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US NAVY
RETHINKS,
RESETS
OPPORTUNITY, COLLEGE
SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM
New
views on
a career
path to
success
for
urban
college
students
A Tell
Us USA
News
Network
Special
Report
"An area
that's
of great
interest
to me,
of great
focus to
me is
the
issue of
diversity
within
our
military.
The
military
of the
United
States
must
reflect
the
nation.
We have
to work
today to
put in
place
the
demographics
of 40
years
from
now."
This is
a
statement
from
Chief of
Naval
Operations
Admiral
Gary Roughead,
and his
belief
sets the
tone for
today’s
United
States
Navy.
In
keeping
with
Adm.
Roughead’s
vision,
the Navy
is
actively
working
to
greatly
improve
their
diversity
numbers.
One of
the ways
in which
the Navy
is
attempting
to
accomplish
this
goal is
to
present
programs
that
offer
very
bright
“lights
at the
end of
the
tunnel”.
As we
learn
about
some of
the
Navy’s
outreach
efforts,
it is
more and
more
convincing
that
this is
not the
Navy of
old.
When and
where
many of
us were
growing
up a
number
of years
ago,
folks
seemed
to use
the
military
only as
a place
where a
kid
could
learn
discipline… ”the
military
will
straighten
that boy
out”.
Frequently
teenagers—usually
males—were
“shipped”
off to
the
military,
often as
the only
alternative
to going
to jail
or
facing
some
other
dreadful
fate.
Our
communities
have
observed
up-close
on many
occasions
where
military
personnel
would
return
home to
continue
a life
not much
different
from the
one he
or she had
hoped to
escape.
This
always
left a
basic
question: “What
was the
point?”
The
soldiers
and
sailors
usually
came
back
home
with
maybe a
bit more
maturity,
but
usually
with not
much
more
education
or job
training,
resulting
in very
limited
marketable
skills
and
career
choices.
 Recently
Tell Us
USA
spoke
with current
African
American Naval
officers
along
with
civilian
observers,
and
learned
from
them
some
view
points of
the
"New”
Navy".
Lt. Lori
Campbell
used
words
such as
“exciting”,
“pride”,
and
“honor”
when
describing
her
career
in the
Navy and
is
clearly
passionate
about
Navy
life.
Lt.
Campbell
directed
my
attention
to two
particular
areas:
the
Bachelor
Degree
Completion
Program
(BDCP)
and the
Naval
Reserve
Officers
Training
Corps (NROTC).
Each of
these
programs
has its
own
special
features,
but
generally
they
provide
the
following:
• Full
tuition
• Room &
board
• Books
& fees
•
Monthly
stipend
Read our
full
interview
with Lt.
Lori
Campbell
 Navy
Lieutenant
Dennis
L. (DJ)
Holmes
reports
that
diversity
is a
strategic
imperative
for the
Navy. We
defend
the
greatest
nation
in the
world –
a
democracy
founded
on the
promise
of
opportunity
for all.
It is a
nation
whose
demographic
makeup
continually
changes,
and the
Navy
must
change
with it.
By 2020
demographic
projections
indicate
minorities
will
make up
over 1/3
of the
Nation’s
workforce
and by
2050,
minorities
are
projected
to be
1/2 of
our
Nation’s
workforce.
We have
a
shrinking
pool of
candidates
available.
72% of
all
17-24
year
olds are
ineligible
for
military
service:
58% due
to
height /
weight
issues,
moral
issues
and or
education
deficiencies;
another
14%
score
too low
on the
ASVAB.
These
facts
compel
us to
prevail
in our
effort
to
demonstrate
we are a
service
where
all who
are
eligible
can
join,
learn,
grow,
thrive
and
succeed.
 Aboard
the USS
Ronald
Reagan,
Distinguished
Visitor
Detavio
Samuels,
a Sr.
Accounts
Manager
for
GlobalHue
Media
stated,
"What if
I would
have
known
the U.S.
Navy
provides
unparalleled
leadership
and
career
training?
Recent
graduates
enter
into the
U.S.
Navy as
Officers
and are
immediately
expected
to lead.
They
manage
groups
of
people
(civilians
and
sailors)
and are
required
to
nurture
the
dreams
of those
who
report
to them
while
living
out
their
own
(e.g.,
being
the best
engineer
or
doctor
they can
be!).
They are
given
the
coaching
and
mentoring
necessary
to
become
true
leaders
who are
willing
and
ready to
make
leadership
decisions
with
significant
impact.
They get
experience
managing
multi
million
dollar
assets
and
budgets
that are
worth
more
than
most
people
will be
responsible
for over
the
course
of their
entire
lifetime."
Read his
full
NAVY
Experience
 Anne
Griffin, Engineering
candidate
and
Distinguished
Visitor
aboard
USS Ronald
Reagan
stated,
"I
really
started
to
identify
with the
men and
women of
the Navy
the
night
before
we went
to the
aircraft
dinner.
Lieutenant
Sonya
Brown-Conner
from the
Diversity
Directorate
was one
of the
first
members
of the
Navy I
had the
opportunity
to speak
to. One
program
LT
Brown-Conner’s
work
goes
towards
is
helping
women in
the Navy
navigate
having a
successful
and
opportunity
filled
career
with the
Navy and
a happy
family
and home
life.
Previous
to my
discussion
with LT
Brown-Conner,
I had no
idea how
much the
Navy
helped
women
who
wanted
to have
a
healthy
work-life
balance
(and yes
it is
possible
to have
while
being in
the
Navy). I
was
really
impressed
with how
important
that was
to the
Navy.
Read her
full
NAVY
Experience
 As
a
"Distinguished
Visitor"
aboard
the USS
Ronald
Reagan,
William
Roger
Moss
III,
CEO,
HBCU
CONNECT
reported,
"the
Navy has
serious
opportunities
for
African
Americans!
You
might
think
the
military
is not
for you,
but if
you are
trying
to get
an
education,
a career
and
follow
your
dreams,
you may
want to
give the
Navy a
serious
look."
Moss
went on
to say,
"You can
get
significant
tuition
assistance
from the
Navy and
you can
get
paid!"
Read his
full
NAVY
Experience
If
you’re
looking
for a
career
that
provides
you with
much
more
than a
paycheck,
then
look to
the
Navy. In
addition
to base
pay, the
Navy
provides:
●
Living
accommodations
or
housing
allowances
●
Free
dining
services
or food
allowances
●
A
uniform
allowance
●
Full
healthcare
benefits
In
addition,
Sailors
at some
duty
stations
are
eligible
for
additional
Cost of
Living
Allowances
(COLAs).
When you
add it
all up,
your pay
in the
Navy
will go
a lot
further
than the
same pay
in a
civilian
job
where
your
basic
needs
aren’t
already
covered.
Officer
Pay
Chart
Officer
salaries
are
based on
rank and
time in
service.
The
monthly
pay for
an
ensign
(O-1)
upon
receiving
commission
is
$2,655.30
plus
allowances
and
benefits.
This
graph
shows
the
monthly
salary
for
typical
officers
based on
rank and
time in
service.
Right
now…today…seems
to be a
perfect
time for
families
to
consider
the Navy
as a
serious
alternative
when
planning
a
student’s
education
and
career
paths.
Find
additional
details
at
www.navy.com
.
Story
Contributors:
Erik M.
Meeks-Editor/Tell
Us
Chicago,
Detavio
Samuels,
a Sr.
Accounts
Manager
for
GlobalHue
Media,
Anne
Griffin,
Engineering
candidate
at
University
of
Michigan,
William
Roger
Moss
III,
CEO, HBCU
CONNECT
and HB
Meeks-Publisher/Tell
Us USA
News
Network
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