FIRST CALL: Notes & Ramblings From The Pilothouse

Fireworks light the night sky above the National Stadium, nicknamed The Birds' Nest, at the opening ceremonies of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China. Some 15 military athletes, trainers and coaches are part of the US Olympic Team.

- US Army photo by Tim Hipps

Navy Humanitarian Relief Efforts to Georgia

Civilian employees with the US Army's 405th Field Support Brigade at Camp Darby, Italy assist Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VR) 46 crewmembers loading humanitarian supplies onto a Navy C-9B Skytrain. The aircraft, based at Marietta, GA, represents the Navy's first efforts in providing humanitarian assistance to the Republic of Georgia. - Photo by MC2 Jason T. Poplin

The Sedative Sound of Liquid Mind

By Jon Yim
Editor, TWS Newsletters

SAN DIEGO - It's called Liquid Mind.

It is ultra-slow music that soothes -- much to the point that some listeners completely relax and fall asleep.

And it's the greatest compliment to its composer and producer -- and former Vietnam-era naval officer, Chuck Wild. The Los Angeles-based keyboardist/composer has a collection of nine CDs, all designed to relax and transport the listener to a different level of consciousness, relieving stress or anxieties ? or just send them off to restful sleep.

All, of which, are good things.

His musical experience spans three decades, including writing 125 songs and compositions used in TV, motion pictures and albums. Some of the artists that have recorded his songs include The Pointer Sisters, Jennifer Rush, Thelma Houston, Glen Medeiros and Philip Bailey.

Chuck was also a member of the 1980's new wave band, ?Missing Persons,? which topped the charts, and garnered major radio airplay with their hits ?Destination Unknown? and ?Walking In L.A.?

So why did he decide to "apply the brakes" in his new approach to music?

Chuck created his slow, rhythm-free music as a response to anxiety and panic attacks caused by sleep deprivation while working on the ABC-TV series ?Max Headroom.?

?The show got way behind schedule,? he recalls. ?Normally, we'd have two to three weeks to write and record the music for the show. It's about 42 minutes of music to compose for a one hour program. Instead, we had four days ? the network courier was literally standing outside waiting for us (himself and co-composer Michael Hoenig) to finish the music so they could dub it in.?

The closest experience to that, he added, was his time in the military.

Chuck Wild served from 1968 to 1972 as a commissioned officer in the US Naval Reserve during Vietnam; first as communications officer aboard the destroyer USS Ozbourn (DD-846) and the staff of Destroyer Squadron Nine. Later, he served as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group Seventh Fleet (Western Pacific), under Rear Admirals Arthur Esch; and later, Rembrandt Robinson.

During his time in-uniform, Chuck received the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal.

The constant crush of the TV show's brutal work schedule and other factors started to wear him down ? badly. So much that for a while, Chuck refused to leave his home, and had his assistant run errands for him.

?My concept, as part of my own healing, was to record albums of sedative music,? he said. ?In my own case, I found that sedative music that I wrote was most helpful, because the music I was listening to wasn't really that relaxing.?

With that in-mind, Chuck went into the studio, and in 1995 created ?Ambience Minimus,? a collection of sustained chords, soothing harmonic progressions, sensuous textures and non-rhythmic, non-repetitive structures. More albums followed, each with its unique approach in sedative music under the artist name of Liquid Mind.

His music is also helping those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Chuck cited a veteran's hospital in Waco, Texas that uses his music. Though the hospital's music therapist, they help servicemembers returning from combat zones with PTSD.

?They also treat a lot of Vietnam veterans that have PTSD issues,? he added. ?They find that my music, or just soothing music in-general, helps them through their anxieties.?

Chuck's also donates copies of his music to programs that help veterans and their families deal with stress, anxiety and PTSD.

So, what does he remember most about his time in-uniform

?I think it was seeing the camaraderie, and the fact that we were working toward one goal really stands-out in my mind,? Chuck recalls. ?I think there was also a bit more clarity then, as well as strict six-month deployment rule. But I know today people serve much longer tours.?

?Being in the Navy gave me a very high set of standards,? he said. ?The personal discipline I learned helped me in the music industry, and that's pretty rare in this business.?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Liquid Mind CDs can be purchased online at liquidmindmusic.com or downloaded through iTunes. Veterans groups and other military support organizations that wish to use Liquid Mind music can contact Chuck Wild at:

Post Office Box 93036
Los Angeles, CA 90093
(800) 818-5848
CWRecords@aol.com
www.chuckwild.com

- Photo courtesy Chuck Wild
- Cover art courtesy realmusic.com

Featured Upgrades

Military Association Support
There is a new section available for the right hand page of your profile - Military Association Memberships. Using this section you can proudly display your membership of any associations you belong to, as well as track down other members who may also be members. We display the patch of each of your associations where available and have space to display full website and contact data for your chapter to aid in recruitment. Please let us know if the data for your chapters needs updating.

Coast Guardsmen to Attend BUD/S, Join SEAL Teams

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - Coast Guardsmen soon will be training to join Navy SEAL teams, a senior Coast Guard officer said this month.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Thomas F. Atkin, commander of the Coast Guard?s deployable operations group, said four Coast Guardsmen -- two officers and two enlisteds -- will be selected to begin basic underwater demolition school (BUD/S) later this year.

If they graduate, the admiral said, they will become full-fledged members of Navy SEAL teams and deploy with those teams worldwide.

Atkins called the development the beginning of an exciting new era in the Coast Guard.

"Certainly this is historic, it?s different, but it?s very consistent with the long partnership we?ve had with the United States Navy," he said during a conference call with bloggers.

SEAL teams are among the most elite military units in the world, he noted. "We understand that, and we will strive to find the best and the brightest here in the Coast Guard to support that program," the admiral said.

The Coast Guard will get a capability it does not have right now, he said. "We will get a great skill set and experience set from what they will learn,? the admiral said. ?We think this program will bring a lot of experience back to the deployable operations group and the Coast Guard as a whole."

The service will accept applications through the middle of next month. At that point, the service -- in coordination with the Navy Special Warfare Command -- will select the Coast Guard candidates.

The Coast Guard has "a military mission; we have a counterterrorism mission; we have an anti-terrorism mission; and we also have a mission to conduct high-end specialized law enforcement in the Caribbean, the Eastern Pacific and around the homeland," Atkins said.

SEAL training provides the service with increased capabilities and more experience, and it also will help Coast Guard?s relationship with the Navy and the US Special Operations Command.

The Navy also benefits from the Coast Guardsmen becoming SEALs, the admiral said.


"The Coast Guardsmen will bring their knowledge base on maritime operations, law enforcement operations, port security and homeland security to the SEAL teams," Atkins said. "These are experiences these folks don?t have."

The more diverse an operational group is, the better off it is, he said.

"It doesn?t mean the SEAL teams are going to conduct law enforcement operations, but understanding how law enforcement operations work and understanding the experiences a new person brings to the team will only make them better," he said.
- Top left: Photo by MC2 Marcos T. Hernandez
- Bottom right: USN file photo by PHC Johnny R. Wilson

Personnel Command Gives Guidance on New Service Uniform Wear

Story by Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs

MILLINGTON - Sailors transitioning to the new service uniform (SU) can get smart about its proper wear at Navy Personnel Command's (NPC) homepage, www.npc.navy.mil. NPC added a training video to its homepage this month to help educate the fleet about the Navy's newest uniform.

Personnel Specialist 1st Class Howard Williams models the new E-6 and below Service Uniform. The uniform is for year-round wear and replaces summer white and winter blue uniforms. -Photo by MC3 Jhi Scott

"We are in the initial process of the new E1-E6 service uniform rollout. These videos are designed to ensure Sailors and leadership know the standards associated with the service uniform. This is great for training and getting Sailors ready to wear the new uniform," said Force Master Chief (AW/SW) Daryl Charles, assigned to NPC.

Additional guidance on wear of the service uniform can be found in NAVADMIN 190/08, also available on the NPC website.

Service uniform sales began July 31 at Navy Exchange uniform shops in Great Lakes and California. Sailors stationed in these regions may also order the new service uniform by calling the toll-free uniform support line at 1-800-368-4088.

"I like it a lot. People tell me it looks sharp. It feels cooler than the whites," said Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Heather Smith, assigned to Naval Base Coronado.

Smith purchased her service uniform the first day it was available and guessed on the placement of her ribbons and name tag based on the placement from her summer whites.

"My master chief and I reviewed the video and my guess was pretty close. I just needed to adjust my ribbons a little bit," said Smith, who has been getting a lot of comments about her new threads.

Sailors have up to 24 months to purchase the new uniform, depending on their duty station location. The mandatory wear date for all E1-E6 personnel is July 2010. Clothing replacement allowances for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 were increased to cover the purchasing of two sets of new uniforms by July 2010.

The service uniform will be available for purchase via Navy Exchange uniform centers as follows:

• July 2008 - Great Lakes and California
• Oct 2008 - Northwest and Hawaii
• Jan 2009 - Gulf region and Millington, TN
• April 2009 - Naval District Washington
• July 2009 - Tidewater
• Oct 2009 - Southeast
• Jan 2010 - Northeast
• April 2010 - Europe/Japan/Guam

Sailor Pursues Gold at 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games

By LT Jennifer Cragg
Special to The HOIST

WASHINGTON - Four years after he became the first active-duty servicemember to compete for the United States at the Paralympic Games, a sailor assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego will compete again next month for gold in track and field.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Casey Tibbs, an interpretive cryptologic technician, competed in 2004 at Athens, Greece, and soon will be heading to Beijing for this year's Paralympic Games.



"I'm just ready to go there and have fun, and that's what I'm going to do, Tibbs said during an Aug. 13 teleconference with bloggers. ?And, I really can't wait to go out there and represent the United States, the United States Navy, as well, and the whole military."

Tibbs -- who lost his right leg in a 2001 motorcycle accident -- will compete in the track and field pentathlon, 200-meter race, 400-meter race, and long jump. To prepare for the 2008 Paralympic Games, Tibbs said, he has spent an average of 30 to 35 hours per week training at the ARCO/US Olympic Center near his duty station.

Sitting in the medical center's prosthetics lab during the teleconference, Tibbs explained that, as a peer mentor there, he advises wounded servicemembers to take one day at a time, cautions them not to overdo their rehabilitation in the beginning, and helps them realize that things are going to get better.

And that's what I tell them at the beginning, because sometimes they can hear it from a doctor, they can hear it from their family, but when they hear it from somebody who has actually sat in a hospital bed and gone from a hospital bed to an Olympic podium, it gives them a lot more hope, Tibbs said.

Tibbs had been in the Navy for nearly two years before he lost his leg. Just two and a half months later, he ran 400 meters in two and a half minutes, he said.

I remember doing it, and it was probably the hardest run I've ever done in my life, he admitted. But after that day, I was able to progress a lot more. And now I can run 400 meters in 53 seconds.

Three years later, his hard work and training paid off, earning him a trip to compete in Athens.

I stayed on active duty [and] went to the games in 2004. I won a gold medal and a silver medal -- a gold medal in the 4 x 100 relay, and a silver in the men's pentathlon, setting a new American record, Tibbs said. [I] then went to 2006 world championships. I ? won my first gold medal in the individual pentathlon, and now I've qualified for the 2008 games, where I'm going to be competing in the pentathlon, the 200 meters, the long jump and the 400 meters, and, hopefully, the relay again.

Tibbs said that before he lost his leg, he never imagined he would participate in the Olympics.

The whole Olympic...dream really didn't start until after I lost my leg,? he said. ?I was 22 years old, or 23, when I started thinking, ?Hey, I could go to the Paralympic Games.? That's really when my dream started.

As Tibbs prepares for his departure for the 2008 Paralympics he reflected on the hero who helped him attain his Olympic dream: his coach, Joaquim Cruz, an Olympian from Brazil. Cruz won the gold medal in 1984 in the 800 meters as his country?s only gold medalist in track and field.

He ran 1:41 in the 800 meters, and he's one of three people to ever do that in history of all sports, period,? Tibbs noted. ?And he's definitely an inspiration to me, so he's definitely one of my Olympic heroes.?

Tibbs added that competing in the 2008 Paralympics is not about winning a gold medal or being the first-place finisher. ?It's about just getting back to your life and competing in sports and just playing sports,? he said. ?It's a huge part of rehabilitation.?

The opening ceremonies for the 2008 Paralympic Games are scheduled for Sept. 6, with competition officially starting Sept. 9.
- PO1 Casey Tibbs file photo courtesy DoD
- LT Cragg works in the New Media Directorate of the Defense Media Activity

Military Olympians at the 2008 Games

ARMY SSG Basheer Abdullah (ret.) Boxing Technical Advisor MAJ Michael E. Anti Smallbore Prone Rifle SSG Dremiel Byers Greco-Roman Wrestling SSG Libby Callahan (ArRES) Women's Pistol PFC Walton "Glenn" Eller III Double Trap SFC Bret E. Erickson (ret.) Trap PFC Vincent C. Hancock Skeet SPC Jeffrey G. Holguin Double Trap MAJ David Johnson Rifle Coach SFC Jason Parker Air Rifle and Smallbore Three-position Rifle SSG Keith Sanderson Rapid Fire Pistol CDT Stephen Scherer (USMA) Air Rifle SFC Daryl L. Szarenski Free Pistol SSG Mark Weeks Shotgun Assistant Coach

AIR FORCE Capt. Eli Bremer Modern Pentathlon Capt. Kevin Eastler 20-kilometer Race Walk MSgt. Richard Estrella (ret.) Greco-Roman Wrestling Lt. Col. Dominic Grazioli Trap Capt. Seth Kelsey Epee Fencing CMSgt. Lloyd Woodhouse (ret.) Shotgun Coach DID YOU KNOW? At 56, Army Reserve SSG Elizabeth ?Libby? Callahan is the oldest woman competitor in US Olympic history.

MARINES Maj. Jay Antonelli Greco-Roman Wrestling Coach SERVICE SPORTS PROGRAM LINKS: ARMY: World Class Athlete Program US Army Marksmanship Unit AIR FORCE: World Class Athlete Program NAVY: Navy Sports Program MARINE CORPS: Marine Sports Program

YOUR SHOTS! Reader-submitted pictures

Got a great picture that you took and want to share it with your shipmates? Give us your best shot! Attach your JPEG or PNG picture files (at least 800x460 pixels) to an email to ntws.editor@gmail.com.

PHOTO BY: RMCM(SS) Roger R. Collins, USN (ret.)
LOCATION: Unicoi, TN
DATE TAKEN: December 2007
DESCRIPTION: This was a Christmas present from my family. My five year old grandson is interested in all things Navy and Submarines in particular, so my daughter made a 8X10 picture of him in my old uniform.

OUR ALLIES IN-ARMS

The HOIST's spotlight on our allied military partners.

New Zealand -- RNZN's Sailor of the Year Visits Hawaii
Story courtesy New Zealand Defence Force Public Relations

Dannevirke resident Chris Henricksen, now a Leading Marine Technician in the Navy, was chosen as the Royal New Zealand Navy Sailor of the Year in 2007. Part of his award was a trip to Hawaii.

From left: RNZN LMT(P) Chris Henricksen and Leading Chef Michael Dudson, pose with their Hawaii hosts, USN Pacific Fleet Master Chief Tom Howard, RNZN Warrant Officer Neil Roberts, and USN Pacific Fleet Sailors of the Year - 1st Class Petty Officers Latoyna Grace and Chad Baiden. -USN photo

"I?ve been given the great honour and privilege of being named the Royal New Zealand Navy Sailor of the year 2007," said Chris. "This award has given me the opportunity to represent our Navy for five days in Hawaii, hosted by the United States Navy Pacific Fleet's Sailors of the Year."

Accompanied by the Royal New Zealand Navy Sailor of the Year 2006, Leading Chef Michael Dudson, the group stayed in Waikiki for five nights, visiting the massive Pearl Harbour Naval Base, the solemn USS Arizona Memorial and the mighty USS Missouri battleship on which the Japanese signed their surrender in WWII.

Also included was a visit to one of the US military's most patriotic places - the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) - where all American personnel missing in conflicts as far back as WWII were researched, found, identified and returned to their families, providing the families with a sense of closure after losing their loved ones.

Chris described the Hawaiian people as very friendly and the US Navy personnel as patriotic, very hospitable and as having a good appreciation of their military history.

Chris was raised in a small community of Pongoroa, just south of Dannevirke on the family sheep and beef farm. Educated at Napier Boy?s High School from 1995 ? 1999, he joined the Navy in January 2000 as a Marine Technician. Today Chris is completing his Petty Officers Professional Course and expects to be promoted to Petty Officer in July before posting onto HMNZS Te Kaha for an overseas deployment.

Of his naval career, Chris says "I have thoroughly enjoyed my naval career to date.  Each experience rolls on to another, providing more opportunities to learn new skills, travel, and be part of a close community. I?m continuously meeting new people from all over the country and the world. If you?re looking for the chance to get qualified in a skill, test yourself, travel  the world, have a good time and make new friends, then I recommend the Navy as a great option for you".

Australia -- Operation SLIPPER, Afghanistan
Story & photo courtesy Australian Defence Forces

Australia has deployed an ADF Reconstruction Task Force (RTF), consisting of a combined arms team, to the Oruzgan Province in Southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper. The

FIRE MISSION! Australian Reconstruction Task Force mortars fire on Taliban extremist positions after a rocket attack in Baluchi, Afghanistan. -Australian Defence Force photo

RTF is in partnership with the Netherlands Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and forms part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The RTF has a clearly defined role to work on reconstruction, improvement of provincial infrastructure and community based projects. The RTF also provides trade training to the local population and military engineering training to the Afghan National Army. This type of assistance is designed to benefit the people of Oruzgan Province well into the future and form building blocks of a stable and prosperous community.

The RTF contains around 400 ADF personnel from predominately Brisbane and Sydney based units. It includes elements to provide command, security, engineering, and administrative support and is equipped with Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicles (IMV), Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAVs) and armoured engineer plant equipment. Australia's contribution to ISAF is an important component of the Australian Government's commitment to assist Afghanistan achieve a stable and secure future.

NTWS Ships Store - For All Your Navy Shipmate Swag!

Visit to our online NTWS Ships Store for all your cool Navy swag - Shirts, Jackets, Hats, Jewelry, Footwear, Medals, Patches and much, much more!

(The Ships Store can also be found under the "Navy Store" tab or on the left hand Home Page just as you log into NTWS)

Over 9,000 quality Items at the lowest prices...and a 30-day, money-back guarantee! Here's some new items that just arrived in our store:

• Navy Golf Shirts (Various logos and colors)
  
• Belleville US Army Insulated Combat Boot
• Jostens Classic Men's U.S. Navy Ring - Rectangle Stone
• US Navy Ship Art Prints (2000 ships to choose from)
  

Thank you for your support of the NTWS Ships Store. All Store proceeds go towards promoting the NTWS website, bringing more Sailors to the TWS Community.

Social Security Announces Earnings For Military Service

WASHINGTON - In January 2002, Public Law 107-117, the Defense Appropriations Act, stopped the special extra earnings that have been credited to military service personnel.

If you earned military pay while on active duty since 1957 (including active duty time for training), Social Security taxes were paid on those earnings. And since 1988, inactive duty service in the reserves (such as weekend drills) has also been covered by Social Security.

Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings for your military service from 1957 through 2001 can be credited to your record for Social Security purposes. These extra earnings credits may help you qualify for Social Security or increase the amount of your Social Security benefit.

Special extra earnings credits are granted for periods of active duty or active duty for training, but not for inactive (reserve) duty training.
 
If you served on active duty...

• From 1957 through 1967, the Social Security Administration will add the extra credits to your record when you apply for Social Security benefits.


• From 1968 through 2001, you do not need to do anything to receive these extra credits. The credits were automatically added to your record.


• After 2001, there are no special extra earnings credits for military service.

PHOTO LOG: Views Around The Fleet This Month

 

HANDLING LINES - Boatswain's Mate Seaman Bobby Kidd releases the bits after tensioning a mooring line on the fantail of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). The Reagan recently made a scheduled port visit to Port Kalang, Malaysia.
- Photo by MC3 Gary Prill

AND...ACTION! - A group of West Coast-based Navy SEALs get ready for the director's cue in a scene for an upcoming episode of the hit Fox television series "24" shot at Camarillo (CA) Airport. The show's producer requested Navy assistance to add realism to the episode's storyline. The SEALs were filmed fast-roping from helicopters and "assaulting" a "terrorist cell". The episode is slated to air on Fox in January 2009.
- Photo by MC2 Dominique M. Lasco

"BEAR"-ING SMILES - Kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago show off their Navy "Blue Bears" given to them during a recent visit by Vice Adm. David J. Venlet of Naval Air Systems Command, and Sailors from the fast-attack submarine USS Chicago (SSN 721). Venlet and the Sailors were in town to promote Chicago Navy Week, one of 20 Navy Weeks planned across America in 2008 in cities without a significant Navy presence.

- Photo by MCCS Gary Ward

A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME MEETING - The Jonas Brothers (from left: Joe, Nick and Kevin) shake hands with lucky teenage fans during a recent meet and greet photo event at Naval Air Station Oceana's Navy Exchange. Some 150 fans got the opportunity to meet the group up-close and personal through an NEX-sponsored contest. The pop music trio, one of the hottest acts signed to Disney's Hollywood Records label, are on a 46-date North American tour.
- Photo by MC3 Kenneth R. Hendrix

-

SMILES ARE FREE - Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Brenda Dwiggins, a chaplain's assistant with 1st Marine Logistics Group, shares a smile with a local boy in Anbar Province, Iraq. Marines and Sailors are conducting a cooperative medical engagement for Iraqi families that cannot afford medical attention.

- USMC photo by LCpl. Gabriela Garcia

KIWI COUNTERPARTS - Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brett Morton (right), of Atlanta, GA, explains life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) to Able Writer Candice Kauta (left) and Able Chef Sam Fergus (center) from the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate, HMNZS Te Mana (F111) during an exchange while steaming the North Arabian Sea.
- Photo by MCSN Kathleen A. Corona

A GOLDEN KNIGHT RUSH - Command Master Chief John D. Port (bottom), of PCU George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), skydives with Sergeant 1st Class Michael Elliott, tandem instructor for the US Army's parachute team, The Golden Knights. SFC Elliot was also the tandem partner for former President George H.W. Bush during his 2007 jump marking the reopening of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at College Station, TX.
- US Army photo by SFC Bryan Schnell

OPEN WIDE... - Canadian Air Force PVT Tabitha Beynen, embarked with a multi-national medical team aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), gives de-worming medication from a syringe to a Nicaraguan child at a medical clinic in Betania. Kearsarge is the platform for the Caribbean phase of Continuing Promise, a partnership mission involving the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.
- Photo by MC3 Christopher Lange

BACK IN BLACK - Brunei Special Forces team members ready themselves for a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83). Howard is a participant in the South East Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) exercises with units of Brunei's air force and navy.

- Photo by MC3 Joshua Scott

NTWS Membership Growth

Since its launch on Navy Day, October 27, 2006, Sailors from WWII to the present-day, have joined this website. As a result, many Members have reported reconnecting with Shipmates from the past; and as the site continues to grow beyond 300,000 Members by the end of the year, this will be an increasingly common occurrence.

NTWS does not permit public access, and therefore has one of the highest percentages of Navy Members of any Navy community website - as most have been invited by existing NTWS Members. Please help our unique Navy Community continue its strong growth and invite other Sailors that you know.

To go directly to the Navy.Together WeServed.com website click on the hypertext.

It's YOUR Money! with Suze Orman

Personal finance expert and motivational speaker Suze Orman created her brand of mega-success by bringing financial planning out of the echelons of millionaires clubs and delivering it to every day people.

Orman frequently takes calls from servicemembers on CNBC?s ?The Suze Orman Show,? and has reached out to troops by making speaking appearances at bases and by being involved in the www.militarysaves.com campaign.

Each month, The HOIST will feature a money tip from Orman to help stretch your hard-earned military dollar every payday.

Q: Should you pay off debt or save money?

A: That?s no different for military members than anyone else. Debt is bondage and you will never, ever experience financial freedom if you have bondage. If you have credit card debt at maybe 18 percent and money in savings that earns about 2 percent and is taxable, you are seriously losing money when you [put money in savings rather than pay down the credit card]. You always want to attack your financial future knowing that your feet are on solid financial foundation. Enemies to money are debt. If you would retire that debt, it would be like a guaranteed 18 percent return on your money.

Q: As you hear from servicemembers, what are some of the most common personal finance concerns they face?

A: What those in the military need to be very, very careful of is that, because you?ve been trained to follow orders and because you are incredibly honorable, you?re an incredibly trusting group of people. And because you are so trusting, you are the perfect people to be taken advantage of from unscrupulous people [including financial advisors]. You trust that what they are telling you is true. You, more than anybody, must be very, very careful.

The most prevalent thing military members say to me is, ?I got into trouble because I trusted a person who told me to do X, Y and Z, and it wasn?t right.? That is one of the main dangers for military people.

TWS Coins, Coffee & More - the TWSCafe!

We're proud to announce the opening of the new "TWS Cafe!"

In partnership with our friends at Devil Dog Brew, we've created the TWS Cafe where you can purchase custom coffee blends of "Devil Dog Brew" and "Snipers Brew" at a discounted price especially for TWS Members.

In addition to coffee, initial product offerings include the Marines and Navy TWS Challenge Coins shown below.
(more products are coming soon, i.e,. custom TWS logo bumper stickers and coffee mugs!)

Coins and coffee can be ordered directly from the TWSCafe page with payments accepted via credit card.

Coin prices are a flat $10 each, which includes shipping.

Coins may also still be ordered via PayPal or by check/money order.

For PayPal, send an email payment (from within your PayPal account) to:
merchandise@tws-advisor.com

Check/Money Orders: Make checks payable to: TWS Events; PO Box 50, Bryantsville, KY 40410

BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS AND SPECIFY WHICH COIN YOU WANT with your check or PayPal order!

OFF DUTY: 'D-Lister' Griffin Proves Laughter Is Best Medicine

Story and photo by Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - As summer ends, so goes the summer TV season, which means many favorite shows will go into hibernation for the winter.

Comedian Kathy Griffin, Bravo network's somewhat saucier answer to Lucille Ball, has

Comedian Kathy Griffin, star of Bravo's "My Life on the D List," chats with Army CPL Joseph McCauley, who is at Walter Reed Army Medical Center recovering from a traumatic brain injury he suffered March 23 while serving in Iraq. Griffin visited troops and their families in both the Fisher Houses and the hospital before performing a show for the troops in the evening.

ensured the fourth season finale of 'Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List,' affects its audience when it airs on the cable network, Bravo.

Don't expect the funny lady to reel it in just because she?s visiting with servicemembers recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

?I know our show isn?t exactly 'Frontline,' but we definitely tried to weed as much comedy into the situation as possible, because these men and women let me know very quickly that when you?re dealing with these kinds of injuries, you just gotta laugh,? Griffin said. ?What I?m proud of with [this] show is that it shows how people use humor to cope with a traumatic situation.?

Griffin found laughs razzing a corporal about his questionable tattoo while touring the Fisher House Foundation's two housing facilities where outpatients and their families stay while receiving treatment at Walter Reed. She found laughs while talking with troops during a visit to the hospital. Even George the therapy dog provided amusement when Griffin stopped by the hospital?s physical therapy room.

In fact, Griffin and Walter Reed's residents and employees didn't stop laughing from the moment she arrived until she walked off the stage after performing a stand-up routine in the evening.

The little show, as she described it, was well attended until Griffin started her more-than-PG routine and some members of the audience opted to call it a night.

"To me, tha's the sign of a good show," Griffin said. You always need a couple of [ticked-off] chaplains combined with some laughing soldiers and a couple ER nurses.?

Supporting servicemembers has long been a cause near and dear to Griffin, whose father, a World War II soldier, died last year. It wasn?t that military legacy, however, that led her to first performance for deployed troops.

What really got me involved was when a friend of mine, Kerri Turner from the television series JAG,? talked me into my first [United Service Organizations] trip to Afghanistan in 2002,? Griffin said. ?She told me that the trip would change my life, and she was right. It did.?

Last year?s season of ?Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List? included her visit to Iraq to entertain troops. Her positive experience and the overwhelmingly positive response from the audience was a catalyst to feature the military again this season, she said.

My goal this year with the Walter Reed episode is to have these men and women seen for the heroes they are and their families for the human beings they are,? Griffin said. ?This experience shows us what happens to these brave men and women when they come home and deal with the injuries they have sustained while at war. I saw the bravery from the moment I walked into Fisher House to the rehab facility to the little show I put on that night.?

Griffin said she?s open to featuring the military in another episode, but isn?t sure that will happen.

At this point, I have basically put the Army through hell. I believe they call my crew ?the insurgency, but I won?t stop,? she said. I visit with returning soldiers before each show I do on the road. I am so happy to be involved with performing for the armed forces [and] meeting them; whatever I can do.

The season finale of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, which was filmed at Walter Reed in April, will air on the Bravo cable network. Check local listings for times.

THE HOIST - NTWS Newsletter

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