Sailors with routine underways and deployments in the rearview are balancing their refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) requirements with projects off the ship that benefit the community.

Sailors in V-2 division of Air department assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) found a new partnership with Endview Plantation.

For approximately nine weeks, the Sailors have been volunteering at Endview Plantation once a week. Endview Plantation was once a confederate hospital during the Civil War, but is now a site to teach children and adults about the history of the war by bringing history back to life.

"Senior [Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) Erik Reed wanted V-2 to be more active in the community," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Robert Van. "The first classes started looking around the area. I looked for things outside that would appeal to my interests. That's when I got in contact with Endview Plantation."

Anywhere between 20 to 30 Sailors volunteer every week performing tasks like weed pulling and cutting down trees. They are also helping prepare the grounds for a Civil War Reenactment of "On to Richmond," the first weekend of June.

"I've been here a total of three times," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Brianna Redmon. "I'm also a huge history buff, so this is a learning experience since they do reenactments on the property."

The workers at the plantation are grateful that the Sailors come to help, and say it has eased their workload tremendously.

"It's been a great experience," said Todd Pfahl, a grounds keeper at the plantation. "There's only two of us here full time and the work these guys get done in a few hours would take us a week."

The plantation still needs work done to move trees and build paths and different scenes to help prepare for that, and help from GW Sailors is making the evolution faster.

"I like that they are engaged in the community and not just going home and drinking," said Van. "During RCOH a lot of Sailors get in trouble for alcohol, but this gets them out of that routine. I bet a lot of them are going to come see the reenactment because they have invested so much time to help make it happen."

Volunteering not only breaks negative routines and gives Sailors a purpose, it also give them the chance to see each other in a different environment outside of the ship.

"It makes me look at them more human," said Redmon. "What I mean by that is on the ship everything is work, work, work and quals, quals, quals. Everything is so robotic, but out here you get to see a different side of the people you work with. It shows that there is more compassion than what you normally see."

Whether beautifying a plantation or volunteering at a school, GW Sailors continue to show that commitment to service not only creates a stronger sense of community with the area and each other, but it strengthens our partnership with those that support our military.

The Endview Plantation is just one of many COMRELs for GW Sailors to give back to the community, if interested in participating in COMRELs; the Chaplain's office has a schedule of upcoming events.

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

For more news from USS George Washington (CVN 73), visit www.navy.mil/.