viking newsletter november 2010

8/8/2019 Viking Newsletter November 2010

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/viking-newsletter-november-2010 1/8

Greetings and Happy Marine Corps Birthday!

As the final verse of the Marine Corps Hymn starts out, here’s

health to you and to our Corps. November marks the 235th

celebration of the Marine Corps’ Birth on November 10th

, 1775 in

Philadelphia, PA. Veteran’s Day occurs during the same week,

and I would ask that as your Marines pause to commemorate and

celebrate our history, that you would take time to remember the

heroes of our past that have kept our country free. It is a solemn

oath that America’s servicemen take – an oath to give their life if

asked to defend the people and Constitution of the United States against all enemies.

Please keep us all in your prayers.

On the more routine note, life has begun to settle into a more predictable rhythm.

After deploying across the Pacific to Guam, spending only a few weeks in Iwakuni, and

then moving up to Misawa, Japan for a week and then back to Iwakuni, the squadron

hardly even had time to unpack their bags before the next movement. I think most of

us have finally figured out the shortest route from work to our quarters, the hours of

the chow hall, the exchange, the commissary, and the bowling alley. You know, the

important stuff. Marines have figured out the train system and are making it out into

Iwakuni and over to Hiroshima a few train stops away. Luckily, October weather in

Japan is some of the best of the year and it hasn’t gotten too cold to enjoy the time

outdoors.

Our next big movement will be down to the island of Okinawa, Japan to Kadena Air

Base to participate in a large-force exercise supporting Marine Aircraft Group 12 and

1stMarine Air Wing. We’ll most likely spend the holidays in Okinawa before packing

up to return to Iwakuni – at least it’s warmer down there! By then, we’ll be well past

the halfway point. We’re already almost a third of the way there now, and before you

know it, your loved ones will be walking off the aircraft and back into your lives. It

seems a long way off. I appreciate the support of the families and wish all of you thebest. Happy Birthday, Marines!

Semper Fidelis,

LtCol Goodwin

Commanding OfficerLtCol Dan Goodwin

Executive OfficerMaj Chad Sund

Sergeant Major

SgtMaj Scott Boyer

Family Readiness OfficerMrs. Stephanie Early

Deployed Address:

Rank Last, First MI

VMFA 225

UIC 41027

FPO AP 96609-1027

VIKINGS

RULE!!

A word from the

Commanding Officer

TTHHEE VVIIKKIINNGG VVOOIICCEE VMFA(AW) - 225 FAMILY READINESS NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2010



Greetings Viking family and friends.

It is hard to believe that the holidays are upon us, and the seaso

starts off with the traditional commemoration of the 235th birth

our beloved Corps. Normally we celebrate the occasion with a

formal ball and get dressed in our finest dress with our spouses

and loved ones. This year we will be having a less formal

deployed celebration in our service uniforms, with our new

friends from our sister squadron, the Bengals of VMFA(AW)-2

I want to thank all the former Marines and Veterans for your service to this grea

Country as we remember all the Veterans who have so proudly served and spent

time away from their loved ones like your Marines are doing today.

The daily routine has become more familiar. The jets always need to be fixed an

the Marines are doing a fantastic job of keeping them in the air. The daily schedisn’t very different from back in Miramar, except for the absence of our families

and friends. With only a few places to hang out on the base, the Marines and

Sailors have found their way to places such as Hiroshima, Tokyo and the Fuji

Grand Mall. You may have heard them mention the Kintai Bridge or the Peace

Park, a few of the local landmarks. I encourage the men and women to get out a

experience the culture and history of this foreign land. The squadron recently

returned from Misawa, Japan. The short detachment was a success and from th

talk of the young Marines, it was a nice break from the base of Iwakuni. It doesn

take much to impress a Marine; the dining facility alone was a morale boost! It

seems that the Marines and Sailors are finding new hobbies to do and making ne

friends. It is encouraging to see the intermingling of division shops shooting poolbowling a few games in the new bowling alley. The Marines are doing well and a

accustomed to the rigors of this deployment.

The next stop for our squadron will be Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. We

will most likely spend the Christmas Holiday and New Year there. No matter ho

many deployments a family does, the holidays just aren’t the same without our

loved ones. Send the cards and stocking stuffers, I am sure your loved one will fe

more at home when they receive them. Before you know it, the deployment will b

over and your loved ones will be back home picking up where they left off. The

Commanding Officer and I appreciate your support and I wish everyone a safe a

happy holiday season.

Semper Fidelis,

SgtMaj Boyer

Resources:

AlertSanDiego, is a

regional notification

system used to send

telephone notifications to

residents and businesses

in San Diego County

impacted by an

emergency or disaster.As the wildfire season is

upon us it is a great

service that I encourage

everyone to sign up for.

In the case that your

home is at risk

AlertSanDiego will

automatically notify you

with suggested actions

(such as evacuation). If

the telephone called is

busy or does not answer,

the system will redial that

number up to three timesin an attempt to deliver

the message. To register

your cellular telephone or

email address, please fill

out the registration form

at:

http://www.sdcounty.ca.g

ov/oes/ready/signup.html

MILITARY

ONESOURCE

Whether it’s help with

child care, personal

finances, emotional

support during

deployments, relocation

info or resources needed

for special circumstances,

Military OneSource is

there for military

personnel and their

families 24/7/365!

All Services are available

by phone 1-800-342-9647and online. When you

call Military OneSource,

you’ll talk with a

Master’s level consultant,

trained to offer

confidential support and

practical solutions.

www.MilitaryOneSource.

com

A word from the

Sergeant Major

http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/oes/ready/signup.html






Viking Families and Friends,

I want to start by thanking all of the family members who participat

in the Ugly Gown Ball and Glam Gala this month! We had a fantast

time hosting these events and we were so impressed with your creativ

outfits! Thanks for helping us make these events a success!

The holiday season is in full swing and I know how busy this time of

year is for everyone. There are organizations all over San Diego Cou

who are very supportive of military families and want to show their support by offering

gifts and services. While most of these organizations are trusted companies I ask you to

cautious of what they may be offering you. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it proba

is. If you have a question about something that is being offered to you please forward th

information to myself and I will have base legal take a look at it to ensure your safety anthe legality of the offer.

This month I attended a Family Readiness Forum to learn about how our Family Readin

Program continues to grow and change. The biggest news we received is that the Mass

Communication Tool will no longer be used by the Marine Corps effective January 31st,

2011. What this means to you is that any and all official correspondence from the

Command will be via E-MAIL ONLY beginning February 1, 2011. A new system is in t

works to include phone calls, voice messages, and texting capabilities. Until this new sys

is available I encourage you to contact me and provide an e-mail address so that we can

continue to send you official messages from the command. More information regarding

these changes is forthcoming.

Our next Family Readiness event is a Spa Night and cookie exchange on Thursday,

December 9th from 6:30-8:30pm. We invite all local family members to attend. Free

childcare will be provided. Flyers and more information for our Spa Night as well as ou

Christmas Party are provided at the end of this newsletter.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stephanie Early

Mark your

Calendars for

these Upcoming

Viking Family

Events:

Spa Night & Cookie

Exchange

December 9, 2010

6:30-8:30pm

San Diego Spine &

Rehab

Christmas Party

December 12, 2010

1:00-4:00pm

Hangar 3

Return & Reunion

Brief

Late January 2011

Important

Phone Numbers

Family Readiness

Stephanie Early

wk: 858-577-6537

cell: [email protected]

MAG-11

Group Duty Officer

858-577-1775 or

858-577-1666

MAG-12

Group Duty Officer

Japan

011-81-827-79-4029 or

011-81-827-79-4620

ChaplainRabbi Kreisler

[email protected]

wk: 858-577-4443

cell: 858-967-7425

www.facebook.com/vmfa225

A word from the

Family Readiness Officer

http://www.facebook.com/vmfa225





Oorah Family and Friends:

I am Corporal Linwood E. Hinton, a 20 year old Aviation Operat

Specialist from Tarboro, NC. This is my first deployment and I amore than eager to share my experiences. This deployment is giv

me the time to become more knowledgeable and versatile in my M

Prior to deploying, I was primarily a Training Marine; I was

responsible for making sure that our squadron’s Marines received

their annual training such as going to the Rifle/Pistol Range, takin

their PFT/CFT, or attending Professional Military Education sch

Recently, I have started doing more of the Operations part of my MOS, where I track a

log Aircrew flight hours and report the squadron’s statistics to higher headquarters.

One of the reasons I enlisted into the Marine Corps was to travel. Prior to joining, I ha

idea what it was like overseas, or even on the west coast of the United States. So far on t

deployment, I’ve had the luxury to walk through the jungles of Guam and enjoy thebeautiful oceanfront and beaches while staying in a four star hotel. We also recently ha

the opportunity to work with the Japanese Air Self Defense Force in Misawa, JP, which

located near the northern tip of the main Japanese Island of Honshu. The Japanese cul

is nice; the locals are very friendly and practice many formal customs and courtesies. I’

also had the opportunity to experience the local area of Iwakuni, JP. I’m looking forwa

to taking advantage of the touring and sight-seeing opportunities throughout Japan tha

Single Marine Program provides.

Even though I greatly enjoy the opportunity to travel, the way that our unit is coming

together as a family is what I love most about this deployment. Being away from home c

be stressful at times, but when we have brothers and sisters to the left and the right of us

who are going through similar pains it’s easier to come together as one in order to makebest of our time here. To all of the loved ones back home, I would like to thank you all fo

your support throughout this deployment and I would also like to tell you that so far ou

deployment is going well. Be safe, and we’ll see you soon! Semper Fidelis.

A day in the life of an S-3 Marine

Cpl Hinton

From the Homefront

In the Midst

Resources:

FREE TUESDAY

NIGHT DINNERS

at the downtown USO to

all active-duty military

and their dependents

with current military ID.

USO San Diego

303 A Street, Suite 100

San Diego, CA 92101

619-235-6503

AMERICAN RED

CROSS MESSAGES

(Emergency Leave

Official Communication)

(877) 272-7337 (toll free)

What you need:*Service Member’s Full

Name

* Rank/Rating

*Branch of Service

*Social Security Number

*Military Address

*Information about the

deployed unit and the

home base unit.

www.redcross.org

FREE MAILING

SUPPLIES

Sending care packages is

a great way to let your

Marine know you’re

thinking of him or her.

For USPS rules,

restrictions, and other

helpful mailing

information visit:

http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/maillin

grestrictions.htm

To receive FREE

mailing/packing supplies

from the Postal Service,

call 1-800-610-8734 and

request CAREKIT04.

http://www.redcross.org/


http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/maillingrestrictions.htm









From the Homefront

Glam Gala

From the Homefront

Oma’s Pumpkin Patch



Vikings in Action

Marine Corps Birthday Ball



January 30, 20100900-1600

Jessica James L.I.N.K.S. Program Trainer

(858) [email protected]

viking newsletter november 2010

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