Military Spouse Appreciation Day

To my wonderful wife...

You.

Are.

Awesome.

For the past thirteen years, you have supported me through three 6-month deployments plus countless other times of separation that didn't count as "deployments" because they were less than 56 days long.  Okay, so you weren't a military spouse all thirteen years, but you supported me nonetheless. 

When we were just dating, I loved the way you would bring me dinner on the boat when I had duty.  It was back before 9-11 and you could just show a bag of Boston Market food to the gate sentry and say, "My boyfriend is the duty officer on the PROVIDENCE," and the sentry would say, "enjoy your dinner, ma'am," and let you drive on down to the pier.

We were engaged when I went on deployment to the Persian Gulf.  With our wedding date set for the month after we got back from deployment, you had to make a lot of wedding plans without me, and mourn the loss of my dear friend Mr. C - your dad.  You had your first experience dealing with sending an AMCROSS message to the boat.

After growing up your entire life in Boston and only venturing as far as New York for college, we were married and packed up all our belongings and moved 3,000 miles across country to Monterey, California.  Three time zones away from your family and friends, and waiting for your car to be delivered on a truck while I was driving our other car off to school every day, you got to experience the loneliness of a Navy wife in a new duty station.

The timing of starting our family didn't exactly turn out according to the plan we had in mind.  Our eldest son was born just weeks before I graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School and we packed up all our belongings for yet another coast-to-coast, 3,000 mile PCS move.  Poor ES in his car seat did so well for so many hours per day in the car, but each night when he had reached his limit, he started what we called "the rusty pliers scream," (because he was screaming as if someone was pulling his toe nails out with a pair of rusty pliers). 

We were only in Groton for 5 months of SOAC, and there was a shortage of on-base housing.  They held a lottery to decide who got to have the on-base housing.  We didn't win, so we had to find a place in town.  That summer, while I sat in the air conditioning at sub school, you suffered through 100+ degree temperatures INSIDE our very small, very temporary apartment, improvising your own air conditioning system by placing a big bowl of ice in front of the fan.

Orders came for us to make another coast-to-coast PCS move, this time to San Diego.  From 3,000 miles away, we shopped for a house via the internet and placed a bid on a house we had never seen before with our own eyes.

I often joke that I would have liked to actually LIVE in San Diego again.  It was right after 9-11, and I was out at sea 50% of my department head tour.  The other 50% of the time, I went to work before the sun came up, and I went home after the sun went down, so I didn't see much of San Diego.  I went to WESTPAC three times in three years.

Our family planning worked out the way we hoped it would this time around, although that meant you were pregnant for the duration of my next deployment.  Nothing like chasing a 2-year old around while pregnant and your husband is on deployment, right?  Then, to make matters worse, the southern California brush fires came within a couple of miles of our house, and the ash fell like gray snow.  At least, so I hear, because I wasn't there to help you pack up our valuables in the car, watch the news, worry and wait to find out if you would have to evacuate our home. 

We thought the timing of the pregnancy would enable me to take baby leave after we got back from deployment.  I was on baby-leave for 3-days when I got recalled to the boat.  Another boat had broke, we were tasked to get underway to cover their ops, and the Captain wasn't willing to go to sea without the Navigator.  So much for baby leave.

Orders came for shore duty, hooray...  and yet another coast-to-coast PCS move, this time to the DC area.  I was out at sea for the last three months I was on the boat, so we packed up our household goods and you headed off to DC with the boys while I went out to sea.  You shopped for a house on your own, with a toddler and an infant in tow, bought a house, received our household goods shipment, and established our new home without my help.  Then came the tornado warnings (unusual for the DC area), and you huddled in the basement with the boys, once again alone in a new duty station far from family and friends and without my support.

We really enjoyed shore duty in DC, but the time came to move on.  This time, instead of coast-to-coast PCS orders, we got a real hum-dinger.  I was going to a boat that would be on deployment for 4 months, then in Norfolk for 3 months, then change homeports to Hawaii.  There was no point in you and the boys moving to Norfolk for that short a period of time, so you were a single mom and I was a geo-bachelor for a while and then we did a trans-oceanic move to Hawaii. 

Once again, my contribution was minimal.  You handled all the household goods packing and shipment without me.  I flew with you and the boys to Hawaii, checked into the Navy Housing office to put our name on the waiting list, deposited you in the Navy Lodge, and I got back on a plane to Norfolk.  Once again, you accepted custody of our new home in Navy Housing, you accepted our shipment of household goods, and you established our new home without my help. 


Then there was the roller-coaster ride of negotiating for this current set of shore duty orders.  DC!  Hooray!  No wait...  Hawaii! No wait...  Japan!  No wait...  Hawaii!  This time we're sure, it's Hawaii.  The honey-do list got longer since we were staying, and we started to set deeper roots in the volcanic rock of Oahu.  Then the orders came... for DC!  Hooray, we're going back to DC!  Another trans-oceanic move! 

We've been married for 11 years and called 7 different places "home."  Every PCS (permanent change of station) move for us has either been coast-to-coast or across an ocean.  None have been easy.

You have put up with so much, Sweetie, and I appreciate everything you have sacrificed and everything you have done to keep our family together and to uproot and replant our home in each new duty station.

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

Snowed In? Need something to read?

For any of you who are stuck at home due to snow (like me) or maybe bored at work and looking for something fun to read, grab a cub of coffee and get comfortable.

I've written before that one of my most favorite blog authors is Magazine Man over at Somewhere on the Masthead. MM has been MIA for a few months, ever since he got a new job and had to relocate his family across country (something we in the military are used to doing every couple of years, but not something the average civilian family has to deal with very often).

Now, after no posts since mid-October, MM's blog has come back to life, but with a new author. MM's dog Blaze has taken over the reigns and written a cliff-hanger tale of moving to their new home here. After you read the cliff-hanger, you'll want to read the sequel here. MM even updated the profile page for the blog's author, and it's pretty funny, too.

If you enjoyed reading that and don't remember my previous recommendations for MM, then you should go back and read this post about Blaze, too.

SuperBowl Commercials

Wow what a Super Bowl. What a come-back for the Saints. At the end of the first half, I thought the Colts had it in the bag. I didn't have any "dog in the fight" so to speak, so I didn't really care who won. However, I always enjoy watching the game and the commercials.

In case you didn't see them, you can watch the Super Bowl commercials and vote on each one (thumbs-up or thumbs-down) here on YouTube. Although, flipping through the videos on YouTube, I note that not all of the ads are there, and some of the ads I don't remember seeing at all. Also of note, the ad with the most controversy around it, the Focus on the Family Ad, wasn't included in the YouTube lineup.

Here's my recap of this year's Super Bowl commercials. As I watched the Super Bowl, each ad that came on I put into one of the three categories below.

Cool: These companies got their money's worth, and their advertising agencies deserve some kudos.

• Doritos - anti-barking dog collar
• Doritos - little kid "keep yo hands off my mama and keep yo hands off my doritos"


• Cars.com - the wonder-kid who saves lives and does monumental things still needs help figuring out which car to buy, so he goes to Cars.com.


• TRUtv spoof on the Punxsutawney Phil groundhog, only it's a Pittsburgh Steeler football player that gets pulled out of the tree stump, and when he sees his shadow, they declare 6 more weeks of football.


• Bud - The Bridge Is Out (and there's a Bud truck on the other side). You could tell Bud spent a lot of money on their entire ad campaign. The fact that I despise Bud in general may bias my opinion on this, but most of the Bud commercials didn't do anything for me. The "bridge is out" commercial was kinda funny though.


• NCIS head slap. You would of course expect CBS to run commercials for their own shows, but CBS really put on a good show of making significantly better than average TV commercials for the Super Bowl. Like the NCIS commercial that ran sort of alike a documentary explaining how the head-slap has replaced the handshake. Overall, I give a thumbs up to CBS for not just putting in plain commercials for their TV shows.


• VW - a new spin on the old bunch buggy game. Instead of punching each other for bugs though, it was for any VW they saw.


• HomeAway.com - An old and gray-haired Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) visits a hotel in that same old monster of a green station wagon with the wood paneling on the sides.


• KGB - Sumo Wrestler. Two skinny little nerds are given two different smart phones, thrown in a ring with a Sumo wrestler, and told to look up how to say "I surrender" in Japanese.


• eTrade baby - He's actually grown into a toddler, and now he's having girl troubles. Milk-a-holic. :-)


• Google - A series of over a dozen Google searches that described a couple's initial meeting, courtship, marriage, and expected baby.


• Comcast's "Don't Fall for FIOS" was pretty funny.


• Defeatthedebt.com had a commercial with kids saying a modified pledge of allegiance about our national debt.


• Vizio - the robot arms picking up samples of everything from the internet (including the Numa Numa guy) and dropping it into a box.


• Career Builder: "Casual Friday" where everybody at the office was wearing tighty-whities


• Bud Light: LOST spoof. One character finds a working emergency radio on the plane and they can call for help. Another character finds the plane's stash of Bud Light. All the other characters run toward the Bud Light.


• Honda - everybody knows somebody who loves a Honda


• Dodge Charger - you can make me do this and that and anything else, but I'm gonna drive what I want.


• Snickers ad with Betty White playing football with the guys


• Acura: The ad with the life-sized kid's toys out partying.

Weird: a.k.a. "a swing and a miss." You could tell these companies spent some money on their Super Bowl ads, but they missed the mark. These are commercials that make you scratch your head and say, huh? Then again, maybe they were just hoping that weirdness factor would make their name brand stick in your head.

• The nuts and popcorn commercial with the people swimming, doing tricks, and jumping out of the water to get the nuts and popcorn like they were trained dolphins.
  


• Doritos - the funeral where the casket was filled with doritos


• Monster.com - The Beaver violinist
• Most of the Bud Light ads


• Bridgestone Tires - The guys with the killer whale in their SUV.


• Dr Pepper Cherry: A little KISS (with midgets dressed up like the band KISS)
• Intel: Robot in Cafeteria. I missed something. I didn't get it. What was the point?


• Dockers: No Pants. Guys marching through a field in tighty-whities singing a song about "no pants." What the...???


• Dove for Men - kinda funny storyline, but at the end you're like huh? What did that have to do with Dove soap?


• Teleflora flowers in a box.


• All of the Coca-Cola commercials. What was up with them tonight? I'm a big fan of Coke, so it's not even like I was predisposed against them like I was with Budweiser, but all of Coke's commercials tonight just seemed... off.


• Denny's Free Grand Slam - All the chickens are going nuts.


• FLOTV - Jason's spine has been removed, and he's holding bras for his wife shopping in a department store and helping her pick out lavender-scented candles

Lame: These commercials made me say to myself, "Self, seriously? How much money did they spend to put that ad on during the Super Bowl???"

• Lame: Papa Johns, Sketchers shoes, Mrs. Paul's Fishsticks, Freight Rail Works


• Lamer: Carmax dramatically smart with the beaver and the parrot


• Lamest: Boost. That was so lame, CBS should be ashamed they allowed someone to pay them to put it on TV

Did you watch? What was your favorite ad during the Super Bowl?

Thankful Thursday

This morning I'd like to offer up two shout-outs.

1. Pentagon Post Office

I recently visited the post office in the Pentagon for the first time. It's inside the Metro entrance off to the right hand side (in the E ring / back to back with the Hall of Heroes). When I first walked in the door, my heart sank a little because of the number of people in line and the fact that there was only one lady working the counter.

Little did I know... If you look up the word "efficiency" in the dictionary, you will see a picture of Ms. F. C. Manning. Okay, so we've all met some customer service type people who are efficient but generally achieve that efficiency through some level of sacrifice to professionalism, courtesy, or manners. When it came my turn to step up to the counter, I was very pleasantly surprised. Ms. Manning was the epitome of professionalism, courtesy, and good manners in addition to processing your business efficiently and getting you out the door.

Thank you, Ms. Manning. You're awesome!

2. Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES)

I bought a pair of Oakley sunglasses at the Bolling AFB Post Exchange ("PX") back in June. Recently, one of the arms broke off. It's well within the 1-year warranty period. Unfortunately, I never filled out the warranty card and didn't save the receipt. Even though I can find the transaction on my credit card statement and I have the original box with the price sticker on it, Oakley customer service said that wasn't good enough and I needed a receipt from the store. If not, then I'd have to pay $50 for the repair.

I said to myself, "Self, why not try contacting the PX to see if they can get you a copy of the receipt?"

From the AAFES website, I sent an email with details of the date, time, last four digits of my credit card number, and transaction amount from my credit card statement. I didn't really have any expectation they would be able to help me out, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

Low and behold, I got a phone call from Ms. Kathy Williams at AAFES, and within a matter of moments, she emailed me a copy of the receipt. She was extremely kind, courteous, and helpful.

Thank you Ms. Williams!

Thankful Thursday

First, many thanks to Hilary for recognizing my blog in her Posts of the Week this week.

Second, I've received two very nice emails from readers in the past month. They were both very kind to take the time to write and thank me for reviews I have written of one place or another.

If you want to know how to make a blogger's day, just send them an email to let them know you enjoy reading their blog or that you appreciated the effort they put into writing a review of something (restaurant, movie, tourist attraction, whatever).

Thanks to Hilary and to the readers who have emailed for the positive feedback! You each made my day.

Two DC

For folks in the DC area, I'd like to give a shout-out for a new addition on my blog roll.

Two DC is written by a young married couple from southern California who recently moved to DC and started a blog to document their adventures around town.

I love the "Two" theme they've creatively woven into their blog. For example, you'll notice on the top right side of their blog they have links for "Food for Two," "Fun for Two," and "Life as Two." Below that you'll also see their "Two Do List" with places they want to visit (or revisit) in the future.

If you scroll back through their blog, you'll see a majority of their recent posts are about food and restaurants. I must admit that am envious that they are able to take photos of each course of their meal. Whenever we go to some new and interesting restaurant, I am always tempted to take pictures of the food to post on my blog, but it embarrasses my wife and kids, so I don't do it very often. :-)

In addition to their great posts about food and restaurants, they also have great reviews of attractions and things to do in the area, too. You can find most of those non-food-related posts by clicking on the "Fun for Two" link.

From reading through their blog, I feel like we have a bit in common - a rather obvious appreciation for food plus an affinity to getting out of the house and exploring the local trails and historic sites on foot or bike or paddle. Like me, it doesn't sound like they're experts in any of those categories, just looking to get out and have some fun, and they enjoy sharing their experiences with others via the blogosphere. For example, they did the Jack's Boathouse kayaking tour on the Potomac just a week before we did in August.

Aside from the fact that they are local, they are both very talented and creative writers. You'll note that both B and J write in every post. One of them will start and then somewhere in the middle of the post, they'll switch seats and the other one will offer counter-points or additional insights. It doesn't matter what they are writing about, I enjoy reading it just for the style of their writing and the funny quips contained therein. Going back to the same example as the previous paragraph, their write-up of their trip with Jack's Boathouse was fabulous, especially B's last paragraph about what they saw on Roosevelt Island (the last paragraph before turning over the keyboard to J - I don't want to spoil it here, so go read it.)

In addition to the talent of their writing, there's a certain aspect of their blog that's very different from many blogs I have read, and I have a hard time trying to name or clearly identify what it is that's different. Call it personal-yet-private if you will. They share beautiful photos of the places they've gone and details of their lives and experiences, yet don't reveal their true identity. They're not like postcard photos that anybody could have taken, they're somehow personal yet lack specifics. For example, the distant photo looking up the aisle at their wedding so you can see two people getting married, but not who they are or what they look like. Not that it matters what they look like. It just fascinates me how they craft their posts as if it could have been your best friends who went on that adventure and posted those pictures to their Facebook account. I suppose their photos and the way they tell their story make it so you can easily imagine yourself in their shoes.

If you have the time, I recommend clicking on the "Life as Two" link and scroll back to their engagement, wedding and honeymoon blog posts. I enjoyed B's commentary on the male perspective of wedding planning. I'm actually still working on catching up reading this section of their blog, but there are some real gems of new-to-DC wisdom in there.

To B & J - Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. You're doing a great job. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to continuing to compare notes with you about things to do in the DC area.

Milestones: First Trophy

Monday night was my eldest son's first Cub Scout pack meeting of the school year. They handed out several awards and participation patches for the activities that happened over the summer like the Bottle Rocket Derby and the Raingutter Regatta.


ES received a patch for participating in the Bottle Rocket Derby. The other dads there from our den all told me that ES deserved some sort of purple heart attachment for his "participation" patch given the trials and tribulations he went through.

For the Raingutter Regatta, I am surprised I didn't write a blog post about that. I searched back through my blog and can't find it though. It was a very challenging day for us. It was an opportunity for me to exercise my fatherhood skills in explaining good sportsmanship to my son.

The race was very difficult outside in the church parking lot with a steady, strong breeze blowing. The boys built their own boats with kits similar to those provided for the Pinewood Derby. The race was set up in two parallel rain gutters filled with water. The boys had to blow at the sail on their boat through a straw in order to propel it forward, and they had to do this INTO THE WIND. It was hard.

The Bear Den Lineup

ES racing his boat

ES was pretty bummed that day because he didn't win any of the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place trophies awarded on the spot. We left feeling a little down in the dumps.

Monday night at the pack meeting though, they gave out little trophies to everyone who participated, and came up with a award category for each. ES won the award for "most original design."

When we got in the car to come home, he asked, "Daddy, what does most original design mean?"

Uhhhhh... I bit my tongue to keep from saying it's just a name they made up so they could give everyone an award for participating. One of his best friends from school, J, got an award for "the most decals," so I told ES that his award was for NOT using any decals and decorating the boat by hand from his own imagination.

The Most Original Design Trophy

ES is VERY proud of his trophy. He walked into the house hiding it behind his back, walked up to his mom, pulled the trophy out and said, "Ta da!" He brought to our attention that there were some fingerprints on it and asked what he should use to polish his [cast plastic] trophy.

My wife lovingly told him just wiping it off with a dishcloth would do the trick. ;-)

Congratulations Chief Selectees!

The FY10 E-7 (Chief Petty Officer) selection board results are out (click here for the list).

I am happy to see several current and former shipmates on the list and offer my personal congratulations to Chiefs (Select) Romias, Blanding, Coffee, Distefano, Wangen, and Taunton.

For those who aren't familiar with the Navy ranks, getting selected for Chief is a major milestone in an enlisted sailor's career. Promotions below the rank of E-7 are based on taking an advancement exam. The Navy says, "Okay, we have quotas for 500 guys to promote to E-6 this time," and they rank order the guys who took the exam by the exam score and promote the top 500 (numbers are totally fictitious, just making up an example).

For promotion to E-7, it's the first time in an enlisted sailor's career that his or her service record gets looked at by a selection board. The guys still take an advancement exam in order to be declared "board eligible," but then the selection board looks in depth at their past performance evaluations and awards.

About this time every summer, the selection board results are announced, and the new chief selectees begin a period of intense training in Navy customs and traditions culminating in an initiation ceremony when they get officially promoted to chief in September.

You will notice a big difference in the sailor's appearance before and after the ceremony, too. Sailors E-6 and below wear utilities (hence the term "blue shirts" referring to sailors E-6 and below). Chief Petty Officers wear khaki uniforms like the officers do. So the promotion to E-7 marks a major crossover from the "blue shirt" to the "khaki," and a large number of new uniforms to be purchased at the uniform shop.

It's a tremendous honor to be selected for Chief. Chiefs are the backbone of the Navy. They have the experience of being around the block enough times and having lived through deployments and difficult situations and can use those experiences in leading their sailors. They also have the in depth knowledge and experience with their gear to be able to troubleshoot and fix it thousands of miles from any friendly ports for repairs.

I've written before about the career progression of a submarine officer. During a junior officer's first tour at sea on a submarine, he is technically "in charge" of a division of a dozen or more sailors, but it's really the Chief who is running the show. The Chief traditionally has the responsibility of training the junior officer on how to manage the division, and I will always be grateful for the chiefs like STSC(SS) Golliker who taught me very important lessons in leadership as a JO.

Congrats Chief Selectees!

Congrats Commander Selectees

Congratulations to all those selected for promotion to the rank of Commander (O-5)! I know several people on the list and have been sending out notes of congratulations on Facebook and email.

I got an email from someone asking for the O-5 selection board results. They are actually available on the Navy Personnel Command website under boards -> active duty officer -> O-5 Line -> FY-10.

Or, to make it simpler, you can click on this link.

Thank You Thursday

All winter I have been running on the treadmills in the PAC Annex (Pentagon Athelic Center) in Crystal City. Since the weather has turned nice, I have started running outside along the Mount Vernon Trail. It's a really nice, paved trail along the Potomac River. Running from the PAC Annex up to the 14th Street bridge is approximately 2 miles, so it makes for a nice 4 mile run going up there and back again.

Blunoz self-portrait on the Mt. Vernon Trail

Flashback. Scenic paths like this are one of the reasons I cited for wanting to leave Hawaii and move back to Virginia. I never could understand why there was so much trash (and resultant SMELL) along the bike path around Pearl Harbor.

Well, one reason became apparent to me as I was running on the Mt. Vernon Trail.

Segue into Thank You Thursday post...

I want to offer kudos and a special note of thanks to the National Park Service dude who was sweeping debris off the trail. It's been raining a lot in the evenings lately, and there were a few patches of the trail where muddy sand and gravel had been washed across the path. This guy in his National Park Service shirt with a little white pickup truck pulled over on the side of the trail was sweeping the stuff off and clearing the path.

As I was jogging by, I told him "thank you so much for doing that." He responded with a warm smile and held his fist out toward me, so I held my fist out and tapped knuckles with him as I ran by.

Random aside: What does one call the gesture where one guy holds out his fist, and another guy responds by holding his fist out and touching knuckles?

Chalk that up as another reason I was glad to move back to Virginia - people have manners here. It's the little things. People say "excuse me" and "thank you." On the trail, bikes will ring their bell to let you know they're going to pass you. I normally give them a quick wave to let them know I heard them and it's safe to pass, and several of the guys on bikes have said something like "thank you for the wave" as they pass by me.

So my second note of thanks on this Thank You Thursday post is to the bicyclists on the Mt. Vernon Trail who are courteous and share the path with the joggers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to turn this into a Hawaii-bashing post. There are certainly lots of positive things about Hawaii. I'm just highlighting some of the positive aspects of living in Virginia instead of Hawaii and giving thanks for the good things I've seen on the Mt. Vernon Trail lately.

Congrats Battle E Winners!

As promised, here are the results of the 2008 Battle E. For an explanation of what the Battle E is, please see last year's post.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!

First, the COMSUBPAC message:

UNCLASSIFIED//
R 010001Z JAN 09
FM COMSUBPAC PEARL HARBOR HI//00//
TO SUBPAC
MSGID/GENADMIN/COMSUBPAC//
SUBJ/BATTLE EFFICIENCY COMPETITION//
REF/A/DOC/COMNAVSUBFOR/19JUL06//
AMPN/COMNAVSUBFORINST 3590.15C, BATTLE
EFFICIENCY COMPETITION AND INTRATYPE SERVICE AWARDS//
RMKS/1. PER REF A, IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT I ANNOUNCE THE FOLLOWING WINNERS OF THE 2008 BATTLE EFFICIENCY COMPETITION:

A. BATTLE EFFICIENCY E: CO/XO/COB/CMC/SEA

SUBRON ONE USS LOS ANGELES 

CDR E. BURIAN (CO)(D)
CDR S. HARRISON (CO)(R)
LCDR E. GEORGE (XO)
ETCM(SS) A. GREEN (COB)(D)
ETCS(SS) R. BROOKS (COB)(R)

SUBRON THREE USS CHICAGO  

CDR R. STONER (CO)
LCDR J. BERNARD (X0)(D)
LCDR B. SHUPP (XO)(R)
MMCM(SS) S. HOPPE (COB)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS CONNECTICUT 

CDR D. CHRISTOFFERSON (CO)
LCDR B. RODRIGUES (XO)(D)
LCDR P. PFANZ (XO)(R)
ETCS(SS) R. ENQUIST (COB)

SUBRON SEVEN USS COLUMBUS 

CDR J. DOODY (CO)
CDR C. DUNCAN (XO)(D)
LCDR L. REIFSTECK (R)(XO)
MMCM(SS) M. CALDWELL (COB)

SUBRON ELEVEN USS TOPEKA   

CDR M. STERN (CO)
LCDR T. WINTER (XO) (D)
LCDR T. SHUGART (XO) (R)
CMDCM(SS) C. GRANDIN (COB)(D)
MMCS(SS) C. LYNN (COB) (R)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS BUFFALO  

CDR S. PAPPANO (CO)
LCDR C. KERR (XO)(D)
LCDR B. TADDIKEN (XO)(R)
ETCM(SS) A. MCGEE (COB) SUBRON

SEVENTEEN USS PENNSYLVANIA (BLUE)

CDR B. NEFF (CO)
LCDR J. BILOTTA (XO)(D)
LCDR P. FRIEDMAN (XO)(R)
MTCM(SS) G. CHATTIN (COB)(D)
CMDCM(SS) D. SMITH (COB)(R)

USS PENNSYLVANIA (GOLD)

CDR S. BENKE (CO)(D)
CDR T. SCHROEDER (CO)(R)
LCDR M. LUCKETT (XO)
CSCS(SS) B. BERGMAN (COB)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS OHIO (BLUE)

CAPT RATLIFF (CO)
LCDR MASSIE (XO)(D)
LCDR PULLOM (XO)(R)
MMCM(SS) PRICE (COB)

USS OHIO (GOLD)

CAPT HALE (CO)(D)
CAPT CARPENTER (CO)(R)
LCDR VENTURA (XO)
CMDCM(SS) ERHARDT (COB)

SUBMARINE TENDER USS FRANK CABLE 

CAPT P. SCANLON (CO)
CDR P. THOMAS (XO)
CMDCM(SW/AW) M. FIOREY (CMC)

FLOATING DRY DOCK ARCO      

LCDR C. SPEARS (CO)
LCDR J. BARNES (XO)
CMDCM(SS) J. ELLER (CMC)

SPECIAL CATEGORY  SWAMP FOX 

BMC(SW) J. COUCH (CM)
ENC(SW) A. SMITH (ENG)

2. THE FOLLOWING WINNERS IN EACH COMPETITIVE CATEGORY HAVE DISTINGUISHED
THEMSELVES IN THEIR MISSION SPECIALTY AND HAVE BROUGHT CREDIT TO THE
SUBMARINE FORCE:

A. ENGINEERING RED E ENGINEER/EDMC

SUBRON ONE USS LOS ANGELES 

LCDR H. FOSSER (ENG)(D)
LCDR K. COMEAUX (ENG)(R)
EMCS(SS) J. GRANT III (EDMC)

SUBRON THREE USS LOUISVILLE  

LCDR A. BAERG (ENG)
ETCS(SS) G. WILLIAMS (EDMC)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS JIMMY CARTER 

LCDR S. LAWRENCE (ENG)
MMCS(SS) E. JACKSON (EDMC)

SUBRON SEVEN USS SANTA FE    

LCDR J. HODGES (ENG)
MMCM(SS) S. RAO (EDMC) (D)
MMCS(SS) C. FARRELL (EDMC)(R)

SUBRON ELEVEN USS ASHEVILLE   

LCDR B. STERNECKERT (ENG)
MMCM(SS) R. FLICKINGER (EDMC)(D)
EMCS(SS) C. KUNZLEMAN (EDMC)(R)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS HOUSTON     

LCDR E. FLOYD (ENG)
MMCM(SS) A. MAESTAS (EDMC)(D)
EMCM(SS) S. OSGOOD (EDMC)(R)

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS KENTUCKY (BLUE)

LCDR W. WILEY (ENG)
MMCM(SS) B. WALLIN (EDMC)(D)
MMCS(SS) J. ASHER (EDMC)(R)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS OHIO (BLUE) 

LCDR EDGERTON (ENG)(D)
LCDR NEMEC (ENG)(R)
EMCS(SS) SCIARROTTA (EDMC) 

SUBMARINE TENDER USS FRANK CABLE 

LCDR T. BEALS (ENG)(D)
LCDR R. TAYLOR (ENG)(R)
MMCS(SW) C. POLLOCK (LCPO)

FLOATING DRYDOCK  ARCO         

ENS B. MARTIN (ENG)

SPECIAL CATEGORY  NARWHAL      

BMC D. HILLS (CM)
ENC E. HARRIS (ENG)

B. TACTICAL OPERATIONS WHITE T :  CSO/OPS OFFICER/LCPO

SUBRON ONE USS LA JOLLA    

LT W. ROSS (NAV)
LCDR M. CLOSE (CSO)(D)
LT E. NELSON (CSO)(R)
ETCS(SS) J. COOPER (LCPO)

SUBRON THREE USS KEY WEST    

LT P. COSTANZO (WEPS)(D)
LT D. PRATT (WEPS)(R)
LT W. PENETRANTE (NAV)
ETC(SS) J. MCDERMOTT (LCPO)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS CONNECTICUT 

LT M. VORACHEK (WEPS)
LT E. JAUTAIKIS (NAV)
ETCS(SS) F. GARRITY (LCPO)

SUBRON SEVEN USS PASADENA    

LT J. ARMSTRONG (CSO)
LT J. LYON (OPS)
STSCS(SS) M. BERGER (LCPO)

SUBRON ELEVEN USS TOPEKA      

LT P. CHANDLER (NAV)
LT W. FILIP (CSO)
MMC(SS) B. MILES (LCPO)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

LT S. YOUNG (CSO)
LCDR R. KOEMP (NAV)(D)
LCDR D. SATTLER (NAV)(R)
ETC(SS) M. SCHECTER (NODEA)(D)
ETC(SS) D. EMERT (LCPO)(R) 

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS PENNSYLVANIA (BLUE)

LCDR J. CORRELL (WEPS)(D)
LT D. ZUCKSCHWERDT (WEPS)(R)
LCDR B. ALLEN (OPS)
ETC(SS) B. HEDGES (LCPO)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS OHIO (GOLD)  

LT POISIK (WEPS)
LCDR CANFIELD (OPS)
MTCS(SS) MUNNS (LCPO)

C. NAVIGATION RED AND GREEN N: NAV/ANAV

SUBRON ONE USS LOS ANGELES 

LT J. ADKISSON (NAV)
ETC(SS) J. GONZALEZ (ANAV)

SUBRON THREE USS CHICAGO     

LT C. HARDT (NAV)
ETCS(SS) G. MCNABB (ANAV)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS JIMMY CARTER 

LT S. GROSSMAN (NAV)
ETCS(SS) P. ALLEN (ANAV)

SUBRON SEVEN USS COLUMBUS    

LT D. MCAULIFFE (NAV)
ETCS(SS) R. MARINI (ANAV)

SUBRON ELEVEN USS HELENA      

LT J. PELSTRING (NAV)
ETC(SS) A. TORRES (ANAV)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS BUFFALO     

LT A. CAIN (NAV)
ETC(SS) T. WILSON (ANAV)

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS KENTUCKY (GOLD)

LT M. SPRAGUE (NAV)
ETCM(SS) R. PETERSON (ANAV)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS OHIO (BLUE)

LT MAZAT (NAV)
ETC(SS) KRUSE (ANAV)

SUBMARINE TENDER  USS FRANK CABLE  

LTJG J. GILLESPIE (NAV)
ITCS(SW/AW) D. HADUS (ANAV)

D. COMMUNICATIONS GREEN C: COMMO/LCPO

SUBRON ONE USS BREMERTON   

LT J. VENEY (COMMO)
ETC(SS) J. WOODS (LCPO)

SUBRON THREE USS CHICAGO

LTJG K. WOERNER (COMMO)
ETC(SS) M. DOVE (LCPO)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS CONNECTICUT 

LT E. JAUTAIKIS (NAV)
ETC(SS) P. LAROCHELLE (LCPO)

SUBRON SEVEN USS COLUMBUS

LT R. VILLARREAL (COMMO)
ETCS(SS) J. O NEILL (LCPO)

SUBRON ELEVEN USS HAMPTON     

LTJG A. OSBORN (COMMO)
ETC(SS) C. LYNN (LCPO)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS BUFFALO     

LT C. OPRZADEK (COMMO)(D)
LTJG D. LEE (COMMO)(R)
ETCS(SS) T. HENDERSON (LCPO)(D)
ETC(SS) N. MULLEN (LCPO)(R) 

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS NEBRASKA (GOLD)

LT K. FOOS (COMMO)(D)
LTJG K. FRAUENTHAL (COMMO)(R)
ETCS(SS) T. JACKSON (LCPO)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS MAINE (GOLD) 

LT WHEELAN (COMMO)(D)
LTJG LABBE (COMMO)(R)
ETC(SS) JOHNSON (LCPO)

SUBMARINE TENDER USS FRANK CABLE  

LTJG J. GALLAGHER (COMMO)(D)
LTJG D. FUGETT (COMMO)(R)
ITC(SW) M. ROSS (LCPO)(D)
ITC(SW/AW) E. COSEY (LCPO)(R)

FLOATING DRYDOCK  ARCO         

YN2(SW/AW) K. CARLON

E. DAMAGE CONTROL RED DC:  DCA/LCPO/DCPO

SUBRON ONE USS CHARLOTTE

LTJG J. GROSE (DCA)
MMC(SS) D. HATCH (ALCPO)

SUBRON THREE   USS KEY WEST    

LTJG A. MILLS (DCA)
MM1(SS) M. MELENDEZ (DCPO)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS SEAWOLF     

LTJG J. NAKEL (DCA)
MMC(SS) J. CURTIS (DCPO)

SUBRON SEVEN   USS COLUMBUS    

LTJG R. TWITCHELL (DCA)
MMC(SS) A. ZHYBAJ (DCPO)
MM3(SS) K. LOPEZ (DCPO)

SUBRON ELEVEN  USS HAMPTON     

LT J. MANKIEWICZ (DCA)
MM3(SS) A. SABILLON (DCPO)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS HOUSTON     

LTJG O. PAUL (DCA)
MM2(SS) T. MALBREAUX (DCPO)

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS LOUISIANA (BLUE)

LT T. SATROM (DCA)(D)
LT M. HEAPHY (DCA)(R)
MM2(SS) T. WILSON (DCPO)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS MAINE (BLUE) 

LTJG MARVINSMITH (DCA)
MMC(SS) QUAM (LCPO) 

SUBMARINE TENDER USS FRANK CABLE  

CWO3 D. KELLY (DCA)(D)
ENS M. NAGORNIUK (DCA)(R)
MMCS(SW) C. POLLOCK (LCPO)

FLOATING DRYDOCK ARCO

DCC(SW/AW) J. GAYDOS (DCA)

SPECIAL CATEGORY SWAMP FOX    

BMC(SW) J. COUCH (CM)
ENC(SW) A. SMITH (ENG)

F. SUPPLY BLUE E: SUPPLY OFFICER/SK LCPO/CS LCPO

SUBRON ONE USS BREMERTON   

LTJG J. CRAIN (SUPPO)
SK1(SS) S. SMITH (SKLPO)
CSC(SS) J. KICINSKI (CSLCPO)

SUBRON THREE USS CHICAGO     

LTJG M. LABBE (SUPPO) (D)
ENS(SS) P. CHAPMAN (SUPPO)(R)
CSC(SS) J. HERNANDEZ (CSLCPO)
SKC(SS) H. GUTIERREZ (SKLCPO)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS JIMMY CARTER 

LTJG C. ALLEN (SUPPO)
SKC(SS) J. SMITH JR. (SKLCPO)
CSC(SS) M. BYRD (CSLCPO)

SUBRON SEVEN USS COLUMBUS    

LTJG M. SARGENT (SUPPO)
SKC(SS) S. PACHECO (SKLCPO)
CS1(SS) H. ROBINSON (CSLPO)

SUBRON ELEVEN USS JEFFERSON CITY

LTJG F. STA. INES (SUPPO)(D)
SKC B. POWELL (SKLCPO)
CSC(SS) C. KELSEY (CSLCPO)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

LT J. SMITH (SUPPO)(D)
ENS B. CARLL (SUPPO)(R)
CSC(SS) J. BLANKENSHIP (CSLCPO)(D)
CS1(SS) J. HALLOCK (CSLPO)(R)
SK1(SS) K. LAMB (SKLPO)

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS LOUISIANA (BLUE)

LTJG R. DIPAOLO (SUPPO)
SKC(SS) T. FOLTZ (SKLCPO)
CSCS(SS) J. WILLIS (CSLCPO)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS H. M. JACKSON (BLUE)

LTJG NOACK (SUPPO)(D)
LTJG CHANG (SUPPO)(R)
SKC(SS) BURR (SKLCPO)
CSCS(SS) DEASCENTIIS (CSLCPO)

SUBMARINE TENDER  USS FRANK CABLE  

CAPT M. PATTEN (SUPPO)(D)
CDR M. RENEGAR (SUPPO)(R)
SKCM(SW) B. MARTIN (LCPO)(D)
SKCM(SW/AW) E ALEXANDRE (LCPO)(R)

FLOATING DRYDOCK  ARCO         

SKC(AW/SW) R. ALMARINES (SKLCPO)
YN2(SW/AW) K. CARLON

G. DECK SEAMANSHIP WHITE D: FIRST LIEUTENANT

SUBRON ONE USS CHARLOTTE

STSCS(SS) T. CALCATERRA (COB)
STS1(SS) J. HUMBLE (1ST LT)

SUBRON THREE USS KEY WEST    

LT D. PRATT (WEPS)
ET2(SS) KESTER (1ST LT)
STS3(SS) CLOUD (LPO)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS CONNECTICUT 

STS2(SS) B. WRIGHT(1ST LT)

SUBRON SEVEN USS SANTA FE

STSCS(SS) J. DAVIS (COB)
FTC(SS) B. KERN (1ST LT)(D)
STS1(SS) P. DUREN (1ST LT)(R)
STS2(SS) B. PHILLIPS (LPO)

SUBRON ELEVEN USS ASHEVILLE

MM1(SS) E. TELLY (1ST LT)
STS3(SS) J. MALONE (LPO)

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS BUFFALO

STS1(SS) J. THOMPSON (1ST LT)
STS3(SS) T. ARCHAMBAULT (LPO)

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS NEBRASKA (GOLD)

STSC(SS) J. BAILES (1ST LT)
MT2(SS) M. KRESHEL (LPO)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS OHIO (GOLD)

STS1(SS) D. NAPPER (1ST LT)
MT2(SS) J. MITCHELL (LPO)(D)
FT3(SS) E. KIM (LPO)(R)

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS CONNECTICUT

STS2(SS) B. WRIGHT(1ST LT)

SUBMARINE TENDER USS FRANK CABLE 

LT A. TORRES (1ST LT)
LTJG J. REID (BOSN)(D)
CWO3 R. MOORE (BOSN)(R)
HTCM(SW) T. MCNEIL (LCPO)(D)
BMCS(SW) P. WILWERT (LCPO)(R)

FLOATING DRYDOCK ARCO         

CWO3 V. SUBARICH (1ST LT)

SPECIAL CATEGORY SWAMP FOX    

BMC(SW) J. COUCH (CM)
ENC(SW) A. SMITH (ENG)

H. MEDICAL YELLOW M: MDR/MEDICAL OFFICER

SUBRON ONE USS LOS ANGELES 

HM1(SS) M. LUGO

SUBRON THREE USS KEY WEST   

HM1(SS) M. RODRIGUEZ

SUBDEVRON FIVE USS JIMMY CARTER 

LCDR M. WARD (XO)
HMCS(SS) R. NEAL

SUBRON SEVEN USS PASADENA

HMC(SS) D. GREEN

SUBRON ELEVEN USS TOPEKA

HM1(SS) K. DAVIS

SUBRON FIFTEEN USS CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

HMC(SS/SW/AW/FMF) C. BOYCE

SUBRON SEVENTEEN  USS PENNSYLVANIA (GOLD)

HMCS(SS) S. BAIRD

SUBRON NINETEEN   USS MICHIGAN (BLUE)

HMCS(SS) BOYCE

SUBMARINE TENDER  USS FRANK CABLE  

LCDR R. HAGERMAN (SMO)
HMCS(SW/SS) B. MCINTIRE

FLOATING DRYDOCK  ARCO             

HMC(SW/AW) J. BRENNAN

I. DEEP SUBMERGENCE WHITE DS: COMMANDING OFFICER
SPECIAL CATEGORY  DSU          CDR J. SPENCER (CO)
                           LCDR G. COTTON (XO)

J. STRATEGIC WEAPONS WHITE S: WEPS/OPS/LCPO

SUBRON SEVENTEEN USS PENNSYLVANIA (GOLD)

LCDR D. COE (SWO)
LCDR B. GUISE (OPS)(D)
LT C. KARSCH (OPS)(R)
MTC(SS) T. HALLWIRTH (WDEA)

SUBRON NINETEEN USS MAINE (BLUE)

LT PALILONIS (SWO)
LT KILLILA (OPS)
MTC(SS) YEOMAN (WDEA)(D)
MTC(SS) LOONAM (WDEA)(R)

K. REPAIR RED R :              REPAIR OFFICER/LCPO
FLOATING DRYDOCK  ARCO         LT H. GUDINO (DO)
SUBMARINE TENDER  USS FRANK CABLE  CDR J. KALOWSKY (RO)
                           TMCM(SW) D. STARK (RDMC)
L. DENTAL YELLOW D :              DENTAL OFFICER
SUBMARINE TENDER  USS FRANK CABLE  LCDR Y. WAGNER
                           (DENTAL OFF)(D)
                           LCDR S. STERLITZ
                           (DENTAL OFF)(R)
                           HMCS(SS) D. WALLACE
                           (LCPO)(D)
                           HMC(FMF) S. ROEST
                           (LCPO)(R)
M. WEAPONS BLACK W                WEAPONS OFFICER/LCPO
SUBMARINE TENDER  USS FRANK CABLE  LT D. PITRE (WEPS)(D)
                           LCDR C. FULWIDER (WEPS)(R)
                           MMCS(SW) V. MCKINSEY
                           (LCPO)(D)
                           ITCS(SW/AW) S. DUPREE
3. THE COMPETITION FOR BATTLE EFFICIENCY AWARDS WAS EXTREMELY TOUGH.
THESE AWARDS RECOGNIZE COMMANDS WHICH WERE EVALUATED DURING THE PAST
YEAR TO HAVE ATTAINED THE HIGHEST OVERALL OR DEPARTMENTAL READINESS TO
CARRY OUT THEIR WARTIME TASKS.  EACH CREW MEMBER OF AN AWARD WINNER CAN
BE JUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO IMPROVE PACIFIC SUBMARINE
FORCE READINESS.  I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF YOUR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE.
WELL DONE AND CONGRATULATIONS!  RADM DOUGLAS J. MCANENY, COMSUBPAC,
SENDS.//

BT

Next, the COMSUBFOR message:

UNCLASSIFIED//
R 011500Z JAN 09
FM COMSUBFOR NORFOLK VA//N00//
TO ALSUBLANT
MSGID/GENADMIN/COMSUBFOR NORFOLK VA/-/JAN//
SUBJ/BATTLE EFFICIENCY COMPETITION//
RMKS/1.  IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT I ANNOUNCE THE FOLLOWING WINNERS OF THE 2008
BATTLE EFFICIENCY COMPETITION:
A.  BATTLE EFFICIENCY "E" AWARD  SHIP  CO/XO/COB/CMC
SUBRON 2       USS PROVIDENCE          CDR MIKE HOLLAND
                                LCDR TODD FIGANBAUM
                                MMCS(SS) JEFFREY LEITH
SUBRON 4       USS VIRGINIA            CDR JAMES WATERS
                                LCDR WESLEY BRINGHAM
                                MMCM(SS) TODD SCHULTZ
SUBRON 6       USS MONTPELIER          CDR CHRISTOPHER HARKINS (D)
                                CDR MARK BENJAMIN (R)
                                LCDR JACK HOUDESHELL
                                FTCM(SS) ROBERT WEBSTER
SUBRON 8       USS OKLAHOMA CITY       CDR ED MAYER (D)
                                CDR AARON THIEME (R)
                                LCDR GREG KERCHER (D)
                                LCDR TORY SWANSON (R)
                                ETCM(SS) ERIC GILBKERSON (D)
                                SKCS(SS) JASON DINKEL (R)
SUBDEVRON 12   USS ALEXANDRIA          CDR EUGENE DOYLE
                                LCDR MARTIN MUCKIAN
                                CMDCM(SS) ASHLEY DRAKE
SUBRON 16      USS FLORIDA (BLUE)      CAPT BILL TRAUB
                                LCDR CHRIS BUZIAK (D)
                                LCDR WILLIAM PATTERSON (R)
                                CMDCM(SS) ANDREW CRIDER (D)
                                MMCM(SS) BOB LEWIS (R)
        USS FLORIDA (GOLD)      CAPT JOHN LITHERLAND (D)
                                CAPT TOM CALABRESE (C)
                                LCDR DOUGLAS BRADLEY (D)
                                LCDR WAYNE WALL (R)
                                CMDCM(SS) ALFONSO RIVERA (D)
                                MMCM(SS) RANDY HUCKABA (R)
SUBRON 20      USS MARYLAND (BLUE)     CDR ROBERT HUDSON
                                LCDR CHESTER PARKS
                                STSCM(SS) CHUCK CATHEY
        USS MARYLAND (GOLD)     CDR MARK VANYE (D)
                                CDR JEFF GRIMES (R)
                                LCDR LOU SPRINGER
                                ETCM(SS) MIKE MCLAUGHLAN
SPEC CATEGORY  SUBMARINE NR-1          CDR JOHN MCGRATH
                                LCDR JOANNIS ROUSSAKIES (D)
                                LCDR COREY BROWN (R)
                                EMC(SS) ROY HOAGLAND (D)
                                EMC(SS) ZACHARY MONTELLO (R) B.
ENGINEERING RED "E"
        SHIP                    ENG/EDMC
SUBRON 2       USS PROVIDENCE          LCDR RAVI DESAI
                                ETCS(SS) CHARLES LOGAN
SUBRON 4       USS NORTH CAROLINA      LCDR ROBERT HUSCHAK
                                ETCS(SS) DOUGLAS HOOVER
SUBRON 6       USS MONTPELIER          LCDR TIMOTHY CLARK
                                EMCS(SS) ROGER GUILL (D)
                                MMCS(SS) MATTHEW GLISSON (R)
SUBRON 8       USS JACKSONVILLE        LCDR TIMOTHY YANIK
                                ETCS(SS) EDWARD SMITH
SUBDEVRON 12   USS MEMPHIS             LCDR JOSEPH MOORE
                                MMCS(SS) BRUCE JOHNSTON
SUBRON 16      USS FLORIDA (BLUE)      LCDR CHRIS GEORGE
                                EMCS(SS) DONALD SPEIGHT
SUBRON 20      USS MARYLAND (BLUE)     LCDR PAUL LEE (D)
                                LCDR TRAVIS HAIRE (R)
                                MMCS(SS) FRANK MCGEE
SPEC CATEGORY  SUBMARINE NR-1          LCDR MICHAEL HOLLENBACH
                                EMC(SS) STEPHEN BROOKE C.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS WHITE "T"
        SHIP                    WEPS/WDEA/OPS/NODEA
SUBRON 2       USS SPRINGFIELD         LT BRANDON TODD
                                FTC(SS) JOSHUA STURGILL
                                LT JOHN STRUNK
                                ETC(SS) LARRY ALGER
SUBRON 4       USS HARTFORD            LT THOMAS RESIG
                                STSC(SS) ERIC GEMALY
                                LT KEVIN BOSS
                                ETCS(SS) ERIK GIANNINNI
SUBRON 6       USS ALBANY              LT FREDERICK WISSEN
                                FTC(SS) THOMAS WILLEY
                                LT GRANT GARCIA
                                ETCS(SS) RON HERMAN
SUBRON 8       USS JACKSONVILLE        LCDR ALAN NELSON
                                STSCS(SS) LANCE BUTTERFUSS
                                LCDR MICHAEL FULLER
                                ETC(SS) RICHARD NAJAR
SUBDEVRON 12   USS ALEXANDRIA          LT JEFFREY YACKEREN
                                FTC(SS) FRANK SAVIANO
                                LT MICHAEL DOLBEC
                                ETCS(SS) GEORGE HUNT
SUBRON 16      USS FLORIDA (BLUE)      LT JARED WYRICK
                                STSCS(SS) LAUREL PRICE
                                LT JAMES HURT
                                ETCS(SS) KYLE RAPP
SUBRON 20      USS MARYLAND (BLUE)     LT MICHAEL MARTHALER
                                MTCS(SS) JAMES SATTLER
                                LCDR ALBERT SMITH (D)
                                LT BRIAN MURPHY (R)
                                ETC(SS) ROBERT GOEBEL D.
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS WHITE "S"
        SHIP                    SWO/OPS/WDEA
SUBRON 20      USS WYOMING (BLUE)      LT JAMES GILLISON
                                LCDR SCOTT SUNDEM
                                MTCS(SS) JAMES SATTLER E.
NAVIGATION RED AND GREEN "N"
        SHIP                    NAV/ANAV
SUBRON 2       USS SPRINGFIELD         LT JOHN STRUNK
                                ETC(SS) WAYNE WESTRICH
SUBRON 4       USS VIRGINIA            LT GREGORY KOEPP
                                ETC(SS) DANIEL WILSON
SUBRON 6       USS SCRANTON            LT PAUL ROULEAU
                                ETC(SS) WILLIAM HOYT
SUBRON 8       USS BOISE               LT THOMAS FLAHRETY
                                ETC(SS) CHRIS LEGGETT
SUBDEVRON 12   USS SAN JUAN            LT JOHN SEGUIN
                                ETC(SS) MATTHEW HALL
SUBRON 16      USS FLORIDA (GOLD)      LT PATRICK NEISE
                                ETCS(SS) ANDY MOCHRIE (D)
                                ETC(SS) JEREMY COLE (R)
SUBRON 20      USS MARYLAND (GOLD)     LT MAURICE JOY
                                ETCS(SS) MATTHEW SUZOR F.
COMMUNICATIONS GREEN "C"
        SHIP                    COMMO/RADIO LCPO
SUBRON 2       USS DALLAS              LT ADAM KOSOIL
                                ETC(SS) JASON AVIN
SUBRON 4       USS MIAMI               LT JOSHUA HAUSBACH
                                ETCS(SS) CARY CARROL
SUBRON 6       USS NORFOLK             LT CHRISTOPHER PRESCOTT
                                ETC(SS) ADAM BURCHETTE
SUBRON 8       USS OKLAHOMA CITY       LCDR RICH MARCHAND
                                ETC(SS) BEN GARDNER
SUBDEVRON 12   USS MEMPHIS             LTJG WENDELL HOLMES
                                ETC(SS) JAMES DISHER
SUBRON 16      USS FLORIDA (GOLD)      LTJG JAMES SNYDER
                                ETC(SS) MARK EVANS
SUBRON 20      USS MARYLAND (GOLD)     LT MATTHEW JENNERICH (D)
                                LTJG ERIC SPURLING (R)
                                ETC(SS) GEOFFREY WILLS G.  DAMAGE
CONTROL RED "DC"
         SHIP                   DCA/DCPO
SUBRON 2        USS PHILADELPHIA       LT ALFRED LONG
                                MM2(SS) JEFFREY HUNT
SUBRON 4        USS TEXAS              LTJG DANIEL BRADLEY
                                MM2(SS) ROY KALBLINGER
SUBRON 6        USS NORFOLK            LT ANDREW PITTMAN
                                MM2(SS) BRADLEY WISSINGER
SUBRON 8        USS NEWPORT NEWS       LTJG JUSTIN KIRKPATRICK
                                MM1(SS) STEVEN DIAMOND
SUBDEVRON 12    USS MEMPHIS            LT MICHAEL WARREN
                                MMCS(SS) CHRISTOPHER MORRIS
SUBRON 16       USS FLORIDA (BLUE)     LTJG SETH HOOPER
                                MM2(SS) DANIEL STEINBROOK
SUBRON 20       USS WYOMING (BLUE)     LTJG BRITTON CHAVIN
                                MM2(SS) JERRY SMITH H.  SUPPLY
BLUE "E"
         SHIP                   SUPPO/SK LCPO/CS LCPO
SUBRON 2        USS SPRINGFIELD        LT EUGENE HO
                                SK1(SS) KIPP YEAKEL
                                CSC(SS) WILBUR FIFIELD
SUBRON 4        USS MIAMI              LT FRANKLIN SNOW
                                SK1(SS) TIMOTHY LOYD
                                CSC(SS) TODD TROWERY
SUBRON 6        USS ALBANY             ENS JOSHUA MILLNER
                                SK1(SS) JASON ASHBURN
                                CSC(SS) CHRISTOPHER RAINEY
SUBRON 8        USS OKLAHOMA CITY      ENS JESSE PETTY
                                SK1(SS) R. SHOBOWALE-BENSON
                                CS1(SS) GARY PRINCE
SUBDEVRON 12    USS ANNAPOLIS          LTJG MATTHEW CURITTI
                                SK1(SS) ARTHUR GOMEZ
                                CSC(SS) KENNETH HOLLAR
SUBRON 16       USS GEORGIA (BLUE)     LT SHAWN WILLIS
                                SKC(SS) CHRISTOPHER ROMAN
                                CSCS(SS) JIMMY NOLEN
SUBRON 20       USS RHODE ISLAND(GOLD) LTJG ADAM GUNTER
                                SKC(SS) VIRGIL RADFORD
                                CSC(SS) FRANK CHANDLER
SPEC CATEGORY   SUBMARINE NR-1         SKCS(SS) DAVID GIBSON
I.  DECK SEAMANSHIP WHITE "D"
         SHIP                   FIRST LT
SUBRON 2        USS PHILADELPHIA       STS2(SS) MICHAEL WAGENBACH
SUBRON 4        USS NEW HAMPSHIRE      MMC(SS) JAMES GUILD
SUBRON 6        USS SCRANTON           STS1(SS) BRIAN TAYLOR
SUBRON 8        USS OKLAHOMA CITY      STS1(SS) LANCE MORTENSEN
SUBDEVRON 12    USS ALEXANDRIA         FTC(SS) BRIAN WOOMER
SUBRON 16       USS GEORGIA (GOLD)     MT1(SS) HARRY JADICK
SUBRON 20       USS MARYLAND (BLUE)    STS1(SS) MICHAEL HANSEN
J.  MEDICAL YELLOW "M"
         SHIP                   MED OFF/MDR
SUBRON 2        USS PITTSBURGH         HM1(SS) EARL WAGNER
SUBRON 4        USS HAWAII             HMC(SS) DANA WOODWARD
SUBRON 6        USS AUGUSTA            HM1(SU) KOREY GRAETTINGER
SUBRON 8        USS BOISE              HMC(SS) ADAM GOULAS
SUBDEVRON 12    USS SAN JUAN           HMC(SS/SW) CHRIS SULLIVAN
SUBRON 16       USS FLORIDA (GOLD)     HMC(SS) JAMES AKIN
SUBRON 20       USS RHODE ISLAND(BLUE) HMCS(SS) GORY SANT
SPEC CATEGORY   SUBMARINE NR-1         HMC(DSW) AARON LEVY
2.  THE BATTLE "E' COMPETITION IS CONDUCTED TO STRENGTHEN INDIVIDUAL
COMMAND PERFORMANCE, OVERALL FORCE READINESS, AND TO RECOGNIZE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE.  THE CRITERION FOR THE BATTLE EFFICIENCY AWARD
IS THE OVERALL READINESS OF THE COMMAND TO CARRY OUT ITS ASSIGNED
WARTIME TASKS AS A UNIT OF THE ATLANTIC FLEET AND IS BASED ON A
YEAR-LONG EVALUATION.
3.  THE COMPETITION FOR THESE HONORS WAS, AS ALWAYS, EXTREMELY KEEN.
THESE AWARDS SHOULD BE A SOURCE OF GREAT PRIDE TO EACH AND EVERY
CREWMEMBER.
4.  BRAVO ZULU.  VADM DONNELLY SENDS.//

BT

Christmas after action report

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day. We had a very nice Christmas here in the blunoz household.

Last night, we were waiting and waiting for the boys to go to sleep. As I mentioned in my last post, YB was still awake when my wife checked on him at 10:18, but finally asleep at 10:35. That gave us the green light to do the things we needed to do as Santa's helpers.

I had something else up my sleeve though. I got my wife a sort of china hutch display cabinet for her antique tea cup collection, and I was waiting for her to go to bed so I could put it together. She finished with her stuff and said she was going to bed. I knew she'd be asleep within about 5 minutes of her head hitting the pillow, and so I got to work. It took me a little longer to put it together than I thought, and I didn't go to bed until 1:20 a.m.

That being said, would anyone like to place any wagers on what time ES woke me up this morning???

8:00???

7:30???

7:00???

6:30???

6:00???

Yep, 6:00 a.m. I was startled awake by thumping from downstairs. I went downstairs to find ES digging through all the presents that Santa left. Now, I'm not a morning person by any means, and my brain wasn't functioning well on so little sleep and so early in the morning. In the absence of coherent thought, the gremlins in my brain didn't know what to do and decided to hit one of the prerecorded sound-bite buttons. Granted, the "Merry Christmas, ES!" sound bite might have been better, but the gremlins opted for "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS???"

ES momentarily stopped his present examination. He looked up at me with one of his pensive looks and contemplated the question.

"Yes... It's 6 o'clock," he said matter-of-factly.

I told him he could sit and watch TV quietly until the rest of the people in the house woke up, then I went back upstairs to bed.

Thank goodness the next time he woke me up was when my wife sent him upstairs to poke me at 8:00. Not very surprisingly, YB was still asleep when ES came to wake me up.

For the next hour or so, we had quite the Christmas carnage going on in the family room. I got a lot of blurry photos the boys were moving so fast...

ES shakes his stocking to see if anything else is in it.

YB empties his stocking.
I guess he got over the whole "I don't want Santa to come" thing.

ES unwrapping presents.

(CENSOR NOTE: Sorry, no pictures of groggy Daddy or bed-head Mommy.)

The family room looked like a bomb went off afterwards. Oh, who am I kidding - it still looks like a bomb went off! :-)

My wife really likes the display cabinet for her teacups. I was just a little frustrated that this morning with the lights on I discovered I installed the doors upside down. Luckily the fix wasn't too hard. I just undid the screws for the top piece and lifted it up far enough for the doors to fall out (the left door landed on top of my foot OUCH).

LW's new display case (some assembly required).

Note: Those curved parts in the tops of the doors look MUCH better this way than they did on the BOTTOM of the doors when the doors were upside down.

We spent a lazy day around the house reading, playing video games, playing ES's new Stratego board game, playing with legos, watching movies, doing puzzles, etc.

Kudos and high praises again to my wonderful wife for another awesome dinner she cooked today. She made prime rib, mashed potatoes, spinach, and garlic bread, and it was all really good. Sorry, I didn't take my camera with me to the dinner table this time, so you'll just have to believe me when I say it looked and tasted really good.

As predicted, YB ran out of steam tonight and started getting a little grumpy, but not nearly as bad as I expected. He fell asleep pretty quick.

Speaking of running out of steam, so am I. It's time to hit the rack.

Special thanks to President Bush for declaring tomorrow a federal holiday!

Merry Christmas!

We had a nice Christmas Eve here in our house. Kudos to my LW for the awesome dinner she made for us. It was REALLY good.

The table set for dinner.

Salmon with dill sauce, honey-glazed carrots, dinner rolls.

After dinner we had a very nice Christmas Eve service at Christ Community Church.

Earlier in the day, when we were trying to get YB to get dressed and tried using Santa as motivation (as in, "Santa won't come if you don't..."). YB floored us with a blasphemous statement in response. He said, "I don't want Santa to come. We don't need him. We have enough presents." Never in a million years did I think I would hear those words come from any child much less a child of mine.

When we got home from church, both boys were bouncing off the walls with excitement and refused to get ready for bed. We told them Santa wouldn't come unless they went to bed. Then YB declared he didn't want Santa to come, so he wasn't going to bed. We got him in his PJs and put him in bed anyway. He was still awake at 10:18 and really starting to get on my nerves. He finally fell asleep somewhere before 10:35.

Based on past performance, I expect the boys will get up at the crack of dawn and then be tired and cranky and fighting tomorrow. I sure hope I'm wrong.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! My thoughts and prayers go out to those who are serving our country on the pointy-end of the spear tonight and their families waiting for them at home. We know what it's like not to be home for Christmas, and we're both grateful for this time together as a family this year and for those who are standing the watch while we're at home.

Kudos

I was honored and touched by Sam's compliments on her blog. Her compliments came with a tasking to say "something nice about 6 people on your friend’s list. (Any six, but just 6) It doesn’t matter if I know them or not. Just tell me something you like about them."

I picked six people off my Google Reader list, and I will list them in alphabetical order.

Bubblehead at The Stupid Shall Be Punished. As a fellow submarine officer, Joel has had to overcome many challenges in harsh climates in the darkest depths of the ocean. He is now in the midst of overcoming an entirely new challenge in dealing with the radiation and chemo treatment for cancer. God bless you Joel, I'm praying for you. Joel is the first submarine blogger I found on the 'net and a daily read of mine.

Caffienated Cowgirl at But Do They Have Coffee. CC (I don't know if I'm allowed to write her real name here - I won't since she doesn't mention it on her blog) and her HE (husband extraordinaire) are very dear friends of ours. It's been... oh gosh... seven YEARS since we saw CC face-to-face??? I'm thankful for the wonders of the internet and how it has enabled us to stay close friends half way around the world from each other. Even if we didn't have the internet though, CC and HE are the type of friends that no matter how much time has gone by, when our paths cross again, it will be like we were never apart - we would pick up right where we left off. I'm not sure if I started reading CC's blog first or Bubblehead's blog. They were pretty much the first two blogs I started reading, before I even knew what the "blogosphere" was. CC is both a very talented writer and a very talented photographer. It brightens my day when I open my Google Reader and see there is a new post from CC, because I know that it will have either (a) a funny story that'll make me laugh or (b) an awesome picture that'll make me say, "wow," or (c) both of the above.

Cris at June Cleaver After a Six Pack. Back when I was just periodically checking out Bubblehead and CC's blogs, I would periodically hear my wife off in her corner giggling while reading something on the computer screen. Eventually she forwarded me the link to enough posts of June Cleaver After a Six pack that I just started reading her blog myself. Cris is an amazing story teller and she is just downright hillarious. In addition, she's also a military wife who just got done uprooting her family, moving several states across country, and getting resettled in a new house just in time to see her husband leave on a long deployment. God bless you, Cris. I appreciate that you continue to make me laugh even while you handle the challenges of life with your husband on deployment. I am praying for you and your family.

Hilary at The Smitten Image. Hilary is a new favorite of mine. She's also an amazing photographer, and I've enjoyed watching the seasons transition from autumn into winter in Canada through her camera lens. She's also a very talented story teller, and I appreciate her insights into having two sons who have grown into fine young men.

Magazine Man at Somewhere on the Masthead. I have to give a shout-out of thanks to our friend Corey for introducing me to MM's blog. There are a lot of talented writers in the blogosphere, and I don't mean any slight to any of my other favorite bloggers when I say this, but MM is absolutely the best writer and story teller on my blog roll. For one of my favorite posts of his, read this one. If you have a few spare minutes to read, I recommend grabbing yourself a cup of coffee and start reading at his Monday, 17 November post and work your way forward through the next three posts that describe his weekend taking care of the kids.

Samantha at Boat Drinks and Dreams. No, I'm not writing this simply because she complimented me on her blog. My compliments go to Sam because she is always providing support and encouragement to her family and friends. She regularly gives a shout-out of praise for friends who achieve important milestones in running or cooking or their career. She and her husband are doing a great job raising two awesome little boys and dealing with the stress of moving their family half way around the globe to Guam. God bless you guys in this big move and in the next few years of sea duty on the pointy-end of the spear. I'm praying for you guys, too.