Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) play different yet pivotal roles in supporting the ship's mission during refueling and overhaul complex (RCOH).

Some departments have had to be flexible and move Sailors from their divisions to other departments based on operational needs. However, other divisions have had Sailors stay put as they cannot be expendable due to the type of work they do.

One such division is the X-1 within the executive department.

"Our main mission is to process paperwork aboard George Washington," said Senior Chief Yeoman Kevin Putnam, the leading chief petty officer of X-1 division. "We have roughly 3,200 Sailors onboard and we can process around 5,000 corresponding documents yearly. We intercept anything that might need to be corrected or adjusted to help out the administrative proficiency of the command. Anything that goes to the triad, which consists of the commanding officer (CO), executive officer (XO) and the command master chief (CMC), we see it."

Each member of the triad has their personal yeoman who handles their paperwork. One of the most important roles the yeoman play is to make sure paperwork that reaches the triad is filled out correctly and has all the corresponding documents.

"The documents that go all the way up to the CO are usually very important and have to be completed in a timely manner," said Yeoman 3rd Class Joshua Hill, the CO's yeoman. "I see everything from letters of designation, awards and chief evaluations. I have to make sure they are filled out correctly and if they are not, I get back to the department and have them make the appropriate corrections."

According to Putnam, the XO and his yeomen see the most amount of paperwork. Before most documents make their way to the CO, the XO first has to give it a green light. Not only that, but there are numerous other documents, such as Privatized Housing Program (PPV), notices and some medical and dental surgeries, which he has to sign off.

"The XO's yeoman wears two hats because I work with both the XO and the AO [administrations officer]", said Yeoman 2nd Class Ruth Thompson, the XO's yeoman. "At the end of the day, I do deal with a lot more paperwork than some of other Sailors in the division, but I always try to do it with a smile. Whenever someone genuinely says 'thank you' to me or any of the other yeomen, it makes it all worth the while. To me, that is better than a pat on the back or a coin."

Most yeomen in X-1 have been yeomen their entire naval career. However, there are currently six yeomen who have struck rate.

"I was an undesignated seaman for one year and I have been a yeoman for the past two," said Yeoman 2nd Class Diontre Strait, the CMC's yeoman.

"Yeoman is a rate that a lot of undesignated Sailors want to strike because they think it's an easy job for some reason. Like me, some of our Sailors were initially shocked when they start working. Not a lot of people seem to realize the amount of man-hours we put in to complete our job."

Although the paperwork and the hours might seem grueling at times, Strait says the Sailors in X-1 strive to deliver good customer service not just for the triad, but for the entire ship.

"If departments trying to get their paperwork to the triad do it haphazardly or don't provide all the supporting documents needed, our job becomes harder," said Putnam. "We don't fret over it because at the end of the day, we want to help the departments. We try to teach them what the triad requires so they can get their paperwork approved faster and efficiently."

Sailors in the X-1 Division take pride in what they do and are both willing and eager to help. For more information of the service X-1 can provide, visit them on the floating accommodation facility on the 4th floor.

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