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Request Mast includes both the right of the member to personally talk to the commander, normally in person, and the requirement that the commander consider the matter and personally respond to the member requesting mast.

Request Mast provides a member the opportunity to communicate not only with his or her immediate commanding officer, but also with any superior commander in the chain of command up to and including the member's immediate commanding officer.  Request Mast also provides commanders with firsthand knowledge of the morale and general welfare of the command.


The American Red Cross provides an avenue by which the immediate family members of military personnel can communicate to the Sailor following the death or serious illness of a family member, the birth of a child or in other family emergencies. The Red Cross has the ability to send messages quickly, anywhere in the world, including ships at sea, embassies and isolated military units. Also, active duty military personnel can use the Red Cross system.

Members of the service member's immediate family or active duty military personnel stationed in the U.S. can call the Armed Forces Emergency Service Center for help seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The toll-free telephone number is available through base/installation operators and from local on-base Red Cross stations.

Also, family members, members of the National Guard and Reserves, retirees and civilians may contact the Red Cross via their web site: American Red Cross.

Important: When calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member, please have the following information ready:

  • Service Member's Full Name
  • Rank/Rating
  • Branch of Service
  • Social Security Number
  • Military Address Where Deployed
  • Home Base Unit

The American Red Cross also provides 24-hour emergency communication services to military personnel overseas. Overseas personnel stationed at military installations can access Red Cross services by calling base/installation operators or on-base Red Cross stations. Navy personnel aboard ships deployed should contact the ship's Chaplain's office.


There are various web sites now available to find out about veterans' benefits. Some good places to start are:

  • Bureau of Personnel. The Bureau of Personnel web site provides information on a wide variety of personnel issues for active duty personnel and veterans.
  • Defense Finance and Accounting Service. All military pay issues are managed by DFAS.
  • Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department was created Oct. 25, 1988, when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that made the Veterans Administration into a cabinet post as of Mar. 15, 1989.

Nonjudicial punishment (NJP) is a leadership tool providing military commanders a prompt and essential means of maintaining good order and discipline. NJP is permitted by Article 15, UCMJ (Section 815 of Title 10, United States Code) and is governed by Part V of the Manual for Courts-Martial and by service regulations. NJP proceedings may be known by different terms among the Services, such as "Article 15," "Office Hours," or "Captain's Mast," but the purpose of NJP, and for the most part its procedures, are common among the Services.

Prior to imposition of NJP, a service member must first be notified by the commander of the nature of the misconduct of which he or she is accused, of the evidence supporting the accusation, and of the commander's intent to impose NJP. The commander will then hold a hearing at which the member may be present. The member may also have a spokesperson attend the hearing, may present evidence to the commander, and may request that the commander hear from certain witnesses. The commander must consider any information offered during the hearing, and must be personally convinced that the member actually committed misconduct before imposing punishment.

The maximum permissible punishments depends on the rank of the accused and that of the officer conducting the hearing. Permissible punishments for officers can include forfeiture of pay (up to ½ of one month's pay per month for two months), restriction to base or to the ship (up to 60 days), arrest in quarters (up to 30 days), and a reprimand.

If the member considers the punishment to be unjust or to be disproportionate to the misconduct committed, he or she may appeal to higher authority. The appeal authority may set aside the punishment, decrease its severity, or deny the appeal, but may not increase the severity of the punishment.
 
Receipt of nonjudicial punishment does not constitute a criminal conviction.

Active duty:

The Navy's World Wide Locator is a service established to find the present duty station of active duty personnel, and is for official business use only. Family members, active duty personnel and Navy retirees may also use this system. To do so, you must have the service member's full name, Social Security number, grade or rank, and, if possible, last known duty station.

Write to:

Navy World Wide Locator
BUPERS-07 Customer Service Center
5720 Integrity Drive
Millington, TN 38055-3120


Retirees and those who have left the Navy but are not retired:

The Navy does not keep track of anyone once they've left the Navy. Individuals may serve an initial obligation of a certain number of years and then be discharged, or they may remain for more than one tour and then be discharged, or they may remain until eligible to transfer to the Fleet Reserve or to retire. To locate retirees, limited service is available through the World Wide Locator (address above). Correspondence will be forwarded, if possible, to the retiree since individuals' addresses are not releasable by law under the Privacy Act. Also, many times the address is not known.

For those individuals who left the Navy prior to being eligible for retirement or transfer to the Fleet Reserve, there is no formal way of trying to locate them. You may try the last place they called home and see if there are any records with either that local government or in the local newspaper's files, or you may just place an advertisement in any of the many veterans' organizations magazines.


Information about burials and memorial benefits for Veterans can be found at the National Cemetery Administration's website at www.cem.va.gov.  

 


For uniform items and Navy Exchange locations, visit www.mynavyexchange.com for more information.


Want to learn more about joining the Navy?  Visit www.navy.com or call (877) 746-0503 to speak with a recruiter.


Learn more about the Navy Band's recordings at: https://www.navyband.navy.mil/media.html

Unfortunately, we do not produce our recordings in sufficient numbers to be able to fulfill individual requests.  Please have your local library use the CD Request Form.  We will be happy to send a full set of our most recent recordings.

U.S. Navy Band
Public Affairs Office-Recordings
617 Warrington Ave., S.E.
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5054

While not hosted on this site by the Navy Band, a number of pictures and videos of the Navy Band can be accessed through our Flickr page and YouTube channels
Further information can be found at: https://www.navyband.navy.mil/media.html


Veterans are entitled to one replacement set of their medals. The Standard Form (SF 180)Request Pertaining to Military Records.
It is recommended for requesting medals and awards. Provide as much information as possible and send the form to:

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

To obtain information about unit awards earned, please check the Navy Awards web site at https://awards.navy.mil


 

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