September Newsletter

Around the Region

NAVYHEADLINESMessage in a Bottle

Found During Beach Cleanup

Pacific Missile Range Facility participated

in the Ocean Conser-vancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day and found an unex-

pected treasure on the beach, Sept. 15. The

message was written in 2006 by a sixth grader

from Kagoshima, Japan.

Navy’s First Joint High-Speed Vessel

ChristenedUSNS Spearhead, the first of Navy’s joint high-speed vessels designed for rapid

intra-theater transport of troops and military equipment, was chris-tened Sept. 17 during a ceremony at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.

2011 National POW/MIA Recognition Day - “The Cost of Freedom”

This year’s National POW/MIA Recogni-

tion Day theme is “The Cost of Freedom.” It

highlights the sacrific-es of American ser-

vice men and women throughout history.

September 2011 “Honoring our Sailors’ Service & Sacrifice” Volume I Issue 7

Remembering September 11th

SECNAV Visits NOSC N.Y.C. SailorsNEW YORK CITY - Secretary of the Navy the Honorable Ray Mabus paid a visit to NOSC New York City, Sept. 10. Mabus addressed the Sailors drilling at NOSC N.Y.C. as part of his attendance at the September 11th commemoration events. Mabus thanked the Sailors for their service to the U.S. Navy and the United States. He spoke of the sacrifice that was made by all the Navy and Marine Corps team both on and after the events of September 11, 2001, reminding the Sailors to never forget. Mabus stated that dedication to our country has led our Navy to be the best expeditionary force in the world.

Story and photos by LS2 Safran Beaton

Photo by MCC Sam Shavers

Around the Region Page 2

AROUND THE REGION

STAFF CAPT Jay Adelmann RCC C ommanding Of f icer

CDR Matthew Jackson RCC Chief Staf f Of f icer

LT Steve Frankl in RCC Publ ic Af fairs Of f icer

C h i ef E d itor / D e si g n & L ayout MC2 Katr ina S campini

CONTRIBUTING PERSONNEL

Ensign Carl Z ei lmanNOSC S chenectady

YN2 Sarah ShieldsNOSC Er ie

LS2 Saf ran B eatonNOSC New York City

MC2 (SW/AW) Gina MorrissetteD&G Graphics

Cher y l Pel ler inAmerican Forces Press S er vice

Michael P. Farrel lTimes Union

Hero Rabbit Saves Owners

A pet rabbit is being credited for saving its owners from a house fire in southeastern

Alaska before it died of smoke inhalation. The rabbit woke up

the homeowner early on Tuesday morning by scratching on her

chest. The homeowner realized that the house

was full of smoke, woke up her daughter

and fled the house.

STRANGE TIMES

PITTSBURGH, Penn. - Sail-ors assigned to NOSC Pittsburgh provided logistical support for the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh 2011 Kid’s Triathlon Series annual fundraiser, at the South Park Wave Pool, July 16. More than 140 children from ages seven through twelve par-ticipated in the combined swim, bike and run competition. NOSC Pittsburgh’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Tim Flecker took part in the event. “The Children’s Triathlon is a great platform to begin instill-ing a culture of fitness in today’s youth,” Flecker said. “The Sail-ors were grateful to have a role helping raise money for Habitat for Humanity.” The child-athletes raised $43,000 for the Pittsburgh Chap-ter of Habitat for Humanity. Since the inception of the Triathlon by a team of Habitat staff and volun-teers in 2001, the series has raised more than $700,000 on behalf of affordable housing for low in-come families in need. The tri-athlons give children in the com-munity a chance to compete in an exciting event, and gives Habitat the opportunity to raise funds on behalf of the program families they serve.

Sailors assigned to NOSC Pittsburgh pose for a picture with participants of the Habitat for Humanity Kid’s Triathlon.

(top) Lt. Cmdr. Tim Murphy stands at attention for the National Anthem with triathlon participants; (below) Cmdr. Flecker and Lt. Cmdr. Murphy con-gratulate athletes at the triathlon.

NOSC Pittsburgh Participates in Children’s Triathlon Story and photos courtesy NOSC Pittsburgh


This Month In

NAVAL HISTORY

September 1, 1942First Seabee unit to

serve in a combat area at Guadalcanal

September 2, 1918Navy ships and crews assist earthquake vic-tims of Yokohama and

Tokyo, Japan

September 3, 1783Signing of the Treaty of

Paris ends the American Revolution

September 11, 2002The “Don’t Tread on Me” First Navy Jack is flown by Navy ships marking the first anniversary of the terrorists attacks on the Pentagon and World

Trade Center

September 23, 1990Two Hospital ships,

USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, steam together for first time in Arabian

Gulf

PMK Question of the Month

What does the term “Skylark”

mean?

Check out AROUND THE REGION next month for answers!

Last month’s answer:A day of the week, tradition-

ally reserved for mending uniforms. Now rope yarn

refers to early liberty.

NOSC Buffalo Escorts VIPs Down Buffalo River Story and Photos courtesy NOSC Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. - NOSC Buf-falo assisted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, by providing a Maritime Pre-positioning Force Utility Boat (MPFUB) to transport VIPs down the federal waterway por-tion of the Buffalo River, August 16. They were kicking off the historical dredging of the Buf-falo River where a combination of Federal, State and Corporate Funding is paying for the dredg-ing of over 600,000 Cubic Yards

of contaminated sediment. A cen-tury’s worth of toxic waste will be dredged out of the Buffalo River over the next two years as part of an ambitious, $50 million cleanup effort that aims to turn a 6.2-mile industrial wasteland into a place the public can again enjoy. New York Congressman Brian Higgins, Great Lakes Czar Cam-eron Davis, Canadian Consul General Marta Moszczenska, New York State Senator Tim Kennedy, City of Buffalo Mayor Byron H.

Brown, Mayor, and a number of lead U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State of New York Department of Environmen-tal Conservation representatives were present for the event. One of NOSC Buffalo’s two MP-FUBs carried 24 VIP passengers from the event down about two miles of the Buffalo River to show where the dredging will be occur-ring and what the impact of the dredging will be.


Leaders to SeaA local figurehead from Girard, Penn. visits USS Stennis

ERIE, Penn. - The Leaders to Sea program may be very unfa-miliar to many people, including today’s Sailors, but to Mr. Dan Ed-der, it was an experience unlike any other. Leaders to Sea is a pro-gram through which key leaders, from all sectors –corporate, civic, government, education, non-prof-it and service- embark on a Navy warship at sea. Leaders are flown via Navy helicopter or, as in Mr. Edder’s case, the Carrier Onboard Delivery aircraft (COD) to a Car-rier operating just off the coast. Mr. Edder is a small town fu-neral director in Girard, Penn., who devotes his time to mak-ing the community aware of the sacrifices of local Veterans. As I sat down with him to discuss his adventure in the Leaders to Sea program, I realized I was talking with a man that had true admi-ration and gratitude towards the men and women in uniform; past and present. Mr. Edder is a figurehead in

the local community, devoting many volunteer hours to teach-ing elementary school children the true meaning of Veteran’s day, the Pledge of Allegiance, what be-ing an American means and how we earned our freedoms. He is currently working on a memo-rial project for Veterans at two cemeteries that have never had a memorial before. His stated goal from this trip is “To bring aware-ness of the sacrifices Sailors make to the community.” One and perhaps the most valuable opportunity, Leaders to Sea offers is that embarkees get to meet the talented young men and women who bring these ships to life and they experience first-hand how the Navy is contributing to the Global War on Terror. I asked Mr. Edder what the biggest benefit was for participating in this pro-gram and his to visit the USS John C. Stennis, he said it was “Getting to have breakfast with an E-1, spending time with the Captain

and the Admiral and knowing that each of them worked just as equally hard to get the job done.” I then asked him what was the most rewarding part of his trip and without hesitation he replied, “Getting to meet the people that are putting themselves on the line for my freedom!” Mr. Edder represents the sup-portive public and was given an opportunity to express his grati-tude first hand on behalf of the Erie community. Despite all the technology our multi-billion dollar Aircraft Carriers and the multi-million dollar Aircraft aboard bring to the battle; it would all be useless without the dedication and talent of the crew. A cohesive and well mentored crew transforms the ship and aircraft into a “Global Force for Good” from the deckplates to the Captains Quarters. Many of our laughs came from when he was describing the flight out to Stennis. “The CAT was like

being here and there at the same time! The TRAP was just shock! When we landed, I didn’t know what to do because there was just so much going on!” I asked Mr. Edder to describe his trip and his idea of the Navy to me and he stated that it was “Black and white. What you see on TV and movies is not the real Navy. That was the real deal!”

USS Schenectady’s Bell Comes Home

SCHENECTADY, N.Y - After 18 years in storage at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C, the bell of the tank landing ship USS Schenectady (LST 1185) was transported to the ship’s namesake county Sept. 14. U.S. Navy personnel from the

Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) in Schenectady traveled to Andrews Air Force base, cour-tesy of the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York National Guard, to re-trieve the bell from its storage crate. “We are extremely grateful to our friends and colleagues of the 109th

Airlift Wing of the New York Na-tional Guard who ensured the bell of the USS Schenectady received first class treatment aboard their C-130,” said NOSC Schenectady Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Mark Junco. Commissioned in 1970, the Schenectady is named for Sche-nectady County, a municipality in upstate New York. The ship’s crew of 224 Sailors and up to 350 Ma-rines served in the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. After the ship’s decommissioning Dec. 15, 1993, the 522-foot tank landing ship was sunk during the training exercise Resultant Fury at the Pacific Mis-sile Range Facility off the Island of Kauai, Hawaii, Nov. 23, 2004. When Junco learned the ship’s bell was in storage, he began the process of bringing the bell home to Schenectady County. “The bell is tied to a lot of history and tradition here in Schenectady,” said Junco. “Not many know that a

fourth-grade class from Schenect-ady’s Franklin Elementary School suggested the name of the ship to the Navy back in May 1968.” The bell, along with its original building plaque will be displayed on the quarterdeck of the NOSC area of the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Glenville, N.Y. “It’s an honor to have the bell and its building plaque back home in NOSC Schenectady,” Junco said.

Story by YN2 Sarah Shields

Story by Ensign Carl Zeilman/Photos by Michael P. Farrell


Recognizing Employers throughout the Region NEWPORT, R.I. - Command-ing Officer of Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Newport Cmdr. Andrew Wood recognized the Portsmouth Police Depart-ment and its Chief of Police for their continued outstanding sup-port of the Navy Reserve, Aug. 4. Chief Petty Officer Bucci is a Selected Reservist who is part of the Naval Intelligence unit that is supported by Newport, which is located on the Newport Naval Base. Bucci is a Portsmouth Police Department Sergeant, who has recently mobilized twice to Iraq; once in 2006 and the second time in 2008. It is leaders and employ-ers like Police Chief Hebert and the Portsmouth Police Force that allow Sailors like Bucci to success-fully balance two professional ca-reers, with seamless transitions in and out of uniform. Photos cour-tesy NOSC Newport.

WILMINGTON, Del.- Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Wilmington, DE, and the Delaware Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) hosted an employer recognition event, July 21, for civilian employers and their employees, who serve in the Navy Reserve at NOSC Wilmington DE. The agenda included introductions from the NOSC staff, an “About the NOSC and our Mission” briefing by the Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Emily Pulka and briefing from Delaware ESGR by Ms. Ku-bik. Employers in attendance included: Brandywine Trust Company (Hockessin, Del.); Trinity Transport, Inc. (Seaford, Del.); Verizon Ser-vice Operations (Wilmington, Del.); Lockheed Martin MS2 (Moore-stown, NJ); and, The School District of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Penn.). During the event, ESGR Volunteer Don Glanden honored Mr. William Schmidt of Lockheed Martin MS2 with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of his employees who serve in the Navy Reserve. The recipient was nominated by Cmdr. Mitchell Ker-man, who serves in the Navy Reserve at NOSC Wilmington DE. Photo courtesy NOSC Wilmington DE.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Charlotte held an employer appreciation event, July 7. The event start-ed out by giving Mr. Curt Helmers, Business Manager of Duke Energy’s McGuire Nuclear Station, and Mr. Sean Jones, Network System Perfor-mance Manager for the Southwest Carolinas Region of Verizon Wire-less, a tour of the NOSC. They were also briefed on the Navy Reserves and the responsibilities of the NOSC. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) representatives finished with their standard brief on the importance of the Reserve/Employer relationship. Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Will Palmer gave each of the em-ployers a certificate and command coin. Overall, it was a very positive engagement. In the photo, Helmers (left), who was honored by his employee Ensign Angelina McArthur (SC, USNR), with Palmer. Photo by YN2 Edmund Nicholas.


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WASHINGTON– The National Guard and Reserve constitute nearly half of the nation’s military forces and make vital contributions to overseas missions and domestic emergency response operations, President Barack Obama said in a presidential proclamation issued Sept. 16. In the proclamation, Obama named Sept. 18-24 National Em-ployer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week. “I call upon all Americans to join me in expressing our heart-felt thanks to the members of the National Guard and Reserve and their civilian employers,” the president said. He also called on state and local officials, private organizations and all military commanders to observe this week with appropriate ceremo-nies and activities. Since Sept. 11, 2001, he said, “the 9/11 Generation has borne the bur-den of war with courage and valor, continuing the legacy of the brave men and women who served be-fore them.” More than 5 million volunteers have worn the country’s uniform

Obama Proclaims Employer Support of the Guard, Reserve WeekStory by Cheryl Pellerin

over the past 10 years and thou-sands have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, the president said. “During America’s struggle for independence, ordinary individu-als in small towns across the colo-nies banded together to confront an empire,” Obama said. “Today, their spirit lives on in the Guard and Reserve.” The members of our National Guard and Reserve demonstrate the dignity and selflessness that are at the core of the American spirit, he added. “These patriots serve not only in combat, but also when disaster strikes at home, offering a strong hand to victims of floods, torna-does, and fires across America,” the president said. Employers who provide jobs to Guard and Reserve members when they are home also are vital to the nation’s success, he said, and many offer support as well to ser-vice members and their families during deployments. “We are deeply grateful for their work, and this week we celebrate not only our service members, veterans and military families, but

also their devoted employers,” the president said. This year, he added, to help connect service members, veter-ans and their families to employ-ment opportunities, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, announced Joining Forc-es, a comprehensive national ini-tiative to support and honor the nation’s patriots. “As part of this initiative we is-sued a challenge to private sector employers to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses,” the president said, and proposed tax credits for businesses that hire returning troops. “This week we remember our obligations to each other, and we pay tribute to the employers of our Guardsmen and reservists whose support and flexibility is vital to the strength of our military,” the presi-dent said. “The support of employers across our country,” Obama added, “re-flects the best of the American spirit -- the understanding that we are bound together to serve and protect our nation.”


Around the Region Photos of the Month

BMC (Sel) Carla Dieg (far left), from NOSC Rochester, in Boston for CPO

Heritage Training onboard the USS Constitution. The CPO Selectees at-

tending the training participate in numerous community relations projects

and march in formation all over the city. Photo courtesty NOSC Rochester.

NOSC Greensboro Chief Selects. Photo courtesy NOSC Greensboro.

Sailors assigned to NOSC Bangor participate in a Habitat for

Humanity project. Photo courtesy NOSC Bangor.

YN2 Lewis, assigned to NOSC Norfolk, reen-lists. Photo courtesy NOSC Norfolk.

Sailors assigned to NOSC Greensboro following a Change of Command Ceremony. Photo courtesy

NOSC Greensboro.

NOSC Schenectady paid tribute to Corporal Timmerman and Lt. Findling dur-ing a dedication ceremony July 31.

Documents

September Newsletter