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Showing posts with label Navy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Navy. Show all posts
Sunday, January 4, 2015
2014 in review
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Monday, July 14, 2014
more things that made me smile
* this post on how Heavenly Father can bless us when we do our part... or when we don't. been there, heard that a few times in my life. nice to know i'm not alone.
* so, i was supposed to fly to germany this weekend on orders, but that didn't happen (long story). naturally, i was disappointed, but all in all okay with how it turned out. i'm at peace with it, and that's a good feeling.
* i was asked to be a co-sponsor for a former sailor as he goes through chief training. it's such an honor.
* two junior officers who care about a shipmate and are bravely doing the right thing reminded why i love the navy. and i needed that reminder one day last week.
* two junior officers who care about a shipmate and are bravely doing the right thing reminded why i love the navy. and i needed that reminder one day last week.
* a friend and i were chatting, and he reminded me just how much i love the show MASH. seriously, being the navy i have worked with all those characters in real life.
* re-learning a lesson. you know how you end up in a situation where once you have some hindsight you realize that you once again were learning a lesson that you thought you had already learned? yeah.... that was me again recently. i'm very thankful for do-overs. hopefully, i got it this time and will remember it for the next time.
* going from a hole in the wall to an AC unit in the wall. it took 3 friends, 3 prayers and lots of patience.
* the realization that many of the things on this list are navy-related. funny, cause i wasn't feeling it last week.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
the us naval academy
Mom and I spent a couple of days in Annapolis at the US Naval Academy.
One of the chapel windows.
They all depict a sea-themed scripture.
Windows by Tiffany...
Yes, that Tiffany.
The John Paul Jones Crypt.
Honoring the man who said in response to a taunt from the British,
"I have not yet begun to fight." And then he proved it.
Camellias in bloom
A front view of the chapel
Navy Chief! Navy Pride!
Midshipmen at midday formation, getting ready to march into lunch.
A model of the Wright Brothers Flyer B in Dahlgren Hall.
Mom caught me at work.
We had a lot of fun together. It was nice to share a bit of my life with my mom.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
4 more years
Saturday was a big day. I bit the bullet and committed four more years of my life to spending at least one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year as a Navy Reservist. Seriously, deciding to reenlist was one of the hardest decisions of my life, right up there with deciding to go on a mission to Santiago, Chile and not marry the man to whom I was engaged. God works in mysterious ways, and I am meant to serve in the Navy Reserve for a few more years at least.
The fun part is that my good friend, newly commissioned Army Officer, 2Lt KGB, was my reenlisting officer. It was really cool to be a part of one of his first official acts as an officer as he delivered the enlistment oath and I repeated it back to him.
Each time I reenlist, it's a bit humbling to repeat the oath and re-commit to upholding and defending the Constitution. I always have a lump in my throat, because I love my country and really do believe in all the good things for which our country stands and the Constitution is basis for most of them.
"I, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. I swear (or affirm) that I am fully aware and fully understand the conditions under which I am enlisting." (Navy Enlisted Oath)
P.S. Thanks to all my lovely friends who came to the ceremony. It meant a lot to have your support.
P.P.S. I have more photos, and will share them when I am able. I still need to buy a new computer.
The fun part is that my good friend, newly commissioned Army Officer, 2Lt KGB, was my reenlisting officer. It was really cool to be a part of one of his first official acts as an officer as he delivered the enlistment oath and I repeated it back to him.
Each time I reenlist, it's a bit humbling to repeat the oath and re-commit to upholding and defending the Constitution. I always have a lump in my throat, because I love my country and really do believe in all the good things for which our country stands and the Constitution is basis for most of them.
"I, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. I swear (or affirm) that I am fully aware and fully understand the conditions under which I am enlisting." (Navy Enlisted Oath)
Once I repeated the oath, I signed my contract and thus renewed my contract for another four years. Here's to the next, and hopefully last, four years being as great as first 19 years. Go Navy!
P.S. Thanks to all my lovely friends who came to the ceremony. It meant a lot to have your support.
P.P.S. I have more photos, and will share them when I am able. I still need to buy a new computer.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
honorary chief bill cosby
Thursday, I got to see the one and only Bill Cosby become
an honorary Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in the United States Navy!
MCPON West and SECNAV Mabus place the CPO epaulettes on Mr. Cosby's shoulders.
Mr. Cosby puts on the suit coat with with the CPO rating badge for Hospital Corpsman.
The Command Master Chief of the USS Constitution
presents Chief Cosby with an original piece of the USS Constitution.
Mingling with the Chiefs afterwards.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
simple, right?
My deep thoughts for the day...
This week I've been in training to become a leadership advisor for a drug and alcohol program. Today in class we were asked, at the end of a very broad, long and dry presentation, "True or False: Can we win the war on drugs?" Most in the class answered no. I however answered yes, and was laughed at incredulously by some of the members of the class. Here's how I defended my answer: Yes, we can win the war on drugs one person at a time.
The war on drugs that I can fight and win is on an individual basis with people. I can't go to Mexico to broker peace with the drug cartels, to Afghanistan to convince farmers to stop planting poppies and funding the local Taliban and hence world terrorist organizations, or to Colombia to stop the cocaine trade. I can work with individuals who come to me or are referred to me for help, and point them in the right direction to get help, and I can help to educate people before they make these choices. That's the part I have control over and the possibility of me winning this part is there, difficult, but not impossible.
Someone laughed when I said that we can win one person at a time, and used the analogy of the starfish on the beach. Yep, it's true we can't throw all of them back in the ocean, but to the ones we throw back in the ocean a difference has been made. Another person accused me of being a Democrat, as if they have the corner on individualism... Nonetheless, I stand by my answer. We can win, one person at a time.
I get frustrated sometimes by the lack of vision when it comes to managing personnel administration programs within organizations. Sure, part of managing a program is to monitor statistics and apply the over arching policies. However, unless the application of the program is distilled to simple terms, then the point is missed, and the point with this particular program about which I'm learning is people. How to educate a person to think about his or her choices. How to help them when they don't make the right choice. How to determine if they deserve a second chance or if the policy will allow a second chance. How to hold them accountable when their actions don't uphold the standards and values of the organization. We have to apply programs to people and on an individual basis when we can.
People are the most important part of any program and by losing sight of how to apply programs to people, then we lose sight of the people.
But, people are not the simplest element to deal with. I get this. People have to want to change and even then they may not choose to, I get this too. I get that sometimes I won't be able to help someone in the ways they truly need to be helped, because of the parameters of the program I'm dealing with. That's life and sometimes, well a lot of the time, it's not ideal. That's okay, and I can deal with that, as long as I know that I did my part.
Thanks for reading. I just had to get this off my chest today.
This week I've been in training to become a leadership advisor for a drug and alcohol program. Today in class we were asked, at the end of a very broad, long and dry presentation, "True or False: Can we win the war on drugs?" Most in the class answered no. I however answered yes, and was laughed at incredulously by some of the members of the class. Here's how I defended my answer: Yes, we can win the war on drugs one person at a time.
The war on drugs that I can fight and win is on an individual basis with people. I can't go to Mexico to broker peace with the drug cartels, to Afghanistan to convince farmers to stop planting poppies and funding the local Taliban and hence world terrorist organizations, or to Colombia to stop the cocaine trade. I can work with individuals who come to me or are referred to me for help, and point them in the right direction to get help, and I can help to educate people before they make these choices. That's the part I have control over and the possibility of me winning this part is there, difficult, but not impossible.
Someone laughed when I said that we can win one person at a time, and used the analogy of the starfish on the beach. Yep, it's true we can't throw all of them back in the ocean, but to the ones we throw back in the ocean a difference has been made. Another person accused me of being a Democrat, as if they have the corner on individualism... Nonetheless, I stand by my answer. We can win, one person at a time.
I get frustrated sometimes by the lack of vision when it comes to managing personnel administration programs within organizations. Sure, part of managing a program is to monitor statistics and apply the over arching policies. However, unless the application of the program is distilled to simple terms, then the point is missed, and the point with this particular program about which I'm learning is people. How to educate a person to think about his or her choices. How to help them when they don't make the right choice. How to determine if they deserve a second chance or if the policy will allow a second chance. How to hold them accountable when their actions don't uphold the standards and values of the organization. We have to apply programs to people and on an individual basis when we can.
People are the most important part of any program and by losing sight of how to apply programs to people, then we lose sight of the people.
But, people are not the simplest element to deal with. I get this. People have to want to change and even then they may not choose to, I get this too. I get that sometimes I won't be able to help someone in the ways they truly need to be helped, because of the parameters of the program I'm dealing with. That's life and sometimes, well a lot of the time, it's not ideal. That's okay, and I can deal with that, as long as I know that I did my part.
Thanks for reading. I just had to get this off my chest today.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
lessons from the past two months
I've been thinking about what to share with you all here on my blog about my experiences for the past two months as I've trained to become a Navy Chief (E7). It's hard to even put into words and tell my family what happened and what I've learned. I'm not sure I can do it in the written word.
I have 35 new brothers and sisters, all of whom I love dearly and with whom I've worked and trained over the past two months. We were 36 distinct individuals with our own ideas about how to lead and get the job done, and when it came right down to it we pulled together and became one team. It was amazing to watch as we put ourselves aside, turned to each other and truly became a team.
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that I need to lead my Sailors with my heart. In the the end, the point of all this training was learning to let go and listen to my heart. That was the hardest part, because that meant letting go of all my pride and stripping my heart down to the barest bones of its existence so that what was most important could come through.
The Chiefs who trained us knew what it would take for us to get this point. It included physical training sessions, butt chewing sessions, team building exercises and assignments, crawling through the mud for two days in the woods, doing loads of pushups and flutter kicks on command and when we make mistakes, "sleeping" on the hard ground, singing lots of songs together, just plain being together for two long months, and sacrificing our summer for this training.
When all was said and done, I was covered from head to toe in orange and white mud, my hair was encrusted with twigs, grass, feathers and critters, my E-6 uniform was torn apart, and my heart was broken and put back together.
A good friend used to say all time, "Let go and let God." And in the end, this is how I finally found my heart and let it come through.
******************************************
A friend asked me what the changes in my responsibilities are and the Chief's Creed is the best way to describe those changes.
The Chief's Creed
"During the course of this day, you have been caused to suffer indignities, to experience humiliations. This you have accomplished with rare good grace and therefore, we now believe it fitting to explain to you why this was done. There was no intent, no desire, to demean. Pointless as it may have seemed to you, there was a valid, time-honored reason behind every single deed, behind each pointed barb.
"By experience, by performance and by testing, you have been this day advanced to CHIEF PETTY OFFICER. You have one more hurdle to overcome. In the United States Navy and only in the United States Navy, E-7 carries unique responsibilities. No other armed force throughout the world carries the responsibilities nor grants privileges to its enlisted comparable to the privileges and responsibilities you are now bound to observe and expected to fulfill.
"Your entire way of life has now been changed. More will be expected of you, more will be demanded of you. Not because you are an E-7, but because you are now a CHIEF PETTY OFFICER. You have not merely been promoted one pay grade--you have joined an exclusive fraternity, and as in all fraternities, you have a responsibility to your brothers, even as they have a responsibility to you.
"Always bear in mind that no other armed force has rate or rank equivalent to that of the United States Navy. Granted that all armed forces have two classes of service: enlisted and commissioned, however, the United States Navy has the distinction of having four i.e., Enlisted, CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, Commissioned Warrant Officer and Commissioned Officer. This is why we in the United States Navy may maintain with pride our feelings of superiority once we have attained the position of E-7.
"These privileges, these responsibilities do not appear in print, they have no official standing, they cannot be referred to by name, number nor file. They exist because for over 200 years the CHIEFS before you have freely accepted responsibility beyond call of printed assignment, their actions and their performance, demanded the respect of their seniors as well as their juniors.
"It is now required that you be a fountain of wisdom, the ambassador of good will, the authority in personnel relations as well as their technical application. "Ask the Chief" is a household word in and out of the Navy. You are now the “CHIEF”.
"The exalted-position you have now received, and I use the word “exalted” advisedly, exists because of the attitude, the performance of the Chiefs before you. It shall exist only so long as you and your compatriots maintain these standards.
"So this is why you were caused to experience these things. You were subjected to humiliations to prove to you that humility is a good, a great, a necessary change which cannot mar you—which in fact, strengthens you, and in your future as a CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, you will be caused to suffer indignities, to experience humiliations far beyond those imposed upon you today. Bear them with the dignity, and with the same good grace, which you bore these today.
"It is our intention that you will never forget this day. It is our intention to test you--to try you--to accept you. Your performance today has assured us that you will wear your hat with aplomb brothers in arms before you.
"I take a deep, sincere pleasure in clasping your hand and acceptin you into our midst."
I have 35 new brothers and sisters, all of whom I love dearly and with whom I've worked and trained over the past two months. We were 36 distinct individuals with our own ideas about how to lead and get the job done, and when it came right down to it we pulled together and became one team. It was amazing to watch as we put ourselves aside, turned to each other and truly became a team.
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that I need to lead my Sailors with my heart. In the the end, the point of all this training was learning to let go and listen to my heart. That was the hardest part, because that meant letting go of all my pride and stripping my heart down to the barest bones of its existence so that what was most important could come through.
The Chiefs who trained us knew what it would take for us to get this point. It included physical training sessions, butt chewing sessions, team building exercises and assignments, crawling through the mud for two days in the woods, doing loads of pushups and flutter kicks on command and when we make mistakes, "sleeping" on the hard ground, singing lots of songs together, just plain being together for two long months, and sacrificing our summer for this training.
When all was said and done, I was covered from head to toe in orange and white mud, my hair was encrusted with twigs, grass, feathers and critters, my E-6 uniform was torn apart, and my heart was broken and put back together.
A good friend used to say all time, "Let go and let God." And in the end, this is how I finally found my heart and let it come through.
******************************************
A friend asked me what the changes in my responsibilities are and the Chief's Creed is the best way to describe those changes.
The Chief's Creed
"During the course of this day, you have been caused to suffer indignities, to experience humiliations. This you have accomplished with rare good grace and therefore, we now believe it fitting to explain to you why this was done. There was no intent, no desire, to demean. Pointless as it may have seemed to you, there was a valid, time-honored reason behind every single deed, behind each pointed barb.
"By experience, by performance and by testing, you have been this day advanced to CHIEF PETTY OFFICER. You have one more hurdle to overcome. In the United States Navy and only in the United States Navy, E-7 carries unique responsibilities. No other armed force throughout the world carries the responsibilities nor grants privileges to its enlisted comparable to the privileges and responsibilities you are now bound to observe and expected to fulfill.
"Your entire way of life has now been changed. More will be expected of you, more will be demanded of you. Not because you are an E-7, but because you are now a CHIEF PETTY OFFICER. You have not merely been promoted one pay grade--you have joined an exclusive fraternity, and as in all fraternities, you have a responsibility to your brothers, even as they have a responsibility to you.
"Always bear in mind that no other armed force has rate or rank equivalent to that of the United States Navy. Granted that all armed forces have two classes of service: enlisted and commissioned, however, the United States Navy has the distinction of having four i.e., Enlisted, CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, Commissioned Warrant Officer and Commissioned Officer. This is why we in the United States Navy may maintain with pride our feelings of superiority once we have attained the position of E-7.
"These privileges, these responsibilities do not appear in print, they have no official standing, they cannot be referred to by name, number nor file. They exist because for over 200 years the CHIEFS before you have freely accepted responsibility beyond call of printed assignment, their actions and their performance, demanded the respect of their seniors as well as their juniors.
"It is now required that you be a fountain of wisdom, the ambassador of good will, the authority in personnel relations as well as their technical application. "Ask the Chief" is a household word in and out of the Navy. You are now the “CHIEF”.
"The exalted-position you have now received, and I use the word “exalted” advisedly, exists because of the attitude, the performance of the Chiefs before you. It shall exist only so long as you and your compatriots maintain these standards.
"So this is why you were caused to experience these things. You were subjected to humiliations to prove to you that humility is a good, a great, a necessary change which cannot mar you—which in fact, strengthens you, and in your future as a CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, you will be caused to suffer indignities, to experience humiliations far beyond those imposed upon you today. Bear them with the dignity, and with the same good grace, which you bore these today.
"It is our intention that you will never forget this day. It is our intention to test you--to try you--to accept you. Your performance today has assured us that you will wear your hat with aplomb brothers in arms before you.
"I take a deep, sincere pleasure in clasping your hand and acceptin you into our midst."
Saturday, August 14, 2010
8 mile run
today i ran eight miles for the first time ever in one day and i kept up with everyone in my class. granted we took lots of breaks, so that helped me to re-charge my batteries. the weather was perfect for a long run today as well.
it was an awesome day. lots of unexpected blessings at every turn.
it was an awesome day. lots of unexpected blessings at every turn.
this is just part of our run.
oh and i've discovered the secret to losing weight fast.
pt sessions at 0530 three days a week.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
a hiatus
I am taking a bit of a hiatus from the blog for a couple of months. I have some prescheduled posts that will automatically post, and every now and then I may write something new if I have time.
Last Friday I found out that I was selected for promotion to Chief Petty Officer in the Navy Reserve. It's kind of a big deal and includes an eight week training period before I am actually promoted. Think Bootcamp for Chiefs, and you'll have an inkling of the intensity of the training.
For instance, this morning my alarm went off at 0330. I woke up, got dressed, ate a banana and granola, drank water, washed my face and brushed my teeth, grabbed my pre-packed bags and was out the door at 0415. At 0530 I was in formation with the other Chief Selectees marching up the hill to meet the Genuine Chiefs who were conducting Physical Training (PT) that morning. We sang the National Anthem and then the fun begun.
Imagine push-ups with your feet up on a picnic bench! Running from station to station to do pushups with your feet on a picnic bench and pullups. Imagine even more pushups, flutter kicks and lots of other stuff I don't remember. Oh, and people are yelling to motivate you. Then imagine a run on top of all of that. We ran in formation and had to make sure everyone stayed in formation. As we completed the run and we came to a halt without warning I threw up. But, hey, I finished, right. At least there was an awesome sunrise while I was doing all those pushups.
Afterwards, I went straight into work and put in a full day. This is just the beginning. And I think I need a bit of a hiatus from the blog.
Have fun this summer and see you in a bit.
xo
Last Friday I found out that I was selected for promotion to Chief Petty Officer in the Navy Reserve. It's kind of a big deal and includes an eight week training period before I am actually promoted. Think Bootcamp for Chiefs, and you'll have an inkling of the intensity of the training.
For instance, this morning my alarm went off at 0330. I woke up, got dressed, ate a banana and granola, drank water, washed my face and brushed my teeth, grabbed my pre-packed bags and was out the door at 0415. At 0530 I was in formation with the other Chief Selectees marching up the hill to meet the Genuine Chiefs who were conducting Physical Training (PT) that morning. We sang the National Anthem and then the fun begun.
Imagine push-ups with your feet up on a picnic bench! Running from station to station to do pushups with your feet on a picnic bench and pullups. Imagine even more pushups, flutter kicks and lots of other stuff I don't remember. Oh, and people are yelling to motivate you. Then imagine a run on top of all of that. We ran in formation and had to make sure everyone stayed in formation. As we completed the run and we came to a halt without warning I threw up. But, hey, I finished, right. At least there was an awesome sunrise while I was doing all those pushups.
Afterwards, I went straight into work and put in a full day. This is just the beginning. And I think I need a bit of a hiatus from the blog.
Have fun this summer and see you in a bit.
xo
Saturday, May 29, 2010
a weekend to remember
remember,
while you spend time with family and friends this weekend,
the sacrfices of those who made it possible for you to do this.
remember.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Pioneers
It's not easy being first, breaking ground, blazing a trail, setting the example. It's easier to be a follower, to walk in someone else's footprints.
So, today I'm thankful for pioneers.
So, today I'm thankful for pioneers.
Imagine being an Afghan woman who is a police officer.Malalai Kakar was Afghanistan's most revered police woman. She was shot and killed by two men last September while driving to work with her teenage son who was also in the car. He survived. The Taliban announced they were responsible for her killing. She was the first woman police officer to return to work after the Taliban were ousted in 2001. She worked in Kandahar as the head of the department for crimes against women. She was a role model for women. She was 41 and had 6 children.
What a pioneer!
Imagine being the first woman to join the U.S. Navy.
Miss Loretta Perfectus Walsh was the first female Yeoman in the U.S. Navy. Doesn’t she have a great middle name? She was sworn in as a Chief Yeoman in 1917. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photo of her. But I did find a photo of this pioneer.
Once a month I passed this portrait hanging in the halls of the Pentagon. Charlotte Winters was the last surviving female veteran of WWI. She and her sister Sophie enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1917. She died last year at the age of 109. She was a Yeoman Second Class in the Navy Reserve.These women and many others made my service in the U.S. Navy possible.
Imagine walking 3,000 miles to start a new life and expand our country. Imagine cooking with buffalo dung. That's what is in the wheelbarrow in this photo. I'm thinking eeee-ew!
For those of you who are wondering, why pioneers?
On this date in 1847, the first Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in Utah.
Utahns celebrate this day with parades, rodeos, BBQs, fireworks and even a day off, because today is an official state holiday.
happy pioneer day
Take a moment and think about the pioneers who made your life possible.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Heroes
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and ages too.
This article captures the story of one family's commitment to our country and freedom. It captures what the 4th of July symbolizes to me.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124649175841883047.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
H A P P Y
I N D E P E N D E N C E
D A Y !!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Unlikely Partners
Go Navy!
The U.S. Navy asked the LDS Church for assistance with the USNS Comfort's recent humanitarian mission to Haiti. This is so COOL!
For more details click on the link below to see the article.
http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/people_church/?id=9482
The U.S. Navy asked the LDS Church for assistance with the USNS Comfort's recent humanitarian mission to Haiti. This is so COOL!
For more details click on the link below to see the article.
http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/people_church/?id=9482
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