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Heh, I guess Nick was alerted to your fine work the same way I was, new links suddenly appearing in wing articles we'd worked on... ;-) Yes, well done -- as MilHist's resident RAAF biographer (though Nick's done one or two of them as well!), thanks for taking Cooper off my long list (yes, hadn't even made my short list, just the faintest gleam in the eye)... Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 11:44, 17 January 2012 (UTC)
Have you thought of putting the article up for a DYK to recognise your work on it? It was just a tiny stub until you improved it! --Shirt58 (talk) 09:55, 31 January 2012 (UTC)
Thanks, I appreciate the thought. It's always nice to know that someone notices the work you do. I'm not fussed about the DYK, I'm the most unimagainitive person out there, so I have real trouble coming up with a good 'hook'! Zawed (talk) 23:15, 31 January 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for this fantastic article about a little-known formation of the New Zealand Army. Were you planning to add the brigade's World War II service as well? Cheers and thanks Buckshot06(talk) 06:30, 10 March 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for the feedback, it is appreciated. I hadn't planned on adding WWII service anytime soon as my main focus is on WWI stuff at the moment. Zawed (talk) 10:05, 10 March 2012 (UTC)
OK, if you don't mind, I will add the dates of the service in WW II as well. Buckshot06(talk) 21:45, 10 March 2012 (UTC)
I actually had this article up for B-class assessment at MILHIST which it has failed because of the WWII additions. The assessing editor has suggested having the article based only on its WWI service and having a separate article for the WWII unit, but I wonder if the better way to deal with this is to add the re-raising of the infantry brigade as a background section to the 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade article. Zawed (talk) 23:10, 10 March 2012 (UTC)
G'day,
Could you have a look at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Military_history/Assessment/Pavle_Đurišić? Looks to me like it now has four reviewers (including yourself) that support it for A Class, but because User:Grandiose started the review (but limited it to images), it seems like it's stuck waiting on someone to actually tick off on it? If not, please let me know what else is needed? Thanks, Peacemaker67 (talk) 01:38, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
I've confirmed my support, I assume it is up to a co-ordinator to close the review and promote the article. Zawed (talk) 08:23, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
FYI... there is no "priority" or "importance" parameter associated with the WikiProject Biography banner. They were removed a few years ago. They have been replaced with specific work-group priority parameters. For example, military-priority, sports-priority, politician-priority, etc. Bgwhite (talk) 20:39, 6 August 2012 (UTC)
That explains why it never shows up on the Talk page. I should have figured that. Thanks.Zawed (talk) 08:27, 7 August 2012 (UTC)
The Military history WikiProject has started its 2012 project coordinator election process, where we will select a team of coordinators to organize the project over the coming year. If you would like to be considered as a candidate, please submit your nomination by 14 September. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact one of the current coordinators on their talk page. This message was delivered here because you are a member of the Military history WikiProject. – Military history coordinators (about the project • what coordinators do) 10:11, 10 September 2012 (UTC)
The WikiChevrons are hereby bestowed upon Zawed for his fine efforts in the November 2012 Military History monthly article writing Contest, placing first with a total of 29 points from 5 articles. Congratulations! Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:54, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
On a personal note, well done on your inaugural win -- great to see a new name take first place, especially a fellow biographer... ;-) Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:57, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
Thanks Ian! Zawed (talk) 06:45, 4 December 2012 (UTC)
Thank you for your assistance on the O'Neill article. AustralianRupert left me a couple of suggestions to improve the article to B class and you have completed one of them. He would like to see more on his personal life and particularly the circumstances of his death. No joy there, as the main source of material, the US Coast Guard Historian's Office official bio doesn't have squat on his personal life. I have looked elsewhere for a credible source for personal material, but have had no luck. As a service, the Coast Guard historically has not paid a lot of attention to the history of the service, because they never had much money budgeted for the activity. They get by with a staff of three. As a retired Coast Guardsman, this is somewhat disappointing, but I also understand that the Coast Guard is the red-headed stepchild of the US Armed Forces and is shorted by our Congress when funds are voted each year. Since I have exhausted my resources on O'Neill, this is as far as the article will go in my estimation. Surely it is better material than a stub though. Your thoughts? Cuprum17 (talk) 14:14, 26 December 2012 (UTC)
I think all that is needed for this to be a B-class is a "Later life" section. This could be created by taking the sentence referring to his retirement and awards and then adding a sentence that reads something like: O'Neill died in Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 82. I would have done this myself when I was expanding the lead but I realised that the online citation that was used didn't mention his location of death and I didn't want to add in uncited material - I assume you have a source that refers to his place of death? Perhaps an obituary could be tracked down if the newspapers in Maryland place their older editions online? I have managed to find this: www.cnic.navy.mil/navycni/groups/public/.../cnicc_054869.doc which refers to his wife. The award itself would be useful to include in the later life section. Zawed (talk) 22:47, 26 December 2012 (UTC)
I would have used the Baltimore Sun newspaper obit, but as luck would have it, it is a pay site to view the page that the obit was on. "Find a Grave" does nothing more than repeat verbatim the bio that is on the Coast Guard Historian's website, which if you will recall doesn't mention his life after retirement. The link you provide will not come up except as a 404 error on my computer. I can not find a reference anywhere that says he died at Baltimore. I am going to try the Washington DC papers for an obit tomorrow when it have a little time to deal with it. Thanks for your help and suggestionsand I will get to the bottom of this somehow. Cheers... Cuprum17 (talk) 00:55, 27 December 2012 (UTC)
The text of the article I linked to reads:
CWO4 Guertin is 2008 recipient of Admiral Merlin O’Neill Award
By Rick Thompson
Pax River Public Affairs
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael R. Guertin is the 2008 recipient of the Adm. Merlin O’Neill Officer of the Year Award. Sponsored by the Southern Maryland Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, the award recognizes “the most outstanding junior officer at NAS Patuxent River,” said MOA Chapter President Joseph B. Bush.
“This is a great occasion,” said Pax River Commanding Officer Capt. Andy Macyko during the presentation last Wednesday at the Fleet Readiness Center hangar (Bldg. 301) before the members of FRC Mid-Atlantic Pax River Site. “This award recognizes those young officers who take a special interest in their Sailors, in their community, and in the development of others in their charge.”
The award was announced Oct. 17 and the ceremony held just five days later, because Guertin had volunteered for a year-long Individual Augmentation tour in Bahrain and was to leave at 3 a.m. last Friday on a flight out of Norfolk, Va.
In addition to the O’Neill Award, Guertin received the NAS Patuxent River Award for Leadership Excellence from Macyko.
Bush related the history behind the O’Neill Award, noting that O’Neill “was a highly-decorated officer who served in the Mediterranean and the Pacific during World War II. What distinguished him was the interest he took in junior officers. He was very involved in their development.”
After receiving the honor, Guertin thanked “you troops out there for your outstanding support and outstanding efforts to accomplish what we did during the years I have been here.”
In nominating Guertin for the award, Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic Commanding Officer Steven Bartlett said, “CWO4 Guertin is a dynamic naval officer who has a magnificent conceptualization of command requirements, tenaciously addresses problems as they arise, identifies the solutions and implements them,” and called Guertin “the finest officer I’ve served with in 28 years.”
According to Bartlett, Guertin is “caring and committed to our Sailors, and aggressive in achieving the command mission and supporting the fleet. His outstanding dedication to excellence and professionalism combine to suit him perfectly as an aviation maintenance manager.”
He continued, “CWO4 Guertin’s contributions have had a resounding impact on the command’s ability to maintain critical aircraft readiness throughout Naval Test Wing Atlantic. His emphasis on quality maintenance and customer support coupled with a determination to provide the tools necessary to win the Global War on Terrorism have led to the completion of over 38,484 maintenance actions during his tour.”
Bartlett also noted Guertin’s community activities, among them support of fundraisers for the Calvert Marine Museum, church council president, Boy Scout troop committee chairman, Cub Scout den leader, and assistant coach of a school softball team.
In addition, Guertin is Command IA Sponsor, providing “exceptional counsel and detailed information of support and availability of resources for 28 IA spouses while their loved ones were deployed to fight the Global War on Terrorism” and command representative for the Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) Program, said Bartlett.
Four other officers were finalists for the award. They are:
Lt. Cmdr. Juan Gutierrez, nominated by the H-60 Helicopter Program (PMA-299) Commanding Officer Capt. Dean Peters, who cited his “enthusiasm, proactive communication, leadership by example, trust in individuals and unsurpassed dedication to the fleet.”
Throughout his time at PMA-299, Gutierrez has “displayed tremendous bandwidth and inexhuastible determination, as well as the maturity characteristic of more senior officers,” said Peters, who also noted the nominee’s “ability to forge cooperation between the various stakeholder organizations. This cooperation was a direct result of proactive communication at unprecedented levels and unwavering trust in the working-level individuals from industry and the test squadrons.”
Gutierrez’ community activities have involved helping paint a local elementary school, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and raising money in the Northeast Florida “Cycle to the Shore” Multiple Sclerosis 150 Road Bike Race.
Maj. Brian Kelly nominated by Precision Strike Weapons (PMA-201) Program Manager Capt. Mathias Winter for the award, saying Kelly “is the person to whom I go to solve the most difficult problems.”
According to Winter, Kelly’s “superior leadership and acquisition process in bringing interoperable, cost-effective and lethal direct attack capability to our war fighters today is unsurpassed.” Winter added, “He was able to make huge strides in progress in the Joint Weapons arena with an innate power of persuasion and ability to build teamwork and consensus unmatched by other junior military officers.”
In the community, Kelly is a youth sports coach, active in baseball and basketball.
Lt. Matthew Kiser “has been the driving force behind the complex efforts required to execute operational testing of the pre-planned product improvement for the MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters,” said VX-1 Commanding Officer Capt. John Slaughter in nominating him for the award. He added that Kiser guides “an extensive team of officers, enlisted and contractors as they coordinate a challenging schedule of testing at sites ranging from Patuxent River to Jacksonville to San Diego, as well as ships at sea.”
Slaughter said, “Lt. Kiser’s direct involvement, impressive knowledge and diligent persistence have directly contributed to the success of VX-1’s mission and will have profound impacts on naval aviation for decades to come.”
Kiser’s volunteer activities include being the squadron Combined Federal Campaign coordinator, Navy Marine Corp Relief Society Fund Drive coordinator and federal voting assistance officer, as well as a squadron volunteer tax assistant.
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Schuchard, currently the Mission Systems Teat Team lead project officer at VX-20, was nominated by VX-20 Commanding Officer Cmdr. John Lemmon, who called him “a superb project officer with a unique ability to execute his many duties without compromising his standard of excellence.”
Lemmon said, “Lt. Cmdr. Schuchard and his test teams have successfully completed numerous critical developmental programs to support the fleet and provided much-needed capability to forward-deployed squadrons.” In addition, “he and his team have produced hundreds of software problems reports and his efforts have guaranteed that fleet operators receive quality systems that are capable of performing the desired mission.”
Schuchard has “served as a dedicated volunteer to his local church by devoting numerous off-duty hours to adult and youth programs,” wrote Lemmon. “His mentorship of children ages 4-6 instills in them the qualities of a model naval officer and quality human being.”
The Admiral Merlin O’Neill Award was established in by the Military Officers Association of America Southern Maryland Chapter at the behest of the admiral’s widow, Mrs. Esther O’Neill. O’Neill, who was recognized for his interest in the development and recognition of junior officers, moved to Southern Maryland after his retirement and lived in the area until his death in 1981.
I will try to incorporate your find in the article in the Retirement section that I added this morning. I paid the Washington Post for a copy of O'Neill's obituary and gleaned a couple of interesting facts from it, which I promptly put in the article with the Washington Post reference. User:Hawkeye7 graded the article a B class before I could actually get that done. Since he did that, I had to get it done, because he raised the bar on me...point of honor! Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and help; without it, I probably wouldn't have come as close as this to completing the B class requirements. My ultimate goal will be to get the rest of the Commandant articles to at least B class. Out of 20, two are B class, so I have my work cut out for me. Again, thanks and if I can return the favor sometime, let me know. Cheers, Mate... Cuprum17 (talk) 12:45, 27 December 2012 (UTC)
The Guidance Barnstar
For going that extra mile...er, kilometer. Thanks! Cuprum17 (talk) 12:50, 27 December 2012 (UTC)
Just checked out the article, the new section looks good. Thanks for the Barnstar too!
PS you should enter it in the article competition. Zawed (talk) 20:47, 27 December 2012 (UTC)
Talkback
Hello, Zawed. You have new messages at Adabow's talk page. Message added 05:29, 27 December 2012 (UTC). You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.
I am delighted to present you with this WikiProject Barnstar in recognition of your extensive contributions to the Military history WikiProject, as evidenced by your being nominated for the 2012 "Military history newcomer of the year" award. We look forward to seeing more of your excellent work in the coming year! Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 15:09, 29 December 2012 (UTC)
Thanks Ian and those that voted. Cheers. Zawed (talk) 21:35, 29 December 2012 (UTC)
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.
