NAVY LEAGUE OF HAMPTON ROADS OMBUDSMAN APPRECIATION DINNER

ADM. DARYL CAUDLE

VIRGINIA BEACH CONVENTION CENTER

COMMANDER, U.S. FLEET FORCES COMMAND

16 September 2024

· Good evening - and thank you, Lou, for the kind introduction and for the important work you do with the Hampton Roads Navy League on behalf of our nation's warfighters, our veterans, and our families.

· It's a true honor to be here celebrating those who give themselves and their precious time by selflessly volunteering to serve in the Hampton Roads Area Ombudsman Assembly.

· To my fellow flag officers and all of the command leadership teams joining us this evening, it is wonderful to see so many leaders taking time out of their busy schedules to be here in support - it tells me that I am not alone in my genuine admiration of our Navy's wonderful Ombudsmen Program. It's clear you all understand and cherish the critical role of our Ombudsmen and their contributions and support they provide to our commands.

· And, of course, thank you to Maryellen Baldwin and the entire Hampton Roads Navy League team for once again hosting this important event. Your commitment, dedication, and demonstrative devotion to the men and women of our sea services and their families are beyond measure.

· Your mission to enhance the morale of sea service personnel and their families reflects proudly in your

support for our Ombudsmen tonight. How about a round of applause for our hosts and our sponsors?

· Fifty-four years ago, the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr. created the Navy Family Ombudsman Program because he recognized the paramount importance of family readiness. He recognized how a strong foundation at home mixed with clear and consistent communication with leadership leads to Sailors with peak operational readiness and resiliency.

· The Ombudsman position ensures Navy families maintain a direct line to our Commanding Officers - as a voice and a lifeline for our families to enable communication and information flow transparently back and forth.

· Ombudsmen are trained to disseminate information both up and down the chain of command, including command climate issues, quality of life improvement opportunities, and awareness of "good deals" around the community.

· Ombudsmen also provide resource referrals when needed. They are instrumental in resolving family issues before the issues require extensive command attention - often at the lowest level possible.

· I'd like to share some quick facts with you to illustrate the scope of the impact our Ombudsman have.

o In the Hampton Roads area alone, we have over 270 Ombudsmen.

o Their reach affected over 204,000 Sailors and their families.

o Some quick math with tell you that on average, one Ombudsman impacts over 700 families per year!

· Every year, we bestow the 'Mrs. Sybil Stockdale Ombudsman of the Year award' to our Navy's best Ombudsmen. Mrs. Stockdale was the model of support to families of other POWs during the seven-year captivity of her husband, Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale, in Southeast Asia.

· If I may, I'd like to share with you a few quick examples of the outstanding impact that these outstanding Ombudsmen of the Year can have:

o Mrs. Tiffany Dunlap, a nine year Navy spouse and Ombudsman at every duty station with her family since 2016. She helped establish 12 different child care locations allowing single parent and dual military families drill weekend child care options, addressing critical family

needs to better allow Sailors focus on military obligations and training.

o Mrs. Melanie Reed, also an Ombudsman since 2016, has a 22 year long volunteering record at every duty station she has been assigned to. Understanding the unique challenges of moving to Guam, she provides customized guidance to each family making the move across the Pacific. During the natural disaster of Typhoon Mawar, she provided unmatched care advising military families coordinating recovery efforts, ensuring families had weeks of supplies and obtained resources during sustained power outages after the storm.

o Mrs. Justine Sandberg from USS CARNEY. For those of you who don't know, CARNEY recently returned from conducting first-in-a-generation maritime combat operations in the Middle East. Amid the uncertainty of communications blackouts during engagements and partial information from the media, she alleviated stress, soothed fears, and reassured loved ones about the safety of their Sailors through direct communications with CARNEY's command triad.

o And we also have a winner of the 2024 Ombudsman of the Year Award here with us tonight.

o Mrs. Jacquelyn Richardson, if you don't mind, would you please join me up here.

o As Ombudsman at Naval Information Warfare Training Group and going on her 8th year as an Ombudsman, Jacquelyn Richardson is described as a 'force multiplier' by her Commanding Officer. She maintains two cell phones, two email accounts, and four social media accounts to reach over 850 families over 5 commands. She also provides unique tailored support for families whose service members go overseas on individual deployments.

o In addition to balancing her career as a Critical Care Registered Nurse and raising two children, she still finds time to train other Hampton Roads Ombudsman, participate as an active member of the Hampton Roads Chief Petty Officer Spouse's Association, and volunteers with her children's elementary school PTA.

o Please accept these as an acknowledgement of your commitment, kindness, and dedication to our Navy families.

o To all of our Ombudsmen here today - thank you for everything you do. You are tireless advocates for our Navy families - you are the embodiment of selfless service, empathy, and kindness - the Navy, our Sailors and our families are better because of your leadership and dedication.

· Over a half-century plus of evolution, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the self-sacrificing volunteers who continue to make this program a resounding success.

· You see, your Navy is charged with deterring strategic attacks, defending our homeland, protecting our sea lanes, and projecting power - all while preserving America's vital national interests around the world.

· We execute this mission with our Navy team - our Sailors and civilians, underwritten by our Navy families and their invaluable support.

· Our Fleets must be poised and postured to carry out our vital missions - always ready - always lethal.

· Our Navy families must also be ready. You play a very important role ensuring the readiness of our Navy home team.

· Throughout my Navy career, I have found - and I am sure you all would agree - that alongside every successful Sailor is a dedicated Navy spouse and a committed Navy family.

· I firmly believe that the strong foundation that our families provide at home enables service members to go to sea with confidence and conviction - and it is your strength, love, and determination that make us resilient - resilient enough to endure the long, difficult, and sometimes dangerous days far from home.

· None of us got here without support from a hard-working team on the home front. You're simply indispensable.

· Which is precisely why our families are a vital contributor to mission success.

· Our families are patriotic, tough, and eager to support all members of the Navy community. Their importance to the Navy team cannot be overemphasized.

· But, sometimes our families need help or guidance, and that's where you - our selfless volunteers who are so crucial to our success - are most valuable and most needed.

· You, the Command Ombudsman, ensure our Navy families can successfully navigate the myriad of challenges that Navy families experience - each and every day.

· There is no payment for your effort. This is no cash prize, no compensation for your time. As volunteers, you do this because you are committed to ensuring our Navy families have every resource available, so that our Sailors can go into harm's way if and when our nation calls.

· Hopefully, you all know how strongly Donna and I feel about the importance of family within the fabric of our Navy community - and today, I am reinvigorated to say it to you. It is an indisputable fact that family readiness directly contributes to operational readiness - that a stronger family means a stronger Fleet.

· Through your continued demonstration of integrity, accountability, initiative, and toughness, you ensure we will remain the world's finest Navy - ready to fight and win decisively in defense of our nation's interests at home and abroad.

· Never underestimate the importance of your position. Never underestimate the value of your work - for what you do is vital to our overall resiliency and success as a Navy family - a Navy team.

· I am confident that I speak for every commander in the room when I say, "We could not accomplish our mission without you. Thank you for your service, for your many sacrifices, and for being an essential part of our Navy team."

· Thank you.

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