October 2015

Month

Remembering Capt James Ayers, USMC, KIA 26 May, 1967

Capt James W. Ayers, USMC

October 31 1934 – May 26 1967

Capt James Ayers, on his third tour to Vietnam, was killed in action on Friday May 26, 1967during Operation Union II. He was serving as the Communications Platoon Commander, Headquarters and Service Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, First Marine Division in Quang Tin, Republic of Vietnam. His name appears on Panel 20E, Row 110 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. Capt Ayers is buried about 300 yards from his parents’ house where he was born on Sugar Hill Road, Moncks Corner, SC.

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31 October 2015 5

Mentorship

Recent feedback from a teammate at a previous command…

“…although I was older in age than all of you, including Chuck, I will always consider you all my teachers and mentors. Especially David who took me to sea and literally beat that basic stuff into my head. I have been reaping the rewards of that mentorship ever since and continue to do so today. The Navy brotherhood and work ethics this group instilled in me has been invaluable in my chosen profession and in life. I will be forever grateful.”

How does your team encourage mentorship?

What legacy will you leave as a mentor?

v/r

Chuck

31 October 2015 0

From STEM to Stern

This ship is built to fight, from stem to stern! In nautical parlance, stem is synonymous with the bow of the ship. The saying stem to stern, then, represents the entire ship, or the total package. STEM has a role for the IW Officer as well, especially with regards to the total package. In this case, STEM represents degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. If you have been paying attention to selection board convening orders as of late, STEM graduate degrees have been steadily increasing in value when it comes to selection for advancement, milestone tours, and command. While we can debate the true value of an IW Officer earning a STEM degree, that is not the point of this post. The point here is to provide pro-tips for completing a STEM graduate degree, leveraging currently available programs and resources, while also identifying potential solutions to increase throughput and educate the force.

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28 October 2015 2

NSGA Clark Airbase closed on October 28, 1991.

On April 2, 1991, pilots reported seeing smoke and steam explosions emanating from Mount Pinatubo. By June it was clear that a major volcanic eruption was imminent. Clark Air Base was completely evacuated of all but security personnel on June 10^th, two days before Mount Pinatubo began the summer-long series of eruptions. The first “big” eruption hit on June 12^th. On June 14^th, the base was drenched in a sea of ash and the biggest eruption followed on June 15^th. Tens of thousands of Filipinos fled the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, along ash-clogged roads, while the U.S. began evacuating all 20,000 dependents at Clark Air Base. 700 people died in the eruption.

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28 October 2015 0

The establishment of the National Security Agency (NSA), October 24, 1952.

NSA’s Charter:

President Truman and National Security Council in October 1952 adopted most of the “Brownell Committee’s” recommendations and issued a revised version of NSCIB No. 9 on 24 October 1952.

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24 October 2015 0

The Future of… Microtransactions in Government Aquisition

Government acquisition is too hard.

Government websites are sloppy.

Its too hard to make things for governmen
t because the acquisition process stands in the way.

I say buck up! There are people successfully navigating the process because they realize – we own the process. We make the rules. It is up to us to experiment and make the system more efficient and better for the American people.

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24 October 2015 0