Your Headquarters staff continues to work all the issues surrounding making the change of name a reality. As I told the Executive Committee in my communiqué last month, we have a list of more than eighty items to work through. With the help of the Transition Committee and our consultants, we will get it accomplished expeditiously.

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It has been a distinct honor and a privilege to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Reserve Affairs) since July 2001. Over the last eight years, I’ve noted that the contributions of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen of the Reserve Components have been remarkable, persistent, and adaptable to the needs of the Nation.

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While the Post-9/11 GI Bill offers a very generous postservice education benefit, a special provision of the program allows career service members the opportunity to share their education benefits with immediate family members.

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As we move towards changes in our Association, we will incorporate future equipment and personnel issues in our new legislative agenda that will focus on the overall needs of the Navy and the Navy Reserve. For the remainder of this calendar year, we will continue to focus on our original CY 2009 legislative agenda posted on our Web site.

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You may wonder what I meant by this month’s title, “Drawing in the Lifelines.” The lifelines of which I speak are of a virtual and printed media nature rather than woven in fiber or shaped in metal.

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Mobilization Background: Recently I had the pleasure of listening to Rear Adm. John Messerschmidt update our Association with the latest news within Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command (CNRFC). One of the topics was mobilization. The Admiral stated we are both a strategic and operational Navy Reserve Force. When called upon, we provide strategic depth, delivering operational capabilities in a cost-effective manner.

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 We must balance our presence requirements with the missions and threats we are likely to face in a given region. Worldwide presence is necessary for maritime security, which is one of the arguments in favor of developing the Littoral Combat Ship, a platform that will add new capabilities and complement our current and evolving fleet of surface combatants.

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Many of us may have wondered what has happened to our Reserve Air Programs with the transition to a fully integrated Navy. Well, the short answer is that Navy Reserve aviation squadrons are busier then ever.

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Editor’s note: We interviewed Mr. Fred Smith at The Boeing Company offices in Rosslyn. This was an unique opportunity for the Association to sit down with a representative of the manufacturer and get his take on how the program is proceeding. Mr. Smith is a former P-3 Wing Commander and presently has two sons in the Naval Flight Training program.

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In past articles, I’ve discussed all of the things that you should do prior to your retirement and the myriad of forms and servicerelated actions required. What I’d like to address in this article is what the heck are you going to do now that you’re retired or about to be.

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The “Aid and Attendance Pension” (a/k/a “Veterans Disability Pension” or the “Veterans Pension for Veterans 65 or older”) is a little known and utilized federal assistance program which was established in 1952. The program provides a monthly VA pension to assist with the cost of caring for qualifying veterans (disabled or frail and have trouble living on their own). The VA pension may be utilized for assisted living expenses or home health care.

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Got an infection? What to do!

Take an antibiotic, of course. The process is an everyday occurrence and so common that we tend to forget when people lived in fear of bacterial infections as there was no cure. Until the mid-twentieth century, infectious diseases were the leading cause of death. Prevention through hygiene was the only defense.

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Shipmates, I’m writing this with the Spring Conference in San Antonio just a few short weeks behind us. Highlights of the conference included insightful “view from the bridge” and “way ahead” comments by RADM Messerschmidt as Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command (CNRFC) and the muchheralded decision to change the name of our Association . . .these are, indeed, exciting times.

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Although the winter in Gardez had been snowy, wet, overcast, and just plain gloomy, we were blessed with a beautiful blue sky on 15 March 2009. This was perfect as VADM Debbink, Chief of the Navy Reserve and FORCM Wright were paying the Navy Embedded Training Team (ETT) members a visit.

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Editor’s note: We interviewed Mr. Fred Smith at The Boeing Company offices in Rosslyn. This was an unique opportunity for the Association to sit down with a representative of the manufacturer and get his take on how the program is proceeding. Mr. Smith is a former P-3 Wing Commander and presently has two sons in the Naval Flight Training program.

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