Navy CyberSpace Blog (2)

College, Better Late Than Never

September 27th, 2009

In 1980, as my graduation from high school approached, I needed to make a decision about what I was going to do for the rest of my life; what was going to be my life’s work? I had many options I could have pursued. Certainly, I wasn’t the best student in high school, but I was far from the worst. Throughout my teenage years, I heard time and time again that the only real path to success was through institutions of higher learning, but due to my hard-headedness and stubborn ways, it would be years in my future before the realization of a college education’s potential would become clear.

Funny thing, as most (Read the rest of the story…)

Navy Recruiting Medical Waiver Process

September 17th, 2009

Over the past couple of years, I have received a large number of emails asking me about the waiver process for medical issues. The Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) may have already permanently disqualified the individual, or is concerned they may have a condition which force them to endure the process and anxiety of the medical waiver.

First of all, the approval of a medical waiver is the responsibility of the Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC). The Admiral makes a decision with input from a qualified medical authority.

To dispel a myth, Navy Recruiting does not (Read the rest of the story…)

Happy Birthday Computer Bug!

September 9th, 2009

I bet you didn’t know that it was a Navy Lieutenant who first coined the phrase “bug” for a problem associated with a computer!

You see, LT Grace Murray Hopper, while serving on active duty, and working at Harvard University found a moth had embedded itself in a relay in the Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator (we are talking about some pretty old technology ).

The operators taped the moth to (Read the rest of the story…)

Navy 27 Ohio State 31

September 5th, 2009

Navy 27 – Ohio State 31

First off, thank you to the Ohio State fans who showed an enormous amount of class before, during, and after the game. It was an entertaining and exciting football game to watch. You Buckeyes displayed your pride in our country and armed forces with a grace not seen enough in this day and age. BZ!

Good to see Vice Admiral Fowler on the sidelines wearing a huge smile just after the 85 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for Navy. I, like him, thought the Midshipmen would pull off the upset!!

Navy may (Read the rest of the story…)

FY10 SRB Levels Announced

August 27th, 2009

As expected, the Navy Selective Re-enlistment Bonus program (SRB) seems to be making a comeback for 2010. NAVADMIN 250/09 states without surprise, “Contingent upon receipt of congressional defense appropriations for FY10 or enactment of a  continuing resolution authority, levels listed in para 4 below are effective as of 01 October 2009 and pre-certification requests will be accepted 35-120 days prior to the desired reenlistment date.” Congress needs to ensure they get the 2010 Defense Budget in front of the President for signature prior to the beginning of FY-2010. So far the defense budget has hit only a few snags but should be ready in plenty of time making a continuing resolution unnecessary (my fingers are crossed ).

Read the NAVADMIN in it’s entirety; (Read the rest of the story…)

VA 911GIBill Transfer Request Backlog

August 21st, 2009

Due to the overwhelming number of applicants for the transfer of Post 911 GI Bill benefits the VA has fallen a little behind in getting out the certificates of eligibility – per the below NAVADMIN a number of colleges/institutions have agreed to accept a copy of the approved TEB web page and a completed VA FORM 22-1990E until the actual certificate arrives. Read the NAVADMIN in its entirety; (Read the rest of the story…)

Navy Aircrewman Program

August 12th, 2009

Navy Aircrew Wings

The Aircrewman Program is a six-year enlistment program guaranteeing an initial flying assignment as a flight crewmember in fixed wing or helicopter aircraft and provides for training via various Class “A” Schools for a specific service rating within the Naval Aircrewman (AW) general rating. You will undergo some of the most demanding physical training offered by the military services in this program. You must volunteer for flying duty, be capable of passing a Class II swim test, and pass an aviation flight physical. You must be made aware (Read the rest of the story…)

DFAS Retired Pay Newsletter

August 8th, 2009

Today I received a newsletter from DFAS which discusses various issues about military retired pay. I have been retired for about 2 1/2 years and this is the first letter I can remember getting…

One section of it did catch my eye, retiree recall. The Army is ending their current program but basically how it works is if you retire before you have 30 years of active service you can be recalled up until your 30 year point. In the Navy we transfer to the Fleet Reserve until we are officially retired at our 30 year point. My example is I transferred to the Fleet Reserve December 31, 2006 with 26 years of creditable active service but (Read the rest of the story…)

FY 2010 CPO Selects

July 31st, 2009

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 (Read the rest of the story…)

Sobering Addition

July 26th, 2009

The Shades of Green has gone through a lot of upgrades over the years but none has caught my attention and made me pause like the latest addition around the pool. (Read the rest of the story…)