Final Salute

In 2003, when I was selected for the rank of E7, Chief Petty Officer, in the United States Navy, part of my training included the policies and procedures of the Casualty Assistance Call Officer, or CACO.
I learned the process, the steps, the timing and some of the suggestions. Then forgot about it. Today a friend sent an article, linked above, that I think everyone should read. Not just the people that might someday have to knock on Shipmate's door like me, everyone.

Final Salute

It made me think about the people in my unit that are currently serving overseas. It made me think about people from communities all over this country that are serving all over the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But most of all, it made me think.

Get on the Registry - Marrow Donor Registry

I got this email today from the NMDP, National Marrow Donor Program. A few years back the company I worked for paid for the tissue typing test, an extra couple vials of blood during a donation and I got on the registry. A couple years later I ended up donating Marrow for a 13 year old boy that needed a transplant. If you give blood regularly, you are the kind of person that should get on the registry. If you don't give blood regularly, why not? (The tissue typing is done now with a cheek-swab, so you don't get to use that "I'm afraid of needles." excuse anymore.)

The NMDP introduces the option of joining the Registry online.

It's this easy:

Visit www.marrow.org/HELP/join_now.html.

Review donor eligibility requirements.

Complete and return the registration form to order a tissue typing kit, along with a payment of $52 to cover tissue typing costs.

Receive by mail a simple, do-it-yourself tissue testing kit. The kit includes everything needed to collect cheek cells using cotton swabs and return for tissue testing. The results of the test will be added to the Registry.

Those who prefer to join at a drive can find the location nearest them, where they'd have the option to Join in Person.

Meebo

If you are looking for a good HTML Instant Messanger Client, here it is. It's web based, so you don't have to install anything. It works with MSN, googleChat, Yahoo and other Jabber based IM systems. They add new functionality all the time. Haven't quite figured out how they ever expect to make any money though, but as long as it is free, I'll keep using it.

Wikitionary definition: WebSite

Wikitionary definition: WebSite [ 'web-sIt ]

1. Subset of the human ego native exclusively to the Internet.
2. The inexorable result of marketers managing programmers.
3. Archaic form of Blogs, from the days when only skilled developers could use valuable bandwidth to rank their favorite Star Trek episodes.

Most Dangerous, Indeed

THE FIVE MOST DANGEROUS THINGS IN THE NAVY

A Seaman saying "I learned this in boot camp..."

A Petty Officer saying "Trust me, Sir..."

An Ensign saying "Based on my experience..."

A Lieutenant Commander saying "I was just thinking..."

A Chief chuckling "Watch this shit..."

For those of you not familiar with the Navy's rank structure:
A Seaman is a very junior enlisted Sailor, fresh out of boot.
A Petty Officer is a mid-level enlisted person. Been around the block and probably the world.
An Ensign is a very junior Officer. Recent ROTC or Academy grad.
A LCDR is a mid-to-senior level Officer.
A Chief is a Senior Enlisted person, in other words, me.

Taskbar Shuffle

If you are a windows OS user and like to have the items in your task bar in a certain order, download this. It rocks.

Nerd Cave