ON THE BUZZ
ON THE BUZZ
Ombudsman Contact
Information:
Brenda Walker
(805) 218-2323
Linda Mendoza
(805) 218-4096
nmcb4ombuds@yahoo.com
Subscribe to NMCB-4
Ombudsman Newsletter by
e-mailing us.
Check out our website:
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/
nmcb4fst/index.html
Facebook (link to Facebook
found at orgsites website)
Careline (805)-982-2200
Inside this issue:
CO’s Corner 2
Calendar & Jr. Life- 3 offering troops and their families a military discount. The Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation will
guard Program
Weebees Program & 4
Father’s Day Ideas
101 Ways to Cope 5 members of the armed services and their direct dependents will receive a
with Stress
FRG Friends of Four 6 in the United States with the presentation of a valid government issued
MAY 2010
YOUR CONCERNS:
Q: I moved back to my hometown during deployment and need to re-enroll in Triwest
when I return. What’s the best way to go about this?
A: It’s actually a lot less work than you may think. Simply visit the Tricare Service Center on base
and fill out the required transfer forms. If you had medical services done in the hometown for your-
self or your children, it is recommended to get copies and hand carry those to Medical Records.
They may also be faxed from your doctor’s office to Medical Records (Phone number 982-6364). Be
sure if they are faxed to get a copy of the fax transaction from the doctor’s office.
Q: My Seabee purchased a cell phone and wants me to purchase minutes for the cell
phone. How do I do this?
A: There are a few different ways to go about this.
There are also two different websites that we currently know of that you can purchase minutes for the cell
phones and it will automatically upload to your Seabees phone. They are https://www.etopuponline.com/
roshan/ and http://www.pamircard.com/front.asp?file=front.htm
Etopuponline requires the name on the credit card and name on account be the same so make a note be-
fore creating an account. Also be sure to type 93 (this is Afghanistan country code) before the cell number. This
is required for both websites. Do not put a zero when beginning to type in the number. Most cells start with
79… so when it asks for the cell number just type 9379… Pamircard offers a lower rate for minutes, averaging
about $28 cents a minute. Pamir company will also call and verify the name and number before charging your
credit card or pay pal. Usually within an hour of purchasing there will be a call to verify the autorhization.
Another way to communicate is by simply using a calling card yourself to make the calls to your Seabee.
Phone cards can be purchased from nobel.com for the Afghanistan cell phone and retailmenot.com usually has
10% off your minutes purchase.
Again these are just a few ways in which we know are working or have been working for our families whose
Seabees have cell phones. If there are other means we would like to stay informed of them and share with the
families!!
Build A Bear Workshop Discount
Build A Bear Workshop is celebrating Military Appreciation Month by supporting the USO and
invite Guests to donate $1 at checkout registers May 3 through June 7 in
any Build-A-Bear Workshop retail location in the United States to sup-
port the USO, which provides morale, welfare and recreational activities
to service members and their families. Also during this timeframe, all
20% discount on any purchase at Build-A-Bear Workshop store locations
military identification card.
Page 2 ON THE BUZZ

CO’s Corner
Greetings Friends and Families of FOUR,

We have now been deployed for over four months, and it is amazing to witness the work your Sea-
bee loved ones have completed already. We have built a 200-acre Forward Operating Base out of
nothing and expanded numerous other Forward Operating Bases across Afghanistan. The work is
hard but very rewarding, and the Seabees are making history and building a great reputation all across
Afghanistan.

Mainbody and most of our Details celebrated our Over-the-Hump parties over the last couple weeks.
The FRG also had a very successful celebration of the half-way point of deployment. The Seabees had
a great time and a chance to catch our breath and prepare for the home stretch.

We recently had to say goodbye to Command Master Chief Leedom who is transferring to Amphibi-
“The best ous Construction Battalion One in San Diego. Master Chief Leedom has been a truly great Command
Master Chief and played a huge role in our successes over the last 2 years. The best interests of the
interests of the troops were always his primary concern, and he has been selfless in his devotion to our Seabees. For
me personally, he was a tremendous advisor and confidante who helped guide me in the right direc-
troops were tion when difficult situations came up. He was as good a Command Master Chief as a Seabee Battal-
ion could ever hope to have, and we will miss him.
always his
Finally, for those who have not already found it, NMCB FOUR is on Facebook. There are many pic-
primary tures of your Seabees posted and I encourage everyone to log on and take a tour. The link is:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14942&id=107795319244863&saved#!/pages/Port-Hueneme
concern...” -CA/NMCB-FOUR/107795319244863
I am very proud of all the great work NMCB FOUR is do-
ing. It is always hard to describe in words, so the pictures
on Facebook do a great job of telling our story.

Thanks for all of your support on the Homefront. We

couldn’t do it without you.

God Bless,
CDR Dean VanderLey
Commanding Officer, NMCB FOUR

HALFWAY CELEBRATION

As our Bees celebrated being halfway through this wonder-

ful deployment, the same could be said of the spouses back
here! Our amazing FRG Halfway Committee put together a
wonderful party filled with great food, friends, and door
prizes! Special thanks goes out to the following for making
this event come to life: Yeisy Balmaceda, Nicole Ostrouske,
Deanna Maddox, Rachel Wilcox, and Bridget Harman!

THANKS LADIES FOR MAKING THIS AN AMAZ-

ING HALFWAY PARTY FOR ALL OUR FAMILIES
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2010 NBVC Jr. LIFEGUARD PROGRAM

Enrollment is going on now!!! This is open to children
ages 10 and up. Here’s what you can expect them to
learn:
 FIRST AID/CPR
 PADDLE BOARD/COMPETITION
 LIFEGUARDING SKILLS
 RESCUE SWIMMING SKILLS
 OCEAN SAFETY
 EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
There are two 3-week Sessions
 June 21-July9
 July 19-August 6
Each session runs Monday thru Friday 0900-1400
Please call Hueneme Pool 982-4752 or Mugu Pool 989-
7788 for more information and enrollment.

May 2010 Schedule of

Events
 May 15th Halfway
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Party 12:30-4pm Pt.
Mugu Picnic Pavilion

1  May 20– FRG Meeting

at Seabee Chapel 6-
8pm. Childcare pro-
vided.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8  May 21 Free childcare

at Hueneme and
Mugu CDCs. Please
call 982-4849 to sign
up
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
 May 23-Free Food
Distribution. Building
19. Bring your ID and
16 17 18 19 20 FRG 21Parent 22 free laundry basket. 9am-
1pm.
Meeting Night Out food
 May 23-FRG Wel-
come Home Sign
23 Sign 24 25 26 27 28 29 Painting at Bolles
Field 2-4pm. Bring
Painting your paintbrush.

30 31
 Page 4
Father’s Day
With the Month of May halfway over, it’s time to get those Fa-
ther’s Day packages in the mail!!! Father’s Day is June 20th, and
this year with many Seabee Daddies deployed, it becomes much
harder to celebrate at home and in Afghanistan. Here are just a
few ideas to help Daddy and kids feel
closer on that day!
 If you have small children buy the
brown undershirts that our Seabees
wear under blouses and a large stamp
pad. Place the child’s hand or foot in
the pad and stamp on the chest! The
Seabee Daddy will have his baby’s
hands or feet close to his heart on
that special day…or any day he’s longing to be home.
You can do just one shirt, or several. It’s really up to
you.
 If you have older children, the best gift a father could
get is of course those wonderful arts and crafts made by
the kids. Michael’s and the Dollar Tree are currently selling
Father’s Day crafts for the little ones to do.
 Traditional art! Paper and finger paints is another great
idea! A simple artwork by toddlers will definitely bring a
smile to daddy’s face that day
 Bake and send a cake! I know what you’re thinking,
and there is a special way to do it so it is as fresh as the day
it came out of the oven! You’ll need cake mix (whatever his
favorite is), can of frosting, mason jars and lids for the jars.
Mix cake according to box instructions. Pour batter halfway
into jars. Place jars on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 30-
ON THE BUZZ
35 minutes. While baking, boil jar lids in a pan of water. When
cake is done, take one jar out one at a time and cover with hot
lid. Screw on jar ring tightening it slightly, place on counter to
cool. The lid will seal as it cools. Listen to hear the "ping" as
they seal. As the cake cools, it will pull away from the jar
slightly. That's ok, it just means that it will slide out of the jar
easily. DO NOT frost cake in the jar! Send alongside the
jars. Daddy will put the frosting on his own cake! Make sure
you wrap the jars well (bubble wrap is preferable, but wadded
newspaper or clothing and other items will pad it too). Don’t
forget plastic silverware as well!! (Special thanks to Sara
Breckenridge for this wonderful idea)
 Have the camera ready! While creating your crafts or
making goodies for daddy, be sure to take a moment and cap-
ture them on camera or video! Send it along with the package
so Daddy can see all the hard work his little ones and Mommy
put in for him. Photos always help a Seabee feel closer to home
and more involved in the big day.
A great idea for the families to do here is buy a Father’s Day
Cake. Sit around and watch a couple of videos or look at pic-
tures of daddy and honor him by eating a really big piece of
chocolate cake, with chocolate icing, and chocolate ice cream
on the side (or whatever kind of goodies your little ones en-
joy)!!! This day is especially hard for us because we are sepa-
rated, and even harder on those Daddies deployed. Small ges-
tures have huge rewards, and taking a little bit of time to create
a small package or event on Father’s Day just reminds us at
home and away of how special Daddies are.
Happy Father’s Day
 Page 5 ON THE BUZZ

101 Ways to Cope with Stress

Get up 15 minutes earlier │ Prepare for the morning the night before │ Avoid tight fitting clothes │ Avoid relying on
chemical aids │ Set appointments ahead │ Don’t rely on your memory… write it down │ Practice preventative mainte-
nance │ Make duplicate keys │ Say “no” more often │ Set priorities in your life │ Avoid negative people │ Use time
more wisely │ Simplify meal times │ Always make copies of important papers │ Anticipate your needs │ Repair anything
that doesn’t work properly │ Ask for help with the jobs you dislike │ Bring large tasks into bite-sized portions │ Look at
problems as challenges │ Look at changes differently │ Unclutter your life │ Smile │ Be prepared for rain │ Tickle a baby
│ Pet a friendly dog/cat │ Don’t know all the answers │ Look for the silver lining │ Say something nice to someone
│ Teach a child to fly a kite │ Walk in the rain │ Schedule play time into every day │ Take a bubble bath │ Be aware of
the decisions you make │ Believe in you │ Stop saying negative things to yourself │ Visualize yourself winning │ Develop
your sense of humor │ Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better day │ Have goals for yourself │ Dance a jig │ Say hello
to a stranger │ Ask a friend for a hug │ Look up at the stars │ Practice breathing slowly │ Learn to whistle a tune
│ Read a poem │ Listen to a symphony │ Watch a ballet │ Read a story curled up in bed │ Do a brand new thing
│ Stop a bad habit │ Buy yourself a flower │ Take stock of your achievements │ Find support from others │ Ask some-
one to be your “vent-partner” │ Do it today │ Work at being cheerful and optimistic │ Put safety first │ Do everything
in moderation │ Pay attention to your appearance │ Strive for excellence NOT perfection │ Stretch your limits a little
each day │ Look at a work of art │ Hum a jingle │ Maintain your weight │ Plant a tree │ Feed the birds │ Practice grace
under pressure │ Stand up and stretch │ Always have a plan “B” │ Learn a new doodle │ Memorize a joke │ Be respon-
sible for your feelings │ Learn to meet your own needs │ Become a better listener │ Know your limitations and let oth-
ers know them too │ Tell someone to have a good day in pig Latin │ Throw a paper airplane │ Exercise everyday
│ Learn the words to a new song │ Go to work early │ Clean out one closet │ Play patty cake with a toddler │ Go on a
picnic │ Take a different route to work │ Leave work early (with permission) │ Put an air freshener in your car │ Watch
a movie and eat popcorn │ Write a note to a far away friend │ Go to a ball game and scream │ Cook a meal and eat it
by candle light │ Recognize the importance of unconditional love │ Remember that stress is an attitude │ Keep a journal
│ Practice a monster smile │ Remember you always have options │ Keep a support network of people, places, and things
│ Quit trying to fix other people │ Get enough sleep │ Talk less and listen more │ Freely praise other people │ P.S.
Relax, take one day at a time… you have the rest of your life to live │ Get up 15 minutes earlier │ Prepare for the morn-
ing the night before │ Avoid tight fitting clothes │ Avoid relying on chemical aids │ Set appointments ahead │ Don’t rely
on your memory… write it down │ Practice preventative maintenance │ Make duplicate keys │ Say “no” more often
│ Set priorities in your life │ Avoid negative people │ Use time more wisely │ Simplify meal times │ Always make copies
of important papers │ Anticipate your needs │ Repair anything that doesn’t work properly │ Ask for help with the jobs
you dislike │ Bring large tasks into bite-sized portions │ Look at problems as challenges │ Look at changes differently
│ Unclutter your life │ Smile │ Be prepared for rain │ Tickle a baby│ Pet a friendly dog/cat │ Don’t know all the an-
swers │ Look for the silver lining│ Say something nice to someone │ Teach a child to fly a kite │ Walk in the rain
│ Schedule play time into every day │ Take a bubble bath │ Be aware of the decisions you make │ Believe in you │ Stop
saying negative things to yourself │ Visualize yourself winning │ Develop your sense of humor │ Stop thinking tomorrow
will be a better day │ Have goals for yourself │ Dance a jig │ Say hello to a stranger │ Ask a friend for a hug │ Look up
at the stars │ Practice breathing slowly │ Learn to whistle a tune │ Read a poem │ Listen to a symphony │ Watch a
ballet │ Read a story curled up in bed │ Do a brand new thing │ Stop a bad habit │ Buy yourself a flower │ Take stock
of your achievements │ Find support from others │ Ask someone to be your “vent-partner” │ Do it today │ Work at
being cheerful and optimistic │ Put safety first │ Do everything in moderation │ Pay attention to your appearance
│ Strive for excellence NOT perfection │ Stretch your limits a little each day │ Look at a work of art │ Hum a jingle
│ Maintain your weight │ Plant a tree │ Feed the birds │ Practice grace under pressure │ Stand up and stretch │ Always
have a plan “B” │ Learn a new doodle │ Memorize a joke │ Be responsible for your feelings │ Learn to meet your own
needs │ Become a better listener │ Know your limitations and let others know them too │ Tell someone to have a good
day in pig Latin │ Throw a paper airplane │ Exercise everyday │ Learn the words to a new song │ Go to work early
│ Clean out one closet │ Play patty cake with a toddler │ Go on a picnic │ Take a different route to work │ Leave work
early (with permission) │ Put an air freshener in your car │ Watch a movie and eat popcorn │ Write a note to a far away
friend │ Go to a ball game and scream │ Cook a meal and eat it by candle light │ Recognize the importance of uncondi-
tional love │ Remember that stress is an attitude │ Keep a journal │ Practice a monster smile │ Remember you always
have options │ Keep a support network of people, places, and things │ Quit trying to fix other people │ Get enough
sleep │ Talk less and listen more │ Freely praise other people │ P.S. Relax, take one day at a time… you have the rest of
your life to live.
 FAMILY READINESS GROUP

Friends of Four Families and Friends of NMCB 4 FRG,

Spring is in the air!! And guess what else?? We are Half Way through Deployment!!!!
YEAH!!! Half done and half to go. It seems like such a long road to get here, but the
end is in sight.
Your NMCB 4 FRG is still going strong with activities to help you stay active, involved
Important FRG Board and informed. There are many things happening between now and when our guys get
home to us.
Contacts:
So, here is a break down of what we have going on to date:
Jenn Cobbel, 1. Half-Way Party - Saturday, 15 May from 1230-4pm at the Point Mugu Picnic Pavilion.
President Please RSVP to nmcb4pres@yahoo.com if you plan on attending, so we know that there
805 271-1051 is enough food for all.
nmcb4pres@yahoo.com
2. Regular FRG Meeting - Thursday, 20 May from 6-8pm at the Port Hueneme Chapel.
This is our Mother’s/Father’s Day Meeting. There will be more information to follow
Heidi Oglesby, about food for this meeting.
Vice President
805-889-3292 3. Voting for the next FRG Board - Thursday, 20 May at our Regular FRG Meeting. If
you were wanting to be a part of the next FRG Board, please email Jenn at
nmcb4vpb@yahoo.com
nmcb4pres@yahoo.com to place your name on the ballot.
Anne Richardson, 4. Sign Painting - Sunday, 23 May from 2-4pm at Bowles Field.
Secretary The American Red Cross is bringing us in some painters to help
805-483-3073 with our detail work. Please make sure that you try to bring a
nmcb4sec@yahoo.com smaller paint brush with you that day.
5. T-Shirts are still available for purchase. Michelle will have the
Michelle Tholen, order forms at the Half-Way Party and our May Meeting.
Treasurer
6. Our May Meeting is the last meeting to submit drawings for the Home Coming Sign
805-832-4739 contest. Please give your drawings to Anna.
nmcb4tres@yahoo.com
7. First Kiss Tickets are still available at FRG Meetings only. There are only 2 more
HPL: Chief Lonnie Cosper months to get them.
805-982-3612 8. Regular FRG Meeting - Thursday, 17 June from 6-8pm at the Port Hueneme Chapel.
lonnie.cosper@navy.mil
9. Sign Painting - Sunday, 27 June from 2-4pm at Bowles Field.

Advisors: Veronica I think that that is everything going on with your NMCB4 FRG for the next 2 months.
Vanderley, Kelly Make sure that you stay active, involved and informed for the other things that are
Hendricks, and Jen planned.
Lampman
nmcb4advisors@yahoo.com See you all soon!! MEETING DATES:
Jenn Cobbel
President, NMCB 4 FRG  Thursday, 20 May
Nmcb4pres@yahoo.com
805-271-1051
 Thursday, 17 June
 Thursday, 15 July
 Thursday, 19 August