Ninety-nine percent times three

They don't understand When I was a child, my grandmother said, "Everybody has an opinion. Everybody has an _ _ _ hole, too. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they are only good for the one who has them and usually, they both stink." Many years later, a woman I worked with told me, "A person's perception is ninety-nine percent of reality." A few months ago, I posted another reference to ninety-nine percent, when I quoted someone who stated that ninety-nine percent of our nation's population is protected by the one percent who comprise the military. I have an opinion about some members of the military who have a skewed sense of reality, based on their perception. You see, in November 2011, I started a blog called It's not a Sailor's Life for Me because I wanted to bring attention to conditions aboard the USS George HW Bush on its maiden deployment. As a taxpayer, I was appalled to learn that my son and almost 6,000 other sailors on the United States' most modern aircraft carrier had been enduring more than five months with malfunctioning toilets, or, in military lingo - heads. Like most sailors who had been deployed, he said nothing; he manned-up and dealt with what was much more than a minor inconvenience. For almost half a year, they all dealt with the VCHT that did not vacuum, contain, hold or transfer as the system had been intended. Sadly, the ship had these problems upon delivery. Five months at sea, thousands of man hours attempting to repairjavascript:void(0); and maintain the system and yet, the ordeal continued. As unfortunate as it was that the heads weren't functioning, the sailors received orders that they were only allowed to relieve themselves in the heads - the ones they could find that did work - and if they opted to do otherwise, they could be subject to being called to Captain's Mast. That was when locks were allowed to be placed on the doors to heads that did work. Locks. On the doors to working toilets. On a ship that is larger than many small towns. Locks on doors to heads that only some could access and orders to use only the working heads. Not long after I started my blog, two Virginia newspapers picked up the story and not long thereafter, media outlets worldwide linked to those stories. It's a fact: in the Navy are "boat people" and "squadron people." It's also a fact that my son is one of the squadron people. I get it. They are rivals on the same team, if you can believe it. The boat's company spend much more time on the ship than do the squadron's company. It's almost like having a cousin who comes to visit from time to time, but doesn't live in your home. I get it. I really do. What I don't get, however, is why those who "live" on the ship didn't rejoice when the combinations to the locks were reset to a common default. Would you have your cousin, even the one you don't like much, visit and then lock him out of the one room with working toilets? Instead, they create cartoons meant to insult, leave them on car windshields of squadron members and then say, "You're not going to tell him, are you?" My son sent me the photo, linked above, and said he found it amusing that they are still focused on him, rather than on fixing the toilets. Of course, the ones with the cartoons probably have working toilets. The VHCT system on the ship isn't scheduled to undergo repairs until May. In my opinion, that is far too long for tax payers to support our active military to wait for properly working toilets. My reality, based on my perceptions, is that my blog made a difference - good or bad - it made a difference to at least 1% of 1% of the sailors on board the Bush. The locks were opened and the captain said he will recommend an upgrade. That's all I wanted.

The Navy's Quota-Based Enlisted Retention Board

Navy parents, spouses and friends do not like what is happening with our sailors who are affected by the Quota-Based Enlisted Retention Board. It hurts when dreams are dashed and plans are thwarted by down-sizing, regardless of the organization making the changes.

When our loved ones joined the Navy, their families also joined. We felt their pre-deployment jitters and even though we couldn't go with them, we felt every day of every deployment as keenly as they. While our family members were securing the seas, preparing for war and planning for peace, those left at home assumed their domestic duties. They sacrificed comfort and convenience; we sacrificed our time with those we cared most about. No longer able to discuss family matters or share jokes, we did what we could to "hold down our forts" without our helpmates.

Even Navy moms and dads felt a sense of loss with deployments. Parents have always suffered when their children struggled. The tears of our offspring stain our hearts, if  not our faces. As berthing and barracks filled with our sons and daughters, our nests emptied. Proud that our sailors were serving our country and protecting our rights, we lived vicariously through their journeys and we ached for them, when their careers adversely affected their relationships, sleep habits or living arrangements.

It's natural for the families of those sailors who have been involuntarily separated from the United States Navy to be outraged.

According to the Bureau of Naval Personell:

   UNPRECEDENTED RETENTION AND REDUCED ATTRITION RATES ACROSS THE NAVY HAVE  RESULTED IN A REQUIREMENT TO REBALANCE THE FORCE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOARD  IS TO REDUCE OVERMANNING IN RATINGS PROJECTED TO BE OVER 103% MANNED IN  FY-12.  REBALANCING OUR MANNING WILL IMPROVE ADVANCEMENT RATES AND INCREASE OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH PERFORMING SAILORS TO RECEIVE IN-RATE REENLISTMENT  QUOTAS BY REDUCING THE STRAIN ON PERFORM TO SERVE.

The document states that personnel chosen for early separation are encouraged to apply for conversion to an undermanned rating.

  SAILORS SELECTED FOR CONVERSION WILL RECEIVE PCS ORDERS TO TRANSFER TO  A-SCHOOL OR TO FILL A VACANCY IN THEIR NEW RATING BY THE END OF FY -12.  APPLICATIONS FOR CONVERSION MUST BE RECEIVED BY 15 JUNE 2011 TO BE  CONSIDERED.

 These sailors are also encouraged to "affiliate with the Navy Reserve," according to the document; this is little relief to those sailors who joined the Navy with plans to retire with benefits after 20 years.

SAILORS SEPARATED BY THIS BOARD WILL HAVE ACCESS TO
THE NAVY'STRANSITION ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (TAMP),
PER REF L, WHICH PROVIDESEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE, RELOCATION
ASSISTANCE FOR SEPARATING MEMBERSSTATIONED OVERSEAS, AND
OTHER BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS WHO ARE INVOLUNTARILY SEPARATED.

SAILORS INTERESTED IN AFFILIATING WITH THE RESERVES MAY ALSO
TAKE ADVANTAGE OFTHE SERVICES OFFERED BY THE CAREER
TRANSITION OFFICE.

This knowledge is of little comfort to the families of sailors who will now have to join the hundreds of thousands of other unemployed people in a world of jobs that have already scaled back and are working skeletal crews.

THE DECISION TO CONDUCT THIS BOARD WAS MADE AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION  OF ALL OPTIONS FOR REBALANCING THE FORCE.  WE ARE COMMITTED TO RETAINING OUR  VERY BEST SAILORS WITH THE PROPER BALANCE OF SKILLS, SENIORITY AND EXPERIENCE  TO MEET THE NAVY CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE. LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS MUST BE ENGAGED TO ASSIST SAILORS WITH CONVERSION AND  TRANSITION OPTIONS.

Best wishes to the sailors who have served faithfully, expecting to retire in a few years. You do have experience and skills to offer employees that many other candidates might not possess. Stay strong!