USS Louisiana SSBN 743 (G)

The Louisiana Lookout Newsletter

September 2011

Letter from the CO

Welcome Friends and Family! Another month finds the LOUISIANA out of dry-dock and the Gold crew back on the boat. As the crew prepares the ship to get ready to go to sea, I want to stress the importance of safety during the final weeks of summer liberty is a mission area! Aside from a few bumps and bruises when our sailors fell off motorcycles and ATVs, we have performed well in this area. Lets keep it up. Labor Day weekend is a great opportunity to enjoy the Pacific Northwest, and I urge you to experience it responsibly. Drinking and driving dont mix, so plan ahead to ensure you and your sailor can get home safely if alcohol will be part of your celebration. Enjoy the time in port with your sailor and continue our tradition of pride and professionalism the LOUISIANA has built this summer. Joe Turk Commanding Officer USS LOUISIANA (SSBN 743) (G)

Contact Information

COMMANDING OFFICER: CDR Joe Turk

EXECUTIVE OFFICER: LCDR Charles McLenithan CHIEF OF THE BOAT: MMCM (SS/SW) Dave Janowski COMMAND SUPPORT TEAM COs Wife Julie Turk (360) 830-0481 joeturk@aol.com COB'S Wife Allison Janowski (360) 550-4092 allijanowski@gmail.com XOs Wife Becky McLenithan (360) 519-3362 beckycaulum@hotmail.com

COBs Corner
LOUISIANA Gold Families, This past month has been busy; we have undocked, selected three new Chief Petty Officers, and advanced three Sailors. Our ship has worked incredibly hard to ensure LOUISIANA has successfully met timelines and milestones established by a multitude of external activities while in our Extended Refit Period. This execution and prioritization of nearly 3000 jobs speaks highly the pride and professionalism that personify our Sailors reputations and work ethic. Our newly selected Chief Petty Officers are ETC(Sel) Zink, MMC(Sel) Garis and MMC(Sel) Zaccardi. These men have worked hard and shown their potential to lead, train and mentor Sailors, please take the time, if it presents itself to congratulate the Selects and their families. In addition to our new Chiefs we also have advanced Petty Officers Tagaloa, Pinard and Traux, to Petty Officer Second Class. BRAVO ZULU to MM2 Fenton who received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his distinctive accomplishments that reflected credit upon himself, and the United States Navy. As our crew takes ownership of LOUISIANA, there is still much to do and a compressed schedule in which to work. In true LOUISIANA fashion I expect wrenches to be turned, outboards to be cleaned, maintenance to be completed and schedules to be met. I am confident that LOUISIANA can accomplish anything we ask of them with pride and professionalism. I ask each of you to continue to support your Sailor during this refit period as you have done many times before. Finally as we close out this months newsletter, I commend each of you for the sustained performance and dedication of your Sailor. As Labor Day approaches keep safety in the forefront of your actions. LOUISIANA and her families as a whole has upheld our Core Values and with great frequency has been a positive role model for our community and other commands Navy wide, let us continue to uphold the highest of standards for ourselves and our families. There is great opportunity for us this upcoming refit period and I look forward to reporting to you our triumphs, victories and accomplishment along the way. As a reminder if the need arises, feel free to contact the Ombudsman or me with any concerns or questions you may have. MMCM (SS/SW) Dave Janowski Chief of the Boat USS LOUISIANA SSBN 743 (GOLD)

September Events
Sept. 5th Labor Day Sept. 7th 1776 - David Bushnell attempts to destroy a British Ship of the Line, HMS Asia, in New York harbor with his submarine Turtle. Sept. 11th 10th Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon. Sept. 28th 1850 - Congress outlaws flogging on Navy ships Sept. 30th 1954 - Commissioning at Groton, CT, of USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the world's first nuclear-powered ship.

Gwyneth Atkinson Kaylyn Bombard Dakota Davies Dawson Dew Isabell Donkersloot Crystal Gates Leah Kerchner Sarai Mahmood Jaclyn Peterson Kimberly Rubenstein Kadence Zink

Happy Anniversary!
MM3 and Michelle Branfoot ET3 and Alyssa Duffy

Congratulations!
MM2 Fenton
For being awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal!

MT2 Pinard, MM2 Tagaloa and MT2 Traux

On your advancement to Petty Officer Second Class!

MCPON Sends Labor Day Message

Shipmates and Navy Families, The symbolic end to summer is just around the corner ... Labor Day weekend. Have you started making plans yet? Do your plans involve drinking and driving or driving long distances while fatigued? Do they involve water sports after a long day of drinking alcohol? How about driving a motorcycle at excessive speeds just to feel a rush? Of course Sailors don't plan to do these things, but we continue to lose shipmates because of the bad choices they make. So far, we have lost 15 Sailors this summer: six in four-wheel motor vehicle mishaps, six on motorcycles and three during recreation mishaps. Last year we lost a total of 14 Sailors from Memorial Day to Labor Day and we have unfortunately exceeded that total with a few weeks left before Labor Day. The loss of one trained and ready Sailor is unacceptable, and in most cases preventable. I encourage all of you to practice off-duty risk management while planning your activities, and avoid cramming too many activities into a short period of time. Use caution when driving and think SAFE: no Speeding; no Alcohol before driving; no Fatigue (get plenty of rest) and no Ejections (wear your seatbelts). Also use caution when participating in water activities, and if drinking, always have a plan to get home. Stay safe and let's close out summer and Labor Day weekend with zero fatalities or injuries. Enjoy your much-deserved time off with your family and friends, and as always, keep in mind our Sailors who are deployed and can't be with their loved ones. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and HOOYAH! Very Respectfully, MCPON By Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West

Compass Class
Compass classes are being offered: September 27 29 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm October 25 27 from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm November 15 17 from 9:30 am to 1:30 am Childcare is free. This is a great way to learn more about Navy life! Register online at: http://www.gocompass.org/kitsap.html Or email COMPASSKitsap@NSFamilyLine.org for more information.

Need a New I.D.?

Visit the online Appointment Scheduler Make an appointment with the I.D. Lab at Bangor PSD today!

Dolphin Store Sale!

The Dolphin Store, located at the Inside Out Cafe, would like to invite you to the annual sale on Thursday, September 15 from 10:30-1. There will be sale and clearance items, along with many new items. This might be a good opportunity to purchase gifts for the Holiday season. The vendor who makes all the Boat ornaments, Christmas hand towels and other personalized items will be closed for the Holiday so this is the time to order. We look forward to seeing you at the sale! If you have any questions, please contact the Dolphin Store at dolphin@dolphinstorebangor.com.

Greetings from the Co- Ombudsman

Hello Louisiana Gold Families! My name is Stacie Hall and I have recently been appointed to be your command co-ombudsman, alongside Shiloh Mahmood. I am so thrilled and grateful to have the good fortune of being a command representative for our families. I have been married to my sailor for almost 14 years and we have 3 wonderful children. We have completed two shore duties; a mix between Florida and South Carolina and then a full term again in South Carolina. We have also done two sea duties, one aboard the USS LA JOLLA SSN 701 out of Hawaii and our current duty station, the USS LOUISIANA (GOLD) SSBN 743. In our nearly 14 years of being a Navy family we have experienced so much that the military lifestyle has to offer. We have gone from great shore duties, to shift work, from our sailor being gone for what seems like forever, to amazing homecomings and everything in between. When my husband joined the military my mother-in-law asked me if I knew what I was doing. Of course not! I was young and nave but invincible! That conversation ended with The wife of a sailor is the hardest job there is. She was a sailors wife for 23 years and is now enjoying the life of retirement with her sailor. Being a sailors spouse has not always been what I imaginedit can be hard at times. Yet it has been one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life. I am excited to have the opportunity to pay it forward to our families and share the chance for this to be amazing and rewarding for them as well. Stacie Hall Co-Ombudsman USS LOUISIANA SSBN 743 (GOLD)

Family Readiness Group

Hello Louisiana Gold Families, The FRG will be having a meet and greet / play date at Trident Lakes on September 20th from 9:30-11:00. We hope to see everyone there! I also wanted to let everyone know our soda sale in the OCAB went wonderfully and we are sold out! Thank you to everyone who donated! Our next FRG meeting will be in late October, The date and location will be announced at a later time in the Weekly Highlights USS Louisiana Gold FRG Lisa Guzman LouisianaFRG743@yahoo.com Heard a rumor regarding pay issues? Retirement? The GI Bill? Remember, if you didnt hear it from the Navy, it MAY NOT BE TRUE! RELIABLE Navy News Sources www.defense.gov (news tab) www.navy.mil www.tricare.mil https://www.facebook.com/NavalBaseKi tsap https://www.facebook.com/pages/Subma rine-Group-Nine/105052617402 https://www.facebook.com/CNRNW https://www.facebook.com/MCPON

Mrs. Stacie Hall gets officially pinned as Co-Ombudsman at the August Ombudsman Assembly

September Navy News

Changes to the Post 9/11 GI Bill
A recent NAVADMIN announces changes to the Post 9/11 GI Bill recently enacted in Public Law. These changes impact active duty, SELRES, IRR, dependents and veterans. If you wish to obtain a copy of the NAVADMIN, please contact the Ombudsman. Changes outlined below: Post 9/11 is the net bill payer for tuition and fees. Any scholarship, grant, loan, etc., will be used first and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) will pay the remaining tuition and fees. DVA will pay 100 percent of the in-state tuition and fees (less scholarships, grants, etc.) for all degree programs offered by an institution of higher learning. Tuition is capped at $17,500 per academic year for private and foreign schools EXCEPT for students enrolled prior to Jan. 4, 2011. In August 2011, Congress passed a temporary provision to Post 9/11 GI Bill that will preserve the higher tuition and fee rate established in June 2008 for students attending programs of education at non-public institutions of higher learning (but not foreign schools) who were enrolled before enactment of the 2010 Improvement Act, which was signed Jan 4. This provision begins Aug. 1, 2011 and expires July 31, 2014. Students that enrolled and began taking classes on or after Jan. 4, 2011 are subject to the new limits effective Aug. 1, 2011. Tuition and fees for active duty members and their spouses will be based on qualifying active duty time (90 days-36 months) and the percentage identified in the eligibility tiers (40-100%). Post 9/11 will pay for flight training, on-the-job training, correspondence courses and apprentice training. Eligible students enrolled solely in distance learning programs may receive up to 50% of the monthly living stipend. All members who wish to transfer benefits will be required to agree to serve four additional years of service, regardless of their retirement eligibility.

FAMILYGRAM 04-11 LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

NAVADMIN 236/11 (for full text of this NAVADMIN, please contact the Ombudsman) Highlights: Child and Youth Programs (CYP) and the Fleet and Family Service Center (FFSC) can provide a myriad of resources to families including finding schools in the area, arranging childcare, after-school programs, homework help, fitness programs and much more! The first person to contact when seeking help either putting your children in school for the first time or returning to school after the summer break is the School Liaison Officer. https://qol.navyaims.net/CYPWeb/Web/Home/Home.aspx

OTHER ON-LINE RESOURCES: WWW.MILITARYONESOURCE.COM FIND A SCHOOL AT YOUR NEW LOCATION WWW.SCHOOLQUEST.ORG MILITARY YOUTH ON THE MOVE APPS.MHF.DOD.MIL/MYOM DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION AGENCY: WWW.DODEA.EDU STUDENT ONLINE ACHIEVEMENT RESOURCES (SOAR): WWW.SOARATHOME.ORG NEED A TUTOR: WWW.TUTOR.COM. COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP INFO: WWW.MILITARYSCHOLAR.ORG STUDENT AID: WWW.BENEFITS.GOV MILITARY CHILD EDUCATION COALITION: WWW.MILITARYCHILD.ORG NATIONAL RESOURCE DIRECTORY: WWW.NATIONALRESOURCEDIRECTORY.GOV
The SLO at Naval Base Kitsap is Heather Carrell Phone: (360) 396-5139 Email: heather.carrell@navy.mil

Quick Links to Remember

www.myffr.navyaims.com www.militaryonesource.com www.navylifepnw.com http://www.gocompass.org/kitsap.html

ombud743gold@yahoo.com
Boat web group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ombud743gold/ Note: The boat web group is by invitation only, if you do not have access, please send an email with your name and your sailors name to the above email address. An invitation will then be sent for you to join.

Ombudsman Contact Information: ombud743gold@yahoo.com Shiloh E. Mahmood 360-598-0587 (H) 860-218-5001 (M) Stacie Hall 360-689-2662 (M)