USMC Wives

So after many weeks of not blogging as we PCS’d to Okinawa, it’s time to get back into it.  I started a chronicle of my experience with the moving overseas and then just stopped because, well, things didn’t go well as we were tackling administrative hurdles.  They should have gone much more smoothly.  And since I had nothing nice to say…. well…. you know what mama said about that!

On a much brighter note, we are getting settled in Okinawa and absolutely adoring it.  I will be adding countless entries about the place itself and the people.  But I thought it might be fitting for my come-back entry to feature one special person.

I had the privilege of meeting a young Marine wife at the Camp Foster PX last weekend.  She was promoting her new book of poetry and upon seeing this and learning that she was a fellow Marine spouse, I bought the book immediately without even perusing it.  Oh how I love a hard charging military spouse!  So I was prepared to have essentially donated the money for a book that who knows if I would have liked or not.  Color me tickled (yes, I said “tickled”) to see that this young lady really gave me something for my money.  She’s smart, funny, poignant and wise beyond her years.  Her name is Dana English-Nelson and you should commit that to memory because I think she is going places– and I don’t just mean with her husband.  She is not only a published author but is also active in the military community here speaking to groups, writing custom poetry for children and more.  I’m proud to be in the not-so-silent ranks with the likes of Dana.  Check out her book “Hear My Voice – Life Through Poetry” here via the AuthorHouse publishing web site. Get a copy today not only to support a fellow Marine Spouse but for a good read about life, love, friendship, heartbreak and survival.

Since I struggle for blogging material at times, it occurred to me this morning that I have something perfectly logical to write a series about now in the form of our PCS to Okinawa.  If you’re reading this, most likely you know that in the military “PCS” is the abbreviation for “Permanent Change of Station.”  Otherwise known as moving on orders from the military.  Also otherwise known as being like a box of chocolates:  you never know what you’re going to get.

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http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/07/marine_okinawa_071809w/
news/2009/07/marine_okinawa_071809w

SAN DIEGO — Forget about getting that off-base Japanese rental for a real local experience if you’re headed to Okinawa on an accompanied tour.

Beginning Aug. 1, any accompanied service member headed across the Pacific on permanent change-of-station orders must live in on-base government housing, a move designed to fill vacant military homes, according to the Air Force’s 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base. The Air Force manages more than 8,300 family housing units on Okinawa for all four services.

The policy, announced July 7, does not affect service members already stationed on Okinawa, officials said in a response provided by Maj. Kenneth L. Hoffman, a U.S. Pacific Air Forces spokesman at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Single service members still can live off base, if eligible.

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American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 10, 2009 – May was a banner recruiting month for every military service, but especially for the Marine Corps, which topped its active-duty goal by 42 percent and its Marine Corps Reserve goal by 12 percent, Defense Department officials announced today.The Marine recruiting successes represent a particularly high point among across-the-board recruiting successes in which every service met or exceeded its May active-duty goal, officials said.

The reserve components reported similar progress. The three components that fell short of their projected May goals did so because only because they already have reached 112 percent of their year-to-date goals, officials explained.

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Article from Marine Corps Times:

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/06/marine_corpspedia_060809w/

By Trista Talton – Staff writer

So long Wikipedia. Say hello to Corpspedia.

A new informational Web site about the Corps, specifically for Marines, will soon be tested by troops at the School of Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“Right now, it’s focusing on infantry skills,” said Capt. Mike Regner, Corpspedia project officer at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab in Quantico, Va.

When students at SOI-West tap into the new site in July, they’ll have access to more than 150 topics, including weapons systems, offensive and defensive tactics, heli-borne operations, close air support, crew-served weapons, Combat Hunter and land navigation.

The idea sprang out of Regner’s assignment to find out why Marines are having trouble with land navigation. The light bulb turned on as soon as he entered ‘land navigation’ into the Google search engine in November 2007.

“In the process of doing all that, I had that ‘ah-ha’ moment,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be nice if the Marine Corps had its own Google? Marines are already doing this, but they’re doing it out in Wikipedia. They’re doing it in other places. There’s finally an alternative.”

Corpspedia will be like a much smaller version of Wikipedia, which offers an encyclopedia of user-updated information in dozens of languages and via millions of links. The program can grow to thousands of topics, Regner said, and will include graphics and pictures.

“If you’re the instructor at the school, you already have the information together at that point,” Regner said. “You already have the pictures on your PowerPoints. You already have the references listed at the bottom. You just don’t have an arena. You don’t have a podium. It fills that gap.”

The bulk of Corpspedia’s content will likely consist of training materials, he said.

But the site’s content, accessed only through Navy-Marine Corps intranet accounts, will ultimately be left up to its users. Every topic site will have a five-star rating from “does not answer questions” to “answered all of my questions.”

“Corpspedia grows based on what the Marines are asking for,” Regner said.

For example, if the site does not contain information about the Corps’ latest tattoo regs, but there are a lot of requests on that topic, that information can be added.

Unlike Wikipedia, where the information on a topic may be altered by anyone who uses the site, Corpspedia topics will be managed by designated subject matter experts. Regner said he doesn’t want Marines throwing in their own “we did it this way” scenarios.

“That could get dangerous in the Marine Corps,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is put down vetted information in here. We don’t want this to become an alternative to the right way of doing things.”

Check out the recently updated and vastly improved web site for recruiting Marine Officers!

MarineOfficer.com

If you are reading this in English, thank a veteran.

Our veterans need our support. Most of us express support in words… but then we take our ball and go home. We leave it to others to actually DO things in support of those who secure our freedom. I submit to you that if EVERYONE did this, NOTHING would get done. Be part of the solution. Who better to do something than you? You can’t save the world but if you add your small contribution to those of others… and then others add theirs… and still others… think what could happen?

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Gunners, range officers merge into single MOS – Marine Corps Times

The Corps will merge the military occupational specialties for Marine gunners and range officers, addressing a gunners shortage and putting nearly all weapons training under the control of a single MOS.

The merger of the two warrant officer communities was approved April 28 by Commandant Gen. James Conway and will be outlined during a June 20 meeting at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., officials said. It means Marine gunners will take over management of rifle ranges, while existing range officers will be forced to either become gunners or find another MOS, said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeffrey Eby, a gunner at Marine Corps headquarters overseeing the merger. It also will streamline oversight of Marine marksmanship, which was handled in part by both MOSs.

“There is some emotion tied to this, but it’s specifically because you had two professional MOSs both performing the same job,” Eby said.

As of February, there were 70 gunners and 32 range officers in the Corps. About 12 current range officers who do not have an infantry background will not be eligible to become gunners, but officials will find other assignments for those Marines in billets held by their current ranks, Eby said.

While both MOSs have handled weapons training in the past, there are many differences between the two assignments. Range officers typically handle the initial instruction of marksmanship training programs for small arms and infantry crew-served weapons on Marine bases in the U.S., and develop training doctrine and techniques. Gunners advise infantry commanders on weapons tactics, oversee combat marksmanship and frequently deploy with infantry units.

“What you ended up with is two guys trying to do the same thing from different perspectives,” Eby said. “If you streamline that effort by having one guy oversee it from cradle to grave, you eliminate all conflicts.”

There are other benefits to the merger, Eby said. First, moving gunners back and forth from range assignments to combat will allow them to integrate lessons learned on deployment into range training, a struggle for some range officers who never deployed. It also will increase dwell time for gunners and allow them to ensure that range training on items ranging from optics to communications gear does not hamper combat performance.

The Marine Corps Ground Board has asked for a study to determine which units without a gunner may need one, officials said. The Corps also approved assigning gunners in 2009 and 2010 to Reserve infantry battalions: 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 4th Reconnaissance Battalion.

Dear Friends,

My father (a USAF veteran) will be leading a group of 30 or so members of his Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapter from our home town in NC up to Washington DC on Memorial Day weekend to participate in Rolling Thunder XXII. As they state on their web site, this is not a parade but a demonstration. I’m very proud of my father for his participation and very happy to announce that I just made arrangements to be in attendance!

I have discussed this with some of you in conversation but it has come to my attention that there are many people who are not familiar with the Rolling Thunder organization and what it does. Because their mission is so important, I hope you’ll take a few moments to read about them and their valuable efforts so that you can discuss them any time the issue of our American POW/MIA is raised. Rolling Thunder has made significant strides for these heroes… the least we can do is appreciate what they do and support them in words if not deeds or funds. The issue of our POW/MIA is one that is often overlooked and I submit to you that this is unacceptable. What if it was YOUR Marine who didn’t come home?

From the Rolling Thunder Web Site- FACT SHEET:

Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 88 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans, and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for POWs and MIAs of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.” The name Rolling Thunder is derived from the constant bombing of North Vietnam in 1965 and was given the name, “Operation Rolling Thunder.” No officers or members of Rolling Thunder, Inc. receive compensation; we all donate our time.

Click here for more information about Rolling Thunder.