Please do not go to work, (Call in) if you have the symptoms related to Swine Flu, I.e Fever, General Malaise, Coughing, Sneezing, body aches, diarrhea, etc.  Do not and I repeat “DO NOT” bring it into the work place.  If your kids are sick, Keep them out of school, call the clinic or hospital and get advice from a professional.  Things you can do to prevent this and boost your immune system:

• Eat right, Fruits and vegetables

• Drink plenty of Fluids (Remember “H2O is best!)

• Get plenty of rest, if your tired, your immune system can be compromised.

• “WASH YOUR HANDS” remember 9 times out of 10 when someone contracts the flu it is from simple hand to mouth!

• If you cough or sneeze, do it into the “Crook” of your arm so as not to blow out to everyone or into your hands.  If you forget to wash your hands then shake with someone, you just passed it around.

Last but not least watch the local media.  Don’t go by drudge report or the wacko’s on the talkshows etc.. Get the straight skinny from the media (I.e  real news) and the CDC.

Here’s the article from NavyTimes.com

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The region’s naval medical hospitals and clinics are distributing more fliers and posters reminding military service members and their families about preventing the spread of the flu amid international concerns about “swine flu.”

California state health officials on Monday announced that four cases of swine flu have been confirmed in San Diego County, along with four other cases of the influenza A (H1N1) virus. As of Monday afternoon, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they have identified a total of 40 cases in five states.

Little information has been released about the people who have come down with swine flu or any possible military connection.

The swine flu “has been confirmed in a small number of people from the San Diego area. All persons had only a mild illness and are all doing well,” Navy officials said in a statement posted over the weekend on the local naval hospitals’ Web sites. “However, because there remains a risk of being exposed to this virus, there are things you can do to keep from getting sick and to prevent the spread of flu illnesses.”

Sonja Hanson, a spokeswoman for Naval Medical Center-San Diego, cited patient privacy and referred questions about the San Diego County cases to the CDC. Hanson said officials at the medical center, which includes Balboa Hospital, and other military health facilities in Southern California are asking people to heed precautions to prevent the spread of the flu. “We are promoting healthy preventative medicine techniques,” she added.

The U.S. Northern Command, in an advisory message issued Saturday, asked military hospitals and clinics to be on the lookout for potential swine flu cases and directed reviews of local pandemic influenza response plans and infection control practices.

Officials at the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital, which also oversees clinics at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., distributed more posters over the weekend noting steps people can take to guard themselves against the flu, including washing hands often and covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, said Douglas Allen, a hospital spokesman. “We’re putting them up at all of our clinics, at the hospital and around the base, generally just to remind people,” he said.

The San Diego and Camp Pendleton naval hospitals also established telephone hotlines for people to call for more information about the flu.

For more information, check out the CDC Website.

If you have any questions, email them to me here or in the forums. Think smart and take the precautions to protect you and your family.

Tricare

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Effective Jan. 1, 2009, TRICARE will reduce the rates for TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS). Monthly premiums for TRS individual coverage will drop 44 percent from $81 to $47.51, and TRS family coverage will drop 29 percent from $253 to $180.17.

The 2009 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), section 704, required TRICARE to analyze Reserve Select costs from 2006 and 2007, and set new rates for 2009.

“Now that TRS has been in place for several years, we were able to calculate premiums for 2009 from actual cost data obtained in earlier years,” said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director of TRICARE Management Activity. “It is important to provide high quality and affordable healthcare coverage for our National Guard and Reserve families.”

Established in 2005, TRS is a premium-based health plan for National Guard and Reserve personnel available for purchase by members of the Selected Reserve who are not eligible for or enrolled in Federal Employee Health Benefit plans.

TRS provides a health plan option to members of the Selected Reserve and their families when they are not on active duty status. The TRS plan delivers coverage similar to TRICARE Standard and Extra to eligible members who purchase the coverage and pay monthly premiums. TRS also features continuously open enrollment.

“It’s an excellent health care

option we are proud to offer,” Granger said.

Go have your entire unit deploy back to the United States after doing a 10 month deployment only to forget “YOU” over in IRAQ because your unit parted you out to another unit who needed a doc, but forgot to pick you up when it was time to leave.  Explain that to the MOM who is anxiously waiting at home.

Then, and only THEN vote on issues regarding taking some of our benefits away or paring them down.

Da-Chief

From NavyTimes

In a bullets-or-bonuses debate about financial pressures facing the Defense Department, service personnel chiefs ceded no ground to the competing needs for weapons modernization.

At a Nov. 17 forum sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America, the Army, Navy and Air Force personnel chiefs rejected the idea of a joint medical, legal and chaplain corps to save money on training and management, insist­ing on the continued need for ser­vice-specific training and duties.

And while they expressed a will­ingness to consider altering the military retirement system so that people don’t have to serve 20 years to earn some form of retire­ment benefit, they balked at the idea of doing so while the nation is at war.

“Let’s tread very carefully in this area while we are at war,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army’s personnel chief.

That could mean putting off change for some time. At the same forum, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs said he did not fore­see a quick end to conflict.

“The belief of the Joint Chiefs is, we are entering an era of persis­tent conflict,” said Marine Gen. James Cartwright, who warned of hot spots “broadly spread across the planet” that are “difficult to solve and move on.” On consolidating officers corps that appear to have common du­ties across the services, Lt. Gen. Richard Newton III, Air Force personnel chief, said he doesn’t see the need.

Rochelle and Vice Adm. Mark Ferguson, the chief of naval per­sonnel, agreed.

Cartwright described the issue facing the military as not just per­sonnel programs pitted against hardware, but a three-way bal­ancing act because of the contin­ued high operating costs of global deployments.

He did not talk about ways to cut personnel costs, but he said buying weapons systems that are adapt­able and have lesser support needs could reduce hardware and operat­ing costs. A prime example, he said, is unmanned aerial vehicles that can be used for a variety of missions, quickly adapted to new requirements and sent overseas with little or no ground support.

Ferguson said one reason that personnel costs are rising is that the military benefits package means the Defense Department now ranks among the top 50 em­ployers in the U.S.

Personnel costs are up 31 per­cent since 2001, he said.

Another panelist, Charles Abell, a former Pentagon person­nel chief who also served as staff director of the Senate Armed Ser­ vices Committee, has argued in the past about benefits being too generous, but he said the services cannot cut existing benefits, especially in wartime.

However, letting troops keep what they have does not mean giving them more. National eco­nomic problems could make re­cruiting and retention easier and reduce the need for new or ex­panded benefits, he said.

I will post the Ethos first and the message below.

USS Carl Vinson

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.

RAAUZYUW RUEWMCS0000 3102047-UUUU--RUCRNAD
ZNR UUUUU
R 052047Z NOV 08
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC
TO NAVADMIN
BT
UNCLAS//N05000//
NAVADMIN 318/08
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N00/NOV//
SUBJ/NAVY ETHOS//
GENTEXT/REMARKS//1.  IN THE 2007-2008 CNO GUIDANCE, I DIRECTED THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A NAVY ETHOS THAT WOULD REFLECT THE VALUES INTEGRAL TO
MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR ACTIVE AND RESERVE SAILORS AND NAVY
CIVILIANS, NO MATTER THE ASSIGNED UNIT, COMMAND, OR COMMUNITY.
2.  AFTER GATHERING INPUT ACROSS THE NAVY FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS,
THE NAVY ETHOS HAS BEEN APPROVED.  THE FINAL PRODUCT IS THE RESULT OF
COMMENTS FROM THOUSANDS OF ACTIVE AND RESERVE SAILORS AND NAVY
CIVILIANS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE ON THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND
VALUES THE NAVY EMPLOYS DAILY TO WIN WARS AND BUILD AND MAINTAIN
SECURITY AND STABILITY.
3.  AN ETHOS IDENTIFIES DISTINGUISHING CHARACTER, CULTURE, OR BELIEFS
OF A GROUP OR INSTITUTION.  NAVY ETHOS IS DESIGNED TO COMMUNICATE A SET
OF BELIEFS APPROPRIATE AND IMPORTANT TO THE MORE THAN 400,000 MILITARY
AND 180,000 CIVILIAN PERSONNEL WHO SHARE A COMMON BOND OF SERVICE IN
THE NAVY, REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND, PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, OR POSITION.
4.  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.
5.  RELEASED BY ADMIRAL G. ROUGHEAD, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS.//
BT
#0000
NNNN

I cannot believe the mess our elected officials as well as WALL Street have gotten us in. I don’t think the bill that was passed into Law on Friday will be enough, I believe there will have to be more done.

We just can’t blame them though either.

Were you one of the folks who went out and acquired a sub-prime loan to get the house of your dreams, which should be just that, kept in your dreams? Were you one of the ones who got that 1% interest for the first 4 or 5 years, but now the “MAN” is knocking on your door because the budget you setup for yourself and that Castle you now live in were setup for a 1% loan, which is now over 6% ??

I think folks should go after the crooked Bankers, Wall Street, as well as our politicians, but we should also look into the mirror, were we really the person that started that little snow ball down the hill, which is now some monster that will take the whole town out?

It used to amaze me when I had friends who to be honest, always had the newest new fangled gadgets, Cars, Bo-honkin huge ass’ed television etc, how did they pay for it? That 0 percent loan that stays that way for a few month but then gets jacked up, that went along with your ARM loan on your house etc.

So, as HMC-FMF-PJ has been stating in our Forums, over and over and over again, as well as myself, and 8404, it is really important that we live within our means.

It can not only affect your personal life, but can affect your MILITARY life as well, Orders, Security Clearances etc can be affected, I saw more then once folks who could not get orders due to the Debt Ratio being to high. We had folks who had to be sent to us to work, (YN’s) Who had lost their clearance due to Debt etc.

So Next time you see that loan offer that looks to “AWESOME” to be true, just say “NO” and save. My motto, and it has been my motto for the last 5 years, if I can’t buy it with my “DEBIT” Card, I don’t need it right now.

What do you think? Comment below.

Da-Chief

We went from Condition “ALPHA” to Condition “Delta” in a matter of 30 minutes..

The world changed for good after this….

What were you doing?? Leave a comment below..

Da-Chief

If this is what is going to happen, it is time to get our folks out of that god forsaken crap hole ASAP.  I don’t want any of our folks there if they cannot fire back or carry a weapon. From the AP, Read Below:

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s government is grateful to U.S.-allied Sunni fighters but won’t allow them to keep their weapons indefinitely, the prime minister said Saturday, hinting at a more intense crackdown on the Sunni groups.

In recent weeks, the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has gone after Sunni fighters despite their alliances with the Americans. Some leaders have been arrested, while scores of others have been disarmed and banned from manning checkpoints except alongside security forces.

Al-Maliki’s government has mixed feelings about Sunni tribes that rose up against al-Qaida in Iraq, starting in 2007, and joined the Americans in the fight against the terror network.

The groups, known as Awakening Councils, Sons of Iraq and Popular Committees, have helped rout al-Qaida in some parts of Iraq. But Shiite leaders fear the Sunnis’ switch of allegiance is just a tactic, and that they could one day turn their weapons against the Shiite majority.

The U.S., which put many of the Sunni fighters on its payroll, has urged al-Maliki to incorporate them into his security forces, but the government has been slow to do so.

In a speech to Shiite tribal leaders in Baghdad on Saturday, al-Maliki mixed praise for the Sunni fighters with a warning. He said armed groups, alongside security forces, were tolerated for a limited period because their weapons were “aimed at the chests of the terrorists.”

“So they (the Sunni fighters) deserve our gratitude and the inclusion (into the security forces) because we adhere to a policy that there are no arms but the arms of the government,” he said.

In other developments Saturday, a suicide bomber struck a car bazaar in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, killing at least five people and wounding at least seven others, according to the U.S. military and Iraqi police.

Among those killed was a senior member of a U.S.-allied Sunni group from nearby Diyala province, said Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir, a senior police official in Kirkuk. The bomber also was from Diyala, which has been an insurgent stronghold and is the site of ongoing U.S.-Iraqi military operations, Qadir said.

In the capital, gunmen killed an adviser to Iraqi Culture Minister Mahir al-Hadithi in a roadside ambush. A bodyguard was wounded in the attack along a main thoroughfare in eastern Baghdad, police and hospital officials said.

Two cars were involved in the killing of the adviser, Kamil Shiya, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. One vehicle blocked Shiya’s car and gunmen opened fire from the second vehicle.

Shiya’s death was confirmed by officials at nearby Kindi Hospital.

Something has to be done now. Leave a comment below what do you think?

Recruit Leadership

Don’t just stand back and watch!

The Navy needs good leaders at all levels. Even as a recruit you will
have the opportunity to step up and take a leadership role as a Recruit Petty Officer or other designated recruit job. Leadership is the practical application of the Navy’s Core Values. So put what you’ve learned to work. You will be challenged, but your hard work will not go unnoticed.

Recruit Petty Officers (RPOs) are given their authority from the Commanding Officer through the chain of command. They are appointed by the Recruit Division Commanders (RDCs) and have the authority and responsibility in the division to preserve good order, discipline, and security. RPOs are seen as leaders and wear collar devices signifying their place in the recruit chain of command.

Recruit Chief Petty Officer (RCPO) The RCPO is the primary recruit assistant to RDCs and is responsible for:
1. Maintaining good order, discipline, and security within the division at all times.
2. Ensuring compliance with standing orders and regulations.
3. Assisting RDCs with implementation of schedules.
4. Reporting any abnorrnal condition to RDCs, including violations of good order, discipline and security, when RDCs are not present.

Recruit Leading Petty Officer (RLPO) (RPO1)
The RLPO is responsible to the RCPO and RDCs for:
1. Assisting the RCPO.
2. Ensuring compliance with standing orders and regulations.
3. Assuming duties as RCPO when required.

Recruit Master-at-Arms (RMAA) (RPO1)
The Recruit Master-At-Arms is responsible to the RCPO and RDC’s for:
1. Configuration and cleanliness of division spaces.
2. Procurement, proper stowage and use of all cleaning required by the division.
3. Supervision of the division in the absence of RDC’s, RCPO or RLPO.

Port and Starboard Watch Section Leaders (PWSL/SWSL) (RPO1)
The Port/Starboard Watch Section Leaders are the senior Recruit Petty Officers for respective watch sections.
1. The Starboard Watch Section Leader (SWSL) shall serve as the division’s watch bill coordinator. Watch bills will be prepared and subsequently submitted to the RDCs via the RCPO.
2. The Port Watch Section Leader (PWSL) shall coordinate the rotation of the ship watch standers with the RDCs.

Recruit Yeoman (YN) (RPO1)
The Recruit YN is responsible to RDCs for:
1. Performing general clerical duties in the division and assisting RDCs with preparation and maintenance of divisional reports, records, class attendance rosters, mail pick-up and distribution.
2. Coordinating with the Medical YN, Education Petty Officer, Athletic Petty Officer and Religious Petty Officer to ensure compliance with special schedule events.
3. Attending the Mail Orderly, Medical/Dental, BMO/Testing and Physical Fitness Testing briefings.

Recruit Medical Yeoman (MYN) (RP02)
The MYN is responsible to RDCs for:
1. Assisting the RDCs in preparing and maintaining recruit medical documentation.
2. Coordinating appointments with the Medical Liaison.
3. Tracking the status of all special physicals.
4. Attending the medical/dental brief.

Recruit Dental Yeoman (DYN) (RPO2)
The DYN is responsible to RDCs for:
1. Assisting the RDCs in preparing and maintaining recruit dental documentation.
2. Coordinating appointments with the Dental Liaison.
3. Tracking the status of all special physicals.
4. Attending the medical/dental brief.

Recruit Section Leaders (SL) (RPO2)
Section Leaders are responsible to the respective Watch Section Leader for:
1. Supervise and assisting the recruits in respective sections.
2. Monitoring personal cleanliness, military appearance, clothing care and watch standing for recruits assigned to respective sections.

Division Laundry Petty Officer (LPO) (RPO2)
The LPO is responsible to the RMAA and RDCs for executing proper laundry handling procedures. The LPO is also responsible for maintaining the Cash box and division expense log.

Recruit Education Petty Officer (EPO) (RPO2)
The EPO is responsible for assisting RDCs in administering and mustering night study and mandatory night study classes. The EPO will attend a BMO/Testing brief.

Recruit Athletic Petty Officer (APO) (RPO3)
The Recruit Athletic Petty Officer is responsible to RDCs for:
1. Assisting RDCs with Physical Readiness Training.
2. Providing non-participation or substandard performance documentation to the MYN.
3. Attending a Physical Fitness Testing brief.

Recruit Religious Petty Officers (RPO) (RPO3)
There will be at least a Catholic and Protestant RPO appointed for each division. If a division has three or more recruits of the same religion, a religious petty officer shall be appointed to represent that faith. RPOs are responsible for:
1. Ensuring all recruits who desire to pray are afforded such an opportunity at tattoo
2. Attend mandatory meetings at the Chaplain’s Office Thursdays at 1900 commencing on the first Thursday following 1-2 DOT and continuing until graduation, with the exception of FAST Cruise and Recruit Reception Night.
3. Report to the chapel each Sunday 30 rninutes prior to the scheduled service to serve as a chapel assist or usher.
4. Ensure all personnel desiring to attend divine worship services are aware of location and time of services.

Recruit Mail Petty Officers (MPO) (RP03)
The MPO is responsible for pick-up and delivery of all mail. Designation as MPO includes special qualifications at mail orderly orientation and custody of a mail orderly card.

Recruit Damage Control Petty Officer (DCPO) (RP03)
The DCPO is responsible to the RMAA for:
1. Correcting any fire hazards.
2. Maintaining division fire extinguishers, to include proper location and working order.
3. Assisting RDCs with minor repair and general maintenance of the compartment.
4. Documenting any material discrepancies on the MDCOL that cannot be corrected.

Source: http://www1.netc.navy.mil/nstc/rtcgl/recruits/rpo.html

Recruit Training Command, RTC information.