United Through Reading Connects Sailors and Families

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

05.05.2019

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sophie Pinkham 

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)   

The United Through Reading (UTR) program aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) allows the families of Sailors, especially children, to feel more connected to their parent or guardian during underways as part of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP).
The program, ran by Ike’s religious ministries department (RELMIN), facilitates video recording of Sailors reading a book to their children, so they can see their Sailor and hear their voice when they’re separated.
For Navy Counselor 1st Class Cody Wood, a member of Ike’s command career counselor team, the UTR program was a special opportunity to connect with his son while at sea.
“My son is four, and he doesn’t really quite understand what I’m doing,” said Wood. “This is a way to stay in connection with him, and yes I can’t be there, but I’m still here for him. Without seeing their parent, they don’t understand where you’re at. In younger kids two and three years old, they may not realize who their father or mother is, and this allows them to continue bonding even though they’re not present.”
This wasn’t the first time Wood has heard of UTR. As a Third Class he helped his friend, who was a Religious Program Specialist, with the UTR program on USS Germantown (LSD 42) in 2007.
“When I was helping out on the Germantown, people would do several books, that way the kid’s not watching the same video over and over and getting bored with it,” said

Wood. “If you do four, five or six, they can do a different one each night, or if they have a favorite book they can pick one when they put the memory card in a laptop and play it.”
Wood pointed out that along with maintaining a relationship with his son, the program would also help his son excel at reading.
“One of the biggest things about learning is mimicking,” said Chief Religious Program Specialist Cecil Collins, RELMIN’s Departmental Leading Chief Petty Officer. “Reading with your child helps them recognize the words and helps their vocabulary. It gets the thought process going and helping them understand what they’re reading.”
Collins also utilized the program in 2005 on USS Tarawa (LHA 1) to read to his own children before social media was popular.
“I was told by my wife that they would read it over and over,” said Collins. “They could recite the book. My daughter was only about three years old but she knew every word in the book. They miss us just as much as we miss them, and it gives them that kind of virtual dad or mom and it helps them get through the day. You can do it monthly and every month they’ll have a new book to read to fill up their library. Your child is able to sit and read a book with you because we all know that children love to look at videos and movies. What better way to have their own parent whom they miss and love, read a bedtime story to them every day.”
For Collins, the impact it had on his children even years later is apparent.
“We talk about it all the time even though it was 14 years ago, and they still have the book,” said Collins.
Religious Program Specialist 3rd Class Chris Nixon has been running UTR onboard Ike for around two weeks and a handful of Sailors have recorded themselves reading.
“It’s a nice program for Sailors at sea so they can read to their kids, cousins or nephews,” said Nixon. “I had someone read to her friend who was having a baby.”
There is no shortage of books to support the program, and UTR provides supplies.
“We get regular monthly shipments,” said Collins. “Not only do we get the books, but we also get the SD cards that they send us. We purchased new cameras to try to get the videos to be the highest quality possible because it’ll be something they’ll cherish for years to come.”
Wood emphasized that the program is not just to read stories to only your kids.
“If you have nieces, nephews or any family member you’ve bonded with or want to stay in touch with, you can take and continue to do that with them,” said Wood. “You don’t have to have children to use the program.”
Sailors who want to record themselves reading a book can sign up for a 30-minute time slot in the library.
“I record them,” said Nixon. “After they’re done reading the book, I replay it back to them, and if they don’t like it we can rerecord it. I’ve been giving them a memory card and then they can send the memory card and book through the post office.”
Some Sailors might not want to be recorded or may feel uncomfortable in front of a camera.
“Your family loves you for who you are,” said Collins. “Get in front of the camera because your loved ones want to see your shining face, they want to see you in your uniform and they want to see what you’re doing out here.”
Wood encourages Sailors to give the program a chance.
“A lot of people feel weird reading to a camera,” said Wood. “But in the long run it’s a way to stay connected with your family. It’s a way to be there without being there, and overall the program is phenomenal. Have fun with it. Don’t be stiff and robotic, use the funny voices that your kids can imitate and have fun with it because your kids will enjoy it more if it feels like you’re there with them.”
Wood was enthusiastic about recording more stories for his son in the future.
“We were the ‘guinea pigs’ to test the new equipment,” said Wood. “But it’s been working so well that it’s like the program is fully ready now. It’s really easy, and you get a free book and a lifetime story.”
For more information on the United Through Reading program, contact Nixon or visit unitedthroughreading.org.

• Date Taken: 05.05.2019
• Date Posted: 12.25.2019 08:21
• Story ID: 357199
• Location: NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US