read it, damn it.
I don't want to sound like a bitch or one of those people who push OPSEC down people's throats. I know at one point in my Navy Wife career I didn't know what OPSEC was but I had a very good MilSpouse tell me & explain to me why it was so important. Although, Sailor was just in boot camp & a-school - it was good to know for the future since deployments come with the military.. in most cases.
A good rule of thumb is 'if you don't know if it's safe, don't say (Tweet, blog, Facebook) it!'
I've seen SO many wives putting countdowns & putting the days left until our Sailors are home. & these are usually wives who know better. Our Ombudsmen post on their Facebook about OPSEC all the time close to homecoming whether it's just a work up to San Diego that took a few weeks or it's an actual deployment. & even BEFORE the ship leaves. These are critical times & people don't need to know these things.
Yes, a person in every command has a certain job & it's to let the media know because everything is in the media but those people KNOW what to say & what not to say. It's their job. They went to a-school/training for it just like Sailor went to a-school to be an AO. It's a job - they know what they're doing. So when you see it on the news, in the newspaper or even the command's website/Facebook posting it - it IS okay.
Don't freak out & start messaging them or the Ombudsmen. For one, the Ombudsmen are there for support & to relay important messages to your service member during emergency & to keep you updated. They can not keep people from posting things that violate OPSEC. All they can do is give people a friendly warning about what you can and not say (Tweet, Facebook, blog) & why it's so important to not to.
Another rule of thumb that I've learned in the past 3 years (I realize I haven't been a Navy Wife that long but I have been around it long enough to know better) is that if it's in the newspaper, on the news, etc.. it's okay to talk about what has already put out there. Do NOT talk about it before it's published. Even if you know it's going to be published. It's not okay. Once it's published, it's not a violation to OPSEC but it has to be published by a media source & it has to come from that certain person from the command who has the right to give out the information.
On the ship's Facebook, we always get a little video of interviews of Sailors at their current port call & what they want to do or what there is to do but you don't see them discussing future movements/ports until they GET there. Ombudsmen/FRG usually give you a heads up about what to expect next but they have every right to not tell you what's going on if a wife (or wives) decided to take that very critical information and run their mouth about it.
I don't know if you've heard but THIS could be a cause of OPSEC violation. Just think about it. What if this was your service member and YOU were the cause of it? Or you know someone who ran their mouth?!
Whether the shooter says he saw a video of American Troops raping one of 'his women' or it was because someone blabbed news that shouldn't have been said to anyone. May seem to be a coincident to you but I don't think it is.
Remember, this is MY blog & if you can't discuss this matter in a civilized, adult like way - don't even bother.
read & watch. you may learn something.
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