Yokosuka ships lighten up on sailor liberty plan

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A recent change in CTF-70 policy means sailors such as USS Kitty Hawk 3rd class petty officers, from left, Aaron Zuniga, Matthew Reed, Billy Fuson, Kaylah Stubbs and Dominique Martin no longer have to fill out individual liberty plans detailing their off-ship whereabouts and activities.


Yokosuka ships lighten up on sailor liberty plan
By Allison Batdorff, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Monday, January 28, 2008

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The sweet taste of freedom can now be found in Taco Bell — or McDonald’s, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Norris.

It doesn’t matter which, because what matters most is that he can now choose one lunch joint over another without having to make a phone call to change his liberty plan.

Loosening up the liberty plan policy is “a good idea,” the USS Kitty Hawk sailor said at Yokosuka Naval Base on Friday.

“It’s more freedom,” Norris said. “We can go out — and as long as we’re responsible — we can do what we want to do without having to call 12 people if we change our minds.”

Sailors E-5 and below in Commander Task Force 70 had been required to account for their off-ship activities in a weekly log. That rule was “relaxed” this month, said CTF-70 spokeswoman Cmdr. Jensin Sommer.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51977