Coasties launch deckplate blog

[LTGunner]

     Coasties launch deckplate blog      

Coast Guard All Hands

The voice of Master Chief Charles W. Bowen, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard,
and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force, Jeff Smith.

(Clink Link to go to CG All Hands Blog)

By Amy McCullough - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 10, 2009 17:16:54 EST
   
Just one day after starting their own blog, the highest enlisted members of the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve already have over 100 comments on just three posts.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles “Skip” Bowen and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force Jeff Smith’s new blog will focus on “deckplate” issues, according to Bowen’s introductory post filed at 9 a.m. Monday.

“We intend to focus on topics important to mission executors/mission supporters around the organization. Sometimes we will post observations/thoughts/ideas surrounding Coast Guard issues, policies, missions, careers and family life. And sometimes we’ll just talk about where we have been, what we’ve been doing, or Coast Guard people and units we’ve met along the way,” Bowen wrote on day one.

The first issue tackled on the site is the service’s growing waistline.

In 2008, more than 80 Coast Guardsmen were released from duty because they were not in compliance with weight standards, some with just one year left until retirement, according to the blog.

“This weekend, nine chiefs were disenrolled [from the Chief Petty Officer Academy at Training Center Petaluma, Calif.] and sent back to their units because they were over their maximum allowed body weight/body fat. Their numbers ranged from 6 pounds/4 percent body fat excess, to 45 pounds/6 percent body fat excess,” according to Bowen’s post. “This is a failure of leadership at all levels.”

The post got the enlisted banter rolling, with most agreeing the issue has gotten out of hand.

“Making weight has been a personal struggle for years. Every weigh-in, I squeak by and promise myself I’ll do better next time. And every year it gets harder. I honestly don’t know if I can make the new standard in October,” one anonymous poster said. “Losing weight is not something you can do in the short term. If any of your people are struggling you have to start working with them now. I’d say about a quarter of my people will have to bring their weight down below the new standard.”  Source: Navy Times

CG Blog: Coast Guard All Hands

[BuoyJumper]

Thanks for posting this Tim.  I really hope this works out for MCPOCG Bowen as a tool to help with morale, mission executions, unit preparedness and such.  I've exchanged messages with MCPO Bowen a few times and I have great admiration for him.  I'd hate to see this become a "***** board" if you know what I mean.  He already had a full plate before the blog.