General Henry H. Shelton, the fourteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has accepted SEAAA's invitation as the keynote speaker for the first All-Service Senior Enlisted Leadership Symposium. It will be held in Newport, Rhode Island on March 25 and 26, 1999. The conference title is "Diversity Leadership in the New Millenium."

As JCS, General Shelton serves as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Prior to his selection as JCS, he served as Commander in Chief of the United States Special Operations Command.

In addition to General Shelton, other speakers will come from academia, the legal profession, the corporate environment, and the Department of Defense.

The symposium's motivational speaker will be Alan Page. Currently serving as an Associate Supreme Court Justice for the State of Minnesota, he is also a NFL Hall of Famer. Justice Page's football career as a defensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears was nothing short of remarkable. He was the first defensive lineman to receive the league's MVP award.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity, William E. Leftwich, III will also present. He leads the Department of Defense's efforts for equality. Letwich has also served as the Superintendent of Employment for the Chicago Parks District and as Organizational Planning Manager for Personnel with Sears Corporation.

During the conference, Secretary Leftwich will be supported by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI). This experienced group will be responsible for providing focused training for all conference participants. A series of presentations are being planned over the two-day conference that will fit the needs of our audience.

Seating is limited to 650 senior enlisted registrants. Those interested should contact their respective senior enlisted academy school directors for tickets.

There is a $30.00 registration fee that must be submitted along with the bottom portion of your numbered invitation by January 15, 1999.

We have made arrangements with a number of local hotels to offer reasonable rates for those needing accommodations.

Class 82 followed with the distinction by volunteering to conduct the selection process of scholarship applications. They developed a board to assess each eligible package. The results of the selection are posted on our website at www.seaaa.org. Unfortunately, the overseas category did not have any eligible candidates and therefore the board could not make a selection.

Class 82 followed the example set by their predecessors and collected an incredible $2,004.50 from the class members.

It is gestures such as theirs that really symbolize the true spirit of being a Chief Petty Officer. We can only hope that others will try to emulate the powerful example that they have set.

Many of our members are now including donations to the CPO Scholarship Fund when they renew their membership.

Thanks for your generous support. Spread the word that the scholarships applications will be taken again in January 1999.

Both Kidd and Smith gave speeches that emphasized the important contributions of each of the former MCPONs.

Class 82 representatives were positioned by each portrait and unveiled them in the order of their term as the Navy's top enlisted leader.

Following the ceremony, SEA and GEICO hosted a reception which gave the students of Class 82 a chance to visit with the honored guests. The reception included a cake cutting which had all of the MCPONs sharing in the task. Following the ceremony, the MCPONs had an opportunity to meet and share their insights about current directions in the Navy.

First, I think it showed a lack of respect. Second, it usually brought great pain to us because our elders took it as a lack of respect and calibrated us on how not to do it again. Did we learn anything? Absolutely! We learned not to ask "Why?"  That's why we, as elders, take offense when someone asks, "Why?" Just as the Sailors of today are bringing their values with them into the Navy, we brought ours, and one of those values was not to ask, "Why?"

So why do the Sailors coming into the Navy today usually ask, "Why?" Are they braver than we were? Do they not respect their elders? No, I don't think either answer fits. I do believe these young people have a greater lack of trust for their elders than we did. With all the negative publicity in the media today and the lack of strong family values I think they are more concerned about strangers controlling every facet of their daily lives. They feel they need to know what they are about to do and why they are about to do it. Not to be disrespectful, but to have a sense of security that what they are about to do is right, not only to the person giving the order, but to themselves.