A quarterly newsletter for graduates of the Senior Enlisted Academy |
||||||||||||||
|
|
SEAAA Administering CPO Expanding our ability to serve you has been one of SEAAA’s most
important goals this year. In cooperation with the CPO Scholarship Fund, SEAAA will now
administer the selection of candidates for college scholarships. Candidates can only participate in one of the following five categories:
Candidates must be entering a school during the 1998/99 school year with the goal of obtaining an associate, bachelor or graduate degree. Awards are provided directly to the school. Amounts awarded will be announced when candidates are selected to fill the five categories. Applications can be requested directly from SEAAA by submitting a SASE to: SEA Alumni Association Applications can also be down-loaded from the SEA web site at www.seaaa.org. Note that this is a new location for the SEAAA web site address. (See related story regarding Web Site). Applications must be received no later than May 1, 1998. Selected students will be announced at the end of June 1998. Peter H. M. Todd
|
|||||||||||||
|
SEAAA Administers CPO Scholarship Program What the Future Holds |
What The Future Holds I’ve been here since late June and I think I’ve about figured out how the SEA runs. Now that I’ve been able to work that out, wouldn’t you know, we’re about to change! Our curriculum changed a few years ago to focus more attention on that person serving in or going to a Command Master Chief/Chief of the Boat job. At that time the decision was made that all CMC/COB would attend the Academy. In February we will sit down with some education experts and graduates from the fleet to try to make our curriculum more functional , not only for the MCM/COB, but for the other senior enlisted leaders too. Much of what we want to change is based on graduate feedback and data we will receive from a survey currently in the fleet. Again, the aim is to make the Academy not only the capstone of senior enlisted leadership training, but to make it more timely and functional with respect to what senior enlisteds do in the fleet today. Simply put, we want to make the Academy sort of the graduate level of the leadership continuum. Our counterpart in the officer community , the Command Leadership School, is struggling with the same issues. Are we teaching the right things to the right people? One example I can give is our Core Values topic. I facilitate this topic from a lesson guide derived from similar lesson guides used in the E5,6 & 7 courses. That’s fine, but the two senior enlisted paygrades in our Navy need more. Last class, I focused the discussion on ETHICS. This discussion was based on core values, but moved to the next higher level. The results were good and I think the students were given an opportunity to discuss ethical situations rather than dissect the words honor courage and commitment. I received enough positive feedback to let me know we are on the right track. The staff will under go some pretty significant changes in 1998 too. As in any unit in the Navy, we will have some check-outs and some check-ins. Saying goodbye is never easy, but rotation means our process is constantly validated with new ideas and fresh perspective. I’m looking forward to 1998 and excited about the opportunity we have to better our Academy and positively impact our senior enlisted leadership in the fleet. The staff and I wish you all a very safe and prosperous New Year. AVCM(AW) Mike Baker
|
|||||||||||||
|
SEAAA Administers CPO Scholarship Program Dive, Dive, Dive! |
By John Schultz,
DPCM(SW), USN (Ret) Although it was not the first submarine, it was the first to go to war. The Turtle was built in Connecticut by David Bushnell. No known ships were sunk by her, but she did manage to put a scare into the British. She tried to drive a screw into the side of one of their ships but the copper sheathing around the hull prevented the attempt. The next warship to go below the waves, on purpose, was the H.L. Hunley, built during the civil war. After sinking several times, killing the crew and skipper, the Hunley became the first submarine to sink a ship. She rammed the Housatonic with a torpedo. Unfortunately, this not only sank the Housatonic but also the Hunley. In 1955, the USS Nautilus sent the following message, "Underway on nuclear power!." This was to signal the start of today’s nuclear ship program for the United States. Proving its strategic worth, in 1958 the Nautilus "steamed" under the Arctic ice cap to pioneer a path to the other side of the world using the short track by way of the north pole. This would provide a quick access from the Pacific to the Atlantic and vice versa. Carrying this a step further, the USS Skate surfaced, through the ice, only 300 miles from the north pole during the winter. The USS Triton set a record that was kept secret for sometime. She was given orders to submerge, go around the world, and then come back up where she started. She was also to do this undetected and without support. Averaging almost 19 knots, Triton accomplished her mission in an unbelievable 85 days. Although there are hundreds of other stories and records that could be recounted about the sub force, there is one that shows the true nature of the submariner. In 1960, LT Don Walsh along with a fellow scientist descended to 35,800 feet, the bottom of the Mariana Trench, in the bathyscaph "Trieste." At the time, this was the deepest known part of the earth’s ocean and thousands of feet deeper than any man had been before. The Trieste was untested at this depth and only theory said she could make it without damage or destruction. The trip was taken on by LT Walsh with great courage, anticipation and pride, setting a new standard for future submariners.
|
|||||||||||||
|
SEAAA Administers CPO Scholarship Program SEAAA Web Site Has a New Home |
This means regardless of who is taking care of the Web page in the future, our address will always remain the same. Plus it gives our members an easy address to remember us by.
|
|||||||||||||
|
SEAAA Administers CPO Scholarship Program SEAAA Area Representavives |
Do you want to support the SEAAA in your hometown area or duty station? You can, by becoming an SEAAA Area Representative. The role of the area representative will continue to grow as our programs expand. To learn more, contact the SEAAA Area Representative Coordinator, John Schultz, DPCM(SW), USN (Ret). Schultz can be contacted using the phone number or e-mail address shown above. SEA Alumni Advisor The SEA Alumni Advisor is published quarterly for graduates and friends of the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy in Newport, RI. This newsletter is published by the Senior Enlisted Academy Alumni Association. Mail your comments, recommendations, stories, and ideas for future articles to the SEAAA or email them to the SEAAA Secretary/Treasurer Gary Blandino at rigbland@aol.com or the SEAAA Newsletter Editor Doug Haase at doug@seaaa.org.
|
|||||||||||||
|
SEAAA Administers CPO Scholarship Program The Power of Perception |
By
MMCM(SW) Mike Tsikouris The Power of Perception is a powerful tool. One that can bring about needed changes, yet can also be the harbinger of unwarranted disasters. Perceptions are formed every minute of every day. Our experiences, over many years in leadership positions, have caused us to form many preconceptions. Some are good and valid while many can be far from the truth. It is up to us to be aware that perceptions come with our people. They come from different backgrounds, family upbringings, and even what part of the country they arrive from. The bottom line is they come with their own perceived notion of reality. The onus falls on us as leaders, to ensure the lines of communication that run up and down the chain of command are open, clear and flow freely. Once, during my tenure as CMC, a situation with a new seaman who had just reported aboard brought home a valuable lesson to me. His uniform was sharp and he appeared squared away. He was a quiet Sailor, but with a terrified look on his face. Upon welcoming him aboard, and during my initial indoctrination, I asked what upset him so visibly. His reply was that he had made a horrible mistake, and requested to be immediately discharged from the Navy! It took a while to draw the real answer from him. Apparently, he had spoken to another Sailor who had recently left the ship. Later I learned that the sailor he had spoken to was a disgruntled ex-crew member, awaiting discharge on drug use and various other charges. He told the impressionable new seaman, tales of discrimination, hate, and prejudice that went on aboard our ship. To say the least I was stunned, then outraged. Yet the realization set in, that despite all my arguments to the contrary, I would not convince this Sailor that he was wrong. He had to come to that conclusion for himself. That what he perceived as truth, was in fact planted misperceptions. Instead of arguing the point, I took the seaman on an all day tour of the ship. I had him spend the day with me, seeing how business was conducted, what the attitudes of the crew were, and how people treated each other with respect from the most junior shipmates on up the chain of command. What he saw was in direct conflict with the views he had already established in his mind. He saw sharp crew members, all getting along well, he saw a pride that ran through the entire ship and a unity that eventually altered his perceptions. Six months later this young Sailor was our Bluejacket of the Quarter. It is our responsibility to our subordinates, to our peers and to our seniors as well to ensure all lines of communication are open and clear. It is vital that our mission goals, the way we expect business to be conducted, and the guiding principles of the organization are understood by everyone playing the game. That young seaman’s base integrity, and all his core values had never changed. Yet he was ready to quit, because he felt the odds against his success at that command as insurmountable. It is up to us, as leaders, to know our people. Be aware of the subtle changes that indicate changes in attitude. We must realize that sometimes, what we feel is clear, can be perceived in an entirely different light than was intended. The key to minimizing errors in perception is feedback. We must ensure that we foster an environment where feedback is not only allowed, but actively sought after. In today’s Navy, how we are perceived by the nation, by our superiors in Washington, and by our fellow shipmates, both active and retired, relies heavily on dispelling the perception that we do business the way it has been done for years. Our Navy is changing and improving. It is our responsibility to ensure what we do is understood. The Power of Perception can be a daunting foe. But if understood, and used correctly, it can be our greatest ally. MMCM (SW) Mike Tsikouris reported as an SEA Staff member following his CM/C tour aboard USS Vicksburg (CG 69). He also is a graduate of Class 31 (Green).
|
|||||||||||||
|
SEAAA Administers CPO Scholarship Program Class 78 Graduates |
|
|||||||||||||
| SEAAA Administers CPO Scholarship Program Class 79 Graduate |
|
|||||||||||||
