Navy's Fleet Hometown News Program Tells Your Story

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Few careers require a person to understand firefighting, basic seamanship, leadership and physical fitness, all while maintaining a professional job that often requires him or her to work long hours, sometimes away from home.

To Sailors' hometown communities, the work done by a member of the U.S. Navy may not be fully understood, known or appreciated. This is where the Navy's Fleet Hometown News (FHTN) program comes in to play, providing a look into the life of sea-service members while educating the public on the importance of a worldwide naval presence.

The FHTN program began during World War II with a group of about 100 enlisted Sailors who wrote stories about fellow Sailors and battles in the Pacific for distribution to hometown newspapers.

FHTN has grown over nearly seven decades into a program that distributes hundreds of thousands of media products annually. The program provides a means for Sailors to be recognized for their military service in their hometown newspapers, and on their local radio and television stations. It also gives the general public a look into the Navy's operations. More than 12,000 news agencies across the U.S. subscribe to FHTN, and each Navy news release generates up to five civilian media releases on average.

FHTN highlights individual awards and milestones such as advancement, reenlistment and school completion. Stories that are applicable to all members of a command, such as deployments, are also released through FHTN.

Truman's Media Department has established a FHTN hold file, which is a collection of completed FHTN forms. The pre-filed forms allow the command to quickly disseminate information to hometown media outlets after a significant accomplishment or milestone in a Sailor's career.

FHTN is not limited to Sailors. News stories are also released for Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel.

For more news from USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn75/.