Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Bi-monthly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security
Issue link: https://uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/140140
recruiting and selection process and understand how very competitive it is. There is no doubt that those entering boot camp are the best and the brightest this Nation has. These young men and women have such a high sense of professionalism, energy and genuine unbiased pride and joy that their zeal is highly contagious. These young recruits have nothing but a positive attitude and pure thoughts about the Coast Guard. To get a sense of this innocent pride and the degree of honor they have to be part of this organization, I highly recommend you go to their journal pages (updated every Monday) and read through a few of their entries. When you do it's hard not to get a great sense of pride in our service and the people who give it life. www.tracencapemay.uscgnews.com/go/doctype/4007/117367= Parting Thoughts. As I depart, I do so knowing the future of the Coast Guard is in great hands. There are many individuals, at every level, who are focused on taking care of us and looking after our best interest. Their concern is genuine. These are challenging times when difficult decisions have to be made. Despite these challenges and the ambiguity they bring, I leave knowing that the future of the Coast Guard is bright; guaranteed by the leadership we have in place and by the young men and women coming up the ranks. I walk away prouder than ever to be a member of this great organization. Semper Par! Capt. Karl S. Leonard, USCGR Coast Guard Yellow Ribbon Program Coordinator COST EFFICIEnCIES… While I truly enjoy reading the Reservist, I am awestruck by the superior quality of the paper used to proclaim reserve activities. This high quality paper, while it does parallel quality USCG accomplishments, is unsettling as it is an expensive communication of reservist activities. Since the publication is not normally retained by most recipients and knowing the current fiscal state of our government (and I am sure, the USCG) the extravagance of the Reservist is an opportunity to cut costs and redirect these funds to a more appropriate operations account. As a taxpayer and an "old school" reservist, having served when operations funds for reserve activities squealed when spent, I am shocked that we/you have not been challenged with cost saving opportunities. While I recognize that the publication cost of the Reservist is paltry in the total scheme of things, it is the "appearance" of frivolous expense that concerns me as it may be cancerous at all levels of Coast Guard management -- God forbid! I highly recommend the Reservist staff review less expensive paper options that align better with the fiscal responsibilities inherent with taxpayer expectations of "getting the job done at least cost." Thank you for your excellent Reservist articles and my best regards, Cmdr. Andrew Gacanich, USCGR (ret.) editor's note: Cmdr., thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us regarding fiscal prudence. As a long-time reader, you are undoubtedly aware we have taken several cost-savings steps with respect to publication of the Reservist. Two of the more significant include reducing the number of issues from a peak of eight annually to four annually. In addition, we have initiated an online edition of the magazine which gives readers the option to "unsubscribe" or "opt-out" from receiving a printed copy. This has the double benefit of saving postage as well as reducing print costs. WAY BACK WHEn… participants in the Naval War College (NWC) Joint Maritime Operations (JMO) class (Reservist, Issue 1, 2013, p 13). Back when I attended (October 1991), I was the only USCGR participant in the JMO class. It was, however, the beginning of a beautiful friendship (to steal a line from Bogie's character in Casablanca) between the NWC and me. A long story, but there is a photo of me, published in the Reservist (March 1998, p. 11) receiving the Navy Achievement Medal from Rear Adm. James Stark, USN, President of the Naval War College. Very respectfully (Semper Paratus!) Lt. Cmdr. Michael O'Donnell USCGR (ret.) CROSSInG THE BAR In Reservist, Vol. IX, Issue 1, 2013, "Taps," page 59, three people "passed away" and one "died." Why? And why did three of them pass away and die "peacefully," but the fourth passed away but not peacefully? I realize that those obits came from newspapers, but you have the right to edit them and correct errors. Cmdr. Douglas Perret Starr USCGR (ret.) editor's note: Cmdr., thanks for your letter. As you infer, many of the obituaries, as well as other editorial content appearing in the magazine, is provided to us by third parties. Our first priority is to confirm the accuracy of the information provided. Secondly, we attempt to edit in accordance with Coast Guard Public Affairs guidance and the AP style book with an eye towards making a minimum of assumptions (edits) which may alter the original intent. CORRECTIOn "C" SCHOOL PROCESS FLOW CHART By now, the mailman has delivered the Reservist magazine to reservists who live in Hawaii, American Samoa, and Guam. I know because at a recent All-Hands in Honolulu several people asked me the same question about the article on pages 38-39 that explains step-by-step how to request a CG Class-"C" School. http:// uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/120540 The article includes an excellent graphic explaining the process but there is a small mistake in Step #1. After the member discusses "C" School requirements with their supervisor during the IDP process, it looks like the reservist submits an Electronic Training Request (ETR) in PeopleSoft/Direct Access for a class quota. However, reservists do not have that function/ability in Direct Access. Here is the clarification I received from the Office of Boat Forces: • 1st block -- Member and supervisor determine "C" School requirement during IDP development. • 2nd block -- Member sends an email to supervisor requesting quota. • 3rd block -- If approved, supervisor forwards email to unit training officer requesting quota for member. Also, it can be confusing because there are "two" different sets of orders involved. The first set is the "no cost" orders that the Training Quota Management Center (TQC) issues for a seat in school. The second set to be processed is the ADT orders, for reservists' pay, travel, and per-diem costs. Instructions are detailed in COMDTINST M1500.10C but the flowchart in the Reservist article gives the best description of the sequence. MCPO Guy Pasco Reserve Command Master Chief 14th Coast Guard District It was gratifying to see the group photo of Coast Guard Reserve Issue 2 • 2013 � RESERVIST 3