Top Hatters Squadron

Norfolk, Virginia

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"Training Today's Youth for Tomorrow's Navy"

February 2014

Inside this Issue Important Dates Page 2

50th Year Commissioning Invitation Page 3

Executive Officer’s Corner Page 4

“The Goat Locker” From the Senior Cadet Advisor Page 5

Petty Officer First Class Donna Kraus, Chief Selectee Page 6

Promotions Page 7

Indoctrination Completion Page 8

Army Transportation Museum Page 9

Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles Page 10

Policy Update, Report Cards, Instruction Update, Staff Additions Page 11

Uniform Fundraiser Update Page 12

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Page 13

Unit Mailing Address: Online Drill Location: Commanding Officer http://www.seacadets.org Bldg B-30, 3rd Deck Top Hatters Squadron http://homeport.seacadets.org Naval Station Norfolk 9225 Third Ave Box 14 http://www.thsusnscc.org Norfolk, Virginia 23511 Norfolk, Virginia 23511 (757) 444-4626

SQUADRON STAFF

Commanding Officer:

LT Alexander Rullo, NSCC CO@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Executive Officer:

LT Jorge Pousa, NSCC XO@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Operations Officer

LT Joseph Pallazzo, NSCC OPS@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Training Officer

LT Kimberly Hart, NSCC TRAINO@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Administrative Officer

ENS Edward Glomb, NSCC

ADMIN@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Personnel Officer

INST Joseph Crossman, NSCC PERS@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Supply Officer

MIDN Stephanie Greene, NSCC SUPPO@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Senior Cadet Advisor

CPO Jackie Crossman, NSCC LCPO@THSUSNSCC.ORG

Squadron Leading Petty Officer:

CPO (Sel) Donna Kraus, NSCC LPO@THSUSNSCC.ORG

IMPORTANT DATES

DRILL WEEKENDS 21-23 March 2014 (50th Anniversary Celebration)

11-13 April 2014 16-18 May 2014

Summer training schedules are due from National Headquarters

within the next few weeks!

Remember, each cadet is required to complete one advanced

training per year.

You can find the schedule, when released, listed here…

http://homeport.seacadets.org/display/AdvanceTraining/Advanced+

Training+Home

National Headquarters has asked for patience until the schedule is

posted, and not to email asking when the schedule will be posted.

They are hard at work finalizing all the details. They will post to the

link above when it is finalized. Please check the above link often for

the most up to date information.

50th Year Commissioning Ceremony

Celebrating 50 Years 1964 - 2014

Message from the Executive Officer

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What a great drill! It seems that our numbers are shrinking just a

bit, but those that continue to attend really seem to be getting many

benefits out of each drill weekend.

The trip to the Army Museum on Ft Eustis went without a

hitch. We are looking forward in seeing more of that type of events

when able.

The cadets are doing a great job keeping up with all their

requirements in order to continue to advance.

We had a couple of our senior cadet staff that were not able to

attend this past weekend, so I just want to take this time to publicly

recognize four cadets that stepped up to help cover those

responsibilities, LC4 Traynor, PO3 Taylor, PO2 Haugabrook, and PO2

(MAA) Ferree. Thanks to these cadets extra hard work we are able to

fill the needs we had as a unit. BRAVO ZULU!

We are looking forward to a very successful 50th Anniversary drill

weekend in March. We hope to see many of you there.

LT Jorge Pousa, NSCC

Executive Officer

A Message from the Senior Cadet Advisor

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I hope everyone enjoyed our trip Ft. Eustis this month. I received many compliments for how well our cadets behaved and participated.

Now that summer is right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about what trainings you are interested in and where you want to go.

Make sure your uniforms are squared away and inspection-ready for March drill. We will have a lot going on to celebrate our 50th anniversary, so we need to look good for our visiting guests and show off all our hard work!

CPO Crossman, NSCC

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During our indoctrination weekend, Petty Officer First Class Donna Kraus

was designated as our next Chief Petty Officer Selectee.

Petty Officer Kraus is about to join an elite group of Sea Cadets who have

reached the top of the advancement ladder.

She is also about to embark on a journey which will take her to new and

exciting places. This includes not only senior level cadet leadership, but a

transition to a role only few have achieved.

Over the next few months, she will be initiated into a select fraternity whose

closely guarded secrets are known only to a few, and those who do know,

dare never to discuss them outside of the Goat Locker!

Exciting times are ahead for CPO (Sel) Kraus, and in the words of Davy

Jones, “…May God have mercy on her soul, Arrrrggh!”

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During our February drill, the Squadron was

fortunate to be able to visit the Army Transportation

Museum on Ft. Eustis. The cadets learned the

history of Army transportation involving road, rail,

ship, and aircraft. It was a great day to learn more

about our country’s history and gave our cadets a

glimpse into future exciting times that lay ahead for

the Cadets of Top Hatters!

For a complete album of this trip be sure to check out our Facebook page.

Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles LT Alexander Rullo, Commanding Officer

Mission

Top Hatters Squadron shall provide a challenging and rewarding educational environment, closely

aligned to our Nation’s sea-going services. Further we will instill in our Cadets a sense of pride,

professionalism, and patriotism, enabling them to become responsible adults, upstanding citizens

and our Armed Forces or Nation’s future leaders.

Vision

A professional force that serves the Cadet Corps with pride and distinction committed to developing

Cadets and enforcing standards;

One that does so with a strong focus on teamwork, responsibility and accountability; and conducts

itself in a consistently professional,

ethical and traditional manner while adhering to the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment.

Guiding Principles

Professionalism – Top Hatters Squadron Cadets and staff strive to be commensurate professionals

both on and off duty. We do this by both maintaining a professional appearance and exhibiting

professional behavior.

Responsibility - Top Hatters Squadron Cadets and staff ensure that they understand and dutifully

discharge their responsibilities in an honorable manner; they continuously seek to grow and take on

greater responsibility.

Accountability – Top Hatters Squadron Cadets and staff are fully accountable for their actions.

They openly accept reward when earned, criticism when needed, and discipline when they fail to meet

their responsibilities- they own their actions.

Pride – Top Hatters Squadron Cadets and staff have and display a great deal of pride in what they

do and whom they represent. They understand that they wear the uniform of a more than 200 year old

service and that they are tied to thousands of men and women who have given their lives in the

defense of Our Nation. They feel a deep sense of honor in being part of this legacy and comport

themselves accordingly.

A. S. RULLO, LT, USNSCC

Commanding Officer

Top Hatters Squadron

POLICY UPDATES LT Jorge Pousa, Executive Officer

We would like to advise all cadets and parents that, while we do our best to communicate policy

changes, it is your responsibility to keep abreast of what is going on- both in Top Hatters and in the

Sea Cadet Corps.

Sea Cadet Corps policy changes are issued in the form of Information Letters and Action Letters that

can be found at:

http://homeport.seacadets.org/display/Correspondence/Policy+Updates+and+Changes+Home .

Top Hatters squadron policy is promulgated in the form of Instructions, Notes, and official publications

which can be found at http://thsusnscc.org/resources.html.

All parents and cadets should check these areas regularly as these are the official sources of policy

updates.

CADET SCHOOL REPORT CARDS LT. Pallazzo, Operations Officer

It is mandatory that all cadets bring their latest school report card to the March drill. As you know,

cadets are required to maintain satisfactory academic performance while participating in the U.S.

Naval Sea Cadet Corps.

Top Hatters Instruction Update

Cadets and Parents, please take note of: TOPHATTERSRON INSTRUCTION 1510.1

located at: http://www.thsusnscc.org/resources.html

This new instruction, in effect as of this date, outlines a timetable for Sea/League cadet

course completions, advanced trainings, physical readiness testing and exam completions. It also

explains how the above mentioned items pertain to cadet career advancement.

Staff Addition

We are happy to announce the addition of Matthew Reith, Petty Officer First Class, USN, to the

Squadron. He brings a vast amount of military experience to the squadron and we look forward to his

involvement in shaping our naval leaders of tomorrow.

Uniform Fundraiser Update – Important Read!

The squadron’s fundraiser for the NWU uniform shift

is coming to a close. As of March 1st, our total funds

raised to date are $4,175, well over the $3,000 we set

out to raise.

We have many to thank for this very successful

fundraising campaign. These include family, friends,

and supporters of the squadron. We wholeheartedly

thank you all for your extremely generous financial

support!

We would also like to thank a special foundation for

a last minute donation of $1,555 to help the squadron

exceed that last minute push to reach the top. Out of respect for their privacy, we are protecting their

anonymity at this time.

An important note: The online donation portion of the fundraiser will be closing on March 5, 2014 in

order to properly transfer funds from gofundme.com to the squadron. We are still able accept cash and

check donations right up until the 50th anniversary celebration when the fundraiser officially comes to a

close. Please contact ENS Glomb at admin@thsusnscc.org for further information.

We are still receiving donations almost daily from supporters and cadets, so the more we receive, the

more we can offer the cadets!

Just in case you have not read any of his extremely HIGH NUMBER Facebook posts, here is a brief

recap!

“ENS Glomb, our Admin Officer, is participating in the Instant Classic Trail Race and Half Marathon

(13.1 mile run) on Saturday, March 15, 2014. Please consider pledging his run during the race as 100% of

donations will go directly toward the uniform fundraising effort.”

During the January Drill, the cadets were given pledge cards and competed for a prize based

the highest amount of pledges received in a month. We are happy to announce that we had a tie

for the prize, which was a crisp $50 bill donated by an officer with the squadron.

The winners were Cadet Ducharme and Cadet Davis!!! Congratulations to you both!

However, in an act of unselfishness, in keeping with the true spirit of honor, courage, and

commitment, both cadets insisted on donating that prize money directly back to the fundraiser.

Both cadets showed what it means to be true shipmates. Thank you!

St. Patrick’s Day Parade INST Staubly, MTI Officer

We are still looking for volunteers to march in the Knight’s of Columbus St. Patrick’s Day Parade on

March 15, 2014 sponsored by Council 3548 of the Knights of Columbus. Cadets wishing to march in

the parade should contact Chief Crossman as soon as possible at lcpo@thsusnscc.org and anyone

else wishing to join in on the fun is encouraged to attend. Parents, this is a great opportunity to snag

a photo of your cadet in action!

Parade Route: The parade begins at Northside Middle School which is located at the corner of

Westmont Avenue and Granby Street. From that point it travels North on Granby Street, turns left at A

View Ave, turns left of First View Street, and ends at the intersection of First View and Government

Ave.

The parade route is approximately 1.5 miles.

Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication.