Independence Day Memories
July 4th, 2008
It was a very hot summer day and the only things making the heat bearable was the smell of freshly grilled steak, a freshly grilled steak smell has many medicinal properties I won’t get into for now, and the fact that is was our first “day off” in quite a while. You see we, the USS Forrestal and battle group, have been deployed from our home ports for going on 30 days and we were in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and I was experiencing my first “Steal Beach Picnic”.
The picnic was an event that would make any outdoor party fanatic proud - there were grills (Read the rest of the story…)
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USS Cole Mastermind Charged
June 30th, 2008
Apparently the prosecutors now feel they have enough evidence to move forward, as the story reads Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri has been charged with 8 counts, five of which could bring the death penalty for his alleged actions in the terror attack on the USS Cole. Holding true to my belief in justice, if he is in fact guilty they need to marinade with lethal injection juice and then fry his ass until crispy. (Read the rest of the story…)
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What to Bring to Navy Boot Camp
June 30th, 2008
Because storage space is extremely limited at Recruit Training Command (RTC), you should limit the amount of personal effects you bring, and keep luggage to a maximum of one small gym or travel bag. If your reporting to RTC during winter months (October through April) wear warm outer clothing - it does get cold near the lake! Keep in mind that during your in-processing you will be required to mail any item not listed below, with your excess civilian clothing and personal effects, to your home at your own expense or donate the stuff to charity. Personal items and clothing won’t be allowed to be stored at RTC.
Here is a list of stuff you can bring to Navy boot camp: (Read the rest of the story…)
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My First Trans-Atlantic Flight
June 27th, 2008
Twenty years ago this month I commenced a set of orders that would take me to the land of fire and ice. We lived in Iceland for two and a half years, I have tons of stories to tell about our adventures while there but this isn’t going to be one of them. What I am going to share during this post is how really small the world can be. How you really never know…
Before I selected the orders to Iceland I was actually given a few choices but I was looking for an opportunity to live overseas. That narrowed things down a bit to the Embassy in Seoul, Korea or an island I only heard stories about. At the time in 1988 there was rioting in Seoul over the coming Olympic games - the stuff seemed to be on the news every night. For that reason and also the fact that a transfer to Keflavik, Iceland included a school which was located in Latina, Italy. The school was for NATO’s version of SATCOM - yup, I got to work on state of the art, 46 foot in diameter antenna, satellite ground terminal equipment - God, I love the Navy! Anyway, (Read the rest of the story…)
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Physical Preparation For Boot Camp
June 21st, 2008
I know I recently posted about ensuring your within the ht/wt or body fat standards but every day across the nation a number of people are tipping the scales beyond their max weight and missing the mark when it comes to the body fat measurement. Some are not successfully passing the appropriate fitness assessment (IFA, PST) requirements. Please understand if you fail to pass the appropriate physical assessment or fail to make weight/body fat you will be re-classified or not be shipped to Recruit Training Command (RTC) by way of a discharge.
So, let me be clear, before you head off to boot camp you must be physically prepared for the rigors recruit training will offer. Too much training time is lost because prospective Sailors arrive at RTC without the minimum level of strength and endurance. The answer is a conscientious pursuit of Initial Fitness Assessment (IFA) standards and successful completion of this test prior to leaving for RTC. Placing a greater emphasis on this program will (Read the rest of the story…)
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Price of Recruiting Just Went Up
June 19th, 2008
Back in 2004 Navy Recruiting Command commissioned a couple of studies. LMI to take a look at overall effectiveness of recruiting commands structure and an RCI study to evaluate the effectiveness of headquarter operations.
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 (Read the rest of the story…)
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MEPS Prescribed Weight Reduction or Gain
June 15th, 2008
When some applicants go to the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) the biggest concern will be passing the height and weight or body fat measurement.
What happens If an applicant goes to MEPS and doesn’t meet the criteria set forth in the Navy height and weight chart and subsequent instruction? The instructions for what happens is not controlled by the Navy - it is actually USMEPCOM Regulation 40-1. You will note that the regulation states that an applicant must wait 4 days (Read the rest of the story…)
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GI Bill Draws a Deafening Silence
June 12th, 2008
OK, I am a little confused.
I am all for a new GI Bill that pays for the college tuition of anyone who serves their country honorably for at least 4 years. I admit I have to wonder how we are going to pay for such a plan but am excited about it none the less.
My confusion comes from deafening silence from the liberals who have been yelling from the mountain tops for as long as I can remember, “How dare you (Read the rest of the story…)
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Assistant Manager Man
June 12th, 2008
Join Plurk! Don’t ask what it is, just do it!
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Military Moves
June 9th, 2008
Bonnie and I have made our fair share of military moves. We have lived overseas and all over the United States from Boston to Panama City - Phoenix to Philly. Each time we moved we left it up to the contractors the household goods people sent to the house to pack our things. Our moves gradually became larger as we started collecting more and more stuff and thank goodness our weight allowance kept pace - we could ship up to 15,000 pounds during our last move and almost hit that number even though we would also pack our car so full you couldn’t see out the back windows.
A few homesteads ago, I think it was when we lived in Georgia but the wife seems to think Jackson, MS, we picked up this plant. Where we got him really doesn’t matter but his life story does. It is an amazing tale of hardship, neglect, perseverance and wonder. (Read the rest of the story…)
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