U S S H O P P E R

Ombudsman Newsletter September 2011 1

Ombudsman newsletter

“Dare and Do”September 2011

HOPPER Ohana News Amazing Grace

Commanding Officer:CDR Kevin MelodyExecutive Officer:CDR Al Lopez

Command Master Chief:CMDCM(SW)

Rob CuddebackOmbudsman:Kristin White

CO’s CORNERAloha HOPPER Ohana,

The arrival of September means Labor Day weekend and the end of summer are just around the corner. Fortunately for our Ohana who live in Hawaii, Labor Day is just another reason to go to the beach or grill out for dinner while you still get to enjoy warm sunny weather for the rest of the year. S e p t e m b e r a l s o m e a n s O m b u d s m a n Appreciation month. Our Ombudsman, Kristin White, volunteers her time to be a connection between the ship and the families back home. Her official responsibilities include being the point of contact for family members, communicating information between families and the command, identifying resources to help family members, and advocating for command families within the military support system. Kristin excels in this capacity and we are fortunate to have someone like her who always has a smile on her face no matter how complicated the task might be. If any of you back in Hawaii see her while you are out and about, please let her know what a great job

she is doing. Kristin, thanks very much for all that you do for our families and loved ones back home as well as all the Sailors here on HOPPER. You are a fantastic Ombudsman. A short welcome is in order here as well. Welcome to our new CMC, CMDCM(SW) Cuddeback. He has been the CMC for about 3 weeks now and is doing a fantastic job. Welcome aboard Shipmate! Thanks to everyone back home for the cards, letters, and care packages you send. Everyone eagerly awaits the word “mail call” over the announcing system after the arrival of a helicopter or replenishment ship. Please enjoy the Labor Day weekend and know we are thinking of you back home.

CDR Kevin MelodyCommanding Officer

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CMC’s CORNER

Aloha!

CMDCM Rob Cuddeback here! I relieved

CMDCM Jay Stuckey 11 August. I am proud

to be your new CMC and I am super impressed with the hard working Sailors onboard this ship.

Your Sailors are doing great things out here.

The following Sailors earned their Enlisted

Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS)

qualification:

OS3 Byun, CS3 Norman, CS3 Panado,

OS3 Raschka, OS3 Gundayao and

FC3 Irwin, BM2 Boyd, SH3 Lear, GSEFN Hansen and OSSN Burge.

The ESWS pin is one of the most difficult qualifications to obtain and a major milestone in a Sailors career. It takes hundreds of hours of preparation and

studying to pass a rigid and challenging

ESWS board that is held in the confines of the CPO Mess by our technical experts. They were pinned 18 August.

Several Sailors received awards in the

month of August. The Navy Commendation

Medal was awarded to CMDCM Stuckey

and LT O'Donnell. The Navy Achievement Medal was awarded to LTJG Hawthorne,

LTJG Martell, LTJG Tran, SH1 Figueroa,

SH2 Alcova, DC2 Avery, IC2 Milton, LS2

NgaNga, GSM3 Halili, SH3 Lear, and GSM3

Noel. LTJG Roberts was awarded the

Military Outstanding Volunteer Service

Medal.

EM2 Labutong was selected as the MIDPAC

Junior Sailor of the Quarter. He competed

against several other Sailors on the

waterfront and won!! It is very hard to win

the Junior Sailor of the Quarter competition

onboard any ship, but when you compete

against the best of the best from other ships and win……WOW!!!

We also frocked STGSN Martin to Third

Class Petty Officer! He is now STG3!

The reason our Sailors are performing so

well can only be attributed to the support that they are receiving on the home-front from all of you! Family, friends, the FRG,

and Ombudsman play critical roles in the

mission readiness of this ship, and you all have delivered! Thanks!!! We are looking

forward to our homecoming!

CMDCM (SW) Rob CuddebackCommand Master Chief

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Ombudsman Newsletter September 2011 3

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Ombudsman’s Corner

Helpful 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

Aloha HOPPER Friends and Families!

I trust that everyone is happy to be turning another page on their calendar, bringing us that much closer to the the day we are all counting down to! Although we still have a couple of months to get to that point, the excitement is beginning to build, as the end of deployment seems within our reach!

Our Sailors continue to work hard while they are away, which means those of us here at home are working hard also. Please remember to take some time for yourself, if at all possible, especially those of you taking care of our HOPPER kids. Just a few hours, or a day to yourself can sometimes give you a fresh beginning and make a world of difference.

Have you started a countdown yet? It is difficult for younger children to

grasp the concept of time. This is a fun way to get the kids involved and help them to visualize when their Sailor is coming home! A couple of ideas are:•Make a paper “chain” with one link for each day remaining...take one link off each day and watch the chain get shorter.•Count the number of days left and then count out that many pieces of a favorite candy (M&M’s, jelly beans, etc) and fill a small glass bowl or jar with them. Let your child eat one each day, knowing that as the candy “disappears”, their Sailor is getting that much closer to being home (you can also use marbles or pennies in place of candy.)•Give your child a calendar (or print out monthly calendar pages from the Internet). Circle the day their parent is coming home. Get some stickers and let them place a sticker on each day that passes at the end of the day. They will be able to watch as the “circle” day gets closer and closer.

Happy Counting Down!

As the Ombudsman, I am a volunteer appointed by the Command to serve as a liaison between the families and the command. I work as an advocate for the families and I can provide you with many resources to address most problems. I am always available for you, so please feel free to contact me at any time, for any concern. I can be r e a c h e d b y e m a i l a t hopperomb@gmail.com or by phone at 808.864.3199.

Take Care, Kristin White

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FRG CornerFRG Board

President: Sarah McClain

Vice President: Amy Norman

Treasurer: Sara White

Secretary: Sandy Thompson

Upcoming Events:

September 6, 2011~

FRG Meeting

6:30pm Catlin Park Community Center

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

Ombudsman Email list, please email frghopper70@yahoo.com!

Hello Hopper Families,

I hope you all are doing great and getting excited about the homecoming. The planning for this great event is going smoothly. I just want to say thank you to everyone who participated in our Scentsy fundraiser. It went really well. Coming up in September we will be having our monthly meeting on September 6th at 6:30pm at the Catlin Park Community Center. Hope to see you all there. We will be starting our first kiss ticket sale. Each ticket is $1.00 and a week before the homecoming we will be doing a blind raffle and one lucky person will get the chance to have their Sailor come off the ship first and receive the first kiss. I will also be starting to put together the guest list for homecoming, so if you do not have a military ID and need to get on base, I will need all the names of the people attending so I can put their name on my list. Also this meeting the shoeboxes for the shoebox fundraiser are due. We will be wrapping them and sending them out on the 12th. Also the squares for the sign are due on the 6th so please don't forget to bring those so we can get the sign put together and sent out. Thank you all for your participation and for supporting your Sailor. Have a great September. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at FRGhopper70@yahoo.com

Sarah McClainUSS HOPPERFRG President

~Our spouses serve as we serve, every bit as much. They do not bear the arms, but their open arms provide strength and comfort. They do not set the ship's course, but their internal compass keeps the family ready and on track. They do not ford the stream or build the bridge, but the bridge they provide back to the home sustains and

improves the morale and performance of entire units.~

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Ombudsman Newsletter September 2011! 5

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Celebrations & Congratulations!✴GM2 Henson, Coty - Happy Anniversary! Love you.... - Britt

✴IT2 Thompson We met in the 6th grade then we started dating after High school, and now we are celebrating our 1st anniversary as husband & Wife; Happy 1st year sweat heart I can't wait to spend the many more years to come! I love you forever & always! Sandy Thompson

✴ FCCS White~ Happy 10th Anniversary (September 2nd) to the man of my dreams! I love you more with each passing day... xoxo Love always, Kristin

✴FCCS White~ Happy 35th Birthday on September 13th OLD MAN! We love you to pieces!! Love, Kristin, Kaia and Layla.

✴ENS Hammon Happy Birthday (September 24th) Felicia, we love you and can't wait for you to be back at home again. Have a wonderful birthday. Love, Mom and all the family

✴CWO2 Young and his family will celebrate their half way point on August 31st!

✴CWO2 Young..congrats to Brendan for surviving the Sports Endurance class.. way to go BUBBA!✴I would like to wish my wife Dolly a happy 15 anniversary on September 7th.  I love you. (submitted by: CWO2 Joe Young)✴CWO2 Young.. happy 15th wedding anniversary on Sept 7th and 14th!!!  Love you!

✴We honor the memory of Mrs. Lavonne Baker, grandmother to FC2 Baker. Her passing is a tremendous loss for her family and community.✴Happy 30th Birthday to my wifey Paulette Prince.  Looks like you’re moving on up in the World!  Anyways, I wish I could be there babe.  I Love You! (submitted by: ITC Clarence Prince)✴Happy Two year Anniversary Britt it has been a great two years I love you and I miss you. (submitted by: GM2 Coty Henson)✴HAPPY 5th Birthday Mr. Maddox Cooper!!  I can't wait to give you BIG hugs and Kisses!  Love you ALL the way to the moon and back! (submitted by: YN1 Jennifer Archuleta)✴September 23- Happy Birthday to my amazing husband- FC1 Gabriel De La Paz. I love you and miss you and can't wait to celebrate your birthday when you return.  Gemma sends you baby cuddles and she can not wait to meet her daddy, she says HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! We are eagerly counting down until our family is complete again. Enjoy YOUR day and know that your family sends all of their love and support. Besos y abrazos - Your wife, Jessica and Baby girl Gemma

✴DCFN Toquero, Steven Happy Birthday Hunny!!! May all your wishes come true.Wish I could be with you on this special day. I can't wait to see you soon ;)...I love you hunny!!!Muah

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✴Happy 9th birthday to my son, Grant! (AUG 25) Mommy loves you and misses you a lot! I will see you soon.....Love, MOMMY (submitted by: SH2 MEDINA)✴FCCS Kevin White Birthday: September 13. Happy 35th Birthday Son. Guess you were always meant to be a Sailor!!! Love you, Mom and Dad✴Happy 10th anniversary to my wonderful wife Kristin, you are the love of my life.  I look forward to many more years together! (submitted by: FCCS White)✴Happy 6th Anniversary baby; miss you ‘n Mack so much!!  Be home soon!!  (submitted by: ENS Tyler Kelley)✴Happy 1st Birthday, Easton! Daddy is so proud of the big boy you've become. I hope that you have a great first birthday and that Mommy and Dayton take extra-good care of you. Don't forget to share your cake with everyone else. I love you buddy. - Daddy (submitted by: LT Brandon Booher)✴Happy Birthday (September 28) SR Janice Taylor- 21 yrs you have come a long way! We love you! Mom, Dad, Mel and Leah.✴IT1 McClain September 14th Happy Birthday Bobby we love you and miss you bunches!✴IT1 McClain  My son's September Birthday will be spent on a ship far away. We send to him happy wishes as he sails away with all the fishes. Love mom✴IT1 McClain Happy Birthday Big Bro.... from your lil sis!

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Ombudsman Newsletter September 2011 7

Helpful Courses Offered for our Navy Families:

SEPT 2011

Your Military and Family Support Center, offers a variety of classes to help meet the unique demands of the military lifestyle. Classes are held at our convenient MFSC locations, 4827 Bougainville Drive, Moanalua Navy Services Center, or 655 Vickers Avenue, JBPHH (Hickam). For more information contact the MFSC-Pearl Harbor at 474-1999 or MFSC-Hickam at 449-0300.

6 SEPT 1100-1230: MANAGING MONEY AND CREDIT (MFSC PEARL HARBOR)

Learn the basic skills and techniques for managing your money and budgeting; gain awareness of credit cards and loans; and learn how to plan savings goals.

8 SEPT 1700-2000: TILL DEBT DO US PART (MFSC-PEARL HARBOR) Financial class for couples. Class discussions include the differences in thinking about money situations and exercises for couples to see if they really know their spouse’s spending habits. Attendees will work with their spouses to come up with short and long term goals, planning out a budget together, and deciding on savings and investment goals. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

12-13, 14-15, and 21-22 SEPT 0730-1530: MILLION DOLLAR SAILOR / AIRMAN (MFSC PEARL HARBOR / WAHIAWA / HICKAM AFB / KBAY)

This two-day class covers everything that one will need to know to be financially informed. Topics include; Pay and Allowances, how to read the LES, the importance of knowing they are responsible for that information being correct, Savings and Investments, Thrift Savings Plan, Insurance (all types, car, home, renters, umbrella, etc), 2 Hours of Car Buying strategies, consumer information to include pay day loans, spending plan (budget), how that effects a security clearance, establishing credit, maintaining credit, credit reports, and credit scores. We also offer a great program that includes a budget as well as how to get debts paid off quickly. For most people it's a real eye-opener. Attendees are allowed to wear civilian clothes to this class.

21 SEPT 0900-1300: JEMS JOB FAIR (PEARL HARBOR)

Come network at Club Pearl with more than 100 companies. Open to members of the military community with base access. For more information visit www.JEMSjobs.com (No children or strollers admitted)

General Military Training (GMT) and RETURN AND REUNION (R&R) Our experienced staff will also go to your Command or Family Readiness Group meeting and present a General Military Training (GMT) or conduct an R&R for any command within two months of returning from deployment at a time and place convenient for your crew on a variety of topics.

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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!

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ON ISLAND FAMILY FUN

MWR's annual DAY FOR KIDS Saturday, Sept. 17 3-6 p.m. Ward Field FREEThis year's theme is FLASHBACK TO THE '80S.

• Bounce houses, crafts and games• Entertainment

• Sponsor tents sharing goodies• Have your photo taken in ’80s-style with retro costumes provided

“Build-Your-Own” Snackbar Station Experience

Fall Camp will be held on October 3-7.

See www.greatlifehawaii.com for more details.

Joint Employment Management Service

Annual JOB FAIR

Wednesday, Sept. 21

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Club Pearl

FREE