Peregine Falcon in Burke, Va

Today I glanced out the window from the back of my house and noticed a large bird land
on the branch of one of the trees. I looked closer using my binoculars and I think it was a peregine falcon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon). It was really exciting to see such a magnificant bird almost in my back yard!

I wish I could've taken a picture of it but it basically looked like this:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/peregrine-falcon.jpg&imgrefurl=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/peregrine-falcon.html&h=450&w=365&sz=29&tbnid=nB6VTpLGic4TWM::&tbnh=127&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dperegrine%2Bfalcon&usg=__fKI6MGaqWzqNrx_qbNGph4U3xro=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=1

Oakley the Cat, ?/?/1989 to 7/18/2008

We are sad to announce that Oakley, our beloved Gray kitty, died today, 7/18/08, at the age of 19 (or so). We'll miss you kitty!

Love,
Mark, Kate, Jack, and Megan

Request for DON Civilian Meritorious Service Award for Mark S. Wallace

This is to request that Mr. Mark S. Wallace be given a DON Civilian
Meritorious Service Award in recognition of the extraordinary
contributions he has made over the last several years to a number of
high visibility projects undertaken by this command. Mr. Wallace has
become the absolute sine qua non for the DMDS project. DMDS forms the
basis for the Fleet SIPRNET System (FSM). FSM, in turn, will be used
as the starting point for the Navy's Tactical DMS projects (FAMIS) and
very likely SI equivalents of these systems. It will be used as the
starting point for the Secure Message Routing Platform (SMRP), a major
new system this organization is developing for the US Customs Service.
And when DMS replaces AUTODIN, DMDS will replace MDS, now estimated
to be installed at over 6000 sites world wide and aboard most Navy
ships.

Mr. Wallace has skillfully developed over four-fifths of the DMDS
software, about 40,000 lines of complex Visual C++ code that exploits
Microsoft's Extended Mail Application Program Interface. Mr. Wallace
is the only individual in this organization who has mastered the
skills and abilities needed to write a system as complex as DMDS. As
striking as this achievement is in itself, it is even more remarkable
in that he has acquired the knowledge needed through his own
self-study efforts in less than two years.

The DMDS related projects are not the only ones that absolutely
depend on Mr. Wallace's skills and abilities. Maintenance of all of
the GateGuard software code has now been placed at his door step. In
addition to all this, he has developed a number of other utilities
widely used in various other projects supported by N91. His
co-workers eagerly seek his help when especially difficult technical
problems arise. All of us hold him in the highest regard. It is
truly a pleasure to work with someone as gifted, talented, and
gracious as Mr. Wallace.

Mr. Wallace's attitude, skills, and abilities represent the finest
qualities of a civil servant. His contributions to this command, to
the US Navy, and to his country deserve every recognition.

Joseph V. Kelly
19 March 1998