Sailors and Marines aboard the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) conducted a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) at-sea, Aug. 11, receiving 18 pallets of supplies from the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201).

From the flight deck officer to landing signalmen enlisted (LSEs) to Marines assisting with cargo, Rushmore Sailors and Marines ensured a safe and successful evolution.

"A VERTREP has a lot of moving parts," said Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate David Iverson, Deck Department's leading chief petty officer. "It's a dynamic evolution that takes everyone involved to keep his and her head on a swivel, watch out for each other, and make sure everyone is safe."

After several months deployed and having received supplies regularly via VERTREP, Rushmore's crew has been trained to efficiently get cargo from the helicopter to supply storage areas.

"Everyone on the flight deck has his and her own role, and we work as a team" said Cpl. Stephen Hill, of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), who assists with breaking down received cargo and prepping pallets and cargo nets for transport. "It doesn't matter if you're a Sailor or a Marine."

According to Hill, the smooth working relationship between Sailors and Marines on the flight deck that allowed for an easy evolution, was built through facing challenging conditions together throughout deployment.

"We were lucky this time to only have 18 pallets, and have a little bit of a breeze," the corporal added. "Sometimes when we do a VERTREP, we're taking on more than 100 pallets, it's hotter than 100 degrees outside, we're all in flight deck gear and running all over the place, and we have to rely on each other to get out of the heat. After that, we don't question what uniform you wear or why someone asks us for something on the flight deck. We just watch out for each other, make sure we all have what we need, and get the job done."

Boatswain's Mate Seaman Teeyahna Mitchell echoed Hill's emphasis on the importance of teamwork.

"It isn't any one person who makes a VERTREP successful, but it's each person doing their part to watch out for the rest," she said. "As an LSE, it's my job to guide the pilots in to land and take off safely. There are a lot more people on the flight deck during VERTREPs than normal flight operations. LSEs have to be aware of what's going on and remain focused on what we're doing. People's lives are in our hands."

Rushmore and the 15th MEU departed San Diego May 11, and are currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

For more news from USS Rushmore (LSD 47), visit www.navy.mil/local/lsd47/ .

For more news from Commander, Amphibious Squadron 3, visit www.navy.mil/ ,