We’re No. 10!
November 16th, 2011 | Army Family housing Life at Home Navy | Posted by Jenn Rafael
The Naval Academy's neighborhood is the 10th most expensive college town for home-buying. // California State Controller's Office
A survey of home prices in college towns by Coldwell Banker shows that Annapolis, Md., home to the Naval Academy, is the 10th most expensive college town for home-buying.
The College Home Listing Report compared the average listing price for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the towns and cities of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The average list price for an Annapolis home was $522,420, according to the report, and was 10th behind such cities as No. 2 Palo Alto, Calif. (Stanford University, average listing $1,232,0700); No. 3 Honolulu (University of Hawaii, average $779,419) and No. 8 Seattle (University of Washington, average $570,535).
Enlisted members and officers assigned to the academy or neighboring Naval Support Activity Annapolis might experience sticker shock when moving to the pricey shore locale. But basic allowance for housing rates take real estate and rental prices into account, giving a chief with dependents $2,196 a month, while a lieutenant commander with dependents gets $2,763 a month — enough to cover payments on a $400,000 30-year mortgage, depending on interest rates.
So how did Army and Air Force do? West Point, N.Y., home to the U.S. Military Academy, clocked in at 19th, with an average listing of $293,791. Colorado Springs, Colo., near the Air Force Academy, was 45th, with an average listing of $193,968.
The homes compared were listed between August 2010 and August 2011 in 117 markets. (The company noted that Tuscaloosa, Ala., was not included because of damage caused by a tornado in April, and that Bowling Green, Ohio, and Bloomington, Ind., did not meet minimum listing requirements.)
Gay sailors coming forward in wake of DADT
September 20th, 2011 | Facebook Life at Home Navy The deckplates | Posted by Sam Fellman
Lt. Gary Ross, right, and Dan Swezy exchange wedding vows on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011 in Duxbury, Vt. // AP Photo
The law banning gays from serving openly ended Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. Now that it’s history, gay sailors are coming forward in ways ranging from showy to subtle. Others are simply blunt.
One of them is Master-at-Arms Seaman Casie Jude, who’s posted in Italy. In a Facebook update on Tuesday she wrote, “Dear Navy: I’m gay. Duh.”
One of her commenters replied, “I knew it!!!”
Another sailor coming forward is Lt. Gary Ross. The 33-year-old surface warfare officer was married very early this morning at a small ceremony in Duxbury, Vt. to his partner of 11 years, Dan Swezy. It was the first same-sex marriage after the repeal by a servicemember.
Why did he come forward?
“We realized that there [are] still people serving in the military that will need good role models, who are gay and lesbian,” Ross told Navy Times on Monday, prior to his wedding. If by publicly announcing his marriage, he said, “that could help any soldier, sailor or airman realizing that it’s ok if you’re gay or lesbian and you could still become an officer and the service isn’t going to discriminate against you anymore – if that could help anyone, we decided that it was worth it.”
Is your housing area safe?
August 30th, 2011 | Family housing Housing area safety Life at Home Navy Norfolk Naval Station Public Private Venture | Posted by Bill McMichael
In our Sept. 5 issue, on newstands now, we have a report on residents’ concerns over safety in an off-base Navy housing area near Naval Station Norfolk. Using an online Norfolk Police Department database that tracks incidents reported over the previous 90 days, we learned that police had recorded one rape, one aggravated assault, two residential burglaries, four acts of vandalism and one bike theft in the 388-townhome family housing area. The manager of the Ben Moreell Housing Area says those numbers are lower than in surrounding precincts, and he appears to be right. But residents are concerned, say there is more trouble than is reported and give the private security company that is supposed to keep an eye on the area and the Norfolk Police mixed reviews.
How do you rate security in your public private venture or PPV housing area? We’re looking for responses from all over the Navy, not just Norfolk. Feel free to post here or e-mail reporter Bill McMichael at bmcmichael@navytimes.com. Your identity and response will be kept confidential, although we may get back to you for further comment.
Military spouse input needed
July 19th, 2011 | Health Life at Home Marital life Navy Research Spouses | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Naval Health Research Center is looking to enroll more than 10,000 military spouses in a new study of military family health. The Department of Defense Millennium Cohort Family Study aims for a more comprehensive understanding of how military families are coping with military life after nearly a decade at war.
The new study is the fourth part of the ongoing Millennium Cohort Study, being conducted by the Deployment Health Research Department at the Naval Health Research Center. Officials say the study, which began in 2001, is the largest prospective health project in military history.
It’s not open to everyone. The service member of the spouse must have received an invitation and have also enrolled in the Millennium Cohort Study at https://secure.millenniumcohort.org/. Participants are selected randomly from a military database.
Eligible spouses are being asked to complete a web-based questionnaire that asks about their mental and physical health, the quality of their marital and family relationships, their deployment and reunion experiences, their perception of how their sponsor is coping and how military life and deployment are affecting their children, if applicable. Spouses, once enrolled, will be asked questions periodically over three years, regardless if the service member is still in the military or not or no longer living with them. All information will be kept confidential.
Enrollment for the family study began June 7.
To enroll in the family study, go to http://www.familycohort.org/.