Coming Soon, Educational Tier Tweeners
November 23rd, 2011
The current rendition of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 that hit the full Senate for consideration this past Friday contains some language that should make a whole lot of people thinking about a future in the military, happy. If passed as written, expect a lot of currently evaluated Tier II schools to be treated as Tier I.
According to SEC. 526, equal treatment will be given for individuals who graduate from a legally operating secondary school. I would think that would encompass state recognized charter schools, Home School, and other schools that don’t fit the old idea of a regular traditional public high school. It should take away the requirement for a 50QT minimum for Home School graduates. Gone should be the days when a recruiter would need to advise an applicant who graduated a non-traditional, state approved high school that their diploma wasn’t enough, and that they needed to go to college and obtain at least 15 college credits.
Well, hopefully.
As with just about all laws that are written, there are loopholes. Competing interests get involved, and those in congress try and make everybody as happy as they can be – a little give and take, as it were. This section mandates “Equal treatment“, (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (0)
Designer Drugs Will End Your Career
November 17th, 2011
The Navy’s drug abuse policy is crystal clear – zero tolerance. Sailors that unlawfully use, possess, promote, manufacture, or distribute drugs and/or drug paraphernalia shall be disciplined, as appropriate, and kicked to the curb; normally, with loss of all benefits, including the GI Bill and other Veteran’s Administration benefits. No second chances. No waivers.
The Navy’s policy includes the use/misuse, possession, promotion of all substances recognized as illegal by the federal government and the controlled substance analogues (synthetic/designer drugs), natural substances (e.g., fungi, excretions), chemicals (e.g., chemicals wrongfully used as inhalants), propellants and/or prescribed or over-the-counter drugs or pharmaceutical compound with the intent to induce intoxication, excitement, or stupefaction of the central nervous system – Products that contain synthetic cannabinoid compounds, such as Spice, Genie, Blaze, Dream, Ex-Ses, Spark, Fusion, Dark Knight, Yukatan Fire, and K2. Natural substances such as salvia divinorum and mushrooms. Common items abused by inhaling or huffing, such as dust off, glue, paint thinner and gasoline. Over-the-counter products such as Robitussin and Coricidin HBP.
If you are thinking about joining the Navy, you must understand that this is not a joke – think about it, if you get kicked out for drugs, more than likely your parents won’t want you living in their house (make sure you ask before you join, “hey, Mom and Dad, if I get kicked out of the military for drugs, can I have my old room back? I suggest you stand at more than arms length when you ask), employers won’t hire you, and you won’t even get an unemployment check – your best hope is that somebody left a semi-intact refrigerator box (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (0)
Cooking with the Troops
November 11th, 2011
Food, according to Funk and Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary, is “that which is eaten, drunk, or absorbed by an organism for maintenance of life and the growth and repair of tissues.”
The timing, delivery and atmosphere in which the food is delivered can go a long way toward increasing its benefits.
The military provides the sustenance to live. Whether it delivered as an MRE, box lunch or a full course chow hall meal, our Servicemembers are gonna eat, but when those meals are provided, they are part of the routine; part of the same ol’ grind.
I, like just about everybody else, looked forward to extracurricular events that would help break up the routine; especially those events that included food. Ah, nothing quite like a good Steel Beach picnic to boost the morale!
It is with that little bit of background I would like to introduce you to an organization that makes it their mission to break up the routine and provide an extra boost (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (0)
Private Sector W&S at 1.7%
October 28th, 2011
Today, the United States Employment Cost Index (ECI) was released; whereas this is a normal quarterly event, this quarter’s result is the one of most importance to the members of our military. It is the quarterly release that presidents have used to make a proposal for the military pay increases for over a decade in order to ensure our military member’s compensation keeps pace with that of the private sector. Specifically, the private industry worker’s wage and salary series of the ECI. This year’s increase is a reported, 1.7% for the 12 month period ending September 2011.
Expect President Obama to announce a military pay raise of 1.7% sometime in February 2012 as part of his budget proposal for FY-2013.
Well, that is the way in normally works, (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (0)
Four More Ratings Now Require an Extension
October 21st, 2011
When joining the Navy, you enlist with an eight year obligation; normally, four years are a required active duty stint and the remaining four is in the Individual Ready Reserve, but there are other enlistment terms that reflect a five and even six year active duty obligation.
When the active duty obligation is greater than the normal four years, it is usually due to the school length of the program you are enlisting for.
Now, four additional ratings, (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (0)
Yet Another Commission?
October 15th, 2011
Congress has a difficult task – cut spending to get our financial house in order, introduce programs and decrease regulation in the support of job creation, all while keeping an eye on the 2012 elections. Everybody in congress seems to have varying opinions about how they should move forward, except when it comes to defense spending, but both sides of the isle know defense will feel the axe – just how much and what programs.
The only thing that seems sure in the defense bill is the pay raise for 2012. No proposals have been put forward that would change the 1.6 percent that was submitted by President Obama back in February, as a matter of fact, congressional leaders have voiced their support for it when they returned from their most recent recess.
Whereas Tricare changes won’t affect those currently on active duty, Retirees might not be so lucky. (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (0)
The Voelker Rule
October 14th, 2011
The Voelker Rule (not to be confused with the similarly pronounced Volcker Rule that would place restrictions on some of the ways banks do business) is a holiday stand-down period first initiated in December 2000 by the, Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC), RADM Voelker.
Prior to the Voelker Rule, Navy Recruiting Command’s December “mission day” fell on the last workday of the calender month; many times, recruiters would be making phone calls, prospecting for applicants on Christmas Eve, and even work late mission nights on New Years Eve – Future Sailors would ship to boot-camp during those same weeks. Recruiting, for a shore tour, is difficult duty – maintaining the pressures of a never ending goal 365 days a year, every year of a tour can take a toll.
The Voelker Rule helps mitigate some of those pressures.
CNRC has authorized a holiday leave period for recruiting activities (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (0)
USS Cole
October 12th, 2011
Today, pause for a moment in memory of the 17 Sailors lost during the October 12, 2000, terrorist attack on USS Cole(DDG-67) in Aden, Yemen.
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. (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (2)
FY-2011, A Record Setting Year
October 6th, 2011
Each year, congress mandates the number of Sailors that are allowed to be serving in the Navy. In a nut shell, the changes in mission requirements, Fleet retention, and that mandated end-strength number for 2011 ultimately drove the number of billets available for Navy Recruiting Command to fill for each of the Navy’s ratings in the last fiscal year.
Navy Recruiting Command’s active duty accession mission for FY-2011 was 33,400.
For the first year in the history of Navy Recruiting Command while attaining it’s mission, the percentage enlisted in the upper-mental group category was an astounding (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (1)
New Experience
September 13th, 2011
Just bought the tickets, there is no turning back now. On October 15, my wife and I will have the pleasure of seeing our first stage performance at the Orpheum Theatre, a touring professional theatre, located in Memphis.
The play is called Memphis, and it is a musical. At least it’s rock ‘n’ roll.
According to the Orpheum Web site, Memphis the Musical, a Tony Award winning musical, takes place in the underground dance clubs of Memphis during the 1950s, a time when the segregation of race was the norm and rock ‘n’ roll was just taking root. A thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love that was inspired by actual events, Memphis the Musical is about a white male radio disk jockey who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break.
Why are we going? I am taking Theatre (Read the rest of the article…)
Read Comments (2)
« Previous Page — Next Page »
