Twenty-eight Sailors assigned to the Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), are serving as "running mates" for midshipmen.

The Sailors are spending approximately five weeks training midshipmen, who come from the U.S. Naval Academy, various ROTC units, and the Royal Australian Navy.

"I think there's a lot that midshipmen can learn from the enlisted Sailor," said Damage Controlman 2nd Class Nathan Villalobos, a midshipman running mate from Glendale, Arizona. "I hope to give the midshipmen the enlisted experience in the short amount of time we have. I want to be real with them, and show them that real life is very different from a textbook."

The midshipmen will be expected to stand watch and work with their running mates, who will try to teach them what it's like to live and work as an enlisted Sailor aboard USS Ronald Reagan.

"We want to teach them how the workload goes," said Hull Technician 2nd Class Jordan Black, from Delano, Pennsylvania. "We don't want to just make them work, we want them to really know what they're doing, and know the equipment they're working with."

Participating departments include engineering, operations, combat systems, deck, navigation and weapons.

"It was a bit overwhelming at first," said Midshipman 2nd Class Alexander Miskimon, from Raleigh, North Carolina. "But being able to work with the Sailors in the shop lets me see how everything works and how everyone supports each other."

Machinery Repairman 2nd Class Bailey Todd, from Fresno, California, believes that being familiar with the enlisted Sailor's work and lifestyle is an important part of taking on a leadership role.

"It's important that everyone is on the same page," said Todd. "It's important for future leaders to already know how it works down in the shops they might be put in charge of and know the things that our Sailors are capable of."

While midshipmen are experiencing the jobs and workload of the enlisted Sailor, they are also experiencing the lifestyle that accompanies working aboard Ronald Reagan, such as eating on the mess decks and sleeping in the enlisted berthings. They are also doing daily tasks like an enlisted Sailor, from exercising in shipboard gyms and workout areas to doing laundry in a room with 27 washer-dryer combos to support approximately 2,600 enlisted Sailors.

"Everyone lives in such close quarters," said Midshipman 2nd Class Kathryn Fanning, from Clinton, New York. "I was surprised at how many people live aboard the ship. It can get crowded at times, but it's also very impressive how all of it is organized."

The midshipmen will participate in a number of underway evolutions with the crew, including underway replenishments, gun shoots and Morale, Welfare and Recreation events. They joined the ship June 21 during its port call in Singapore and will remain aboard until Reagan's next port call.

Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.


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