In full flight deck gear, rocking a freshly stenciled yellow shirt, Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Terell Moore, a landing signalman enlisted (LSE) and aircraft director, stands at "spot five" on the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).

Less than 20 feet away from the Houston native are the spinning blades of an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter. He is waiting.

The call is made from primary control, "Break and hold spot five." The deck petty officer relays the message to Moore through their man on the move, or "MOMs" radio system. Get ready to go for launch.

Moore rubs down each arm, a signal he gives to the pilot, and then to the impatiently waiting blue shirts on the opposite side of the foul line. It is time to remove the chocks and chains that are keeping the bird on deck.

The blue shirts race against the helo's downwash to remove the chocks and chains and hold them up for the pilot to see before running back to the safe zone of the flight deck.

Moore remains. He must launch the aircraft.

He radios the deck petty officer, "standing by." Deck relays the message to primary control. Primary confirms.

"Clear to launch spot five," reverberates from the 5MC for all on the flight deck to hear.

Deck gives the thumbs up to Moore. Moore gives a thumb up to the pilot; it's time for takeoff.

The pilot lifts the helo off the deck, but Moore stops him. The helo hovers over him at five-feet for Moore to complete a safety sweep. All clear.

And then, with a flick of Moore's wrist and a smart salute, the bird is released - launched from the Kearsarge flight deck, heading to realize today's mission.

In flight deck control the elevator petty officer updates the "ouija board," a small scale diorama of the flight deck used to track the location of all aircraft.

For Moore, that's one minute down, 719 more to go.

In the Kearsarge Air Department, ABH3 Moore is just one of approximately 154 Sailors who contribute to the execution of ship's daily flight plan. These Sailors, hard to miss due to their colorful attire and lively dispositions, are members of a choreographed performance, each providing a pivotal part in the dance.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Wilfrid Bossous, from Haiti, the Fuels Bos'n aboard Kearsarge, says it's what you don't see that makes the dance a success.

"From doing the FOD (foreign object DAMAGE) walk down, getting all the FOD off the flight deck, to us coming together as a group, talking about a plan of attack for flight operations, to the guys going out on the flight deck and actually putting that plan into action. If you are on vulture's row, you're looking down, you don't have any communications. You just see the different pieces moving. It looks beautiful, but it is very dangerous. What we do is organized chaos or a well orchestrated ballet."

And just who makes up this aircraft-moving troupe? There's Air Boss, who is the department head of Air Department. Mini Boss is his right hand man. Air Bos'n is in charge of crash and salvage. Fuels Bos'n leads the purple shirts, and the Handler directs the directors. These are only the "big whigs" of Air Department.

There are three divisions in Air Department. V-1, comprised of the flight deck Sailors. They don the yellow shirts and blue shirts. V-3 is made up of the yellow and blue shirts that work in the hangar deck. V-4 is for the "fuelies." They wear purple shirts and maintain and pump fuel to the 30 aircraft on board.

The aviation boatswain's mates (ABs) of Air Department may sport different colored shirts, muster in separate divisions and have varied duties, but don't be fooled; they're more like kinfolk than comrades.

"AB's are like a family," said Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Brian Ratcliff, from Louisiana, V-1 leading chief petty officer. "We work very closely together. Our Sailors are on the deck all the time, in the crew shelters all the time and we look out for each other. We work in a dangerous environment and it's our job to make sure everybody is safe. And that includes each other. You have to be able to trust the person behind you to grab you or shove you out of the way if you're about to get hurt."

Moore said experience on the flight deck solidifies the bonds between the AB's.

"One day it was raining badly," recalls Moore. "The wind was blowing and there were clouds all around the ship, you couldn't see pass the bow. You could just see the rain hitting the deck and the wind was blowing everyone. We tried to catch shelter under one of the 22's. When we launched we did what we call a short take off, instead of just taking off vertically. I was standing on the side and it took off, and I didn't think the downwash was gong to be as strong as it was. It blew me off my feet, and the person next to me, ABH3 Mikel, grabbed me and caught me from rolling. So what makes us so close is the fact that you're putting your life on the line as well as the person next to you, and you both have each other's best interests in mind at all times."

That rainy day on the flight deck was just one of the many moments that Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 3rd Class David Mikel, a five year LSE veteran, from Rochester, New York, displayed his passion for the job and his fellow crewman.

"We believe so much in one team one fight, because on the flight deck and in the hangar bay, you can't do it by yourself," said Mikel. "You can't move aircraft by yourself. You can't fight fires by yourself. You can't land the bird, chock and chain it and do it all by yourself. Somebody's got to help you. We genuinely believe in one team one fight."

The trained firefighters of the deck are the crash and salvage crewmen, or the "red shirts."

Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Johnny Payano, crash and salvage's leading petty officer from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, said that as the crash and salvage crew, it's their job to be ready when and if duty calls, so they drill religiously; preparing for the worst, employing their best.

"The smallest guy, or girl, must be able to pick up the biggest," said Payano. "If you can go in there and save a life, that's what motivates you."

"In-flight emergencies keep you alert because now we are moving ordinance and it's the real deal, so we have to respond quickly," he added. "My team is ready to respond, and go a step above."

One team member, Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Brandon Dale Bernius, from Averill, Texas, said with the crash crew, it's personal.

"We work elbow-to-elbow with each other all day long," said Bernius. "You work so close and so many hours with these guys, you learn about their kids, their family. Every person that you work with, you build a bond with and when you're a firefighter, it's important to build that bond. When you're feeling tired, they give you that extra motivation. These guys are your family."

Blue shirts have the responsibilities of chocking and chaining the aircraft, and learning all about the deck. They look to yellow and red shirts for guidance and training in order to be promoted to a jersey the same color as their mentors'.

For Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Raquino, from San Diego, a blue shirt who has been on the ship for a little less than a year, the family feeling started from day one in the department.

"At first I was scared, because I didn't know what to expect from the ABH world," said Raquino. "Day-by-day I learned from my chain of command. They gave me confidence to do it; they guided me. So right now I'm pretty confident about my job. I found out that they won't let me fail because we are like family. In "A" school, it was like playing a game compared to the very serious job we do everyday. Now it's real."

Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuels) 1st Class Steven Recar, V-4 leading petty officer, said the purple shirts are the laid back members of the Air squad.

So far the calm, cool and collected crew has dispensed more than 375,000 gallons of fuel during more than 700 refuelings and has completed more than 2,300 quality assurance checks on the fuel they store, and this is only the beginning of deployment.

"The ABF's job is to make sure quality fuel gets into the aircraft," said Recar. "We make sure the aircraft are fueled and that they take off in order to complete the mission. I love being an AB, it's a pride thing for me. Purple is not normally a color I would wear, but I wear it proudly as an ABF in the AB community."

It may seem that the AB world is an all boys club, but Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Betsy Egebert, from South Charleston, Ohio, says it's a dirty job, but she loves doing it.

"You might get looked at differently, since it is a dirty job, but you kind of got to get over the whole girly, girl stuff," said Egebert. "The chains are dirty, exhaust's on you all day, but I like being outside so it works for me. Being on the flight deck, it's pride because anything can go wrong and we're the ones that support. We take the troops where they need to go. So we're actually part of what's happening, part of the mission."

"With this job, seconds, minutes, everything matters because how fast you get that aircraft ready for takeoff, someone's life may be affected," said Moore. "You don't know if they're about to go save someone's brother, mother, sister, cousin or aunt. So, our job in breaking the aircraft down, getting it set and spotted on deck correctly in good time, is very important. We miss a lot of ice cream socials; we miss a lot karaoke nights, dodge ball, and holiday routines. We miss a lot of it but I know that there's a bigger picture at hand, so despite missing an ice cream social, I know that the job that we're doing could save someone's life."

The Air Department has taken on a motto that motivates Sailor's to keep track of time and tasks, supporting smooth operations.

"My favorite saying is that nobody waits on us," said Bossous. "You do not want to be the reason why that mission is delayed, because that mission is not just getting off the deck, but it's in support of something else. It could be our troops on the ground. It could be an embassy being attacked, so you want that mission to leave on time."

Directly affecting mission effectiveness is felt throughout the command.

"Our job is not the easiest job, mentally," said Mikel. "It's not the easiest job, emotionally. You've got to have thick skin working on the flight deck or working on the hangar bay. I have to walk around with my gear on, because I can be out on deck at a at a moments notice. You're going to have to be able to stand up on your own two feet, stand up before a division with strength and when they wonder 'why should we follow him,' you're going to be there with an answer."

In flight deck triage, painted in yellow paint on the wall, reads, "It's hard to humble." This statement reads true for the USS Kearsarge Air Department.

Although humble pie may not be their favorite dessert, the air department is characterized by loyalty, expertise, determination and heart. Working on the flight deck, hangar deck and pump rooms is not for everyone, but for the AB's of the air department, it's a family affair.

The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (KSGARG), comprised of the flagship Kearsarge, the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.

For more news from Expeditionary Strike Group 2, visit www.navy.mil/local/esg2/

For more news from USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), visit www.navy.mil/.