Navy CyberSpace Blog (3)

CNRC 2009 Holiday Standdown

December 1st, 2009

Thinking about joining the Navy? This news may just interest you: Commander, Navy Recruiting Command’s (CNRC) annual holiday stand-down of applicant processing will start the close of business December 18, 2009. Processing of Navy applicants will not recommence until January 3, 2010. Processing includes, applicant physicals and waiver processing (medical and moral). However, waivers submitted prior to the commencement of the stand-down WILL be processed, but, if approved, the applicant will not be able to go to the local Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) and join the Navy until Jan. 3, 2010 at the earliest. The computer system that handles Navy jobs and boot-camp assignment will also be shut down – this means there will be no new accessions, changes in Delayed Entry Program (DEP) status, nor will requests for changes/modifications in job guarantees be accomplished. And finally, nobody will be leaving for boot-camp during the stand-down. Per CNRC Notice

Holiday stand-downs have been part of CNRC’s operating procedure since (Read the rest of the story…)

Driveway of Doom

November 24th, 2009

I had put my car in park, leaned back in my seat, and finished listening to Dream Weaver on the radio before I had to take the long walk up our steep driveway to the house. My sports car wasn’t able to make it up the steep incline due to how low it was to the ground, making it necessary to park at the foot of the driveway. My wife had an SUV, and of course she didn’t have much of an issue, rarely did she have to practice her mountaineering skills. Every time I exited my car, I’d look up the drive way and wonder what the original owners must have been drinking to build a house on the side of a cliff; then, I would realize I must have been drinking the same concoction when I signed the lease. Anyway, we were moving from Arizona to Massachusetts in late summer and we failed to fully consider the hill with snow and ice on it. My daily commute to and from work, carrying the groceries to the house, and just trying to do nice things for our children were made much more difficult because we rented the house on the hill.

Serving in the Navy, I wore a uniform and a pair of hard soled, patent leather shoes to work. The shoes were ok for walking around office spaces, but didn’t offer much traction (Read the rest of the story…)

Launch or Dinner?

November 16th, 2009

Contemplating our own death is something we humans do, we wonder how our life will come to an end. Some would argue that religion and the thought of an after-life were created only to ease our fear of the inevitable. We all hope for a peaceful, painless demise, perhaps to slip away while in a deep sleep without any indication of its coming. But, lets face it; most of us will feel the breath of the grim reaper just before our passing, and it will terrify us. If we find the breath to have been just a warning and the end didn’t come as expected, we claim some earthly luck or divine providence, and in our future we heed the warning by not repeating the action that put us so close to becoming worm food in the first place. However, today, we won’t be afforded the luxury of surviving death; today we will die. You see, regrettably, (Read the rest of the story…)

Veterans Day 2009

November 10th, 2009

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. To help commemorate the day I suggest that you start your two minutes of silence at 1100 (time that major hostilities of World War I were formally ended on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918) that you donate to the Soldier’s Angels Project Valour-IT campaign. 100% of your donation to Project Valour-IT will be used to purchase laptops and other technology that will support recovery, provide independence, and freedom to our wounded Warriors.

H/t SJS
Your gift will leverage technology to help those who sacrificed so much, assisting them in living a better life. (Read the rest of the story…)

Broadside for Valour-IT!

November 3rd, 2009

HA! You have to love Navy Recruiting cartoons done in good taste by famous cartoonists! Jeff Bacon, author of the Broadside cartoons, published his latest work to help support the Valour-IT fund raising campaign. Gahh, enough with me talking, read the comic strip!

(Read the rest of the story…)

The Valour-IT Auction

November 1st, 2009

Last night you gave out about $30 worth of candy to a bunch of little kids – how about today you pledge at least that like amount to our wounded warriors? Either use the widget in the sidebar or go to this very special E-Bay auction where you can bid on everything from autographed baseballs to beautiful lithographs, all profits will go to our wounded warriors via Project Valour-IT! Here is the link! (Read the rest of the story…)

Employment Cost Index

October 30th, 2009

Today, the latest Employment Cost Index (ECI) percentages were released. What makes today’s release important is that it is the figure used to determine the military pay proposal for the 2011 defense budget. As you may be aware, last years figure was 2.9% – the figure used by President Obama for his proposal to congress (congress subsequently added .5% (to 3.4%) which was signed into law 28 October). This years figure is 1.5% – the question will be, will congress again add an additional .5% or will congress, in the coming election year, state the military pay and allowances are now in balance with the private sector? Time will tell. I do find election years much more entertaining

Now, look over to the sidebar, and take a look at the thermometer widget for Valour-IT (Team Navy), click on it and give what you can. Veteran’s Day is just around the corner, your gift will go to veterans in need. If you require more motivation than it being a righteous cause, (Read the rest of the story…)

2009 Project Valour-IT

October 26th, 2009

And it begins! Once again, Team Navy is helping raise funds for Project Valour-IT. As you may know, on March 9, 2009, Bonnie and I put a couple of thousand dollars into some stocks with the idea of donating, in the name of #TeamNavy, 10% of any money made or $100 whichever was greater on the last day of the drive – November 11, 2009.

The fund started with $2215.62, and to date it is up to $3513.66 – so far we are up to $129.80! You can (Read the rest of the story…)

911GIBill What Ifs

October 20th, 2009

I received a letter from the VA today which described each of the payments that were deposited a few days ago for my Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit. One of the pages described some “what ifs” concerning any changes in my enrollment.

Grades You Receive
VA can’t pay benefits for courses that don’t count toward your graduation requirements. If your school reports that you received a grade that doesn’t count toward your graduation, you may have to repay all benefits VA paid for the course. Here are some examples: (Read the rest of the story…)

My Favorite Holiday

October 13th, 2009

July 4, 1983, I was awakened from a deep sleep by the deafening sound of someone dropping, then dragging, a large steal chain across the deck just above my head. It was a normal occurrence, and due to its timeliness, was proving to be quite a good alarm clock. The day was starting just like every other day, continuous hum of machinery, the smell of jet fuel, and the gentle rocking to port and starboard that I had become so accustomed. Those things were now becoming barely noticeable – you can acclimate to just about anything. You see, I was deployed aboard the USS Forrestal, a United States Navy aircraft carrier, 81,000 tons of steel crafted into one of the most powerful devices of war mankind had ever developed. It was my thirtieth day of, what happened to be, my first Mediterranean cruise, and it was that particular day which would cement my understanding of what it is to be an American.

At about noon, the ship stopped all engines (Read the rest of the story…)