hopper newsletter may 2011

U S S H O P P E R

Ombudsman Newsletter May 2011 1

Ombudsman newsletter

CO’s CornerAloha to all of our HOPPER Ohana back in Hawaii and on the mainland! Welcome to the first Ombudsman newsletter of the 2011 deployment. I would like to start off by thanking Kristin White, our Ombudsman, for putting this newsletter together. A lot has happened since we left on April 15th. The MWR Committee has been very busy starting off the deployment with a contest to name HOPPER’s two new small boats. The previous boats were named Amazing and Grace. The challenge to the crew was to come up with names which recognized HOPPER’s namesake and our homeport. The winning names were Koa, the Hawaiian word for warrior, and Nano, as in nano-second, a term which Admiral Hopper used f r e q u e n t l y i n h e r l e c t u r e s .

Congratulations to BM1(SW) Julian and CWO2 DeWitt who thought of these names! Another exciting development was the USS HOPPER Facebook Fan page which went live on April 21st. Thanks very much to IT1(SW) Isom who was the driving force behind this effort. He and the PAO have already posted some photos there that you can see. The purpose of the fan page is to allow our family and friends back home to see a little of what we do while we are gone. Please take a look. If you decide to make comments on the fan page, please review the posting rules which you can find on the fan page itself. Remember your Sailors on HOPPER are far from home and while we want to let you know how we are doing, we also want to be mindful of OPSEC. We will only post things on the fan page which have already happened. We ask our family and friends back home to only

make comments on things we have posted. Don’t post anything which would reveal our future schedule, where we are going, or when we might get there. Also remember this is a family page; please keep posts in good taste. Your Sailors are out here doing a fantastic job for their Navy and country. We recently recognized three of those Sailors by announcing the Sailors of the Quarter. Congratulations to the 2nd Quarter Senior Sailor of the Quarter FC1(SW) Marvin (Combat System Department), the 2nd Quarter Junior Sailor of the Quarter CTT2(SW) Gatlin (Operations Department), and the 2nd Quarter Blue Jacket of the Quarter GMSN Bojorquez (Weapons Department). Take care back home, we are thinking of you.

CDR Kevin MelodyCommanding Officer

“Dare and Do”May 2011

HOPPER Ohana News Amazing Grace

Commanding Officer:CDR Kevin MelodyExecutive Officer:

CDR Al LopezCommand Master

Chief:

CMDCM Jay StuckeyOmbudsman:

Kristin White

U S S H O P P E R D D G 7 0

2 Ombudsman Newsletter May 2011

Aloha Hopper Ohana! I hope you are all doing well and are continuing to adjust to your loved one being away. The first month or so, once deployment begins, is usually the most difficult and that readjustment can last up to six weeks for some.You may be feeling over-whelmed, forgetful, lonely, depressed and even relief. A lot of our routines have been disrupted and now we need to establish new ones. Please know that this is all normal. The best way to fight many of these feelings is to get involved and feel connected. A great place to start is our FRG. Who better to understand what you are going through than those who are going through the exact same thing at the exact same time? Other ideas could include getting involved with a community support group, volunteer organization, sports activities or enrolling in college classes. A proactive approach to developing new routines and getting involved will help tremendously. As our Ombudsman, I work closely with the Commanding Officer and the Command Master Chief to raise awareness of family issues and act as an advocate for families. I can help you locate resources you may need to solve most any problem. I also have a direct link with the Command and will provide you with official and accurate Command information. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach me at 808.864.3199 or by email at [email protected]. Sincerely, Kristin White

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Ombudsman’s CornerHelpful Websites:

www.greatlifehawaii.com

www.militaryonesource.com

Confidentiality & ReportablesPlease know that any information you share with the Ombudsman is considered strictly

confidential, however there are certain issues that require reporting to the Command for the

safety of all involved. Those items include

• All suspected/known child abuse/neglect

• Alleged domestic abuse

• Suspected/potential homicide, violence or life endangering situations

• All suspected or potential suicidal risks

FACEBOOKHOPPER Ombudsman is now on

Facebook! Please feel free to send a friend request!

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.greatlifehawaii.com


http://www.militaryonesource.com

http://www.militaryonesource.com



FRG CornerFRG Board

President: Sarah McClain

Vice President: Amy Norman

Treasurer: Sara White

Secretary: Sandy Thompson

Aloha Hopper families,I hope you all are adjusting to the deployment easily. I just want to take a second and put a reminder out about the first FRG meeting at Halsey Terrace Community Center at 6:30pm on May 3rd. This meeting is going to be very important. We are going to be doing a brief introduction because we have added some new faces to the FRG board. We are also going to be doing an OPSEC (operational security) brief because there is a lot of stuff we need to go over with you all to keep our Sailors safe. We will also be going over our goals for this deployment for our fundraisers and would love to hear your ideas. Sadly I can't use everyone’s ideas because there are a lot of rules I have to follow but we would still love to hear them. We can’t wait to see you there. If you have any questions about the m e e t i n g s p l e a s e e - m a i l m e a t [email protected].

FRG PresidentSarah McClain

Upcoming Events:May 3, 2011~ FRG

Meeting

6:30pm Halsey Terrace Community Center

Happy Mother’s Day!Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Moms out there! Whether you are a Sailor with

children waiting for you back home or are the Mom of one of our Sailors on board USS HOPPER or if you’re a Mom to one of our many HOPPER kids, this day is for you! Enjoy

and thank you for all you do.

If you would like to be added to the FRG Email list in

addition to the Ombudsman Email list, please email

[email protected]!





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— Quisque Massa

Recipe for a Military Spouse1 1/2 cups Patience

1 cup Courage3/4 cup Tolerancedash of Adventure1 pound of Ability

To the above ingredients: Add 2 tablespoons elbow grease and let stand alone for one year. Marinate frequently with salty tears. Pour off

excess fat and sprinkle ever so lightly with money then knead dough until payday. Season with international

spices. Bake 20 years or until done. Makes unlimited servings

SERVE WITH PRIDE

Here's to you, the one who waits, no matter the distance, no matter the time.

Here's to you, the one who fights your own battle at home, between the tears and sleepless nights.

Here's to you, the one who will never give up, even when everything around you seems to be falling down.

And here's to you, because while people may think they know how tough it is to be a hero, no one but us will ever know how tough it is to love one...

Military Spouse Appreciation DayMay 6, 2011

Celebrations & Congratulations! Happy Birthday to OS3 Ronsse on April 22nd! Love, Mom Happy 6th Birthday to LS2 Nganga’s son Alan on May 25th! “Wishing you love, sunshine and

laughter...Not just for today but for all the days after...Love Mom, Dad and Ethan” Happy 3rd Birthday to Nathan Melody (CDR Melody) on April 30th! Happy Birthday to GSM3 Grdina on May 5th! “Happy Birthday with much love from me and all the

Grdina canines and horses here in Luray, Virginia...Love, Mom” Happy 39th birthday to CWO2 Young! Love, Dolly Congratulations to Brendan Young (CWO2 Young) for achieving the rank of purple belt in Taekwondo. Happy Birthday to FCSN Hall on May 6th! “"Happy birthday, Rebekah! Love, Dad and Mum" Happy Anniversary to FC1 De La Paz and his wife Jessica on May 7th! Happy 1 Year Anniversary to FC3 Daniels and wife Megan on April 23rd! Happy 1 Year Anniversary to ITC Prince and his wife Paulette on April 25th! Congratulations to Dajane' Rasberry(HM1 Wyche) on her straight A's! Congratulations to Moriah Rasberry(HM1 Wyche) for being on the honor roll and graduating from

Moanalua Middle School! Congratulations to Megan Taufi (wife of EN3 Taufi) on her graduation from Ashford University, Clinton,

Iowa on April 30th with a bachelor's degree in Health Care Administration! “Wish you could be here!” Congratulations to Third Class Petty Officer Jordan Andre Matte. “We are so proud of you! From, Mom,

Kameron, Blake, Madison & Kevin”



OPSECDon't discuss future destinations or ports of call!

Don't discuss future operations or missions!Don't discuss dates and times of when we will be in port or conducting exercises!

Don't discuss readiness issues and numbers!Don't discuss specific training equipment!

Don't discuss people's names and billets in conjunction with operations!Don't speculate about future operations!Don't spread rumors about operations!

Don't assume the enemy is not trying to collect information on you so he can kill you, he is!

Be smart, use your head, and always think OPSEC when using email or phone!



Registration starts April 18 for single service members who have custody of their children and for dual active duty and must be done in person. Open registration for all other eligible patrons

will begin May 2 and is available online only. See www.greatlifehawaii.com for more information.

THE NEWCOMERS LUNCHEON is held monthly at the Tradewinds Enlisted Club/J.R. Rockers and is open to all personnel on PCS orders (including family members on PCS orders) during the

first three months of arrival.

Saturday, May 28Two FREE Shows - 2 p.m. & 6 p.m. (doors open 30 minutes prior)

Hickam Fitness Center GymnasiumFREE

Join the furry, fuzzy and friendly muppets you know and love as they perform a special show for military families. You'll meet Katie, a military kid on Sesame Street who is moving!

Open to all military-affiliated personnel and their sponsored guests. Seating is first come, first served; no tickets needed.

ON ISLAND FAMILY FUN





Saturday, May 79 a.m. - 3 p.m.FREE EVENT AT THE HICKAM ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTER

Come see more than 130 vendors selling their original handmade art, jewelry and craft ware next to the Hickam Arts & Crafts Center. This popular annual event is open to the public.If you’re a vendor and want to register for a booth, contact the Arts & Crafts Center at 448-9907, ext. 112.

Saturday, May 14, 2011Richardson Field8:00 a.m. - NoonOpen to the publicFree admission!For more information, call (808) 449-3354

Registration Dates:March 14 - Until all stalls are sold

Mother’s Day Brunch Tickets On Sale Now Sun 8 May Officersʼ Club:Lanai | 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. Dining Room | 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.Tradewinds Enlisted Club: 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.$28.95/adult, $14.50/child (ages 7 – 12), $7.25/child (ages 4 – 6), FREE/ages 3 & youngerTreat Mom to a fabulous brunch on her special day with a plethora of offerings sure to please the whole family. Call 448-4608 ext. 11 to make your reservations at the Officersʼ Club, or 448-2271 ext. 226 for reservations at the Enlisted Club.

Text anytime for information on upcoming events: For MWR activities,text MWR to 89074. For Single Service Member programs, text LIBERTY to 89074. For movie info, text SHARKEY to 89074.

hopper newsletter may 2011

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