Along with those who lost their lives or injured, the memory I have of that day is the heroic way the crew fought to save their ship. A testament to their leadership and training. Never forget.

Thirty nine Sailors were injured by the blast; the following is Chief Taitt’s personal account of that day’s events.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Warning Signs Poster

The knife shakes in his hand. He moves the small three inch blade slowly down his arm. He’s rehearsing this. The cold steel of the blade slowly scrapes back up his arm as his tears fall onto his pale forearm.

With his mind running wild and his eyes filled with tears and hate, he grits his teeth. He knows that it is coming soon. He’s planned this all day, almost looking forward to it in class. It is supposed to take all of the pain, the suffering, the frustration and hate.

Thoughts of his mother ring through his head. He remembers being a small child with his mom. He remembers holding her hand in the parking lot, and the love that he felt with that. He would look at her and smile. Love fills his heart.

Insanity instantly comes and rips out the love. He remembers her, his now ex-girlfriend. He remembers the pain that he’s caused her, and how she has now turned his entire family against him. My family no longer even wants me on this planet, he thinks to himself.

He removes the cell phone from his pocket and quickly clicks to the text messages from just moments before hand.

“Some advice: If you decide to come home, don’t. You’re not welcome here anymore. –Mom”

“I heard about what you did. It’s good to know that after Friday, you’ll no longer be my son. – Dad”

Tears stream down his face. Gritting his teeth, he says, “I hope you’re happy with this decision, Mom and Dad.” He places a hand towel in his mouth to soften the yelling.
The knife raises high in the air. His heart starts to beat a little faster.

A picture of his ex-girlfriend is on his desk, and it reeks of pain. It causes the knife to fall.

As if everything comes into slow motion, the knife falls and his heart beats faster. There is still time to turn back. He can’t. He doesn’t want to. This is the only way out. His mind races with thoughts as the knife falls faster and faster. His heart beats faster and faster.

Instantly the knife pierces the skin directly between the wrist bones. The pain is unbearable. There is no turning back now. Once you commit, you commit.

The cold steel of the blade has dug at least an inch into his left forearm. He quickly pulls the blade toward his body, while still encased within his arm. The skin peels forward like a zipper on a pair of blue jeans. The blood spills out furiously. He can’t calm it. It’s going too fast. It’s all going too fast.

Instantly, pictures of his best friends come into his eye line, and his life flashes before his eyes. Childhood crushes, television, middle school teachers, amazing times at amusement parks, sunsets with girls, driving with the top down, his entire feeling of life—gone.
Going…
Going…
Gone.

This is an example of how it feels to commit suicide. This was one tragic mistake too many. This could have been prevented. The pain that led to it could have been prevented by his mistakes; however, the suicide itself could have been prevented by the roommate and best friend, who eventually found his body the next day.

His shipmate, his roommate, the only one he cared about anymore. The only one he thought even cared about him ignored the signs that he had shared with him. He ignored them, and regardless of what the best friend was doing, he should have been able to stop this.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of deaths for Sailors in the Navy. So far in 2010, it has claimed 28 victims. It is 100% preventable, and even with all of the training going on, it’s still happening. People still ignore the signs. They still never think that they’ll be THAT GUY, but yet, when presented with the situation, they turn into him rather quickly.

There are posters that advertise for Sailors not to become THAT GUY in the bar, or even back at the barracks, which turns into the nasty drunk that the Navy is aggressively trying to stamp out. However, that is not always the definition of THAT GUY. The other definition of THAT GUY is the one who often looks the other way, changes the subject, or even tries to be the hero and solve the problem himself/herself by not taking them to the proper counselors. Sometimes, being the hero can make your “Sailor in Distress” turn into just another dead Sailor.

Don’t let that happen. Suicide isn’t painless, and stamping it out, like the alcohol related incidents aren’t a solo job. They belong to all of us as Sailors. As Sailors, we have a responsibility to our shipmates. We have a responsibility to not let our guard down, even when we have other things to do. We have a responsibility to come together as a team and solve this problem, case by case, problem by problem, Sailor by Sailor.

If you or another Sailor notice or even suspect a shipmate of contemplating suicide, report it up your chain of command, call the Chaplin, or even if you’re the potential victim, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE. As Sailors, damn it, as human beings, we have a duty to never leave a shipmate behind.

The article above by SA Geoff Breedwell was motivated by a very recent suicide attempt of one of his Shipmates.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Anchor

Until I am too old to post them, the United States Navy Master Chief, Senior Chief and Chief Petty Officer results will be posted here, each year, when they become available.

Congratulations to all the Navy Chief Petty Officer selectees!

FY-2011

The complete FY-2011 UPDATED Active Navy Master Chief Results NAVADMIN 238/10
The complete FY-2011 Active Navy Senior Chief Results NAVADMIN 237/10
The complete FY-2011 Active Navy Chief Results NAVADMIN 269/10 (PDF)

FY-2012

The complete FY-2012 Active Navy Master Chief Results NAVADMIN 155/11
The complete FY-2012 Active Navy Senior Chief Results NAVADMIN 175/11
The complete FY-2012 Reserve Chief Petty Officer Results NAVADMIN 199/11
The complete FY-2012 Active Chief Petty Officer Results NAVADMIN 233/11 (PDF Version)

For the first time in at least 12 years, the active duty CPO results are released on a Monday.

Previous active duty Chief Petty Officer result release dates:
FY-2001, NAVADMIN 198/00 — 08/04/00 — Tuesday
FY-2002, NAVADMIN 197/01 — 08/03/01 — Friday
FY-2003, NAVADMIN 238/02 — 08/02/02 — Friday
FY-2004, NAVADMIN 218/03 — 08/06/03 — Wednesday
FY-2005, NAVADMIN 173/04 — 07/28/04 — Wednesday
FY-2006, NAVADMIN 183/05 — 07/28/05 — Thursday
FY-2007, NAVADMIN 221/06 — 08/04/06 — Friday
FY-2008, NAVADMIN 196/07 — 08/08/07 — Wednesday
FY-2009, NAVADMIN 213/08 — 08/01/08 — Friday
FY-2010, NAVADMIN 230/09 — 07/31/09 — Friday
FY-2011, NAVADMIN 269/10 — 08/11/10 — Wednesday
FY-2012, NAVADMIN 233/11 — 08/01/11 — Monday
Interestingly, Wednesday and Friday release days seem to be the most popular.
(H/t Joe!)

BTW, all you new selects need to get over and check into the Goatlocker.
Curious what your basic pay may jump to in 2012? Here is the projected pay scale.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

The lions startled us by moving ever closer to our position. We take a step back, and, in doing so, push a small rock over the edge of the cliff. For a brief moment, we follow with our eyes the path of the rock as it tumbles toward the bottom of the abyss. The rock hits the bottom, but, due to the distance, we did not actually hear it hit, but our mind replaced the brief gap of silence with its own crashing sound timed with the visual of the rock exploding into a million pieces. One step closer to the edge and we would have met the same fate as the rock! Time slows down, our senses intensify, and we feel like all the blood is starting to drain from our extremities. Just then, we can hear a growling that sounded as if it was produced by the devil himself. Unlike the cliff, the lions provide us with a very different and more immediate threat. We don’t turn to face them straight away; maybe in a hope that they might just go away and leave us alone, but, as the seconds pass, we realize that is clearly not going to be the case. We slowly turn to face the lions while trying not to make any sudden moves that may trigger an attack. Now, our attention has fully returned to the lions. We are so overcome with fear we cannot even count how many there are. We have fixed our eyes on the largest and closest feline. Even with his mouth closed we can see large teeth, but those are not what grab our attention. We fixate on the pupils of his eyes, they seem as big around as quarters, and, when we look deep into them, we realize we are the only thing that lion has on his mind; we are his prey, and he is hungrily sizing us up for the kill. Tears are now starting to well up, making everything a bit blurry, and we are too afraid to blink. Oh God, what do we do?

Launching ourselves off the cliff would be taking our own life; we may suffer less, but how would it affect our after-life? Most religions frown upon people taking their own life. Besides, if we jumped, our bodies would quickly reach terminal velocity, we would be gasping for air, as it would be like trying to breathe with your head poked out a car window at about 120 miles per hour. The sudden stop against the hard, uneven ground would break every bone in our body, and death would be instantaneous. On the other hand, the lions would each bite and rip into our flesh, tearing the organs from our body as we watch in horror. We may even stay conscious long enough to hear the popping sound our leg would make as it separates from our torso. Are we having fun yet?

The bodily pain from jumping of the cliff will be very short lived. With any luck, we may lose consciousness before we even hit the ground, but the pain which will hurt the most will be the mental anguish we will experience from the fact we will not be able to say goodbye to those left behind, and the pain brought on by the wondering of whether or not we made the right choice. Conversely, the pain we will experience at the claws and jaws of the lions will be mostly physical in nature. The trauma of having our flesh ripped open by the multiple predators will generate unbelievable amounts of physical pain that our only thoughts will be in its relief. Death is moving ever closer, and as the pain becomes more than we can bare, we will ultimately embrace the concept of our death and wish it to hurry along.

We are ultimately defined by what we do with the things we can control and how we react to the things we cannot. Even in our no win scenario involving the cliff and the lions, we had only two real choices to make; admittedly, each leading to a closed casket funeral, but provided tons of information to reflect upon. In life, we are confronted with various challenges, and a majority of those choices will not have to deal with life or death, but know that each decision we make is an example that others may use to help guide their future actions.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Congratulations to all the FY 2010 selectees! And I would like to send a special BZ out to all the Navy Counselor Chief Petty Officer - Career Recruiting Force (CRF)!

For the rest of the 2010 list here is a copy of the NAVADMIN ->>>> NAV09230

            NCRC  - CHIEF NAVY COUNSELOR (RECRUITER)
      4715  ANDRADA KARL      047         3581  ARCILA CARLOS     045
      5320  BARTHEL MATTH     031         6485  BENJAMIN DEWA     030
      3884  BOMAN JEFFREY     025         0953  BOROUGHS MONT     009
      3055  BRUMFIELD MIC     040         5341  CANNON STEPHE     024
      0856  CHARARA HEATH     067         6193  CONNELL RYAN      026
      7175  COUSINS CHARL     074         2579  COWHAM RYAN D     039
      7037  CRAYNE RICHAR     016         0209  CULLIVAN ANGE     052
      0294  DEPALMA RICHA     076         9345  DEPRE DENNIS      018
      2824  DRAKE MICHAEL     055         9241  DUNLAP SHAWN      056
      9143  DURRAH WAYNE      077         1247  EASLEY STEVEN     054
      7937  EISENMANN WAL     038         2165  ELLIS ANDREW      013
      0739  FRISSON WILLI     001         9159  GARZA LOUIS D     043
      7082  GOLDSMITH ERI     049         7318  GOLEACH DANIE     065
      0269  GOLTZ ARTHUR      002         5147  GOOD GERALD B     020
      1901  GRIFFITH SARA     048         2967  GUAN VICTOR       062
      2939  HENRY RODERIC     068         8593  HORNER MARTIN     003
      7743  HUYNH VU DOQU     042         9332  JARDINA AARON     061
      7736  JOHNSON JOSHU     017         0307  JOHNSTON KATH     063
      8694  JONES KENDALL     004         8841  JONES TABATHA     012
      2490  JOSEPH RODNE      050         3042  JULIAN ADAM C     064
      4914  KAMMERER DAVI     036         4015  KIKAWA KEVIN      066
      7767  KINGERY DONAL     044         5147  MCGAHAN RODNE     015
      4497  MCNAIR SALEEM     046         8494  MOORE BRIAN D     051
      0899  MYNATT SCOTT      006         6451  NELSON ERIC A     075
      8099  OESTEREICHER      058         3962  ORGIAS KEVIN      007
      3305  OZUNA JOSE OM     027         2187  PEARSON CARL      005
      2298  POPE ALPHONZO     079         4649  RAAB SHANON E     033
      9281  RAINEY JONATH     010         9405  RAMBERG JAMIE     034
      1880  RAMSEY TIMOTH     035         3761  RAYBURN JAMES     059
      0828  REALUBIT HOME     073         3776  RICE TERRANCE     014
      6012  RIVERA DANIEL     053         3690  RUIZ GABRIEL      029
      9222  SALVATORE LOU     022         2223  SANCHEZ ERIK      069
      0328  SANCHEZ RENE      011         3830  SCHRAMM PETER     023
      8700  SEESE DAVID A     028         1193  SEYMOUR ALAN      071
      5066  TORRES JOHN P     037         9518  VANHORN JASON     070
      1902  VANSICKLE CHR     008         1013  VEACH CHRISTO     032
      6661  VINSON JOSHUA     019         1960  WESTCOTT MICH     021
      5289  WHITE SHAWN A     041         6976  WHITTEN MARK      072
      5830  WIENEN JENNIF     078         5337  WRIGHT KENNET     057
      5678  WYANT NATHAN      060

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

The Navy Ethos:

• We are the United States Navy, our nation’s sea power – ready guardians of peace, victorious in war.
• We are professional Sailors and Civilians – a diverse and agile force exemplifying the highest standards of service to our nation, at home and abroad, at sea and ashore.
• Integrity is the foundation of our conduct: respect for others is fundamental to our character: decisive leadership is crucial to our success.
• We are a team, disciplined and well-prepared, committed to mission accomplishment. We do not waver in our dedication and accountability to our Shipmates and families.
• We are patriots, forged by the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment. In times of war and peace, our actions reflect our proud heritage and tradition.
• We defend our nation and prevail in the face of adversity with strength, determination and dignity.
• We are the United States Navy.

A recent reminder, via NAVADMIN:

UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 110030Z MAY 10
BT
UNCLAS
PASS TO OFFICE CODES:
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N09//
TO NAVADMIN
NAVADMIN 166/10

MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N09/MAY//

SUBJ/NAVY ETHOS//

REF/A/NAVADMIN 318/08//

RMKS/1. THE UNITED STATES NAVY ETHOS PUBLISHED IN REF A SERVES AS A GUIDING SET OF PRINCIPLES AND BELIEFS THAT ALL NAVY PERSONNEL – ACTIVE, RESERVE, CIVILIAN – SHOULD EMBRACE IN THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES, BOTH AT WORK AND ON LIBERTY. NAVY ETHOS UNDERSCORES THE NAVY’S CORE VALUES OF HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT, WHILE STRESSING OUR PROFESSIONALISM AND DISCIPLINE AS MEMBERS OF A TEAM FOCUSED ON MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT AND UNWAVERING IN DEDICATION TO OUR INSTITUTIONS, SHIPMATES, AND FAMILIES.

2. OUR COMMITMENT TO NAVY ETHOS HAS NOT CHANGED. IT CONTINUES TO BE THE PROPER COMPASS CHECK REGARDING FUNDAMENTAL BEHAVIOR EXPECTED OF ALL NAVY PERSONNEL.

3. AS MEMBERS OF THE U.S. NAVY, YOU ARE THE STEWARDS OF THE HERITAGE AND HIGH STANDARDS REPRESENTED IN OUR ETHOS. I ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU TO RE-READ OUR ETHOS AND PERFORM A “WAKE CHECK”. ENSURE YOU ARE FULLY PREPARED TO SUPPORT ITS SPIRIT IN BOTH YOUR ACTIONS AND WORDS. LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE IS A FOUNDATION OF OUR ETHOS. HAVING INHERITED A
TREMENDOUS LEGACY OF SERVICE, LEADERSHIP AND INTEGRITY, WE ARE EXPECTED TO EXEMPLIFY THAT LEGACY AS ROLE MODELS.

4. VICE CHIEF SENDS.//

BT
#0001
NNNN

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

battle stations

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

The LMI study provided the recommendations needed to reduce the number of recruiting district headquarters to the current 26 and also facilitated the closing of regions central and south and the moving of regions north and west’s headquarters to Millington, TN.

If I remember correctly the RCI study was completed but only gave a second “thumbs-up” to the LMI plan. Both studies were expensive but predicted massive savings in logistics and personnel and fell in line with what the headquarters staff and the Navy wanted to have happen in the first place.

Well, it appears Navy Recruiting Command has decided it is time to run another study, this one can run up to $12.3 million over three years.

The McLean-based management and technology consulting firm will create cost modeling and other management tools to help the Command, which is tasked with maintaining the Navy’s reserve force, make better business decisions.

This study appears to be focused on the reserve mission. When Navy Reserve Recruiting was integrated into Navy Recruiting Command it was the, “Big fish swallowing the little fish” as one active duty region commander so eloquently put it. Active and reserve command structures were essentially the same but the only similarities in how we attained mission success was the fact that both needed bodies. How a recruiter would go about finding, processing and shipping that body was different.

The integration was difficult. Reserve recruiting tactics and processes were forced to become more like the active recruiting model and very few, if any, tactics and processes of the reserve component were adopted by the active members. A wedge started to form between the active and reserve members – for the most part your input was only credible if you came from the component your idea/input was for.

Are there issues that need to be addressed? Absolutely. My question is, with all the super educated people we have in the Navy, why do we have to go outside the service to evaluate processes?

We have the resources – most officers above the rank of LT have completed their masters degree and have experience in process improvement and I would bet we have sent and paid for members to learn the Six Sigma business improvement methodology the BearingPoint Inc. members will be using for this latest study commissioned by CNRC.

“It is always good to have outside eyes take a look.” Bull crap. Every command in the military operates under the philosophy of the commander who operates within mandated guidelines such as logistics, reporting and accountability processes. This study may change who reserve recruiters report to by reverting to what once was. The study will for a fact project cost savings over a certain period of time that of course will be applied to another study in 4 years.

Stop the cycle of madness!

Here is my proposal – Get a few of the projected 3,125 Navy Captains and one of the 218 Admirals (who will be recruited by these same companies and do these studies when they retire by the way) to spend a week or so doing an evaluation influenced by what Navy Recruiting staff wants in the first place and save a few million for the tax payer.

Do retirees get Benny Suggs?

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

After reading “The Commercial Appeal” here in Memphis today, I feel as I must make full disclosure before I continue – in a couple letters to the editor about this topic people felt compelled to tell the readers what race of human being they are…

So, not that it should matter, I am a 45 year old married father of three grown men who happens to have a lighter skin complexion because my ancestors lived further from the equator than some peoples and closer than others. I am registered Republican. I vote republican because I believe in smaller government, a strong military and strongly believe in people’s freedoms.

I am dismayed at the treatment Barack Obama is receiving in the media and on the street – yup, I said it. It is wrong.

Holding Senator Obama accountable for the words of another is wrong. Reverend Wright had every right to say what he said – I do think he is completely wrong, but he does have the right to say his peace. Senator Obama has said he also disagrees with the comments – that’s good enough for me and should be good enough for everyone. He has not demonstrated anything in his past that I’m aware of which leads me to believe he has credibility issues.

Think back in your past, heck, it could be your present; when you attended high school or college did you ever have a teacher that for whatever reason you thought was un-American, racist, dishonest, too liberal, too conservative or just plain creepy? Did you take everything the person said to heart and mold your life after it? I bet, in the end, you actually learned something from the individual (maybe how not to do something) – some of the best teachers I ever had were those I could not agree with on just about any level.

Also, shame on those attempting to play the name association game Obama – Osama. This is crap. How can you insinuate Senator Obama is Muslim and somehow evil then in the next breath be against the man because he spent the last 20 years attending the same United Church of Christ?

Should a candidate’s past come into question? Absolutely – As long as you are making your judgments based on the decisions made and actions taken during the circumstances in question. Senator Obama has been by all accounts an outstanding representative for the people of Illinois.

I am not endorsing Senator Obama for President – not that my endorsement would carry more than just my one vote – I am only asking that those of us with the greatest responsibility and privilege of voting for those who will lead us take it seriously. Peel back the rhetoric and fan away the smoke!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.