"I love getting wet, I love getting in a RHIB," said Gunner's Mate 1st Class Eric Young, from Chicago. "I love when we're all 'tacked' out and everybody's got their vests set up the right way. Everybody's [communications] are good and we give each other the last couple high fives."

"A few of us throw some gum in to keep the seawater out of our mouths," said Young. "When we get lowered into the water on the RHIB, and the combat coxswain throttles forward, and we're gone, we're just hitting water. I'd say that's my favorite part."

Young and the rest of his visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team often recall their favorite parts, keeping them motivated. The team, from the guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106), participated in an anti-piracy operation exercise off the coast of Southern California Aug. 6.

After Stockdale Sailors successfully defended another vessel from a simulated pirate attack, their deck department lowered a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) into the ocean. VBSS team members maneuvered the RHIB to the vessel and simulated transferring a pirate detainee back to Stockdale.

This exercise was a little different from the VBSS team's primary mission, which usually involves boarding and searching a compliant vessel simply to gather information.

"Basically our job is to gather [intelligence]," said Young, the VBSS team leader. "We're not a SEAL team, nor do we claim that we're a SEAL team. We're just a team that does compliant boarding which can quickly turn non-compliant."

The VBSS team members are not Special Forces. In fact, being on the team isn't even their primary responsibility, despite its often challenging and specialized training. The team is composed entirely of volunteers.

"These guys ... give a lot of their own time to get the necessary training," said Young. "They [said] ... to their chain of command, 'Hey, I really want to be a part of this and I want to help the command out and support the command's mission.'"

At a moment's notice, the VBSS team could be asked to drop what they're doing and be ready to go. They don't always have a lot of information about what they're going into, but need to be prepared for every possibility.

"It's a team thing," said VBSS Team Member Fire Controlman 2nd Class John Pegg, from Lynn, Indiana. "When we're out there and the enemy is non-compliant and they do have weapons, we want to be able to work together as a team. We want to be able to train as a team, regularly."

The VBSS evolution was part of composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), the final step in certifying that the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is ready to deploy.

"We work very, very well as a team and that's what COMPTUEX is for - to sharpen our game," said Young. "So when we're out there and we get a tasking, our captain and our strike group know that we'll be able to meet whatever demand, whatever task is there, and do it properly."

For more news from USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), visit www.navy.mil/.