What's Inside the 2014 Almanac?

Shipmates,

By now most of you will have received the new 2014 TNR Almanac. Our goal for this edition was to give you a resource to help navigate all the programs you use to make your career in the Navy Reserve a success.

While we pride ourselves on the exciting photos and stories of our Reserve Sailors in the monthly TNR magazine, you will find the 2014 Almanac to be completely different in style and design.  Our goal was to provide simple and clear information on programs you need and use, and I think you will find we’ve done that.

We’ve included a whole section on career development to explain the function of each site and how to get there to include your Electronic Service Record, U.S. Navy Awards and Navy e-Learning, among others. We’ve also included the latest Continuum of Service programs to assist you in identifying which program or option best suits your needs and career goals.

For those of you interested in mobilization opportunities, this year’s Almanac provides an overview of the process, how those opportunities are advertised and where to go to put in an application.

These are just a few of the areas covered.   You’ll also find information on medical and educational benefits, reserve retirement as well as other benefits that are available to you and your families.  

You can view the electronic version of the Almanac at: https://www.navyreserve.navy.mil/Documents/tnr_current/tnr_almanac_current.pdf. 

If you have not received an Almanac in the mail, be sure to update NSIPs with your latest address.

I hope you’ll find the Almanac to be a helpful resource.  I welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing from you!!

Regards,

Clutch

Holiday Safety at Home

Greetings Shipmates,

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. 

Over the past month, I have written about travel safety and the dangers of driving under the influence, however, there is one other area I would like to highlight and that is holiday safety at home.   

When preparing for the holidays, think about what you are doing. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 30% of all home fires and 38% of home fire deaths occur during the months of December, January and February. Help minimize your risk by planning in advance, practicing good situational awareness and using common sense. 

Properly working smoke and fire detectors are an essential part of a safe holiday. Make sure to change batteries once a year and check to ensure they are in good working order.

Familiarize yourself with how to put out a kitchen fire and ensure your fire extinguisher inspections are up to date.

Get your chimney checked before lighting the first fire of the season and make sure the vent is open for the smoke to escape.

Christmas trees and lights pose another fire risk.  When attempting to string lights together, make sure you are not exceeding the number of strings recommended on the box. Also, use the right kind and number of extension cords and surge protectors and refrain from running extension cords under rugs, as this is the cause of many electrical fires.

It should go without saying you should never leave a burning candle unattended, but you should also make sure you keep your space heaters away from trees and flammable objects.  

Lastly on a personal note, at one of my previous commands, a young Sailor lost his entire home during the holidays due to improper use and placement of a turkey fryer.  If you must use a fryer, don’t place it close to structures or on the deck and never, ever place a frozen or partially thawed turkey into the oil.

Make sure your home is safe this holiday season.  Think about what can go wrong, how you can prevent it and what you would do if it happened anyway.  Prepare, pay attention to what you are doing and use common sense.  A little common sense can go a long way in keeping you safe throughout this holiday season. 

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Clutch

2013 Holiday: Driving/Travel Safety

Last week, I discussed the importance of drinking responsibly and alternatives to getting behind the wheel. Over the next few weeks, the highways will be filled with people so plan your trip accordingly and keep safety in mind.  When it comes to the holiday season, weather is always a concern, especially if you are heading to places up North or in the upper Mid-West.  Be realistic about your vehicle’s condition, how far you’re going and who’s driving. 

I am well aware the desire to see loved ones can make driving 14 hours in one day through ice and snow seem like an acceptable risk.  It’s not. Fatigue or drowsy driving WILL affect your reflexes and judgment even if you don’t fall asleep and drive off the road.   Plan for rest stops, more than one driver and make sure you get enough sleep BEFORE hitting the road both to and from your destination.  Better yet, if you’re traveling a long distance, take a train.  You’ll be able to relax and travel safely and at a reasonable cost.

Next week, I will discuss another important safety-related area: cooking and decorating.

Regards,
Clutch

2013 Holiday: Responsible Drinking

The holiday season is fast approaching and if you are one who marks its arrival by the shop displays or the holiday music already playing in some drugstores, the “Season of Giving” is already here.  

Many of you have finalized your Thanksgiving plans and are looking forward to time with friends and family, and it’s no secret that the Thanksgiving weekend is the biggest traveling weekend of the year.   Now throw in the numerous ways you can cook a ham and fry a turkey, add the afternoon beer and football, and top it off with the post-Thanksgiving celebration desire to “deck the halls” in a manner that does credit to Chevy Chase’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and you can see why it’s important we stop for a moment and talk about safety, and appropriate risk management.  

It’s vital to the health and well-being of our Force that we all put meaningful thought into assessing the risks and potential hazards in our holiday preparations, and that we ensure our Shipmates are doing the same.  Every one of you is too important, not only to me and the Navy Reserve as a whole, but to your families and friends as well.  We want each and every one of you to stay healthy and alive during this holiday season. 

Everyone is responsible for the decisions they make from top leaders on down to our newest Sailors, and while there are times when accidents and incidents happen, we all have to the 

power to make decisions to mitigate the risk of accident or injury.

First, let’s talk about alcohol-related incidents.  During the holiday season we are bombarded with images of happy revelers at perfectly staged holiday events with the must-have alcoholic drink in their hand.  If you go by the alcohol industry’s aggressive marketing campaign, a party is not a party without a glass of Disarrono over ice.  You’re not really watching football unless you have ice-cold Coors Light straight from a glacier or have a Bud Light in one hand while expertly whipping your Terrible Towel above your head in the other.  There’s no denying the pressure is there.   But, we are all capable of putting controls in place to ensure we drink responsibly.  Know your limits, use the buddy system and look out for each other.  When you see your friend has had too much to drink, say something.  If you’re hosting a party, have a plan for taking car keys. Ensure your guests are eating and pay attention to how much they’re drinking and their overall state.  You are responsible and you do have the obligation to ensure everyone who attends makes it home safely.

There’s no excuse at any time, for any Sailor to get a DUI.  There is ALWAYS another option to avoid getting behind the wheel when you’ve had too much to drink.  There are many safe ride programs throughout the country to assist you if you need a ride.  Nothing is worth getting behind the wheel if you’ve had too much to drink.  Each command and unit should be emphasizing this and communicating alternatives to drinking and driving.  It’s not worth it!

Regards,

Clutch

Navy Reserve Force Chaplain: On Keeping Faith, Appreciating Others and Staying Connected

About the Guest Blogger:

In the spring of 2001, Chaplain Timothy Lantz reported as Deputy Force Chaplain of the Naval Reserve Force (as it was named then) located in New Orleans, La.  Among very few “regular Navy” personnel assigned, he quickly became very impressed by the professional skills and dedication of all the folks: military and civilian—SELRES and FTS—who make up the Navy Reserve and bring so much to the total Force.  Subsequent tours at OPNAV, MARFORRES and Navy Region Southeast have only served to deepen his respect for the entire Navy Reserve Family.  Captain Lantz has since returned to Navy Reserve Forces Command as Force Chaplain.

Shipmates,

As I write this, funding to support ADT, AT and even IDT drills, which was recently unavailable for 16 days due to the federal government shutdown, is opening back up. But even so, many Sailors are experiencing higher levels of stress as a result of the sudden cancellation of orders, delays in drill periods and financial strain.
 

I recommend three things for each of us to do during these times of uncertainty: Keep Faith, Appreciate Others and Stay Connected.

Keep Faith.  This includes praying for our civilian government leaders, our senior military officials and each other.  It also means trusting that the well-being of our military is of paramount importance and concern. A strong, reliable and flexible Navy is essential to our Country and, in past decades, the Reserve Component has proven to be of great value.  Your contribution to the Total Force has never been more appreciated by the Active Component or more recognized by the American public and Congress. Have faith that your service as a Reserve Sailor is and will be necessary for the strength of our Total Force and is appreciated.

Appreciate Others.  Take a moment to consider the efforts and sacrifices others are making. Tell them how much it means to you. This is a great way to give them a lift and will give you one as well.  Though we may often hear the phrase, “Thank you for your service!” it means much more when it comes from someone who really knows, from personal experience, what we do and how our families support us. Thank each other and your families. We all serve and we all need to feel appreciated.

Stay Connected.   As you resume training, lend assistance, encourage your Shipmates and support your leaders. Make a promise to build a stronger, more cohesive unit through camaraderie. Renewed opportunities for your service and the service of the total Force will come. Your ability to connect to your unit and commands will go far toward preparing the Reserve Force to meet whatever new challenges lie ahead.

Your incredible resilience and your ability to overcome whatever challenges and obstacles come along make the Navy Reserve a proven, trusted and reliable part of the greatest Navy in the world. But in times of stress, especially in times of stress, we all need a lift. Take care of each other, your family and yourself. The Chaplain Corps is always here to listen should you want to talk.

May God continue to bless each one of you and our Navy…and may God Bless America with victory and peace.

Regards,
Chaplain Timothy Lantz

Facing the Fiscal Challenges Ahead

Shipmates,

I’m sure you have all felt some of the effects of sequestration. But, with the new fiscal year comes even greater financial challenges for the Navy and Navy Reserve Force. This year, we face a Continuing Resolution of uncertain duration. It will be an all-hands effort to maintain mission readiness and continue to provide the operational support the Fleet has had over the past decade.

We need to be creative on how we resource this support by maximizing AT, ADT and drills to report for duty at your supported commands. First, the FY-14 Annual Training budget is funded at a similar level as last year. I assure you, if you plan your AT within the published timeline, you’ll get to perform AT. Other types of funding, such as active duty for training (ADT), inactive duty training travel (IDTT) and additional drills may be reduced during the dynamic year ahead.

So what does that mean for the Navy Reserve and the support we provide the Fleet? In a nutshell, we have to place greater importance on how we plan and prioritize the use of our available training days throughout the year. Where we go and how we use our duty days must be determined by mission priorities and critical training requirements. Active or inactive duty is performed for two reasons: readiness training or operational support. Readiness training includes schools, exercises and on the job training with an Active Component command. These types of orders can be funded using AT, ADT, ADT Schools and additional drills. For annual training orders, priority is given to billet training requirements.

Funding for operational support training is distributed to the Active Component to prioritize and execute. We foresee limitations on ADT funds this year, and are taking a conservative approach until a budget is passed. I ask our CO’s and the Sailors who man their units to maintain mobilization readiness while ensuring supported commands fulfill mission requirements to the max extent possible. As you request orders, choose the training wisely to get the most “bang for the buck.”

Navy Reserve Sailors are an essential component of the Navy Total Force. I am often told by commanders they could not do their jobs without the knowledge and skills you bring to the fight. So I am asking you to help me, and the Fleet. We want your suggestions on how best to fulfill Reserve requirements using modern business processes. If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them!

Regards,
Clutch

Going Beyond the Statistics

Force,

We’re expanding our attack on suicide. Meaning, we’re going beyond all of the programs and training in place and looking more closely at the environmental factors that enable people to complete suicides. What we’ve discovered is that easy access to lethal means is the number one risk to someone with suicidal ideations. While this issue has been politicized in recent discussions by society at large, what we want are results, so this is an analysis of fact without regard to ideology.

Building awareness and resiliency, and providing readily available crisis care are proven methods of reducing the number of suicides, but these only take us so far. We’ve made a dent in the number of suicides DoD-wide, but even one is still too many.

Let’s look at the statistics. According to a University of Houston study of 153 survivors of nearly lethal attempts made by young people, approximately 70 percent of suicides occur within one hour of thought and 24 percent occur within five minutes. So the overwhelming majority of suicides happen soon after contemplating the act. Next, take into account that 74 percent of individuals who complete suicide showed no signs of mentally illness before the act.  Finally, approximately 75 percent of suicides in the military are committed with firearms and two-thirds of those are not issued by the military. These are statistics that get my attention. 

The easy availability of the means to commit suicide plays a significant role. Many suicides are the tragic result of a temporary mind set combined with easy access to a firearm.  

I’m not advocating for changes to laws dealing with the sale and background screening required to purchase a gun. The topic of this post is the difference shipmates and loved ones can make by taking action when an individual is troubled.  With the statistics above in mind, doesn’t it make sense to acknowledge the potential threat early and take the necessary action to avoid an irrevocable decision later?  We encourage bystanders to intervene and ask for the car keys from those incapacitated by alcohol.  Why shouldn’t a shipmate or family member sit down with a Sailor in serious distress and discuss limiting access to firearms if they are present in the home?  Come to an agreement to temporarily store them off-base, on base or lock them down.

Simply being honest with ourselves and acknowledging our lives may be in turmoil is the first step. The next step is to be responsible and limit access to your guns until your situation returns to normal. It may be the next day, it could be a month – only you and your loved ones know. But removing the threat just in case things go from bad to worse, as happens in life, is not only being responsible, it’s being smart.

Our challenge is to raise awareness of the option to limit access and let our shipmates know there is no shame in admitting their life stressors have accumulated to the breaking point.  Suicide is never the answer and the impact on the loved ones left behind is disastrous.  It’s time to stamp out the scourge of suicides from our Navy.

Regards,

Clutch