Pappas, William, CAPT

Other Memories
Coming back to Norfolk in the spring of 1998 was a blessing in so many ways. Above all, I was blessed by being back home and reunited with my family. But I was also blessed by reporting in for my new duties at a command that was significantly attractive to me for quite some time. Personnel Support Activity (PSA), Norfolk was the largest of the seven PSAs responsible for pay, personnel and transportation customer service in the United States and abroad. The seven PSAs covered geographic areas as far north as New London, CT; as far south as Jacksonville, FL; as far west as San Diego, CA; and Great Lakes, IL. Our Sailors in activities abroad were supported by PSAs in Yokosuka, Japan and Naples, Italy. What made PSA Norfolk most special for me is because I was also relieving an old shipmate and dear friend who succeeded me in Hawaii about ten years earlier. What's more, I would be working for an extremely brilliant professional and highly respected naval officer whom I also worked with at another major command in Hawaii from years past. It was a blessing, a bonding, and a homecoming all rolled into one. Things could only get better.

As the command's Executive Officer, I would now lead about 50 mostly senior military and civilian employees, as well as 16 Officers-in-Charge of our satellite Personnel Support Detachments (PSDs) located from Washington, DC to Camp Lejeune, NC, and even two remotely operated PSDs in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. During the course of this tour, those 16 PSDs would expand to another 9 PSDs located in all of the New England area and in Keflavik, Iceland. Our mission was to provide the overarching personnel support to over one million Sailors, retirees, and their family members ashore. We did everything from issuing their government identification cards, processing their travel expense claims, getting their pay right, and coordinating their travel orders; to arranging their flights and processing their paperwork for advancement, promotions, or other programs for which they were eligible. Managing such a diverse group of some 700 employees was indeed challenging. But what made matters even more difficult was having to work with automated pay and personnel systems that were anything but reliable or automated. This made the challenges and pressures significantly greater for all. It became clearly apparent that most of the staff and those working in our satellite PSDs felt very overworked, underpaid, under appreciated, and highly frustrated. And quite understandably, morale was not high. That needed to change, and change fast!

Working closely with my Commanding Officer, I thought we needed to come up with an idea to infuse some positive energy, increase morale, and grab the attention of our staff and our people, while garnering reciprocal support of those Sailors and their families we were trying to help. Surrounded by much negativity and frustration, I came up with an idea that ended up being an inexpensively simple way to turn it around. What was the idea? It was creating a button that all of us (every military and civilian employee) would wear in our offices, at our customer service counters, and even in the backrooms where much of the work was processed. That two-inch yellow button with large, bold blue letters simply said one word: "YES!" YES symbolized that taking care of our people was important to us and we would do whatever we could to say yes before resorting to an undesirable alternative. It meant that despite what we had to work with, we were all in it together and were unified in a positive way. We came to appreciate that we did make a difference! Our people and even our customers quickly became aware of the buttons and understood that they meant: YES, I'm here to help you; YES, I am part of a caring organization; or simply: YES, I can! Homemade and simple as they were, we even had some people ask us where we got them so they could use them in their commands.

Not for any self-adulation or to take any particular credit, I only mention this unique initiative because it was something that simply worked at a time and place when we needed to replace an aura of poor motivation, low self-esteem and stress with something that was more positive and inspired hope. For the next year, performance metrics showed continuous improvements -- as did morale. That aura became increasing obvious in the eyes and by the smiles on the faces of our people when we when we made periodic assist visits to their remote units. Sometimes finding positive ways to change things can come from the simplest origins.

Despite the equipment shortcomings, system glitches, and even the political pressures of the resource sponsors we reported to, we worked extremely well together as a team. And that came at a time when it was most necessary to meet our mission, tasks and functional objectives -- as well as starting and ending each day feeling worthwhile. When you get that kind of synergy; well, I know I went home each night feeling just a bit proud about what we had accomplished.

As fate would have it, my next assignment was one many can only hope for, and so few are fortunate enough to get. It was an assignment that harnessed all of my leadership skills and abilities, and allowed me to share over 30 years of Navy experience. I learned I would be assigned as the Commanding Officer of my own Personnel Support Activity. But first, after eight years in our Virginia Beach home, we needed to decide if we were going to sell or rent it, arrange our pack out, and prepare to find another house in Jacksonville, Florida -? the place we will call home for the next two years.