Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

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Comment by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on March 16, 2010 at 9:30am

MCPON Focuses on Family Readiness During Northwest Visit
Release Date: 3/13/2010 6:27:00 PM
Story Number: NNS100313-01

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chantel M. Clayton, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West Det. Northwest

SILVERDALE, Wash. (NNS) -- Family readiness was a key topic during Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) (SS/SW) Rick D. West's visit to the Pacific Northwest March 8 to 12.

During his five-day visit he met with ombudsmen, visited various Fleet and Family Support Centers throughout the region and discussed the importance of family readiness during all-hands calls.

"My wife and I took the opportunity to come up here this time to look at many things, but also to look at the Fleet and Family Support Centers and the programs that support our families," said West. "As you know, family readiness has a direct tie to mission readiness. It's import for us to bring those two closer and closer together. We're a great Navy because of our great families who are back here supporting us."

For people such as Peter Harris, Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island Fleet and Family Support Center work and family life supervisor, a visit from the MCPON meant that he had the chance to tell him how the services his office provides help Sailors and their families.

"We talked about a lot of areas in Fleet and Family Readiness, which includes MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation), child and youth programs, housing, as well as the Fleet and Family Support Center," said Harris. "We wanted to tell him some of the good things that we're doing here at Whidbey Island for our Sailors and families."

West and his wife, Bobbi, also met with ombudsmen during a round table discussion, at the Jackson Park community center in Bremerton, where they discussed family readiness and the various programs available to Sailors and their families.

"There were a lot of things that came up during the meeting, but it really boils down to communication," said West. Everyone in the room agreed that we have great programs at our Fleet and Family Support Centers and across our Navy. The problem we have is that we need to make sure our young Sailors and their families have knowledge about those programs."

West said he views ombudsmen as a vital link between families and the command, which directly impacts Fleet and family readiness.

"Our ombudsmen are crucial to getting that information out there to those families, and our ombudsman program is very strong," West said.

For Paul Boehlert, an ombudsman for Naval Hospital Bremerton, the MCPON's visit gave him a greater sense of how important the ombudsman program is and stressed his role as an ombudsman.

"I was impressed with the efforts into family readiness and the great amount of support that is given to these programs," said Boehlert. "There is a lot of command and crew support for the ombudsman and Fleet and Family Readiness programs."

Harris said he greatly appreciated West's visit, and he felt the MCPON genuinely cares about his Sailors and their families.

"He's a very knowledgeable, very caring individual. It's obvious that he's spent a lot of time in the fleet as a regular Sailor, and he hasn't lost that concern for and that touch with the fleet Sailor and their families," said Harris. "We're always concerned about how to make sure they're taken care of."

For more information on the services Fleet and Family Support Center provides, visit https://www.nffsp.org.>;
For more news From Navy Region Northwest, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnrnw/.>;
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Comment by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on March 10, 2010 at 12:53pm

MCPON Underscores Importance of NMCRS Fund Drive
Release Date: 3/4/2010 4:31:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (EXW) Jennifer A. Villalovos, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The annual Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) fund drive kicked off March 1 throughout the Navy, and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) would like to stress how important this long-standing, nonprofit, charitable organization is in helping Sailors, Marines and their families during a time of need.

"The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is such a wonderful organization that is truly there for our Sailors and Marines," said MCPON (SS/SW) Rick West. "I want to emphasize the importance of contributing to this year's fund drive. This is truly about Sailors and Marines helping their own."

In 2009, the NMCRS received $10.1 million in donations from active duty service members, and $2.5 million from retired Sailors and Marines. This past year, NMCRS assisted 91,418 Sailors, Marines and their families with financial support, which is up 17 percent from previous years. Additionally, NMCRS also provided more than $47.4 million in interest free loans and grants.

The NMCRS offers the Quick Assist Loan (QAL) program, which is an alternative to high interest loans (Payday lenders) that charge an average of 273 annual percentage rate. It is designed for Sailors and Marines who need help through payday. The QAL program accounted for nearly one-fourth of all the financial assistance provided last year.

NMCRS has more than 3,600 trained volunteers in 250 offices around the world, including registered visiting nurses. These nurses are available at no cost to the service member or their families to make home, clinic or hospital visits. They are currently following more than 750 combat-wounded service members and their families and made 9,338 contacts over the past year.

"It's important that we continue to support and communicate about programs and support services such as the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society to all of our shipmates and their families. I challenge all NMCRS fund drive coordinators to have 100 percent contact with their Sailors and Marines to ensure a successful fund drive. You never know when you might be the one to walk through the door to obtain their assistance," said West.

Other resources the NMCRS offers are: the Budget for Baby program, an informative class that also gives assembled layettes that include terry sleepers, handmade blankets, sheets and more; thrift shops, offering used clothing, uniforms and household items at a low cost; food lockers which provide families with essential items for nutritionally balanced meals when providing funds is not practical; and educational programs offering scholarship and no-interest loans.

For more information on additional services and to find out how to donate, visit the NMCRS website at www.nmcrs.org>;
For more news from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, visit www.navy.mil/local/mcpon/.

Comment by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on March 4, 2010 at 7:44am

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Comment by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on March 2, 2010 at 7:31pm

FAMILYGRAM 01-10 MEDICAL BENEFITS

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West

Familygram 01-10: Medical Benefits
From: CNO Washington DC//N1// To: NAVADMIN Info: CNO Washington DC//N1// UNCLAS//N06000// ...

Comment by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on March 2, 2010 at 8:09am

This Week in Military Community & Family Policy

PLEASE PASS TO ALL PERSONNEL

 

President Obama, Department of Education Announce Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge

 

WASHINGTON - The White House and the Department of Education announced today the first annual Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge,inviting public schools across the country to compete to have President Obama speak at their graduation this spring. "Public schools that encourage systemic reform and embrace effective approaches to teaching and learning help prepare America's students to graduate ready for college and a career, and enable them to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world," said President Obama in a video released today. "This is your opportunity to show me why your school exemplifies the best that our education system has to offer." "The Race to the Top Commencement Challenge is an amazing opportunity for our nation's high schools to share their accomplishments and aspirations," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "I look forward to hearing about the many dedicated principals, teachers and parents who work tremendously hard to ensure and promote academic excellence, and I look forward to hearing about the many students across this country who are putting their education first and taking responsibility for their future." At the beginning of the school year, the President encouraged students across the country to take responsibility for their education, study hard and graduate from high school. The Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge encourages schools to show how they are making great strides on personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness.

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Comment by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on February 26, 2010 at 8:10am

Family Readiness Training


From: CNO Washington DC//N1//
To: NAVADMIN
Info: CNO Washington DC//N1//

UNCLAS//N06000//
NAVADMIN 069/10
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO Washington DC/N1/FEB//
SUBJ/Family Readiness Training//
RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces the plan to implement Family Readiness education into the officer and enlisted training continuums.
2. Family Readiness is a critical component of mission readiness.
Educated, networked, resilient families positively impact everything from our Sailors' ability to focus on the mission, to quality of life and retention. It is essential that each of our Sailors is indoctrinated and continuously educated throughout their careers on the support services available to them and their families and how to utilize those services. By the end of this fiscal year, we will simultaneously integrate Family Readiness education into all phases of our continuum of training spanning from the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) to senior leadership training.
3. The training program will provide scoped and tailored Family Readiness education appropriate to career milestones that will continuously build and refresh our Sailors' knowledge base as they navigate through their careers and assume positions of greater leadership and responsibility. As we work to integrate Family Readiness into the training continuum, we will continue to use a variety of venues and channels to communicate essential family support information to our Sailors and their families.
4. Point of contact: Ms. Betty Talley, OPNAV N135F, at (901) 874-4299/DSN 882 or email at betty.talley(at)navy.mil.
5. Released by VADM Mark Ferguson, N1.

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Comment by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on February 25, 2010 at 8:32pm

Release Date: 2/19/2010

MCPON Visits Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center


By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW/AW) Sonya Ansarov, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (NNS) -- The master chief petty officer of the Navy (MCPON) visited the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations (AFMAO) Center at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Feb. 16 to see the process of dignified transfers of our nation's fallen service members and the care, service and support given to their families.

MCPON (SS/SW) Rick West was accompanied by several other fleet and force master chiefs to observe and learn the way our fallen and their families are cared for, from the time the fallen are received by dignified transfer to the time they leave the center for their final resting place.

Fleet Master Chief (AW/SW/SCW) Scott A. Benning, Navy Total Force/Manpower, Training and Education fleet master chief; Force Master Chief (FMF) Ronney A. Wright, Navy Reserves force master chief; and Force Master Chief (FMF) Laura A. Martinez, the force master chief and director of Hospital Corps Bureau of Medicine and Surgery joined MCPON through the tour.

A dignified transfer is when a fallen service member's remains arrive at Dover from the Area of Operation and are solemnly, with dignity, honor and respect, transferred from the aircraft by a carry team composed of members from the same military service, wearing the same uniform as the fallen, to a specialized vehicle that transports them to the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs.

"It was an amazing and moving experience to see how our nation's fallen heroes, who make the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, are received back to their loved ones with the honor, dignity and respect they and their families deserve," said West.

Dover's AFMAO is the Defense Department's largest joint-service mortuary facility, and the only one in the continental United States. The AFMAO has a total force staff consisting of active and reserve Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardsmen and civilians who prepare the fallen service members for transport to their final destination as determined by their families.

"The commitment, honor and pride these young Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Guardsmen have in their jobs, taking care of our fallen and their families, is commendable," said West. "I have a lot of respect for the job they do for their fellow service members and families, their service and their country."

Taking care of families and offering support is a top priority for the AFMAO. The center carefully orchestrates and coordinates each step from initial notification of death, to arranging transportation for the primary next of kin and two other family members at the DoD's expense, to observing the dignified transfer operation and escorting families to Dover, to information regarding benefits, support programs and services.

"I was extremely touched by seeing the care that goes into each step of the process of taking care of our fallen and their families," said Martinez. "The Center for the Families of the Fallen, where the families can retreat, grieve and take care of business, is a testament to the outstanding care and support the AFMAO shows the families."

There are two licensed Navy morticians assigned to AFMAO. Their job is to provide assistance and guidance to the command, the casualty assistance officers and the families.

"I am very honored to serve as the Navy's liaison/mortician and provide the best possible service to the families of our fallen Sailors and Marines," said Chief Hospital Corpsman William R. Montague, Navy mortician with AFMAO's Navy/Marine Corps Mortician Detachment.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW) Steven Marsh, Navy mortician with U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters in Quantico, Va., temporarily assigned to AFMAO's Navy/Marine Corps Mortician Detachment, agreed that serving at AFMAO is an honor and he takes great pride in the opportunity.

"I feel the job that we do is extremely important for the fallen," said Marsh. "I am proud that even after a Shipmate has fallen, I can still be there for them, and just as important, I can be there for the families they have left behind."

For more news from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, visit www.navy.mil/local/mcpon/.

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