RADIO CITY NEWS
You*vq heard of the old adage, "twd things you cannot avoid in this life are
death and taxes"} to a Navyman there is a third: Training* Every Navyman -
Officer or Enlisted, Seaman Recruit to Admiral 'is somehow concerned with .
training, either imparting it or absorbing it* Here at NAVCOMMSTA ADAK a
great deal of time and effort is spent in training* With the Constant turn
over of personnel due to the short tours of duty, no sooner is a man fully
trained in his assignement, then he is training his relief* Every naval act
ivity shares this problem to some degree, .but here on Adak the requirements
for training are intensified due to the isolated location which determines the
length of time personnel remain on board*
How does NAVCOMMSTA ADAK attempt to solve this problem of training newly arrived
personnel? First, we begin at the beginning: Every person reporting for duty
is given a "Welcome Aboard" indoctrination lecture shortly after he qrrives*
The "Welcome Aboard" indoctrination lecture, as the name implies, is a sort of C
official greeting from the command and contains information considered pertinent*
The lecture is conducted by the Executive Officer and one or more Chief Petty
Officers and includes a summary of NAVCOMMSTA and NAVSTA ADAK regulations,
weather conditions oh Adak, and a brief resume of the programs and opportunities
available to Mavymen*
The second step in the training provided for each man reporting for duty at
NAVCOMMSTA is taken when ho is assigned to a particular department or division
for duty* There the Division Officer and Division Petty Officers immediately
begin training the man for the duties he will be expectes to perform while on
board# In addition to this principal or primary duty, which the man usually
refers to as his "job”, the division officer and division petty officers plan
a program of military and professional training which wi11 prepare the individ
ual for advancement in rating# The man's progress in both his daily duties and
in other'professional and military subjects is closely observed and he is en
couraged to utilize his off-duty time in self-improvement, such as enrolling in
Na'vy and United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFl) courses# (
The third portion of the training program deals.not only with individuals but
with whole Commad# A schedule of training to beperformed by each division
and department for the following month is prepared by a board of officers known
as the Training and Leadership Advisory Board# The Senior Member of the rd
is the Executive Officer, with officers from each department and division as
members# The Training and Leadership Advisory Board schedules the professionsl
and military training to bo accomplished within the Command# ' One Period is set
aside for an Officer-Chief Petty Officer leadership discussion, another period
is reserved for a luncheon attended by the officers and chief petty officers of
NAVCOMMSTA, at which the Commanding Officer personally discusses topics of
interest to those attending and to the entire command# Physical training is
scheduled for each division# One day each month is designated as "Training Day”
and all personnel not on watch gather in the Station Theatre to devote this
time to general training#
We, here at NAVCOMMSTA, feel very strongly that the time spent in training is
a most valuable investment which brings returns to both the Command: in a job
well done? and to the individual: in the knowledge that he is competent in his
work and that ho has improved himself and increased his chances for advancement#
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