"Miss.

"Hit.

"You sunk my battleship!"

For most people outside of the Navy, these words are the only association they have with those mighty warships. Far less people know about the decommissioned battleship USS Wisconsin (BB 64).

The sun had just begun to peek through the buildings and onto the Wisconsin Museum. Sailors gathered in jeans and t-shirts enjoying the cool breeze. Sailors from the aircraft carrier were ready to begin the volunteer work that would allow them to get better acquainted with the battleship.

"Today on the Wisconsin, we were going to come aboard to do some painting tasks on one of the main gun turrets but as we got here they saw that we had 18 volunteers, chiefs and first classes so we actually did the holiday flags, known as up and over, which none of us had ever done before." said Chief Hospital Corpsman Jonathon Tarkowski.

The Sailors volunteered as part of the CPO 365 program. The program provides an opportunity for first class petty officers to get leadership training that can translate throughout their careers.

"The training in CPO 365 is paramount in becoming a chief and I get a lot out of those trainings," said Navy Counselor 1st Class Tray Bynam.

Most importantly however, Tarkowski believes CPO 365 allows for Sailors to develop a stronger relationship with the chief petty officers.

"They are going to have things come up where they don't really know what to do, or don't know the best way to handle it," said Tarkowski. "When you build those relationships, now they have a friendly face or someone they feel confident going to and it just makes everything work so much better. That's the importance of not only teaching in CPO 365, but also doing these events to get together where you are outside the work environment, you get to know a little bit about each other."

Due to its decommissioned status, the Wisconsin relies on about 2,300 volunteers a year to provide the routine maintenance required to keep the ship ready for the public to visit.

"It was kind of interesting to see the history of dressing the ship out for the holiday period, paying respect to Memorial Day, but it is also a task because not one of us could have done this by ourselves," said Tarkowski.

Any type of volunteer work can remind Sailors that, even though they may not be from the area, they are a part of the community.

"I have been here many times with my family so just being here to volunteer is very special to me," said Bynam.

The Wisconsin can provide continuous volunteer opportunities by allowing groups to adopt a specific space on the ship. Tarkowski says he is looking into the CPO 365 team adopting a space so even as new members cycle through, there will be a permanent connection between CVN 77 and BB 64. As the employees and volunteers of the Wisconsin continue to move "Forward for Freedom," the Sailors from GHWB can keep promoting "Freedom at Work," in their community.

Bush is in port in Norfolk, Virginia, conducting routine training exercises to maintain carrier readiness. For more news from USS George H.W. Bush visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn77 or www.facebook.com/ussgeorgehwbush/.


For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), visit www.navy.mil/.