® Serving the Hampton Roads Navy Family Vol. 18, No. 11, Norfolk, VA FLAGSHIPNEWS.COM March 18, 2010 CNO addresses future of the Navy STORY AND PHOTO BY MC1 (AW) TIM COMERFORD The Flagship staff writer NORFOLK — The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Adm. Gary Roughead, talked with Sailors about the state of the Navy during an All Hands Call and Naval Station Norfolk’s C- 9 Auditorium, March 15. “I can’t say how proud I am of the work that you and Rear Adm. Mark others are doing around the S. Boensel, Commander Navy world,” Roughead told the as- Region Mid-Atlantic sembled Sailors. “I get the escorts Adm. Gary opportunity to see the Navy at Roughead, Chief of Photo by MC1 Edward Kessler work in so many different ar- Information Systems Technician 1st Naval Operations Class Roy Dunbar, from Chesapeake, eas. I see how busy we are, I to an All Hands Call completes the 2010 Shipboard Census see how effective we are, that in Naval Station Report aboard the amphibious dock is something no other orga- Norfolk’s C-9 landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD nization in the world can lay building auditorium, 43). The report contains six questions claim to.” March 15. and takes less than fi ve minutes to CNO believes that partner- complete. ships with other nations are dian Ocean and the Pacific and operations and had an interna- “We are seeing an increase in greatly benefi cial to our coun- the level of activities continue tional staff, largely of African the demand of ballistic missile 2010 Census will try and the countries that the to increase,” said Roughead. officers on board – they had defense,” Roughead said. “It Navy associates with. “The Africa Partnership Sta- an incredible experience.” is a growing necessity that we count Sailors at “The relationships that we tion ship – USS Gunston Hall Roughead also has heard home and away have with the Navies in the In- – diverted and helped relief some needs from Washington. See CNO, A9 PRESS RELEASE From the Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs Comfort WASHINGTON — Military personnel and civilians located on vessels April 1 will retain returns their right to ensure proper Congressional representation to U.S. and their community’s federal funding through participation in BY REBECCA A. PERRON the shipboard enumeration phase Naval Medical Center of the Census, which includes all Portsmouth Public Affairs vessels assigned to a homeport in the United States and Puerto Rico. USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) Each ship received Census pulled into Naval Station Nor- enumeration materials from the folk, March 13, where family Census Bureau enabling them to members and colleagues greet- conduct a complete enumeration ed the remaining Naval Medical of personnel assigned to each ship, Center Portsmouth personnel even during at-sea periods such as who served on board the Navy deployment or work-ups. hospital ship and conducted “Congress and the Census humanitarian and disaster re- Bureau understand the importance lief operations, as part of the of, and the high operational tempo international mission Opera- of naval forces and are committed tion Unifi ed Response, in the to ensuring Sailors and Navy aftermath of a 7.0 magnitude civilians and contractors have earthquake that struck Haiti. the opportunity to be counted, Comfort departed Port-au- even when executing missions at Prince, March 9, after being sea,” said Tom Yavorski, Navy’s anchored off the coast of Hai- Representative at the Joint Census ti for seven weeks. Its rapid Working Group. “Therefore they deployment provided state-of- have provided two opportunities the-art and round-the-clock for deployed members to complete afl oat medical care to a nation this year’s census.” whose own hospitals and clinics Sailors who maintain an onshore were decimated in the earth- residence will receive both the quake that struck the island standard Census questionnaire at Jan. 12. their home address as well as a More than half of NMCP’s Shipboard Census Report (SCR) staff detailed to the ship had Photo by Harry Gerwien/Military Newspapers of Virginia onboard the ship. The completion begun to fl y home via commer- Line handlers are dwarfed by the Military Sealift Command hospital ship, USNS Comfort (T-AH-20), docked of both forms is required to ensure cial and Air Mobility Command at Naval Station Norfolk, March 13. The ship and its crew are home from a seven-week deployment to the appropriate representation. When U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in which they provided medical care in Haiti as part of completing the SCR, Sailors should See COMFORT, A10 Operation Unifi ed Response. The Comfort surgical team performed more than 800 surgeries. include the full address of their primary onshore residence. In addition to counting deployed Sailors and civilians, the Census remains focused on counting DFAS — Keeping it current, keeping it real members serving closer to home. BY STEVE BURGHARDT Naval personnel who reside in Defense Finance and Accounting Service an apartment off base or family housing on base will receive INDIANAPOLIS, IN — A year after the Census questionnaires through Defense Finance and Accounting Service the U.S. Postal Service beginning (DFAS) fi rst launched the myPay Web-based Mar. 15. Completed forms should pay account system in 2000, less than 500,000 be returned in the envelope military, military retirees, annuitants and fed- provided. eral civilian employees were listed as online Sailors residing in group users. Today that number has increased to quarters will be contacted by approximately 3.7 million users with access to myPay security enhancement requiring in information. their Census Project Manager pay account information, tax statements and users to establish new login credentials, “While some might view 82 percent as to complete the Military Census the ability to update their bank, personal and including personalized login IDs and pass- a positive, I’m concerned that some of our Report, a sub-set of the standard allotment information instantly and, most im- words. The agency has posted step-by-step customers don’t appreciate what myPay pro- Census questionnaire. portantly, securely. instructions in both text and video at the vides,” said DFAS Principal Deputy Director The 2010 Military Census Report To date, more than 2.6 million myPay users myPay site (https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay. Richard Gustafson. “We want to provide a and Shipboard Census Report have accessed their 2009 tax statements on- aspx) and its public Web site (www.dfas. tool for our customers that is both useful and contains six questions and takes line, avoiding the delays and possible security mil) to help customers set up their new in- gives them a feeling of confi dence that their less than five minutes to complete. risks of regular mail delivery. formation. Currently, 82 percent of myPay Last November, DFAS implemented a accounts have been updated with new log- See DFAS, A9 INSIDE: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH A8 FRONT & CENTER B1 OFF DUTY C1 Women pilots of Child, Youth 24/7 Center Look, up in the sky WWII inspired generations grand opening, March 12 The Peking Acrobats bring Ceremony pays homage to the Fleet and Family Readiness their high-flying show to fi rst women who fl ew military Child and Youth Services host- Ferguson Center for the Arts, aircrafts during World War II. ed a grand opening ceremony. March 19. Employment program to Commander Navy Region resume for enrolled spouses Mid-Atlantic is: Rear Adm. Mark S. Boensel BY ELAINE WILSON The Flagship® is produced by American Forces Press Service Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic staff. The editorial content of this newspaper and any supplement is WASHINGTON — The Military prepared, edited and provided by the public affairs offi ce of Commander Navy Spouse Career Advancement Accounts Region Mid- Atlantic. program, commonly known as MyCAA, Regional program manager for Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is will resume March 13 for the more than 136,000 spouses who already have estab- Public Affairs Director lished an account, the defense offi cial Beth Baker who heads up the program announced Editorial Staff March 11. Managing Editor Offi cials announced a temporary halt Micheal Mink in the program Feb. 18, pending a top- Deputy Managing Editor to-bottom review, after a six-fold spike in job of notifying our military spouses.” MC1 (AW) Tim Comerford enrollments in January 2010, a surge that Thomas said he will work hard to re- Editorial Assistant overwhelmed the system and caused store the confi dence lost when the MC2 Mandy Hunsucker the program to nearly reach its budget program was halted. Graphic Designer threshold. “We certainly know we have lost some David Todd “We made a commitment to our mili- confi dence, and we want to rebuild that Off Duty Editor / Designer tary spouses when they established a confi dence,” he said. “We will restore Tim Rafalski career advancement account, and we that faith hopefully by one, restoring the The Flagship® is an authorized will be true to our promises,” said Tom- program, and two, having appropriate re- publication for members of the military services and their families. Its contents do my T. Thomas, deputy undersecretary of sources to ensure everyone that applies not necessarily refl ect the offi cial views of defense for the Pentagon’s Offi ce of Mili- for the program receives the appropriate the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy or the U.S. Marine tary Community and Family Policy. fi nancial assistance. Corps and do not imply endorsement The Defense Department will resume “We appreciate what [spouses] do, thereof. The appearance of advertising the program for the 136,583 military and we hope that through this, that once in this newspaper, including inserts spouses currently in the program at we get this program back on track, that or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of noon EDT March 13, said Thomas.