At AUSN, we are optimistic that we will continue to grow our membership, cultivate new corporate sponsors and expand the services that we provide to the entire Navy family.

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In February, the USS Bataan (LHD 5) returned from an eleven-month deployment. In 2011, the Navy turned around several ships with just six months between deployments. Does that sound like we have enough ships? Before I go further...

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The mission of the Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) is to train safely and produce the world’s finest combat-quality aviation professionals ––naval aviators and naval flight officers–– and deliver them at the right time, in the right numbers, with the right skills, and at the right cost to the fleet.

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The President’s 2013 budget is now on the Hill and the work begins in earnest. It is the season for testimony and we look forward to our opportunities to voice your concerns and to support the Navy.

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As professional Sailors, we should embrace and pass down the highest ideals, as we proudly proclaim in our Navy ethos and core values –– Honor, Courage and Commitment.

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Sometimes, I wonder if we really know how to communicate anymore. After all, what is communication? Is it simply the transfer of information back-and-forth or is it actually the development of a mutual understanding about a subject through the exchange of words and inflections and a myriad of related, nonspoken gestures?

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This month, AUSN honors Navy nurses and naval aviation. In each of these fields, hard working enlisted Sailors provide a great depth and in several cases, our Sailors have risen in training and education to become Navy health care professional officers and aviators.

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In late February, AUSN traveled to Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, to interview Lt. Col. Matt Taylor, USMC, a test pilot in the F-35 program.

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On May 13, 2012, the Navy Nurse Corps marks its 104th anniversary. From the bedside to the command suite, Navy nurses serve in all venues and at all levels as front-line caregivers for our Sailors, Marines and their beneficiaries.

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Historically speaking, Orion is a bonafide hero for the ages. And his namesake––the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion–– has proudly extended this legacy through its 50 years patrolling the skies and seas for the U.S. Navy.

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There’s an Irish proverb that goes something like this, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” Personally, I think sleep is overrated. Of course, that is what I tell myself when I wake up feeling tired. I am not alone, though. Lately, I’ve been having conversations with coworkers, family and friends about their trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep and waking up during the night.

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Since this is our aviation issue, I would like to note that the origin of Navy Air was actually in the (at that time) Naval Reserve. Legislation passed in March of 1915 to create the Naval Reserve Force, which mainly consisted of pilots and air crews searching for German submarines during World War I.

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An individual’s formal eligibility for burial at Arlington National Cemetery is verified at the time of his or her death and not before. However, pursuant to Title 32 Code of Federal Regulations Part 553, section 15, the following individuals are eligible for burial at Arlington:

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As we commemorate Women’s History Month, it is worth reflecting on the amazing role of women in the United States Navy. In just over one hundred years, their numbers have grown from twenty nurses to 54,000 female Sailors, and their jobs have expanded from nursing and clerical work to nearly every occupational field the Navy offers.

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As a boy growing up in Texas, my father used to take my brothers, sisters and me out on Thursday nights to a small pizza joint owned by my classmate’s father, a retired Air Force master sergeant. There, near the end of the runway, we feasted on pizza and root beer while watching powerful trainer jets roar overhead as they did their touch-and-go training amidst the backdrop of the red Texas sky.

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Carolyn Blashek’s Operation Gratitude, begun in her living room in March of 2003, celebrated the presentation of the landmark 750,000th Operation Gratitude Care Package on December 17, 2011. This care package was delivered in-person to a decorated Wounded Warrior and his family.

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Your Association has been busy during the two months since our last issue of Navy. AUSN is “your” association, advocating for the Navy, everything from airplanes and ships, to pay and benefits.

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Who is in command? As editor of this magazine, I try not to get on my high horse too often, but every now and then something just needs to be addressed. Over my six plus years in this job, I have been witness to a trend that greatly concerns me and that is the role of our JAG officers.

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It’s fast. It’s agile. It’s a networked surface combatant designed to operate in the littoral but capable of open-ocean tasking.

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In the first week of January, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was to unveil his view of right sizing the Defense Department for the future. Instead, on the fifth, the President traveled to the Pentagon to make the announcement.

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