Iwo Jima Earns Second Consecutive Battle 'E'

March 20, 2017

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Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) was named a recipient of the Battle Effectiveness Award (Battle "E") for the second consecutive year.

The official notification for 2016 came from Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, March 14.

The award is given annually to ships throughout the Navy which sustain a superior performance throughout the year via a consistent exhibition of excellence in wartime capabilities and optimal mission readiness within their respective hull class and region.

"The performance of our crew is the reason Iwo Jima received the Battle 'E' two years in a row," said Capt. James Midkiff, Iwo Jima's commanding officer. "They've excelled in all areas and met each requirement, including maintenance, training evolutions, exercises, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief provided to the people of Haiti. To be chosen as a Battle 'E' recipient is a reflection of all their proficiency, professionalism, and hard work. I am honored to be part of this crew and am so proud of everything they have accomplished."

Iwo Jima earned its third consecutive command awards for excellence in engineering and survivability, along with ship's safety and second consecutive awards for excellence in maritime warfare, logistics management, and command, control, communications and information warfare.

Iwo Jima spent the first half of the year completing a chief of naval operations maintenance availability period. In August 2016, the ship participated in Bold Alligator 2016 in the Norfolk area of operations. Later in the year, Iwo Jima served as the lead ship for Joint Task Force-Matthew, providing support for the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) in their efforts to provide immediate humanitarian and disaster relief assistance in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

This is Iwo Jima's fifth Battle "E" since her commissioning, June 30, 2001, and the ship may now paint a white hash mark to annotate the Battle "E" achievement for two consecutive years.

Iwo Jima Sailors who were members of the ship's crew during 2016 are now eligible to wear the Battle "E" ribbon on their uniforms, and Sailors who have a previous Battle "E" can now add an additional "E" device to the ribbon.

Iwo Jima is currently in the basic phase of the pre-deployment work-up cycle.

Source : US Navy