MCPO Philip A. Garrett
202 267 2556
202 465 5731 (cell) pgarrett@comdt.uscg.mil
Disclaimer: FS Force Notes is not official policy. The intent of Force Notes is to provide you with as much relevant information as possible.
If you are a CPO looking to take the May, 2006 Service Wide Examination for SCPO, chapter 12 of the Enlisted Professional Military Education Manual, COMDTINST
M1510.2, has placed some new requirements on you in order to be eligible for the exam.
Of the three elements that you need to address in Chapter 12 at the E-8 level, two require you to draft correspondence to parties outside of your command in order to get the performance qualifications signed off.
The first element, titled Required Training for Billets, instructs you to review the training requirements for your unit, by the billet.
The second element, titled E-PME Requirements Review, is more complicated.
Members are required to review the E-PME Manual from pay grades E-3 through E-9...
The third element in chapter 12 of the E-PME Manual involves the review of your rating’s Enlisted Performance Qualifications. This review must be submitted to your Rating Force Master Chief who will sign off this portion E-PME.
These requirements are in place for the May, 2006 SWE for SCPO . The terminal eligibility date for the May, 2006 SWE is February 1 st
, 2006. Avoid the sticky situation of having your name appear on the E-8 advancement list without these E-PME requirements

being completed.
If you don’t have correspondence from me stating that you have completed the EPQ review requirement, along with correspondence from CG-133 stating you have completed the E-PME requirement by the February 1 st deadline for the May SWE then you aren’t qualified to take the exam.
We had a very large number of packages to review this year. Thank you to all the units that spent time and effort to generate the packages. I realize that you all have very full schedules and taking the time to have your staff/unit recognized at the Program level is very time consuming. With that being said, here are the finalists:
Large Afloat
CGC GALLATIN
CGC HEALY
CGC RUSH
Large Ashore
ISC HONOLULU
ISC MIAMI
AIR STA CLEARWATER
Medium Afloat
CGC RESOLUTE
CGC RELIANCE
CGC DILIGENCE
Medium Ashore
SECTOR KEY WEST
STA CAPE DISAPOINTMENT
AIR STA SITKA
Small Afloat
CGC WAHOO
CGC CUTTYHUNK
CGC JAMES RANKIN
Small Ashore
STA TWO RIVERS
(Nothing else follows)
We have some lessons learned from this year’s competition:
1.
We will issue guidance on what your pictures should be capturing: Quality food being prepared and served to your crew, a sharp storeroom, a spot less galley, etc.
What does nothing for the package is a picture of the CO or unit mascot, somebody shooting the gun or a picture of a mountain, etc.
2.
We will review the self check list. I believe you should have the list as it will assist you in preparing for the competition. I am not sure that the list is all that helpful to the board. The board communicated to CG-1111 that the self check list is very subjective and does not really assist them in the selection process.
3.
I do believe the command endorsement/narrative is very helpful in explaining what your facility did for the last year. CG-1111 will give you more specific

guidance WRT on what you should and should not be included on your command endorsement/narrative.
If you have any recommendations for the process, please forward them to your respective FSAT for review. We will work with the FSATs to ensure that your input is noted and/or acted upon.
Personnel Service Command (PSC), - (adv) is the single point of contact for waiver requests. Prior Service Sea Duty: May be credited on a case-by-case basis. Waiver requests must be sent by message to PSC (adv). Before a message is sent, a
Statement of Creditable Sea Service must be approved on member by PSC (ses). If sea time is required “in rate” PSC (adv) will forward request to Rating Force Master
Chief for determination. If not required “in rate” PSC (adv) will make the determination. Chapter 5, section C.15a (page 30) of the Personnel Manual details information regarding Sea Duty requirements for advancements.
Greetings,
A lot of things have happened since the last force notes went out. Hurricane’s Katrina and
Rita have devastated the Gulf Coast from Alabama to Texas. I applaud all your efforts in the relief process. We lost several units and are seeking guidance on how to dispose of the inventories, cash collections, and when and if we will open or re-locate some units.
My best guess scenario will be that we survey the inventories from the last good report that FINCEN has. I know it is not perfect but it is a start. This is not carved in stone but it is the only avenue I can think of that will work. There will be more to follow on this.
CG-1111 has secured 37 training slots for four day symposiums. The classes will include
Serve Safe, CFM, and CFE certificates. If you have not taken classes on this I strongly recommend you get with your respective FSAT to find out how to register. This is a great tool for professional development Classes are scheduled in Hawaii, Alaska, and at the
Academy. These are taught by Ed Manley who is currently the president of IFSEA. Ed has been teaching for sixteen years and does a wonderful job.
The BDFA message for the first quarter FY06 is out. It is based on the BDFA of a unit in
Alaska. It has gone up in anticipation of already higher prices in subsistence due to fuel costs. The DTG is R 221749 Z SEP 05.

The ALCOAST announcing the finalists for the CG Dining Facility of the Year has been posted. The DTG is ALCOAST 041639 Z OCT 05.
Each year we try to get different members for the selection board and this year was no different. The packages were reviewed for 3 and a half days and the selections were very difficult to make. If you did not get selected I encourage you to submit again next year. I have fielded many questions and emails about how to make your unit more competitive and will try to wrap up some answers.
When you submit photos make sure they are clear and pertinent. Some board members don’t like to see change of command photos because they don’t reflect what is served or done every day. Make sure the areas you photograph are clean and uncluttered.
This year we simplified the packages to make it easier for submission. Some units went by the COMDTNOTE 1650 and some didn’t.
It is very important that you read all information in the 1650 and submit your package IAW the instruction.
The new changes to the uniform manual for FS personnel will be published soon. The prescribed uniform will be the same that is issued at the school. This was done for one reason. Personnel who travel TAD for training should all be wearing the same uniform.
We had several instances where personnel were showing up TAD in unit specific apparel.
Remember when we travel we should all be in the same uniform.
If your CO’s or OINC’s prescribe a different uniform to wear at your unit only then that is fine. The uniform in the manual is organizational clothing and should be bought by your command using AFC 30 funding.
The inspection for the finalists will be happening shortly and will last until mid
December and possibly into the beginning of January depending on operational commitments. This will be a very challenging year for inspections due to operations for
Katrina and Rita.
Some people still have no phone, fax, or computer capabilities so if you are traveling to areas affected by the hurricanes how about getting the FS copies of the force notes. I think these are the best source of information for our personnel and if you haven’t noticed they get better and better.
Our thoughts prayers go out to all who were in the path of the hurricanes. Keep up the fantastic work you all have been doing. It is very much appreciated by everyone.

Has the Food Service Rate improved since YOU entered it? How can YOU increase the success of other Food Service Specialists? It has been a little over one year since I assumed the role of FS Subject Matter Specialist. In that short time I have met hundreds of amazing and talented Food Service Specialists. At every Food Service conference, round-up, awards show, or school lecture I am increasingly impressed by the diversity of strengths within our rate. Right now, problem solving is a strength I would like to focus on.
Our natural creativity produces some of the greatest problem solvers within the
Coast Guard. I am looking for problem solvers to contribute their expertise and add additional information to the FS Information Portal. The following are a few examples of areas I am requesting your assistance with. Our Training and Resources section could use sanitation training and job aids. Our Paperwork Management section could use formatted menus for small, medium and large units. If there is a need to add a manual to the
Publications and Directives section, then please let me know. Remember, the FS
Information Portal is YOUR one-stop shop for all Food Service needs. YOU are the contributors that make this a valuable resource for everyone. Surf the FS portal at http://cgweb.tcpet.uscg.mil/fslibrary/ , analyze what makes your galley successful and send me your information via e-mail or regular mail.
The Service Wide Exam is just around the corner. I hope you've been studying hard. I've received many questions regarding the conflicting information found within our manuals. Some of you that have taken the previous SWE have noticed many questions begin with the words; according to the AFRs, according to NAVSUP 486, or according to
Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen, etc… This will be the format for further Service
Wide Exam questions. The differences between SWE reference material mandates that many questions be asked according to a particular reference. This will negate a challenge based on conflicting answers. For a complete Service Wide Exam reading list, check out the FS Information Portal at http://cgweb.tcpet.uscg.mil/fslibrary/ .
If you any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail or phone.
Thank-You,
FSC Timothy A. Lemelin
Course & Exam Developer / Subject Matter Specialist
Training Center Petaluma
599 Tomales Road Rm: 403
Petaluma, CA 94952-5000
Phone: (707)765-7142
Email: tlemelin@d11.uscg.mil
Website: www.uscg.mil/hq/tcpet/tpf/fssms/fssms.htm
CGWeb: http://cgweb.tcpet.uscg.mil/tpf/fssms/fssms.htm
No information to pass

No information to pass
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I am awaiting official word that we have placed two new E-6 positions at PACAREA.
The billets will be at Station Siuslaw (new galley will be established, there will also be a FS2 attached) and at AIRSTA Sitka. D17 has agreed to pay the extra costs associated with moving the position from MLC PAC to AIRSTA Sitka.
The billet at AIRSTA Sitka is deployable. This means that who ever is assigned to this position WILL deploy to support the cutter forces in D17. When you request this position on your ADC, be sure to discuss any questions you might have with the
Assignment Officers.
I am working with the policy folks (Enlisted Personnel) to have this (and all support positions that deploy) position identified as Deployable and will receive a higher assignment priority upon successfully fulfilling the time spent deployed afloat over the course of the tour.
Basically, the billet is intended to support only afloat CG Dining Facilities. In speaking with numerous FS’s, Assignment Officers (past and present), the person in this position will need to spend at least 180 days deployed afloat for two of the three years attached to receive an assignment priority of Category 2 (vice 3 for shore based personnel in D17). This is roughly equivalent to what the cutter forces are deploying for (most are deploying for longer periods).
There may be situations that prevent the member from deploying for the full amount of required time. The policy will provide guidance to the Assignment Officers to work with the member to ensure fairness is applied to each situation.
While I do expect the position to assist the FS’s at AIRSTA Sitka with the watch rotation/workload, the sole purpose for putting this position at AIRSTA Sitka (vice somewhere else in D17) is because of the support the folks at AIRSTA Sitka have been providing to the cutters in D17 (they are not billeted to do this) over the last few years.
MCPO Zimmerman (FSAT MLC PAC) made this recommendation to me as I had the two positions (Station Siuslaw/AIRSTA Sitka) going to the MLC PAC FSAT. I very much appreciate his advocating for a unit that I have no working knowledge about, it is very important for us at the Program Level to have this type of invaluable input to make sure we are providing the resources to support the operational commitments of the CG.

If you wish to provide input as to the amount of time spent deployed over the course of a tour (INCONUS or OUTCONUS), feel free to contact me via email and let me hear your thoughts/concerns/input.
I have submitted for approval, the ALCOAST announcing the requirements for membership on the Coast Guard Culinary Training Team. I am optimistic that the
ALCOAST will be released soon. If anyone is interested in designing a logo for the team, please contact me with any questions you may have. pgarrett@comdt.uscg.mil
or 202 267 2556/ fax 202 267 4798.
Senior Chief Tim Strozier continues to represent the best of the CG and FS Rating while providing superior training delivery to food service personnel from all 5
Uniformed Service. On October 6 2005, 3 FS’s graduated from the Advanced
Culinary Skills Development Course:

FS1 Kipp Rice , Special Command Aide to Commander, 5 th
Coast Guard
District (Honor Graduate)

FS1 James Swenson , Special Command Aide to Superintendent, US Coast
Guard Academy (Gold Medal)

FS2 Morgan Selvage , USCGC Polar Sea (Silver Medal)
In late August/early September, I went TAD to CGC Confidence. I have wanted to ride two cutters (one on each coast) for some time; I was unable to achieve this due to the workload over the course of the year. I had an opportunity (and a special request due to personnel shortages aboard Confidence) to spend a few days underway with aboard Confidence. It was an extremely rewarding experience and I appreciated the opportunity to work with the FS staff, command and Supply Officer. I am trying to work with the folks on Steadfast to coordinate a ride sometime in early 2006.
We (CG-1111) have completed the first hurdle to re-staff the DF at Yorktown by getting the CCS (acting) to sign off on the memo (states the requirements, etc) that authorizes the CG to work with DHS and the Office of Management and Budget, to get the facility staffed with approximately 50 FS. The earliest (if this is approved) that the facility would be staffed with FS personnel is 2008. The primary reason for pursuing the re-staffing of both Cape May and Yorktown is to improve the Sea to
Shore Ratio for the FS Rating. I will keep you posted.

In closing, if there is an issue or topic you would like to see addressed WRT the FS rating, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thank you all for doing a great job and taking care of your shipmates.