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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - (June 18, 2019) – The crew of an aircraft carrier is akin to a family. Quite a large family, but a family nonetheless. Like any family, the loss of a shipmate hits a ship hard and Sailors may mourn the loss.
Chief Logistics Specialist Brian Love was an important member of the George Washington family, and Sailors have come together to remember him after his recent passing.
“As a person, he was very calm and collected,” said Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Rosheena Brown, a Sailor assigned to Chief Love’s V-88 S-6 supply division , aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). “He had a very approachable attitude, so you were able to go to him about anything.”
Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Elvira Batac, a Sailor assigned to the same division as Brown, said Love was a kind father to her. “He was very laid back, kind, and just a loving dad to us V-88 people,” said Batac. “He was very caring, that’s for sure.”
Love passed away on June 14, but Sailors assigned to V-88 are determined to keep his spirit alive within themselves and their shop as they move forward. Although they lost an integral part of their leadership and their Navy family, the impact he made on his Sailors will not soon be forgotten.
“He made it fun coming to work,” said Brown. “He made it fun because he had the most relaxing atmosphere. He made sure even though we’re here to get the work done; we enjoyed being there. We enjoyed each other. We enjoyed our little family that we had in V-88, and that’s what I loved about his presence. Our own little family was just perfect, and we lost a main key to that family.”
Batac said Love was committed to his Sailorss morale and always looked for ways to cheer them up.
“If you come in with no smiley face, he would bug you all day saying ‘What’s wrong with you? Are you okay? Talk to me over to the side,’” said Batac. “He was very caring to everyone. From our smallest person to our highest person.”
Love not only improved his Sailors’ morale every day, but also proved his loyalty to them during tough times.
“He always put his family first and also his Sailors,” said Lt. j.g. Shanita Williams, the supply officer for aviation and material control for S-6. “He was amazing to work with. He always had our back no matter what. We could be in the wrong, and he would still have our back, but there was always a lesson learned from any mistakes and anything we messed up here in the shop.”
His lessons were not always reserved for work. Instead, he helped his Sailors with any challenges they faced, whether they were related to the Navy or not.
“I was really stressing over the amount of study materials [for the advancement exam], and how I felt like I didn’t know enough to go into the exam prepared,” said Brown, “But every morning he came to work he would test us, he would train us, and there was one topic that was giving me a hard time, and he pulled me to the side, and he sat there, and he went over and over and over that topic until I finally got it.”
Batac said Love inspired and motivated her to pursue her fitness goals.
“He told me one time: never give up,” said Batac. “Because I lift, and every time I showed my lifting videos to him and I PR’d [reached a personal record] at 225 [lbs] for deadlift, I just wanted to keep going, and he told me one time: don’t give up. Keep it going. And I hope he supports me now up in Heaven when I’m lifting. He inspired me. Never give up. Keep going. Don’t stop until you fail. It’s a really big motivation for me. It keeps me going.”
His help and encouragement did not stop at his junior enlisted Sailors, but instead stretched all the way up the chain of command.
“Being away from my family, I always went to Chief with all my car questions,” said Williams, “The last thing he helped me with on my car was to make sure that I got new tires and an alignment before I hit the road and transfer.”
Love’s motivation to be there for his Sailors and support them in all they do extended into the work he did for the Navy.
“He handled everything in his office,” said Williams, “He took all the phone calls. He answered the emails. He answered the tough questions for us. He was just an awesome person to work with. We knew that no matter what came our way, we would be able to get it done because chief was there to help us and assist us in getting through whatever type of challenges that came our way.”
In addition to his duties as the leading chief petty officer of the Navy’s Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP) liaison material division, he was also a command fitness leader (CFL) for George Washington.
“He really enjoyed working out,” said Williams, “He was a command CFL. We did a lot of PT sessions within our division.”
Brown said Love’s committment to physical training was clear, and he passed it on to his Navy family.
“He made working out fun,” said Brown, “We started physical training right before the PRT [physical readiness test], and he made it fun. He made us enjoy going to PT [physical training]. We would get upset if we actually missed PT sessions together because that was our fun family time out. Everybody actually looked forward to it.”
In everything he did, Chief Love did with his whole heart, and his legacy and actions leave lasting impressions on his Sailors, George Washington, and the Navy as a whole. He proudly served his country for 16 years.
“We lost a really great person,” said Brown, “A really great man. A great leader. A supportive leader. We lost that one.”
“He was the most amazing, laid-back, awesome Chief out there,” said Batac, “Just a great guy. We will miss you so much. V-88 will miss you.”
“Chief Love was a great Chief,” said Williams, “I know I joke around when I tell him ‘You’re the best Chief in the fleet,’ but he truly was a great chief. And I just wish that I had more time with him. We actually talked about me getting my department head tour, and he said he would love to come along with me. So I definitely know that when I do a department head tour, it will be for Chief Love.”
George Washington will be holding a memorial ceremony for Chief Love in the weeks ahead. All Sailors are welcomed to come remember and pay their respects to Chief Love and his family.
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2019 12:24 |
| Story ID: | 330270 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sailors Remember Chief Love, by PO2 Tatyana Freeman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
