Confidence, knowledge, and professionalism - all of these character traits are exemplified when a Sailor completes his or her primary warfare program. Sailors have the opportunity to complete three programs aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72): Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS), Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS), and Enlisted Information Warfare Specialist (EIWS).

ESWS was created on Dec. 1, 1978, when then Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Thomas B. Hayward approved the program. It was immediately followed by OPNAV instruction 1412.4, where it provided specific details on the program.

The ESWS pin recognizes Sailors who have attained professional expertise and proficiency, qualifying them for service in the surface community aboard a ship.

The pin is authorized for wear by any enlisted Sailor who is permanently stationed aboard a Navy afloat command and has completed the ESWS personal qualification standard.

"When I first came on board, I was an E-6 and I didn't have my surface pin," said Yeoman 1st Class Lawrence Anderson, the ESWS coordinator aboard Abraham Lincoln. "I was overwhelmed at first. I didn't know where to start, but I found the program had a lot of resources I could use to get it done. I passed my test the first time up, and then I had my board. I had no idea what to expect. However, I passed my board, and a couple of weeks later I was pinned. It was a huge weight off of my chest, or weight on my chest. Now I have the confidence to help other Sailors get their pins."

Shortly after the introduction of the ESWS program, the EAWS program was created in 1980.

The EAWS pin recognizes enlisted members who have acquired the specialized skills, knowledge and experience that qualifies them for service in the aviation community.

"The best part about earning my pin was all of the knowledge I gained in the process," said Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Shelby Blackford, a Sailor assigned to the weapons department aboard Abraham Lincoln. "I apply everything that I learned during the program to work every day."

The third pin available aboard Abraham Lincoln is the EIWS pin. The EIWS warfare program was created in 2010 in order to qualify Information Warfare Corps personnel. Earning this pin means a Sailor has achieved a high level of proficiency in Information Dominance (ID) and has acquired the necessary knowledge to enhance their role in ID.

"Earning your IW pin shows that you know what to do and how to think when it comes to cyber security," said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Jose Salcedo, a Sailor assigned to the combat systems department aboard Abraham Lincoln. "By the time a Sailor completes the program they should be able to do their job and have complete confidence doing it."

Any Sailor who is stationed aboard Abraham Lincoln has the opportunity to earn all three of these pins. However, Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Ashton Hemphill, a triple-qualified Sailor aboard Abraham Lincoln, will tell you that earning all of the pins takes patience, diligence, and dedication.

"Earning my third pin took a lot of commitment since it was a completely different wealth of information than what I work with every day," said Hemphill. "I was excited to achieve this and be able to share all of the knowledge with my Sailors."


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