Congratulations to all of the Sailors listed above-well done Shipmates!

Very Respectfully,

CMDCM(SW) Karol M. Kramer

Command Master Chief

Ombudsman’s Corner

Hello JOHN PAUL JONES Families and Friends,

As we enter the month of July we are getting closer and closer to the time our sailors come home.  Now is the time to start thinking of Homecoming.  Of course, all of the usual things run through our heads: When will they be home?  Where will they pull in? What decorations are we taking to the pier? Will and how are we decorating the house?  Is my sailor’s favorite food in the house?  What will it all be like?  But these aren’t the only things to start thinking of now.

The FSG and I have already begun thinking of the plans for our Homecoming event and I think you will enjoy them.  Kirsten Duncan is our Homecoming Coordinator and she is doing a fantastic job trying to get everything together so that we can all have a fun and memorable Homecoming.  As you prepare for your homecoming please be aware that no balloons of any type will be allowed at the pier.  There is a two-fold reason.  First, we have someone with a severe allergy to latex and it isn’t fair to that sailor or family member to have their homecoming ruined by a trip to the hospital.  Second, the Navy doesn’t allow Mylar balloons on base.  There will be lots of other decorations and things going on pier-side.  This will be a festive event for all involved!  Be on the lookout for more information as we get closer to Homecoming!

You will also need to think about the actual transition into having your sailor home.  There are a lot of emotions that people will go through and a lot of adjustment.  The sailors have been used to working hard on the ship as we have been working hard at home.  They have had their routines and we have had ours.  How will you coordinate your routines again?  Don’t forget patience will be needed by all.  Spouses and significant others will need to be patient with each other.  Parents will need to be patient with children.  There will be a readjustment period that everyone will go through.  We have all grown and we will have to get used to having each other around.  Simple things like working together while putting away the dishes, cleaning the house, budgeting, and even showing affection to one another may be difficult at first.  This is normal but a lot of issues can be avoided if you start talking now. 

Something a little more immediate is the Halfway Party, which will be held at VFW Post 1512 in Lemon Grove.  The FSG is putting together a Halfway Party for those who are able to make it and I am sure that fun will be had by all! If you don’t know what the Halfway Party is this is a chance for us to celebrate how far we have come.  The Halfway Party is our Wednesday or Hump Day if the deployment were a week.  Please join us for a chance to let our hair down and celebrate!

On a related note, I wanted to let you all know that I recently met with the Commander and other members of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1512 of Lemon Grove, CA.  Commander John Vojtas and other members of the post have graciously opened their arms and building to us.  For those of you who do not know, Post 1512 “sponsors” our ship through a program with the VFW and US Navy.  I look forward to working with this “All-State” post.  Both the FSG and I are thankful for the assistance the post is giving us during this deployment.

Finally, I want to extend my best wishes to CDR Housinger, his wife, Suzanne, and their children.  As they move on to what life has in store for them I am sure we will all remember them fondly.  Both CDR and Mrs. Housinger have worked tirelessly to make our lives better.  For those who didn’t know, Mrs. Housinger has been a driving force behind the FSG and a great help and resource to me as I worked as FSG President and now as I began my job as Ombudsman.  We wish them fair winds and following seas as they forge ahead on new adventures!

Have a great month!

Heather Cox

Command Ombudsman

USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53)

(619) 743-5416 OMB line

1-866-310-4650 Careline changed each Friday

jpjombudsman@yahoo.com

FSG Corner

Greetings JPJ Families and Friends,

My first official month as the JPJ FSG President has been busy and productive. The turnout for the June meeting was great. We were able to all say our goodbyes to our Command Advisor, Mrs. Suzanne Housinger. She will be greatly missed and we wish her and CMDR Housinger fair winds and following seas as they make their way East to their new command in July. Date night was held this month at In Cahoots in Mission Valley. Thank you to those who were able to join us, I had a great time and hope to see even more of you at our next date night. Committees for the Half-way Party, Night-Before Party and Homecoming have been hard at work planning these great events. We gave secured the VFW in Lemon Grove for the Half-way Party and are looking into different venues for the Night-Before Party. The FSG is hosting a July 4^th Party/BBQ at the Cox’s House. We will be taping a video at the BBQ to send to the ship for our loved ones to view in the galley. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to welcome Alli Barrett as our new FSG Vice President. Alli has been involved with the FSG since coming to the ship and will do a fantastic job in her new position.

Hope to see you all at our next meeting and all of our events,

Julie Gushlaw

JPJ (DDG-53) FSG President

Resource Info

ALERT!!!

New Scam Targets Military Families


The American Red Cross reports a new scam that targets military families. According to the Red Cross, a caller identifies herself as a Red Cross representative. The caller then informs the military spouse that her husband has been injured and medevac'ed to a hospital in Germany and asks for information to complete "the paperwork." The information requested is the SSN and birthdate.

According to Ms. Lesley A. Arsht, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy, "We want our military families to know that information regarding the health and welfare of their loved ones will be provided to them by someone they know within the chain of command."

The Department of Defense is using a number of resources to warn military families about this scam. DoD appreciates the support the American Red Cross provides every day and is grateful for their quick response in helping our military families deter identity theft.

Source: www.ffsp.navy.mil under Alerts

Free Mailing Supplies! Source: USPS When you send a care package to a deployed Service Member, do you find yourself searching for empty boxes in the aisles of the commissary? The United States Postal Service, recognizing that most care packages are sent overseas using priority mail, has created a "Mili-kit". Each kit contains boxes, address labels, and custom forms. You can order these free boxes by calling 1-800-610-8734 and ask for a CAREKIT. You'll still have to fill the box with love and goodies, and you'll still have to pay for and affix postage, but it will save you some space in your shopping cart! More information on packing, addressing and shipping items can be found at www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/.   These articles and more can be found at  www.ffsp.navy.mil Navy Trivia   What word means ice cream, candy, potato chips and other assorted snacks, or even the place where they can be purchased to many sailors?   Geedunk Goat Locker Junk Keelhaul    Answer at the end of the newsletter.   United Through Reading® Update     We’ve passed the halfway point!  Many of us have already had the pleasure of participating in United Through Reading®, but the program isn’t over yet.  Just as we are continuing to receive tapes, let’s continue to send responses back to our Sailors.  A picture or videotape of your child interacting with the video is the perfect way to show them just how much that video means. As we all start to think about the things we will do when reunited with our Sailors, what better way to say “I’m Coming Home” than with a videotape?  Encourage your Sailor to make another tape to announce their homecoming.  Remind them to include personal messages to your child about the ways they will enjoy spending time together when reunited.  And if they haven’t participated yet, now is the perfect time to get their face and voice in front of their child.            Don’t forget to contact our United Through Reading® Homefront Coordinator, Jolene Mitchell at jpj_hospitality@yahoo.com to get your participant comments included in next months newsletter.    Save the Dates! July is National Hotdog Month: The hotdog’s original name, the frankfurter, is because Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany is credited with creating the hotdog in 1487 and was also called “hot dachshund sausage”.  The term hotdog was coined in 1901 by sports cartoonist Tad Dorgan because he couldn’t figure out how to spell “dachshund”.   Other names include “wieners”, “red hots”, “franks”, and “dogs”. Hotdogs are high in protein because they are made of  skeletal muscle of one or more animals despite the National Hotdog and Sausage Council’s reference to hotdog ingredients as “specially selected meat trimmings”.   Despite the high sodium and fat content they can be a good source of protein, iron and vitamins.  Make sure to check those labels though, because some brands include salt and sugar. Beef, pork and poultry are the most common meat ingredients. The standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) require that at least 96.5 percent of a hotdog be meat and insists that a hotdog can’t contain more than 30 percent fat and 10 percent water with only 3.5 percent of the ingredients to be binders, like milk, soy or cereal.  The USDA also requires all hotdogs to be checked if they cross state lines and they all have to have their ingredient lists submitted and approved by the USDA. For the best food safety the USDA says to never leave hotdogs at room temperature for more than two hours or no more than one hour when the temperature tops 90 degrees.  Also, check the expiration date and never buy a package that is past the “best by” date or one that you know you won’t use the hotdogs before that date.  The “proper” method for layering condiments on the hotdog, according to the  National Hotdog and Sausage Council , is wet first (like mustard or ketchup), then chunky (like relish or onions), then cheese and any spices.  So whether you like Chicago, Kansas, or your own special style of hotdog, relish that hotdog and know that you are enjoying a great American treat!     July 4, 2007: Fourth of July Freedom Festival at FASW Point Loma Festivities begin at 3pm with fireworks at 9pm.   Free Admission, Live Entertainment, FunZone     July 28, 2007  20th Anniversary NBVC Admiral’s Cup Triathlon A 400-meter ocean swim starts the race at 0800, held at the NBVC Point Mugu swimming beach. The swim is followed by a 20K bike ride and a 5K run. This year, Team Semper Fi, a group of injured Marines and Sailors  who have taken up adventure sports in their recovery efforts, are our special guests.   To sign up for the event go to www.active.com or for more information contact Ms. Amanda Haskell at Amanda.Haskell@navy.mil or Mr. Kent Blankenship at Kent.Blankenship@navy.mil or call (805) 989-7940. Interested in volunteering? Contact the people listed above for specific information.   July Youth Activities     Date                     Event                     Cost                  Time                 Ages                  Center 7/6              Mall & Movie Night           $7                     2-5 pm             13-17 yrs.          Bayview Hills                    Summer Movie Day           Free                  1-5 pm               5-15 yrs.             Chesterton                    Summer Movie Day           Free                  1-5 pm               5-15 yrs.        Village at Serra Mesa                    Kids Summer Party             $2                    2-4 pm               5-12 yrs.            Silver Strand                    Hawaiian Dance                  $2                  6:30-8 pm       Grades K-5               MCYC                                                                                                                                     $3                   8:30 pm          Grades 6-8               MCYC 7/16-20       July Arts & Crafts               $1                    1-3 pm             10-12 yrs.          Bayview Hills 7/20                Kids Night Out                $5                   7-11 pm              6-10 yrs.               MCYC   Source for events: www.mwrtoday.com     CONTACT YOUR SAILOR   Sailors love snail mail!  Although we have the convenience of email, don’t forget to send letters and packages to your loved one at sea!  Send mail to:   Sailor's Rank/Rate and Name Department or Division USS JOHN PAUL JONES (DDG-53) FPO AP 96669-1271   Remember…sailors love snail mail!   Navy Trivia Answer: A. Geedunk   GEEDUNK - To most sailors the word geedunk means ice cream, candy, potato chips and other assorted snacks, or even the place where they can be purchased. No one, however, knows for certain where the term originated, but there are several plausible theories: 1.) In the 1920's a comic strip character named Harold Teen and his friends spent a great amount of time at Pop's candy store. The store's owner called it The Geedunk for reasons never explained. 2.) The Chinese word meaning a place of idleness sounds something like gee dung. 3.) Geedunk is the sound made by a vending machine when it dispenses a soft drink in a cup. 4.) It may be derived from the German word tunk meaning to dip or sop either in gravy or coffee. Dunking was a common practice in days when bread, not always obtained fresh, needed a bit of tunking to soften it. The ge is a German unaccented prefix denoting repetition. In time it may have changed from getunk to geedunk. Whatever theory we use to explain geedunk's origin, it doesn't alter the fact that Navy people are glad it all got started. Source:  Smith Sr.,Daniel. "Navy Historical Facts and Trivia."  State Guard Association of  the                                                                   United States. 15 June 2007.     <http://www.sgaus.org/hist_fac.htm >.