Last month on the third, a few of our members, President Hardy, and Past President Steiner attended the Arlington internment of Past President Fred D. Carl. Although I doubt that any of us would say that we enjoy such an event, it is always impressive to see the way in which our shipmate is taken care of by the funeral detail. Thunderstorms had threatened all afternoon, but the service was conducted in perfect sunny weather. I was pleased that we could be there for Fred and his family.

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Have you ever considered what represents your “highest and best use?” The term comes from the real estate appraisal industry, and means that the value of a property is directly related to its maximally productive use. Thus, a vacant lot in downtown Manhattan is valued much more than a vacant lot in rural Nebraska, because of what could be done with the property.

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Often in my travels, I am asked the question: “Master Chief, what is the relevance of Total Force within the Navy?” Simply, we are one Navy, yes as diverse as our people, but one Navy.

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The Fleet Seminar Program is one of several avenues for officers to complete Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers in the grade of O-3 and above and officers from other services in the grade of O-4 and above are eligible. Federal civilian employees in the paygrade of GS-11 or equivalent or above are also eligible. Beginning in early September and continuing through the following May, seminars are one night per week for three hours per night. Derived from the ten-month NWC intermediate resident core curriculum, the students are taught three courses: strategy and war, joint maritime operations, and national security decision making. Each core course is completed during one academic year and completing all three courses in this program satisfies JPME Phase I requirements, a critical career milestone. The Fleet Seminar Program curriculum is also accredited toward completion of the Naval War College Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies. For Fleet Seminar Program students who choose to pursue the NWC Master’s degree, the Naval War College Graduate Degree Program is available through a separate selection process. This program requires completion of the three-core courses through the Fleet Seminar Program as well as an additional nine graduate credit hours in a specified area of study.

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At a recent Senate Armed Services Committee – Personnel Subcommittee hearing, I delivered the following testimony in conjunction with our TMC (The Military Coalition) partners. Because of only three minutes to deliver oral remarks, I focused on needed improvements in (1) early retirement, (2) health care benefits for Guard and Reserve members, and (3) the Montgomery GI Bill for Reserve members. This testimony can be seen on our

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What is the gap between “I” and “IA”? The best people to help explain issues and needs for Individual Augmentee (IA) personnel are those who have “hands on” in assistance and management of these personnel. This article presents several points of view and opinions about this all-important topic.

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I recently had a conversation with RADM John Messerschmidt, Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command, who provided some insightful comments regarding career management. During our discussion, he outlined how a career develops in three important categories, the three Rs. So what are the three Rs? How do they fit into an already complex mix of training and experience needed for career success?

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Few things arouse the American public more than the announcement of each year’s Congressional “pork barrel” spending. The Citizens Against Government Waste, a taxpayer watchdog group, even publishes their own Pig Book to further incite the American public toward the wasteful spending of their Senators and Representatives. However, is there a veiled political purpose to this type of spending?

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Petty Officer Frost graduated at Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, in 1989. Upon enlisting in the United States Navy, he reported to Recruit Training Command Great Lakes in March 1991. After graduating RTC, he entered the Naval Aircrew Training Program attending Aircrew Candidate School, Aviation Rescue Swimmer School, and Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare “A” School. Upon completing Helicopter Anti- Submarine Squadron 10 SH-60F FRAC, he was designated a Naval Aircrewman and was assigned to HS-4 the Black Knights. While serving as HS-4’s Combat Search and Rescue Instructor, he completed two deployments aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) to Somalia, the Persian Gulf, and the Korean Peninsula supporting Operations Restore Hope and Southern Watch. In March of 1996, Petty Officer Frost entered the Inactive Reserve and returned to civilian life.

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AME1(AW) Christopher E. Green was born on 30 June 1973 in Tucson, Arizona. He graduated in May 1991 from Bisbee High School in Bisbee, Arizona, where he met and later married his beautiful wife Angel. His Naval career began in January of 1992 when he reported to Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Illinois. After completion of Recruit Training in April 1992, he continued on to Airman Apprentice Training for the final phase of his initial Naval training.

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Well, the correct answer is NOW. Before I get into the various reasons and methods of retirement planning, I’d like to address a recent request for additional information concerning the Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP). In a recent “Letters-to-the- Editor” section of the magazine, Anita Bernier pointed out that the deduction for RCSBP continues after the death of the retiree and felt that we should provide some additional information concerning this “feature.”

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On 17 February 2009, President Obama signed into law The American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 (the “Act”). Among its many provisions, Section 1221 of the Act amends and supplements Section 51 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to create additional incentives to hire an unemployed veteran in 2009 and 2010. The Act is designed to combat the growing unemployment rate for veterans who have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan (11.2% for veterans age 18 and older compared to 8.8% rate for nonveterans in the same age group).

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As you may recall, last month, the Fifth District report made reference to district missions, required organization structures, and the types of outreach we, as a professional association, can affect. As you read this report, you should be asking yourself, “Do I know when my District’s 2009 Conference is and am I planning on attending?” In accordance with the current Association Operations Manual, “District officers shall be elected at a District Conference held separately or in conjunction with a NRA (ausn) National Conference and shall serve for a two-year term.”

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For the first half of the decade, home loans were pretty easy to come by. It’s certainly no surprise that “easy money” won’t be the case for the foreseeable future. However, residential loans are still available for folks with decent credit; and most experts agree that, in many areas, given the historically low interest rates and high inventory, buyers are very much in the driver’s seat to buy the investment that is also the “roof over their heads.”

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