Wednesday, May 19, 2004 
Coronado, Cowpens Take Part in Shimoda Black Ship Festival
SHIMODA, Japan (NNS) -- The U.S. 7th Fleet command ship USS Coronado (AGF 11) and USS Cowpens (CG 63) completed an historic port visit here May 14-16 to commemorate the 65th Shimoda Black Ship Festival.
Sailors from both ships took part in a host of activities, including concerts, parades and fireworks, marking the 150th anniversary of the opening of Shimoda port by the U.S. naval fleet led by Commodore Matthew Perry.
“Shimoda is the door through which modern Japan opened ...
New TRICARE Contract Starts in Puerto Rico
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- A new TRICARE contract provides continued health care services to military members in Puerto Rico Effective May 1.
The new contract offers medical benefits to those affected by the area’s naval hospital closure Jan. 31.
"This contract is designed to provide all of our active-duty members and their families with continuous access to health care services," said Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "We ...
President Nominates New Navy Surgeon General
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Read Adm. Donald Arthur, commander, National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) Bethesda, Md., said May 5 that he is honored by the President’s nomination to become the next Surgeon General of the Navy.
His nomination was announced May 5 by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Pending Congressional confirmation, Arthur will be appointed to the grade of vice admiral and assume his new position in Washington this summer....
Medical Education Goes Online
BETHESDA, Md. (NNS) -- Naval Medicine leaders unveiled the Basic Medical Department Officers Course (BMDOC), available via Navy Knowledge Online (NKO), May 1.
Accessed through Navy eLearning on NKO, the BMDOC consists of 15-20 hours of coursework that introduces the business and operational aspects of Naval Medicine’s role in delivering force health protection.
The Naval Medical Education and Training Command (NMETC) developed BMDOC for all Naval Medical Dep...
Groups Arrange Foster Care for Military Pets
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Deploying overseas means leaving friends and loved ones behind. For service members with no one to take care of their beloved dog, cat, bird or other pet, it once meant also having to abandon or turn the pet over to a shelter - never to see it again.
Thanks to two nonprofit groups - the Military Pets Foster Project and Operation Noble Foster - service members can now arrange foster care for their pets while they're gone.
The Military Pets Foster...
 |
USS Columbia Returns from Surge Deployment to Western Pacific
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Following a three month surge deployment to the Western Pacific, the crew members of USS Columbia (SSN 771) returned to their homeport of Pearl Harbor May 10.
According to the nuclear-powered attack submarine’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Duane Ashton, the Sailors did a great job on their short fused deployment.
“The surge deployment went very well. The crew was able to turn the ship around from a previous deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and...
CNO Thanks NROTC Programs For Creating Future Leaders 
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) programs around the nation are creating superb naval officers to lead the Navy Marine Corps team in the 21st century, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Vern Clark said during his May 8 address at the Hampton Roads NROTC commissioning cer...
E-4 to E-6 Advancement Remains Steady
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Sailors taking the March exams for advancement to petty officer 1st class, 2nd class and 3rd class will find the overall advancement opportunity holding steady with previous advancement cycles.
The Navy will promote more than 23,000 Sailors who passed the March advancement ex...
Navy Surgeon General Tours Japan
YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S. Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Michael L. Cowan toured hospital and dental facilities in Japan in the first week of May, including U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, U.S. Naval Dental Center Far East, and Branch medical and dental clinics Atsugi.
Cowan also spoke about Naval...
Nurse Corps Celebrates 96 Years of Service to Navy
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Nearly 5,000 active-duty and Reservist Navy nurses will celebrate the Nurse Corps’ 96th anniversary May 13.
This anniversary marks a time of change within Naval Medicine as it realigns resources--both personnel and equipment--to better support Sailors and Marines. Naval...
