By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Jamieson
USS Jason Dunham Public Affairs
MEDETERRANIAN SEA – The Navy Fitness Enhancement (FEP) program aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) helped sailors cultivate a culture of fitness while underway on the ship’s maiden deployment, July 26.
The U.S. Navy requires physical fitness assessments to be performed twice yearly. Aboard Jason Dunham, the FEP program has become something more.
“The goal of the FEP program is to give all sailors the opportunity to live a healthier lifestyle,” said Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 3rd Class Nicole Roderick, Jason Dunham’s assistant command fitness leader. “With watch rotations and departmental responsibilities, eating right and exercising on deployment can be a real challenge, but we want our sailors to realize that it is a challenge they can meet head on.”
Personnel assigned to FEP receives a mentor who provides motivation and encouragement along with a workout log to track their progress.
“The main focus of the FEP program is to enable our sailors to fully use their resources in order to maximize the effect,” said Yeoman 2nd Class Ras, FEP instructor. “Few people want to live an unhealthy lifestyle. We want everyone to come back from deployment having made the most of their opportunity to become more physically fit and healthy.”