Any day in the Navy

All Hands, Oct, 2003 by Marie G. Johnston

Any Day in May

During the year, All Hands magazine brings your Navy story to you through photos and stories from around the fleet.

But we only publish a small number of the stories that are out there. With the limitations of staff, time and pages, how do you tell a Sailor about all of the forward-deployed forces, of the seemingly minor changes in our work environments that improve quality of service? How do you show the fleet the steps that are taken to improve our Navy's future? How do you show the affect these changes have on both the morale of the Sailors and their desire to "Stay Navy."

Sometimes it's better to let the fleet show you. Once again, we expanded the timeframe for shooting photos for the 9th Annual "Any Day in the Navy" issue to a month. This allows Sailors to show us their view of events that might not happen on one selected day. The response was tremendous.

After receiving more than 2,500 submissions, the staff at All Hands was then faced with the difficult task of sorting through them to find those images that told the Navy story and why Sailors choose to stay.

Within these pages are the photographs that you shot; the stories you wanted to tell. They show our people, ships, equipment, recreation, and an overall look at the life a Sailor could expect to see during "Any Day in the Navy."

Antwone Fisher speaks to recruits on their in-processing day at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., about the role the Navy played in his life. Fisher, orphaned at birth, served 11 years in the Navy and calls the Navy his "first family."

An F/A-18 belonging to the Blue Angles," the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team, perform a fly-by of the guided-missile cruiser USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51) during a Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) and Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) team training exercise in the Gulf of Mexico.

ABAN Jeremy Coon and the ship's fire marshal Chief Warrant Officer Stanley Flem test the Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) firefighting systems in Hangar Bay 3 aboard PCU Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). The ship was testing damage control systems while underway off the coast of Virginia, during scheduled ship builder sea trials. Ronald Reagan joined the fleet during her commissioning ceremony, July 12, 2003.

Marine Corps Cpl. Raymond Wells, assigned to Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, raises his right hand and takes the Non-Commissioned Officer Oath after being promoted to corporal while serving his country in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Navy Parachute Team practices a "T" formation during training in San Diego.

Recruits from Division 174, Recruit Training" Command, Great Lakes, Ill., strain on the rope during the "tug-of war" portion of the Captain's Cup athletic competition.

ABAN Jeremy Strode directs an F-14A Tomcat on the bow of USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in preparation for the aircraft's last launch from the ship. Kitty Hawk is America's oldest active warship.

AME2 George F. Stowe III, assigned to Patrol Squadron Special Projects (VP) 2, Pearl Harbor, lifts dumbells during a workout session, Store is a certified personal fitness trainer and assists the command fitness coordinator in his squadron. VP-2 had a 100 percent success rate during a recent physical readiness test.

BU1 Clay Graham, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 15, stands guard outside an elementary school in Al Hillah, Iraq. NMCB-15 is forward deployed to Iraq and is working on various humanitarian assistance projects as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4 crew member GSMFN Adrian Peralta-espinal inspects a rudder for abrasions. USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) was deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Crew members of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 participate in a scrubdown exercise on the flight deck.

GM2(SWCC) Mathew Sabo looks out as a safety observer behind Joint Venture High Speed Vessel Experimental (HSV X) 1 during a Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) training evolution in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

LT David Kozminski, a Navv pilot assigned to Sea Control Squadron (VS) 35, takes his wedding vows with his fiance, Jeannie Rhoads, inside the squadron's hangar al Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. The wedding, which was televised live on "Good Morning America," (GMA) took place one day after Kozminski returned from a 10-month deployment aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). ABC Correspondent Lara Spencer (left) covered the ceremony for GMA.

"Dishwalla" performs for the crew members of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68). The band began their tour for U.S. service members deployed overseas in Japan, and finished their tour aboard Nimitz.

Members of Combat Cargo unload mail from a CH-53 helicopter abroad USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A little girl waits for the arrival of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) as the aircraft carrier returns from a four-month deployment in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.