>  CS> Smile, it was fun juggling a 1.6m annual budget.  I actually came in
 >  CS> well under budget last year as I knocked my head into a wall and asked
 >  CS> myself 'why am I sending 20 people to San Doggie when I could ask the
 >  CS> school house if they could send 2 instructors to us and give them a
 >  CS> vacation in Japan?' Believe me, the school houses lapped it up for
 >  CS> every class they could export.
 >  CS>  Even got them to teach underway on live systems with a 'wink wink,
 >  CS> nudge nudge, we will not look askance if your TAD flight out just
 >  CS> happens to give a 2-3 day in Japan because gosh the flights are
 >  CS> booked'.  Much cheaper than sending 20 folks to San Doggie!
 > 
 > 
 > Sounds like a plan to me. :)  But are these guys you flew over Navy dudes
 > with the advanced training or are they civie chefs you conned into the
 > trip?

Actually I never got the cook training to come to us, but I did get other
things.  Landing Signal Enlisted was a big one.  Flight deck stuff.  Had to
be taught in port and we worked out to borrow the Japanese helo pad then
clearance for flight ops in port.  Left groundwork to build a firefighting
simulator down there in Sasebo.  I believe it goes to congress for funding
this year and they were going to try to get split funding with the Japanese
then have the facility open for both.

 
 > Most of the chefs I see doing this have a big name restaurant to run, not
 > sure they'd like to be gone for a week or more?
 > 
 > Different Navy than in my day, that's for sure.  :)

Yup!  Some good things about the changes and some not quite as good.
            xxcarol

--- SBBSecho 2.12-Win32