Two-hundred and sixteen USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Sailors were advanced to their next pay grades during the command's safety stand down at the Hampton Convention Center, Dec. 3.

"The frocking ceremony is an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication that our Sailors have undertaken to advance, not only up in pay grade, but also in responsibility," said Lincoln's Command Master Chief Lee Salas. "Advancement is also more than just advancing a pay grade, but it is also the attainment of Sailors' career goals."

Commanding Officer, Capt. Ron Ravelo, discussed the importance of gathering the entire command to reflect on command-level and safety-related issues.

"The significance of the safety stand down is that it provides an opportunity to get the entire crew together," Ravelo said. "The way we plan these safety stand downs is they are timed at points in the year, points in the ship's life to put out some core information.

He also stated that 2016 is going to be a busy year for Lincoln and her crew. He wants his Sailors to walk away confident in the crew move aboard process, intentional about their off-duty decisions and committed to redelivering Lincoln to the fleet in the fall of 2016.

Guest speaker, Senior Chief Aviation Maintenance Administrationman Sonya Best, Lincoln's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response team lead, introduced Command Victim Advocates, and encouraged intervention through strong leadership and bystander intervention.

"Everyone gets involves in their day to day jobs and may not know who to talk to report sexual assault. This is our opportunity to show the crew that we are out there, we do exist and we are here to support them," said Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Kevin Snow, a Victim Advocate on board Lincoln.

Yeoman 2nd Class Robin Dean commented on what the safety stand down means to her.

"We want to know what's going on with crew move aboard, the results of the command climate survey, sexual assault prevention, and safety overall for the winter to make sure we are safe at home," Dean said.

On display during the event various command program coordinators had material for the Sailors to take with them as they depart. This included Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, Motorcycle Safety, Crew Move Aboard, and Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor.

Lincoln is currently undergoing Refueling and Complex Overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News.

Lincoln is the fifth ship of the Nimitz-class to undergo RCOH, a major life-cycle milestone. Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet and will continue to be a vital part of the nation's defense.

For more news from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), visit www.navy.mil/.