The terrorist assault that struck USS Cole (DDG 67) on the morning of Oct. 12, 2000 left an enduring impression on the crew. They skilled arduous circumstances that many Sailors prepare for, however few will ever see.
Grasp Chief Info Methods Technician (IT) Amaury Ponciano, from Union Metropolis, N.J., was a Seaman at his first command, aboard Cole, in the course of the sneak assault. The crew saved the ship, however misplaced 17 Sailors together with a number of who Ponciano thought of good associates. The occasions of that day, left him with Publish-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD); however his prognosis didn’t forestall him from main a profitable profession within the Navy. After 22 years of honorable service, Ponciano was promoted to the Navy’s most senior enlisted rank – grasp chief petty officer. Just one % of the pressure holds the excellence.
He was pinned by his daughter Belen Ponciano, Grasp Chief Info Methods Technician Dave Berrien and Grasp Chief Hearth Controlman Korey Jones throughout a ceremony on Might 23, 2022.
“[Healing] was troublesome as a result of it’s important to perceive your self and that takes time,” defined Ponciano when speaking about his PTSD. “The primary years have been a wrestle. I broke quite a lot of relationships, with each companions and associates, as a result of my anger would get the very best of me. The littlest issues would set off me to no finish. Sadly I didn’t know find out how to take care of that.”
Within the days following the assault, within the midst of ongoing harm management efforts, sustaining the bodily safety of the ship and honoring the fallen; Ponciano discovered inspiration from the Chiefs Mess and the day by day elevating of the American flag.
“There have been issues that we younger Sailors didn’t perceive … just like the Chiefs Mess making us maintain colours. It was 120 levels in Yemen and in spite of everything that had occurred, it’s the very last thing you might be fascinated about,” mentioned Ponciano. “The way in which a chief broke it right down to me stays with me ‘til today. He mentioned it was to point out them that we haven’t been defeated. That this flag will fly.”
The management of USS Cole mandated psychological well being assets for the crew as soon as the ship returned to america a month later. As a Seaman, the mandate offered aid from the stigma Ponciano felt in in search of assist. His PTSD prognosis allowed him to call his trauma and take care of it. By way of counseling, he discovered to handle his feelings and acknowledge when he wanted to make use of coping methods. He credit the help of his management, associates, household and psychological well being teaching as contributors to his success.
“I used to be extraordinarily head robust,” mentioned Ponciano. “I didn’t join my anger to the PTSD. I bear in mind going to a counselor after being stationed in Bahrain and she or he would make me inform the story each single time I noticed her. I needed to be taught to specific it. To let no matter anger I felt concerning the story … to let it out.”
In response to a number of army research, stigma stays a barrier to in search of psychological healthcare. Causes vary from considerations relating to how management and friends will react, to worry of dropping their safety clearance. ITs, like Ponciano, handle advanced community pc methods to make sure communication throughout the Fleet to help mission completion. The profession discipline requires Sailors to carry safety clearances to entry data and gear to correctly function the community. Subsequently, they endure a number of background investigations all through their careers.
“We get the query loads about PTSD. ‘Is having a prognosis of PTSD going to impression my clearance … or spoil my possibilities at getting a clearance?,’” mentioned Dr. Elisabeth Jean-Jacques, employees Psychologist on the Protection Counterintelligence and Safety Company (DCSA) – the Protection group answerable for adjudicating safety clearances. “There isn’t any particular medical prognosis that’s mechanically disqualifying.” She additionally mentioned PTSD shouldn’t be a compulsory situation to report in the course of the safety clearance course of.
“If there’s a delusion on the market that: ‘If I am going to behavioral well being [services] it is going to be a profession killer,’ … it’s on the contrary; we at adjudications very a lot see taking part in remedy as a good factor,” mentioned Dr. Michael Priester, chief psychologist at DSCA. As a substitute, DSCA adjudicators search for behaviors of concern.
“That may be issues like threat for violence, erratic behaviors, or an inclination to not be truthful in a characterological, quite than incident particular, approach,” mentioned Priester. “The sorts of issues that alleviate considerations with psychological circumstances is when somebody has sought remedy … and definitely in the event that they complied with remedy.”
“I’m proof. Take a look at me now,” mentioned Ponciano. “I’m a grasp chief.”
The Terrorist Assault on USS Cole
Oct. 12, 2000 was simply one other day for the crew of the Cole. The ship had pulled into Aden, Yemen to refuel. Two al-Qaeda terrorists touring in an inflatable speedboat, detonated a bomb alongside the ship, blowing a 40-foot extensive gap within the hull. On the time, Ponciano was in line for chow.
“The XO [Executive Officer] came to visit the 1MC and mentioned that we have been refueling sooner than anticipated so we have been going to start out early chow after which get underway,” mentioned Ponciano. “They then referred to as early chow and Seaman [Timothy] Gauna and Seaman [Craig] Wibberley have been saying, ‘Hey, let’s go to the entrance of the road and say we have now the following watch.’ I bear in mind it was like yesterday … saying nobody would consider ITs had the following watch so I stayed behind.”
Minutes later, there was a loud blast. The ship shuddered. The crew rapidly moved all through the ship to report back to their battle stations, in any other case often known as common quarters.
“From the recollections of different individuals, the ship truly got here up out of the water and got here again down,” mentioned Ponciano. “As individuals have been coming from the [direction of the] loud explosion and the impression, you could possibly see the smoke. The XO was coming down the passageway telling everybody to go to their GQ [General Quarters] stations; that we’ve been hit. Once I reached my restore locker, there was an officer there directing individuals to go to the aft restore locker. Throughout all this working, everybody was setting Zebra. We set zebra in lower than 4 minutes, a lot better in comparison with what we have been doing in the course of the drills, saving a ton of lives.”
As Ponciano made his technique to the aft restore lockers, he puzzled concerning the different ITs and Sailors he knew. Being on a destroyer with 330 individuals, he mentioned he didn’t know each individual on the ship, however he knew their names and faces. As he made his approach by means of the mess decks, he got here throughout a coated physique.
“I lifted the blanket and I couldn’t acknowledge the physique as a result of it had steel all through however you could possibly nonetheless see the identify tag. It was Signalman [Cherone] Gunn. He was one of many guys I used to hang around with after we went on liberty. That’s when it hit me. Seeing that, I simply received on my knees and began crying. I simply saved crying. I don’t bear in mind who it was, however any individual tapped me on the again and grabbed me and mentioned, ‘He’s gone. We have to save the ship.’ I snapped again to actuality. If I wished to get again … I wanted to guarantee that we didn’t sink and stayed alive.”
The next hours have been a blur to him.
Changing into a Chief Petty Officer
When Ponciano was being recruited into the Navy, he wished to be a chief as a result of he thought the uniform regarded good. His admiration swelled after he witnessed the actions and management of the chiefs onboard Cole.
“I noticed the empowerment they’d, and put into different individuals. Most of what occurred on the time was directed by the chiefs. I at all times regarded as much as that.”
He witnessed the flexibility of chief petty officers to attain outcomes beneath any circumstance.
“Speaking to the chiefs now, they mentioned they cried too, that they have been nervous, however I by no means noticed that,” mentioned Ponciano. “You solely noticed them giving path and being a part of the workforce. The BMC [chief boatswain mate] – with a damaged leg – donned firefighting gear and was rescuing individuals and saving lives. I couldn’t even inform he was damage.”
The management and dedication of chiefs inspired Ponciano to at all times attempt to be a greater individual. As Ponciano moved by means of the ranks and served at completely different instructions, ashore and afloat, he realized there was a chunk of him he wished to be higher. As a 1st Class Petty Officer, Ponciano volunteered to serve onboard a destroyer, the identical class of ship as USS Cole, to face his worry and guarantee he may lead by means of remnants of the trauma.
“Yearly, we had an anniversary for the Cole and I actually wouldn’t go aboard. I might keep on the pier. Even when she got here again after the very first deployment after being repaired, I waited on the pier. I simply couldn’t go onboard. One of many issues a counselor mentioned over time is that I needed to face my fears. She didn’t assume that I might take precise orders to do it, however she mentioned I needed to face my fears and I dove proper in.”
The PTSD prognosis didn’t outline Ponciano. He leaned on his skilled abilities and experiences, household, and psychological well being teaching to grab success. After 11 years, he was promoted to chief petty officer and served one other two years onboard his second destroyer, USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98).
“I had the instruments I wanted to take care of something that got here my approach,” mentioned Ponciano.
Mi madre es mi inspiración; mis hijos son mi motivación
Ponciano says that his mom, Ursula Colon, is his inspiration and his kids are his motivation to be the very best model of himself, and to anticipate the identical from others.
“As a frontrunner, I’m robust, I’m very demanding, however I offers you the identical. I gained’t ask you to do something that I’m not keen to do myself or haven’t performed,” mentioned Ponciano. “I get that from her. She didn’t graduate from faculty and barely completed highschool however she wouldn’t enable me to only try this. She wished extra for me. That’s what I attempt to do for my Sailors. All of us have a unique 100%, and I’ll attempt to get them to their 100%.”
“She’s my inspiration. From being a single mother or father for a time frame, to coming to america with out having the ability to converse any English … she gave me and my brother every part we would have liked after which some. I’ve it simple in comparison with the issues that she’s gone by means of. To today, something and every part I do, I do it for her and my kids.”
Inspiration from his mom, the Chiefs Mess and psychological well being counselors enabled Grasp Chief Ponciano to serve in america Navy for 22 years with PTSD, climbing to the very best ranks. His recommendation to Sailors: “Know your self, and belief those that know you and care about you.” Right this moment, at U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, Ponciano leads Sailors who work on the forefront of our on-line world – defending the nation towards international adversaries, unaffiliated hackers and terrorists.
PTSD Consciousness Month
June is PTSD Consciousness Month, an observance supposed to boost public consciousness about points associated to the dysfunction, cut back its stigma, and guarantee entry to correct care.
PTSD can happen after a person has been by means of a traumatic expertise. In response to the Nationwide Heart for PTSD, six out of each 10 males and 5 out of each 10 ladies will expertise a minimum of one trauma of their life; and 7 or eight out of each 100 individuals can have PTSD in some unspecified time in the future of their life. About 8 million adults expertise PTSD throughout a given 12 months.
Assets Accessible to Sailors and Civilian Workers Battling PTSD:
Nationwide Heart for PTSD: The Nationwide Heart for PTSD is the world’s main analysis and academic heart on PTSD and traumatic stress. Study extra by visiting https://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.asp.
Navy Disaster Line: The Navy Disaster Line connects an individual in have to a educated counselor with a single telephone name or click on of a mouse. It’s confidential and rapid assist is obtainable 24/7 for free of charge to lively obligation, Nationwide Guard, and reserve members together with their households and associates. In america, name 1-800-273-8255 then press 1 or entry the web chat by texting 838255.
Division of the Navy Civilian Worker Help Program: Confidential free companies together with counseling, on-line packages, work-life companies, and extra will be discovered on the DONCEAP web site magellanascend.com or by calling 1-844-DONCEAP (366-2327). DONCEAP may also refer workers to native therapists.
Division of Protection (DoD) Protected Helpline: All Protected Helpline companies are nameless, confidential, 24/7 and tailor-made to help members of the DoD group and their family members affected by sexual assault. To achieve the Protected Helpline, name 1-877-995-5247 or go to safehelpline.org. Assets embody on-line confidential helpline and chat rooms, a free self-care app, data, assets and referrals to native packages.
Fleet and Household Service Heart (FFSC): Accessible for lively obligation Sailors, Reservists, and dependents. The native FFSC has a Counseling and Advocacy Program, which supplies confidential, short-term particular person, marital, {couples}, and youngster counseling, group counseling and workshops.
For information and knowledge from Commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. tenth Fleet, go to www.FCC.navy.mil/ or comply with us on Twitter @USFLEETCYBERCOM and on Fb @USFLTCYBERCOM.
