Greetings to you all. In this issue, I wanted to speak a little bit about integrity and how our great Association is pressing ahead in an honorable way during these most trying budgetary times.

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This January marks the 22nd anniversary of the launching of the air war of Desert Shield, which many vividly remember kicking off back in 1991. Sadly, the leader of that grand endeavour, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., passed away shortly before he was able to observe this year’s anniversary. He was a great American, and he will be missed.

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I recently participated in a retirement ceremony for a Sailor that had accumulated more than 25 years of service. He had worked hard and sacrificed a lot over those years. However, one thing that was clear was that his wife and family had sacrificed just as much during that time.

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Many of you, like me, were certainly pulled into the excitement and imagery of this year’s Summer Olympics. The physical excellence and sheer determination of the athletes made quite a dramatic spectacle. It was awesome to observe.

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It has been almost 120 years since “El Cid,” the chief, made his way onto the campus of the US Naval Academy, becoming the adopted mascot of the midshipmen.  At the time, he inspired the Middies, bringing pride and attributed victories to the many teams plying the gridiron.

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Honor, courage, and commitment are the three guiding principles that make up the core values of the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. These core values are drilled into every new recruit and are the essence of what is expected from each and every person brought into the fold. Although honor and courage are critical legs to this triad of values, I would like to talk a little about commitment and expectations pertaining to members of AUSN.

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Sometimes, I wonder if we really know how to communicate anymore. After all, what is communication? Is it simply the transfer of information back-and-forth or is it actually the development of a mutual understanding about a subject through the exchange of words and inflections and a myriad of related, nonspoken gestures?

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Over the past few years, the media headlines have been consistently focused on the flagging economy. Employment remains high. Retail sales figures are lower than expected.

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“Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard and found that the cupboard was bare.” This old nursery rhyme seems quite appropriate in today’s environment of austerity and budget scrutiny. Not since the early 1990’s have we seen such a drive towards budget consolidation and a pure reevaluation of what is most critically needed to be funded in order to ensure our nation’s commitment to global security and our national defense. Sadly though, under the current economic conditions, we find that we have more obligations than we have the funds to sustain them.

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Over the years, iconic US Navy recruiting posters have symbolized a call to duty and personal sacrifice. Other posters have implored potential recruits to not only read about history, but also to make it. In times of war and national emergency, millions of Americans have answered that call and performed with distinction and honor.

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Each year, we all observe the passing of another portion of our lives. Sometimes, we can look in the mirror and wonder what had happened to our youthful vigour or possibly wonder what had happened to all our hair.

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This past June, Admiral Gary Roughead, the Chief of Naval Operations, released a memorandum to all prospective commanding officers detailing the expectations for those charged with command.

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August 2011 - Navy By Aaron Bresnahan Strategic deterrence. Multipurpose operational missions (hunter-killer and guided missile launching). Speci...

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July 2011 - Navy By Aaron Bresnahan As the 2010/2011 academic year draws to a close, thousands of high school students around the country are emb...

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June 2011 - Navy By Aaron Bresnahan A wise colleague once told me that “products are made in factories, but brands are made in the minds of ...

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May 2011 - Navy By Aaron Bresnahan This year, 2011, marks the 100th year of naval aviation. A lot has changed since those initial days of trial, e...

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April 2011 Navy By Aaron Bresnahan During the sixties, the popular television show Star Trek used to begin with a quote from its star character, Cap...

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March 2011 Navy By Aaron Bresnahan This month, we celebrate another Reserve anniversary. The Navy Reserve has endured a lot of changes in its past n...

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February 2100 Navy By Aaron Bresnahan As many of you know, January observed the gathering of Surface Warriors at the national conference of the Surf...

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January 2011 Navy By Aaron Bresnahan With the opening of a New Year, we also find ourselves at the dawning of a new era in surface warfare. At the w...

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