NAS Lemoore Navy College Office one of 16 closing

LEMOORE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Naval Air Station Lemoore's Navy College Office is one of 16 closing in October. It's the end of an era, but officials say sailors can continue to achieve their educational goals.

NCO Director Cynthia Moon says it's her pleasure to serve her sailors, telling them about their educational benefits and guiding them through the process of finding the right school. She says they may not always realize how soon they can get their degree, or the incredible advantage of the Navy's financial aid program, known as Tuition Assistance.

"You walk through that door, you get assistance," Moon said.

But come October, her door will be closed, along with 15 other Navy College Offices across the country. The Navy says Tuition Assistance will not be affected and the change is part of a restructuring effort to "increase virtual and self-service options to sailors."

"I personally don't see the sailors being adversely impacted," Moon said. "It is the Navy's goal I believe to keep the benefits and possibly even enhance them using the virtual method."

But Moon will miss her sailors-- she's been at Lemoore since 2007.

It was one year earlier that Senior Chief Petty Officer Shamar Bass was referred to the NCO in San Diego. That location, along with three others, will stay open through September of 2017.

"A lot of the stuff is available online which I have already used a majority of it," Bass said. "It's that person to person relationship that the Navy College Office does offer."

The four colleges on base will stay, but Moon will likely leave, and maybe work abroad again. Wherever she goes, she'll still be assisting her sailors.

"(To) do what I do, which is 'hey you guys got benefits, I think you should be using them!'"

Seventy graduates will be part of the NCO's final graduation ceremony next month.