MICROSOFT

ON THE BUZZ
ON THE BUZZ September 2010
Ombudsman Contact
Information: Q: What is the Homecoming Picnic for?
Brenda Walker A: The Homecoming Picnic is a way for the entire Battalion to get to-
(805) 218-2323
gether and celebrate a job well done! It gives families and Seabees a
Linda Mendoza chance to meet each other’s “deployment families” and catch up with
(805) 218-409 old friends. Of course the biggest incentive is the free food. There will
nmcb4ombuds@yahoo.com also be activities for children! So we hope all families can make it out
Subscribe to NMCB-4 Om- with their Seabees and enjoy this wonderful day.
budsman Newsletter by e-
mailing us.

Check out our website:

Homecoming Picnic is scheduled for September 10th.
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/
nmcb4fst/index.html
The party begins with Family PT at spaces at 7AM.
Facebook (link to Facebook
found at orgsites website)
The picnic begins at 11:30am at Bolles Field.
Careline (805)-982-2200

OPERATION PREPARE: Navy Family Accountability &

Inside this issue: Assessment System

CO’s Corner 2 Do you and your family know what to do in an emergency? Knowing what to do can
make all the difference when seconds count.
Calendar/Numbers 3
umbers  Be informed-Its not if an earthquake will come, its when. What are California’s
most likely disasters (i.e. wild fire, earthquake).
CMDMC Corner 4
 Have a plan-Plan of reactions to various emergencies, plan how to stay in touch
Word on the Street 5  Make a kit-water, food (nonperishable for at least 3 days, First aid kit, money).

The Navy is on the scene worldwide helping those impacted by disaster. Operation
HELP for Reunion 6 Prepare is Navy Region Southwest’s family emergency preparedness program.
FRG President
Please check out this website and register, before it becomes too late!
FRG President 7 https//www.navyfamily.navy.mil or call 1877-414-5358
Page 2 ON THE BUZZ

CO’s Corner
Greetings Fabulous FOUR Friends and Family,

I trust that you’ve had a wonderful stand down with your Seabee and that your “honey-do” list has gotten a
bit shorter. The battalion is getting settled in to our spaces, classes are underway and we’ve shifted back to our
Woodland Camouflage uniforms. Ahhh…HOMEPORT! So what’s the purpose of homeport?
Officially, our homeport mission is to reorganize and conduct military, construction and personnel development train-
ing in preparation for next deployment. Read between the lines and it’s also a time to renew our focus, recharge the
batteries, spend time with family and friends, say farewell to departing Shipmates and welcome new ones on board. I
encourage you to get involved and formulate bonds with other FOUR families because when the operational tempo
increases, it’s nice to be able to share a common understanding with close friends. Please come out this Friday, Sep-
tember 10th, to have a great time at family PT with MWR and enjoy great food at the homecoming picnic, organized
by the best FRG in the Naval Construction Force, at Bolles Field.
Since our last newsletter, EO1 and Mrs. Marceau welcomed Kayla and CECN and Mrs. Smith welcomed
Mackenzie into their and the FOUR family. Thankfully both families are doing well. Four of our Seabees also received
great news since the last newsletter. BUC( Select) Spradlin and ITC (Select) Seay were selected for Chief. They are
currently in the induction process which culminates with the Chiefs pinning ceremony on September 16th. Also, Lieu-
tenant Perez-Romero and Lieutenant Higdon were selected for Lieutenant Commander. Both of these are major ac-
complishments in their careers; we’re proud of them.
Just like shifting uniform colors, Labor Day is the unofficial end to summer and signifies a transition. Leaves
change color (somewhere, maybe not here in southern Cal), the weather cools down, kids are back in school, football
season starts... Please ensure your Seabee’s transition back into the family continues to be a smooth one. At some
point, the novelty may wear off (if it already hasn’t) so you should be armed with life skills to resolve conflict, openly
communicate and continue to build strong foundations for your family.
Our Chaplain, LT Catherine Pace, is available for couple’s and pre-marital counseling. There are also upcom-
ing events such as PREP, Prevention, Relationship Enhancement Program, and expenses paid marriage enrichment re-
treats called “Spiritual Fitness,” which you probably remember as CREDO. The Fleet and Family Support Center has
excellent services and classes available as well. I’m confident that we’ll continue to seek help when necessary and care
for each other.
Last but not least, September 14th is Ombudsman Appreciation Day so CMDCM Thomas and I will have the
opportunity to recognize our FABULOUS Ombudsmen, Linda Mendoza and Brenda Walker, at a luncheon on Sep-
tember 8th. “Thank you” seems inadequate to express the heartfelt appreciation for their selfless sacrifice. They
have gone about their duties with style and grace and made their jobs look easy.

That’s all for now, until next time, be well!

CDR Simms

Ombudsman E-Mail Listing

With Homeport underway its important to stay up to date with all that’s going on
with our Battalion! If you know someone who wants to stay up to date, please
have them email nmcb4ombuds@yahoo.com . WE want to be sure everyone stays
informed this homeport!!! So please pass on our information to family and friends.
ON THE BUZZ Page 3

IIMPORTANT NUMBERS

Navy Marine Corp Relief FFSC:805 982-5037

Society: 805-982-4409 American Red Cross:
Dispatch:805 982-4591 Local:805 982-3074
Fire Division:982-4595 Emergency Message:
1-877-272-7337

4TH ANNUAL CFC GOLD COAST GOLF TOURNAMENT

10/1 at NBVC Seabee Golf Course, 0700 Showtime, 0800 Tee-Off, $65
includes range balls, tee prizes, lunch and more! Registration deadline is
9/20. For more information call (805) 982-6306/6450

September 2010 Schedule of Events

 Homecoming Picnic: Spend time

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat with your Seabee and friends, as
we enjoy that our Mission is Ac-
complished!!!
1 2 3 4
 17th-Enjoy a night out, no kids!
The CDCs on both bases provide
childcare from 6-9pm once a
month. Please stop by the CDCs
5 6 7 8 9 10Home- 11 to fill out the reservation form.
coming
 18th-Wounded Warrior Half
Marathon. Please contact MWR
805982-5554 for sign up and de-
12 13 14 15 16 17 Par- 18 Half tails.
ents NIght Mara-  FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTION E-6
thon AND BELOW. BUILDING 19 ,
9AM TO 1PM. Bring your laundry
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 baskets!!!

 Case Lot Sale at the Commissary

September 16th-19th.

26 27 28 29 30
 Page 4 ON THE BUZZ

Military Spouses Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA)

Does the name kind of sound familiar? We all remember it being rolled out last year. What is My-
CAA? Here’s a small recap. MyCAA is a grant program created for military spouses who are want-
ing to further their education, either through college, licensures or certifications! It went on a short
hiatus. The program was so popular, the funding could not keep up with the demand! Now MyCAA
is back but with a few changes!

 Be the spouse of an active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine service member, or activated
Reserve member in pay grades E1-E5, W1-W2, or O1-O2.
 If National Guard and/or AGR, sponsor must be on federal Title 10 active duty orders as reported
in DEERS.
 Spouses of Guard/Reserve members in an Alert, Transition Assistance, or Post Deployment
status are not eligible.
 MyCAA accounts will be limited to the new $4,000 maximum benefit with a $2000 fiscal year
cap. Waivers will be available for spouses pursuing licensure or certification up to the total maxi-
mum assistance of $4,000.
 Spouses must finish their program of study within three years from the start date of the first
course.
 Funding is limited to only Associate's degrees, certifications and licensure programs.

Lastly there are some timelines to adhere by.

 August 31, 2010: Deadline for spouses with active MyCAA accounts to request approval of new
Career Plans. No plans will be accepted after August 31st.
 September 1, 2010 through October 21, 2010: Spouses with an active MyCAA account may
request financial assistance up to $6,000 for classes starting on or before January 15, 2011.
 October 22-25, 2010: The MyCAA program will close at 12:01 am October 22 so that we may
ensure the IT infrastructure is in place to implement the new MyCAA program beginning Octo-
ber 25, 2010.
October 25, 2010: The MyCAA program will reopen to all eligible spouses under the new program
guidelines. All spouses, including those currently participating, will be subject to the new eligibility
criteria and revised funding limits.

Please visit the MyCAA website to sign up and find out more details: https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/
mycaa/

CARELINE Number!! Why we still need to hold on to it!!!

We all know the careline number was used to update of the deployment and homecomings for our
Battalion. It is also used during homeport to inform families of important events coming up. Please
call our careline
805 982-2200
We have a wonderful event coming up this Friday, our Homecoming Picnic, and at 7am, is our Fam-
ily PT. Hope to see everyone Friday Sept. 10
 ON THE BUZZ Page 5

HELP for Reunion

So your loved one is home, now what? Reunions bring lots of excitement, but it can also
bring uncertainty and stress for you, your spouse and your children. You know you are happy
they are home, but maybe things like routines, expectations and emotions are different. Here is
some “HELP” to keep in mind when adjusting back to life with your Seabee.

HUMOR, keeping a sense of humor when things don’t go exactly as planned will lessen the seri-
ousness of the situations and remembering your family is together again. Children will pick up on
how you deal and react to these situations.

EPATHY, through homecoming and the “honeymoon” phase of when your Seabee is first home
understanding your emotions are normal is essentials. Children will sense your excitement, ten-
sion , joyfulness and uncertainty. Try to see the reunion from the perspective of your children or
even your Seabee and remember everyone will feel and react differently. Listen to your children
and yourself and accept that things might not feel the same.

LEARNING, is a process that can help with understanding your children's behavior as well as
yours and your spouses,. Effects of deployment will cause many different reactions. There are
many classes available through the Fleet and Family to help with understanding the developmen-
tal stages your children are going through while dealing with homecoming. As for you talking
with your friends and other spouses will reassure you that you are not alone in how you feel. We
are always learning about ourselves and our family.

PATIENCE, is the most important skill to have as a military family. This is even more important
when adjusting back to life after a deployment. Every family is different and will need time to re-
adjust. Expressing each others expectations and wants will make this time go more smoothly.
Also keep in mind that your Seabee might be having issues sleeping or even feeling apart of the
family, this is normal. With your patience, understanding and time will provide support to your-
self, your Seabee and your family through this time of reunion.

More information:

Military One Source 1-800-342-9647

Fleet and Family Support Center 982-5037

Source: www.zerotothree.org/military
 ON THE BUZZ

Friends of Four NMCB 4 Families and Friends,

Welcome Home NMCB 4!!!! I think that we are all in bliss right now
having our loved ones home, school has started and slowly but surely
we’ll all get back into the Homeport groove.
Important FRG Board
Contacts: Preparations for the Homecoming picnic are in full swing. Our Home-
Jenn Cobbel, President coming Picnic will be on Friday, 10 September in the Theater and at
805-271-1051 Bowles Field. There will be great food and fun for all.
nmcb4pres@yahoo.com

Anna Richardson, Vice At the Homecoming Picnic, your NMCB 4 FRG will induct the new
President FRG Board for everyone to see. And, speaking of your FRG; we’ll be
805-483-3073 starting up our meetings here very soon. Here is the schedule of meet-
nmcb4vpb@yahoo.com ings for the next few months:
Thursday, 21 October
Yeisy Balmaceda, Vice Thursday, 16 December
President Thursday, 20 January 2011
757-763-9459
nmcb4vp@yahoo.com
Your NMCB 4 FRG will also be having some fundraisers between now
Bridget Harmon, and then, so make sure that you keep a look out and remember to stay
Secretary active, involved and informed.
805-901-6367
nmcb4sec@yahoo.com Here is the list of your New NMCB 4 FRG Board:
Nicole Ostroske, Jenn Cobbel, President
Treasurer
Anna Richardson, Vice-President
330-327-7445
nmcb4tres@yahoo.com
Yeisy Balmaceda, Vice President
Nicole Ostroske, Treasurer
Deanna Maddox, Bridget Harmon, Secretary
Hospitality Deanna Maddox, Hospitality
909-648-4470 Christina Velez, Fundraiser Chair
nmcb4hosp@yahoo.com
Well, I think that that covers everything for now. Welcome Home to
Christina Velez, Fund
Raising Chair
everyone!!! Enjoy the time with your loved ones!! Bailey and I are!!
805-248-6121
nmcb4fund@yahoo.com See you all very soon!!

Advisors: Jenn Cobbel

Allison Ramberg President, NMCB 4 FRG
Cyndee Thomas 805-271-1051
Jenn Lampman Nmcb4pres@yahoo.com
nmcb4advisors@yahoo.