As aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) prepares to transition to Newport News, Virginia, for the ship's refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) maintenance, 50 Sailors are now assigned temporary duty to support the Huntington Hall Liberty Center and housing office.

Sailors who work in Huntington Hall are responsible for manning the front desk, completing room inspections, facility inspections, writing maintenance tickets, and ensuring the overall condition of the building is being maintained. Additionally, they are in charge of the daily cleaning of the building, completing trouble calls from the residents, working parties to replace furniture and linens, and completing daily grounds cleanup and maintenance. In addition to all of that, they have a leading petty officer and administrative Sailors who file all housing listings, rosters, and coordinate names for Sailors moving in and out.

The Huntington Hall housing office provides barracks and housing for Sailors who are moving to Newport News.

Since GW has taken over the building, this team has ensured all rooms are cleaned, assisted in painting, and increased the standard within the building to allow for all our GW Sailors to feel welcome and have a clean place to call home for the upcoming RCOH period, said Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Dave Niedholdt, housing liaison manager.

In the liberty center, Sailors are responsible for opening and closing the center; checking identification cards; creating Wi-Fi accounts; cleaning all fitness equipment, computer areas, theater, and gaming areas; maintaining inventory of hundreds of video games and DVDs; and assisting in the setup of various events such as frocking ceremonies, re-enlistments, and physical training sessions.

Without GW Sailors at the liberty center, the place would be in disarray, said Chief Sonar Technician (Surface) Corey Davidson, Huntington Hall Liberty Center leading chief petty officer. The wait time to get anything checked out or to gain information about upcoming events would be much longer. The fitness area would be a mess, and weights would not be organized.

Davidson said the services these Sailors provide are important for the ship and anyone who utilizes Huntington Hall. Nearly every department on the ship is contributing to the success of the liberty center.

I like working here, said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Shawn Koettel, a GW supervisor at Huntington Hall. TAD Sailors working here check people in and keep the place tidy.

Koettel said Huntington Hall is a reliable place for all Sailors to have fun or get a good workout in during their off-duty hours.

Huntington Hall has various sources of entertainment and exercising equipment. The center includes a small movie theater, game tables, and video gaming stations for entertainment. It also includes a computer lab, which will allow Sailors to do NKOs (Navy Knowledge Online courses), and a gym which will support future physical fitness assessments.

The liberty center is important because it gives the Sailors an easy-to-access central meeting point where hard hats are not required, said Davidson. It's even more convenient for the Sailors who actually live in Huntington Hall because it affords them the opportunity to simply walk downstairs to see a movie, play some pool, workout, or play video games. They don't have to go anywhere, which saves them money, keeps them safe, and encourages esprit de corps.

The recreation center is open from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day for all active-duty and veteran personnel.

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