A round the Region NOSC Pittsburgh Rockets Local Fifth Graders to Success By MC2 Katrina Parker NAVY HEADLINES Fifth grade students pose for a picture after graduating from Starbase Atlantis Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy NOSC Pittsburgh. Navy Units Prepare to Support Japan U.S. Pacific Fleet ships in the Western Pacific are moving to be in the best position to help Japan in areas damaged by the massive earth- quake and subsequent tsunami. USS Bulkeley Frees Ship from Pirates USS Bulkeley assisted releasing a Japanese- owned merchant vessel in the Somali Basin from four suspected pirates, March 6. New Aircraſt Carrier e Navy officially began construction for CVN 79. e second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraſt carrier has not yet been named. Large Turnout for Cali. Air Show Approximately 45,000 spectators attended the Naval Air Facility El Centro Air Show, March 12. e show featured more than 20 events and multiple demon- strations and displays. Continued on pg. 3 March 2011 “Honoring our Sailors’ Service & Sacrifice” Volume I Issue 3 NORTH VERSAILLES, Penn. -- Building roller coasters, launching rockets and flying aircraſt are not the typical things every fiſth grad- er gets to enjoy during a normal school day, but thanks to Navy Op- erational Support Center (NOSC) Pittsburgh, hundreds of students every year are able to learn these difficult concepts in a fun and ex- citing way. NOSC Pittsburgh hosts the De- partment of Defense (DoD) Star- base Atlantis, a premier educational program. Since 2002, the Pittsburgh academy has taught thousands of fiſth grade students with “hands- on, minds-on” activities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). STEM is taught through the real-world application of avia- tion, physics, chemistry, computer- aided design, simulation and more. Students from 12 schools in seven area school districts participate in a five-day program with 25 hours of motivating academic experiences. “is program is unique for us because NOSC Pittsburgh is the only NOSC in the country that hosts it,” said NOSC Pittsburgh Commanding Officer Cmdr. Timo- thy Flecker. “is is a great way for Sailors to help underserved school districts.” Starbase targets at-risk school populations including minority and low socio-economic students who may have trouble during school with STEM subjects. By us- ing real-world and hands-on proj- ects, children have shown remark- able progress in these challenging areas. “Kids who are at risk or have behavioral problems at school typically have no problems here,” said Ken Mechling, director for Starbase Atlantis Pittsburgh. “We teach respect and we make learn- ing fun and exciting. We don’t use a book – we use our hands. is way, kids who may otherwise be lower achievers can excel here, because they can demonstrate their skills with their hands.” Some activities include students working in small groups as an “en- gineering team” to solve challeng- es. ey are given age appropriate materials to plan, design and con- struct roller coasters, or work indi- vidually to build and launch their own Estes model rockets. Students also ‘fly’ aircraſt, via flight simula- tors, and visit the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh to learn about robots, light, motion and other top- ics. Most activities are done at the NOSC, which provides a great op- portunity for the young students to interact with the Sailors and hope-
Transcript
Around the Region
NOSC Pittsburgh Rockets Local Fifth Graders to Success By MC2 Katrina Parker
NAVYHEADLINES
Fifth grade students pose for a picture after graduating from Starbase Atlantis Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy NOSC Pittsburgh.
Navy Units Prepare to Support
JapanU.S. Pacific Fleet ships in the Western Pacific
are moving to be in the best position to help
Japan in areas damaged by the massive earth-quake and subsequent
tsunami.
USS Bulkeley Frees Ship from Pirates
USS Bulkeley assisted releasing a Japanese-
owned merchant vessel in the Somali Basin from four suspected
pirates, March 6.
New Aircraft CarrierThe Navy officially
began construction for CVN 79. The second Gerald R. Ford-class
aircraft carrier has not yet been named.
Large Turnout for Cali. Air Show
Approximately 45,000 spectators attended the
Naval Air Facility El Centro Air Show, March
12. The show featured more than 20 events and multiple demon-strations and displays.
Continued on pg. 3
March 2011 “Honoring our Sailors’ Service & Sacrifice” Volume I Issue 3
NORTH VERSAILLES, Penn. -- Building roller coasters, launching rockets and flying aircraft are not the typical things every fifth grad-er gets to enjoy during a normal school day, but thanks to Navy Op-erational Support Center (NOSC) Pittsburgh, hundreds of students every year are able to learn these difficult concepts in a fun and ex-citing way. NOSC Pittsburgh hosts the De-partment of Defense (DoD) Star-base Atlantis, a premier educational program. Since 2002, the Pittsburgh academy has taught thousands of fifth grade students with “hands-on, minds-on” activities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). STEM is taught through the real-world application of avia-tion, physics, chemistry, computer-aided design, simulation and more. Students from 12 schools in seven
area school districts participate in a five-day program with 25 hours of motivating academic experiences. “This program is unique for us because NOSC Pittsburgh is the only NOSC in the country that hosts it,” said NOSC Pittsburgh Commanding Officer Cmdr. Timo-thy Flecker. “This is a great way for Sailors to help underserved school districts.” Starbase targets at-risk school populations including minority and low socio-economic students who may have trouble during school with STEM subjects. By us-ing real-world and hands-on proj-ects, children have shown remark-able progress in these challenging areas. “Kids who are at risk or have behavioral problems at school typically have no problems here,” said Ken Mechling, director for
Starbase Atlantis Pittsburgh. “We teach respect and we make learn-ing fun and exciting. We don’t use a book – we use our hands. This way, kids who may otherwise be lower achievers can excel here, because they can demonstrate their skills with their hands.” Some activities include students working in small groups as an “en-gineering team” to solve challeng-es. They are given age appropriate materials to plan, design and con-struct roller coasters, or work indi-vidually to build and launch their own Estes model rockets. Students also ‘fly’ aircraft, via flight simula-tors, and visit the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh to learn about robots, light, motion and other top-ics. Most activities are done at the NOSC, which provides a great op-portunity for the young students to interact with the Sailors and hope-
Around the Region Page 2
AROUND THE REGION
STAFF CAPT Br ian T Smith RCC C ommanding Of f icer
CDR Matthew Jackson RCC Chief Staf f Of f icer
LT Steve Frankl in RCC Publ ic Af fairs Of f icer
C h i ef E d itor / D e si g n & L ayout MC2 Katr ina Parker CONTRIBUTING PERSONNEL
CAPT Mar y Jo Majors NOSC Quincy
Ken Mechl ing NOSC Pit t sburgh YN1 Teresa Bagor io NOSC Schenectady
HM2 Br yan Armock QM2 Z acher y B ol len NOSC Baltimore
YN2 Sarah Shields NOSC Er ie
Up, up and awayScientists and balloon pilots built a house, at-
tached 300 helium-filled balloons, and set it aloft,
inspired by the movie “Up.” The house flew for an hour before landing.
Man uses Samurai sword to rob
A man in Virginia was arrested after robbing a pharmacy twice in one
day, once while wielding a 3-ft. long Samurai-style
sword.
STRANGE TIMES
Navy Reserve SEAL Team Wins Award
WASHINGTON - Virginia Beach-based SEAL Team 18 was honored with a 2010 Reserve Family Readiness Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Feb. 18. The ceremony was hosted by assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, Dennis M. Mc-Carthy, and sponsored and sup-ported by the Military Officers Association of America. Officials say the award recog-nizes National Guard and Reserve units, one from each of the Reserve components, with the best pro-grams to support their families. SEAL Team 18 won for the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Team 18, commanded by Cmdr. Joseph Rehak, was honored for holding a successful predeploy-ment family readiness conference to offer families full deployment support. According to the Penta-gon, the conference delivered criti-cal resources to families while also addressing their children’s needs. “I’ve had very strong support from my ombudsman, a volunteer in the Navy that supports family readiness and communication be-tween the team and their families,” Rehak said. A phone line the ombudsman set up allowed the Sailors to con-tact family that do not live in the
vicinity of the unit. Many members of the unit have family members spread out across the United States. “We can talk to families from Ohio, Virginia Beach and Califor-nia. It really mattered to them to be able to talk to us and other family readiness support members, such as chaplains.” McCarthy presented the unit with a plaque as well as a cash award from the Military Officers Association of America. The cash award will be put toward the further enhancements in Team 18 family support programs. The DoD Reserve Family Readi-ness Awards Program was estab-lished in 2000.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs Dennis M. McCarthy.
Rehak (far left) accepts a plaque for SEAL Team 18. Photo courtesy The Flagship.
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. --NOSC Schenectady conducted two train-ing evolutions in readiness dur-ing the February and March drill weekend. The first exercise, conducted Feb. 5, was a joint exercise with the Glenville Police Department and simulated an active shooter scenario at the NOSC. Training was provided by Security Direc-tor Paul Stewart from NSA Sara-toga Springs for both the Security Unit located at the NOSC and the Glenville PD. This resulted in out-standing training. Some Sailors stated that “this was the best Navy Training they have ever had.” The second exercise took place March 12, and was conducted by OHSU Portsmouth Det Y attached with NOSC Schenectady. This ex-ercise was a multi-unit collabora-
NOSC Schenectady Prepares for Disaster ScenariosStory and Photo by YN1 Teresa Bagorio
tion designed to simulate a disas-ter. This was corpsman triage training that involved numerous simulated injuries from vari-ous explosion scenarios. Each medical unit member had to do a quick assessment of the injured
and decide if they were categorized as immediate, delayed, minimal or expectant. The training was a huge success and there is already talk of making this a much larger event in the future to include the Schenect-ady community services.
Sailors from NOSC Schenectady conduct corpsman triage training, March 12.
Around the Region Page 3
‘Starbase’ Continued from pg. 1 This Month In
NAVAL HISTORY
March 5, 1942Name “Seabees” and
insignia officially autho-rized
March 7, 1994Navy issued first orders
to women assigned aboard combat ship USS
Eisenhower
March 10, 1783USS Alliance defeats
HMS Sybil in final naval action of Revolution in
West Indies waters
March 20, 2003U.S. began Operation
Iraqi Freedom by lauch-ing cruise missiles from Navy ships in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf
March 21, 1917Loretta Walsh becomes first women Navy petty officer sworn in as Chief
Yeoman
PMK Question of the Month
Check out AROUND THE REGION next month for answers!
Last month’s answer: SECNAV & CNO
Who was the first woman
to recieve the Medal of
Honor?
CAREER COUNSELOR’S CORNERCollege Degrees for Advancement!
fully give them a more positive out-look on the military. “For those Sailors who actively participate in the program, it is a wonderful experience for them,” Flecker said. “Many of these kids do not have role models, so the Sailors are able to see the immedi-ate impact they make on these chil-dren’s lives.” Machinists Mate 2nd Class Hen-ry Rome, assigned to NOSC Pitts-burgh, said the program is a great way for Sailors to inspire children and help their community. “At the end of the program the kids see us not only as Sailors, but as real good friends,” Rome said. “While the kids are in the pro-gram we build a bond, and they will leave the center with a positive image of the military and a new friend.” One student from Bernadette Elementary School said that the best part of the whole program was getting to meet new people and learn more about the military. “I liked Starbase because I was around U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines and now I have new friends.” Students, teachers and parents who have been a part of the Star-base Atlantis Pittsburgh program have consistently rated the course highly. Assessments following completion of each class have
shown that the children who have attended leave with raised interest and improved knowledge, skills and attitudes in STEM and an over-all better attitude toward school. “Starbase offers all learning types, styles, and behaviors an opportunity to get excited about education with a focus in science, math, engineering and technology,” said a Penn Hebron Elementary School fifth grade teacher. The program runs continuously throughout the school year, with an anticipated 28-36 classes conduct-ed this year. Many classes begin soon after one ends.
“A five-day program doesn’t change the world, but it may change little pieces of the world,” Mechling said. There are more than 60 Starbase programs throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and is funded and operated by the DoD and imple-mented by most military services. The program proves to be a pro-ductive investment in the future of our youth and aims to help build the talent pool of potential workers needed to support the DoD work-force. For more information on the Starbase Atlantis programs, visit: http://starbasedod.org/.
Statistics show that our Sailors who have degrees are advanc-ing at a greater percentage than their counterparts who do not have college degrees. I strongly encourage you and your com-mand leadership to place Off Duty education as a priority. In today’s Navy with the PTS environment it is necessary to maintain a competitive edge and advance on time in order to receive PTS approval. An Asso-ciate’s Degree is worth 2 points and a Bachelors Degree is worth
Fifth grade students participate in Starbase. Photo courtesy NOSC Pittsburgh.
4 points toward advancement. Additionally, the civilian job market is continuing to be a fierce competitive arena. Even-tually we will all leave the Navy and enter that competitive mar-ket. In order to compete, our military experience alone will not be enough. We will have to have those degrees in order to compete with the civilian force. There are many available resources to learn more about starting college, including your local Navy College Office. Dont’
“Great work is done by people who are not afraid to be great.” ~ Fernando Flores
forget about Navy COOL, which helps define civilian cre-dentials that best map to Navy ratings, jobs, designators and occupations or collateral duties. It outlines the path, work, train-ing and experience required to achieve them. Talk to your Command Career Counselor to learn more!
In honor of Women’s History Month, RCC would like to highlight the achievements of Capt. Mary Jo Majors, who was named Women Veteran of the Year by the Massachusetts Asso-ciation of Women Veterans at the State House in Boston, Mass., Nov. 4, 2010. Cambridge Mayor David Maher spoke at the event and presented Majors with a City Council resolution and key to the city. “Cambridge is proud of its long history of ser-vice to our country and Captain Mary Jo Majors is a perfect example of the exceptional women leaders serving in our military,” Maher said. Majors, a Cambridge, Mass. resident and member of the Nurse Corps, has served in the U.S. Navy for over 40 years. She served on Ac-tive Duty during both the Vietnam and the Gulf Wars and continues to mentor young women new to the armed forces as well as providing leadership, education, mentorship and care to service members and their families for both ac-tive and reserve components over the years. On December 11, 1968, Majors was com-missioned as an Active Duty Ensign in the Navy Nurse Corps, and transitioned to the Navy Re-
serves in 1973. She has remained a member of the Navy Reserve Component Force since that time, and has served all around the United States and Iceland on both Reserve and Active Duty status orders. Majors’ dedication in putting “service to oth-ers” first has been demonstrated throughout her career; whether it was providing direct nursing care to the many returning wounded Vietnam War veterans at the Naval Hospital in Tennes-see, or on special reserve orders to assist with the deployment of active duty staff for assignment to the Hospital Ship Comfort or serving in the Pentagon to help improve the medical and den-tal programs and benefits offered to members in the reserve or those already retired. She returned to her family’s home in Mas-sachusetts a few years ago and continues to serve in a billet in the Navy Reserve Voluntary Training Unit 0196 and also serves as the NOSC Quincy’s Assistant Command Ombudsman, and Coordinator of Children’s Activities and Committee member for the NOSC’s Yellow Rib-bon/Pre-Deployment Family Readiness Confer-ences held at NOSC Quincy, Mass.
She spends many hours every month working with young women who are in various stages of a military career. She uses her skills as a senior woman officer to mentor, educate, and be a role model to guide these women and encourage them to further develop as leaders and outstand-ing members of the Navy. “I was very, very surprised to have been selected as the ‘Outstanding Woman Veteran of Massachusetts for 2010’ from all the Ac-tive and Reserve women nominated in the state and am so proud to be representing Navy women, the Navy Nurse Corps, and the Re-serve Component.” Majors retired from the Navy Reserves on March 13. However, she will stay committed to serving the military and families. “I will not be changing much about anth-ing I do with the rest of my volunteer Navy duties and I will be taking over an additional voluntary duty in the position of the new NOSC Quincy Command Ombudsman. I am looking forward to working with the Reserv-ists and their families, especially during deployment cycles.”
Senator Scott Brown presents CAPT Majors with an awards certifi-cate. Photo by MC2 Eric Dietrich.
Ensign Majors, 1969.CAPT Majors with members of her Color Guard. Photo by MC2 Eric Dietrich.
CAPT Majors during NOSC Quincy’s PDRC in 2010. Photo by MC2 Matthew Snodgrass.
Around the Region Page 5
Salute for Veteran ’ s Week By YN2 Sarah Shields
ERIE, Penn. -- The week of 13-19 February was National Salute to Veterans Week at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital located next door to Navy Op-erational Support Center Erie. The Sailors and Marines from the NOSC Erie staff visited patients and handed out Valentine’s Day cards made by local Kindergarten through 12th graders and college students. The presence of the Active Duty members in uniform boosted the morale of the patients dramatically and reminded the veterans that they are still part of the greatest and largest military family. The Sailors and Marines that participated will never forget the stories told, nor will they forget the shared feeling of appreciation that only Armed Forces members, past and present share. As active members of our armed services, it is crucial that we remember those that paved the way and the legacy they created.
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Recently Sailors from NOSC Baltimore par-ticipated in Operation Welcome Home Maryland, a volunteer-based campaign, held at the Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport, dedicated to welcom-ing warriors home after serving in combat operations overseas. Since March 2007, Operation Welcome Home volunteers have greeted over 500 flights and more than 100,000 Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Ma-rines. Volunteers helped decorate the lobby with patriotic signs and ban-ners and also packaged “goodie bags.” These bags included snacks and water for the troops who often arrive hungry and tired after com-pleting long journeys from over-seas and may be required to wait at BWI for connecting flights. Upon returning at the International Ar-rival terminal, troops are greeted with cheers and appreciation for their service by crowds of thank-ful volunteers, as well as embraces from awaiting family and friends.
Operation Welcome Home Mary-land averages one “Welcome Home” event per week and is dedi-cated to ensuring troops receive much deserved support and appre-ciation for their service in combat zones around the world.
“It (Operation Welcome Home) was a heartwarming experience that everyone should take the opportunity to participate in, especially home based Sailors,” said YNC (AW) Linda Lewis, Se-nior Enlisted Advisor at NOSC
Baltimore. “These troops are standing the watch on the front lines while we enjoy the comforts of home and they deserve our support.” For more information, go to www.operationwelcomehomemd.org
NOSC Baltimore Welcomes Home Returning Troops
EN1 Afeia Graham of NOSC Baltimore is pictured shaking the hand of a returning Sailor during Operation Welcome Home Maryland at BWI Airport, March 11. Photo by Quartermaster 2nd Class Zachery Bollen.
By HM2 Bryan Armock
NOSC Erie Sailors spend time at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital during Veteran’s Week. Photos courtesy NOSC Erie.
Around the Region Page 6
FEEDBACKThis newsletter is for YOU
Help us make Around the Region better for you! We need your input on what you’d like to
see in future issues, so send us your
ideas, photos and stories to highlight the great things you and your shipmates are doing! Email or
� � � R � T � � H � � � � � R R� F � N � L � P � H V � N � � �� N L � � B T � B � � L � � R �L � � � � B � � R L L F R � � �� � R � � � � � � � � R H L N D� � � � D � � N � R � � B � � �� � � � � N T � R � H � R � � �L R F � R � N � � � � L � H V NH � T D � � � � F P L L � � � �L � � � � � D � H F � � D T � R� � � � T � � � D� � T � H T �T R � H � � B T � L L � T � � �L � T � � � L � � � T � � � P D� N B L � T � � � � � N � � � F�� � � � � � � L � B T � � L �� � � B N B � P � R � D � R D N
With over 500 million users (larger than the country of Ger-many!), it’s hard to deny that Face-book is not a force to be reckoned with. The phenomenal every-day growth of this online giant reflects our compelling desire to connect
with each other around common goals and interests. This paradigm for online communication is rap-idly spreading throughout the Navy, with many commands and units using social media as a way to create, share and interact with a growing audience. NRMA RCC has established our own Facebook page as a means of getting infor-mation out and engaging with our always-growing regional family. Our objectives are to ensure that you the viewer are better informed about the great things going on in this region. We want to highlight the achievements of our Sailors,
SECNAV AMPHIBIOUS SALT MOORED ISRAEL SUBMARINE BULKHEAD
SEVASTOPOL KEEL TABUN COUNTERCHARGES FLAGSTAFF TSP MIDWATCH
HELMSMAN FOD FARRAGUT IRONSIDES OKINAWA SONAR ALLOTMENT
and it is your active participation in this enterprise that will help ac-complish this goal. Facebook is a significant communication device, but the real value of social media is the opportunity to share ideas. Please join us in this effective communication strategy! This month we would like to thank NOSC Erie for their active campaign-ing and keeping us informed about what they have been up to! Take a look at their Facebook page to see their re-cent community involvements:www.facebook.com/pages/Navy-Operational-Support-Center-Erie-PA/194757909642?ref=ts
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NRMARCC
Around the Region Page 7
Around the Region Photos of the Month
YNC (AW) Lewis greets a returning warrior during Operation Welcome Home MD. Photo by QM2 Bollen,
NOSC Schenectady Sailors participate in corpsman training, March
13. Photo by YN1 Bagorio.
NOSC Bangor Sailors attended a Remember the Maine Ceremony to hon-or the 260 Sailors and Marines who lost their lives when USS Maine sank in 1898. Photo courtesy NOSC Bangor.
NOSC Greensboro Sailors following UCCM Clark Cable’s Retirement
Ceremony. Photo courtesy NOSC Greensboro.
ITC Crowley (far right), from NOSC Rochester, pictured with members of his Provincial Reconstruction Team Class. Photo courtesy NOSC Rochester.
