4th maintenance battalion newsletter - fall fy13

Readiness Program, please ask about opportunities where you can make a difference. Semper Fidelis, LtCol K. D. Pierson Commanding Officer 4th Maintenance Battalion

Dear Marines, Sailors and Families of the Fourth Maintenance Battalion, As the new Commanding Officer of 4th Maintenance Battalion, I am pleased and honored to be joining the premier Battalion in 4th MLG. This not only applies to our Marines and Sailors but also to all of our families. Collectively, everyone has worked hard to make the Battalion what it is today. One of my main priorities is ensuring we have a solid foundation of support throughout the Battalion that will not only assist in the success of each Marine, Sailor and family through a variety

of information and resources, but also includes having a robust family support network of volunteers and Family Readiness Assistants in place. This is especially important as we move into the holiday season and reflect on the welfare of the family unit, deployments and long periods of time away from home. Our Marines and Sailors will continue to perform in a superior manner that we are already familiar with, assured that the Marine Corps is doing everything it can to ensure the success of our Unit, Personal and Family Readiness Program. If you would like to get involved in the Unit, Personal and Family

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Commanders’

Corner 1

SgtsMaj

Straight Talk

1

From the FRO 2

Chaplain’s

Message

2

MER 3

Tutor.com 4

MarineNet

Courses

5-6

Know Your

Credit Scores

7

Important Links/DStress

8

4th Maintenance Battalion

Unit, Personal & Family Readiness F A L L 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E I V , I S S U E 1

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Tutor.com

Marriage

Enrichment

Retreats

MarineNet

Courses

and more!

Commanders’ Corner

Sergeants Major Straight Talk reorganization, please try to

work through the transition

with the best attitude you can

muster. We will get through

this.

It remains an honor to serve

you and please know that I

am here for you. Again, from

my wife Kelly and me, have a

very happy holiday season.

Semper Fi.

SgtMaj L.B. Cummings

Sergeant Major


Marines, families, and

friends,

The holiday season is here. I

wish for a happy and safe

season for you all. It has been

really great meeting some of

you at your sites. I plan on

visiting several more sites

before my tour is complete

here in late spring.

The battalion is

doing well in so

many areas.

Please continue

to move in a

positive and

forward motion, and as I

continue to say; go beyond

the basic expectations, and

far exceed them. Opportunity

is there for those whom are

ready. We continue to do

very well when competing at

the MLG boards primarily due

to the level of Marines we

have, as well as the

leaderships involvement in

mentoring and grooming

their Marines. Awesome job,

but still try to do better.

With all the change we are

going through in our

P A G E 2

Ms. Kati Toney Family Readiness

Officer 4th Maintenance Bn

Charlotte, NC

704-598-0015 x337 BB: 704-488-9770

[email protected]

FACEBOOK “Kati Toney-Fro”

From the FRO: Greetings, Marines, Sailors, Families and Friends!

The holidays are here and that can mean “the most wonderful time of the year” for some! I know it is my favorite time of year! Perhaps your favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, gathering with family or friends for a huge meal and fellowship and thinking about all that you have to be thankful for. Or, perhaps your favorite holiday is Christmas, all the lights, decorations, gift-giving, carols, holiday movies and hot cocoa! Mmm!

However, there are others who may find it hard to find reasons to be thankful or to get into the “Christmas spirit”. I encourage you to take notice of the Marines, Sailors, and family members in your units. Take the time to get to know them, ask how they are, or simply share a smile. A random act of kindness can mean all the difference to someone...especially this time of year. One of my most favorite things to do is to make someone smile. I love random acts of kindness, this time of year or ANY time of year. Reach out to that

single Marine who may not have family or friends to visit this year; or to that family that may have fallen on hard times. You never know the difference a simple smile or act of kindness will mean to someone. If you do know of someone in distress or have concerns about someone, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I am always here to provide resources and there’s a very good one on the back of this newsletter.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year!!

Kati

4 T H M A I N T E N A N C E B A T T A L I O N

is the result of many smaller decisions and feelings that were not addressed.

Suffering from stress or from the unknown? Perhaps you know of someone who is in a deep dark place, be a lifeguard (to yourself or another). Throw out that life preserver of a kind word, a listening ear, or giving of resources. OPERATION REACH OUT is an app for both iPhone and Android. I have it. The General is promoting it. And there are many others, such as T2 MOOD TRACKER or YOUTH CHOICES.

There is ALWAYS hope! I Corinthians 10:13 states that you are not alone in your life’s challenges. There are others who really do understand (although they shouldn’t actually tell you that). But most importantly, God understands. I Peter 5:7 invites us to cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us.

During Thanksgiving, I will be in NYC helping those who have lost more than some of us will ever have. But let us not forget our own stories, our own challenges, our own needs, our own successes. Seek help if you need it. Offer help if somebody else needs it. “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God.” I Thessalonians 5:18.

Semper Fi, Chaplain Turpin

We will cancel Thanksgiving this year. I mean, there is so much to be frustrated about: many of you don’t have jobs, many of you know people trapped by drugs and alcohol, many of you fight with your family, many of you wonder how you are going to make it another day. So, let’s just cancel thanksgiving. Mr. Turkey and friends would be happy.

Lt. Gen. Hummer has expressed to his chaplains deep concern over the increasing level of poor decision-making within our ranks. Some of those decisions lead to drugs, some lead to sexual assault, some lead to suicide or other tragic results. They all lead to heartache. Now, I’ll bet very few of you actually wake up in the morning declaring that you will do something terrible. So why? How does it happen? It

Chaplain’s Message

P A G E 3 V O L U M E I V , I S S U E 1

P A G E 4

“The real measure of

your wealth is how much

you'd be worth if you lost all

your money.”

~Author Unknown


U N I T , P E R S O N A L & F A M I L Y R E A D I N E S S


New MarineNet Courses

The College of Distance Education and Training is pleased to announce the activation of two new MarineNet courses supporting Marine families. Emergency Preparedness Training and Healthy Blended Families Training are now available to take online!

P A G E 6

"We make

Marines and we

win our nation’s

battles. Then we

turn those men

and women back

to America’s

society better

people."

(Quote by

General Krulak,

31st

Commandant,

USMC)


U N I T , P E R S O N A L & F A M I L Y R E A D I N E S S

New MarineNet Courses Con’t.


The holidays are here and with that comes extra spending for gift-giving and holiday events! But it can also mean that some may be targets for identity theft or other crimes. Now is a very important time to keep tabs on your credit history. It is unfortunate but the reality is everything we do is about money. FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) due to budget constraints, is unable to provide a blanket educator code so that service member and families may check their comprehensive credit score for free. However, service members and eligible family members may still utilize the services of Military One Source at www.militaryonesource.com (1-800-342-9647), or their local active component installation community services directorate or financial readiness programs. Please note, every year, each person with a valid SSN, is able to check their credit score from the big three credit reporting agencies. This service is free of charge. To request a report via the internet: www.annualcreditreport.com. To Request your Credit Report by Phone: Call 1-877-322-8228 - You will go through a simple verification process over the phone. Your reports will be mailed to you within 15 days. Please, allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. To Request your Credit Report by Mail: Download the request form (from www.annualcreditreport.com) (You need an Adobe viewer to view the requested form.) Print and complete the form. Mail the completed form to: Annual Credit Report Request Service P.O. Box 105281 Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 Your reports will be mailed to you within 15 days. Please, allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Security: Please use the request form authorized by the Central Source only. Only the Central Source, and its members - Equifax (www.equifax.com), Experian (www.experian.com) and TransUnion (www.transunion.com), have been authorized by law and the government (www.FTC.gov) to provide free credit reports. We cannot ensure your personal information will be kept secure and used for proper purposes if you use forms or provide information to persons, addresses, numbers, etc. not authorized by this site or the entities listed above. If you are under 13 years of age or you are requesting a credit report for your child under 13 years of age, please refer to mail request for a child under 13 in the FAQs section of www.annualcreditreport.com. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: Jennifer Armstrong Family Programs Financial Readiness Program Manager Joint Staff J-1 111 S. George Mason Drive, Bldg 2 Arlington, VA 22204 Office: (703) 607-5981 [email protected]

Know Your Credit Scores

6115 N Hills Circle

Charlotte, NC 28213

Phone: 704-598-0015

Fax: 704-598-0070

Useful Websites and Contacts

Military One Source: www.militaryonesource.com

Military Home Front: www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil

Military Spouses: www.milspouse.com

Marine Parents: www.marineparents.com

Blue Star Mothers: www.bluestarmothers.org

Marine Corps Community Services: www.usmc-mccs.org

Military Pay: www.dfas.mil/militarypay.html

Tricare: www.tricare.mil/mybenefit

American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

Marine Forces Reserve: www.marforres.usmc.mil

Official Marine Corps Website: www.marines.mil

DStress: www.dstressline.com or 877-476-7734

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-TALK ((8255)

National Resource Directory: www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov


“USMC:

Improvise.

Adapt.

Overcome”

4th maintenance battalion newsletter - fall fy13

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