Naval Reserve Association

From the EditorWe were all saddened by the loss of CAPT John Rice in February. I didn’tknow John well, but it only took a few visits to understand that he was anicon of this Association. For those of you who have not been to Headquarters,a bronze relief of him and his beloved Claire hangs on the wall outside myoffice. Sometime each day, I pass through the library that he created for allof you. It was truly a labor of love for John right up until the time that hishealth would no longer allow him to visit Alexandria. He will truly be missed. Please see hisremembrance on page 7. Rest in peace, shipmate.This month, we have the first column from CDR Matt Dubois, our National VP for Active DutyPrograms. Matt works in that glorious five-sided building in OSD Reserve Affairs and is a goodsource of information for our FTS membership. It was pointed out to me some time ago that, atleast in this publication, we haven’t provided much for the FTS. Matt is going to change that. Hiscolumn won’t appear every month, frankly because he is pretty busy; but he will endeavor to keepall of us apprised of the FTS programs. His column appears on page 22.Our guest columnist this month is Dr. Christine Wormuth, a Senior Fellow at the Center forStrategic and International Studies in Washington. She was the principal of a Center study on TheFuture of the National Guard and Reserves. Christine will be addressing our conference this monthon Friday morning. CSIS was founded at Georgetown University in 1962 by Admiral ArleighBurke. It is a private, tax exempt organization led today by John Hamre, former Deputy Secretaryof Defense.The second “Seascape” article is our feature this month. It is my hope that you find it balancedand that you take away from it an understanding that the Navy needs our support to acquire theships of tomorrow. It is going to be a tough slog in Congress. The second take away is the shapeof tomorrow’s Navy Reserve and the issues surrounding the sustainability of the operationalreserve. Let us know what you think.On the legislative front, I attended the press conference in Atlanta where Senator SaxbyChambliss announced S. 648, the National Guard and Reserve Retirement Modernization Act. Thisbill is similar to the amendments that he introduced over the last two years and represents our bestchance to get progress on earlier than age 60 Reserve retirement. We are also strong supporters ofH.R. 579, the Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act, which would remove the Pentagon’sauthority over TRICARE fees. Last month, I visited with Congressman Snyder (D-AR) about theMontgomery GI Bill. We have his support for moving the funding for the Reserve portion of MGIBfrom Title 10 (the Pentagon) to Title 38, Veterans Affairs, where active duty MGIB benefitsreside. The bill also increases portability for Reservists and would really benefit our enlisted folks.Check out CAPT Puzon’s details on page 9.You know, one of the interesting things about a democracy or a democratic republic is that youthe individual don’t actually have to do anything. On the other hand, that isn’t the way that we Navyfolks operate. From junior petty officer to admiral, we have been taught to take charge and makesomething happen. Why then do we expect someone else to preserve our medical benefits, fixredeployment problems, improve our retirement? I know that it is a pain to think about sending ane-mail or a letter to Congress. During the next year, we are going to make it easier for you to dothat. We are going to do that because it is essential that you help to ensure your future. It isn’tautomatic! How many of you think that Social Security, as promised, might not be delivered? Why,then, are you so sure that your military benefits will be delivered? Your medical benefits are underattack now by DoD in order to pay for the war. Don’t wait for Congress to have to decide betweenveteran’s benefits and Social Security.As always, enjoy the read.Naval ReserveAssociationNEWS1619 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314Tel: 703-548-5800 • Fax: 703-683-3647Toll Free Voice: 1-866-NRA-4-YOU (672-4968)Toll Free Fax: 1-866-683-3647E-mail: nranews@navy-reserve.orgHome Page: www.navy-reserve.orgEDITORIALEditor: RADM Casey W. Coane, USN (Ret)Associate Editor: CAPT Thomas L. McAtee, USNR (Ret)Assistant EditorGRAPHICS/PRODUCTIONLinda BautistaADVERTISINGBob LymanSUBMISSIONSLetters to the Editor are encouraged. They may beedited for length, style, and clarity. Mail to Lettersto the Editor at NRA NEWS, or e-mail toexec@navy-reserve.org. Include your name,address, and daytime phone number forverification. Name may be withheld upon request.Articles – For guidelines on article submission,call or write NRA Headquarters, or E-mailnranews@navy-reserve.org.SUBSCRIPTIONSNRA NEWS is part of membership in the Association.To join, renew your membership, or to report addresschanges, call or write NRA Headquarters, or E-mailmembership@navy-reserve.org.Warm regards,Casey CoaneNational Executive Director4 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

NATIONAL OFFICERSPresident’s MessagePOTPOURRINATIONAL PRESIDENTCDR Joseph Quaglino, Jr., USN (Ret)E-mail: president@navy-reserve.orgNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VPCDR Gary Barron, USNE-mail: barron@ca.rr.comNATIONAL VP-SURFACE RESERVE PROGRAMSCAPT Robert Stickney, USNE-mail: rwstickney@yahoo.comNATIONAL VP-AIR RESERVE PROGRAMSCAPT Douglas H. McDonald, SC, USN (Ret)E-mail: dmcdon8791@yahoo.comNATIONAL VP-BUDGET & FINANCECAPT Stu Colby, USNR (Ret)E-mail: glendalefingrp@aol.comNATIONAL VP-LEGISLATION & EDUCATIONLT Marc J. Soss, SC, USNE-mail: smsoss@aol.comNATIONAL VP-MEMBERSHIPRADM Richard E. Young, USN (Ret)E-mail: dickyoung@4dv.netNATIONAL VP-MEMBER SERVICESCDR Marian Cioe, NC, USNE-mail: cioemar@aol.comNATIONAL VP-PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTCAPT Larry Weill, USNE-mail: captweill@aol.comNATIONAL VP-ACTIVE DUTY PROGRAMSCDR Matthew P. Dubois, USNE-mail: mattdubois@earthlink.netNATIONAL VP-PUBLIC RELATIONSCAPT Michael G. Berry, SC, USNE-mail: mic_ber@msn.comNATIONAL VP-LEGAL AFFAIRSCAPT Christopher Morgan, JAGC, USNR (Ret)E-mail: jagcaptsix@hotmail.comNATIONAL VP-HEALTH PROGRAMSCAPT Susan Labhard, NC, USNE-mail: susan@labhard.comNATIONAL VP-RETIRED PERSONNELLCDR Joseph Golding, USNR (Ret)E-mail: goldingjs@comcast.netNATIONAL VP-JUNIOR OFFICERSLT Steven Michaels, USNE-mail: ensignsting@yahoo.comNATIONAL TREASURERCAPT Bill Loockerman, USN (Ret)E-mail: wloockerman@aol.comNATIONAL CHAPLAINCAPT Horace Hamm, CHC, USNR (Ret)E-mail: hhamm@worldnet.att.netNATIONAL HISTORIANCAPT John Rice, Jr., USNR (Ret)Tel. & Fax: 504-305-5176NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARIANCDR Willard Stubbs, USNE-mail: willstubbs@cox.netSecretary Thomas F. Hall (left) and VADM John G. Cotton (right) atthe wreath laying ceremony of the Navy Reserve Birthday 2007On Saturday, 3 March 2007, Irepresented the Associationat the Navy Reserve 92 ndbirthday celebration atthe Navy Memorial. Chiefof Navy Reserve, VADMCotton, hosted the formal program; andcomments were delivered by the HonorableDonald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy, andthe Honorable Thomas F. Hall, AssistantSecretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.This was followed by the wreath laying,various ceremonial activities recognizingpersonnel accomplishments, and VADMCotton’s town hall meeting. It was a verymemorable occasion.During my stay at Headquarters, theFinance Oversight Committee met to reviewwhere we have been and where we are going.We received good marks from our auditors;and our investments are doing well. Wereceived presentations from local developersto bring us up to date on the local real estatemarket and property developments in the area.This is of value to us for financial planning inthe out years. The Committee then spent a greatdeal of time working on the fiscal year 2008budget. The results will be presented to thedelegates at our Spring National Conference.Speaking of the National Conference, therewill be a number of issues regarding ourfuture Association direction to be discussedand voted upon. As I have mentioned manytimes, increased membership is our numberone goal. We have developed new membershiprecruiting materials, and RADM Young willbe briefing the delegates on his membershipactivities. As many of you might have noticed,our newly designed Web site is up andrunning! I would like to commend CAPT ArtSchultz for his tireless efforts in making thishappen. The Web site is a very important toolin attracting younger members, and can alsobe developed into a revenue stream. We mustcontinue to look for change in the way we dobusiness to remain relevant to the currentenvironment.In closing, it is with great sorrow that Ireport the passing of a prominent Associationmember, and my friend and mentor, CAPTJohn Rice. Since the early 70’s, John has beena leader with forward thinking, a developer ofyounger members, and a historian. I directyour attention to an “In Memoriam” articlelater in this publication. I had the honor ofrepresenting our Association at John’s funeralservices on 8 March 2007, and met with someof his friends and relatives. There will be amemorial service at our Spring NationalConference on Saturday, 28 April 2007, at0900.Hoping to see many of you at the NRASpring Conference; Sheraton Crystal City;Washington, DC; 26 -28 April 2007.Joseph Quaglino, Jr.National President6 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

In Memory of CAPT John C. Rice, Jr., USNR (Ret)Association Icon & Mentor PassesOn the eighth of March, a funeral Mass forCaptain John C. Rice, Jr., USNR (Ret), washeld in New Orleans at St. Pius X CatholicChurch. That somber occasion, attended by ourPresident Joe Quaglino and a number of you,marked the end of an era for the Associationbut, most surely, not the end of a vision.John Charles Rice, Jr., was born in New Orleans in 1929, andhe didn’t leave until God called him to another home. His collegeyears found him at St. Joseph Seminary in Louisiana and later atLoyola University, New Orleans, for Bachelor and Master’sdegrees in Education. He enlisted in the Navy in August of 1952after completing his Bachelor’s degree and was commissionedfrom OCS in February of 1953. After three years active duty,John returned to the civilian world but remained a Reservist.During those SELRES years, John served in many units, thenames of which today’s junior officers wouldn’t recognize, andheld command at least twice that we know. His military careerconcluded at the rank of captain in 1981. Among numerousmilitary assignments, John also served as the 27 th CommanderGeneral of the Naval Order of the United States and proudlyserved as a Naval Academy Blue & Gold Program coordinator forfifteen years.In the civilian world, his career as an educator began at theJesuit High School of New Orleans. There he served as Chairmanof the French Department as well as teaching History and English.In 1970, John became employed by the Archdiocese of NewOrleans, first as Assistant Superintendent, and later as AssociateSuperintendent for Government Programs. In 1978, he assumedsimilar responsibilities for each of the six Catholic Dioceses inthe State of Louisiana. He continued to work for the Diocesesuntil his retirement. As is typical of his generation, John was amember of many civic groups in New Orleans, including theCatholic Charities Guild; Knights of Columbus; the St. TammanyTheater Players; and Roma Club, a Mardi Gras crew.That is the John Rice that most of us did not know. CaptainRice, however, was well known to many of our Association. AsCAPT Dave Woods, USNR (Ret), writes: “It is truly ironic thatwhenever some major NRA figure moved into fair winds &following seas, one logically turned to John Rice – ourAssociation’s Historian – for information. . . . Suddenly, Johnhimself is gone. Where do we turn for John’s record?”Fortunately, we have some of that record in the library files thathe created. Captain Rice became an Association member in1969, National President in 1983, and was an iconic leader of theAssociation until the day that he passed away. Notably, hewas instrumental in the selection of the Mellish-Weeksbuilding as the permanent site for the Association. He wasChapter President of the Acadian Chapter in New Orleans andorganized a reunion dinner for the Acadians at the Court of TwoSisters in 2006. From 1970 forward, there probably hasn’t beenan issue of this magazine that did not feature John Rice’s name insome official capacity.In the January 1995 issue of NRA News, Captain Riceannounced our library project to house the Naval ReserveHistoric Collection. The library was envisioned as both thePresident’s office and a repository of the history of the NavyReserve. John wrote: “Are you aware that there is not now nor hasthere ever been a separately established and nationally recognizedrepository of Naval Reserve historical information?” The coverof that issue was an artist’s rendering of the library. Although thelibrary is not quite as large as that picture suggested, it is awonderful room full of Naval Reserve history. John’s workcataloging history was not completed and lies waiting for othersto take up the challenge.As to vision, when Captain Rice was running for NationalPresident, he put out a campaign white paper. The last line overhis signature reads: “I ask your support in helping me to ensurethat the Active Navy and the Naval Reserve become a totallyintegrated force.”Captain John Rice, Association icon, mentor to many, andshipmate to all has gone ashore for the last time.NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 7

Ke e p i n g U p. . .with currentinformationforNavy ReservistsandRetireesBy Tom McAteeNew Look for theAssociation’s Web SiteIf you have not been on the Association’sWeb site at www.navy-reserve.org for awhile, take a look. Considerable effort hasgone into the redesign of the Web site tohandle better the needs of Associationmembers.COLA TrackerAlthough the Jan. 2007 CPI was 0.2percent above the Dec. 2006 CPI, it isnearly one percent below the base 2007CPI. This could be the first signal for areduced COLA for 2008.SBP Off-Set Phase OutNearly CompleteOn 1 April, those SBP annuity recipientsover age 62 will receive an additional fivepercent in their monthly payment. Thatbeings the annuity payment to 50 percent.On 1 Apr. 2008, the last five percentincrement will be added, raising all annuitypayments to 55 percent.Navy Reserve CreatesHR DesignatorThe Navy Reserve has established aNavy Reserve human resources officercommunity specializing in manpower,personnel, training, and education. Thecommunity will be initially populated by369 Reserve officers chosen from theunrestricted line fleet support communityor from officers redesignated by a boardthat was held in December. Those officerswho were not selected can ask forreconsideration, apply to another officercommunity, or remain in the unrestrictedline fleet support community until they areeligible for retirement. Full informationon the new restricted line HR designatorcan be found in NAVADMIN 042/07.CPO Advancement ExamWaived for Deployed E-6sThe advancement exam as a requirementto qualify as a CPO selection board eligiblefor FY-08 has been waived for thoseE-6s who are currently or were deployed/deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, or Horn ofAfrica. Specific time frame criteria mustbe met. For full information and POC,refer to NAVADMIN 037/07.New Unit Supports IAsand FamiliesNavy individual augmentees (IA)deploying for nontraditional expeditionarymissions in support of the Global War onTerrorism will receive oversight fromExpeditionary Combat Readiness Center(ECRC) located at Little Creek, VA. Oncean Active or Reserve Sailor receives IAorders, the ECRC takes responsibility forthe Sailor. Although ECRC is a newcommand, considerable efforts in streamliningand consolidating stops prior to andfollowing deployment mean less time intransit and more time at home for theSailor. ECRC has established effectiverelationships with the Army to insure IAsare well-trained for this unique deployment.The ECRC has detachments in Iraq,Kuwait, and Afghanistan as well as liaisonrepresentatives at training stations such asFort Jackson, SC. These detachments,accessible by service members 24/7, aretasked with supporting IAs and assistingwith issues that may arise during deployment,such as pay issues, emergency leave, evenequipment/supply issues. The ECRC is notjust for the Sailor, but also serves as aconduit for information and support forfamilies. As part of this support, ahotline has been established for familiesand Sailors. The toll-free number, (877)364-4302, is manned 24/7. The ECRCWeb site, www.ecrc.navy.mil, is anotherresource for families.MAXIMUM LONGEVITYSCALE CHANGES1 APRIL 2007Pay Grade 2006 1 April 2007E-5 through E-7, no change in maximumlongevity scales.E-8 over 26 over 30E-9 over 26 over 40W-1 through W-3, no change in longevityscales.W-4 over 26 over 30O-1 through O-5 (including O-1E/O-3E),no change in longevity scales.O-6 over 26 over 30Notes: Flag officer pay scales increased butnot illustrated.Also, W-5 not illustrated since noneare in the Navy Reserve.So, who will benefit? Those E-8s,E-9s, CWO-4s, and O-6s who continueto receive drill pay or collect retiredpay at age 60 on or after 1 Apr. 2007will, in almost all cases, benefitmonetarily. Remember, the “longevityor fogie clock” for those who retiredand are in the “gray area” continues totick away until reaching age 60. Mostof those Reservists in the pay gradesmentioned above will pass theirmaximum longevity point beforereaching age 60.8 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

ProfessionalDevelopmentHow Long Is “Too Long”?CAPT Larry Weill, USNNational VP for Professional DevelopmentIremember standing outside ofthe National Defense Universityone afternoon as I congratulateda young lieutenant on her selectionto LCDR. As she discussed hercareer milestones, she made apassing remark about her collateralduties in her current unit that she hadperformed as an ensign. My curiosityarose; and I asked her the question,“How many tours have you had in thisunit?”, to which she answered, “One!”She had been in the same unit for thepast eleven years! It was only a credit toher outstanding service and hard workthat she had been promoted to O-4, andI worried about her prospects for furtherpromotion.This brings me to the topic of thismonth’s column: homesteading andcareer growth. We have all heard aboutthis thing called homesteading, which isthe long (and sometimes VERY long)tenure of an officer in a single unit.What is it, and why is it bad for a youngcareer? Let’s talk about that some.First of all, the APPLY Board had avery good idea when they decided on thestandard noncommand tour tenure ofthree years. Three years is about thelongest that a senior officer shouldremain in any one billet to remaincompetitive. For a junior officer, thatperiod might be a little longer, but nevermore than about three and a half years.For an officer to spend longer in onelocation not only limits his or her experienceto one small niche, but also indicates tothe promotion board that he/she is afraidof growth, of taking risks, and of assuminggreater responsibilities.Each year, about a half dozen juniorofficers write to me and ask the samequestion: “I’ve been in the same unit forsix years now. I spent two years as aDivision Officer, then I was the AdminOfficer, and then they made me theTraining Officer. Should I stay in theunit if I have a chance at becoming thenext XO?” My answer would generallybe, “No.” First of all, six years is alreadyway too long, and most promotion boardswill look at that factor in a negativelight. That being said, it is a good thingthat they have moved up within their unitstructure. Going from a Division Officerto a Department Head to XO shows thatthey are making progress and handlingtheir responsibilities well. However, Iwould advise that officer to seek anequal position (XO) inside of anotherunit rather then remain in his/her currentunit. (Or, accept the XO job untilanother XO position comes open; then,transfer.)The Commanding Officer should beon top of this process and should play amajor role in limiting the tour length ofhis or her officers. The first step is thatthey should know how long each of theirofficers have served in that unit andwhen they plan to transfer. This shouldbecome a part of every FITREP counselingsession, including the semiannual review.In many cases, junior officers knowwhen they arrived but will admit thatthey never thought about their plans fortransferring. Help them to get started inthis process. Counsel them on thenegative aspects of homesteading. Makethem think about other units, other jobs,and other opportunities.Sometimes this process can seem to becounterproductive to the good of theunit. Think about it. Many units have a“Lieutenant ‘5.0’ Do Right” who has beenin the unit for three years and who knowsit all. He or she has been to the supportedcommand many times, and they lovehim/her. He/she knows all the contacts,can fill out any of the forms, and couldprobably take over as CO if needed.Yes, it is hard to lose someone like that.But, improbably as it sounds, others willstep up and quickly fill his/her shoes.(Especially if he/she has been doinghis/her job and training others.) By nottransferring that officer, not only areyou limiting his/her career, but also youare not encouraging others in your unitto attain those same levels of proficiency.Sometimes, the junior officer may notwant to transfer; and, in those cases you(as CO) need to offer more “incentive.”Let him/her know that he/she will notbenefit from another year in the unit(including his/her FITREP!); and, then, keepyour eyes open for good opportunities.Use your own CO network to find possibleXO jobs that are opening. Introducehim/her to new possibilities, even if it meanstraveling as a JO.Finally, as advice to the junior officerwho has “settled in” to the same job orduties for more than one-to-two years, Iurge you to try something new that willprovide you with growth opportunities.I know that this means leaving thatcocoon of safety, but it is something thatyou MUST do if you are to continuegrowing as an officer. Take on a job atthe next level up the org chart. Stretchand expand your horizons. And remember:if the shoe fits, there’s no room forgrowth.VISIT OUR NEW WEB SITE ATwww.navy-reserve.org12 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

Sustaining the ReservesAs the nation enters the fifthyear of the war in Iraq, theReserve Component hasmore than answered thechallenge of serving aspart of the operationalmilitary. Looking to the future, the challengeis making sure the Navy Reserve and the otherReserve Components have the resources andsupport to sustain themselves into the futurewhile serving as part of the operational force.No one can predict the future, but it is clearthe United States faces a very challengingsecurity environment that is unlikely tostabilize significantly for years to come. Notonly must the military, active and reserve, beable to conduct ongoing operations, but alsoit must be prepared for the unexpected. What ifa conflict broke out on the Korean peninsula?What if radical Islamic fundamentalistsassassinated President Musharraf of Pakistan,a nuclear-armed state? In order to meet today’smilitary challenges and be prepared forwhat might happen, the Navy Reserve and theother Reserve Components will have tocontinue to serve as part of the operationalmilitary. Five years into what some call the“operational reserve” paradigm, the strains onSailors, their families, and their employersare showing. Fortunately, the Department ofDefense is now taking steps to make the“operational reserve” paradigm more sustainableover time, but more needs to be done.Shortly after becoming the new Secretaryof Defense, Robert Gates announcedimportant changes that seek to ensurethat as DoD continues operations in Iraq andAfghanistan, it does not “break” the Reservesand National Guard. Limiting total mobilizationtime to one year or less; reemphasizing thatDoD’s goal is to give Sailors at least fiveyears at home for every one year at sea oroverseas; and providing financial compensationfor those Sailors whose mobilizations areextended, or who are called up morefrequently than envisioned, will help giveSailors more predictability, make it easier forfamilies and employers to support continuedservice in the Navy Reserve, and ensureSailors are compensated fairly for theirservice and sacrifice. Secretary Gates alsoannounced that DoD will expand thesize of the active Army and Marine Corpssignificantly. This expansion should reducethe pressure on the Reserve Component inthe mid- to long-term, and should eventuallyreduce the need to call up Sailors for “in lieuof ” assignments – ashore jobs that normallywould be filled by the Army and Marines.Even with these important changes,sustaining the Navy Reserve and the otherReserve Components under the “operationalreserve” will remain a challenge. As theCongressional Commission on the NationalGuard and Reserves said in its recent report,recruiting and retention over the long term“remains highly problematic.” Particularlyfor the Navy Reserve, which has fallennoticeably short of its recruiting targets inrecent years, will the recent policy changeshelp make joining more attractive? Will theyhelp the Navy Reserve retain skilled, experiencedSailors? Only time will tell. To furtherstrengthen retention, DoD should expand jointprofessional military educational opportunitiesfor Sailors and increase the number of reserveassignments that qualify for joint credit, whichwould make Sailors more competitive forpromotion over the duration of their careers.Finally, the Navy and her sister Serviceswill not be able to sustain their ReserveComponents under the “operational reserve”paradigm if there is insufficient supportfrom families and employers for service as acitizen-soldier. The Department of Defenseneeds to do more to strengthen familysupport programs. Volunteers cannotcarry the bulk of the burden indefinitely.Employer support is also critical, but moreoutreach is needed to employers to give themas much predictability as possible aboutwhen their Sailors are going to be mobilized,and for how long.The list of changes that must be made tomake the “operational reserve” paradigmsustainable is a long one – much longer thancan be covered in this column. Some changesthat were overdue are finally being made,such as limiting the length of involuntarydeployments; but others are still on the “todo” list. It will take the focused attention ofnot only DoD, but also Congress and theAmerican public to make sure the NavyReserve and the other Reserve Componentsget the support they need to be able to serveas they have since the 9/11 attacks.GuestColumnChristine E. WormuthCenter for Strategicand International Studies,Principal Author of The Futureof the National Guard and ReservesThe Center for Strategicand International Studies(CSIS) seeks to advanceglobal security and prosperityin an era of economicand political transformationby providing strategic insightsand practical policysolutions to decision makers.CSIS serves as a strategicplanning partner for thegovernment by conductingresearch and analysisand developing policyinitiatives that look intothe future and anticipatechange.http://www.csis.orgNRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 13

Junior OfficerColumnGet InvolvedLT Steven Michaels, USNNational VP for Junior OfficersThe Naval Reserve AssociationSpring Conference is uponus this month, taking placeat the Sheraton Crystal CityHotel in Arlington, VA. Wekick off with the NationalExecutive Committee (EXCOM) meetingon Thursday, 26 April, through the awardsluncheon and general session on Saturday,28 April.The Assistant Secretary of the Navy,Manpower and Reserve Affairs, theHonorable William A. Navas, Jr., is oneof our guest speakers. As always, there’sa full schedule with a great balance ofwork and fun. For the spouses, theAnchors group does an outstanding jobproviding opportunities to explore thearea attractions. These are exciting timesfor the Navy Reserve; so whether youhave attended a NRA conference beforeor not, make it a point to attend this one.You never know what you’re going tolearn or whom you might meet!Like many of you, I’m also a lifemember of several other military andcivilian organizations. Serendipity playeda part in my being seated next to theCommander of REDCOM Midwest at afunction sponsored by one of theseorganizations a few years ago. I wasprivileged to shake the hand of Apollo-13Astronaut and Navy Captain (Ret) JimLovell at another such event. While Idon’t expect to meet celebrities everytime I attend one of these functions, hadI chosen not to make the time to attend,these contacts would never have happened.14 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007THE TIMES THEY AREA-CHANGIN’In case you hadn’t noticed, there aresome big changes going on within theNRA over the past year. Most importantof these is the vote and confirmation atthe conference last fall in Portland togive enlisted members full voting memberstatus. This change is, as many of usbelieve, a step in the right direction forthe future of this Association. There aremany implications, and these are funthings to discuss at the conference thismonth. For instance, are we going to createa National Vice President of EnlistedMembers. Since last fall, I have attemptedto incorporate issues and helpful tipsfor enlisted members in this monthlycolumn as a way to bridge the gap.Already, PNCM Dean R. Johnson,USN (Ret), has joined us as a recordreviewer for our enlisted members. Hehas served on many selection boardsand will be a great addition to ourcapabilities. Everyone should advertisethis new service to all current and potentialenlisted members.Have you noticed that our vision haschanged? The NRA is: The PremierProfessional Organization for NavyReservists, Committed to Supporting aStrong Navy and National Defense,While Providing Outstanding Service toNavy Families. We need you to get thismessage out there. We are now the onlyprofessional organization whose solepurpose is to support U.S. Navy, activeand reserve, officer and enlisted membersand their families.WHO KNEW?Unexpected surprises are what makelife interesting and, for the most part,enjoyable. In the nearly two years sinceI decided to take a more active role inthe NRA, I have had my eyes opened inmany ways. To be honest, I was nervousabout meeting face-to-face and servingalongside the senior and flag officerswhose faces and names I’d only knownin the NRA News magazine that I readfor so many years. Sure, I knew thecaliber of these folks as well as theircommitment to our military. But, inprivate conversations with some ofthem, I have since learned that there is alot more behind the uniforms.For instance, did you know that one ofour National Vice Presidents spent timein the 1970’s as a park ranger in theAdirondack Mountains of upstate NewYork and has recently published twohilariously funny books about hisexploits? How about the DistrictPresident who is an accomplishedclassical pianist? This is the kind ofdepth and breadth of naval officer orsenior enlisted leader that makes it easyfor me as a relative “youngster” to lookup to and try to emulate them.So, whenever you look at your inboxand wonder how you are going toaccomplish all that needs to be done,just remember that there’s a world ofwisdom available to you as a memberof NRA. From the folks at HQ inAlexandria, VA, to the National Officers,to the outstanding officers who put onthose Professional Development seminars,and right on down to your Chaptermembers, you will find interesting,multifaceted and committed shipmateswho are more than willing to help you.Most of them have gone far beyond thecall of duty by continuing to serve thisAssociation and the Navy long aftertheir military retirement. For them,getting involved means staying involved;and the rest of us are the better for it.The NRA Spring Conference is anexcellent way for you to get involvedand make a difference. With your CO’spermission, put in NROWS no-cost IDTorders for drill credit. Plan to attend theconference, and you will get back morethan you put into it.LT Michaels is open to ideas forfuture articles so e-mail him at:ensignsting@yahoo.comHe’s still waiting for his ship tocome in.

Commentary:The Seascape As It Appears To MePart 2By RADM Casey W. Coane, USN (Ret)In April of last year, I offered you my sense of the seascape, in part because I thought it worthwhile to framesome response to input from our membership and in part to give the membership a sense of what their new ExecutiveDirector thought about the events that surround us. This month, I offer an update on where I think things are today. Itis presented in two parts, a view of the Navy and a view of the Navy Reserve.Your Navy is facing some tremendous challenges!Before I go any further, let me go on record assaying that as an officer who wears both aviatorwings and a surface warfare pin I certainly careabout our Navy. I believe that it is vital to ournational security, and I truly have come tolove our Service and the fantastic men and women who bring itto life. The excitement of standing out to sea on a U.S. man-ofwarwill stay with me until they plant me somewhere. I couldgo on but that would be a different article.Now, let’s step way back and look at the big picture. What dowe, the nation, need to fight and win this war that we are in?Perhaps most of all, we need America to wake up and realize thatwe are in a war. In the aftermath of the “new strategy” and the23 January State of the Union address, the President still hasn’tconvinced us because we don’t want to know the truth. For all ourbluster and bravado, we are essentially a peaceful nation. We arean affluent nation, and we want to enjoy that national wealth. Weare not in the habit of looking for causes which lead us to war.And, it certainly seems that although the events of 9-11 constitutedacts of “war,” America has failed to come to grips with that in thesame way that Pearl Harbor took us to war. Perhaps part of that isthat Presidents Clinton and Bush regularly refer to achieving“justice.” Justice is for the court system. This is WAR! It is anextension of our political will; and it’s about vengeance, winningor losing, not justice. There is a lot more that could be exploredhere but that too would be a different article. Reread Clausewitz.What we need to win this war is stability and security block byblock, city by city, country by country, across a large part of theMiddle East in order to create some reasonable economic activitywhich just might cause the 20-35 year olds to prefer a job and afuture over suicide. We need forces tailored to create that stabilityand build that infrastructure. General Abazaid, the outgoingCommander U.S. Central Command, is moving in that direction.General Abazaid (an Arabic speaker), for sure, sees nation buildingas the key, not kinetic weaponry; and he has said so repeatedly.(Take a look at what he is doing in the Horn of Africa. See ourThe Navyfeature in last month’s magazine.) 1 We need huge increases inintelligence capability to infiltrate and to monitor electronically.We need huge increases in highly skilled special operationsforces to ferret out and destroy the cells of terror. We need hugeincreases in civil affairs trained units. When the Services aretrying to hire New York taxi drivers to be interpreters, what doesthat tell you about our need? The military that we need is not themilitary that we started this war with in the fall of 2001; and it isnot the one that we have today, although we are making progress.In hindsight, it is fairly easy to see that we began the war with amilitary extremely capable of large scale combat operations andwinning a conventional war but woefully inadequate for winninga peace.The President says that this is thedefining struggle of this century –the free world versus the twistedJihadist vision of a new Caliphate.Where in all of this do you see a needfor a large standing Navy? Ok, weneed to retain the capability to projectpower in the manner that we did inAfghanistan. We need to retain thecapability to put Marines ashore in aOsama bin Ladenplace of our choosing. We know thatwe must retain the capability toensure control of our sea lanes of commerce. How much Navydoes this require in the near future? How many carrier battlegroups does it take to project the amount of power required totake down another Middle East country? How many nuclearattack submarines to defeat the open ocean threat or how manyfor littoral ISR? How many Arleigh Burkes and Ticonderoga classcruisers to defend the battle groups against what air threat?I know that many of you could make good arguments for thevarious naval platforms that we are talking about here. I like tothink that I could as well. We MUST retain a blue water Navycapability. The big question, though, is at what price? TheCNO’s 313 ship Navy includes 13 Zumwalt class DD1000 and 52NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 15

S E A S C A P ELittoral Combat Ships (LCS). Where is the threat that justifiesdestroyers that will cost 3.75 billion? What littoral navies do theJihadists present as threats? By the way, the LCS, too, is nowexceeding allowable expense ceilings. (In case you missed it, on12 January, Navy Secretary Donald Winter issued an unprecedentedstop work order to Lockheed Martin. His order actually senthome shipyard workers busy constructing LCS hull numberthree. The CNO cannot allow LCS to escalate beyond the average220 million ship cost or Congress will kill it.) 2 Again, Iunderstand our desire to field a Navy that cannot be deniedaccess to any waterway. That is smart. We shouldn’t cede any waterto anyone. But, given the threat, at what size and at what price?Some of you are saying, what about China? Current Navythinking is that China is not a belligerent threat today and thatthere is time to react to China. China’s growing blue watercapability is seen as a normal outgrowth of her emerging powerstatus and need to control her sea lanes of commerce to protect herability to get oil. 3 Right or wrong, using China as the main reasonto justify a large U.S. Navy is not playing well in Congress.Let’s frame this another way. Assume that you are aCongressman/woman in the new Democrat-led 110 th Congresswho has never served in the military and you are looking at theDefense Appropriation Bill. The Governor’s office of your stateis calling to complain about the large amounts of National Guardequipment being left in the desert – the Governor wants his/herstuff replaced! (Do not underestimate the power of the 50 governorsor the $ size of this problem.) As we discussed earlier, you havebeen briefed on what types of forces we must have to continuethis war. And, now, you see the bill for the 313 ship Navy. Youalso see the bill from the Air Force for F-22’s and F-35’s. (And,are we ever going to buy new tankers?) Where are you going tomake the cuts? You don’t want to appear as not supporting thetroops. That is why the Navy, over the next several budget cycles, isin serious trouble (and so is the Air Force).By the way, as a new Congressman/woman, you have heard alot about “transformation” and the fact that our military isstuck in the paradigm of the Cold War. You have been told thatwe need a new military for the unconventional and asymmetric“War on Terror.” What is it that the Navy wants? New carriers, newdestroyers, new submarines, and some other corvette-sized ships?That sounds like the Cold War Navy! Uh-oh, the Governor is onthe phone again.This touches on the second issue at work against our Navy –relevance. Relevance equates to funding in Washington. If youare relevant to what must be done, you get money. If you aren’trelevant, you don’t. Simple problem; not so simple solution. Whyis the Navy proudly advertising that we have ten thousand Sailorson the ground in Afghanistan and the Iraqi theater? In fact, whyis the Navy doing that at all? Why are Reservist operationsspecialists (OS), read that radar operators, serving in countryteams in Afghanistan? Why are what we now call individualaugmentees (IA), Active and Reserve, doing customs work inKuwait and elsewhere around the theater? Of course you wouldhave to ask the CNO to get the top line answer, but I believe thatthere are two reasons: The first is that the work needs to be doneand that our Navy wants to do its share. Navy people are needed; theywill go. Anyone who doesn’t know that, in spite of DoD speechesMembers of the Navy ETT unit located in Khowst, Afghanistan.(Top Row: L to R) BMC Ates and LT Critch; (Bottom Row: L to R)CDR Daniel, LCDR Chatman, LT Soss, LCDR Freer, CDR Downey,and LT Kinnisongiven before Secretary Rumsfeld departed, the Army and theCorps are reaching exhaustion, is smoking something strange.The second reason is RELEVANCE. Financially speaking,the Navy cannot afford to sit on the sidelines in “the longwar.” If we’re not in the fight, we’re not in the funding.Unfortunately, there is a double-edged sword to fall on here: If theNavy can spare all these IAs, perhaps the Navy is overmanned?Ouch.Actually, I don’t believe that the Navy can spare all these officersand enlisted from the assignments that they are supposed to befilling. Certainly, the personnel programs that VADM Harvey(CNP) is building will be greatly affected by pulling people outfor unplanned missions. He is on record saying that the Navy weare building does not have an excess manpower pool from whichto draw. 4 Except for the Reservists whose job it is to be a surgeforce, the Active Component IAs create a burden on the commandsfrom whence they came. There are always trade-offs andunintended consequences for every action taken. In order to berelevant, the Navy is stretching itself thin. Any businessman cantell you that it is not easy to know whether you are cutting fat ormuscle until it’s too late.Let me back up historically for just a moment. For those of youwho remember CNO Clark’s five priorities, he left reconstitutingour surface hardware till the end and that is the one piece that hedid not get finished. CNO Mullen is now the second surfacewarfare CNO in a row, and he has set out to finish that task andcreate the 313 ship Navy. Because of the timing of this war thatwe are in, relevance, etc., I believe that he is going to have anuphill struggle of huge proportions. Budget numbers are alwayselusive in Washington, but there seems to be reasonable consensusbetween the Congressional Budget Office and the Navy that the313 program will require about fifteen billion ($15B) more peryear than the Navy has recently had in its shipbuilding accounts –and that needs to be sustained until 2018. The Navy seems to feelthat the money will come because it is instituting “enterprise”practices in the shipbuilding programs and because we are at warand Congress will recognize the need. This is certainlyoptimistic, in the least. Today, the Zumwalt is at the center ofthe funding arguments so let’s look more closely at the DD 1000.16 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

DD-21 Zumwalt Class Stealth DestroyerDD 1000, the Zumwalt class, is a ship that former Secretaryof Defense Donald Rumsfeld should love because it istransformational (or is it)! The ship is a surface warfare officer’sdream come true. Six hundred feet long, it will have an entirelynew hull form, the Tumblehome. With all antennas enclosed inthe superstructure, the hull, topside combination will present aradar cross section similar to a small fishing vessel. The propulsionsystem; entirely new electric drive. Eighty vertical launch cellsfor a variety of missile types. One hundred twenty foot longhelo/RPV deck. Two revolutionary, rapid fire 120mm gun systemswith rocket assisted, precision guided munitions with a range of100 miles, many times that of the Arleigh Burke’s gun. Extensiveautomation that will permit a crew size of 150 compared to theBurke’s 330. The Navy intends to build between seven and thirteenof these fantastic vessels which will be the precursor to the 32 CGXsto be built on the same hull. Whether it is truly transformationaldepends on the current definition of the term and whether you arein or outside the Navy. On the one hand, it is certainly a quantumleap in technology. On the other, it is another big ship for a bigNavy. The problem is that all this newness comes with a price tagsomewhere north of three billion ($3B) per ship. That is fivetimes the cost of the Burke. This is a ship that started out to be afrigate and is now truly a capital ship, not your father’s destroyer.We, you and I, the Navy, and actually Americans at large, lovetechnology. It has always been our friend and I want that ship!However, if the Zumwalt had been with us when we launchedagainst Afghanistan, those guns would have been useless. If shehad been there when we launched against Iraq, our Marines wouldhave been out of range of protective gun cover after the first day.If we need to put our Marines ashore somewhere in an opposedlanding, those guns would be pretty useful. We haven’t done thatfor fifty years! We are back to timing, the perceived threat, thecost, and that Congressman/woman. This is going to be a toughsell! The Navy did extremely well in the ‘07 budget. The first twoZumwalts the first three LCS’s are funded. However, in theaftermath of the election, we sense that Congress is losingpatience with the Administration.Congress is clearly unhappy that they are presented withcontinuing emergency appropriations instead of funding the warthrough the normal budget process. It would be usual for that tohave taken place after the second year of the war, but the Presidenthas declined to do so. Why? Congress must fund the troops andcan’t appear to be unsupportive of the individual soldier (particularlylast year, an election year). But, they don’t have to continue to begenerous for big ticket systems. As I am writing this, both Housesof Congress are busy debating the various resolutions to limit thePresident’s ability to surge more forces. Congress as a wholeseems to be edging closer to the terrible Viet Nam solution ofpulling the financial plug. For the emergency appropriation nowbeing sent to Congress, Secretary Rumsfeld told the Servicesthat they could include, for the first time, items deemed necessaryfor the Services to fulfill their overall mission, even if not directlyrelated to Iraq. We’ll see how that works out. Representative JohnMurtha (D-PA), Chairman, House Appropriations DefenseSubcommittee has said, “I am absolutely not inclined to leavethings in the supplemental that are not related to the wars.” 5(There are four C-40As in that supplemental, and we have sentletters urging support for those assets to all Congressmen/womanon the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.)At the Retired Aviation Flag Officer Conference on 12 January,I was told that by 2022, we will be approximately 127 StrikeFighters short. 6 That is in large part a result of flying the life offof our aircraft in the war – a utilization rate greater thananticipated as the aircraft we have were bought. Although theP-8 is progressing, you all know the dire straights that the P-3community is in. We are accepting risk because we cannot affordthe planes that we need. How is all of this going to square withthe Zumwalt and LCS?Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)So, is the Navy in shoal waters? I don’t know; but as I look atthe seascape, the Navy is in the uncomfortable position of tryingto modernize for the long view at a time when the country isfocused on a “long war” that does not have a clearly understoodNavy component. That is the essence of the CNO’s “Conversationwith the Country,” 7 trying to sell the public on the Navy role inthe “long war” to protect America. Unfortunately, the Navy storysounds more “Cold War” and less transformational. I suggestthat you get involved where you can to help the CNO. Talk toyour civic organizations. Invite Navy speakers to address yourorganizations. America is a maritime nation. We NEED a Navy,but we aren’t going to have the one that we want if Congressdoesn’t hear from its constituency.NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 17

S E A S C A P EThe seascape surrounding the Navy Reserve is, I believe, a bitmore clear than when I wrote a year ago. The PIM (plan ofintended movement for the aviators) is firming up. Is the NavyReserve in shoal waters? No, but we are certainly sailing intouncharted waters! There are two central issues: Is an operationalReserve, without strategic warfighting capability, the right NavyReserve for the country over the long haul? Can we sustain theoperational Reserve as it is being used today? I do not believe thatthere is anyone in Washington, DC, today who can answer thosequestions. That being the case, the nation is assuming risk.First the PIM. It is clear that we are moving to a Navy Reservewithout its own hardware. The signs are everywhere from theNavy budget to VADM Cotton’s Navy Reserve Strategic Plan 8 tothe units that have disappeared one by one. And, I believe, therewill be others that willdisappear as a resultof this year’s POMsubmission. Five C-40aircraft have movedfrom the funded list to ahigh priority unfundedrequirement. Nowherewill you find discussionabout retaining, increasing,or building warfightingcapability in the ReserveComponent. AdmiralCotton is very clear thatthere are no longer NavyReserve requirements,only Navy requirem e n t s .Equipment, from ships,to aircraft, to small boats,to bulldozers is absentC-40from the discussion. VADM Cotton has told me personally, onseveral occasions, that the Navy cannot, in general, afford tohave equipment in the Reserve and that certainly seems to bethe course that we are on. In this regard, the Navy is on adifferent PIM from the other five DoD Reserve Components. Itis perhaps fair to add that the Air Force Reserve and MarineCorps Reserve are on a course more parallel to ours thandivergent. But, let’s be absolutely clear, the Navy is cutting NavyReserve hardware units to save money, money to be spent for newNavy acquisitions.The other side of this coin is that no other Reserve Componentis as integrated as ours is today. That is an achievement worthy ofnote, and many of our Reservists are already benefiting from thatintegration. Reread our article last month on the Horn ofAfrica JTF and see how pleased our Reservists are with theirrole there. This is a big deal, and I don’t want to gloss over it.It isn’t a perfect story; and there are still cultural battles to befought, unfortunately, from the low end of the chain of commandall the way to the E-ring of the Pentagon. One cannot argue,however, that integration, where veteran Sailors add theirThe Navy Reserveexpertise on a regular basis to the Active Component and arethemselves kept up to date, is a bad thing. The problem is notthe vision but the execution. The transition from “take thisswab and clean that deck, because I don’t have anything elsefor you to do” to “can you teach me how this is done in thecivilian world,” is a long one. Such change is also absolutelydependent upon our ability to fund transportation forReservists from home to the Active Component site. This ismoving forward, but it isn’t fixed.Another aspect of the PIM is that we are moving away fromwarfighting to combat support. We are moving from tooth totail. This is obviously an outgrowth of the lack of enthusiasmfor equipment in the Reserve, but is it something more? Is it amindset which says that it is easy for “civilian” medical,law enforcement, andbusiness types tobe effective militarymedical, MAAs, andintelligence specialists,but not so easy toretain combat skills?I sense that there isan undercurrent thatbelieves this and,while I think that it iswrong, I understandthe appeal of thatargument. The majorappeal is, of course,financial. But, doesit spring from aparochialism whichsays leave the toughstuff to the full-timeprofessionals? I’m afraid that it does, but that is strictlyopinion.The one aspect of the PIM which is still a bit murky is NavyReserve authorized end-strength. You probably have seen thatwith this budget submission, the Navy Reserve is coming downanother three thousand or so to 67,800. About half of the cutscome from decommissioning squadrons and the remainder largelyfrom cutting unfilled billets according to VADM Cotton. 9 AfterFY-08, the number is to stabilize at 68,000. If you understand theFuture Years Defense Plan (FYDP), anything after the currentyear is subject to change and frequently does. Cutting unfilledbillets makes sense on the surface. Why continue to authorizeend-strength that isn’t filled. Unfortunately, we have always hada very fluid billet file so there are always unfilled billets in onearea and folks IAP in another area. More importantly, when youdon’t make your recruiting numbers, you will have unfilledbillets! (See page 19) If you don’t make your numbers again,you will have empty billets again. One can see where this spiralcould lead if recruiting, which is now a Navy responsibility nota Navy Reserve responsibility, isn’t fixed.18 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

An F/A-18 Hornet of VFA-201 “Hunters” prepares to launch fromthe flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). (U.S. Navyphoto by Photographer’s Mate Airman Brad Garner)The central issue of a strategic Reserve vice an operationalReserve or a combination of the two as the right thing for thecountry revolves around this question: How good are we atpredicting the nature of the next conflict, and what we will needto draw upon to meet that test? If you have the answer to the nextwar, step to the head of the class; and you will be in the historybooks. Since we never have that answer, it would seem prudent toput some insurance capability in our Reserve Component. Thehistory of our Navy is replete with examples of a strong NavyReserve. When we needed to call units during the Viet Nam era,we also learned the lesson of a not-so-strong Navy Reserve, notcompatible with current shipboard systems. When the Navyneeded an extra squadron at the beginning of the Iraq saga, wehad VFA-201; and they performed brilliantly. When we neededCombat SAR, something the Navy had not needed since VietNam, we had HCS-4 & 5; and they performed brilliantly. Will weno longer find ourselves with those kinds of unforeseen shortages?Impossible, because they were “unforeseen.” That is whyyou hedge your bets with your Reserve Component. You hedgewith the stuff that you aren’t sure that you will need, not justtoday’s “tail” that you know you need. That is why the NationalGuard has always retained some combat capability, not justcombat support and combat service support capability.Another part of answering the question of balance betweenstrategic and operational is the personnel piece. The Navy that weare building is increasingly technical, requiring specialists notmyriads of paint chippers. The LCS Sailors that we are buildingright now will be cross-trained and multitalented experts. Today’sSailors are not the “Swabbies” of decades ago; and tomorrow’sLCS Sailors, even less. The same is true of our aviators, surfacewarfare officers, and submariners. They will be increasinglyexpensive to produce and increasingly talented. Many of themwill leave the Active Component. Does it not make sense to retaina number of them in the Reserve Component just in case theTaiwan issue heads south or Iran cannot be diplomaticallyrestrained? LCS Sailors are going to have a long training track,most of it not OJT. This is a serious investment! Today’s aviatorsaverage three years of training before they get to the fleet toproduce readiness. 10 If we want to retain such investmentsbeyond those who choose to stay on active duty, can we enticethem by offering to make them MAAs or customs inspectors?The burning question here is the second one – can we sustainthe operational Reserve as it is being used today? Unchartedwaters. We don’t know, but we surely can see some signs ofnarrows ahead. For one, the Department of Defense recruiting andretention statistics for fiscal 2006 indicated that the Navy Reserveachieved 87 percent of its recruiting goal, the lowest of theReserve Components. 11 Intelligence billets were increasinglyhard to fill. While retention was within targets, losses are edgingup. Is this an anomaly because of the recent combining ofReserve recruiting and Active recruiting (the Army Reserveexperienced such an excursion when they combined), or is this anemerging trend?I feel compelled to say that nothing written here suggests a lackof willingness of our Reserve officers and enlisted to serve. WeChief of Naval Operations, ADM Mike Mullen, speaks toSailors assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion(MMCB-133) in Rawen, Iraq.know that the opposite is true. Our Force Master Chief, AdmiralCotton, the MCPON, and CNO have all returned from the theaterwith great stories about Reservists serving and wanting to domore. Again, I refer you to our Horn of Africa article last month.Can we conclude from these stories that there is no end to suchservice; and, therefore, let’s press on? The four leaders that Imentioned here seem to think so. I know from personal experiencethat the willingness to serve and to do what one was trained fordid not always create the best decision for the family.No one knows whether we are going to see a gradual change interms of desire to be a Navy Reservist or whether we are buildingtoward a watershed course change where Navy people neitherbecome Reservists nor remain Reservists. The first would bemanageable through incentives, etc. The second would catch usunprepared and, perhaps, unable to meet the country’s needs.Some of the downward slope has been masked by the downwardslope in end-strength requirements. As end-strength requirementsstabilize (if they do), the issue may come more into focus or itmay not be there at all. Today, the Navy Reserve looks at anannual mobilization requirement (approximately 9,000), the poolof those not yet called, and the annual turnover (new bloodcoming aboard) and concludes that we can meet the challenge.It seems illogical to me that the majority of our Citizen Sailorswill choose to hop from one career to the military career and backagain, even on a one-year-out-of-six plan, if they believe that planwill be executed. (If one considers two six-month deploymentsconstituting one-year and overlays that on a fleet tour followed byNRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 19

S E A S C A P Eshore duty, it comes close to one year out of six, one out of fiveat least. People leave Active Duty because they don’t want thatlifestyle, right?) The GenXs and GenYs that I know intend tochange jobs frequently but always on an upward mobility trend,and none of the ones that I know consider one year away fromfamily as part of that plan. As a GenX Reservist, are my militaryyears contributing to my upward spiral or is it time out? Myopinion is that the question of sustainability rests with the familyand the employer, not the Reservist. Ultimately, even the mostpatriotic among us must balance the needs of family and sustaininga civilian career with the military requirement.So, how does this play out? I believe that the most likelyscenarios are these: There will be a number of enlisted andofficers for whom recall results in a pay increase, when hostilefire pay and federal tax exclusion is figured in. These individualswill likely take a second recall, and some will seek to remain onActive Duty. (No crystal ball here. This is already happening.)They will not represent the majority of those recalled and not themore senior nor the more highly skilled. For the majority, whenthey return to their civilian career, they will find that there wereprofessional opportunities missed during a year of absence. Somewill see the need to change careers. As that fact becomes obviousover time, they will not regret their service; but they will seek toreduce their likelihood of a second recall. More will move to theIRR. When they hear of involuntary recalls from the IRR (this isnot happening yet), they will leave entirely. Many enlisted willnot reenlist if they think that the second recall is coming (this isbeginning to happen). We, the Navy, are working hard to enticeenlisted leaving the Active Component to join the Reserve. Manywill, shielded from recall for a year. If they are successful inestablishing a civilian career during that year, they will leave theReserve rather than risk upsetting that new career.The Association maintains rather close contact with theEmployer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an arm ofthe Department of Defense whose mission is to educateemployers and encourage support of our military. ESGR isseeing a definite increase in complaints against employers fromreturning veterans. We, your Association, have gotten calls frompeople who think that they didn’t get a job because they are in theReserve (illegal but essentially not enforceable). It is quite difficultto quantify these things with certainty, but it seems clear thatsome trends are developing. It also seems logical that, as publicopinion turns away from this war, employers will follow suit.On Thursday, 11 January, the Defense Department announcedsome new recall policies. On the plus side, recalls would be heldto a total of twelve months, including training prior to deployment.Recalls would also be done by unit not individuals, where possible.And, the official policy is one year recalled out of every six years.These are significant changes which Secretary Gates has beenquick to act upon, and he should be supported in these efforts.One of the changes which caused a real stir, however, was that theDepartment would no longer follow the policy of no more thantwenty-four cumulative months recalled but would now fall backon existing law which says twenty-four consecutive months. Thismeans that personnel, who have already been recalled for say,eighteen months, could be called again for as much as two years(one year, by policy). Our contacts in the jobs placement worldsay that this has had a big impact on small businessmen already.The long and short of this is: the sky is not falling, but the climatefor Navy Reservists and their employers is getting more difficult.Why would we think otherwise?Does this mean that our operational Reserve doesn’t work?Does it mean that we shouldn’t have a Reserve if they won’t comewhenever we want? Absolutely not! The Reserve is a surgecapability, and I believe that it means that the Reserve filled theshortfall caused by getting into this war without enough of theright forces. And don’t forget, our Navy Reservists are contributingmightily when not mobilized. The vast majority of our units havebeen contributing in a real way since Desert Storm when Title 10was reinterpreted to allow Reservists to do work rather than justtrain. However, things are out of balance when we think that weneed to recall the same Reservists multiple times in order to fieldthe forces that we need. Recently, a colleague of mine was in ameeting where one of the Service Chiefs (not the CNO) said thathe would like to call Reservists one or two years out of five orsix. He said that as if the difference between one year out of sixand two years out of five was a matter of nuance. The differenceis huge! And, it indicates a true lack of understanding about thepressure that puts on our “civilian military” and their employers.It is time to rebalance the forces, including a strategic Reserve.It is time to buy the forces that we need for the long war. The reasonthat we can’t do that takes us back to the third paragraph of thislong article – The President has not convinced us that we are in along war. The President’s budget now before Congress elevatesdefense spending to a bit over 4 percent GDP, where it has beenat about 3.6 percent. At the height of the Cold War, it was over 6percent. It is time to reacknowledge that forces in reserve are anecessary hedge that protects the country from that which can’tbe accurately foreseen. It is time to recognize that patriotism, inand of itself, does not create an unlimited source of manpower andemployer support. That is the seascape as we see it in Washington.Let us know how it looks from out there where the hull meets the water.––––––––––––––––––1 “Navy Reservists Work Alongside U.S., Coalition, Partner Nations”by RDML Tim Moon, Naval Reserve Association News,March 2007, Vol. 54, No. 32 “Stop-Work Ordered for Third LDS,” Defense News,15 January 20073 Statements by CNO, Admiral Michael Mullen,Retired Flag Conference, 15 November 20064 Comments by VADM John C. Harvey, Jr.,Retired Flag Officers Conference, 15 November 20065 Defense News, 29 January 20076 Briefing provided by RADM Bruce Clingan, N88,Retired Aviation Flag Conference, 12 January 20077 See “Reservists in Action,” Naval Reserve Association News,March 2007, Vol. 54, No. 3, page 318 United States Navy Reserve Strategic Plan, Office of the Chiefof Navy Reserve, 20 October 20069 Navy Times, 19 February 200710 CNATRA brief, Retired Aviator Flag Conference,12 January 200711 U.S. Department of Defense news release, 10 October 200620 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

MILITARY ENROLLS MORERECRUITS WITH CRIMINAL PASTSMore recruits with criminal records,including felony convictions, are beingallowed to join the Army and MarineCorps as the armed services cope with adwindling pool of volunteers duringwartime. The military routinely grantswaivers to take in recruits who havecriminal records, medical problems, orlow aptitude scores that would otherwisedisqualify them from service. Most aremoral waivers, which include somefelonies, misdemeanors, and traffic anddrug offenses. Defense Departmentstatistics show that the number of Armyand Marine recruits needing waivers forfelonies and serious misdemeanors,including minor drug offenses, has grownsince 2003. Some recruits may get morethan one waiver. Army and DefenseDepartment officials defended the waiverprogram as a way to admit young peoplewho may have made a mistake early inlife but have overcome past behavior.They said about two-thirds of the waiversgranted by the Marines are for drug use,because they – unlike the other services –require a waiver if someone has beenconvicted once for marijuana use. Lawmakers and other observers say they areconcerned that the struggle to fill the militaryranks in this time of war has forced theservices to lower their moral standards.CNO FORESEES MORE SAILORSIN IRAQAlthough the Navy continues to drawdown its end-strength, the number ofSailors in Iraq and on the ground elsewherein the Middle East will probablycontinue to rise. There are about 12,000Active and Reserve Duty Sailors on theground in the Central Command area.The number of Active Duty Sailors hasbeen dropping over the last five yearsand will continue to decline. When theU.S. was attacked on 11 Sept. 2001, therewere 382,000 Active Duty Sailors in theNavy. End-strength will drop from about346,000 today to 340,000 by the end ofNews Notes...2007; down another 12,000 in 2008 to328,000; and will probably level out yearslater to between 325,000 and 320,000Active Duty Sailors. With two warsunderway on land today, Mullen said hefully expects Sailors to continue to becalled up for duty as individual augmentees.“We have about 10,400 IAs. And as Ilook out over the next 12-to-18 months,the projections are pretty steady,” hesaid.BRONX VA CENTER CAN TAKENEW PATIENTSIf you possess a DD214 and needmedical care, the James J. Peters VAMedical Center in Bronx, New York, maybe an answer. New patients must signup with a DD214 and come once a yearfor a physical. The James J. Peters VAMedical Center provides the highestquality of health care. Striving to meetveterans’ current and future needs, itprovides state-of-the-art health care,education, and research.Member Record Review ServiceBy CAPT Art Schultz, Jr., USN (Ret)The Association has provideda Record Review Service forofficers for many years. Wenow offer the same serviceto our enlisted members.Master Chief Personnelman DeanJohnson, USN (Ret), is available to assist ingetting your record ready for an advancementor administrative board. Visit ourWeb site at www.navy-reserve.org, thenselect “Services,” then “Record Review /Audit.” It’s not too late to use this servicefor FY-08 cycle Boards. The remainingFY-08 Board schedule is:Reserve E7 21 May 07Reserve O4 Staff 13 Jun 07Reserve CWO3 & 4 28 Jun 07Apply Board 20 Aug 07Are you in zone in FY-09? Now is agreat time to use this service, allowing youample time to make improvements in yourrecord. Some satisfied customers havecommented:“I want to thank you for the great jobthat you did with my NRA Record Review.It is especially noteworthy that you didsuch a thorough job on such shortnotice.”“The review was well done and itgave me the confidence to know that I haddone everything I could to get promotedand also that my record was in goodorder.”“I thank the Navy Reserve Associationin reviewing my record prior to the board.Without this stellar service and detailedreview, my chances for promotion mayhave been less. I will recommend to all mycolleagues to join just for this servicealone.”NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 21

Active DutyProgramsNavy ReserveFull-Time SupportCDR Matt DuboisNational VP for Active Duty ProgramsAllow me to introducemyself. CDR Matt Duboishere, your NationalVP for Active DutyPrograms. Please put mye-mail address in yourcontact list. I want to hear from you abouthow the Association is or isn’t meeting theneeds of the Full-Time Support (FTS)community. Why aren’t all FTS membersof their professional Association? I havemy own thoughts on how the FTS feelbut want to hear from you. The entireAssociation leadership and I are committedto making the Association valuable for allmembers.Today’s demand for the Navy Reserve tomeet operational requirements quickly,with fully-trained Sailors, on a continuingbasis, highlights the increased importanceof Navy Reserve FTS personnel. Everyday, the integration between the Navy andthe Navy Reserve becomes greater andmore evident. In the years ahead, this totalforce concept will continue to growstronger, elevating the role of the NavyReserve and its Reservists, including FTS,as never before.Like many FTS, there are times when Ifeel unappreciated. I feel as though I’mstuck between two worlds where neitherone fully accepts me as a member. TheActive Duty officer corps doesn’t like mebecause I haven’t shared in the same painthey consider as the price of admission.The drilling population can sometimesget the impression that I don’t careenough about their needs. Does any ofthis sound familiar?The thing to me that has always madethe FTS program a model program is ourpride in ownership. Booz Allen Hamiltonactually agreed and, a few years back, usedthe Navy’s program to benchmark how aFull-Time Support program should be runas an example to the other Services. I’llbet you haven’t heard much about thatinitiative.The overarching truth is that our programis a Reserve program and, therefore, aSELRES program. Do you know any FTSthat think our jobs would be great if onlywe didn’t have to work with those peskySELRES? If you do, it’s time to showthem a little leadership. Without theSELRES, the program would not exist andtheir valuable capabilities the Navy needswouldn’t be available. Does this meanFTS are not an important part of theNavy? Absolutely not. In fact, it is ourownership of the program that makes itrun so well and ensures that our SELRESare well taken care of and at the top oftheir game. We are great stewards ofreadiness, operational support, performance,and mission success. Could AC personnelfill our shoes? Sure they can, but will theyever take ownership? Who will ultimatelysuffer? The population that will suffer isthe drilling Sailor who relies on ourexpertise and commitment.Most discussions about doing away withFTS are based on cost savings. Would it becheaper to disband the program and haveAC personnel fill the billets? Maybe. FTSbillets get cut, instant savings, right? Howmuch does it cost in goodwill for ourdrilling Reservists to go unpaid for weeksor months? How much does it cost forthem to be underutilized? How much forthem to transfer to the IRR? Do all thesethings happen under the current program?They do, but I humbly submit that it wouldbe much more pervasive if the programwere being run by folks who may havebeen put there because they didn’t meettheir normal career milestones or theywere in search of orders to a particulargeographic location that might not otherwisehave been available.Bottom line. The FTS program is avibrant program of professional operators,leaders, and managers who take ownership andensure that the Navy Reserve is successful.The Navy is going through a period ofunprecedented change. The Navy Reserveis no different. Ongoing issues in ourcommunity include the FTS FlagpoleStudy, career path changes, de-FTSingof certain rates, and Perform to Serve (PTS)for our enlisted Sailors (more later).Disclaimer – I am not the expert on thefollowing information. I’ve done myhomework; but as quickly as thingschange, the information could be obsoletebefore we go to print. If questions arise,please contact your detailers and communityleaders.First up, the dreaded FTS Flagpole.Parts I and II have been briefed and acceptedby the Flags. Part I results are beingimplemented and include: Consolidate theREDCOMs; consolidate Reserve Intel andSECGRU leadership structure; andstreamline the NOSCs. Part II dealt mostlywith staffing standards in our RC fieldactivities. The continuing debate concernswhether FTS should be assigned tooperational tours. The debate will continueand ultimately, whether we agree or not, adecision will be made. Not necessarilywhat’s right for you, me, or the FTSprogram . . . but what is right for theNavy.Officer career updates. There havebeen a few recent officer career pathitems of which you should be aware. Thesurface community is going to a XO/COfleet-up arrangement like the aviatorshave had for years. This means instead ofXO afloat as a career milestone as a LCDR,the new milestone will be CDR commandscreen followed by XO fleeting up to COafloat.The aviators are phasing out the squadronOIC position. This means that instead ofbecoming an FTS officer only to find out youare late to compete for OIC, you will getlooked at for CDR command giving eachofficer more time to progress within the FTScareer track. Without an OIC, the day-to-dayfull-time officer will be a Reserve officer onactive duty, either a FTS or a SELRESrecalled to active duty for the duration ofthe XO/CO tour.22 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

Both of these career path changes arepositive changes that put career emphasison command at sea. It has an added benefitof potentially allowing enough time in anofficer’s career to do a tour outside of his/heroperational community. This will allowthem to do a major staff tour or JPMEearlier than once possible.Enlisted career updates. Full-TimeSupport enlisted community managementimproved the method of issuing Performto Serve (PTS) quotas to spread moreequitably the quotas across a fiscal year. Thisis how it works: if they need to issue 48in-rating reenlistment quotas in a year fora specific rating, they generally allocate4 a month. Usually, for a rating thatrequires 48 annual quotas to be issued, theygenerally have 5-15 applications eachmonth competing for those 4 monthlyquotas. As 4 of those 5-15 applicantsreceive quotas, if there are no newapplications the following month, thenthe remaining applicants would likelyreceive a quota, up to four maximum. Asnew applications are received each month,they are electronically reranked by member’sachievements. Therefore, it is extremelyimportant to submit PTS applications assoon as the member is eligible, offeringhim/her the most possible “looks.”Action has been initiated to de-FTS the airtraffic controller rating. BRAC-05 closesWillow Grove, one of only three dutyassignments available for FTS air trafficcontrollers, leaving New Orleans and FortWorth. As a result, FTS air traffic controllerrequirements are projected to decline toapproximately 80, leaving the FTS AC ratingunsustainable.FTS Romeo and Sierra helicopter AW’sare being consolidated with ActiveComponent Romeo and Sierra AW’s. TheNAVADMIN announcing this consolidationis currently in routing. Target for thisconsolidation is the summer of 2007.One last thought: Most of the FTS fieldquestions daily on Apply Board issues.While we can read the many articles ande-mails that come out on the subject,nothing will compare with actually sittingon the board. Very few FTS have donethis. Make it a point to do this . . . it willhelp your career and make you a bettermentor.I look forward to hearing from youand hearing your ideas to improve theAssociation’s service to the FTS community.FY 2007 Basic Pay TablesEffective 1 April 2007Available at http://www.navy-reserve.org.Log in as a member, go to “FAQs,” andscroll down to “Pay Tables.”800,000 1_2pg4c copy 12/4/06 5:38 PM Page 1How much protection is enough?Double your coverage with Navy Mutual.Navy Mutual Flex Term & SGLISGLI $400,000 $29.00*Navy Mutual $400,000 $19.00Total $800,000 $48.00*includes $1 charge for TSGLI. Monthly premiums shown.NO WAR, NO AVIATION, and NO TERRORIST CLAUSES.Is $400K of SGLI enough for your family ifsomething happens to you? Consideranother $400K with Navy Mutual term lifeinsurance in addition to your SGLI. It’s theleast expensive way to get $800,000 ofcoverage. And with Navy Mutual,your policy will continue afterseparation or retirement.Call Navy Mutual:1.800.628.6011www.navymutual.orgHenderson Hall /29 Carpenter Rd., Arlington, VA 22212NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 23

Retirees’ CornerLCDR Joseph Golding, USNR (Ret)National VP for Retired PersonnelCaptain Derr is an officer of the Linewho has spent his civilian career inhealth care. In 2006, he finished a fouryeartour of work in Washington, DC,where he filled the position of ChiefOperating Officer of the American HealthCare Association which represents themajority of the long term facilities in theUS. He is very active in the LTC HealthInformation Technology initiative aswell as elderly care and pharmacy. He isa member of the VA CongressionalOversight Geriatric and GerontologyCommittee. Among numerous awards,he is a 2006 Purdue UniversityDistinguished Alumnus for his work inhealth care.Future Elderly Health CarePart 2This is article number two in aseries of three articles onelderly health. In the firstarticle, we discussed theindividual (you) and the waytechnology will change how welook at our own health and how we have to takeresponsibility for much of our own wellness.The technology change that will force achange is President Bush’s 2004 ExecutiveOrder to develop a national health careinfrastructure within ten years by having allhealth care providers interconnected andinteroperable, therefore, allowing the electronichealth record (EHR) and personal healthrecord (PHR) to become a reality.There are a number of barriers that willhave to be overcome as we move towards thisintegrated national health care system. Theimportant point is that this is not a technologyissue but financial and policy. Newt Gingrich,past House Speaker and founder of the Centerfor Health Transformation, when asked abouttechnology barriers to a national health caresystem, often uses the example of a personvisiting a foreign country and wanting cash.Today, you can walk up to a foreign ATM andinsert your hometown bankcard. In a matterof minutes you can have access to your bankaccount, know your account balance, haveU.S. currency converted to a local currencyand the money dispensed. Yet, if we wereliving at home, had a violent chest pain, andhad to go to a hospital emergency room, theywould not have access to your most recentvisit to the physician’s office or the testresults. Most likely, all the tests would have tobe redone, paperwork filled out on yourhistory, and time/money lost while thediagnostics were repeated. This is calledstatic health care.Since President Bush issued his ExecutiveOrder, much has been accomplished. Withinthe U.S. today, there are many cities, regions,and states that are taking the first stepstowards an integrated health care system.These sites have adopted the concept ofHealth Information Exchanges (HIE) orBy CAPT John F. Derr, USN (Ret)HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYAND LONG TERM CARERegional Health Information Organizations(RHIO). Hospitals, clinics, and physicianoffices have decided to work together toexchange information within the rules HealthInsurance Portability and Accountability Actof 1996 (HIPAA) guidelines to protect yourpersonal information. They are taking thefirst steps in setting up the infrastructure byestablishing interconnectivity and interoperabilitybetween care settings. You can envisionthat once the county has regional connectivity,the next step will be a national infrastructure;and, then, we will be ready for the age ofelectronic and personal health records.The private sector has stepped up to theplate in acute and ambulatory care, and theinitiative is moving at a fast pace. Long termcare (LTC), which are mostly the elderly, isprimarily reimbursed by government programsand not by private insurance companies soadoption of HIT will take longer. Yet, LTCalready has a person-centric health informationsystem for skilled nursing facilities (SNF)and home care. SNFs have to access residentson a continuous basis with the Center forMedicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)mandated Minimum Data Set (MDS); andhome care, with Outcome and AssessmentInformation Set (OASIS). These arecomprehensive health information applicationsbut do not provide the complete quality-ofcareinformation for the resident.As the third priority HIT sector, the LTCsector is not waiting to be told what to dobut is working on interconnectivity andinteroperability within the elderly spectrumof care (home care, private care, day care,assisted living, skilled nursing home care, andhospice). Elderly care is unique in thatelderly persons usually have chronicconditions and move around the spectrumof care. As an example, going to the hospitalfor surgery, then to a nursing home forrehabilitation, then assisted living or home.This “bopping” (moving) around thespectrum of elderly care requires informationflow between care settings and an electronicand personal health record.24 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

THE AQUILA SMGROUP OF FUNDSAs many of you know, the Aquila sm Group of Funds provides theNaval Reserve Association and its members with a cash benefit service -The Cash Management Service for NRA Members, a money-market mutualfund. However, this is just one of the ways that the Aquila sm Group of Fundscan be of service to NRA members.Aquila also specializes in single-state tax-free municipal bond funds. Thesefunds are excellent investment vehicles for those members who seek stabilityfor their overall investment portfolio or who are near or at retirement age.If you are a resident of Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Oregon, RhodeIsland or Utah or if you have a permanent active duty station outside theUnited States and are interested in finding out more about a stable investmentchoice, call your financial adviser or Aquila at 1-800-437-1020 or visit ourwebsite at www.aquilafunds.com for a free prospectus. Read it carefullybefore you invest or send money.• Managed for capitalpreservation• Provides monthlydouble tax-free*dividend income• High-quality, locallymanagedportfolio• Broad selection ofbond issues• Ready liquidity• Highly stable share price**• Low initial investmentINVESTING IN YOUR COMMUNITIES,YOUR STATE,YOUR FUTURE ...• Improves quality of lifeby supporting state’sinfrastructure needs -airports, schools,roads, hospitals, etc.Shares of the Aquila-sponsored tax-free municipal bond funds are not deposits, obligations of or guaranteed by any bank;are not insured by the FDIC and are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of principal invested.*For certain investors, some income may be subject to federal and state taxes, including the alternative minimum tax.**Share net asset value and dividend rate of the Aquila-sponsored tax-freemunicipal bond funds are not fixed and vary with interest rate fluctuations.ChurchillTax-Free Fund of KentuckyHawaiian Tax-Free TrustNarragansett InsuredTax-Free Income Fund Tax-Free Fund For Utah Tax-Free Fund of Colorado Tax-Free Trust of Arizona Tax-Free Trust of OregonAquila Distributors, Inc. 7/02

NRASpring ConferenceAGENDAThursday, April 261600-1700 National Executive Committee Meeting1800-2000 President’s Reception Sheraton Hotel – Atrium2000- Hospitality Suite OpenFriday, April 270700-0800 Continental Breakfast – Ballroom0800-1130 General Session – Ballroom0800-0815 Opening Remarks: CDR Joseph Quaglino, Jr.President, Naval Reserve Association0815-0845 RADM Casey W. CoaneNational Executive DirectorNaval Reserve AssociationGuest Speakers:0845-0945 VADM John G. CottonChief of Navy Reserve0945-1000 Break1000-1100 Christine E. WormuthCenter for Strategic andInternational Studies, PrincipalAuthor of The Future of theNational Guard and Reserves1100-1130 MG Bobby HollingsworthExecutive Director, EmployerSupport of the Guard and Reserve0900-1500 Anchors Tour of the Hillwood Museum andGardens1130-1300 Buffet Lunch – Atrium1130-1700 Committee Breakouts (rooms to be assigned)Budget & Finance Chapter DevelopmentHealth Affairs MembershipProfessional Dev. PolicyRetired Affairs ResolutionsDistrict Presidents Member Services1700- Fifth District Meeting – Location TBA1700- Hospitality Suite OpenSaturday, April 280700-0800 Continental Breakfast – Ballroom0800-0900 Committee Breakouts0800-1100 Anchors Breakfast – Private Dining Room0900-1200 General Session – BallroomCAPT John C. Rice, Jr., RemembranceMembership Presentation1230-1430 Awards Luncheon – BallroomGuest Speaker:The Hon. William A. Navas, Jr.Assistant Secretary of the NavyManpower and Reserve AffairsAwards:Junior Officer of the Year 2006FTS Line: LCDR Casey J. Casad, USN – VAQ-209FTS Staff: LCDR Joseph E. Banks, SC, USN –Cargo Handling Battalion EIGHTDRILLING RESERVELine: LCDR Curtis L. Michel, USN –NR Naval Air Systems Command 6066DRILLING RESERVEStaff: LTJG Justin B. Doster, SC, USN –Navy Supply SupportBattalion TWOBea Ratner: LCDR Rebecca Pate, NC, USN –Operational Health SupportUnit DET H1500-1730 General Session/Committee Reports – BallroomConference adjournsCONFERENCE UNIFORMS:President’s Reception: Civilian, Business CasualFor all other functions: Service Khaki or appropriatecivilian attire26 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

The Sheraton Crystal City Hotelis pleased to welcome:The Naval Reserve Association26-28 April 2007The SheratonCrystal CityHotel features210 recently renovateddeluxe guest roomsand suites, and 16,086square feet of meetingspace to accommodategroups of two to 650.Located just one mileaway from ReaganNational Airport, weare ideally situated inArlington’s Crystal City, across the river from the nation’s capital, andonly one block from the Crystal City Metro Station. Shopping, sightseeing,museums, entertainment, sports, and unlimited dining optionsare all nearby.The Crystal City Metro Station is one block away, meaningyou’re a short metro ride from the sites and sounds of the city;such as the monuments on the National Mall, The White House, TheSmithsonian Museums, historic Georgetown, and much more. Ifshopping is your pleasure, we are steps away from the Crystal CityShops, boasting over 130 stores, as well as restaurants and foodcourts, and only a few short blocks from the Fashion Center atPentagon City, which offers 170 upscale shops and boutiques.Nearby is the newly built Pentagon Row – host to still more shoppingamong many well-known restaurants and bars.Reservations: Call 1-888-627-8209. Make sure you tell them youare with the Naval Reserve Association to get the group rate.Rate: $139 per night plus tax (10.25%) for King or Double/Doublefor the period 25-30 April 2007.Rooms are limited: Reservations received after 25 March 2007 aresubject to availability and may not qualify for the group rate.The ANCHORS TourThe Hillwood Museum and Gardens27 April 2007Will leave at 0900 and return around 1500.Will view a movie, tour the gardens, have lunch,then tour the mansion.Cost of the Tour: $15.00Lunch: $18.00 (Inclusive of tax and gratuity)For details, please e-mail Mrs. Rebecca Hill at Reb81941@aol.comNaval Reserve AssociationSpring ConferenceThe Sheraton Crystal City HotelArlington, VA26-28 April 2007REGISTRATIONNAME/RANK____________________________________(AS DESIRED ON NAME TAG)FIRST TIME CONFERENCE ATTENDEE:LIFEMEMBER: YES _____ NO _____YES______________ NO_______________MAILINGADDRESS______________________________________________________________CITY____________________ STATE_____ ZIP________ PHONE: (SPOUSE’S NAME(IF ATTENDING)____________________________(AS DESIRED ON NAME TAG)) __LIFEMEMBER: YES_____ NO_____HOTEL ARRIVAL DATE____________________ DEPARTURE DATE_______________REGISTRATION FEES: MEMBER: $180.00 SPOUSE/ANCHORS: $180.00TOTAL FORWARDED: $_________REGISTRATION FEES INCLUDE:Thursday night President’s reception;Friday & Saturday ContinentalBreakfast; Friday Lunch & SaturdayAwards Lunch._____________________________FINANCE CHAIRMANPLEASE INDICATE YOUR CHOICE(S) OF COMMITTEE(S) ON WHICH TO SERVE:____ ACTIVE DUTY PROGRAMS____ AIR PROGRAMS____ AWARDS____ BUDGET & FINANCE____ CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS____ EDUCATION & LEGISLATION____ HEALTH AFFAIRS____ JO PROGRAMSCredit card type: (AMEX, VISA, Master Card, Discover)____ MEMBER SERVICES____ POLICY____ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT____ RESOLUTIONS____ RETIRED PERSONNEL____ SITE SELECTION____ SURFACE PROGRAMSAuthorized Signature:___________________________________________Credit card number:_____________________________ Exp. Date:______Make checks payable to: NRA 2007 Spring ConferenceDO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE, FORCREDENTIALS COMMITTEE ONLY____________ Delegate NRA Chapter________________________ Certified DelegateMail this form to:NRA 2007 Spring Conferencec/o Chief Financial Officer1619 King StreetAlexandria, VA 22314Fax: 703-683-3647 ☛ E-mail: cfo@navy-reserve.orgC O N F E R E N C E R E G I S T R AT I O NNRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 27

NAVAL RESERVE ASSOCIATIONDISTRICT PRESIDENTSFIRST DISTRICTCAPT William S. Joransen, USN (Ret)E-mail: wsjor@weathereye.comTHIRD DISTRICTCAPT Lance R. Mauro, SC, USNE-mail: lmauro58@yahoo.comFOURTH DISTRICTCDR Edward “Andy” Yeaste, USNE-mail: eyeaste@packagingcorp.comFIFTH DISTRICTCAPT G. Mark Hardy III, USNE-mail: nra@gmhardy.comSIXTH DISTRICTLT Louise Anderson, MSC, USNE-mail: louise.anderson@bellsouth.netEIGHTH DISTRICTCAPT Larry W. Roy, USNR (Ret)E-mail: lwroy@prodigy.netNINTH DISTRICTCAPT Merton D. Nason, USN (Ret)E-mail: imaginason@msn.comELEVENTH DISTRICTLCDR David M. Bradley, USNR (Ret)E-mail: bradsmgtd@msn.comTWELFTH DISTRICTCAPT David Epstein, USNR (Ret)E-mail: davidepstein@sbcglobal.netTHIRTEENTH DISTRICTCAPT John F. Derr, USNR (Ret)E-mail: captainjohn181@mac.comFOURTEENTH DISTRICTCAPT Gayle Lau, JAGC, USNR (Ret)E-mail: laug004@hawaii.rr.comFIFTEENTH DISTRICTCAPT George Westwood, USNE-mail: gwestwood@earthlink.netNaval ReserveAssociationScholarship Program2007-2008APPLY NOW!NRAis accepting scholarshipapplications for sonsand daughters of members for the2007/2008 academic year. Deadline forcompleted applications is 1 May 2007.Applications are available onlineat www.navy-reserve.org. Formore detailed information, contact:Educational Assistance ProgramNaval Reserve Association1619 King StreetAlexandria, VA 22314-2793Tel.: (703) 548-5800E-mail: cfo@navy-reserve.orgMembershipNRA MEMBERSHIPREPORT CARD(So Far a C+)The results by District (from 1 Nov. 2006 through 22 Feb. 2007) of new dues paying members:District ONE: 14 District THREE: 19 District FOUR: 25District FIVE: 54 District SIX: 52 District EIGHT: 32District NINE: 43 District ELEVEN: 36 District TWELVE: 15District THIRTEEN: 18 District FOURTEEN: 5 AT LARGE: 15Individual Leaders in sponsoring dues paying members (1 Oct. 2006 through 22 Feb. 2007):CDR Gary Barron 4 CDR Billie G. Dunlap 2 CDR Alfred Dunn 6CAPT Tom McAtee 2 CDR Parks 2 LCDR Kim Wilson 3RADM Dick Young 11 22 tied with one eachVery few of the Membership Committee have so far shown up as sponsors (exceptions being CAPTTom Caulfield, CDR Alfred Dunn, CAPT Mileva Hartman , CWO4 Jackie Karsten, CWO4 CarmineMezzacappa, and CDR Prusiecki). Don’t know if they are simply forgetting to have themselves listedas sponsors, or if they have yet to start recruiting one on one.CREATION/GROWTH OF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGs)Interested in joining a SIG? Starting up a SIG? And, by the way, what exactly is a SIG?A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a group of any number of NRA members who wish to jointogether informally, communicating almost entirely via e-mail, on and about the focal point ofthat specific SIG. Examples: a group of shipmates from the same ship or squadron who wishto stay in touch, hold periodic reunions; a group having the same designator wishing to shareinformation about billet, APPLY, selection procedures, promotion opportunities, billet assignments,etc.; or a group having a specific technical or professional skill where current techniques,actual experiences, recent experiments can be rapidly and easily exchanged and information obtained,such as with operating room nrses, radiologists, pharmacists.SIGs in existence (or forming) and the SIG Leader and e-mail address:Medical Corps SIG (15-236) CDR Matthew Norman mnorman@rcn.comPAO JO SIG LTJG Dilshad Kasmani DKASMANI@mindspring.comPharmacist SIG CAPT Tom Vagnini tjvagnini@yahoo.comWarrant SIG CWO4 Carmine Mezzacappa cm643@yahoo.comCWO4 Jackie Karsten fmcpc@aol.comA number of others are in the works, being tentatively looked at, or are looking for a leader.If interested in joining one of the above, just e-mail the SIG leader. If interested in considering startingup one or getting more information, please contact me, dickyoung@4dv.net.Remember, recruiting new NRA Members is an “all hands evolution.” Are you doing your part?Dick YoungNational VP-Membership28 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007 29

Reservists in ActionBurke Chapter Mess NightThe Ensign James F. Burke, Jr. Chapter of the NavalReserve Association held its nineteenth annual messnight on Friday, 19 January, at the historic LarchmontYacht Club; Larchmont, NY.The chapter is named in honor of Ensign Burke, a Navalaviator, who was killed in action in Vietnam while returning fromhis 35th mission on 1 August 1967. Ensign Burke was 22 yearsold at the time. He left a wife and daughter who was born fivemonths after his death. The daughter is now a Federal Fire Chiefin the Federal Fire Department System. She is responsible forover 200 fire stations covering the states of California, Arizona,and Nevada.Master Chief Boatswain Mate James F. Burke, USNR (Ret), aretired New York City policeman survives his son. His other son,LCDR Tim Burke, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and a Navalaviator, is a captain with American Airlines and was an attendeeat the Mess Night. A special commendation, signed by all of themembers of the Mess, which featured a drawing of the USSBarney (DD149), the destroyer that Master Chief Burke servedaboard during WWII, was presented at the dinner.The featured speakers of the evening were RADM Robert A.Rosen, NYNM, and RADM J. Robert Lunney, NYNM, whorecounted the saga of the long overdue delivery of the Medal ofHonor to the relatives of Chief Watertender Peter Tomich, USN.Chief Tomich earned the award for his heroic actions aboard theUSS Utah (BB-31) on 7 December 1941, during the attack onPearl Harbor. He lost his life while saving the lives of manyof his shipmates.(L to R) CAPT Eric Holmquist, NYNM; HM1 Richard Heine,USNR; LCDR Tim Burke, USNR; CAPT Tom Dufficy, USNR;RADM Robert A. Rosen, NYNM; RADM J. Robert Lunney, NYNM;RADM Andrew P. O’Rourke, NYNM; and BGen Richard Crabtree,NYNM, gather at the Larchmont Yacht Club prior to the 19thAnnual Mess Night of the James F. Burke, Jr. Chapter of theUnited States Naval Reserve Association.Mess nights find their origins in the rituals of the ancientViking warriors who mourned their dead and celebrated theirvictories. Mess nights are full of tradition and comradeship. ThePresident of the Mess is CAPT Tom Dufficy, USNR (Ret), whowas most ably assisted by CAPT Liam Murphy, NYNM (Ret).Stolen Valor Act of 2005By LT Marc J. Soss, SC, USNOn 20 December 2006, the Stolen Valor Act of 2005(the “Act”) became Public Law No. 109-437. A similarversion of the Act was originally proposed in theU.S. House of Representatives in July 2005 and laterpresented to the House of Representatives on 10 November 2005.The Act amends Title 18, United States Code, by closing a loopholein current Federal law that had allowed individuals falsely toclaim receipt of military decorations and awards (service medals,badge, ribbon, button, or rosette) but escape prosecution if they didnot physically wear the awards. An individual caught wearing anunearned military medal faced a misdemeanor charge and up tosix months in prison.The Act expands section 704(a) of Title 18, United StatesCode, to include the purchase, attempt to purchase, solicit forpurchase, mail, ship, import, export, production of blank certificatesof receipt, manufacture, sale, attempt to sell, advertisement forsale, trade, barter, or exchange for anything of value any of theservice medals or badgesawarded to the membersof such forces. The Actestablishes a $5,000fine; up to six monthsimprisonment; or both, forfalse claims (verbal orwritten) of receipt of U.S.military decorations andmedals. The punishmentis increased to a $10,000fine; up to one year imprisonment; or both, if the U.S. militarydecoration or medal is the Medal of Honor, Navy or Air ForceCross, Silver Star, or Purple Heart. The Act also classifies thecrimes as felonies, which can carry additional penalties, such aslimits on gun ownership and disqualification from certain publicoffices.30 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007

a world of Solutions A World of OpportunityShaw is working on some of the most important and exciting engineeringand construction projects in the country. With over 21,000 employeesand 170 worldwide locations, we are leading the way in providingcomprehensive services to government and private-sector clients inthe power, chemicals, fabrication, manufacturing, environmental, andinfrastructure markets.www.shawgrp.comPOWER • FOSSIL • NUCLEAR • ENERGY • CHEMICALS • ENGINEERING • CONSTRUCTIONMAINTENANCE • TECHNOLOGY • ENVIRONMENTAL • INFRASTRUCTURE20M032007D

YOU LIVE AND SERVEIN BOTH WORLDS.SO DO WE.CHECKINGSAVINGSCREDIT CARDSLOANSAUTO INSURANCELIFE INSURANCECITIZEN. SOLDIER.Defending our nation and fighting for freedom abroad – it’s what you do. Helping you securefinancial peace of mind – it’s what we do.If you serve in the Selected Reserve, you’re eligible for membership. It would be ourhighest honor to serve you.INVESTMENTSFINANCIAL ADVICEDISCOVER THE VALUE OF MEMBERSHIP.• Save up to $600 a year on auto insurance with member-only rates. 1• No-Fee Checking and free access to 1,000,000 ATMs worldwide with ATM fee refunds. 2• Free financial advice from USAA advisors, including comprehensive deployment assistance.• Get a special credit card rate for up to a year during regular deployment and a 100% rebateon all finance charges during military campaigns. 3• Get an interest-free loan to pay for your mortgage while deployed. 4JOINUS.Uusaa.com800.867.06051Investments/Insurance: Not FDIC Insured · Not Bank Guaranteed · May Lose Value1Average annual dollar savings based on countrywide survey of new policyholders from 9/1/05 to 8/31/06, as compared to their previous carriers’ rates. Savings may not be available in all locations, all policies or all companies. Savingsdo not apply to MA or NJ. When mandated by law, certain nonmembers may also receive member-only rates.2Up to 10 free ATM withdrawals and $15 in refunds per month.3You must contact us within 90 days after the start of your deployment/PCS or 6 months after your military campaign involvement and provide any required documentation.4Deployment Mortgage Assistance loan program is available to National Guard or Selected Reserve members who have a USAA mortgage loan.Use of the term “member” does not convey any legal, eligibility or ownership rights.USAA means United Services Automobile Association and its affiliates. Property and casualty insurance provided by United Services Automobile Association, USAA Casualty Insurance Company, USAA General Indemnity Company, Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company, USAA County Mutual InsuranceCompany, USAA Texas Lloyd’s Company and USAA Ltd., and is available only to persons eligible for P&C group membership. Financial advice provided by USAA Financial Planning Services Insurance Agency, Inc. (known as USAA Financial Insurance Agency in California), and USAA Financial Advisors, Inc., a registeredbroker dealer. Banking products provided by USAA Federal Savings Bank, an equal housing lender. Credit cards provided by USAA Federal Savings Bank. Both banks Member FDIC. Other products and services provided by USAA Investment Management Company, USAA Life Insurance Company and USAA Life InsuranceCompany of New York (Highland Falls, NY). Availability restrictions may apply. © USAA 2006. All rights reserved. 1635:156921635-15692_Naval Reserve Assn Ne1 112/22/06 5:33:27 PMJob #: 1635-15692 Size: 1 Version: 1 Built @ 100% Output @ 100% Color: 4C