THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411080358
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICHARD GRIMES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
When a ship is going on a six-month deployment, and a sailor misses the ship, what happens to him?
Missing a troop movement is a serious offense. One official at the Navy Bureau of Personnel remembers seeing a shipmate paddling out to his ship in a small boat rather than letting it leave without him.
If you do miss a troop movement for some reason, the Navy suggests that you turn yourself in to the nearest military authority. That means that even if you're in the middle of Kansas, you should go to the nearest recruiting station and explain your circumstances.
Later, your commanding officer will determine what happens to you. He or she will probably take into account any extenuating circumstances, and dole out measures accordingly.
Can a reservist go active-duty permanently?
Some reservists can make active-duty career, but only one program allows a reservist to stay on active duty continuously.
As long as the Navy allows it, any reservist can serve on active duty for five years, withdraw from active duty for 30 days and then go back to active duty.
The Navy does have a program called Training and Administration for Reserves, or TAR, which allows a reservist to have a continuous active-duty career with no 30-day rests.
Anyone interested in this program should apply to the program recruiter or at their reserve center.
How is the investigation going on the helicopter and plane crash over the Eastern Shore?
The investigation into the July 11 midair collision of a Cessna and a MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter, which killed the pilot of the Cessna, is still ongoing. A spokesman for the Atlantic Fleet in Norfolk said the investigation started at the squadron level and will be checked and rechecked before a conclusion is released. Typically, such investigations take about six months, so don't expect results before January.
How can you print comings and goings of ships when it's supposed to be classified information?
A few years ago, the Navy declassified routine movements of personnel, so most comings and goings are fair game. The Navy is more selective about reporting special troop movements, like ships deploying off Haiti.
The Virginian-Pilot tries to find out and report about all ship movements that we believe are of interest to our readers.
``Navy families in particular demand the latest news about world events and about how the United States is using its military forces to react to them,'' said Dennis Joyce, who edits military news as leader of the newspaper's Global Team.
In the past, readers also have raised questions about whether reporting that ships are away endangers the families the sailors leave behind.
Said Joyce, ``It is a concern. But family support networks have helped ease some of the risks. And the risks themselves are changing as more spouses work outside the home and as women sailors head to sea in greater numbers. . . '' by CNB