Jon Altmann posted on November 01, 2010 00:03
November 2010 Navy
by ISCS Jon Altmann, USN (Ret)
Leadership and representation go hand in hand. It may be putting hot sauce on ice cream. Actually, it's been part of the American Sailor's diet of the mind for some time.
Retention and recruitment numbers are at all time highs. Deployment tempo is demanding and the unconventional use of Sailors has become the norm. High Year Tenure is forcing folks out the door. Retention past PO2 determines if you have a Navy career or seeking a new job. Not every Sailor will make it to CPO, LDO or another officer program.
The civilian job market continues to be unfriendly territory. Sailors are "staying Navy" because it is not only a job, it's a good job with benefits. Reserve force members are staying and some days, it is their only job. Recruiters have been able to raise the bar – we have waiting lists for people who want in our Navy.
Sailors are exposed to unconventional warfare and are coming home with mental and physical trauma. Retirees and wounded warriors are still having issues with getting benefits. A reserve retiree gets no retired pay or health care benefits until age 60 – the active duty shipmate gets it the day they go over the side. Congress opened up the health care for reserve retirees, but failed to fund it. The active duty retiree may have to cope with Tricare limitations depending upon region. We're in it together. What's next?
How we say "goodbye" is as important as how we say "hello."
Competition has never been greater. A great reason enlisted Sailors need representation.
How do you hone your "leadership" potential if you aspire to stay to 20 years or more? Those who stay must work harder.
Are CPOs Navy Leaders or do some officers simply regard them as higher end technical specialists wearing khaki? How do JO's learn to be officers? One of our most prominent Navy veterans John McCain credits his success as making it out of being a JO to a Navy senior chief. A two-star I worked for credited her mere survival as a JO to a Navy Chief. We're all part of a great legacy.
Any good CPO will credit his/her success to having highly motivated PO1s and PO2s with him/her. It's not just tradition, it's the way we live life.
Norway has a military union representing its enlisted!
In America, we have veterans' and professional organizations. If there is anything looking like a "union" in our Navy, perhaps admirals are the CEOs and the CPOs are the shop stewards working to balance productivity with morale. There are no strikes, but I give you an effective bargaining table has been there for decades. The COs and Flags go to the Mess to ask for how best to achieve the mission. Within the ranks, Sailors see "unity."
At AUSN, we're about professional development and building unity within our Navy and gaining ground with those that affect the Navy. We are the Flags, COs, JOs, CPOs and POs who are putting on seminars to help. And we are on Capitol Hill daily in our civilan best telling the story.
If we don't keep our story out front, we get lost in the competition. For enlisted members, tell me another officer/enlisted/retiree/family member organization that has a MCPO as its executive vice president or a separate national vice president dedicated just to enlisted affairs. Only AUSN.
AUSN for the enlisted Sailor, for the warrior. We make sure you have representation and we help build leadership. We help put "unity" into USN. We are here to help CMCs, CPOs, POs and their families. Join us and help make it better. AUSN – our family helping yours.