Pentagon Gouge: Saluting Part II

Okay, so let's say, you were walking from a meeting at the Pentagon back to your office in Crystal City. You see approaching you a USAF colonel walking in the opposite direction toward the Pentagon. The colonel has his head down and is thumbing-away texting on his cell phone.

What do you do?

a) About face. Walk slowly the other way (the same direction he is walking) until he overtakes you. That way, the colonel can pass you without having to salute and you won't disturb him.

b) Right face. Walk quickly to the other side of the street. That way, the colonel can continue walking undisturbed and not have to salute you.

c) Clear your throat really loudly "AHEM!" so as to alert the colonel that you are in a head-on situation and he should expect to be saluted in the very near future. Apologize for distracting him as you pass.

d) Screech with terror, "OH MY GOD!!!" and point to nothing in particular behind the colonel. As the startled colonel whirls around to see what ghastly image has frightened you so, walk quickly past him and say, "By your leave, colonel."

e) Maintain course and speed. At an appropriate distance, salute and say, "Good afternoon, Colonel!" After the startled Colonel uses his cell phone to return your salute, go home laughing and write about it on Facebook and on your blog.

Yep, he kept his cell phone in his right hand, swung his right arm up, and touched the tip of his cell phone to the corner of his right eyebrow to salute as if his cell phone were his hand.

That was a first for me.

Military Special Events and Ceremonies in DC

Sorry my blog posting has been light lately. I've been pretty busy planning this weekend's festivities in addition to my normal workload. Friday we had my promotion ceremony at the Navy Museum on Washington Navy Yard and Saturday we had a big wetting down party here at our house, and both events took a lot of planning and coordination and setup.

My wonderful wife and I could not have done it all without the help of our awesome family members who flew in from out of state to assist in the setup and cleanup of both events. Actually, I give myself too much credit. It was really my wonderful wife, dad, stepmom, stepbrother, and mother in law who did all the manual labor and hard work. Both events were a big success due to their efforts. I just sorta went with the flow of things.

You may recall I had a poll on my blog a few weeks ago asking for your opinions where to have the promotion ceremony. Although the Navy Memorial in downtown D.C. won the poll, the Navy Museum wasn't far behind in the votes and I opted for the Navy Museum. My main concern with the Navy Memorial was the outdoor location and the risk of either rain or of extreme heat and humidity in July. As it turns out, it was a very hot and muggy day outside, so I was glad we chose the indoor location (and it was still pretty warm inside the museum).

ES found a nice ring-side seat on a cannon to watch.

ES and YB (who commandeered my old cover)
heading into the reception at the Navy Art
Gallery next door to the Museum

On Saturday we had 50 adults and 17 kids over to our house for a wetting down party. You can read about the history and tradition of the wetting-down in this wikipedia article. Nowadays, there is no set standard for how to do a wetting down, and everyone comes up with their own variation on it. For another recent example, you can see photos on the Navy website of the wetting down on board USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN-76).

In our case, my dad and stepmom brought saltwater from the Pacific Ocean and my mother in law brought saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean. After everyone had a chance to eat dinner at the party last night, I put on my uniform and stood in the backyard for everyone to watch as I had my boys each pour the saltwater on my new collar devices.

YB and ES douse my new collar devices with
saltwater from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Lessons Learned on Planning Special Events in the DC Area:

For anybody else trying to plan a special event (such as a promotion or retirement ceremony), July 31st is a HORRIBLE day for such events (at least in the DC area). EVERYPLACE is booked. One place told me they were reserved back in MARCH for a ceremony on July 31st.

In between calling around different places to have my ceremony, I've been asking the question WHY is July 31st so bad. One rumor / speculation I heard was that a lot of people choose Oct 1st at their retirement date, and if you back up 60 days of terminal leave before the retirement date, that puts the retirement ceremony at... JULY 31ST!!! I don't have any empirical evidence to back this up, and I've been asking around trying to figure out why people would prefer to have a 1 October retirement date. One guy told me it has to do with the High Three retirement pay calculation and staying in until October 1 gives you credit for that year or something like that. Again, I haven't been able to look that up yet.

So the lesson learned is: Make reservations early!

In the course of calling around, I discovered lots of new places I hadn't thought of or known about before. Each time I called a place to find out if they were available on July 31st, after they told me "no, but did you try..." then would recommend another cool place nearby. It led me on sort of a fruitless wild goose chase (because everyplace was booked), but I learned about a lot of places to hold special events.

So if you're looking for a place to have a special event, here are some ideas:

- Navy Museum at Washington Navy Yard (WNY). They only allow one event per day and two events per week. During the event, the museum remains open to the public, but if you've been there, you know they don't get a lot of traffic being on base. In my case, luckily there was a cancellation, so we were able to get in there for our promotion ceremony.
Upside: They have periscopes. :-) Lots of cool Navy history. Indoor and air conditioned.
Downside: They don't allow food or drinks, so you need to find someplace else if you want to have any kind of refreshments or reception.

- USS BARRY (destroyer moored next to the Navy Museum). This is a popular spot for military ceremonies.

- Mordecai Booth's Pub. This pub on WNY is an Irish themed pub.

Aside: It's not all that exciting, but the story of the pub's namesake is in this article about the pub's grand opening. However, I liked the Irish toast they offered on the occasion: "There are good ships, there are wood ships and the ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are the friendships, and may they always be."

- Navy Art Gallery. This is right next door to the Navy Museum. This turned out to be an awesome location for our reception, and I'm very grateful to the staff at the Art Gallery for allowing us to host our event there.

- WNY Catering and Conference Center.

- Admiral Gooding Center (AGC). I didn't know this place existed until someone at the Washington Navy Yard catering and conference center recommended I see if they were available. This is more of a conference center, but it's a feasible location for a reception following a ceremony somewhere else close by (like the Museum where they don't allow food or drinks).

- The Optical Tower. I didn't even know this place existed until someone at the Catering and Conference Center asked me if I had checked their availability. The history of the place is pretty cool (in a geeky sort of way).

- Pentagon Chapel.

- Pentagon Hall of Heroes (2nd floor, just off Corridor 10 at the bottom of the ramps going to the 3rd and 4th floors).

- Pentagon Library and Conference Center. There are over a dozen conference rooms here, and I noted there are promotion ceremonies going on there.

- Pentagon Memorial

- The Navy Memorial (downtown DC next to the National Archives). This is where the Lone Sailor Statue is.

- The Navy and Marine Memorial. Small monument on the Virginia side of the Potomac River near the Pentagon, wedged in between the Mount Vernon Trail and the river. I would have gone to this location for my promotion, but due to the construction going on now, the parking lot is blocked off and it's impossible to drive there. I didn't think everyone would want to walk out there. It's a nice location with a beautiful view of DC though.

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!

Where has the time gone???

Oh my gosh...

15 years

21 May 1994 was one of only a handful of times I've ever worn my "choker" whites.

I probably would have done a post like this last year (my first year of blogging), but we were in Hawaii and my photo albums were in storage. Last year I provided a summary of where I've been on each anniversary of my commissioning. This year now that we have all our stuff out of storage, I thought I'd scan a few of the photos from my commissioning ceremony to have an electronic record of it.

I always loved the setting in the Camino-Founders Courtyard for the commissioning ceremony at University of San Diego.

We marched into the courtyard in pairs.

My dad administered the oath.

My mom pinned on my shoulder boards.

My friend Ken (QM1(SS) type) gave me my first salute. Unfortunately, the salute happened too fast and I didn't get a picture of the actual salute. This is a picture of me handing Ken the traditional silver dollar in return for the first salute.

Just checking to make sure it was signed and none of my professors turned me in for an "incomplete."

Chris and me on our way out.

I've always liked that last photo - partly due to the two of us in the picture and partly due to the timing of it. On the left is my good friend Chris who would later be best man at my wedding. At that moment in time, we had marched in from opposite sides and done a left-face / right-face toward the exit, and then we immediately stepped off marching out the back of the courtyard. So this picture was taken at the precise moment in time that our heels clicked together and before we stepped off to march out of the courtyard.

I'm amazed to look back and think about what my life was like then and what it's like now. I had NO idea then where life would take me. Sure, I knew I was packing up my shtuff and driving across country to Orlando to start Nuclear Power School, but that just seemed like such a big black amorphous cloud at that point.

I couldn't conceive what life would be like after power school. I just had to focus on getting through it with the optimism that there was a prize waiting on the other side. Indeed there was - the prize was a combination of the sense of accomplishment at having graduated from power school and the opportunity to serve my country on the pointy-end of the spear.

I couldn't have asked for a better JO sea tour. My timing in reporting abord was impeccable - right at the beginning of the POM (Pre-Overseas Movement) workups for an AWESOME deployment. The things we got to do just about made the eyeballs pop outta my head and I was STOKED. There was no doubt in my mind that surviving power school was worth the effort. When we returned from that first deployment, I was kinda bummed it was over and I would have volunteered to go on another one in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, the boat needed EDO's for the SRA in the drydock, but that was a good learning experience, too.

So much has happened in the past 15 years, and I am grateful for all of it. Sure, there have been good times and bad times. I certainly didn't enjoy the bad times in situ, and I never wanted nor would wish the bad experiences upon anybody. Even so, I value the experience I have gained through both the good and the bad. Looking back, I can honestly say I have been truly blessed in all of my assignments in the Navy so far. In each of my three boats, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best and the brightest guys in the Navy.

Thanks to all of my shipmates for the things you've taught me and the experiences we've shared over the past 15 years.

Promotions

Last night was ES's last Cub Scout Pack meeting of the school year. They had the bridging ceremony where the boys walk across the wooden bridge and get promoted to the next "rank" up. At the other end of the bridge, the cub master hands them their new colored neckerchief and handbook (yellow for Wolf, blue for Bear, plaid for Webelos). Sorry I forgot to take my camera with me, so no pics of the actual bridge crossing (you can see last-year's bridge crossing here).

ES with his new blue neckerchief.

So thinking about promotions to come... I'm trying to think what would be a cool place to have a promotion ceremony in the DC area. Nothing big and fancy, not like with an MC reading a script and a band playing the national anthem and speeches and all that. Just a cool, memorable spot for a brief ceremony with family.

I have two locations in mind so far, but thought I'd mention it here and see if anyone else had any cool ideas.

At the Navy Memorial.

In the submarine room at the U.S. Navy Museum.

Someone else I know recently had their promotion ceremony in the Pentagon Chapel. I have to admit I haven't actually BEEN to the Pentagon chapel yet, so I have no idea what that's like.

I posted a poll to on the right side of my blog. Please click over there to give me your vote, or leave a comment to suggest someplace else.

Saluting

Working around the Pentagon, there are a LOT of silver oak leaves and eagles (i.e. senior officers). You will see a lot of complacency in junior guys blowing them off and not saluting them because there are so many of them everywhere. I try not to blow them off and usually make an effort to show proper military courtesies.

Sometimes you just can't win.

So there I was, standing on the street corner waiting for the DoD shuttle bus. This guy is approaching from down the street on my left. I saw him coming. He had the Army digital camouflage pants on. It was BUTT cold outside. He was wearing one of the old dark camouflage pattern heavy winter jackets and a black knit cap.

No rank insignia on the knit cap like you would normally see on the beret.

No rank insignia on the heavy winter jacket that I could tell. It doesn't help that the Army guys wear a "subdued" (black) insignia for O-5 and O-6 on their camouflage uniforms. At least on the newer digital camouflage uniforms, the black rank insignia stand out a little better. Anyway, I digress. In this case, if he was wearing a rank insignia, then I couldn't see it.

As he approached me, he said good morning. I said good morning in return. Then, as he was passing me, he made a snide comment to me about, "I guess Navy guys don't have to salute anymore."

Nice.

What can you do?

The dude kept walking down the street, so I just bit my tongue and let it slide.

Farewell Party Gift

Submarine wardrooms periodically have "hail and farewell" parties to welcome new officers reporting aboard and to say goodbye to officers who are transferring to shore duty. Traditionally, the officer who is leaving gets gag gifts for the other members of the wardroom, and all the members of the wardroom get gag gifts and tell stories and "roast" the outgoing guy.

Well... we're in decom.

On Thursday, we will haul down the national ensign for the last time, and the USS MINNEAPOLIS SAINT PAUL will become the EX-MINNEAPOLIS SAINT PAUL. EVERYBODY is leaving all at once, so we had to have one last Mighty MSP wardroom farewell party and shared gag gifts all around.

I had to share with you the gift that the CO got for me. Why? (a) Because it's really funny, and (b) because it's directly related to my blog. He created a book. Well, he took a book and made up a new dust jacket for it to make it look like a different book.

On the front page is the title:

WHO IS BLUNOZ?
The Worst Kept Secret On the Net

First he asked the assembled audience of officers and wives, "Show of hands - who reads the Blunoz blog?" All the hands went up. That actually kinda surprised me. I by no means have tried to hide my blog, and I've pointed a couple of blog posts out to people looking for information about specific hikes or touristy activities around the island. I just didn't think EVERYONE found my ramblings interesting enough to read on a regular basis.

Wait... maybe they don't (find my ramblings interesting enough to read on a regular basis). Maybe they just didn't want to hurt my feelings by NOT raising their hand or saying they DON'T read my blog.

WARNING: TANGENT AHEAD

This brings up the topic of why I started this blog in the first place.

Again, the MSP has been in an unusual circumstance due to our change of homeport from Norfolk to Pearl Harbor. Normally, a new guy would report aboard, and he could get all the local gouge on things to do from the guys who have already been on board a while.

When the boat, the crew, and all the families all move to Hawaii at the same time, we're all new to the island and none of us know what there is to do or see.

I started off writing emails to all the guys in the wardroom to tell them about each cool new place we went on the island. In case you hadn't noticed though, I tend to be a wee bit long winded with my computer keyboard. At one point, I said to myself, "Self, suppose the rest of the wardroom doesn't want to read all your gibberish about hiking, geocaching, snorkeling, restaurants, and stuff around the island?"

So I thought of the blog as a way I could write about our adventures around Hawaii, keep our family and friends across the country and around the world up to date on what we've been up to, post some photos for the grandparents, and if people wanted to read it to get ideas for fun things to do in Hawaii, then they were welcome to read it. If they didn't care, then I wasn't clogging up their email inbox.

END OF TANGENT

Next, the CO shared with everyone that he gets regular phone calls and emails from people outside the command asking, "Did you know Kevin writes a blog?" Yeeesss, I know, I know.

Then he read the back cover of the book dust jacket for us. Here it is for your amusement.

Who is Blunoz?

Blunoz is a source of information unrivaled in cyberspace. Indeed, it is easier to list what not to ask him than to catalog the numerous topics on which he is a self-proclaimed expert. Topics not to ask Blunoz about include:

• Food other than Mexican
• How to survive with a MSG allergy
• Negotiating with a bank
• Movies that do not include time travel
• How to best time your arrival - like community pools, ocean restaurants, and Diamond Head
• How to prepare a house so that the packers do not take the things you do not want packed
• Explaining to police what exactly is geocaching
• How to ask someone else to take a photo of yourself
• Dealing with mothers ahead of you in line
• Dealing with detailers "Yyyyyeah, hi, about that job in Hawaii I was going to sent you to? Yyyyeah, not so much..."
• Credit advice

I think he wrote a pretty good summary of my blog so far. My personal favorite was the "How to ask someone else to take a photo of yourself."

Traditional Blunoz Self Portrait
Lisbon, Portugal
March 2007

Thanks for the laugh, Captain. :-)