San Diego. Photo by SMP MCRD Coordinator Josh Davis
Page 2 THE WINDSOCK ● Volume II, Issue 7● Fleet Weather Center San Diego ● (619) 767-1271

3. DEPARTMENT FOCUS: N1 ADMIN
Administration (N1 department) provides daily administrative support to 250 deployable and non-deployable Sailors of
FWC-SD. N1, the unsung admin gurus, are here to provide assistance for the CAPTAIN to E1 and every customer is
IMPORTANT! One of our most diverse departments in the command; you may receive customer service from AGC
Langeland, Command Career Counselor or EN2 Mallory with locating your personnel file. The Admin Office has been
working to build a better administrative processing center and liaisons with PSD with the addition of PS3 Richardson to
the team that service the needs of the service members. They pride themselves in ensuring that they are able to assist
the service members to perform their duties without worry. Personnel Update: Admin would like to officially welcome
three new members to the N1 team; EN2(EXW/AW) Jessica Mallory, coming from the USS COMSTOCK; SN Rachel
Page 2
Myles, coming from the USS BONHOMME RICHARD; and PS3 Ashley Richardson, coming from PSD 32ND Street. While
only onboard for a short time, their contributions to the Admin department have made the additional workload to N1
more efficient for the increased service members that have arrived to FWC SD! With the increased individual
assistance, service members and their families at FWC SD can be accommodated with their professional and personal
needs in a timely manner. Welcome aboard Shipmates!
TEAMMATE IN THE SPOTLIGHT: LTJG MITCHELL
LTJG Mitchell has been a vital leader and member to the Admin Team. He was born
in Baytown, Texas and enlisted in the Navy June 1993. Upon graduating with honors from
Sonar Tech “A” School, he reported for duty to the Pre-commissioning Unit OSPREY
(MHC-51) in Savanna, Georgia. During his tour on board the USS OSPREY, LTJG Mitchell
displayed leadership resulting in qualifications as Officer of the Deck in port, Firefighting
Team Leader, Master Helmsman, Quartermaster of the Watch and others. In 1994, he
decided like many other Sailors to take a new path and changed ratings to Sonar
Mineman, until he separated from Naval service in June 1997. In the civilian sector, he
used those same Navy Leadership skills he learned and applied it in the financial industry
working for Fortune 500 Company, Alliance Bernstein.
In August 2008, he heard the seas calling and earned his commission through Officer
Candidate School then reported to Pre-commissioning Unit STOCKDALE (DDG-106) in
Bath, Maine. While serving onboard the USS STOCKDALE, LTJG Mitchell earned Qualifications as Officer of the Deck
Underway, Surface Warfare Officer Designation, as well as other various qualifications. In March 2010 LTJG Mitchell
exercised his option to lateral transfer to the Meteorology and Oceanography Community and reported to the Strike
Group Oceanography Team (SGOT) in April 2010.
LTJG Mitchell personifies the opportunities within the Navy and the core of leadership and how what we learn in our
service to country can be applied to our daily work ethic. Unfortunately, this METOC leader is moving on again to Navy
Post Graduate School, Monterey, CA at the end of August with his lovely wife, Victoria and children. We are sure to see
him again or hear of his accolades.
WELCOME TO THE FWC-SD FAMILY!
SAFETY NOTE
A message from Commander, Naval Safety Center RADM Brian Prindle
If you look around while driving, and if you pay attention to the news, you know
that talking and texting on cell phones while driving is becoming an epidemic.
Most drivers (94%) agree that texting or emailing while driving is unacceptable.
And 87% support laws against reading, typing or sending text messages or emails
while driving, according to the AAA Foundation’s 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index.
Yet more than one-third of drivers reported that they had texted or emailed while
driving during the previous month.
This “do as I say, not as I do” attitude is one of the greatest obstacles preventing
us from improving safety on our roads. Distracted driving contributes to up to 8,000 On Jun 21 2012
crashes every day. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, using a
cell phone while driving quadruples your risk of crashing.
AG1 David Bernhard
According to a study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, sending or welcomed
receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. Murf Alan Bernhard
At 55 mph that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes 19 inches and 7lbs 3 oz
closed. The risk is increasing. In June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages
were sent or received in the US, up nearly 50% from June 2009(data from the International Association for the Wireless
Telecommunications Industry).
The best way to end distracted driving is to educate yourself and everyone you know who either talks or texts while they are behind
the wheel. Everyone should know the danger it poses. The message is simple and clear: Put the phone down and drive.
Ref:www.public.navy.mil/navsafecen/Documents/media/admiral_quarterly/2012/3rd12.pdf
Page 3 THE WINDSOCK ● Volume II, Issue 7● Fleet Weather Center San Diego ● (619) 767-1271

4. USS ESSEX VISITS THE USS MISSOURI
METOC Team from the USS ESSEX(LHD-2) pose for a quick picture onboard USS MISSOURI in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on
the 6th of July 2012. The METOC Team took a quick pause before beginning RIMPAC 2012 to learn about the
sacrifices made and valuable history lessons during the Second World War. On the 2 nd of September 1945, The USS
Missouri was the instrument of formal surrender of Japan to the allied powers ending WWII. The warship, at that time,
was at anchor in Tokyo Bay, and is now where the war, for the United States, started.
From left to right bottom row:
AG1(AW) Jesus Navarro, AG2(AW/SW) Matthew Mannila,
AGAA Megan Morehouse, AG1(IDW/AW) Brian Case, AGC(SW) Ruel Lacno.
From left to right top row:
LCDR Mathias Roth, AG3(AW) Anthony Raffini, AG1(AW/SW) Ryan Sorge,
AG2(AW/SW) Nicholas Germain.
Article by: AG1 Navarro
NEWS FROM THE FRONTIER
FWC AVN Det Atsugi:
AG3 Heidi Baptiste qualified as Surface Weather Technician while TAD to USS GEORGE
WASHINGTON.
FWC Strike Det Fallon:
AWARDS AND - Change of Charge ceremony between LCDR Keith Everett (outgoing) and LT Dave
RECOGNITION Hadaway (incoming) took place on 18 July with LCDR Everett's retirement ceremony
immediately following. CAPT Ulses presided.
Legion of Merit - Welcome back and Congratulations to AG1(AW/SW) Reynolds who just returned
CAPT Monroe from a successful deployment onboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, where she received
her 5th NAM from deployment.
NCM - Fair Winds and Following Seas to AG1 (AW) Hoke who detached from FWC Strike Det
AGC Gibson
Fallon on 19 July. He received his 5th NAM for his deployment and EOT award.
NAM
- Congratulations to AG1(AW/SW) Mullis, who just earned his ESWS Pin while deployed
LT Breshears on the USS ENTERPRISE.
AG1 Hoke
AG1 Rossman FWC AVN Det Pearl Harbor:
IT2 Nyikos FWCAD Pearl Harbor has been increasingly engaged within the 17 th Operational
AG2 Mccroskey Weather Squadron over the past month in both real world exercises and squadron
AG3 Folk inspections. First, FWCAD PH Sailors have been highly active in RIMPAC support for the
AG2 Jones world’s largest Naval exercise. AG1 Beacham led the way as Aviation/Graphics
Forecast Supervisor directly responsible for 2,031 sorties in support of this exercise.
EIDWS
FWCAD Sailors also played a vital role in the triennial squadron inspection with AG2
ITC Araya
AG1 Crow
Langlois completing 76 graphical hazards charts resulting in zero points lost within his
AG1 Louis supervised section. AG1 Becerra and AG2 Hicks were
IT1 Nunez key players in the command inspection as Command
AG2 Beranek Duty Officer and East Pacific Section Leader. Their
AG2Mccroskey leadership and guidance led the 17th OWS in obtaining
an inspection score of 99.5%, the highest in Air Force
weather history for an Operational Weather Squadron,
and selection as exceptional performers for the squadron
during the inspection. They both were presented
Commanders Coin from the 17th OWS and AFWA for
their performance.
CDR Mike Kuypers
Executive Officer
Page 4 THE WINDSOCK ● Volume II, Issue 7● Fleet Weather Center San Diego ● (619) 767-1271