Great Lakes Bulletin

Each honor graduate and award winner will receive the commanding officer’s commemorative coin in recognition of their superlative achievements during recruit training. The honor graduates for this week’s recruit review graduation are as follows:

Representatives from Commander Navy Region Southeast (CNRSE) presented a flag to Recruit Training Command’s (RTC) Division 319 in the division’s living compartment at Great Lakes, Aug. 12.

The Navy’s senior trainer dropped by Great Lakes to personally witness young men and women being developed into sailors ready for the fleet.

Author, screenwriter, director, producer and Navy veteran Antwone Fisher returned to Great Lakes where he was a recruit in 1977. The guest of honor at the recruit graduation, on Aug. 20, found his 11 years in the Navy taught him a lot about himself.

The Lake County Combined Federal Campaign kicked off Tuesday at the Port O’ Call. The event and breakfast not only marked the start of the campaign, but also provided an opportunity for the vendors to provide informational displays.

The Northwestern University Wildcats and head coach Pat Fitzgerald were welcomed to Great Lakes on Aug. 23 by Capt. John Malfitano, commanding officer, Naval Station (NAVSTA) Great Lakes; Cmdr. Robert Sullivan NAVSTA executive officer; and CMDCM(SW/AW) Leon Walker, NAVSTA command master chief.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Juan M. Garcia, III, toured Great Lakes Aug. 13, to observe the training techniques that develop civilians into fleet-ready sailors.

Each honor graduate and award winner will receive the commanding officer’s commemorative coin in recognition of their superlative achievements during recruit training. The honor graduates for this week’s recruit review graduation are as follows:

Whether it’s assembling robots, constructing wind turbines or designing shoes to walk on water, Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets are inspired through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) seminars.

CHICAGO - For a third time in two years, the Navy’s only boot camp, Recruit Training Command (RTC) at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., was recognized for a prestigious civilian business or training award. The command was presented with an Honorable Mention 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility during a morning presentation at Maggiano’s Little Italy Banquet Hall here Aug. 5.

On Aug. 14, Navy Band Great Lakes and 60 sailors from Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes, led by Rear Adm. Kenneth Carodine, deputy commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, marched in the 81st Annual Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago’s south side.

In a traditional naval ceremony held in front of USS Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall at Recruit Training Command (RTC), Rear Adm. David F. Steindl took command of Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) from Rear Adm. Clifford S. Sharpe yesterday. The Commander of Naval Education and Training (NETC), Rear Adm. Joseph F. Kilkenny, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony.

Cmdr. (Sel.) Waldemar A. Kilian, became the new command chaplain at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Great Lakes on Aug. 2. A native of Poland, was ordained in Rome in 1987 and worked in Italy for three years.

Each honor graduate and award winner will receive the commanding officer’s commemorative coin in recognition of their superlative achievements during recruit training. The honor graduates for this week’s recruit review graduation are as follows:

Vice Adm. Peter H. Daly, deputy commander, United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF), visited Naval Station Great Lakes last week to observe training at both Recruit Training Command (RTC) and Training Support Center (TSC).

Liz Kowalski’s prior military service helps her relate to sailors. The new Great Lakes USO director, who was a radioman in the Navy for four years and is presently in the Air Force Reserve, understands what sailors are going through.

Great Lakes sailors spent Aug. 4 assisting at the 18th annual Kids 1st  Health Fair at Miguel Juarez Elementary School in Waukegan. Ill. The annual one-day event, for children of limited-income families living in Lake County, is presented by the Lake County Health Department Community Health Center (CHC), Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and United Way of Lake County.

In a change of command ceremony July 30 on Ross Field, Rear Adm. (Sel) Tilghman D. Payne relieved Rear Adm. Anthony E. Gaiani as commander, Navy Region Midwest.

With a break in the weather from early morning storms that passed through the area, Naval Station Great Lakes hosted “Diversity-A Spice for Success” Wednesday, in Bldg. 4 and on Ross Field.  

Twenty-one family members had a glimpse of what it’s like to be a U.S. Marine when Marine Control Group 48 (MACG-48) held its second annual “Jane Wayne Day,” from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 30.

It’s up at 5 a.m. and off to chow. After breakfast it’s a march to their assigned schools. It’s a pretty familiar routine at Naval Station Great Lakes. What’s different is these are not your usual sailors.

Staff members from the Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) came aboard last week to observe the training techniques at the Navy’s only boot camp, RTC, and Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes and learning sites used to train sailors.

The Navy command responsible for lifecycle facilities support throughout Navy Region Midwest changes hands today.

Each honor graduate and award winner will receive the commanding officer’s commemorative coin in recognition of their superlative achievements during recruit training.

Recruit Training Command (RTC) held a Naturalization Ceremony during the weekly recruit Pass-in-Review (PIR) graduation here July 23. It was the first time recruits not only became new sailors but new U. S. citizens as more than 4,000 guests were witness as the five sailors recited the Oath of Citizenship and then graduated from the Navy’s only boot camp.

Cmdr. Andrew Brown, Royal New Zealand Navy, came to Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes last week to observe the training conducted and compare notes with learning site personnel.

Each honor graduate and award winner will receive the commanding officer’s commemorative coin in recognition of their superlative achievements during recruit training. The honor graduates for this week’s recruit review graduation are as follows:

Students with the United States Congress-Korean National Assembly Youth Exchange visited Naval Station Great Lakes and Training Support Center (TSC) this week to better understand the military training pipeline.

As Navy training commands look to meet the needs of an ever-changing fleet, they are constantly seeking, assessing and implementing feedback from the fleet to improve training. This process is a key to ensuring the Navy’s accessions and initial training remains current, responsive and adaptable.

After serving two years as commanding officer at Recruit Training Command (RTC), retiring Capt. John W. Peterson turned over operations of the Navy’s only boot camp to Capt. Steve G. Bethke in a change of command ceremony July 23.

GREAT LAKES, Ill.  The Navy officially accepted its completely overhauled boot camp during a ceremony here July 14, after more than a decade of constant demolition and construction zones.

The Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor Gary Sinise returned July 16 to Naval Station Great Lakes for the seventh time with his Lt. Dan Band.

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. – With nearly a century of potential items, the North Chicago VA Medical Center and Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes (formerly Naval Hospital Great Lakes) are seeking memorabilia for time capsules scheduled to be sealed Sept. 30, one day prior to the historic standup of the nation’s first federal health care center.

One lucky military baby will soon benefit from the talent displayed by Megan Gilchrist who has just completed crocheting an afghan for the Great Lakes Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS). Such handmade items are included in the society’s layette gift bags which are distributed to new parents.

The Naval Station Great Lakes’ July 4th celebration was held on Ross Field last weekend. This open-to-the-public event celebrated the nation’s independence, as well as the naval station’s 99th birthday.

GREAT LAKES, Il. – Seventy-five senior enlisted Sailors gathered at the Port O’ Call Banquet and Conference Center in Great Lakes, for the Command Master Chief Continuum Conference to get feedback and provide information about the Navy Reserve as it stands.