1

BIG FAMILY BIGGER HEART

pg. 4

pg. 6

LIFE OF A SURGEON

Cmdr. Frosolone’s story

INSIDE:

July 28, 2013 Vol. 39 No. 24

2

Public Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Karin Burzynski

Media LCPOMCC (SW/AW) Mike JonesMedia Production Chief

MCC (SW) Gregory RobertsMedia LPO

MC1 (AW/SW) Michael ColeEditor

MC2 (SW) Jason Behnke Lead Designer

MCSA Andrew Price

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions must be in by Friday, COB. Submissions are subject to review and screening. “Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families. Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

Commanding OfficerCapt. Jeff Ruth

Executive OfficerCmdr. John Cummings

Command Master ChiefCMDCM Teri M. McIntyre

Media DepartmentMC2 (SW/AW) Jacquelyn Childs

MC2 (SW) Ashley BerumenMC2 (SW) Nichelle Bishop

MC2 (SW) Devin WrayMC2 (SW) Ryan Mayes

MC2 (SW/AW) Alexander Ventura IIMC3 (SW) Renée L. Candelario

MC3 (SW) Shayne JohnsonMC3 Jacob Milner

MC3 Christopher BartlettMC3 (SW) George J Penney III

MC3 Raul MorenoMC3 Linda S. SwearingenMC3 (SW/AW) Jess Lewis

MC3 Vanessa DavidMC3 W. J. CousinsMC3 Derek VollandMC3 Phil Ladouceur

MC3 (SW) Sam Souvannason MC3 (SW) Nathan McDonald

MC3 Joshua HaiarMCSN Kole CarpenterMCSN Derek HarkinsMCSN Kaitlyn Haskett

MCSN Eric ButlerMCSN Siobhana McEwen

MCSA Aiyana Paschal MCSA Kelly Agee

MCSA Victoria Ochoa

ON THE COVER: Cmdr. Charles Frosolone, right, ship’s surgeon, and Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Lawson, ship’s oral surgeon, perform surgery. Photo by MCSA Kelly Agee

As we look around us, the world seems to be in more turmoil now than ever. From wars throughout the Middle East to the po-tential of economic collapse, there is plenty to give us worry. Now more than ever we need a sense of peace in our lives. Where do we turn for peace?

I would like to share an experience I had in my own family before I left on a deployment to Iraq in 2007. I was deploy-ing with a Marine infantry battalion to the insurgent hot bed of Hadithah.

After putting the kids to bed, my wife and I were talking and we heard the muffled cries of our then seven-year-old son. I went into his room to see what was the matter. He was sobbing into his pillow. I asked what was wrong and he sobbed out, “Dad, why do you have to go?” What do you tell a seven year-old? What could I tell him that would make it all better? Not much really. So what did I do? I took him out of his bed and held him.

As I have thought about that experi-ence, I think God our Father stands ready to do essentially the same for us. Through-out scripture there are many, many promis-es that the Lord will be with us, to bring us comfort in our time of need. If we will only allow him into our life, we will feel the arms of His everlasting love embrace us with a

warmth and a peace that can come in no other way.

In many ways we are like seven-year-olds in the eyes of God. We cannot clearly see God’s purposes. What offers us the most comfort is not always answers to our questions of “why”, but simply to feel the warmth and peace of His presence and know that He cares for us.

When I’m deployed away from my family I cannot hold my son and bring him comfort. However, God can and will bring peace and comfort anytime, anyplace, whether on the battlefield of a distant land, in the middle of the Gulf of Arabia, or amidst the chaos and emptiness of a tempo-rary fatherless/motherless home.

In the Christian scriptures Jesus prom-ises to give peace. That is what we hope and pray for. The promises and assurances of peace and comfort found in scripture are true. I know because I have tested them. On three combat deployments to Iraq I have felt God’s love and assurance; that His hand is over all.

How do we invite His presence and his peace into our lives? It is as simple as asking. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Will you ask Him into your life?

By Lt. Cdr. Brandon Harding

3

4

BEING A PARENT in the Navy can be challeng-ing for anyone. With long deployments comes time spent away from loved ones, missed birth-days and not being home for the holidays.

Yeoman 1st Class Cindy S. Coulter, of Grand Junction, Colo., is the mother of 13 children and grand-mother of eight.

Together with her husband, who is a stay-at-home par-ent and computer programmer, Coulter has five children of her own, six adopted children and two foster children.

“My oldest child is 31 years old and my youngest is 10 years old,” said Coulter. “We’re currently in the process of adopting a seven-month-old.”

The six children that Coulter and her husband took custody of in 2003 while she was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Stennis (CVN 74) and legally adopted in 2009 are all special needs children that require around-the-clock care.

“We have a nanny and respite care for 40 hours a month for each child,” said Coulter.

Respite care is temporary relief for family members who care for a child with special needs.

All of Coulter’s adopted children are her nieces and nephews, and when they needed a new home, Coulter and her husband took them in.

“Two of my children are foster children that we are in the process of legally adopting,” said Coulter. “They were friends of one of my other adopted children and their par-ents needed someone to step in and take care of them.”

Five of Coulter’s adopted children currently live with her and her husband in Washington state where Nimitz is homeported and three of her children are in the military.

“One of my sons just got out of the Navy, another of my sons is in the Army and one of my daughters is in the Air

Force,” said Coulter.When Coulter was transferring to Nimitz, she and

her husband went through a long process of becoming li-censed foster parents in the state of Washington.

“We had to become licensed foster parents in the state of Washington to be able to adopt the seven-month-old,” said Coulter.

Coulter said her and her husband’s reasons for wanting to adopt eight of her children were simple.

“We wanted to do the right thing and to give them some

BIGLOVE

story by MC3 Linda Swearingen

5

Over the years Coulter has become very familiar with the Navy’s exceptional family members (EFM) program, Family Care Plans and using respite care through Tri-Care which has helped her to provide the care her children need.

According to Coulter, being a parent to her 13 children always has challenges, but there is never a dull moment in their house and they are the driving force in her family.

“We take it a day at a time,” said Coulter. “Some days it can be a challenge, but we’re the blessed ones and it is always worth it to make a difference in their lives and our own.”

stability and a loving environment,” said Coulter. Coulter has been in the Navy for 17 years so far and said

she plans on staying active duty for 22 years before she retires and goes into the reserves.

“I couldn’t do it without the help of the military,” said Coulter. “They wrote letters of recommendation of character so I could get immediate custody of the children and even-tually adopt them. They also helped me with getting a bigger house and provided a way for me to appear in court via phone when I was on deployment.”

YN1 C

oulter poses with her fam

ily. Courtesy Photo

6

LIFE OF ASURGEONPhotos by MCSA Kelly M. Agee

Story by PSSN Alry H. Buechner

People come from all walks of life and have differ-ent passions, but it takes a special person to save lives. Cmdr. Charles Frosolone, of Whidbey Island, Wash., ship’s surgeon aboard the aircraft carrier USS

Nimitz (CVN 68), has been saving lives around the world for more than 33 years.

“Being a surgeon means to me to be able to use my years of study and experience to guide my mind and hands to help others to overcome disease, disability and sometimes even death,” said Frosolone.

Frosolone graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in biology and later graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin.

“My favorite subject in college was the biological scienc-es,” said Frosolone.

For the next five years Frosolone learned his specialties in medicine through on-the-job training. He did his general

surgeon residency in Portland, Ore. Following his general residency, Frosolone completed one year of residency for trauma and intensive care in San Diego. Later he did two years of residency for plastic surgery in Albany, N.Y. Once completed with his residencies, Frosolone worked as the trauma surgeon in San Diego at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center and Mercy Hospital.

In September of 1992, Frosolone decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an officer in the United States Navy.

“I joined at age 41 because I wanted to serve my country as my family on both sides have always served in every war since the Civil War,” said Frosolone. “I chose the Navy be-cause my father was a naval officer, and I grew up in a Navy town. I thought I would be in the Navy for just a few years, and that was almost 20 years ago.”

Frosolone’s father, Angelo, was an immigrant from Italy

7

who came over as a child with his family. Angelo worked his way through Cornell University and graduated in 1940. Working as a Naval Reserve officer in World War II in the Pacific and the Korean Conflict, he retired as a lieutenant commander. After Angelo left the Navy, he worked as a ci-vilian at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a physicist.

“To my dad, the highest educational achievement was to be a physician,” said Frosolone. “He would say, ‘I want you to be a doc’.”

Throughout his naval career, Frosolone said he has made his father proud. In 2010, he was head surgeon for Charlie Surgical Company, 1st Medical Battalion with the Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Charlie Surgical Company was a small forward surgical team supporting the Marines in forward operating bases. Frosolone spent seven months living with them and operating out of tents.

He served another deployment in 2008 on the USNS Stockham (T-AK-3017) where he was part of a shipboard small surgical team in support of special operations. The Stockham patrolled off the southern most part of the Phil-ippines supporting the Global War on Terror. He also de-ployed for shorter amounts of time to different places around the world with the Army and Air Force. Their mission was mostly to teach other nations about trauma and disaster care. Completing humanitarian deployments to Africa, Asia and South America have been some career highlights for Froso-lone.

Currently serving aboard Nimitz as the ship’s surgeon, Frosolone performs minor to major surgeries from remov-ing moles, to appendectomies, to managing life threatening trauma victims.

“Our most common surgery lately seems to be people get-ting fingers and hands caught in hatches,” said Frosolone.

The surgical team that assists Frosolone includes, Hos-pital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcos Guevara and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eloy Rodriguez who work as his sur-gical technicians and nurse anesthetist, Lt. Tim Hall, whom he has worked with before deployment. Lt. Cmdr. Lawson, the oral and facial surgeon on board Nimitz, and her tech-nician Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Paul Duarte also assist the surgical team in many of the surgeries.

“I have a great team and I could not do it without them,” said Frosolone.

In March of 2014, Frosolone will be retiring and starting a new life as a civilian. His future plans include retiring to Whidbey Island and working in the local hospital as a gener-al surgeon. He also wants to spend time traveling the world performing surgeries for missionary work in third world countries and spend more time with his wife Susan and their daughter Annie, who just graduated high school. After all the hard work Frosolone has done in the Navy, Frosolone has earned a little time for rest and relaxation. The Sailors on board Nimitz are greatful to Frosolone for his hard work and dedication to the United States Navy and wish him luck in his future endeavors.

Nim

itz surgical team celebrates a successful surgery.

8

Sixty years ago, the armistice ending the fighting in Korea was signed at Panmunjom. But the war is hardly remembered at all by most Americans, leading it to be dubbed “The Forgotten War.”

The two nations we commonly refer to as North and South Korea, more properly known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK), originated from an agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States at the end of World War II.

When Japan surrendered, all the forces above the 38th Parallel in Korea surrendered to the Soviet Union, and those to the south surrendered to the United States. The Soviets backed Kim Il Sung, and the Americans backed Syngman Rhee. When the United Nations declared there should be national elections to determine the will of the Korean people, the northern part of the country refused to cooperate and declared the establishment of the DPRK under Sung, and in the south the ROK was founded under President Rhee.

The Korean War began June 25, 1950 when the forces of the DPRK, with the approval of the Soviet Union and China, moved southward across the 38th Parallel. ROK resistance crumbled quickly. On June 27, President Harry S. Truman ordered the occupying forces in Japan under General MacArthur to give support to the ROK. On July 1, the first troops landed in Korea.

It was a time of enormous uncertainty. American military commanders were worried about defending Europe from Soviet aggression. They were worried that the attack in Korea was a distraction.

Also, the United States had stood down quickly at the end of World War II. Soldiers and Sailors had been quickly and effectively moved out of the armed forces and back into the civilian world. The U.S. military shrank from 12 million men in 1945 to 1.6 million in 1950. The defense budget had

dropped from $82 billion to $13 billion. Suddenly the United States found itself faced with the same naked aggression that marked the beginning of the last war, complicated by the development of nuclear weapons.

Through July and August, the ROK and American forces were pushed back by the DPRK assault. Making their stand around Pusan, they were able to stabilize their defenses against the onslaught from the north.

Pusan, now known as Busan (a place familiar to many Sailors on board USS Nimitz), was, as it is now, the largest port in Korea. It was here that the ROK and American forces received reinforcements and supplies to maintain a foothold on the peninsula.

Sept. 15, the successful amphibious assault on Inchon in the north allowed American and ROK forces to break out of Pusan and push north and retake Seoul. In a month, the DPRK had been pushed back and their invasion ended.

But when U.S. troops crossed the 38th Parallel and pushed all the way north to the Yalu River, it brought China into the war. This pushed back American forces. By the end of the first year of the war, the front lines had largely congealed.

The Korean War initially unfolded with highly mobile tactics, moving quickly over the landscape. But the mountainous terrain prevented the use of tanks in the same way they had been used in Europe during World War II. For the majority of the war, the situation was a static line of fortified positions. When veterans of World War I observed the bunkers, foxholes and trenches on the front line, they were reminded of the battlefields of that war.

There was continued fighting, but there were no significant territorial gains. Peace negotiations took place over the two-year period and were constantly stuck on the exchange of POWs.

Many of the prisoners didn’t want to be returned, but DPRK and China insisted on their return as a condition of

CONFLICT:Story by MC3 Phil Ladouceur KOREA

9

an armistice, while the U.S. insisted on the principle that prisoners should only return voluntarily. Eventually this was accepted by DPRK and China.

The Armistice Agreement was signed 27 July 1953, and essentially restored the borders to near their prewar state at the 38th Parallel, with the addition of the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ). Despite its name, it is one of the most heavily fortified and patrolled places in the world.

Sixty years later, the Korean War remains at the edges of most Americans awareness. But the citizens of the Republic of Korea remember the efforts that American service members made to preserve their freedom. If not for them, all of Korea would be under the government of Kim Jong Un. The vibrancy of the city of Busan is a testimony to the sacrifice and bravery of those who came before us.

The Korean War was the last conflict between two global powers, China and the United States. But it was also the first of the new wars, the limited wars that would define the remainder of the Cold War. It helped establish the direction of American foreign policy for the next 40 years.

And because of the Chinese intervention in Korea, Navy warships were moved in to protect the island of

Formosa, where the Chinese Nationalist forces had retreated after losing to the communists. This show of force showed China that we were willing to defend not only the ROK, but also what became the nation of Taiwan.

Even those who know nothing about the Korean War should find it hauntingly familiar. A war fought under the authority of a United Nations resolution, fought in a limited, conventional manner, with jet aircraft and helicopters flying in support of ground troops. The Korean War established how wars would be fought in the age of nuclear weapons; they would be fought without them.

On this anniversary of the end of the war, we should take the time to begin to remember it.

To learn more about the Korean War, visit www.history.navy.mil.

Marines land on Inchon.So

ldie

rs la

y in

a fo

x ho

le.

10

Story and photo by MCSN Derek Harkins

For many Sailors and Marines aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), a vis-it to the dental office may be one that they dread. Some may cringe at the thought of a light shining down on their face and the piercing buzz of a drill.

SMILE

11

Maintaining dental readiness is the responsibility of every ser-vice member in the United States military.

According to Lt. Bryan Behm, the Dental Division officer aboard Nimitz, service members are required to attend yearly den-tal checkups and keep up on all urgent dental work they require. While Behm says that most service members aboard Nimitz meet these requirements, many Sailors and Marines do push right up to the boundaries and procrastinate.

“People do put important work off,” said Behm. “I think the biggest part is that people don’t like the dentist. Many of them also don’t want to take the time or commitment necessary.”

According to Hospital Corpsman Wendi Collier, a dental-tech aboard Nimitz, the reason for this dislike may be deeply rooted in a person’s past.

“I think that [some] people have a phobia [of the dentist],” said Collier. “Many people had bad experiences as a child with dentists. That experience follows them through their life.”

The military does not require that service members visit a den-tist excessively. Healthy Sailors and Marines are only required to make yearly visits, and only those with serious dental problems (such as cavities or gingivitis) are required to visit more frequently. In fact, dental operations outside of these mandatory measures are usually not practical aboard a ship.

“On a carrier, we mostly provide urgent dental work,” said Behm.

While some optional procedures can be performed, they are not part of the dental office’s primary mission, especially during deployment. The office’s schedule is full, which mainly allows for only important work to be performed.

While ashore, Sailors and Marines’ dental care is broader. Shore facilities can provide optional services that a ship’s dental depart-ment cannot.

“One of the biggest problems for people outside of the military [with dental care] is insurance,” said Behm. “[Service members] have that.”

This service is not only affordable, but free. It allows for service members to maintain dental well-being for the good of mission readiness.

According to Behm, putting off check ups and dental work for too long can result in serious repercussions for the individual ser-vice member. These may include being charged with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice and a negative change in service members’ class of dental status.

“[Active duty service members have] free dental care,” said Behm. “If you have potential needs, you want those to be taken care of before they become urgent.”

While some Sailors and Marines may fear paying a visit to Nim-itz’ Dental Department, Collier says that most people leaving their shop don’t seem to regret spending time there at all. The Sailors as-signed to Nimitz’ dental department are committed to excellence, just like every other Sailor in the Navy.

“Most people leave this office saying that we did a good job, and that they’re glad they came in,” said Collier.

12

Whether great or small, the trials faced to-day inform the decisions of tomorrow, and it is in the crucible of adversity that leadership is forged. Enlisted Sailors go-ing through the application process for

Officer Candidate School (OCS) find this out firsthand. Yeoman 3rd Class Tiffany Scott is one such Sailor, and

although her application wasn’t selected this time, she found the process itself to be a learning experience.

“Just getting the application was a bit of a challenge,” said Scott. “The forms on the ship’s intranet are outdated and I didn’t know where to look.”

Now, the OCS application can be completed electron-ically.

“The application process is now pretty much completely

online,” said Lt. Daniel Macabe, OCS coordinator. “There are still things applicants need to get signed, however, and appli-cants must meet with an officer recruiter.”

While one might expect that competition among OCS candidates would be fierce, it was the applicants’ teamwork and ability to work together that proved integral.

“I got a lot of help from my fellow shipmates who were applying,” said Scott. “What one person might not know, an-other would. We tried to help each other out. It wasn’t cut throat or anything like that. We tried to uplift each other and help each other any way we could along the way.”

Although getting picked up for OCS is competitive, it offers better odds than other options, partially due to its ed-ucational requirements.

“People applying for OCS must have either a bachelor’s

Story and photo by MC3 (SW) Nathan McDonald

13

or master’s degree,” said Macabe. “However, the STA-21 program was extremely competitive. Less than 10 percent of applicants were picked up. We’ve had five applicants for OCS this year. One person has already been picked up and the other four are still pending.”

Scott also stressed the importance of patience through-out the application process, as any number of unforeseen hurdles can present themselves every step of the way.

“Things can get held up easily,” said Scott. “It takes time for things to get processed and to get everything together. It can take a bit longer on a ship just because you have to wait for things to get mailed.”

Scott’s chain of command helped her through the pro-cess, though.

“My chain of command was very helpful,” said Scott. “They came in and helped with recommendation letters and appraisals. They made sure things got routed properly. They played a big role when game day came. They really had my back and pushed for me to strive for more.”

Taking a thorough and honest approach to the applica-tion is important as well, Scott said.

“You definitely want someone to check your essays for grammar and punctuation,” said Scott. “Your application is a reflection of you and you want to pay attention to details and present the best you possible. You can be the greatest person in the world, but if you don’t put time into your package you’re going to come across bad. Let them get a sense of who you are.”

Thoroughness is just as important as any other step of the process, as well.

“You have to really do your homework,” said Scott. “Familiarize yourself with the instruction. Talk to others doing the same thing and help each other out. I can’t stress that enough. Double check everything and follow up on ev-erything. You need to have an understanding of what you’re doing so you know the right questions to ask. No one is go-

ing to ask for you.” For Scott, leadership is as much about perspective as

it is ability. “I know that if I came in straight out of high school I

wouldn’t have been ready,” said Scott. “Now, I’ve achieved my educational goals and have work experience from be-ing a civilian. I like the opportunity to help guide people and lead them – to be a positive influence on the people under you. I want to show people that there is potential here whether you’re just here to pay for college or if you want to make it a career. You’re in control of your destiny. It just takes determination.”

Macabe offered advice for Sailors contemplating ap-plying for OCS.

“Speak to me as soon as possible,” said Macabe. “To be eligible to apply you just have to cross the finish line – you have to have a degree. It will make you more competitive if you have a technical degree or advanced degree like a mas-ter’s, though. Having a full calculus series and general phys-ics will definitely help you out, as well.”

While she wasn’t picked up this time around, Scott is maintaining her focus and keeping an eye to the future.

“I had no expectations of it going perfectly,” said Scott. “I just want to work at being a super Sailor, so to speak, and get my package in. I want to show perseverance. A lot of people can talk. You have to show that you’re a person of ac-tion. As long as you do your part and take care of the things you have to take care of the rest will come together.”

Macabe also encouraged applicants to stay focused on their goals and to not give up.

“There are a lot of different roads out there if you’re interested in becoming an officer,” he said. “There’s the Na-val Academy, STA-21 and ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps). If some of those roads close, there are always the limited duty officer and warrant officer programs. You have to have the tenacity to keep trying until you make it.”

14

11Finance

Individual Stocks,Options,

Commodities,and FuturesA FUN ANd EASy GUIdE by

CdR. MAtthEw MILLERN33/N35 SUb OpS/FUtURE pLANS

pARt twO

My Personal Lesson LearnedI’ll caveat this section by saying I never “played”

with my retirement accounts. I was a single JO who had saved a bunch of money and decided to see what trading was all about. I used a Discount Brokerage where I paid $9.99 per trade. I would read about a stock in an article, or listen to others (who were no savvier than me), or watch the business shows and then go buy it. I did very little personal research on any of the companies I bought and had no strategy. The euphoria of making tens of thousands of dollars in a single day often made me think why I had a day job at all. I was trading on margin and was making huge sums of money. I was not completely “Day Trading” (where you buy and sell stocks over a matter of minutes or hours trying to make quick money), but I might as well have been. A few of the companies I bought and sold included Microsoft, Dell, Real Networks, JDS Uniphase, Oracle, Lucent, Nextel, Lowes, Cisco, Tyco, and many others. The euphoria of course only lasted until the Tech Bubble burst and then it all came crashing down. The problem was no one had any idea just how far this crash would go. This was from 1999 through early 2001 and I lost well over 50% of the money I had at the peak. The biggest roller coaster ride in the world paled in comparison to the emotional highs and lows during those two years I traded stocks! I rode the wave both up and down, which only made the fact that you can’t time the market a reality for me. I finally learned my lesson and closed the account. Whatever you choose to do with individual stocks, I highly recommend you don’t do what I did. The only good that came from all that was I learned a very valuable lesson and now

have a rock solid, long-term investment strategy. I am a huge believer that it is o.k. to use poor judgment and make mistakes as long as you learn from them and don’t repeat the same mistake over and over.

Options are closely tied to individual stocks. The difference is an Option is the right to buy or sell a share of stock at a pre-determined price. This sounds confusing, but I’ll explain.

Call Option – A call option is the right to buy a stock. For example, company XYZ may be trading at $100 per share today (June 28, 2013). A call option will have a price and time horizon associated with it and will be something like, “the right to buy 1 share of company XYZ at $105 by September 21st, 2018.” September 21st is the “expiration date” (Options expire on the third Friday of each month) and $105 is the “strike price.” If the price of XYZ goes above $105, the option is considered “in the money.” If the price does not go up to $105, the option is “out of the money” or also “underwater.” How much would a September 21st Call Option at $105 cost if XYZ is trading at $100 on June 28th? The answer is “it depends.” It depends on several key factors including interest rates, the volatility of the stock, the time to expiration, the current price, etc. You may have heard of the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model that calculates what the price of an Option should be based on all these factors. Bottom line is in the above example, the price of the Option would probably be just a few dollars (lots of assumptions here). As the price of the stock moves up, the price of the Option moves up, but the percentage gain in the Option is significantly higher. If the stock price goes up $5 ($100 to $105), then that is a 5% return. If the Option price goes up $5 (approximately $5 to $10), that would be a 100% return. You can make a lot of money trading Options. The reverse is true. If the stock goes down $5 ($100 to $95), then that is a 5% loss. If the price of the stock does not get above $105 by September 21st, the Option expires worthless and you lose 100% of your investment. You can lose a lot of money trading options. Call Options are risky and are frequently used as part of complex hedging strategies and by gamblers betting on stock prices rising quickly.

Put Option – A put option is the exact same idea, but it is the right to sell a stock. If the stock price goes down significantly, you still have the right to sell the stock at the strike price of the Put Option. There is the same potential

Options

15

for large swings in the price of the Option for Puts as well as Calls. Again, these are used as part of complex hedging strategies and gamblers betting on stock prices FALLING quickly.

Bottom line – Options are not for the faint of heart. They are highly volatile and generally most effective if used as part of a broader, complex trading strategy.

Commodities and Futures are similar to Options. Commodities include things like Soybeans, Pork Bellies, Cattle, Copper, Silver, Gold, and other tangible “things.” Sometimes the terms are somewhat interchangeable in that Futures just means the contract to buy/sell commodities in the future. Futures also include things like trading financial products in the future like S&P 500 Index Futures. Whereas Options are simply financial products, Commodities include the delivery of something. Commodities Futures were used by Farmers (mostly in the Midwest) to guarantee a price for their products in the market. For example, they would sign contracts that required the delivery of a set amount of Soybeans on a certain date and they would be guaranteed a certain price. Commodity prices move up and down based on weather changes, crop yields, economic changes, and so on. It’s all the same idea as Options except somebody needs to receive the Soybeans on the day they are due and pay the Farmer. These are also high-risk trading products that allow you to use leverage to make or lose a lot of money very quickly.

Closing

This article was only the tip of the iceberg related to buying individual stocks and trading in Options, Commodities, and Futures. It can get quite risky and complex. The easy solution is to just ignore all this and buy Mutual Funds (preferably Index Funds). As Warren Buffet said, Index Funds are ideal for the great majority of investors. Of the 5000+ Sailors on board, I would expect 99% of us fall into the category of “the great majority of investors.”

Commodities and Futures