USS Germantown

“Follow in our Footsteps”

OMBUDSMAN NEWSLETTER
February 2010 ISSUE 5

In This Issue:
CO’s Corner
GERMANTOWN Family,
 CO’s Corner
I realize 2009 was a huge challenge for all of us.
 Ombudsman’s I appreciate the incredible sacrifices made by everyone
Corner over this long yard period. Your efforts have made
 Resource Info GERMANTOWN a better ship and our Navy more capable.
Thanks so much.
 XO’s Corner
 Family Support The great news is that the end is finally in sight! Although
Group Info the details are being worked out, I expect GERMANTOWN to be
underway in early March. Additionally, the ship is looking better
 A word from our
each today. It is amazing to see the remarkable improvement in
CMC
her condition over the past 15 months.
 SES Information
 Save the Dates! Our schedule has changed many times over the past year
but I can tell you that there should be an updated plan by the
 Quote of the Month middle of February. I look forward to holding another town hall
 Introduction of our meeting to discuss the revised schedule and hear your
new Chaplain concerns.

Very Respectfully,
Commander Mike Crary

Ombudsman’s Corner
As this new decade begins, let me be the first to applaud you on your perseverance thru this tough yard
period. Thank you for your service to the U.S. Navy by being the families who support their Surface
Warriors! As we head into 2010, what are your goals and plans for this year as a family? What would you
like to accomplish before the year ends? What can you do specifically to strengthen the home as well as the
“home front”? There are so many resources and activities for our families just to name some are AYMCA,
Military OneSource, Fleet and Family Support Center, SES and many more!

Standing By, Ready to Serve,

Sabrina Heffernan
USS Germantown Ombudsman
(619)791-9460 cell
(619)515-4826 careline
gtownombudman@yahoo.com
 USS Germantown
OMBUDSMAN NEWSLETTER

It’s important that our families have as many resources as Navy & DoD Information
possible at their fingertips. I have included this page to
give you a quick reference guide to just some of the Navy Region Southwest: www.cnrsw.navy.mil
resources that are available to us. Navy Knowledge Online: https://wwwa.nko.navy.mil
**Please remember that information changes all the time
Official Navy Web Page: ww.navy.mil
so if you find any of the following is no longer correct
please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do my best Travel/ PCS Info: https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem
to find the current information. This way I can also update
this information for all of the Germantown Families.
Parenting Information
Top Web Sites to Know! New Dad Classes http://newdads.com
Amer. Red Cross (San Diego): www.sdarc.org Family Activities http://family.go.com
American Red Cross (National): www.redcross.org
Babyzone: http://sandiego.babyzone.com
Armed Services YMCA: www.asymcasd.org
Parenthood: www.parenthood.com
California Court Self Help: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp
CNIC Housing www.housing.navy.mil/onestop Children’s Books Online: www.childrensbooksonline.org
Commissary: www.commissaries.com Military Students: www.militarystudent.org
Fleet & Family Support Ctr: www.cnrsw.navy.mil/fsc Learning Disabilities Assoc.: www.ldasandiego.org
GI Bill, Scholarships, & Job Search www.gibillexpress.com
Lifelines: www.lifelines.navy.mil
New to the Area? Info & Relocation Support
Military Child Educ. Coalition: www.militarychild.org
Digital City: www.digitalcity.com/sandiego
Military Family Resource Ctr: www.mfrc-dodqol.org
Military One Source: www.militaryonesource.com Employment Info www.caljobs.ca.gov
Military Students www.militarystudent.org Homeport San Diego: www.homeport-sd.com
Morale, Welfare, & Recreation: www.mwrtoday.com Military Family Housing: www.cnrswhousing.navy.mil
National Military Family Assoc: www.nmfa.org
Military Acclimate: www.militaryacclimate.com
Naval Svcs Family Line: www.lifelines.navy.mil/Familyline
San Diego Union Tribune: www.signonsandiego.com
Navy Exchange: www.navy-nex.com
Navy League: www.navyleague.org Military Installations (Base Info!) www.militaryinstallations.dod.mil
Navy-Marine Corps Relief: www.nmcrs.org/sdiego-area Military Homefront www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil
Operation Homefront: www.operationhomefront.net
Personal Property Info www.sd.fisc.navy.mil Military Spouse Info
Thrift Savings Plan Info www.tsp.gov
Military Spouses: www.militaryspouse.org
TriWest: www.triwest.com
Military Spouse Career Network: www.mscn.org (Jobs!)
United Concordia/Dental: www.tricaredentalprogram.com
Surface Enlisted Spouses Assoc surfaceenlistedspouses@yahoo.com
United Through Reading: www.read2kids.org
United Way: www.unitedway-sd.org
USMC Community Svcs (All) www.usmc-mccs.org Government Information
USMC Community Svcs MCAS: www.mccsmiramar.com Federal Trade Comm. Consumer Guide: www.ftc.gov
USO San Diego: www.usosandiego.org Federal Emergency Mgmt Agency: www.fema.gov
VA GI Bill Info www.gibill.va.gov
Government Guide: www.governmentguide.com
First Gov: www.firstgov.gov
Gov Spot: http://govspot.com
State Department Travel Advisory: http://travel.state.gov
 USS Germantown
OMBUDSMAN NEWSLETTER
XO’S CORNER
The USS Germantown has yet another
new XO! 
The following is a message from the XO:
 GERMANTOWN Family,
 My name is LCDR Brian DeLaney, the
new XO.  I am originally from Monument,
Colorado, and this will be my third tour on
an amphibious ship during my 15 year
career.  Prior to reporting onboard, I just
finished a year-long tour in Baghdad,
Iraq.  I’ve been onboard about 4 months
and could not be more impressed with the
crew of this ship!   wants to help here and there to come. There will be refreshments and
 From the very first day onboard, I’ve
noted every Sailor working hard, putting in
the long hours, and doing their jobs to the
best of their abilities.  This is a true tribute
to the quality of Sailors in this crew,
especially considering the circumstances.
No other Navy ship has gone through
what GERMANTOWN has and no other
crew has gone through what this crew
has.  I could not be happier with these
outstanding Sailors!   I understand how
frustrating the last several months have
been.  Uncertainty is a very difficult thing
to deal with and GERMANTOWN’s
schedule has been the model of
uncertainty since September.  We
understand that and please know the
Command Leadership is doing all we can
to solidify our schedule and will keep your
loved ones informed as soon as we can. 
We will not keep secrets when it impacts
our GERMANTOWN families.
 Again, I sincerely appreciate all the
sacrifices you make every day to support
our Sailors and Navy.       Military OneSource brings you H&R Block At Home® (formerly
XO DeLaney
Family Support Group News
Germantown Families,
Hello from your Family Readiness Group President. My name is Ann
Cramer, my husband FC1 Cramer and I have 2 children. We have a
daughter who is 11 years old and a son who is 7 years old. I took over
as your FRG president this summer and have enjoyed working with
and for great Germantown families. I want to personally thank
everyone who has helped with our last few events. Your help was not
only necessary but was also appreciated.
I will be hosting a meeting February 16 at 7:00 PM,  there are still
many positions available in the FRG and I ask that anyone curious
about or considering becoming a part of the FRG, or anyone who just
children are welcome. For questions or to RSVP please e-mail me at
FSGGTOWN@YAHOO.COM or call 619-208-5000. Location of the
meeting is 1432 Ebbs St. San Diego 92114.
The FRG is also having a fundraiser to fund our next family event.
We will have a "Valentine Gram" consisting of a flower; bag of
candy and a personalized card that we will be deliver on February
13th for a $5.00 donation.
The following are times I will available in person to take orders and
for cash collection:
Monday the 1st on the mess deck from 4-5:30
Tuesday the 2nd on the mess deck from 4-5:30
Thursday the 4th outside the gate of the ship from 4:30-6
Friday the 5th at the Black History Month BBQ Event (at the Well
Deck near pier 11) starting at 11:30
Thank you all for your support and I continue to look forward to
serving the Germantown and her families.
Ann M. Cramer
Frequently Asked Question: Who has FREE tax filing?
TaxCut) online tax filing through the Military OneSource Web site
and telephonic tax consultations by calling our tax hotline at 1-800-
730-3802. Prepare your 2009 state and federal taxes with this easy-
to-use program. Provided by the Department of Defense, H&R
Block At Home® is free to active duty, National Guard, and
Reserve service members and their families. Tax consultants are
available 7 days a week from 7 am - 11 pm ET by calling the
Military OneSource Tax Hotline at 1-800-730-3802.
A WORD FROM OUR CMC
Greetings to all G’TOWN Family Members,
We hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season. We
are extremely proud of our Sailors for their pride and
commitment they display everyday. I’ve never in my 24 years in
the Navy been prouder to work with a group of professionals as
I’ve had the pleasure to work with in the last 10 months. We
were trilled to see everyone at the Holiday party and it warms me
to see our Sailors and families to be able to enjoy some well-
deserved relaxation with their Germantown Family.
Throughout my career I’ve always stressed the importance of
communication. It is firmly believed that you can improve any
relationship, marriage, organization, and/or command’s mission
accomplishment with good effective communication. We will
continue to strive and improve our communication methods with
the families through memos from the Captain, our Ombudsman,
open discussions, and through Town hall meetings. Also,
remember that communication is two-way. We are trying to do
an event on the ship in the near future so please attend and any
other events and help us improve through effective
communication.
Let me finish by saying “Thank You” to all families and
friends for your strong commitment and support to our Sailors.
We are all looking forward to our next huge challenge INSURV.
I promise to continue the efforts of improving communication for
our Sailors and families and lead by example to “WORK HARD
and PRESS FORWARD”.
CMC Re’     my career.
 
SES-Surface
Enlisted Spouses
Association
Valentine's Day is coming and we would like to invite you to join
us on Friday, February 12th at 6pm for a night of bowling at the
Sea 'N Air Lanes at NASNI. *You MUST RSVP* for this
event. Please email us a SurfaceEnlistedSpouses@yahoo.com
This is a Family Friendly event. Bring your kids and your service
member with you. Show them how much fun we always have.
Maybe they too can find an old shipmate.
Cost per adult is $10
Each child is $5
We hope you can join us!
OUR NEW CHAPLAIN…
Greetings!
My name is Paul Kim, and I am the first-
ever Chaplain just for USS Germantown. Before the
Lord called me to become a Navy Chaplain six
years ago, I worked as an aerospace engineer and
had served as a missionary in Africa, Russia, India,
the Middle East, Central Asia, Far East, and Central
America for about 13 years. And, I have been
thoroughly enjoying serving Him through serving our
Sailors and Marines.
I came on board Germantown about a
month ago and feel honored to be among the finest
Sailors of the Navy. I have deployed with the
Marines and Navy’s special operations forces
before, but I have seldom seen Sailors who work so
hard like the ones on our ship. They have such
determination to complete their missions despite
many unexpected challenges. They are truly
amazing!
I believe these common challenges have
brought us even closer to one another and have
made us stronger. That’s why I am extremely
excited about the wonderful things God will do for
our Sailors and their family members! I have seen
the Lord’s supernatural provision manifesting
through restoration of marriage and family,
miraculous healing, and other blessings throughout
But, above of all, it is such a blessing to
see our Sailors and their family members find God,
find themselves (identity), and find a clear direction
(purpose of life) because nothing is more important
than the relationship with the Lord. I am just a
conduit between Him and you. He IS the true
REASON and SOURCE of our very existence, and I
will do my very best to guide our Sailors to live a life
full of love, joy, peace, and meaning.
Please take an advantage of free marriage
and personal retreats offered by CREDO
(Chaplain’s Religious Enrichment Program). Please
contact 619-556-2826 or go to
https://tinyurl.com/credosouthwest
Finally, if you have any questions or need of
assistance, please feel free to contact me by email
kimp@lsd42.navy.mil or calling 619-556-3984.
May the Lord richly bless you and your family!
His and your servant,
Chaplain Paul B. Kim

*Command BBQ, February 5th at 11:30am at: “The Well Deck” by pier 11 NBSD
**FRG Meeting, February 16th at 7:00 PM at: 1432 Ebbs St. San Diego 92114
Quote of the month:
“Occasionally in life there are those
moments of unutterable fulfillment
which cannot be completely
explained by those symbols called
words. Their meanings can only be
articulated by the inaudible
language of the heart.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
February 2010
Black History Month, American Heart Month, Chocolate Lovers Month
National Freedom Day (2/1)
Groundhog Day (2/2)
Command Black History Month BBQ Event (2/5)*
Chinese New Year (2/10)
Lincoln’s Birthday (2/12)
Valentines Day (2/14)
Presidents’ Day (2/15)
FRG Meeting (2/16)**
Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras (2/16)
Ash Wednesday (2/17)
Washington’s Birthday (2/22)
FREE ACCESS TO
CAREGIVER NETWORK
Military families now have free access to an online network of quality
caregivers who can assist with everything from babysitting to dog walking.
Sittercity is the nation's largest online source for local babysitters, nannies, elder
care providers, dog walkers, housekeepers and tutors, and contains more than a
million caregiver profiles, officials said.
Military members and their families can activate their membership by going to
http://www.sittercity.com/dod.
The Sittercity Corporate Program, funded by the Defense Department, offers
military families -- including active duty, Guard and Reserve -- with a paid
membership to the site.
The paid membership enables military families entry to a custom-built Defense
Department Web site portal where they can match up caregivers to their
situation; gain instant access to caregiver profiles that include background
checks, references and reviews; and find military-certified care providers as
well as caregivers who are military-subsidized and authorized access to a
military installation.
While the membership is free, service members will be responsible for the
hiring and payment of caregivers, officials said.
Regards,
Ed Roscoe
CNIC HQ
Ombudsman Registry Administrator
edroscoezeid@charter.net
 USS Germantown
OMBUDSMAN NEWSLETTER
DID YOU KNOW??? Brown Bag It
Brown bag it - Pack your lunch. Think about it,
ordering out for lunch every day
($6 per day x 5 days a week = $30 per week
$30 per week x 52 weeks = $1,560 a year).
This “Build Wealth, Not Debt” message has been
brought to you by the Military Saves committee.
The 2010 Dress Fair Committee Needs You!
Do you have dresses and or gowns that you won’t wear
again? Are they in good condition? We are currently
collecting dresses to be shared with other military spouses at
an upcoming Dress Fair. The Dress Fair is a great way for
spouses to treasure dresses that once belonged to other
spouses. We are also collecting professional wear that could
be of use to another spouse. For more information or to
possibly assist with collecting the dresses, please contact
DressFair2010@gmail.com. We will be collecting dresses at
various locations. Bring your gently worn dresses!
American Soldier's Wife
© By Tonya Shore
Do you know what it is like to live the life?,
Of an American Soldier's Wife?
Always having to stand strong,
Forever pretending nothing's wrong.
All the tears we shed at night,
Cause our love ain't there to hold us tight.
All the time's we sit in silence and pray,
That God will bring him home safely to stay.
Or when our hearts feel as heavy as stone's,
Cause we are apart and all alone.
And out of all the things in this world we miss,
The thing we miss most is his kiss.
We think of him with every breath,
We know without him, our life is death.
Or when he misses seeing the birth of his son or
daughter,
Knowing his sorrow, you hold on to them a little
tighter.
Watching your children grow and looking them
in the eye,
Telling them daddy's going to be all right and
hoping it's not a lie.
All the special events and holiday's he'll miss,
All the missed hugs and kisses from the kids.
All the tears you cry into his pillow,
Dreading another missed tomorrow.
And hearing everyone call him a Hero, your
heart swells with pride,
You say, Thank You, and smile to hide the void
you feel inside.
He doesn't choose to be away from his family
and friends,
But, without our Soldiers this war would never
end.
So, do you believe you could live the life,
Of an American Soldier's Wife?
Knowing these are only a few of the thing's we
go through,
Really though... do you think we have it better
than you?