COMMANDING OFFICER:
CDR Joe Turk EXECUTIVE OFFICER:
LCDR Charles McLenithan CHIEF OF THE BOAT:
MMCM (SS/SW) Dave Janowski
COMMAND SUPPORT TEAM
CO’s Wife XO’s Wife
Julie Turk Becky McLenithan (360) 830-0481 (360) 519-3362 [email protected] [email protected] COB'S Wife
Allison Janowski (360) 550-4092 [email protected]
September 2011
USS Louisiana SSBN 743 (G) The Louisiana Lookout Newsletter
Letter from the CO
Contact Information
Welcome Friends and Family!
Another month finds the LOUISIANA out of
dry-dock and the Gold crew back on the boat.
As the crew prepares the ship to get ready to
go to sea, I want to stress the importance of
safety during the final weeks of summer -
liberty is a mission area! Aside from a few
bumps and bruises when our sailors fell off
motorcycles and ATVs, we have performed
well in this area. Let’s keep it up. Labor Day
weekend is a great opportunity to enjoy the
Pacific Northwest, and I urge you to
experience it responsibly. Drinking and
driving don’t mix, so plan ahead to ensure
you and your sailor can get home safely if
alcohol will be part of your celebration.
Enjoy the time in port with your sailor and
continue our tradition of pride and
professionalism the LOUISIANA has built
this summer.
Joe Turk
Commanding Officer
USS LOUISIANA (SSBN 743) (G)
Gwyneth Atkinson
Kaylyn Bombard
Dakota Davies
Dawson Dew
Isabell Donkersloot
Crystal Gates
Leah Kerchner
Sarai Mahmood
Jaclyn Peterson
Kimberly Rubenstein
Kadence Zink
Happy Anniversary!
MM3 and Michelle Branfoot
ET3 and Alyssa Duffy
Congratulations!
MM2 Fenton For being awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal!
MT2 Pinard, MM2 Tagaloa and MT2 Traux On your advancement to Petty Officer Second Class!
COB’s Corner
LOUISIANA Gold Families,
This past month has been busy; we have undocked, selected
three new Chief Petty Officers, and advanced three Sailors.
Our ship has worked incredibly hard to ensure LOUISIANA
has successfully met timelines and milestones established by a
multitude of external activities while in our Extended Refit
Period. This execution and prioritization of nearly 3000 jobs
speaks highly the pride and professionalism that personify our
Sailors reputations and work ethic.
Our newly selected Chief Petty Officers are ETC(Sel) Zink,
MMC(Sel) Garis and MMC(Sel) Zaccardi. These men have
worked hard and shown their potential to lead, train and
mentor Sailors, please take the time, if it presents itself to
congratulate the Selects and their families. In addition to our
new Chiefs we also have advanced Petty Officers Tagaloa,
Pinard and Traux, to Petty Officer Second Class. BRAVO
ZULU to MM2 Fenton who received a Navy and Marine
Corps Achievement Medal for his distinctive accomplishments
that reflected credit upon himself, and the United States Navy.
As our crew takes ownership of LOUISIANA, there is still
much to do and a compressed schedule in which to work. In
true LOUISIANA fashion I expect wrenches to be turned,
outboards to be cleaned, maintenance to be completed and
schedules to be met. I am confident that LOUISIANA can
accomplish anything we ask of them with pride and
professionalism. I ask each of you to continue to support your
Sailor during this refit period as you have done many times
before.
Finally as we close out this month’s newsletter, I commend
each of you for the sustained performance and dedication of
your Sailor. As Labor Day approaches keep safety in the
forefront of your actions. LOUISIANA and her families as a
whole has upheld our Core Values and with great frequency
has been a positive role model for our community and other
commands Navy wide, let us continue to uphold the highest of
standards for ourselves and our families. There is great
opportunity for us this upcoming refit period and I look
forward to reporting to you our triumphs, victories and
accomplishment along the way. As a reminder if the need
arises, feel free to contact the Ombudsman or me with any
concerns or questions you may have.
MMCM (SS/SW) Dave Janowski
Chief of the Boat
USS LOUISIANA SSBN 743 (GOLD)
September Events
Sept. 5th – Labor Day
Sept. 7th 1776 - David Bushnell attempts to destroy a British Ship of
the Line, HMS Asia, in New York harbor with his
submarine Turtle.
Sept. 11th – 10th Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks on the Twin
Towers in New York City and the Pentagon.
Sept. 28th 1850 - Congress outlaws flogging on Navy ships
Sept. 30th 1954 - Commissioning at Groton, CT, of USS Nautilus
(SSN-571), the world's first nuclear-powered ship.
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MCPON Sends Labor Day Message
“Shipmates and Navy Families,
The symbolic end to summer is just around the corner
... Labor Day weekend. Have you started making
plans yet? Do your plans involve drinking and driving
or driving long distances while fatigued? Do they
involve water sports after a long day of drinking
alcohol? How about driving a motorcycle at excessive
speeds just to feel a rush?
Of course Sailors don't plan to do these things, but we
continue to lose shipmates because of the bad choices
they make. So far, we have lost 15 Sailors this
summer: six in four-wheel motor vehicle mishaps, six
on motorcycles and three during recreation mishaps.
Last year we lost a total of 14 Sailors from Memorial
Day to Labor Day and we have unfortunately
exceeded that total with a few weeks left before
Labor Day. The loss of one trained and ready Sailor is
unacceptable, and in most cases preventable.
I encourage all of you to practice off-duty risk
management while planning your activities, and avoid
cramming too many activities into a short period of
time. Use caution when driving and think SAFE: no
Speeding; no Alcohol before driving; no Fatigue (get
plenty of rest) and no Ejections (wear your seatbelts).
Also use caution when participating in water
activities, and if drinking, always have a plan to get
home.
Stay safe and let's close out summer and Labor Day
weekend with zero fatalities or injuries. Enjoy your
much-deserved time off with your family and friends,
and as always, keep in mind our Sailors who are
deployed and can't be with their loved ones.
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and HOOYAH!
Very Respectfully,
MCPON”
By Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
(MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West
Compass Class
Compass classes are being offered: September 27 –
29 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm
October 25 – 27 from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm
November 15 – 17 from 9:30 am to 1:30 am
Childcare is free. This is a great way to learn more
about Navy life!
Register online at:
http://www.gocompass.org/kitsap.html
Or email [email protected]
for more information.
Need a New I.D.?
Visit the online “Appointment Scheduler”
Make an appointment with the I.D. Lab at Bangor
PSD today!
Dolphin Store Sale!
The Dolphin Store, located at the Inside Out Cafe,
would like to invite you to the annual sale on
Thursday, September 15 from 10:30-1. There will
be sale and clearance items, along with many new
items. This might be a good opportunity to purchase
gifts for the Holiday season. The vendor who makes
all the Boat ornaments, Christmas hand towels and
other personalized items will be closed for the
Holiday so this is the time to order. We look
forward to seeing you at the sale!
If you have any questions, please contact the
Dolphin Store at [email protected].
Mrs. Stacie Hall gets officially pinned as Co-Ombudsman at
the August Ombudsman Assembly
Hello Louisiana Gold Families,
The FRG will be having a meet and greet / play
date at Trident Lakes on September 20th from
9:30-11:00.
We hope to see everyone there!
I also wanted to let everyone know our soda sale
in the OCAB went wonderfully and we are sold
out! Thank you to everyone who donated!
Our next FRG meeting will be in late October,
The date and location will be announced at a
later time in the “Weekly Highlights”
USS Louisiana Gold FRG
Lisa Guzman
Heard a rumor regarding pay issues?
Retirement? The GI Bill? Remember, if you
didn’t hear it from the Navy, it MAY NOT
BE TRUE!
RELIABLE Navy News Sources
www.defense.gov (news tab)
www.navy.mil
www.tricare.mil
https://www.facebook.com/NavalBaseKi
tsap
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Subma
rine-Group-Nine/105052617402
https://www.facebook.com/CNRNW
https://www.facebook.com/MCPON
Family Readiness Group
Greetings from the Co- Ombudsman
Hello Louisiana Gold Families!
My name is Stacie Hall and I have recently been
appointed to be your command co-ombudsman,
alongside Shiloh Mahmood. I am so thrilled and grateful
to have the good fortune of being a command
representative for our families. I have been married to
my sailor for almost 14 years and we have 3 wonderful
children. We have completed two shore duties; a mix
between Florida and South Carolina and then a full term
again in South Carolina. We have also done two sea
duties, one aboard the USS LA JOLLA SSN 701 out of
Hawaii and our current duty station, the USS
LOUISIANA (GOLD) SSBN 743.
In our nearly 14 years of being a Navy family we have
experienced so much that the military lifestyle has to
offer. We have gone from great shore duties, to shift
work, from our sailor being gone for what seems like
forever, to amazing homecomings and everything in
between. When my husband joined the military my
mother-in-law asked me if I knew what I was doing. Of
course not! I was young and naïve but invincible! That
conversation ended with “The wife of a sailor is the
hardest job there is”. She was a sailor’s wife for 23 years
and is now enjoying the life of retirement with her sailor.
Being a sailor’s spouse has not always been what I
imagined…it can be hard at times. Yet it has been one of
the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life.
I am excited to have the opportunity to pay it forward to
our families and share the chance for this to be amazing
and rewarding for them as well.
Stacie Hall
Co-Ombudsman
USS LOUISIANA SSBN 743 (GOLD)
.
FAMILYGRAM 04-11
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEW
SCHOOL YEAR
NAVADMIN 236/11
(for full text of this NAVADMIN, please contact the
Ombudsman)
Highlights:
Child and Youth Programs (CYP) and the Fleet and Family
Service Center (FFSC) can provide a myriad of resources
to families including finding schools in the area, arranging
childcare, after-school programs, homework help, fitness
programs and much more!
The first person to contact when seeking help either putting
your children in school for the first time or returning to
school after the summer break is the School Liaison
Officer.
https://qol.navyaims.net/CYPWeb/Web/Home/Home.aspx
OTHER ON-LINE RESOURCES:
WWW.MILITARYONESOURCE.COM
FIND A SCHOOL AT YOUR NEW LOCATION
WWW.SCHOOLQUEST.ORG
MILITARY YOUTH ON THE MOVE
APPS.MHF.DOD.MIL/MYOM
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION
AGENCY: WWW.DODEA.EDU
STUDENT ONLINE ACHIEVEMENT
RESOURCES (SOAR):
WWW.SOARATHOME.ORG
NEED A TUTOR: WWW.TUTOR.COM.
COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP INFO:
WWW.MILITARYSCHOLAR.ORG
STUDENT AID: WWW.BENEFITS.GOV
MILITARY CHILD EDUCATION
COALITION: WWW.MILITARYCHILD.ORG
NATIONAL RESOURCE DIRECTORY:
WWW.NATIONALRESOURCEDIRECTORY.GOV
The SLO at Naval Base Kitsap is Heather Carrell
Phone: (360) 396-5139
Email: [email protected]
Changes to the Post 9/11 GI Bill
A recent NAVADMIN announces changes to the Post
9/11 GI Bill recently enacted in Public Law. These
changes impact active duty, SELRES, IRR, dependents
and veterans. If you wish to obtain a copy of the
NAVADMIN, please contact the Ombudsman.
Changes outlined below:
Post 9/11 is the net bill payer for tuition and
fees. Any scholarship, grant, loan, etc., will be used first
and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) will pay
the remaining tuition and fees.
DVA will pay 100 percent of the in-state tuition
and fees (less scholarships, grants, etc.) for all degree
programs offered by an institution of higher learning.
Tuition is capped at $17,500 per academic year for
private and foreign schools EXCEPT for students
enrolled prior to Jan. 4, 2011.
In August 2011, Congress passed a temporary
provision to Post 9/11 GI Bill that will preserve the
higher tuition and fee rate established in June 2008 for
students attending programs of education at non-public
institutions of higher learning (but not foreign schools)
who were enrolled before enactment of the 2010
Improvement Act, which was signed Jan 4. This
provision begins Aug. 1, 2011 and expires July 31, 2014.
Students that enrolled and began taking classes on or
after Jan. 4, 2011 are subject to the new limits effective
Aug. 1, 2011.
Tuition and fees for active duty members and
their spouses will be based on qualifying active duty time
(90 days-36 months) and the percentage identified in the
eligibility tiers (40-100%).
Post 9/11 will pay for flight training, on-the-job
training, correspondence courses and apprentice training.
Eligible students enrolled solely in distance
learning programs may receive up to 50% of the monthly
living stipend.
All members who wish to transfer benefits will
be required to agree to serve four additional years of
service, regardless of their retirement eligibility.
September Navy News
Quick Links to Remember www.myffr.navyaims.com
www.militaryonesource.com
www.navylifepnw.com
http://www.gocompass.org/kitsap.html
Ombudsman Contact Information:
Shiloh E. Mahmood
360-598-0587 (H)
860-218-5001 (M)
Stacie Hall
360-689-2662 (M)
Boat web group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ombud743gold/
Note: The boat web group is by invitation only, if you
do not have access, please send an email with your
name and your sailor’s name to the above email
address. An invitation will then be sent for you to
join.