Navy's 2009 Foreign Language Awards - RADM George Patrick March Award - his legacy in love of languages lives on

The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), Monterey, CA, sponsors an annual competition to recognize excellence in two categories:

(1) individual achievement by a Foreign Language Professional, and
(2) exceptional performance by a Command Language Program.

Making this year's selection was a particular challenge. I was pleased to note that the 2009 nominations were most impressive, and selection of only one Navy nominee in each category for the larger cross-service competitions proved difficult. With that in mind, I am pleased to announce Navy's Foreign Language Excellence winners as:

-- Language Professional of the Year: CTI2 Douglas Dixon of Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Texas

-- Command Language Program of the Year: NIOC Maryland

Navy's winners will be nominated for the larger cross-Service award competition which will be decided prior to the Command Language Program Manager (CLPM) conference in Monterey, CA scheduled for May 2010.

Our selections represent the superior levels of linguistic proficiencies represented throughout the Navy, and our expectations are high for the cross-Service competition. Please join me in congratulating Petty Officer Dixon and Captain Steven Ashworth, CO, NIOC Maryland on their achievements. Also, I ask that you join me in extending a hearty "well done" to all who participated in this highly competitive program.

Widest dissemination within the Navy Information Warfare, Special Warfare, and Intelligence communities is requested.

RADM D.P. Holloway, USN
Navy Senior Language Authority

A Naval officer, above all . . .

recognizes his responsibilities and therefore does not accept them lightly. A Naval officer understands that his word is his bond, exercised by everyday actions and daily decisions. A Naval officer will not waft through life selfish or disconnected, like someone who carries a fickle mind. A Naval officer, the genuine article, will not make promises he cannot keep, and chooses his words as carefully as he does his commitments. And because a Naval officer honors his words, he is in turn honored in his actions.

We have a duty to remember their sacrifice - Cryptologic Technicians Earn Purple Hearts

Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 1st Class Aaron Windle, from Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA) San Diego, was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in Iraq January 29, 2005.

The medal was presented by Rear Adm. Joseph Maguire, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, in a ceremony held at NSGA San Diego on March 1, 2005.

While on patrol, Windle’s unit surveyed a gap in a wall before passing, but as Windle passed through, he was shot just above the clavicle, knocking him down instantly. The unit’s corpsman responded immediately, using gauze to help stop the bleeding.

“When it happened, I did not know what was going on. I didn’t know where I was shot, or if it was serious," CTI1 Windle said. "It was an act of God, and I feel grateful to come through it as well as I did."

Since the Revolutionary War, the Purple Heart, the world's oldest military decoration in use, has been awarded to service members who have been wounded or killed during any action against an enemy of the United States.

NOTE: I have filed three separate requests (two under the Freedom of Information Act) with the Navy for a list of Cryptologic Technicians who have earned the Purple Heart in the Global War On Terror (Overseas Contingency Operations). The Navy (NNWC/OPNAV/Navy PAO) has yet to respond. If you are aware of a CT who has earned the Purple Heart, please leave me a comment.

NOTE 2: I received a note from Navy Safe Harbor - they don't maintain information on those wounded in combat. On 10 January 2010, I received a note from OPNAV stating that they are routing my request to another office for consideration.  (Update: on 20 October 2010 - 10 months after my initial request - still no answer from the Navy on the number of CTs awarded the Purple Heart in Iraq and Afghanistan).

I have 5 on my list so far.

CTT1 Steven P. Daugherty (deceased)
CTM3 Matt O'Bryant (deceased)
CTI1 Aaron Windle (shot)
CT2 Chad Kueser (mortar round) lost both legs
CTRCS (SW/FMF) David B. McLendon (deceased)

Criticism as praise

My old boss, SECDEF Rumsfeld was fond of saying, "If you're not being criticized, you may not be doing much." If you are a man of action (MOA), you are bound to upset some folks. Providing constructive criticism is an art form in and of itself. How do you practice the art?

Ensuring the Future Viability of Our Information Warfare Community Within the Information Dominance Corps

We lost our ability, over time, to sufficiently differentiate the CTA and CTO ratings from their Navy counterpart ratings (YN/IT). We need to ensure that our other cryptologic technician ratings: CTI, CTT, CTR , CTM and CTN remain sufficiently differentiated from their Navy counterpart ratings. Similarly, differentiation of our Information Warfare officers from their Navy counterparts will be critical to our IW community's future viability.

Admiral Bobby Ray Inman - Intel Chair

Our colleague, Rear Admiral Andrew M. Singer is leaving Booz Allen Hamilton on 15 January 2010 to accept the Admiral Bobby Ray Inman Chair for Intelligence at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

Congratulations on this new opportunity and for accepting the responsibility it carries.

Merry Christmas

I am very happy to be blessed with a wonderful family.
Life does not get much better than this.

Here's wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas.

Practical advice for Commanding Officers

When I assumed command of U.S. Naval Security Group Activity in January 1997, I received the most practical advice from a fellow Commanding Officer and mentor, Captain Jerome Rapin, the CO of NSGA Kunia, Hawaii. His advice - "COMMAND!" I still have his letter and will post it as soon as I can scan it.

Most ironically, I made it to command without 'command screening'. The following year, the command screening board met and I 'FAILED' to screen for command. I was notified by a Lieutenant from BUPERS. Subsequently, the senior cryptologic detailer contacted me to advise that I would be allowed to remain in my current job (where I was ranked the #1 CO) and "not to worry because I would have another opportunity to screen for command the next year." I did get a letter from the Chief of Naval Personnel the following year congratulating me on my selection for command but cautioned that 'successful screening for command does not guarantee assignment as a commanding officer.' I wanted to write a letter back cautioning that 'failure to screen for command does not preclude assignment as a commanding officer.'

Certain Aspects of Our Profession Are Fundamental - They Should Never Change

Rear Admiral James S. McFarland and I carried on a regular correspondence for almost 20 years. He was a great mentor and a conscientious note/letter writer. This last response was just before his death in February 2003. We had been exchanging ideas about the future of cryptology in our Naval profession. He was committed to the idea that some aspects of our profession were fundamental and should never change.

He was deeply proud of the 10,000 or so Sailors that comprised the Cryptologic Community. He, more than most, understood the value of those Sailors to the Navy and its mission. He believed in taking care of those Sailors and the Sailors knew it.

"Anchor up, Chiefs !!"

MCPON West’s message

Pass to all command master chiefs, chiefs of the boat, command senior chiefs and senior enlisted leaders and conduct training on CPO standards and Navy core values within the CPO mess.

Senior enlisted leaders, during the past several weeks we’ve had several incidents of CPO misconduct. Also during the past year, CPOs have been involved in several incidents regarding DUIs, sexual assaults, domestic violence, fraternization and general misconduct. This is unacceptable within our mess and must stop immediately.

Additionally, during the past year we’ve detached for cause ten CMCs and COBs for some of the same practices mentioned above, as well as poor performance in leading a mess.

CPO DUIs are a mess failure, and a leadership issue that must be addressed. As a mess, we have averaged 54 per year since 2005. This represents a trend and average we must reverse now. This number indicates that some within our mess are not looking after themselves or one another. There is no doubt in my mind that this type of conduct has a negative effect on the Sailors we lead.

As chiefs, we are the leaders and bearers of standards for our sailors twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The way we live our core values and Navy ethos are emulated by the Sailors we are privileged to lead.

I’ve asked each fleet and force master chief to brief me on any CPO involved in a DUI, sexual assault, domestic violence, fraternization or general misconduct. This brief will explain how the CMC and the mess involved expect to provide a course correction so this doesn’t reoccur. This process will be implemented in a manner that does not interfere with ongoing investigations and respects the authority of the chain of command to take administrative or disciplinary action as appropriate.

Shipmates, overall our mess remains strong. You are leading this Navy and doing it well, but even one miscue from a chief petty officer resonates and reflects poorly on the entire chief’s mess and our great Navy.

We as leaders have the responsibility to uphold the credibility this mess has earned over the course of a century. Leadership is counting on you, your Sailors are counting on you and I am counting on you.

Keep an eye on one another, take swift and appropriate action if you see someone steering the wrong course, don’t be afraid to ask questions if you see something that your instincts tell you may be unusual, and always set the standards for the Sailors you serve.

Chiefs, anchor up.

MCPON West

MCPON and I are on the same page. I take credit for coining this phrase ("ANCHOR UP") several years ago and it was published in my September 2007 USNI PROCEEDINGS article "Anchor Up, Chiefs. Reset Your Mess" - just in time for the promotion of the FY08 Chief Petty Officers. You can read it HERE at the Chief's own GOATLOCKER website. I am honored that the Chiefs thought enough of the article to post it for their Mess to read.

Communications

"Whenever I talk to people who are going into command, I tell them about the importance of communications, communications, and communications. Communication with your people inside the lifelines is the most important thing you can do as a leader."

Admiral Mike Boorda, Former Chief of Naval Operations

Will the honest among you serve our Navy?

Stealing and paraphrasing simultaneously from the SECDEF Dr. Robert Gates and President John Adams:

"Being a Naval officer, my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or [an]other. If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not."

And so I ask you, will the wise and honest among you come help us serve our Navy in the best way we can?

Change of Command - Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) - Colorado

Captain Carl Barksdale presided over a traditional Navy change of command ceremony (today, 18 December 2009) for Navy Information Operations Command - Colorado in Denver as Commander Nicholas Homan relieved Commander Steve Weldon as Commanding Officer. Commander Weldon's next assignment is on the staff of Commander, SEVENTH Fleet embarked aboard USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19) to relieve Commander Cliff Bean in the spring.

A Little Bit of 'Thank You' Help - For those of you who are "thank you" impaired.

Sailors always remember a thank-you note, long after they forget what exactly they did to deserve it. Of course, there are the usual occasions to write thank you notes, but what are often more interesting are the unexpected ones.

A thank-you note is a gift in and of itself. Thank those Sailors for the great job they did on the Quarterdeck during the Commodore's visit, for the great job they did at Colors this morning, Thank them for the super job they did on the engineering inspection. Thank them for keeping the Command's 5 year safety record intact.

There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to writing thank-you notes. Most would prefer that you follow this rough guideline.

1. Write the thank-you note.
2. Affix stamp.
3. Mail it. I have been using this formula for 25 years or so and have yet to have one note returned.

If you are the succinct type, a correspondence card works perfectly, as does a small foldover note. Punctuality counts – and it certainly appears more sincere. Generally speaking, the message is brief and usually consists of four parts.

1. The greeting. Dear Petty Officer Smith/Lieutenant Jones.

2. An appreciation of the item or favor.

"Thank you for the the great job on the IG inspection last week."

3. Mention how important it was.

"We couldn't have passed without your great work."

4. Sign off with an appreciation of their service.

"Thank you for your service in our great Navy." That’s it. That is all there is to it.

Good intentions don’t get the job done, and while everyone intends to express a thank you, not everyone does. If your thank-you note is tardy, don’t apologize for being late. You know you are late, and the person you are writing knows it. Just get on with it.

Adapted from Crane's Guidance on Correspondence

Deputy, Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet Speaks to Sailors at DLIFC - Monterey, California

MONTEREY, Calif. (NNS) -- The selected deputy commander of the soon-to-be reconstituted U.S. 10th Fleet/Fleet Cyber Command, addressed more than 70 prospective Navy linguists studying at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) on Dec. 2 at the Presidio of Monterey.

Rear Adm. William E. Leigher spoke to Sailors attending DLIFLC as an "A" school for the cryptologic technician (interpretive) rating, about the role of the Navy's newest numbered fleet and the effects it will have on future fleet operations and the Navy's cryptologic community.

"I have watched cryptology evolve over the last 20 years from a very tight and small field to a community that will lead what the Navy does in the Information Age. We are going to be much more involved in defining the operations that we take part in."

RDML Bill Leigher
Deputy Commander, Fleet Cyber Command/TENTH Fleet

FULL STORY FROM NAVY NEWS SERVICE