State of FORCECOM November 2017
Fellow Marines!
Here we are rolling past Thanksgiving, and steaming toward the holiday season, and the new year! I hope everyone brave enough to venture out on ‘Black Friday’ was able to return home safely, and under at least impulse power. Can’t say I joined you out there – spent the day hiking the local mountains, and enjoying the weather! On a more personal note, and as we move toward, and into December, I would like to urge each and all to look after one another. Not just family, and close friends, but our family here in SFI, and the Marines. For some, the holidays ain’t all they’re cracked up to be…
So, what is your Corps doing until the end of the year? Well, folks, we are auditing! (Yes, auditing) I’ve tasked the Brigade OICs to ensure the December reports are filed with 100% accurate member rosters, so we can balance the books on heads and tails. As of last month, the Corps stands at 1340 members, and we want to make sure that number is correct. If you’ve ever served in the military think of it as a Personnel Asset Inventory, minus the dog-tag check!
We’re also jumping into the awards program to tally up all the numbers for the year, and to make sure the certificates issued match the records on file. Those numbers should be available by my next report. And, while we’re auditing our awards records, you may want to audit your personal records as well. Have a look at your database record, and if you notice any missing awards, or if you have not received a certificate for an earned award, contact your Unit OIC immediately and have them pass it up the chain to the Awards Office.
What can you do for yourself now that the year is coming ‘round the end? Well, as has been suggested before, you should go into the SFI database, find your personal record under ‘Member Eligibility’, and download a copy – at least copy and paste it into a document – for your own personal file at home. If there ever comes a time when the database goes the way of the Tasmanian Tiger, you will at least have a hard copy you can submit to command to rebuild your record.
What else is out there?
– Unit OICs!!! We’ve been tracking your requests and suggestions, and we get ya. We’re working on a couple proposals that will take on the challenge of reporting in an attempt to simplify the format, and get the most of the information you’re sending forward.
Additionally, INFOCOM has been working diligently over the past two months to straighten out the online reporting form issue. From all reports from LGN Anderson the issue is fixed. I’ll leave all the important answers to him in his report, but the report form looks ‘good-to-go’ and ready for your use during the December reporting period.
Remember, tho.. if you do not receive a copy of your report as a return email go with Plan B. Fill out, and send a manual form to your Brigade or Battalion OIC as an email attachment to ensure your report is received.
– Uniform chatter. There’s been a Mecha’s weight in comments about uniforms, suppliers for different devices, and adornments, and inclusion of new uniform styles in the Marine clothing bag. Got ya..and noted.
One project that is in its first stages is finding, collating and distributing lists of suppliers for all those unique devices, badges and accoutrements not available thru the Quartermaster. A big thanks goes out to COL Chris Boggs of the 275th for supplying us with the keystone upon which this document will be built. Oorah!
Insofar as uniforms themselves, particularly adding new uniforms to the clothing bag, I would just say there are plenty of varied uniforms out there for our members to wear. When recommending a new uniform remember a few key facts.. first is affordability, second is availability, third is sustainability. Folks have to be able to afford it, find it on the market, and the manufacturer must keep on making it. We’ve seen how supplies have been cut lately with CosplaySky removing all traces of Star Trek from their site.
My best advice to everyone is to take a look at Section 7.1.7.5 of the MFM, entitled Local Uniforms. If there are any questions about what is presented in the section, contact your Unit OIC, Brigade OIC, or even drop me a line.
Folks, that is about it. All of us here at Forces Command are seriously looking forward to the half-day schedule coming up, and spending time with our families, and friends. I have just one more report due before the end of the year, but I promise it will be mega-short! Take care as things ramp up for the holiday, and we here at Forces Command wish you all the greatest Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and (my favorite) Yule celebration this year.
To the Corps!!
BDR B. ‘Tusker’ Allen
Forces Command