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OMBUDSMAN NEWSLETTER
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6 CO¶s Corner
TEAM GERMANTOWN,
6 Ombudsman¶s
Corner Mike Crary here. The XO has the details but the bottom line
6 Resource Info is we are getting closer to sea trials. The ship looks better every day thanks
to our Sailors hard work.
6 XO¶s Corner
As soon as we have a firm date for the start of sea trials, I will
6 A word from our get that word out!
CMC I appreciate you hard work and
your efforts and sacrifices are making
6 Frequently Asked
a huge difference.
Question
6 SES Information Sincerely,
6 Save the Dates! CDR Mike Crary

6 Chaplain¶s Column
6 Family Readiness
News
6 News You Can
USE!

‘
 
 Spring is approaching and some of us may already be starting our mental
³spring cleaning´ lists. In Winter, we spend most of our time indoors and often this leads to a lot of clutter build-up. A
cluttered desk, closet or room is usually an indicator for a cluttered mind as well. We hold onto material possessions
that we no longer need and this creates a stuck energy in our lives as well as our homes. A good suggestion is trying
the clutter test on each item in your space. Ask: "Does it lift my energy when I think about it or look at it? Do I
absolutely love it? Is it genuinely useful?" If you answer "no" or "sort of" to any of these questions, let it go. Trash it,
give it away or recycle it. Make room in your mind and your space for the new. This same principle applies to the
clutter of limiting ideas and memories in your mind. If they are not serving the purpose of your life, it's time to say good-
bye. Some find inner peace through yoga, tai chi or meditation. For others, a spiritual experience can be as simple as
a walk in the park, a day at the shore, an afternoon of gardening or laughing with a child. Whatever your
preference, create the time to connect with yourself. Enjoy deep belly breaths, write in a journal,
reflect.

Standing By, Ready to Serve,

=
  
K   
‘
 

  
 
OMBUDSMAN NEWSLETTER

It¶s important that our families have as many resources as    
possible at their fingertips. I have included this page to
give you a quick reference guide to just some of the Navy Region Southwest: www.cnrsw.navy.mil
resources that are available to us. Navy Knowledge Online: https://wwwa.nko.navy.mil
**Please remember that information changes all the time
Official Navy Web Page: ww.navy.mil
so if you find any of the following is no longer correct
please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do my best Travel/ PCS Info: https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem
to find the current information. This way I can also update

this information for all of the Germantown Families.
!  
m
  
   New Dad Classes http://newdads.com
Amer. Red Cross (San Diego): www.sdarc.org Family Activities http://family.go.com
American Red Cross (National): www.redcross.org
Babyzone: http://sandiego.babyzone.com
Armed Services YMCA: www.asymcasd.org
Parenthood: www.parenthood.com
California Court Self Help: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp
CNIC Housing www.housing.navy.mil/onestop Children¶s Books Online: www.childrensbooksonline.org
Commissary: www.commissaries.com Military Students: www.militarystudent.org


   Learning Disabilities Assoc.: www.ldasandiego.org
GI Bill, Scholarships, & Job Search www.gibillexpress.com
Lifelines: www.lifelines.navy.mil
 "#$ %  


Military Child Educ. Coalition: www.militarychild.org
Digital City: www.digitalcity.com/sandiego
Military Family Resource Ctr: www.mfrc-dodqol.org
Military One Source: www.militaryonesource.com Employment Info www.caljobs.ca.gov
Military Students www.militarystudent.org Homeport San Diego: www.homeport-sd.com
Morale, Welfare, & Recreation: www.mwrtoday.com Military Family Housing: www.cnrswhousing.navy.mil
National Military Family Assoc: www.nmfa.org Military Acclimate: www.militaryacclimate.com
Naval Svcs Family Line: www.lifelines.navy.mil/Familyline
San Diego Union Tribune: www.signonsandiego.com
Navy Exchange: www.navy-nex.com
Navy League: www.navyleague.org Military Installations (Base Info!) www.militaryinstallations.dod.mil

Navy-Marine Corps Relief: www.nmcrs.org/sdiego-area Military Homefront www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil

Operation Homefront: www.operationhomefront.net
Personal Property Info www.sd.fisc.navy.mil &
  
Thrift Savings Plan Info www.tsp.gov
Military Spouses: www.militaryspouse.org
TriWest: www.triwest.com
Military Spouse Career Network: www.mscn.org (Jobs!)
United Concordia/Dental: www.tricaredentalprogram.com
Surface Enlisted Spouses Assoc surfaceenlistedspouses@yahoo.com
United Through Reading: www.read2kids.org
United Way: www.unitedway-sd.org
USMC Community Svcs (All) www.usmc-mccs.org '   
USMC Community Svcs MCAS: www.mccsmiramar.com Federal Trade Comm. Consumer Guide: www.ftc.gov
USO San Diego: www.usosandiego.org Federal Emergency Mgmt Agency: www.fema.gov
VA GI Bill Info www.gibill.va.gov
Government Guide: www.governmentguide.com

First Gov: www.firstgov.gov
Gov Spot: http://govspot.com
State Department Travel Advisory: http://travel.state.gov
  
 
OMBUDSMAN NEWSLETTER

RO¶s Cor er {




 



Hello GERMANTOWN Families!
Yet another month goes by and we still find 




 
ourselves in this maintenance
availability. I¶ve said this before and I¶ll say it  
again, no other ship and no other 
crew has ever gone through what
GERMANTOWN is experiencing. The stress 

   
of a yard period is much different than the Navy Exchange Command is accelerating its distribution schedule
stress of being operational and of the Navy Working Uniform (NWU), due to sufficient inventory
having a constantly shifting end date only
makes that stress worse.
of the most in-demand sizes, according to NAVADMIN 328/09.
The Command understands the strain you all NWU components are now available for purchase and ordering at
are feeling and we are doing all uniform centers located at Navy Exchange regions in the Southwest
that we can to nail down a Sea Trials date and and Northwest. Accelerated availability will take affect in the
an end to the maintenance period. As soon as national capital region, and Hawaii beginning Nov. 30; and at Navy
we know something, your loved ones will
know. Exchange regions Europe, Japan and Guam commencing March 15.
In the meantime amazing work continues to The mandatory wear date remains Dec. 31, 2010 to ensure all
be done throughout the ship! As I walk around Sailors have time to acquire correctly fitted uniform items. To aid
the ship I find it hard to believe it is over 24 Sailors in ensuring the proper fit of the uniform, manufacturers have
years old. Some of the passageways look
brand new. Last week, we were visited by
been conducting fit clinics at select rollout locations. To read
Rear Admiral McManamon, Deputy NAVADMIN 328/09, visit
Commander for Naval Sea Systems Command http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/62FE6EFE-529D-4FE5-
and Rear Admiral Gay, Commander BEFE-A6EE523F3D3B/0/NAV09328.txt.
Expeditionary Strike Group Three. Both
Admirals were very impressed with the
condition of the ship and the attitude and work **Don¶t forget to order your name tapes, patches and collar devices
of the crew. The Captain and I are proud to in advanced to have adequate time for the mandatory wear date of
show off the ship any and every chance we APRIL 1st 2010 aboard USS GERMANTOWN.
get. Your Sailors work hard and they deserve
the recognition and visibility an Admiral¶s visit
can bring.
At the request of the crew we¶ve brought
back Command Physical Training on
Wednesday and Friday mornings. Our
schedule during the day is so busy we needed
to carve out time for PT and this seems to be
well received. On every other Friday we all
head to the gym for sports day where the crew
can play volleyball, basketball, football, soccer,
or hit the weights. Also thanks to LTJG Zack
Moody, QMC Eric Clark, and the MWR
committee, all the gyms onboard
GERMANTOWN are stocked with brand new
equipment from weights to cardio.
Please continue to support your Sailor
as best as you can. The long hours continue
for now, but it won¶t last forever. We will be
operational again and when we do, things will
get back to a normal pace. We continue to ask
for your patience. Thank you!

Respectfully,
LCDR Brian DeLaney
Executive Officer
 
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Greeting to all G¶TOWN Family Members, ‘
 
 
 ‘
 



  
  
It is hard to believe it is March already and we are still  
   
 



working hard to get out of this prolonged EDPMA. We are
extremely proud of our Sailors for the hard work they put in c 

 
day after day. Our schedule continues to flex and we can
‘  () & ±
understand the anxiety of not having a date to become an Command Catholic (**+,
operational warship. We will communicate to your loved osbornej@lsd42.navy.mil
ones any information as it comes in on any dates of
underway or big events for our ship. We will continue to )-() .&±
Command Protestant (**+,
fight through the obstacles to complete the first mid-life
jerezbou@lsd42.navy.mil
upgrade to a LSD on the West coast.
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 We want to take the time out to extend a friendly
welcome to all of our new GERMANTOWN families. We
are looking forward to seeing everyone soon at our next
command event in spring. As we ³spring forward´ also
remember to set your clocks
ahead this weekend. Try not
to stress over the things we
cannot change, however,
stress the things we can
USS Comstock (C) 423-304-0057
[mayerj@lsd45.navy.mil]
!(."#*%"

USS New Orleans
[stalliba@lpd18.navy.mil]
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change to make: ourselves, V  


 
families, command, and 
 


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country a better place.  
 


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Command Master Chief Re¶
USS GERMANTOWN
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Chaplai Paul B. Kim
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SES-Surface 

Enlisted Spouses
Association
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Military Spouse Career Adva
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*  
 temporary pause of the Career Advancement
This free summer camp program was
developed by NMFA to support military
children dealing with the stress of war. The
seventh summer of Operation Purple
camps will host children at 68 locations in
36 states as well as at two overseas
locations.
Information about the camp program,
݈
n the days following the announcement of a
Account - MyCAA - we heard the concerns
expressed by many program participants.
We regret the lack of notice in alerting you to
the pause and assure you this was done in the
best interest of all.





  



eligibility, and camp locations is available 




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online at www.militaryfamily.org Specific  

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camp information will be available when


 



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registration opens on March 15, 2010. Until ' ()*)!"#  &
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DID YOU KNOW???   

 

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The Defense Department announced June 23 its policy for The FRG would like to Welcome Inga
transferring educational benefits to the spouses and children of Wright to our team! Thank you so much for
service members under the "Post 9/11 GI Bill," which took effect
Aug. 1. stepping up and volunteering your time.
http://www.npc.navy.mil/AboutUs/NPC/PublicAffairs/NewsDetails/
911_GIBill.htm We will have an upcoming meeting
sometime in the end of March and will put
more details out as soon as we solidify a
location. So keep a look out for an email
with all that information.

We have been working hard to help with the

galley closing and providing extra
manpower for the lunch rush. In addition,
we would like to have a Command Baby
Shower for all our expectant mothers on the
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23 USS GERMANTOWN. In order to
 facilitate this we need an estimate of how
Do you have dresses and or gowns that you won¶t wear
again? Are they in good condition? We are currently
collecting dresses to be shared with other military spouses
at an upcoming Dress Fair. The Dress Fair is a great way for
spouses to treasure dresses that once belonged to other
spouses. We are also collecting professional wear that could
be of use to another spouse. For more information or to
possibly assist with collecting the dresses, please contact
DressFair2010@gmail.com. We will be collecting dresses
at various locations. Bring your gently worn dresses!
many there would be attending. Please
email myself at fsggtown@yahoo.com if
you are pregnant or just had a baby and you
will be put on the list for date time and
location details. We are currently working
with vendors and sponsors for the event and
have great things planned for this event.
Don¶t miss out!
As, always we continue to look for key
volunteers to join our team and help our
families during times of deployment and in-
port. Please do not hesitate to email us if
you can contribute anything to our group.
This could be anything from your time to
offering expertise in a subject.
Thank you all for your Support to our
Sailors. Family Readiness=Mission
Readiness=Success!
Ann Cramer
FRG President
fsggtown@yahoo.com 
 
K



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Lots of moving...
Moving... Moving... Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house; Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends; Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...Waiting... Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders, Waiting for deployments, Waiting for phone calls, Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive. Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:

She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work; Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes; Sell a house; Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.

She reinvents her career with every PCS; Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...

They leap into: Decorating, Leadership, Volunteering,
Career alternatives, Churches, and friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.
Military Wives quickly learn to value each other: They connect over coffee, Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:

The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique. He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign: TDY, PCS, OPR, SOS, ACC,
BDU, ACU, BAR, CIB, TAD.
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:

She wants to wring his neck; Dye his uniform pink; Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days, A travel brochure, A long hot bath, A pledge to the flag, A wedding picture,
And she goes. She packs. She moves. She follows.

Why? What for? How come?

You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart .
It was stolen from her by a man, Who puts duty first, Who longs to deploy, Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband, She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

  


 
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RWWs are a critical component of the Return, 



Reunion, and Reintegration program. These vital events  

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are providing first-rate support for Navy's AC and RC 






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Sailors and their families/significant others.
During the RWW weekend, a broad spectrum of
facilitators and clinical professionals provide a great deal
of resource information and individual/group counseling
opportunities to educate and support the Navy Family and
assist Sailors' re-acclimation to their families and civilian
lives. Click here for links to more information about free
RWW weekends in your area
http://www.ia.navy.mil/rww_dates.doc
Do you have a child or adult special needs family
member? Military OneSource has a Special Needs
launching page takes you to a world of information,
resources, and support for your entire family, including
comprehensive materials that help you keep paperwork and
records under control. Military OneSource also provides an
opportunity for you to work with a Special Needs Specialty
Consultant. Contact Military OneSource at 1-800-342-9647
for further information or visit www.militaryonesource.com

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Do you get excited when you see
advertisements for a one-day sale, 50%
off clearance or an early bird special?
For some shoppers, the purchase of an
item can provide a mood boost. If this
describes your shopping behavior, it
may be considered ´retail therapy.µ
Retail therapy is a term used to
describe shopping when you need to
cheer up, boost self-confidence or cope
with a stressful situation.
Spouses may use retail therapy while
their Sailor is deployed as a way to cope
with the separation. However, FFSC
personal financial counselors
recommend that families develop a
deployment-readiness plan that
provides support without leading to
financial strain. To become financially
empowered, and receive one-on-one
counseling/support, call your FFSC to
schedule an appointment with a
financial counselor at (619)-556-7404

 
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    Vresented by MWR, SeaWorld and LEGOLAND
Sunday, March 28 . 10 am-2 pm . FREE Event
To honor the sacrifices made by military Naval Base San Diego, Admiral Vrout Athletics
families, the La Jolla Debutante Ball Committee Complex Fields
is hosting a Complimentary Mother¶s Day Have a hoppin' good time at the Navy's biggest and
Brunch for the spouse and children of any
best family spring festival featuring the Navy's largest
service member that is deployed on Mother¶s
egg hunts at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm with over 30,000
Day.
eggs. The event is open to all San Diego military
Ô  Saturday, May 8, 2010
families. Vlus enjoy the "ALL-HANDS" Car Show,
Ô  First Seating at 10 am &
prizes, balloon artists, face painters, puppet shows,
Second Seating at 12 pm
Ronald McDonald show, arts and crafts, amusement
Ô  Hotel Del Coronado,
fun zone, food vendors, a Military Family Resource
Crown Room
Fair and the Navy Armed Forces Kids Run at 11 am
1500 Orange Avenue,
with T-Shirts for all participants (registration begins
Coronado, CA 92118
at 9:30 am). For details call 619-556-7444 or the Info
**Space is limited; please RSVP ASAP before
Line at 619-556-5504. Sponsored by USAA, Lincoln
registration is full!
Military Housing, San Diego Zoo, and USA Discounters.


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6 {
 
  Your San Diego Better Business Bureau, along with the City
6 •
 
 { 
  Attorney's Office and District Attorney's Office, invites you

 



 to a free consumer protection day on Saturday, March 13th.

6 

  
   This free event is designed to educate teens, young adults
  and the Military on cyber-security, financial planning and
6 Ô  


 literacy, and how to protect themselves from scams, fraud
! "#
! and identity theft. Event is open to the public.
6 Family Contact Email Address More than 30 local government, law enforcement &
6 Preference of First or Second Seating Time
 regulatory agencies will be exhibiting - including the FBI,
 California Department of Consumer Affairs, Federal Trade
à 

  Commission, County BAR Association, DMV, and more!
6 ©# 
 
 


 Event Details:


  
 


$ -Admission and parking are FREE. Each attendee receives a
%


 
 raffle ticket for some truly awesome prizes (see below for

 
$• 

 list).

&
$ -Saturday, March 13 from 9:30am - 2:30pm at the Scottish
6 %
 #  
 Rite Event Center, 1896 Camino del Rio South, in San
' 
$ Diego's Mission Valley area.
6 P

()$** 
 

' $


'   Call or email to register today: (858) 637-6199 or
 


+ amcnelis@sandiego.bbb.org