Table of Contents
| No. | Article | Section | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Team Leader Introduction | Special | ardnaxela |
| 1 | Looking Back In USDF | Interview | Yodar |
| 2 | A Cold Winter’s Day | Creative | K1e24 |
| 3 | How To Make Eggnog | Special | !Logan!! |
| 4 | USDF History 2020 | Informative | _StarLord_ |
| 5 | Hanukkah Origins | Exclusive | coolchick1313 |
| 6 | Resolutions, Remember Those? | Interview | Charlfred |
| 7 | A Christmas Movie | Review | !Logan!! |
| 8 | OSEAC Spotlight | Special | Charlfred |
| 9 | Friends or Family | Exclusive | !Logan!! |
| 10 | The Advent to Christmas | Event | chiari.cord |
| 11 | How To Make a Holiday Diorama | Special | Yodar |
| 12 | USDF X NCIS Collaboration | Informative | coolchick1313 |
| 13 | Motivation in USDF | Interview | TheTriads |
| 14 | The Benefits of USDF | Exclusive | Charlfred + coolchick1313 |
Team Leader Introduction
By ardnaxela
Welcome to the December Edition of the Libertarian! It’s the holiday season and a time where many of you will be indoors significantly more with the changing of the season. We thought long and hard about what to base this edition around and concluded with “Home”.
By its very definition “Home” is described as ‘a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for an individual, group or family’ but the meaning goes so much deeper than that. The foundations for your home are not the bricks and mortar of the structure, but the bonds that you make, the family you have, the people who make you feel safe and the places you find yourself longing for after a day of work. Your home is wherever you want it to be. Not necessarily the place you grew up, not necessarily the place you live now. You can find it in your friends, your pets and in your general surroundings. Myself personally, I feel at home when I am out of the house… the irony. I find peace in myself when I am at one with the world, wanderlust in a national park. But it is down to you! Wherever you can find peace and comfort in yourself, you can find your home.
Each contributor to this edition has spent the last month preparing this content and we hope that you can relax in the place you can call home, whilst reading what we have to offer. Grab a drink, get some snacks, and enjoy the December Libertarian, with love from Alexa, Hannah + The Lib Team <3
Looking Back In USDF
By Yodar
Sometimes, we all end up looking back on our career and being proud of the person that we have become, as we all are looking for ways to be a better leader. I had the chance to sit down with some of our distinguished personnel that have been with USDF since last year and asked them to reflect on their progress. They had some amazing things to say:
“A lot has changed for me since last year, as I have been involved in different offices as I went where I am needed. I have witnessed the growth of wonderful personnel, and they have grown to be fine officers. I am glad to see people encouraging others and making a difference, by spending some time with them. A lot of people look up to me as they see me as a father figure, and I am proud to continue working for USDF knowing that I am making a difference for them. Honestly, I am happy to serve USDF as CJCS, and I don’t regret a single moment of my career as it got me to where I am today.”
~ GOA zack436, CJCS.
“A lot has changed for me in USDF since last year. As some would know, I only recently stepped down from Senior Command, which I have been a part of since I reinstated in November 2019. I reckon my answer to this question would be different from many others, whereas most people would have developed and had an upward growth. But I don’t see my change as going backward. This change took a lot of re-assessing of interests and priorities for me, and I can now enjoy myself even more at USDF as a regular officer and see things from a very different perspective. Over the year, I have also been able to open up to people more and since then forged many strong friendships that I am extremely grateful for.”
~ Captain PearIyn, SISO.
“In March 2019, I joined USDF for a couple of days and reached the rank of Cpl in Marines. It was during a really odd time in my life where I was undergoing a move. My new apartment didn’t have internet for over a week! Long story short, I AWOLed and didn’t think about it again. Fast forward one year later, we are all in this global pandemic and I decided to join USDF again (exactly one year later as it happens). I had never really given USDF a real genuine shot before. When I joined this year, I was challenged by some of my old military friends to stick around. True to my word, I did stick around and I gave USDF my best. I have recently met my goals to graduate from OCS and become an AA. I have genuine goals and aims in USDF now which would keep me around for the long term.”
~ 2LT Kerfuffle, XO ED.
“When I first enlisted in USDF, I was sooooo confused most of the time as I made so many mistakes, and I was always afraid that one of my many noob mistakes would cost me my USDF career. I was very insecure in the beginning, and honestly, I was too afraid to ask anyone for help, especially if they were CWO+. The fear I felt when a CWO+ talked to me OMG. Looking back on it, it was just silly of me to be scared of them, but I think when you’re new and you don’t know what you’re doing, you tend to fear the unknown because now, as a CWO myself, I know who to ask if I need help and I know that the people around HQ are willing to help. Back then, I feared what I didn’t know, but now I have so much experience, and I think that being able to help the new people to be more calm has helped me become a better mentor in USDF but also helped me IRL.”
~ CWO5 ThedueIist, FSO.
A Cold Winter’s Day
By K1e24
It was bitterly cold outside, with howling winds. My scarf felt frozen to my face as the winds howled around me. My hands shivered as I reached for my keys, having to remove my glove to fit it inside my pocket. The lock on the front door was frozen, no amount of force on the key would open it. I must have spent 5 minutes trying to unlock my own front door due to the rock bottom temperatures in the UK, it was the coldest winter on record, with each day getting colder. If COVID was still around, it certainly would be finding it tough. With temperatures being below freezing for most days, it wouldn’t even be within temperature range to operate.
As I entered my house, the fireplace and radiators were on full blast. I felt a sense of relief wash over me, knowing I was now safe in my own house. I peeled away my scarf from my face and removed my outer layers. It certainly was an experience, just trying to get out to get food for the next month. I entered the living room, the fire slowly dying, thus I added some more wood. Here I noted that my wood supply was running low, it would be out in a matter of days… meaning the cold would permeate these walls, potentially killing me. Though today I was not to worry, I put on a crappy action film and cast my observations aside. I proceeded to curl up on the couch with my dog’s head in my lap and a cup of tea in my hand.
I drifted off slowly.
I awoke, on the main film menu. Hours later, the fire had burned out and I was bitterly cold, my extremities had turned blue. There was no clue how long I had been out, but one thing was for sure, I needed to get some heat into me. I quickly relit the fire attempting to increase the temperature to liveable standards. I sat by the open flame for hours, slowly warming up. I would never let this happen again if I could help it…
How To Make Eggnog
By !Logan!!
Ingredients
Custard Base:
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
Meringue:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon of white sugar
- 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Directions
- Place egg yolks in a saucepan. Whisk in sugar until well blended and creamy. Add milk and cream then whisk until blended.
- Place pan over medium heat and whisk frequently until mixture reaches a temperature of between 170 to 180 degrees F. Remove from heat.
- Stir in nutmeg.
- Chill pan in cold water until cool. Transfer mixture to a container (a large pitcher is ideal). Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, 2 to 3 hours.
- Place egg whites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whisking until egg whites hold a firmer peak. Whisk egg whites into custard base until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- Whisk eggnog again just before serving, and between each pour to ensure even distribution of the egg whites which tend to float to the top.
- Serve with a dusting of nutmeg.
- Enjoy!
USDF History 2020
By _StarLord_
What has changed in USDF? We are speaking about a whole lot of change here. I have been working at USDF for a long time. When I came back after my discharge, EVERYTHING changed! From the way SoW works to command positions, how they work, and PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY USING PAP? Scam… But with all seriousness… Let us get more deep into this shall we?
We will start off from the very most noticeable basic change, USDF Headquarters. USDF HQ has been a strength onto itself for many years, not because of how it looks or the way work is completed, but by keeping everyone occupied to the maximum. This sets us apart from other Agencies and Militaries. Our HQ was only renovated/changed once over the past year, but there have been many minor changes with positions and furniture effects/wired. There was a new position introduced and trialled next to DDO, with a seat to help them out, which eventually was changed back to normal. The best change we have as of now is the Games wired which has been a blast! This has allowed for more space to host and participate in larger games and the introduction of the Fridge Game into HQ.
Next is our Discord Server and Forums. There have definitely been a lot of improvements on this side which became more structured and organised with many fun channels which were also added. But something that I think affects us the most, is the spam limit, it wasn’t like that before. We in Marines, used to spam our chat and have fun with it. In a sense, it is kind of sad we can’t do it anymore but this would be one of the major changes on our server, not to mention the fact we have many nitro users that benefit our server. Our Forums have also been changed a lot with new threads and sections to aid in USDF processes. The sections, and many other features (like banners) were added which was really cool to see making the aesthetics and navigation of our forums a lot easier.
If we talk about our Server and Forums why not our WEBSITE? Well, in my point of view and throughout the years I have been here, the improvements to our website have been really well received, we added TITANS/JDT badge, and have been utilising and advertising our radio and USDF calendar more regularly which has improved attendance rates to events.
Ultimately, let us discuss the Office changes. I don’t know where to start, but there have been a lot of changes in this area. OOT&E and OE&MR combined with many position changes and additions. A new chain was created for OPA, more Senior Command positions opened, requirements for positions were also reduced for AD positions and many SoW changes which all happened this year. These changes proved to be positive and were widely needed, hence we are now more organised and a greater opportunity for our personnel to contribute has been introduced. There has also been many Command Portfolio Changes and I remember working in OSP&C, where we worked on the biggest Command Portfolio change ever in the USDF History such as removal of EOSD becoming OSD and introduction of National Security Council and renaming JSC into JSD.
Speaking of all this, there have been quite a few special operations by SOCOM and a few more agencies signing into the CIW-T such as CIA, NCIS, MoM, which made us stronger within our alliances and collaboration with other organizations. We also had our DEFCON level raised this year, with swift action of our SOCOM team protecting our personnel and getting us back to normal. This being the result of the Brave Acts of our SOCOM personnel to defend the United States Defence Force.
With all this came the end, but also the beginning of the biggest change this year. Change in the Secretary of Defense Position from Mr. Controllable to our very own Ms. Zena (xStarlight11). This happened very recently and I am really looking forward to what she will be introducing to USDF as we move forward into uncharted territory. With the #Habbo2020 coming up, her insights and ideas will definitely help USDF stay strong with this biggest change in Habbo history to date.
Hanukkah Origins
By coolchick1313
Introduction
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday taking place for 8 days in the late November-late December months also known as Kislev which is when the festival starts. In 2020 this celebration is held on the 10th to the 18th of December. The celebration or “festival of lights” begins with the lighting of Menorah one candle per day, which is a nine-branched candelabrum representing knowledge and creation, as well as games, traditional foods and celebration with others. While the community lights 1 per day, they have an 8th candle which lights all of the rest upkeeping with symbolism and the history of the festival.
History of Hanukkah
Around 200 B.C, the land of Israel came under the control of Antiochus III the King of Syria. He allowed Jews to practice their religion in peace. His son however, was less forthcoming and ordered the Jews to worship the Greek Gods, in 168 B.C. This eventually led to a war in which Greece had total control of the area of Jerusalem. This led to a revolt with a small number of Jews rebelling and practicing guerrilla warfare (which is irregular to the normal special tactical type of warfare). Judah Maccabee (the leader and son of the Jewish priest) called on his followers to cleanse the holy second temple in Jerusalem and to light its Menorah, and rebuild its altar. They hid in caves, and it goes that they only had enough fuel to keep the light burning for 1 night.
The Miracle!
The olive oil that lit the Menorah’s candles kept burning for eight nights despite only having enough olive oil for 1 day. The Menorah in the second temple, which should have remained burning everyday, kept lit for 8 nights, which is where this symbolic miracle comes from. The candles kept burning until they could gather more supplies to keep it lit. These actions caused Jews to create a yearly festival to celebrate the candles burning and the freeing of Jerusalem from the Greeks.
How it is celebrated today
The traditions vary a lot from person to person. But each night Jews will light candles that correspond to that particular night. There is 1 candle (shamash) which is used to light the rest. Families can exchange small gifts, play games and have traditional fried foods (to symbolize the oil) so most people make Latkes. (These are potato cakes).
“The holiday is really given more cultural significance as a direct result of Christmas being around the same time. Hanukkah in reality is just a small festival.” – Officer of USDF.
Resolutions, Remember Those?
By Charlfred
New Year’s resolutions are infamous for being broken within a month. We make New Year’s resolutions to set ourselves targets for the year, but we aren’t the best at meeting these targets. I remember saying to myself, “I’ll do more exercise this year”, as I do almost every year, yet for the time it wasn’t mandatory to stay inside, I sat on my sofa more than ever before. I don’t think I can consider my countless TV marathons as actual exercise, though it most certainly was a marathon. It’s almost non-human to stick to our resolutions stereotypically, but some strong-minded individuals actually manage to do it! I asked some personnel across USDF what their New Year’s resolutions were for this year, if they even remembered them – and if they managed to stick to it! Here’s what they had to say…
CW3 Sgt_Quarters said,
“My New Year’s resolution was to stop old habits of mine, such as high temper, and I wanted to lower the amounts of stress that I had upon myself on a day to day basis. I believe I have done decently well, being in law enforcement nowadays, in these times, is not necessarily the most stress-relieving job, especially given this year’s circumstances. However, I believe I have almost accomplished it.”
CMO Mr. Fotoshop said,
“I think my new year’s resolution is always to lose weight but this year I actually ended up losing a lot of weight because of the restrictions we had with going out and such. Since I wasn’t going out as much, I didn’t eat as much and I lost a lot of weight from that. I guess the restrictions made it easy.”
SGM ninjastorm96 said,
My New Year’s resolution this year was to have a better year than the one beforehand, and yes I did keep to it! Like in every year, I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs, but this was the year I took a step in trying out new things in which I found Habbo and joined USDF. I’ve met some pretty amazing people, ones I would truly call friends, and I hope even after Habbo days that we stay in contact, regardless of living in different parts of the world. I absolutely adore every single one of them, so I can truly say that 2020 has been one of the greatest years and I can’t wait to see what 2021 brings.”
CMSgt .diplodocus. said,
“Well, my new year’s resolution was to apply myself on a deeper level towards educational opportunities and to pursue great opportunities to further my career and knowledge. And guess what? I definitely did! I hit the books, took the necessary standardized tests, built my CV and got into the Master’s program that I wanted. I am continuing to keep it as it gets to the halfway mark of my program.”
2LT srirachax said,
“My new year’s resolution at the beginning of this year was to become more sociable and adopt a healthier mindset and lifestyle. Yes, I managed to keep them and USDF has been a great help. I’ve become more open to speaking and interacting with people ever since I joined. I also made sure to maintain a healthy mindset despite the challenges I faced both in life and in USDF.”
A Christmas Movie
By !Logan!!
Christmas movies are definitely some of my favorite movies to watch, whether it is a new movie or an old classic, I can never get enough of them.
My favorite Christmas movie of all time has to be Elf (2003). Buddy, the main character is a human who was raised amongst elves at the North Pole. When he discovers that he is not an elf, he travels to New York to search for his biological father. This film is a classic in my family and one we watch every year, it is a perfect movie for all ages and definitely will make you smile.
Another classic Christmas movie that I enjoy watching every year is The Santa Clause (1994). By helping Santa Claus with a Christmas crisis, Scott the main character unknowingly agrees to become the next Santa Claus. Now, he has to deal with a suspicious former wife while trying to keep his secret safe. This Disney Christmas movie is another one that is enjoyable for all ages, it also is a series of 3 films that will have you entertained for hours.
Last but not least is another classic, Home Alone (1990). In this movie, eight-year-old Kevin is accidentally left behind when his family leaves for France. At first, he is happy to be in charge, but when thieves try to break into his home, he tries to put up a fight. The ingenious traps and ideas that he comes up with to counter the thieves will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. This film is the first of four in a series, it is hilarious and I recommend it to everyone.
These three movies are definitely worth your time if you haven’t yet seen them. Next time you’re scrolling through your TV, Netflix, Disney+ or any other streaming application, perhaps you should grab a hot cocoa and watch one of these favorite holiday movies.
Office Spotlight
By Charlfred
The Office of the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chair, better known as OSEAC.
I’m sure we have almost all heard of OSEAC, but not many of us really understand what it is, how it works, and why we even care about it! Well, I’m here to shine a bit of light on OSEAC, and to take a look under the hood of this special office. I have spoken to members of OSEAC, as well as CJCS himself, to help me find out what the office is all about!
I started my search for answers at the very top with Mr. zack436. I asked the CJCS to tell me about the office and why it’s so vital to USDF’s operations. He told me, “They [OSEAC] are responsible for the progression of their NCO & WO personnel. They reach out, educate, and mentor personnel and ensure they are progressing on track while making sure everyone in USDF is enjoying their work.“
So OSEAC is the office that helps to guide us through our time in USDF. You might think, ‘Can I join this office?’ and while the answer is yes, it’s a little more complicated than that. OSEAC is a very special office in that it is made up of only 9 members, or what we call, Branch Command.
There’s 4 BHNCOs (1 per branch), which are a group of individuals who lead and guide their branch NCOs and the Mentorship Program. Those eligible to apply are usually E7 – W2 personnel and are restricted to the position for a set term. Then you have your 4 SWOAs (1 per branch), who lead their branch CWOs as well as their branch councils. It’s quite a difficult job, but a very rewarding one too! SWOA positions are a little more scarce as they don’t have a term and can potentially stay in the position for as long as they wish, though it is expected that they continue to progress. If you want to join, you need to keep an eye out for openings.
Here’s what the current SMA koleq told me about her time in OSEAC and why YOU should apply:
“Here in OSEAC, you are able to encounter new experiences and challenges to take on. You will be able to exercise your leadership skills and show your true potential. I really enjoy being in this office, because it has taught me to be able to tackle what I wasn’t able to before, and improve further. I was able to thrive. I’m encouraging my fellow members to grab the opportunity to get into this office because it’s really quite a unique and exciting experience. Trust me. It’s really different from other offices because, in this place, you will be taking on a leadership role predominantly based around your branch personnel from a more personal perspective. It’s different from a leadership position in an office that focuses on your members office contributions and the functioning of the office. As Branch Command, you will be managing the entire population of your respective NCOs and CWOs. You can have your ideas implemented and you can contribute to the growth and improvement of the entirety of a branch. You will be their first line of communication and their shoulder to lean on. You will be the one making the gears work. You will be bringing value to what your hidden talents are and show what you can really do. See? There will be a lot of ups and downs, but it will make the experience more worthwhile. So hey, take the opportunity.“
So, now we know that OSEAC BHNCOs and SWOAs, but there’s one more important person who leads this small team: the SEAC! The SEAC is the head of all NCOs and CWOs and works closely with Branch Chiefs and NSC. They report directly to the CJCS and their role is immeasurably important, and they act as a spokesperson for all Enlisted personnel to Senior Leadership. In addition to this, they also organise and manage seminars, wellbeing and satisfaction meetings for USDF, and the quarterly job fairs!
I asked the current big boss SEAC papegaaiduiker, what we can expect to see from OSEAC in the near future. Here’s what he had to say:
“We are constantly thinking of new things to improve the experience for our NCOs and CWOs. We have in the past found innovative ways to improve the Mentorship Program by updating our resources including a new Forum Navigation Course script. We have also hosted the OSEAC Symposia and OSEAC Q&A, and we regularly host the job fair. Expect in the future more of the same!“
As you can see, OSEAC is quite the office. They run the councils that keep your branches going; they run the programs that help you through your careers, and they put on events that help you to decide what path you can take. It’s probably one of the most exciting and unique offices that USDF has to offer! So now you know all about OSEAC, will we see you as the next member of this office?
Friends or Family
By !Logan!!
My friends play a vital role in my life, including the ones that I have met through USDF. Whether they are in person or online connections I count on my closest friends day in and day out similarly to my family. I’d be lying if I said I spend more time with my family than my friends, because in reality even though I may not be physically near my friends, I spend most of my time with them.
The definition of a home is “the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household”. To me, my best friends have a home in my heart, somewhere they will live permanently, and somewhere they will always be considered my family. You might be thinking that I consider all my friends’ family, but that is not the case. If I can trust someone deeply enough to tell them things I tell no one else, laugh with them for hours and go days-weeks without talking but pick up right where we left off, now that is someone I might consider family.
I firmly believe family is a choice, everyone has a different opinion and deciding point on who they call family. Some people may not consider their friend’s family, but that doesn’t diminish the meaning of their friendships. I also have some friends from USDF who I may not consider family but are a big and very positive part of my life. In my opinion, friends are what make USDF the great military simulation it is. Without my friend Laura, I wouldn’t have someone to laugh with. Without my friend, Beth I wouldn’t have someone to rant to. Without my friend Em, I wouldn’t have someone to be my best friend. Without USDF… I wouldn’t have my friends that have become my family.
So who do you consider family?
The Advent to Christmas
By chiari.cord
As winter comes, a lot of other things do as well. We are approaching the end of the year, holidays are coming soon, and many things change with this season. All you hear is Christmas songs, trees being put up everywhere, decorations and lights on homes and stores, as well as some other special characteristic things that we associate with this time of the year. USDF also prepares for this moment, and the Office of Public Affairs has a very special event for the month of December!!!
Another characteristic of this time is getting Advent Calendars. Beginning from the 1st of December, and going all the way to the 25th of December otherwise known as Christmas Day! Each day on the calendar includes a surprise that will make you joyfully anticipate the Holidays, more traditionally these calendars have become chocolate windows – each with a new flavor, shape or type. Other types of Advent Calendars include activities for each day, the great thing about an Advent is that they can have many themes, so everyone can enjoy them and find the one they prefer. Not a fan of chocolate? Well some give you accessories like makeup, socks, toys, jewellery, and so much more!
It is also a great gift that you can participate in with your loved ones. That’s why in OPA, we decided to continue the tradition of our December Advent Calendar and give everyone in USDF the opportunity to participate in this wonderful gift. During the whole month of December, you will be taken on a magical journey with lots of events, games, articles, and much more to get into the Christmas spirit! In it, you will be able to find a wide variety of things, such as recipes, games, crazy hours in HQ, guides to making your own presents, and plenty of other surprises to make this an amazing month.
Each day, more surprises are going to be revealed, so make sure to keep an eye out for the daily announcements and the forum Festivities 2020 thread! You sure won’t want to miss it, this time comes only once a year, so let’s try to make it a fun one that we can all celebrate together. Grab your best Christmas costume, cozy up and join us in our last hoorah before the end of 2020.
How To Make a Holiday Diorama
By Yodar
With Christmas coming around the corner, it is time to start decorating the house to get in the spirit of Christmas. Here is an easy craft to make a unique candle holder while admiring your DIY skills. You’ll be able to show off your handiwork and be proud of your craftmanship. The finished decorations look lovely and adorning your holiday table or mantel topped with candles.
Here are the things that you will need to join me in making the Holiday Diorama! You can find most of these things in your local dollar store.
- Wine glasses in various sizes
- Cardboard
- Pen
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
- Small plastic trees, figurines, or ornaments
- Sugar
- Superfine silver glitter (optional)
- Ribbon or string
- Candles
- Fancy serving plate (optional)
1. Place the glasses upside down on the cardboard, trace around the outside edge of the cardboard with a pen to make circles that will fit on the bottom of your glasses. Cut out the circles with scissors and place the glasses aside for the moment.
2. Heat up your hot glue gun, and start arranging your figurines or decorations. You can even pop in a few glittering plastic animals for a sparkling diorama.
3. Once the glue has dried, place the wine glass or bottom of the plastic bottle over the base to make sure everything fits. Now remove the base, flip over the wine glass or plastic bottle, and pour around one-fourth cup of white sugar into the glass. Add a sprinkle of glitter for a sparkling touch.
4. Replace the base of the diorama, nestling the glued figurines into the sugar until the base is level with the edge of the glass. Using the hot glue gun, secure the base to your wine glass.
5. Cover the edge of the base with a length of ribbon or twine for a cute look. Flip, and enjoy the cute snow-filled diorama. You can place them in your fancy serving plate for your finishing touch. Top with candles, and you’re ready to decorate the house!
Enjoy on your holiday table, on a mantel, or scattered around your home for a fun, festive look!
NOTE: If you want to make one for your child, cut a clear plastic bottle in half, and use the bottom end just like the wine glass and omit the candles. Your plastic diorama is safe for your child to shake and enjoy over and over.
USDF X NCIS Collaboration
By coolchick1313
NCIS is the Naval Crime Investigation Service, and has been a part of the Agency floor since 2013. It currently has over 450+ active personnel and is continuously growing, forming new alliances such as USDF and AxG, with many more such as the White House having them on their radar as potential alliances. Previously they were closed for a while, and recently reopened with a brand new HQ in July 2020. There are now new owners for NCIS, which have grown the Agency into new heights and new directives, but don’t take my word for it. See the interview below with the NCIS EA 1iC, Mr. Piccar!
Interview with : Mr. Piccar! – EA Director from NCIS.
Can you tell me a little bit about NCIS?
So NCIS was originally founded by myself back in 2013 and one of the current owners TheGenTyAlt was one of the Founder ranks. Since then NCIS was closed. Now TheGenTyAlt and Forever-Yours have reopened NCIS! We opened around late July, we’ve had some troubles with allegations against us due to most of the iC team coming from NOPD, whose owner had a negative history on the agency floor. Those allegations have been cleared from us and we are just working on building positive relations with all agencies and trying our best to take our own to the top! We are doing quite well with members, I believe the ID badge is at 440-ish members and it’s only going up from there.
Can you tell me a bit about your relationship with us here at USDF?
The alliance between USDF & NCIS has been a long time coming, as EA Director, USDF has always been one of my favourite militaries due to their love for RP. The members are lovely, everytime I or anyone from NCIS visit we are always greeted so kindly by not only the sentries but all active personnel in the HQ, it’s truly a beautiful sight to see!
How do you think our relationship will grow in the future? Any projects or Events planned?
I can only see the relationship between NCIS and USDF grow more and more stronger than it currently is, the communication is great between both parties! Events not as of yet, but we would love to plan another joint event very soon, and definitely during Christmas time!
What in your own words would you want our readers to know about NCIS?
That we may not be perfect, but our team tries very hard to make sure that anyone associated with NCIS, whether it’s a member, ally or special visitor, they can say with pride that NCIS holds a place in their heart. We are an upcoming agency taking the floor by storm! Also that we love our allies USDF & AxG and all of their members.
Can you tell me a little statement about your values and plans for the future?
Our values are strength in unity, having fun on this game because at the end of the day that’s what this is! A game! Yet, at the same time remaining professional and taking part in the RP’ing aspect of Habbo.
2d Lt HumanRevolution CO RSA – USDF:
Can you tell me about our relationship with NCIS?
Even prior to our alliance, Naval Crime Investigation Service has been very hospitable towards our organization and diplomats. We’ve had a few diplomats regularly assigned to this agency as part of finding out more about them, who concluded that it was well-worthy of having relations with. We finally ratified an alliance with this organization on 29th October 2020 as part of one of our directives to expand diplomatic relations with others currently operating among the Agencies floor. An even bigger accomplishment was celebrating their induction into our Condemnation of Illegal Warfare Treaty (CIW-T) on 3rd November 2020. The Regional Security Affairs of OISA has plans of conducting more events with our relations be it recreational or educational, this organization included.
How was it to sign the Treaty with NCIS? What did you feel?
All of us in Command were supportive of ratification, as NCIS had been graceful and supportive of us in any way they could. We recently concluded a joint event with the agency on 2nd of October, which only strengthened our ties with them. Since this had a good turnout, this was one of the multiple motivators that led to strategic planning in favour of signing an official treaty.
Is there anything you want our readers to know about NCIS x USDF. Are our values shared for example?
We share the same vision in increasing awareness on online security and illegal warfare, bolstered by their official inclusion into our treaty. Since this is a fresh alliance, we have a plethora of plans and ideas that can be collaborated with our counterparts and fruitioned into memorable milestones. I am the official Ambassador to the organization from USDF, and I’m currently working on maintaining our standings in concrete towards a strong and continued alliance.
Concluding…
As you can see by this interview with the EA 1iC, NCIS is excited to grow relationships with USDF. As well as this the USDF x NCIS alliance will hopefully grow from strength to strength with many Events and exciting plans in store for us both and I sure cannot wait to see it all come to fruition.
Motivation in USDF
By TheTriads
For December’s Libertarian Project, I managed to reach out to a few spectacular USDF members for this exclusive interview. Many of you are most probably wondering what are the things that keep a few USDF members motivated and what keeps them coming back for more? Below are some of their responses that I have collected for your viewing pleasure!
Col davidhif2
A lot keeps me returning to USDF and motivated. One is the sense of family and community that USDF brings to its personnel unlike some other agencies and militaries. There is a sense of responsibility and reward for helping to develop the next generation of USDF leaders. I have personally been involved in Habbo militaries for a while and have worked from E-1 to O-10 and know the feeling when you first obtain an officer rank or a Command position. What motivates me is developing that for our future leaders here at USDF, and seeing them grow as not only leaders, but also personally as individuals. I think USDF as an organization is probably the only organization on Habbo Hotel that can offer something like this for its members while also having a fun, enjoyable atmosphere for all.
CDR 91-Bravo
One of the things that keeps me motivated is the sense of community that USDF has developed. It’s a pleasure to walk into HQ every day and see people from all over the world in one room, getting along and working towards a common goal. For me personally, I have enjoyed working with everyone in OISA and watching many of them progress their careers and achieve their goals. I have looked up to many great officers earlier in my career, and one of the things I always admired was their sense of leadership and desire to leave a positive impact on those around them. Ultimately, my desire to follow suit has been my motivation.
2ndLt TayWestCoast
Being able to create friendships with people all over the world and also give back to such an amazing community is what keeps me motivated in USDF. I’ve met a handful of people from different places and have learned so much from them. I also really enjoy the games and antics that go on in HQ. It’s a great environment and I learn something new almost every single day.
CW5 AppleLogic
The one line that I keep saying to myself every day is “do not throw away your shot”, I am a big musical and Hamilton fan and this quote from Hamilton keeps me motivated. The line is about keep on going and take the chances you not only get at USDF, but also in real life. For USDF, if you see an application that is making you interested, go apply for it! I applied for many positions in the past and this quote keeps me motivated to apply for more positions. Another reason that keeps me motivated are my work in OJSIG and Army Council (Leadership), every day is a new day and duties vary every time. So if you ever feel you need a switch in offices or council I would 100% recommend it because you’ll not only help your branch, but you’ll also keep yourself motivated to work.
CWO4 lROGEl
Few things that keep me motivated to go back are friends. There’s nothing more I’d like to do other than meeting different people in USDF. For me, this is a community. I never felt depression before this pandemic started and since I live alone there’s really no one to talk to. I tried playing Habbo again, but being in USDF makes me feel I belong. That is what keeps me going, sure pay/recognition is nice but you can’t buy friends, they make me laugh and for that I can treasure every moment here. Another reason is I get to learn something new, some people here are just way too talented like they’re so good in arts, coding etc. I get to learn a few things or two by being in this organization.
CMDCM XxBAMItsMadixX
Anytime someone comes into the base asking, “So what is it you do here? What is the point of this?” I can guarantee that they have done SOMETHING in their life, for the same reasons we keep coming back to USDF. Why do you create art? If it’s not for profit, there is no physical gain. Why do you read books or watch movies? Technically, you’re just consuming media and wasting time; but are you? If you find something that genuinely makes you happy, how can it be a waste? When looking at things that motivate me to keep coming back to USDF, I don’t believe that I could pick just one. Could be it’s the nostalgia from my old Habbo military days, maybe it’s the new friends that I am meeting everyday, possibly it’s my fierce determination to climb the ranks and become a true asset to the team, (maybe it’s the money ;)) whatever it is, I truly wish that I could share it with all of you. Because over my short time here at our lovely military, it has become a sort of home for me, and home seems like the place to stay for as long as possible.
Sgt FeastBeast
Most important factor in keeping me motivated in this military and making me thrive for the best version of myself and come back for more is setting a higher and higher goal every time I reach one. Being in USDF, you have no end goal. A big example is that I started off my career wanting to be an E4 as quickly as possible. Once I finished that goal, I wanted to become an SNCO. When I advanced again to the SNCO ranks, I’ll be aiming for an HNCO opportunity or becoming a Warrant Officer and so on. My point from this example that you can always is, achieve goals and new milestones no matter what rank you are. That’s why I keep working hard to provide the best image to myself and to the command and senior team to reach the goal I am aiming for. Positions and progress won’t come at you if you do nothing. If you keep working hard and be consistent with your work, you can achieve your goals sometimes easily sometimes harder. That is a big part of why I am seen to be consistently working to my full power whenever I am in HQ or when I’m conducting my office duties.
The Benefits of USDF
By Charlfred & coolchick1313
USDF is a great military to which many people from many different backgrounds come together, make friends, and form friendships that can last beyond USDF. We do more than just simulate the real USDF on Habbo; we join a community, take on new experiences, and we learn. Learning is something everyone in USDF has done, and whether it is learning how to do something new or developing skills we already knew- lots that we do in USDF has an impact on our real lives, and that is incredible in itself.
There are many skills USDF personnel may not inherently know, but we grow and develop these over time within the military. As the military grows, so should your confidence in your colleagues and friends. You will have many transferable skills from the game, which can assist you in your real-life ventures such as teamwork skills, the ability to work with others and produce high-quality work. For example, writing EOIs can prepare you for writing essays and personal resumes or CVs. There are many many more skills you can take away from your USDF experience- which you should try to find for yourself.
“From an Officer perspective, I have learned how to write well, and act professionally. The USDF has impacted me in many ways such as what I have been doing at present and studying. It has brought out the best of my skills and helped me to grow in confidence and support others. Without USDF, I would not have known what I was good at and utilized it for the betterment of my personal life.” – coolochick1313, O4
“As an NCO, I may not have had as much time in USDF as many officers, but the USDF has definitely impacted my real life. It has changed the way I write, and how I work in teams. Writing for the Libertarian and writing EOIs have both really improved my writing skills at school and in day-to-day life. I know the skills I’ve learned from EOIs will help in future applications I have to write, even if it’s only by a small amount. Teamwork is a massive thing that I have struggled with in real life for some time. However, recently, I’m seeing myself work better in groups and use many leadership skills that I have learned and developed while in command positions at USDF. Small things like this and that make their way into my daily life really makes me think that USDF has made a significant impact on my education, and my life.” – Charlfred, E9C
The USDF is bound to have an influence on your personal journeys in life. There are many takeaways from USDF and how it impacts our personal lives, to which it does in many ways, some of which you might not even realize until you look into it further. Small things, great things, that help us to grow as people outside of Habbo and on into the real world. Don’t take our word for it however, the DepSecDef has spoken to us regarding this topic.
“I think USDF has provided me some meaningful experiences that can apply to my real/personal life. One of the most important aspects about USDF is this sense of community. We have some very talented and knowledgeable people who are apart of this community and I have had the pleasure of learning about new things that I otherwise would not have known. I’m grateful to everyone who I’ve spoken to and have learned something from” – Mr. Icerz, DepSecDef
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Credits
| EDITORS | ardnaxela princess81818 |
| WRITERS | !Logan!! _StarLord_ ardnaxela Charlfred Chiari.cord coolchick1313 K1e24 TheTriads Yodar |
| DESIGNERS | !Logan!! (Cover) Aneha (Layout) |
| ARTISTS | !Logan!! _StarLord_ ardnaxela Charlfred Chiari.cord PeUS. |
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