Marine Corps Boot Camp

Clep Helps Military Personnel Get A Degree Quicker

As a part of the United States military you have a lot of options at hand for furthering your education. Earning you degree not only gives you skills that you will need during your military career, but also allows the transition from a soldier to a civilian much simpler. It’s no secret that the military lifestyle is not bendable. Therefore, getting your degree while you serve your country could be extremely hard without the right tools in place. Issues like books, tuition, housing and food aren’t as much of a agonize for you because you get a lot of these items free of charge. But, one factor that discourages a lot of military personnel is the time that it may take to complete college level courses. CLEP, the College Level Examination Program, is a fantastic way for the people in the military to further their education for free. CLEP tests are free for people in the military and allow them to start their degree sooner and end it quicker.

Whatever branch of the military you are in –Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, US Coast Guard, or any kind of reserve- you qualify to take CLEP exams for free. This also goes for civilian employees and spouses of participating Reserve Component and Coast Guard personnel. If you work for the Specialty of Defense, you may only be eligible for computer-based exams such as Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Marketing.

CLEP exams are given in two different categories: general and subject. The general CLEP test covers a broad spectrum while subject CLEP test is more point. Current military personnel have the option to take a CLEP exam through three venues. They may take a computer-based translation of the CLEP exam at a testing center. Another option is to take a paper-based CLEP exam. The last option is to take a CLEP test at a registered Defense Activity for Non-Habitual Education Support. Otherwise known as DANTES, this organization will pay the CLEP registration for members of the military. There are fourteen tests that are being administered through DANTES for CLEP at present. These include natural sciences, social sciences and college algebra. 

CLEP is fantastic for people in the military because it allows them to get an education quicker and simpler. The military is hectic and doesn’t allow their soldiers very much time for themselves. CLEP is trying to make their education a small simpler. Going to college is a marvel for everybody, not just for members of the United States military. Through organizations like DANTES, CLEP is something that can bring a college degree to even the busiest of our military’s personnel without ever entering a classroom. 

If you have an interest in CLEP you can find out a lot more through DANTES. Military personnel must request a transcript for CLEP computer based exams by sending a military transcript order from. You must enclose a twenty-dollar check or money order for each transcript that you request and make it payable to DANTES Program. You can also pay by credit card.

Military Physical Fitness Test Standards

Military Physical Fitness Test standards provide valuable information and guidelines for all fitness enthusiasts. What better way to test yourself than by using tests that gauge the readiness of soldiers in the best military in the planet? Military Physical Fitness Tests (PFTs) have been established for each branch of the military and can help you set challenging goals for yourself while also motivating you by tracking your progression.Here are a few of the toughest Physical Fitness Test standards in the military (these aren’t all of the necessary standards and some are vital for entry into some of the programs, not the programs themselves):

Army Green Beret

2-Mile Run – Minimum: 12-14 min Max Push Ups in 2 Minutes – Minimum: 100 Max Sit Ups in 2 Minutes – Minimum: 100

Army Ranger

Max Push Ups in 2 Minutes – Minimum: 49 (Competitive: 80) Max Sit Ups in 2 Minutes – Minimum: 59 (Competitive: 80) Max Pull Ups – Minimum: 6 (Competitive: 12) 2-Mile Run – Minimum: 15 min 12 sec (Competitive: Sub 13 min) 5-Mile Run – Minimum: 40 min (Competitive: 35 min) 16-Mile hike w/65lb pack – 5 hrs 20 min (Competitive: 4-5 hrs)

Marine Recon

Max Pull Ups – Minimum: 20 Max Sit Ups/2 min – Minimum: 80 3-Mile Run – Minimum: 18 min 10-Mile Hike w/50lb Pack – Minimum: Sub-2 hrs

Navy SEALs

Swim 500 Yards – Minimum: 12 min 30 sec (Competitive: 8-9 min) Max Push Ups in 2 Minutes – Minimum: 42 (Competitive: 100) Max Sit Ups in 2 Minutes – Minimum: 52 (Competitive: 100) Max Pull Ups – Minimum: 8 (Competitive: 15-20) 1.5-Mile Run – Minimum: 11 min 30 sec (Competitive: 9-10 min)

The above list was made to make a guideline for fitness enthusiasts, not military personnel. The omission of other military requirements were intended to avoid confusing readers.

2009 San Antonio Riverwalk Weddings * Military Wedding Information

Wow! It is jump and the wedding bells ring! The Marriage Island located in the San Antonio River on the Riverwalk is located just down the Riverwalk from the Westin Riverwalk Hotel. The Island has been used for Religious Services for over 300 years. The first broad Mass held in San Antonio was held on the Island. The island has also been used by most other denominations at one time. This includes Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, & Methodist over the past 250 years as a meeting place to hear the gospel. The Marriage Island is one of the most gorgeous wedding spots in the State of Texas. Several photos are shown on the website of past Riverwalk Weddings.

Weddings may be officiated at any San Antonio place. Outdoor and backyard wedding make for a real cozy setting. We have served people from all areas of San Antonio, New Braunfels, Gruene, and Universal City. Churches available for rent if you require a Church Wedding.

Military Weddings for members of all Bracnches of the United States Military. We have officiated weddings at the Fort Sam Houston Chapel, and the Lackland Air Force Base Chapel. Father Louis Bernhardt is a Member of the United States Chaplain’s Service, and serves as State Commander. Father Louis also serves as a Member of the Board of Govenors for the Texas Association of Wedding Officiates for 2009.

There are many options for your Riverwalk Wedding. You may charter a Riverboat for the Wedding Meal. Live Musicians available to play your favorite songs. You may have a friend or family member read a poem! You may write your own vows that you speak to each other during the celebration.

Family from previous marriages may be included in the ceremony. The Minister would present each outcome a ring or other memento that the couple furnishes. This officially makes the outcome a part of the celebration and a member of the new family.

Rules for Military Weddings at Militarty Chapels & West Point.

Every wedding requires special plotting, but a military wedding calls for some point traditions that may be unfamiliar to a civilian bride whose care for or care for-in-law did not have to consider such a ceremony.

Marilyn Sharp, wife of Colonel Dan Sharp (retired), gives this advice on how to smooth the way to a perfect military wedding. “The most vital thing to do is to plot as soon as you becone engaged, and don’t feel asinine checking two or three times with the caterer or florist.” Mrs. Sharp said that it was not uncommon to have the incorrect flowers and wedding cake end up at the incorrect wedding. Part of the problem with simple services, like hotels, caterers, and florists at the academies, is that there are so few of them. West Point, for example, has only one hotel in the nearby town. Many people come each year to West Point for graduation and weddings in June, so hotel reservations must be made as ahead of schedule as February.

Mrs. Sharp’s spouse graduated from West Point in 1951 and retired from the service as the deputy commandant at West Point. Being the wife of the deputy commandant, she helped the cadets plot their weddings and recalls having attended eight military weddings in one day! Any enlisted man or officer can have a military wedding in full-dress uniform. Like whatever thing having to do with the military, there are certain guidelines that pertain to all military weddings, regardless of wether they are held at one of the academy chapels or in a civilian church.

A military wedding is a formal affair. Your fiance and his military friends wear their dress uniforms and white gloves. Boutonnieres cannot be worn on a military uniform. If there are any civilian ushers, they should wear cut-aways, strollers, black or dark-colored suites. Your father, if he is not in the military, should do the same.

Invitations to a military wedding read nearly the same as those for a civilian wedding. But, you should include your fiance’s rank and branch. For instance, instead of John Smith, you would place, Lieutenant John Smith, U.S. Army.

The saber arch is one of the things that makes the military wedding so special. During the recessional, the bridge and groom walk under an arch made by the ushers or designated saberbearers. This is also the most photographed part of a military wedding. A excellent rule of thumb is to have four to six saberbearers in your wedding party: they can serve as ushers or can be separated from the ushers. It looks nice to have the same number of bridesmaids as saberbearers, but this is up to you.

Commanding officers should always be seated according to their ranks. Your ushers will probably, if they are in the service, know how to do this. Other officers may sit anywhere. The chaplains at each of the military academies have provided a summary of their own point rules.
United States Naval Academy: Annapolis, Maryland. The following people can be married at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel: Naval Academy graduates, active or retired, and their family; military personnel assigned to Annapolis, and
their family; Academy faculty, active or retired, and their family; and military personnel retired with pay, and their family who evenly attend the Academy Chapel.

Weddings are scheduled through the senior chaplain’s office, which can be found in the wedding handbook. Weddings can be held Monday through Saturday from noon to 4:00 P.M. apart from for the week of commissioning. After the application has been received, you will be issued a time for the rehearsal and wedding.

During commissioning week, the Chapel is reserved for the graduating midshipmen only. The scheduling for their weddings is usually different from weddings at other times. For information on commissioning week weddings, you should contact the office of the senior chaplain.

Only Naval Academy chaplains will peform weddings in the Naval Academy Chapel, and the Academy chaplains advice premarital counseling before a couple are married in the Chapel. If you live far away from the Academy, the chaplains
will suggest a counselor.

The arch of swords, as it is called in the Navy, takes place in the Chapel steps. Since the Chapel does not give swords, your party must furnish them.

Music for the wedding is the responsibility of the director of musical activities at the Naval Academy. Only appropriate sacred music can be used. Soloists and guest instrumentalists are not encouraged at the Chapel.

Pictures can be taken in the Bride’s Room, in the sacristy, and outside the Chapel before the ceremony. A flash may be used during the processional and the recessional. Pictures may be taken in the new nave during the ceremony, including the balconies, without flash. No pictures may be taken in the Chapel after the ceremony unless the weather is inclement.

Flowers for the Chapel are provided by the Chapel Altar Guild. These flowers cannot be removed from the Chapel after the wedding. Flowers for the members of the wedding party are the responsibility of those getting married.

Rice cannot be thrown surrounded by or outside the Chapel. Be sure to inform your guests of this restriction.

There are rooms for last-minute preparations at the Chapel, but at the beginning of the ceremony everything should be removed from these rooms.

A mininum contribution should be made to the Protestant or broad Chapel. This is to be paid when you submit your application: it helps to foot the cost of marriage books, candles, flowers, and music.

United States Air Force Academy: Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Academy has two different chapels and a different booklet for each.

The Protestant Chapel can be used only by graduates of any military academy and active-duty military personnel assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy, and their dependents. This is an Academy regulation. Chaplains that are assigned to the Academy normally preside over the wedding, but in special conditions other clergy may officiate. Premarital counseling is mandatory for all marriages, beginning at smallest amount thirty days before the ceremony.

Rehearsals should be scheduled with the chaplain. Flowers are to be provided by the wedding party, and should be delivered to the Chapel. White runners are not allowable because of the highly polished floor.

The Chapel provides candles and kneeling cushions for the bride and groom. Sabers and baldrics (holders for the sabers) are available at the Chapel, too. But, they cannot be removed.

Pictures may be taken with a flash only during the processional and following the benediction. Pictures of the religious part of your wedding may be taken from the balcony only. Flashbulbs are not allowable at that time.  Flashbulbs may be used during the arch of sabers. There will be time after the wedding for pictures.

In the interest of time, a reception line cannot be formed at the end of your wedding. Weddings at the Chapel must also start and end on schedule.

Nothing–rice, confetti, or flower  petals–can be thrown any surrounded by or outside the Chapel (mainly for safely reasons).

Military chaplains do not receive fees for their services. Donations can be given, but there is no charge for the use of the Chapel.

The broad ceremony is relatively the same. But, there are a few differences.

Catholics need a copy of their record of baptism from the church where it was performed. This needs to be issued six months prior to the ceremony. A questionnaire must be filled out in the presence of a priest. If the marriage is interfaith, special counseling on the responsibilities of being broad is vital before the ceremony. For all couples marrying in the broad Church, attendance at premarital sessions is vital. You must also obtain permission from your pastor to be married in any church other than your own parish. Sabers are not permitted surrounded by the broad Church.

United States Military Academy: West point, New York. West Point does not have a bride’s handbook, but Chaplain Louis Bernhardt offers some tips for brides who want to be married at West Point.

According to Chaplain Louis Bernhardt, the bride must bring to West Point everything that the party will need. If you are marrying a graduating cadet, he will draw lots several months before the consequence to determine what time your wedding will take place during June week. Weddings start one hour after graduation and run continuously throughout the week. There are three chapels at the Academy and one Jewish Synagogue.

Chaplain Louis Bernhardt said that the toughest thing in this area having your wedding during June week is finding a place to stay. There is one hotel in Raised ground Falls; and it is booked ahead of schedule in February because of all the wedding parties and all of the parents and relatives who plot to attend graduation. You should make
reservations at the hotel for your entire wedding party as soon as you know the date. Follow this immediately with a call to the officer’s club in this area the reception. It is very vital that you include a “reception following” card with an R.S.V.P. on it so that you know the number of guests to expect.

Order the flowers from the florist ahead of schedule and recheck to make sure that there is no mix-up as to the time and place.  Photographs depend on the church–you will have to question the chaplain of the chapel you have chosen. Rehearsals are set by appointment. First, you should check on any special rules that your church might have on the drawing of sabers.
Plotting a military wedding is basically no different from plotting any other type of wedding, until the conclusion. The recessional proceeds like this: The bride and groom leave the church first, followed by the bridesmaids and seaberbears. When the bride and groom reach the back of the church, they step aside to let the wedding party and congregation leave. After everyone is out of the church, the saberbears form two lines facing each other to form an arch of sabers. According to officers who have had military weddings, the saber arch should be practiced before the wedding. Make sure that officers participating in the saber arch leave enough room between them so the bride and groom can go under side by side.

The commands for the arch are as follows: Sabers are carried in the “involve draw” position. At the command of “draw sabers,” the arch is formed. Each bearer raises his right arm with saber in hand rotating the arm until the blade is on top. If the saberbears bend their wrists, they should have a right arch. At the command, “return sabers,” the saberberars return their sabers to the “involve draw” position. Your saberbears should know what the “involve draw” position is: if the are unsure, it is partially in the baldric and partially out.

Only the bride and groom may walk under the saber arch.

One special tradition at a military wedding reception is that the bride and groom cut the first piece of cake with the groom’s saber. The groom places his hand on the hilt of the saber (the handle) and the bride guides the blade.

A military wedding can be as modern or as habitual as you want to make it. Concluding with the arch of sabers adds an especially memorable touch for you and your officer spouse.

For the last 15 years Father Louis has been know as the “Riverwalk Pastor” and he continues to this date! Father Louis is Predestined by:

The Anglican Rite Ancient broad Church * Consecrated Bishop 1996 *

Call Father Louis at 832-569-2014.

Military Loans: Loans Meant for the Defense Personnel

The armed forces of a nation involve out their duty to safeguard the nation’s interest. The job profile of the military is such that the personnel have to stay away for a long time from the home. If you are a personnel from the military how is it possible for you to manage finance, when the need arises. As you are from the military, there is one such loan designed for your requirements. You can avail a military loan.

Military Loans are reckoned as one of the best loans for the defense personnel. Designed specifically for the military personnel, the loans are offered at lower interest rates compared to the other civilian loans. Besides, the terms and conditions are kept simpler. The loan can be utilized to meet education fees, health check bills, paying off debts, going for a vacation, making home improvements etc.

As the borrowers are from the defense background, the loans are offered at lower interest rates. One more reason for the low interest rates is that the loan is open as the borrower is having a government job, has a established fund of income and enjoys certain privileges. But, if you do want to decrease the interest rates on the loan amount, you can take the services of the special military loan consultant. The consultants in turn will switch to the lenders and banking institutions that provide loans at lower rates. After checking and comparing the various interest rates, the loan can be availed at lower interest rate.

There are certain prerequisite to fulfill before applying for military loans. There are certain documents such as military ETS, bank account statements and salary details which are vital to be shown to the lender. With most of the military personnel, nowadays serving in unknown nations as peacekeepers, they too can avail the military loans.

Before availing a military loan, the borrower should calculate the amount vital to meet his personal needs. The amount availed should be such that the borrower can straightforwardly pay back the loan within the stipulated time period.

Military and Aviator Sunglasses: the Newest Fashion Craze

The heat of the summer is out and yet you might see more people wearing those superfluous large shades that nearly cover half of their faces. Well don’t ever reflect that they’re going crazy, instead (to give you a small info) they’re on a fashion craze. The wearing of aviator shades is now the latest trend when it comes to fashion. Maybe you’re the only one left behind. Like the incorporation of the camo gears in the latest fashion statements, this military equipment is also hitting the trend.

The aviator shades as the name implies were originally used in aviation by aviators and air force personnel. The military and other forces also used the same as protective eyewear especially when they are deployed in desert or tropical areas. The aviator shades are designed to keep the strong wind current and dusts or sands away from the eyes of the aviators especially when flying low on open planes. These glasses are smoked or dark colored to care for the eyes from the light of the sun. The aviator and military sunglasses were originally available as supplies for military along with the other tactical gears.

After spending years in the battlefield the aviator shades and military sunglasses have infiltrated the fashion boutiques. Several new designs of these glasses are coming out in different colors and designs. Fashion boutiques place forward different kinds of military inspired fashion shades and glasses aside from their complete line of camo gears. If you are looking for the original issue aviator and military sunglasses you can check them out at the military supplies and surplus shops next-door you area. You can also order them online on the online military give supplies that place forward a wide selection of groundbreaking new and surplus official issues of aviator shades and military gears and supplies.

If you have one you can flaunt it out as what others do especially when the sun is at its fullest or even when the sun starts to hide. The use of aviator shades and military sunglasses as fashion shades doesn’t choose any time or weather condition, you can use it as long as you can see what lies ahead of you. Or others just use it as headbands to adorn their heads and hairs.

Stansted; From Military Airfield To Major UK Airport

London Stansted, now the fourth largest airport in the UK has not always been a major airport with services such as rail associations, car hire desks, shops and restaurants. Located in the sleepy region of Uttlesford in northern Essex it is now a hub for many low cost European airlines flying to over one hundred and seventy different destinations. Handling over twenty two million passengers annually Stansted is currently the third busiest airport in the UK. But what is the history of his airport? How has it developed from a minor airfield to one of the predominant airports in the country?

Like many of the airports in the UK Stansted started its life as a military airfield. During Planet War II the site was used by both the Royal Air Force and the United States military operating under the name of Stansted Airfield; so called because of the close by town of Stansted Mountfitchet. It was mainly used by the USAAF as a bomber airfield from 1942 onwards; American sorties being flown from the base throughout the war. The original site was constructed by American military engineers although today the modern terminal full of car hire desks, shops, bars and restaurants would be unrecognisable to these original builders.

The force who used the airport throughout the war years was the 344th Bombardment Group. Predominately flying B-26 bombers the pilots used Stansted as a base to conduct operations in France, Belgium and the Netherlands bombing sites such as airfields, depots and submarine shelters. The airport was also used during the Normandy landings with members of the 344th attacking the coastal batteries around the town of Cherbourg. The 344th also played a vital role in bombing bridges to regulate the German army’s withdrawal through the Falaise gap. Despite a large development effort, some of the original huts still remain on the site although they are no longer used for military purposes.

In the post war period Stansted was used as a POW camp and a storage depot for the RAF. It was not until 1966 that the airport started civilian operations after being bought by BAA. During the interim but it was used as a schooling teach for civil pilots. From this point onwards Stansted played an vital role in the growth of the package holiday industry as airlines could glide from Stansted for smaller fees than those charged at comparable airports such as Gatwick and Heathrow. At this stage the British government earmarked Stansted for further development as London’s third major airport.

In the eighties these development plans came into execution with a major construction effort for a new terminal. The modern design by Sir Norman Foster was completed in 1991 and is now filled with a host of amenities such as a coach station, integral train station and car hire desks. The terminal was also expanded in the next decade to cope with the ever-growing passenger numbers. Despite efforts to make transatlantic routes, Stansted remains an airport that nearly solely flies to Europe and parts of the Middle East.

Stansted has not forgotten its military heritage but. Due to the excess space at the site it is the preferred choice of airport for any plane that has been hijacked. As the planes can be kept far from the terminal construction hijackers have limited chances of escape. The site has played host to a variety of hijack situations; the most recent being in February 2000 where a hijacked Ariana Afghan Airlines plane was involved in a four day stand off with members of the special forces. The incident finished peacefully but with violence being avoided and the 150 passengers being freed without injury.

Today Stansted remains as one of the most well loved airports in the UK. Further development plans include a second runway, although this is being protested by local pressure groups. The amenities at the airport include a bureau de exchange, shops, restaurants and car hire provisions. From its humble beginnings the site continues to develop as a modern gateway to Europe and beyond.

African American Military Heroes

Today the United States military twigs treat African American soldiers with the respect they deserve but it wasn’t always so. In the past during the American Revolution and the Civil War, men of color were slaves and though they may have served the U.S., they were not accorded the same respect as their white masters.

It is a different landscape today as many African American men and women join the military not only to serve their country but to gain an education and experience that they otherwise would not have access to. Let’s look back at some of the notable African Americans that served in the past with distinction.

The American Revolution

Paul Cuffe aided in the war effort during the American Revolution by smuggling necessary goods past patrol ships of England. After he served his country and America had won her freedom he built a large shipping and whaling business of some success. He is evenly referred to by historians as “the father of black nationalism” in the U.S.

Though every schoolchild hears the tale of the Boston Massacre one man is evenly left out. Crispus Attucks was the leader of the revolt against the troops of Fantastic Britain in 1770. His alleged words “Don’t be worried!” spurred the protesting crowd to rise up against the weapon wielding British soldiers.

The minutemen were responsible for rallying troops when British invaders were immanent in a region. Lemuel Haynes was one of those minutemen and he fought at both Fort Ticonderoga and the siege of Boston. When the war finished he went on to study Latin and Greek and eventually became a minister in the Congregationalist church.

African Americans in the Civil War through the End Part of the 19th Century

African Americans served in both the Union and Confederate armies during the “War Between the States.” Many served with distinction even as they fought alongside their slave masters. Even in the North where they were considered free, they did not receive the same treatment as their white counterparts.

Martin Robinson Delany achieved the highest rank of any other black soldier during the Civil War. He was a field commander and a recruiter of black soldiers and was discharged from the Union army with the rank of major. When the war was over he went to Harvard Health check Teach, worked in the field of real estate and was the author of a few books.

West Point was not known for their black cadets but Henry O. Flipper was the first African American to graduate from the academy in 1877. Because of charges that were falsely brought against him he was discharged from the army dishonorably which later in 1976 was changed to an honorable discharge. His family was pleased when in 1999 Flipper was granted a full pardon posthumously.

Though many history books don’t bring up these African Americans and many more like them, they served honorably in the military to fight for American freedom even as their own freedom was evenly in question.