The aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV 64) has a full complement of Massachusetts sailors. Named after the first ship to be commissioned in the United States Navy in 1797, the USS Constellation is known as "America's Flagship."

It is part of the Seventh Fleet, which operates in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Gulf. The crew of USS Constellation are prevented by security regulations from telling MassNews exactly where they are located. We spoke with them last week and asked them their thoughts and wishes for the holidays.

First Christmas at Sea

"This is my first Christmas aboard ship," says Petty Officer Third Class Jake Greska, "but it's good to be out here knowing I can make a difference." A Worcester native, who joined the Navy for "service to my country, and to see some places," Greska misses his family and wishes them "Happy Holidays."

Helicopter Officer from Chicopee

Commander Sean Malone is a naval aviator with HSL 47, a helicopter unit. "We have two attack helicopters which conduct surveillance and defense of the battle force if need be," he says.

Malone, who is from Chicopee, has been in the Navy 17 years, but this is the first Christmas he has spent at sea. "I'm not relishing the thought of being away from my family, but I am extremely proud to be here," Malone tells MassNews. "I'm a cruiser man by trade, but this is my third carrier."

Malone now lives is Carlsbad, California, with his wife and two daughters, but his father, a retired heavy equipment operator, and his mother, a retired secretary, still live in Chicopee. His motivation for entering the Navy was primarily "growing up around Westover Air Force Base," where he gained a desire to serve his country.

Taking Care of the Pilots

West Springfield High School Graduate Brandon Lane is a Petty Officer Third Class where he serves as an Aircrew Survival Equipment Technician.

"We take care of pilots and inspect their gear," he says of his department. "We inspect oxygen and radios; we pack parachutes and survival gear. They can't go flying without those."

Lane tells MassNews that he "wasn't too motivated" at West Springfield High and joined the Navy to explore the world and find a sense of purpose, leaving his parents and two sisters behind in West Springfield. All of the men on both sides of his family were in the Navy. Is Lane glad he joined? "Yes, I'm glad," he answers emphatically.

Bittersweet, but Exciting

What is it like to spend six months as one of less than fifty women aboard a ship with over 5,000 men? "It's not so unusual," Lieutenant Junior Grade Amy Weaver tells MassNews, because in the Navy, "from Day One you're integrated with men." Weaver says that what keeps this from being a problem is that "we work so much and everyone is so professional."

Quartermaster Seaman Jarrod Fleming is only 19 and has been in the Navy all of one year, but already he is Master Helmsman Qualified, meaning that he can pilot the huge aircraft carrier in and out of port.

Fleming is "about the size of Mickey Rooney," says Chief Petty Officer Stephen K. Robinson, Deputy Public Affairs Officer aboard USS Constellation. "If Fleming was caught in a Massachusetts winter, he'd blow away."

However, the Middleborough native lived through eighteen Massachusetts winters. Jarrod "needed money to go to college" so he joined the Navy, and in the process he has "learned responsibility," he says. A master helmsman "plays a major role in the safe navigation of the ship."

For Fleming, spending Christmas at sea is "hard. … My family is very close."

Pride and Sadness

"Heartsick," is how John Fleming, Jarrod's father, describes the way the family feels celebrating Christmas in Middleborough without Jarrod. "We're heartsick, but we're very proud, obviously," John Fleming tells MassNews.

"He's always wanted to be in the military," says Jarrod's father. "He enlisted in August [2001], before September 11. His mother and I had a long conversation with him before he signed his final enlistment papers and told him that a lot of things can change over the course of a four-year enlistment, but he felt it was the right thing to do. … Jarrod's a great kid. He always has been."

John Fleming says that Jarrod "flip-flopped" trying to decide if he wanted to enter the Marine Corps or the Navy. "My father was a Force Recon [reconnaissance] marine, and Jarrod grew up hearing stories from his grandfather." Jarrod finally settled on the Navy because it offered a better setting in which "to use his knowledge and develop his skills. … He loves what he's doing; loves being a quartermaster."

"He's grown up a lot," John Fleming says of his son. "He's not the same person he was when he left. … He's not hanging out at the mall with his friends anymore."

When John went to Jarrod's graduation from boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, his pride in his son "was almost beyond my ability to express." Jarrod had lost weight, and "he really had his military bearing. … I was beaming with pride."

John Fleming tells MassNews that his family thinks of Jarrod "with a mixture of pride and sadness" at this time of the year. "I am grateful for the people he is with. These kids are great, and not enough people realize it."

John Fleming says that the Internet has made having Jarrod away a lot easier on the family. "We can't talk to him on the phone much, but we e-mail all the time," he says. The Flemings have a special reminder of Jarrod on their Christmas tree. "We have a Navy ornament, prominently displayed," says John.

A Fairly Decent Thanksgiving Meal

Petty Officer Second Class Kevin Fischel left his hometown of Buzzards Bay because there "weren't many job openings" in his specialty. "There was a real slowdown in the electronics field," he tells MassNews.

Aboard USS Constellation, Fischel is an Aviation Electronics Technician. He works primarily on helicopters, which are 'the first ones to go before anyone else gets in the air."

Fischel works on SH 60 F and HH 60 H helicopters, the chief difference being that the latter is "equipped with night vision," and "has a lot more seats and people," Fischel says. "The airframes [structures] are the same, but the landing gear is different."

These helicopters are piloted with "a computer control panel" which enables them to "fly and sit and hover," Fischel tells MassNews. "I didn't believe it until I saw it myself," he says.

The helicopters are "plane guards," says Fischel. "They sit 3 and ¼ off our starboard fantail." They are used, among other things, "to pick up men overboard."

"We had a fairly decent Thanksgiving meal," Fischel tells MassNews, "as good as it's going to be when you're cooking for 5,500+ people." This is the first time Fischel has spent the holidays aboard ship, and he is not sure what to expect. "USO delegates are going to entertain us someplace."

Boot Camp Again, but Worse

Fischel, 25, left behind a wife in San Diego, but his parents, Kevin Sr. and Linda Fischel, and his three sisters still live on the south shore. Christina Fischel tells MassNews that her brother is aboard USS Constellation for a six month deployment, with four months to go. "He is out for six months and had to leave behind his wife," she says. "He can never tell me where he is."

Christina writes to her brother "as often as possible." Regular mail "takes awhile to get to him, but e-mail usually goes through right away," she says. "I can tell just by his mood that he's sad."

Christina gets the impression that for Kevin, being at sea is "like being at boot camp again, but worse." It is almost as difficult for Christina to have her brother away, because "I've never experienced [having] him or anyone I know in a situation like this," she says.

"We are extremely proud of him," Christina Fischel says. "He is serving his country. … "I want everyone to know that they [the crew] are out there."

Final Voyage for Carrier

Chief Robinson tells MassNews that aboard USS Constellation, "there is a Christmas meal planned to serve in the mess facilities." The meal will include "turkey, ham, cranberry salad, different kinds of bread, apple, tomato, and orange juice, and three different kinds of pie: Pumpkin, pecan, and apple. … Our USO show will be sometime in the January timeframe."

The crew will not eat their dinner together, since the Navy is segregated according to rank. Dining facilities aboard the ship include the Captain's mess, two ward rooms for the other officers, the Chief Petty Officers' mess, and the enlisted mess.

USS Constellation is head of a "battle group" which includes 11 smaller ships and ten air squadrons. Together, they form the Western Pacific deployment (WestPac). The battle group's mission is to be prepared to meet virtually any emergency security need.

"No other navy has the capability, staying power or strength as a United States Carrier Battle Group," says USS Constellation's website. "'America's Flagship' is ready to serve. Anywhere. Anytime."

However, this is USS Constellation's last Christmas at sea. She will be de-commissioned after this deployment.