MICROSOFT
ON THE BUZZ
Ombudsman Contact
Information:
Brenda Walker
(805) 218-2323
Linda Mendoza
(805) 218-4096
nmcb4ombuds@yahoo.com
Subscribe to NMCB-4
Ombudsman Newsletter by
e-mailing us.
Check out our website:
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/
nmcb4fst/index.html
Facebook (link to Facebook
found at orgsites website)
Inside this issue:
CO’s Corner & Prize 2 tion both up and down the chain of command, including official Department of the Navy
Giveaway
Calendar & Zero to 3
Three DVD
Military Child Month 4
Activities
Camps for kids & 5 is updated about every other week. This week Commander. VanderLey gives
Weebee’s Program
Surviving Deployment 6
Supporting Children 7 ““The moment
Emotions of 8 with minimal breaks and minimal time away from the project. At each and every
Deployment
FRG Friends of Four
9
ON THE BUZZ APRIL 2010
YOUR CONCERNS:
Q: I sent a package through the Command approved mailing address and had it re-
turned. What do I do?
A: Mail sent through Command approved addresses should arrive to your Seabee. How-
ever, we have had a couple families get their packages returned. In this situation all you
have to do is take the care package and original customs form back to the post office and
it will be resent free of charge. You should not have to pay again to have it shipped. Again,
this is rarity, but because our Seabees are moving fast and mail changes hands a lot it has
happened.
Q: I have heard a rumor that the CDC will be offering a parents night out. Is this true?
A: The Base is planning on doing a parents night out starting in the month of May. There
are no sign up details as of yet. What we can tell you is it will happen the 3rd Friday (21st)
in May from 6pm-9pm. We do know it will be limited availability and it will be on a first
come first serve basis. The CDC on Hueneme will be the location for childcare. Also the
children must be at least 1 year old. As soon as we get more information we will pass it
along to our email listing.
Q: What is a Ombudsman?
A: The Ombudsman is a volunteer, appointed by the commanding officer, to serve as an
information link between command leadership and Navy families. They provide resource
referrals when needed. They are instrumental in resolving family issues before the issues
require extensive command attention. Ombudsmen are trained to disseminate informa-
and command information, command climate issues, local quality of life improvement
opportunities, and “good deals” around the community
CARELINE 805 982-2200
The careline is a phone message operated by the Commanding Officer, which
updates on each Detachment site, highlighting many of our Seabee’s. Also
there is a message from the Army:
the Seabees arrived on this FOB they initiated a planning and
working sequence that did not stop until they departed. They continued to work
“hick-up” moment they acted professionally, analyzed the situation, and pursued
the appropriate course of action as best they could.”
 Page 2 ON THE BUZZ

CO’s Corner
Greetings Friends and Families of FOUR,

We are getting close to the halfway point of deployment and your Sea-
bee loved ones continue to do amazing work. In the North, we con-
tinue to focus on expanding bases for incoming forces. Our mainbody
has now relocated to a new Forward Operating Base (FOB) that
FOUR’s Seabees have built from the ground up. In the East, the focus is on
improving existing camps, constructing living and operating facilities for a
wide range of Army forces.
“Our mainbody
We are starting to feel the first heat of summer with temperature climbing
has now above 90 degrees; it is only April so most of us are not looking forward to
the June/July/August heat that is to come. We will deal with the heat and
relocated to a
are also enjoying some of the recent improvements to our mainbody FOB.
new Forward Thanks to Navy MWR in Bahrain, we now have a small gym to work off any
extra energy in our off hours. There is also a small MWR and internet café
Operation Base
in the works. Our Galley is starting to get the equipment and supplies
(FOB)...” needed for full operation, and our motivated cooks served omelets to the
Battalion this morning.

Thanks for all of your support on the home-

front. We couldn’t do it without you.

God Bless,
CDR Dean VanderLey
Commanding Officer, NMCB FOUR
Photo of our mainbody
camp in the North

“Month of the Military Child” Prize Giveaway Sponsored by United Concordia

United Concordia Companies, Inc. is proud to once again First Prize: $300 Exchange gift certificate
recognize and support the “Month of the Military Child”
this month by sponsoring a Web-based random drawing. Second Prize: $150 Exchange gift certificate
Children of active duty sponsors who are enrolled in the Third Prize: $50 Exchange gift certificate
TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) are eligible for this draw-
ing. To enter go to www.TRICAREdentalprogram.com and Only one entry per child is permitted. Entry deadline is
complete the contest entry form. midnight April 28th Eastern Time, and only parents or legal
Prizes will be awarded to military children within each age guardians may enter their children.
category. Winners will be selected for children ages 0-4,
ages 5-9, ages 10-14 and ages 15-17, winners will be se- Winners will be announced on the TDP Web site on May
lected at random. 27th.
ON THE BUZZ Page 3

ZERO TO THREE Resources for Military Parents

ZERO TO THREE, a national non-
profit organization that informs, trains,
and supports professionals, policymak-
ers, and parents in their efforts to im-
prove the lives of infants and toddlers,
has developed a comprehensive series
of materials for parents, caregivers, and
professionals supporting the babies
born to military parents during Opera-
tions OEF and OIF. The first material,
the DVD Young Children on the Home-
front: Family Stories, Family Strengths, fea-
tures military families talking about their
deployment experiences and challenges.
Along with early-childhood profession-
als, the families offer tips and strategies
for supporting young children before,
during, and after deployment. The DVD
will be available free to military families
and service providers through
www.MilitaryOneSource.com or by
phone at 1-800-342-9647 starting April 1.

April 2010 Schedule of

Events

 April 15– FRG Meeting

at Seabee Chapel 6-
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 8pm. Childcare pro-
vided. Bring your favor-
ite Eater dish.
1 2 3  April 17-YMCA Healthy
Kids Day

 April 24-Kids Day

10a.m. Point Mugu CYP
parking lot
4 5 6 7 8 9 10  April 24-Free Food Dis-
tribution. Building 19.
Bring your ID and laun-
dry basket. 9am-1pm.

 April 25-FRG Welcome

11 12 13 14 15 FRG 16 17 Home Sign Painting at
Bolles Field 2-4pm.
Meeting Healthy Bring your paintbrush.
Kids Day

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 FREE
Food

Kids Day
25 Sign 26 27 28 29 30
Painting
 ON THE BUZZ Page 4

MILITARY CHILD MONTH

April is designated as the Month of the Military Child, underscoring the important role military children play in
armed forces community. There are 1.7 million American children and youth under 18 with a parent serving in the mili-
tary and about 900,000 with one or both parents deployed multiple times! This month is an opportunity to recognize
military children for their heroism, character, courage, sacrifices, and continued resilience.
Installations and other organizations throughout the military community will sponsor activities and events for
Service members' children. Our base is no exception! Check below for some great opportunities to have fun with our
amazing Military Children!!!
We all know how hard deployment can be on an adult. This month is solely focused on our kids and just how
strong they truly are. With an extended deployment, our children need us now more than ever. It’s also an opportunity
for our kids to know that they are not alone. Children on this base, as well as across the country are having to sacrifice
time with their mommy or daddy because of the Afghanistan Surge. It’s amazing to see how well our NMCB 4 children
have handled this deployment so far. Not to say we haven’t had our ups and downs with our kids while our Seabee has
been gone! Yet they have truly shown they are children who other kids can look up to!

Children Appreciation Day on base!!!

April 24 - at Point Mugu Child Development Center (CDC),
10:00am-2:00pm.
There will be lots of activities including face painting, and kids
crafts. Come out and enjoy the day!

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

April 17th 10 a.m-1 p.m.

A day of activities and demonstrations designed to promote healthy and active kids
and families. Stroll down the midway to the sound of circus music and meet represen-
tatives from community health, safety, and education organization, play carnival
games, go on a circus animal treasure hunt, there will be Wii games, and more sur-
prises. Sideshow include healthy snacks, prizes and giveaways. FREE.
Camarillo YMCA Ventura YMCA
3111 Village at the Park Dr. Camarillo 3760 Telegraph Road Ventura
805-484-0423 805-642-2131
Page 5
Camps For Military Children
Operation Purple Camp is a camp dedicated to military
children! The closest location to Naval Base Ventura
County is Santa Barbara. Children must be at least 7
years old in order to apply. The closing date for appli-
cations is April 16th. Please visit http://
www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/operation-purple/
camps/?age=7&state=california
If you have any questions contact::
Debi Hite
805-962-6776
Campwhittiersb@aol.com
Christine Beers
805-962-6776
Whittieroffice@aol.com
They are the Camp Coordinators for Santa Barbara!
Camp starts July 11th and ends July 17th.
ON THE BUZZ
OPERATION PURPLE TEEN CAMP
Operation Purple Leadership Camp is a high adven-
ture program developed by the National Military
Family Association specifically for military teens, 15
-17 years old. Rock-climbing, backpacking, white
water rafting, ropes courses - each week of camp
offers the expedition of a lifetime!
Attendance at Operation Purple Leadership Camps
is free. Participants will be reimbursed for travel
expenses up to $500 following submission of an
itinerary. Additional financial assistance may be
available on a case-by-case basis. As a condition
of this free program, teens will sign an agreement
to complete a community service project and docu-
ment progress with the National Military Family
Association throughout the year.
MilitaryFamily.org/leadership
 Page 6 ON THE BUZZ

Ideas to Survive Deployment

Military Kids Club
Military Kids’ Club is a program that is run by the FFSC, but provided at our children’s
schools. This program focuses on children and their feelings while they have a loved one De-
ployed, as well as to connect them with other children that have Deployed parents.
“My daughter, Bailey, went through the program earlier this year at Laguna Vista. She
was able to find other children in her class and grade that their parents are Deployed and connect
with them. The things that she learned while going through the program are things that she will be
able to use when my husband, Dave, goes on other Deployments.” -Jenn Cobbel

The goals of the military kids support group are as follows:

1. To provide support and friendship to kids who are experiencing military life.
2. To normalize experiences and provide a healthy and safe environment to explore feelings.
3. Assist children with learning healthy coping skills.
4. To increase self-awareness through self-disclosure in order to foster self-esteem.

MKC isn’t available at all schools. So please contact the Fleet and Family Support Center for more
details.
For more information call at 805-982-5037.

Do you have
ideas of how to
get through
deployment?
If so please
email us at
nmcb4ombuds Deploymentkids.com
@yahoo.com.
We need your Deploymentkids.com provides information and ideas
just for kids! You can find a distance calculator, how to fig-
ideas!! ure out the time zones, and games. For the grown-ups there
is www.survivingdeployment.com that provides articles,
book lists and other links to dealing with deployment.

YMCA Parents Night Out FREE Books

April 17th 5-9 p.m.
Parents are welcome to drop off their children
ages 3-10 for four hours filled with games, crafts, din-
ner, and a movie, while parents have a night out.
Per night $13 for Camarillo YMCA members, $25 for
non-members.
For reservations, contact the Camarillo YMCA 805-
484-0423.
Military OneSource allows Each
service member or military family/
household up to 10 paperback
and/or Playaway books in a one
year time period. The year will be-
gin when you order your first paperback or Play-
away book. They do not guarantee any titles will
be replenished or available. They do have lots of
titles to choose from and you do not need to pay
ON THE BUZZ Page 7

Supporting CHILDREN During Deployment

Deployments can be tough for children. Ways to help
Some reactions to look for Children look to their caregivers and model their
reaction to deployment. Therefore, it is impor-
tant to project confidence that you will not only
Little ones may:
survive, but thrive during deployment.
Fuss and whine
 Take care of yourself
Be more clingy
 Maintain rules/routine
Cry more
 Only create rules you’ll consistently enforce
Eat/sleep less
 Practice patience
Be grumpy
 Make more time for hugs/affection
Demand attention
 Appreciate/acknowledge good behavior
Be less willing to try new things
 Don’t excuse behavior normally not tolerated
Regress
 Help kids stay in touch with their deployed
parent
 Update deployed parent when rules change
School age children may:  Don’t put life on hold until your Sailor returns
 Be more emotional Celebrate holidays. Take vacations.
 Have a drop in school per-  Stay upbeat/positive as much as possible
formance
 Find a mentor for older children
 “Test” rules
 Get kids involved
 Withdraw
 Ask for help if you need it
 Worry about safety
Deployed parents
 Have physical ailments
While many deployed parents say it hurts when
they think about their children because they miss
them so much, they must still be involved from a
Preteens and teens may:
distance. Deployed parents should:
 Take on adult role
 Reassure children about their safety
 Distance self from family
 Play long distance games
 See grades drop
 Stay involved with child’s schoolwork
 Keep feelings to them-
selves/withdraw  Send worn T-shirts and pictures
 Worry  Communicate with each child
 May skip school  Record stories, songs, jokes, or funny voices
and send to their children.
 May “act out”-smoking, drinking, truancy
Help
Contact the following for more information:
Provided by  Fleet and Family Support Center
 Military OneSource
 Pediatrician
 Chaplain
 Page 8 ON THE BUZZ

Emotions of Deployment

Anticipation Denial Sad Angry NUMB Restlessness Burnt-Out

Fatigue Overwhelmed Relief Worry Resilient Independent Positive Excited
Apprehensive Indecisive Resentful Irritable Guarded Lonely Tired Depressed
Confused Hopelessness Listless Apathy Tension Anxiety Stress Frazzled
Unhappy Annoyed Impatient Rundown Deprived Neglected Tough Strong
Can you relate to any of the emotions listed above? The emotions you experience dur-
ing deployment are a normal reaction to an abnormal situation unique to the military. Some
military services describe the different stages of the emotional cycles of deployment as being
5 stages or 7 stages; however the emotions during the stages are similar. Here is the 5
stages and their time frame for each as well as their common experiences.
Stage 1: Pre-Deployment (Days or weeks before deployment)
Common experience-long training hours, getting affairs in order, mental and physical dis-
tance, and arguments. May feel denial and anticipation of loss.
Stage 2: Deployment (First month)
Common experience-roller coaster effect , disoriented, over-
whelmed, numb, sad, lonely, sleep difficulty, and personal wor-
ries to include: solider safety, auto, pay, and children.
Stage 3: Sustainment (2nd thur 5th month)
Common experience-feeling more in control, independent, con-
fidence, realizing you are resilient and able to cope, establish
new routines, and increased positive outlook.
Stage 4: Redeployment (Last month)
Common experience– anticipation of homecoming, excitement, happiness, apprehension, en-
ergy burst, and difficulty making decisions.
Stage 5: Post-Deployment (Weeks to months after deployment)
Common experience-honeymoon effect, loss of independence, renegotiating routines and
roles, and a need for open communication.

Learning about the feelings that you may experience, as well as the resources that are avail-
able to you, can help you maintain a strong military family team.

Resources:
-Military OneSource provides access to six (6) free private counseling sessions per problem
per person with a provider in your local area for issues such as coping with deployment, rein-
tegration, and marital and family problems.
-Fleet and Family Support Center offers groups, classes and counseling.
-Local Military healthcare facilities
 FAMILY READINESS GROUP

Friends of Four Happy Spring NMCB 4 Families and Friends!!!

I think that spring has sprung here in Southern California. The weather is awesome just
in time for Spring Break. YEAH!! With the weather getting so nice your NMCB 4 FRG is
getting out and getting stuff done.

We have a lot going on… Our April Meeting is on Thursday, 15 April from 6-8pm at the
Important FRG Board Port Hueneme Chapel (Tax Day :o). We are having Military One Source as our speaker.
Contacts: Please bring your favorite Spring-time goodies.

Jenn Cobbel, Sign Painting is in full swing. Our next Sign Painting is Sunday, 25 April from 2-4pm at
President Bowles Field. This Sign Painting we will be working on the signs that need to be redone, so
805 271-1051 please bring the appropriate brushes. We will have some smaller brushes, but probably not
nmcb4pres@yahoo.com enough.

Our Half-Way Party preparations are happening as well. YEAH!!! Your NMCB 4 FRG
Heidi Oglesby,
Half-Way Party is scheduled for Saturday, 15 May from 1230-4pm at Bowles Field (This is
Vice President also Armed Forces Day). Our volunteers, Nicole, Yeisy and Bridget are doing a fantastic job
805-889-3292 getting things together. If you would like to help out with this, please see one of them at
nmcb4vpb@yahoo.com our FRG Meeting or send me an email. They would love your help!!!

Anne Richardson, Have you thought about volunteering to be on the next NMCB 4 FRG Board?? Well, now
Secretary is the time. We will be taking volunteer’s names again this month for President, Vice-
805-483-3073 President (times 2), Secretary, Treasurer and Hospitality. We will be voting on your next
nmcb4sec@yahoo.com NMCB 4 FRG Board at our May FRG Meeting. If you would like to have a say in who is on the
next FRG Board, make sure that you come to that Meeting.
Michelle Tholen,
Treasurer At your NMCB 4 FRG Meetings we still have available, T-shirt orders, First Kiss Tickets
805-832-4739 and Sign Contest entries.

nmcb4tres@yahoo.com
So, as you can see, there are many things going on with your NMCB 4 FRG. Remember to
stay active, involved and informed to make your Deployment go as smooth as possible.
HPL: Chief Lonnie Cosper
805-982-3612 See you all soon!!
lonnie.cosper@navy.mil Jenn Cobbel
NMCB 4 FRG President nmcb4pres@yahoo.com
Advisors: Veronica
Vanderley, Kelly
Hendricks, and Jen
MEETING DATES:
Lampman
nmcb4advisors@yahoo.com  Thursday, 15 April
Bring you favorite Easter dish
 May-Half way Party
Welcome Home Sign Painting
 Thursday, 20 May
Sunday, 25 April - sign Painting 2-4pm Bolles Field  Thursday, 17 June
Sunday, 23 May - Sign Painting 2-4pm Bolles Field  Thursday, 15 July

Sunday, 27 June - Sign Painting

 Thursday, 19 August