Andrews 020615

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.

DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 | VOL. 4 NO. 5

COMMUNITY NEWS

MNCPPC celebrate county's century old history, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENT

The Publick Playhouse offers musical

ight of jazz, blues fusion, Page 6

COMMENTARY

I really shouldn't be here,

Page 2

BY BOBBY JONES

STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

The Southern Techni-

cal/Recreation Complex

(STRC) in FortWashington

was buzzing with hundreds

of eager young Lego ro-

botic creators from Prince

Georges County during

the 2015 Maryland 'For In-

spiration and Recognition

of Science and Technology,'

(FIRST) Robotics Competi-

tion Lego League Robotics

Competition Qualier Jan.

31.

Jointly sponsored by

STRC and MD FIRST, the

free competition saw more

than 18 local First Lego

Leagues (FLL) teams for

students age 9-14 partici-

pate and qualify for the

State FLL Championship.

There are ve competi-

tive competitions based

on age which include the

FIRST Place for ages six

to adult; the Junior FIRST

Lego League for students

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Aaron AJ Lewis, volunteer referee, observes a robot performmissions, while one teammember cringes.

Lewis is the son of Denise Lewis, US FIRST Regional Director, Washington, D.C. He started out as a competi-

tor in the FIRST program and has just been accepted to the Naval Academy for a full scholarship. He wants to

become an electrical engineer.

Student-built Lego bots

battle for dominance

BY AIRMAN 1ST

CLASS

RYAN J. SONNIER

11TH WING

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The 11th Wing Le-

gal Office will not

host a tax center for

military members

this year, however on-

line resources are still

available.

According to Capt.

Marissa Savells, 11th

Wing assistant staff

judge advocate, the

Andrews Tax Center

will not open due to

fiscal restraints. In

the past, more than

40 active-duty Airmen

volunteered their time

to help man the tax

center. Unfortunately,

this option is no longer

feasible.

Even though we

arent offering tax

preparation this year,

military families can

still file their taxes,

for free, online at vari-

ous websites, Savells

said. However, attor-

neys may still be able

to provide assistance

with basic personal

tax-related questions.

To nd various on-

line resources, military

members can utilize

militaryonesource.mil.

Military One Source

also advises members

on how to be smart

with their returns once

they receive them and

put the money toward

carefully planned pur-

chases, reducing debt,

or using it as a nan-

cial cushion.

When ling online,

members should have

all relevant documents

readily available.

Documents include W-

2s/1099-Rs, 1098-Es

JBA

Tax

Center

closes

see TAX, page 4

see LEGO, page 4

BY BOBBY JONES

STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

Remember the T.V. com-

mercial where the camel

asks his human coworkers

the annoying, yet rhetori-

cal question, Guess what

daaaay it is? The cowork-

ers all reluctantly answer I

dont know. The camel re-

plies, Hump Daaaaay!

January 28, which falls

on Hump Day Wednesday,

was also the unofcial Na-

tional Have Fun at Work

Day.

The Andrews Gazette

hit the streets and visited

various local companies in

Prince Georges County to

see how they promote fun in

the work environment.

Brandon Nelson, a Mc-

Donalds restaurant man-

ager inCampSprings noted,

My team likes to compete

against each other by seeing

how fast they can service

our customers. Its a lot of

fun and I reward the fastest

and most efcient worker,

said Nelson. Ive been here

for only five months, but

they seem to like it and it

lightens the work load.

In Marlow Heights, Tina

PrinceGeorgians celebrate

NationalHaveFunatWorkDay

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Brandon Nelson, McDon-

alds manager in Camp

Springs, promotes fun in

the work place by holding

competitive games for

workers.

seeWORK, page 5

MAX IMPACT KICKS-OFF

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ SENIOR AIRMAN NESHA HUMES

Tech Sgt. Robert Smith, U.S. Air Force rock band

Max Impact percussionist, plays for Super Bowl

XLIX fans at Westgate Entertainment District in

Glendale, Az., Feb. 1. See story on page 7.

Andrews Gazette

2

Friday, February 6, 2015

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint Military

Publications, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,

Md., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S.

Air Force or any branch of the United States military.

The appearance of advertising in these publications,

including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement

by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or

the products and services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for

purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion,

sex, national origin, age,martial status, physical handicap, political af-

filiation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchases, user or patron.

COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

Maxine Minar, president

mminar@dcmilitary.com

John Rives, publisher

jrives@dcmilitary.com

Deirdre Parry, page design

dparry@gazette.net

Leslie Smith, editor

lsmith@dcmilitary.com

Bobby Jones, photographer

bjones@dcmilitary.com

Through February 28

Glancing Back & Looking Forward: 100 Years of

African American Culture and History in Prince

Georges County, Maryland

Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Road,

Laurel, MD 20708

This exhibition features information about the

lives of selected Prince Georgians who had a vari-

ety of occupations and community roles. Through

photographs, artifacts, and excerpts from inter-

views, Everyday People Making History will con-

vey the personal stories of participants and high-

light the ways in which they were and still are

a part of history in Prince Georges County. Free.

Call 301-377-7800 or visit www.pgpparks.com.

February 1-28

The Full Story: Maryland, The Surratts, and

The Crime of the Century

Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m. 3 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday noon4 p.m.

Surratt House Museum, 9118 Brandywine

Road, Clinton, MD 20735

Surratt House commemorates the 150th anni-

versary of the end of the American Civil War with

an exhibit reflecting the role of Maryland in the

conflict, the choices made by the Surratt family,

and the after effects on the family and the nation.

Call 301-868-1121 or visit www.history.pgparks

.com

Feb. 6- Feb 22

I Hate Hamlet

Bowie Playhouse, 16500 White Marsh Park

Drive, Bowie, Md.

Friday, Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m.

2nd Star Productions comedic offering that fol-

lows television star Andrew Rally on a quest to

become a "true" actor helped or hampered by his

agent, friends and the ghost of John Barrymore.

Tickets cost $19 to $22. Call 410-757-5700 or 301-

832-4819 or visit www.2ndstarproductions.com.

February 7

The Brentwood Arts Exchange All-Screened

Video Fest

Noon

Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island

Ave., Brentwood, MD 20722

Join us as we bring independent video in all its

forms, from great storytelling to experimental im-

agery, in the welcoming down-to-earth atmosphere

youve come to know us for. ($) Call 301-277-2863

or visit www.arts.pgparks.com

Hot tickets

about town

Doolittle Raider Dies

Retired Lt. Col. Edward Saylor,

one of four surviving Doolittle Raid-

ers, died in Sumner, Wash. He was

94.He was a young ight engineer-

gunner and among the 80 airmen

who volunteered to y the risky

mission that sent 16 B-25 bomb-

ers from a carrier at sea to attack

Tokyo, April 28, 1942. Three crew

members died as Raiders bailed out

or crash-landed their planes in Chi-

na, but most were helped to safety

by Chinese villagers and soldiers.

Of eight Raiders captured by Japa-

nese soldiers, three were executed

and another died in captivity. Colo-

nel Saylor grew up on a ranch in

Brusett, Mont. He enlisted in the

Army Air Corps in 1939 and served

28 years. Last year, the Raiders

received the Congressional Gold

Medal.

Expedited Burial

Payments

New burial regulations allow

Veterans Affairs (VA) to automati-

cally pay the maximum amount al-

lowable under law to most eligible

surviving spouses, without the need

of a written application. Previously,

burial benets were paid on a re-

imbursement basis on submitted

receipts. This automation enables

VA to pay burial allowances to an

estimated 62,000 eligible surviving

spouses out of a projected 140,000

claimants for burial benets this

year. Spouses will be paid upon no-

tice of the veterans death using in-

formation maintained by VA. Buri-

al allowance for a nonservice-con-

nected death is $300 and $2,000 for

death connected to military service.

For more information on monetary

burial benets, call 1 800 827-1000.

Increased SGLI Premiums

The Servicemembers? Group

Life Insurance (SGLI) program

has adjusted its monthly premium

rate to 7 cents per $1,000 to main-

tain the program?s strong nan-

cial position. Since the start of the

SGLI Program in 1965, monthly

premiums have decreased from

20 cents per $1,000 to the present

rate. Over the past 30 years, pre-

miums, rates have uctuated only

2.5 cents per $1,000 of insurance.

The group insurance industry nor-

mally adjusts premium rates when

there are changes in the economy

and/or changes in the number of

death claims. VA uses actuaries to

conduct program experience stud-

ies. For a service member with the

maximum $400,000 of life insur-

ance, this change means an in-

crease of $2 a month. Individual

Ready Reserve members who are

drilling for points toward retire-

ment or who do not receive pay for

other reasons will be billed by their

branch of service for the higher

premium.

The Retiree Activities Office

is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon-

day through Friday. Visit the of-

ce in Building 1604 at Califor-

nia and Colorado Avenues or call

301 981-2726. Call before your

visit to ensure a volunteer is on

duty. The RAO website is at www

.andrews.af.mil.

Retiree Corner

BY CAPT. DAVID LIAPIS

92ND AIR REFUELING WING

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

A couple of feet and a half a sec-

ond. These may seem like insigni-

cant measurements; but when com-

bined with fatigue, a couple of feet

almost cost me my career, and that

half a second almost ended my life.

There was a time when I was

an enlisted aircraft electrical and

environmental systems specialist

and was part of the 19th Aircraft

Maintenance Unit, at Joint Base

Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. In

the summer of 2008, while I was

assigned to work in the support

section, my supervisor and I were

tasked to move much of the equip-

ment from the 19th AMU hangar

to the 12th AMU hangar because of

renovation.

We had a tight deadline and the

NCO I was working for was deter-

mined to complete the task dur-

ing our shift that night, even if it

meant working more than 12 hours.

That night wore on and turned

into morning and I knew it would

not be long before the recently set

sun would peak up again over the

Chugach Mountains.

Things were going well for the

rst few hours. I remember gawk-

ing at Elmendorf's very rst F-22

Raptor that had arrived only days

prior as I hauled load after load of

pallets and equipment across the

hangar oor. I felt privileged to

be able to get up close to this jet

named after a Jurassic Park an-

tagonist that all manner of mili-

tary and civilian men and women

of rank and position had been ock-

ing to the base to see in the preced-

ing days.

Then, unexpectedly, I got a clos-

er look than I ever hoped for.

I wasn't sure how I deviated so

far off my well-established path

down the centerline of the hangar.

However, I was sure I saw the half-

ton of palletized equipment I was

backing into the hangar pass less

than a yard from the nose tip of the

$150 million pride of the base.

I didn't say a word to anyone

about it at the time. All I could do

was imagine what my fate would

have been if I had destroyed the

pointy end of that beautiful ghter

jet. The thought made me sick to

my stomach. My line number for

staff sergeant-gone. My future in

the Air Force-shot.

Can you imagine being "that

Airman" who smashed up Elmen-

dorf's rst F-22?

If I had still managed to pro-

mote and apply for ofcer training

school, I can picture the conver-

sation at the ofcer accessioning

board going something like this:

"and next up is a sergeant David

Liapis ... wait, I know that name

from somewhere. Oh, yeah, he's the

guy that cost the Air Force millions

of dollars because he was an idiot

-- next applicant."

As you might have guessed, fa-

tigue was the main contributing

factor in the previously related in-

cident; however, I was not the only

one suffering from too much work

and too little rest that night.

My supervisor was stacking

some pallets with a forklift as I

guided him forward. I'm not sure

how I ended up between a moving

pallet and a wall, but I did. I gave

the hand signal for the sergeant to

stop, but he didn't. I managed to

squeeze out of that tight spot just

in time to avoid having the pallet

pin me against the wall at my mid-

section. He was too tired and didn't

react quickly enough to my signal-

again it was fatigue.

The Air Force Safety Program

is nothing new. All the right rules

and guidelines existed that night

as they had for years prior and

have for years since. We just got so

wrapped up in what we were do-

ing that we failed to consider and

put into practice what we had been

taught and what common sense

told us.

We knew better, but the mission

needed to be accomplished-or did

it? Did it really all have to be done

that night?

It's true, getting the job done is

what we are all about; however, we

need to make appropriate risk as-

sessments and ensure we'll be here

to take on the next mission. Our

line of work has inherent risks, but

most can be easily mitigated.

The goal, rather the quest, is for

zero-zero fatalities, zero mishaps,

zero dollars spent to repair or re-

place needlessly damaged resourc-

es. That night, failure to appropri-

ately address fatigue almost cost

me a whole lot ... times two.

Commentary

I really shouldn't be here

Andrews Gazette

Friday, February 6, 2015

3

BY BOBBY JONES

STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

The Maryland Na-

tional Capital Parks and

Planning Commission,

Department of Parks and

Recreation (DPR) kicked

off Black History Month

with an Art Exhibit Open-

ing, highlighting a cen-

tury of African American

culture and history in

Prince Georges County

at the Montpelier Cultur-

al Arts Center in Laurel

Feb. 1.

The program entitled

Glancing Back and Look-

ing Forward, illustrates

the lives of everyday and

prominent Prince Geor-

gians whose contributions

helped mold the countys

rich legacy, through edu-

cation, businesses com-

munities and the Civil

Rights movement through

the use of video, photos,

art and events.

Ronnie Gathers, Mary-

land National Park and

Planning Commission

DPR director, gave the

opening remarks to a

capacity room of coun-

ty residents, including,

Maryland Sen. Douglas

Peters, District 23; Cur-

rent Mayor of Greenbelt;

Emmett V. Jordan and

former Mayor of Green-

belt, Judith Davis.

Rosalyn Johnson, dep-

uty director, Department

Parks and Recreation

opened the event by laud-

ing the historical accom-

plishments of the coun-

ty. We are here to tell

our story about the 319

years of Prince Georges

County, said Johnson,

referring to some recent

unfavorable press stories

about the county. We are

going to tell our story our

way, and were going to

continue to write our sto-

ry as it happens

Johnson noted, The

exhibit showcases a re-

markable story of our

county and how it grew

from a mere suburb of

Washington, D.C., our na-

tions capital, to this won-

derful, vibrant commu-

nity that has triumphed

over many challenges.

Expounding more of

the countys history, John-

son explained how Prince

Georges County, in its

infancy was also a pre-

dominantly black county

which sold enslaved Af-

ricans from Upper Marl-

boro and Bladensburg

for money, silver and to-

bacco, the countys and

Marylands chief product

then. But later when

the slaves were freed and

became farmers, entre-

preneurs, and business

professionals -- owning

businesses, such as the

Bladensburg Carrying

Association, Smith Bar-

bershop, the first com-

munity barbershop in

Glenarden. Our county

also became the home of

27 Rosenwald Schools,

established in 1917 for

African American chil-

dren in the rural South

by Julius Rosenwald, an

American businessman

and philanthropist, which

is how a number African

Americans in our county

received their education.

After taking the au-

dience on brief educa-

tion of Prince Georges

Countys history, Johnson

introduced the key note

speaker, Rock Newman,

former Brandywine na-

tive, former Maryland

Parks and Planning Com-

mission employee, sports

promoter and award win-

ning radio talk host.

He addressed the

crowd humbly as a proud

Prince Georgian, chroni-

cling his upbringing in

the county as a youth, his

college years at Howard

University, his well-tele-

vised career as the boxing

manager of World Heavy

Weight Champion Rid-

dick Bowe and his radio

talk show.

Newman thanked the

Parks and Recreation di-

vision for inviting him to

speak and commended

their efforts for a job well

done on the Black History

Month exhibit opening re-

ception. I gave kudos to

Mr. Ronnie Gathers, DPR

director in private for

such a spectacular event.

But, I now saying publicly

who ever put this all to-

gether deserves a raise,

said Newman, with an

icebreaker statement.

In reference to your

theme, Glancing Back

and Looking Forward,

I think I can never go

wrong acknowledging

Almighty God rst, said

Newman, relating to his

childhood experiences,

educational opportunity

and his introduction in

the sports and entertain-

ment arena.

Part of what gave

me the foundation for

who and what I am to-

day was when I went to

a segregated school. We

had ragged books, and

chipped-up and beat-up

desks. But we had some-

thing that you could not

pay for or buy; love, ex-

claimed Newman, then

8-years-old. I had love

for all of my teachers,

including Miss Mitchell,

who I had a crush on,

Newman joked.

Newman also shared

his rst experience of rac-

ism as a youngster while

he out riding his new bike

one day. He witnessed a

man cutting his grass

with a riding lawnmower.

That was my rst time

ever seeing riding mow-

er. Looking curiously

at the mower he noticed

the mufe had a curious

white crust on it which

reminded him of the ice

that would build up inside

his mothers freezer. So

he asked the man if the

white coating was hot or

cold. He said its cold, grab

it. He put the bike down

and grabbed it. And as

I tell you this story I still

feel the pain that seared

through my hand and my

mind. Next the man said,

Nigger dont you ever

come in my yard again.

As an innocent 8-year-old,

I couldnt fathom how an

adult could do something

like that to a child.

Later in Newmans

life-accounts realized the

dening moment in his

life when he predicted

that then Cassius Clay

would be the next Heavy

Weight champion of the

world. All of his family,

friends and boxing pun-

dits laughed, because of

Clays inexperience. On

Feb 25, 1964 Clay won

the title, and that became

the part of my DNA and

the dening moment in

my life. Ive believed if I

could conceive it, and I

pursued what I wanted

with a sense of purpose,

I could accomplish any-

thing, and so can you,

said Newman, encourag-

ing the audience.

Later, when New-

man transcended into

the world of sports as a

promoter, he reected on

when he sat in a room

with the head of HBO

Sports and Time Warner,

multibillion dollar corpo-

rations. I felt in my heart,

we were being treated

unfairly, said Newman,

a boxing promoter in 90s.

The head of HBO told

me that he saw me as a

dove and warned me that

if I didnt sign the con-

tract by the next morning,

that he along with his 26

lawyers would come down

on me like a hawk. I real-

ized that I was viewed as

the ultimate outsider, who

didnt play the game and

stood my ground with my

one little scrawny lawyer.

I answered him and well

you dont have to wait un-

til tomorrow to turn into

a hawk. But I want you

to remember something.

Im a sparrow. Everyone

in the room didnt under-

stand comment at that

time. But after a few

months, we not only got

the money we were asking

for, but a whole lot more,

said Newman. So after-

wards, I had lunch with

that same threatening

HBO head and he asked

me what I meant by being

a sparrow. I asked him if

had heard of the old Ne-

gro spiritual, His eye is

on the sparrow, making

him realize that is God

that watches over me, a

higher power in me lives.

Newman went on to

talk briey about his ex-

periences as a counselor;

Howard University Base-

ball Hall of Famer; meet-

ing with Nelson Mandela

and Pope John Paul II;

along with numerous oth-

er dignitaries and politi-

cal leaders.

At the conclusion of

the program, announced

the unveiling of a Black

History Month Poster

project produced by a

group of students from

Northwestern High

School. The art piece

took two months to pro-

duce will be displayed in

the art gallery section of

the Montpelier Cultural

Arts Center as an educa-

tion piece. We were able

to take advantage of a

teachable moment, said

Rosalyn Johnson, deputy

director, DPR, referring to

the poster.

Cl inton resident ,

Frankee Smith noted she

was glad to expose her

granddaughter to learn

more about the history of

Prince Georges County.

My granddaughter en-

joyed the key speaker,

Rock Newman and talked

with him at the end of

the program. She really

keyed in on the part when

he said that you can be

anything that you want

to, just believe, Smith.

He asked her what she

wanted to be and she said

a dinosaur. He smiled and

encouraged her nonethe-

less. I told him because

of her love for dinosaurs,

I suspect she could actu-

ally end up being a pale-

ontologist.

MNCPPC celebrate county's century old history

Rock Newman, former

Brandywine native, former

Maryland Parks and Plan-

ning Commission employ-

ee, sports promoter and

awardwinning radio talk

host addresses his home

audience as the key note

speaker during Art Exhibit

opening.

PHOTOS/BOBBY JONES

Clinton resident, Frankee Smith, listens to her granddaughter, Christian Smith 4,

ask she asks a question about a photo of young girl reading a book in 1920s.

1041904

Andrews Gazette

4

Friday, February 6, 2015

from six to nine years of

age; FIRST Lego League

for students nine to 14

years old; the FIRST Tech

Challenge for high school

students; and the FIRST

Robotics Competition for

high school students.

Denise Lewis, US

FIRST Regional Director,

Washington, D.C., noted

The real purpose of this

event is to expose our

children to opportunities

where everyone can be a

winner and be successful.

Theres a job out there for

every student interested

in college math, science,

technology or engineer-

ing, said the former edu-

cator.

We put far too much

emphasis on sports, like

basketball or football.

These kids could be any-

where else, but they are

here learning about sci-

ence, real-world issues

and how to improve learn-

ing, said Lewis. Its

much more than just ro-

bots here. They also have

to do a research paper

during the event, because

its part of the competi-

tion.

Ive volunteered with

FIRST well over 8 years

and Ive seen the benets

of this program, because

my son started out here

with FIRST and a young-

ster and now hes turned

down several scholar-

ships, and decided to join

the Navy on full scholar-

ship to academy as an

officer. He wants to be

an electrical engineer be-

cause he was inspired by

this program when his

was really young, said

Lewis proudly.

According to Lewis

theres a $20,000 grant

called the FIRST Lego In-

novation Award thats of-

fered to the most innova-

tive team and has offered

to help them le a patent

for their invention. This

is an international com-

petition for all countries

around the world.

The teams are awarded

in the categories of project

presentation, robot, me-

chanical design, perfor-

mance, and core values --

which recognizes a team

that is able to accomplish

more together than in-

dividually, incorporat-

ing shared goals, strong

communication effective

problem solving and time

management. There is al-

so the champions award

that embraces the FLL

core values, while achiev-

ing excellence and innova-

tion in the robot game and

project.

Alberto Lacaze, Call

Us Boss Lego League

coach is one of several

volunteers who loaned his

experience and time to

helping the children build

a multiplexor robot for the

event. We started work-

ing on it during the April

time-frame, said Lacaze,

a robotics engineer with

a firm in Gaithersburg.

The kids were really wor-

ried about doing multiple

missions at the same time.

But they saw on YouTube

that someone had built a

multiplexor and they tried

it, but it turned out to be

gigantic. So after rebuild-

ing it a couple of times

they were able to reduce

its size and they named it

Pedro. So far theyre not

doing so well, said Laca-

ze. However, they have

two more trials so well

see what happens.

Jose Gabriel Salazar

and his wife, Isa, watched

anxiously from the side-

line shooting video of their

son, Gabriel, 12, along-

side team member, Albert

James, nervously execute

missions for their robot.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Er-

ic Atkins, an Army Corps

of Engineers electrical en-

gineer at theWhite House,

served as scorer during

the event, periodically

glancing over at his son,

Jonathan, 13, competing

with for the rst time with

the Lego Pros, 4-H Club of

Clinton. His mom, Julie

Atkins shot video and of-

fered cheers of encourage-

ment. She noted My hus-

band has volunteered to

attend FIRST Lego meet-

ings, and competitions for

the past 4 years. Hes a

Lego guy too. He grew

up with it as a child from

very young age too. Last

year, my son supported

the team. This year is

his rst time competing,

Atkins. He wants to be a

Lego designer; in fact, he

wants to be the one who

designs the kits, She

added. Hes very Math,

Science and Engineering

minded.He is my husband

through and through. He

loves it and Science is his

favorite subject.

FIRSTs began in 1992

with 28 teams in a New

Hampshire high-school

gym. Today the pro-

gram is reaching close to

250,000 young people. To

learn more about the pro-

gram, visit http://www.

mdrst.org.

LEGO, from page 1

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Call Us Boss teammembers, Gabriel Salazar, 12,

left, and Albert James prepare to execute missions

for their multiplexor robot, named Pedro.

for student loan inter-

est payments, dividend

and brokerage state-

ments and any other

tax documentations.

If the member pre-

fers to complete their

taxes in person, servic-

es are located in build-

ing 1683 for a discount-

ed price.

Savells also stated

that Ft. Belvoir, Vir-

ginia and Quantico,

Virginia offer military

members and depen-

dents in-person tax

preparation services.

The JBA Legal Of-

ce is slated to hold a

Retiree Day on Feb. 12

for retirees and their

dependents to receive

legal advice and make

tax-related inquiries.

An appointment will be

required for these ser-

vices.

For more infor-

mation or questions,

contact the Legal Of-

fice at 240-612-5750

or on Facebook at

fa cebook . c om/Jo in t

BaseAndrewsLegalOf-

ce.

TAX, from page 1

1050424

Ourisman Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge Ram of Alexandria

5900 Richmond Highway

Alexandria, VA 22303

(703) 329-1600 or (240) 485-6179

Please ask for the Internet Department

SPECIAL

MILITARY OFFER

Well make your first months

payment up to $500.

Bring this ad with you!!!

$

9,000 OFF MSRP

Includes all incentives and rebates from

manufacturer that may or may not qualify.

$750 OFF for active duty or retired military plus 1 year free maintenance

1050500

Andrews Gazette

Friday, February 6, 2015

5

Arnold, Roses Department

Store lead associate noted,

We have fun by being kind

to customers. I love show-

ing customers what to buy,

how to accessorize, what

outfits coordinate and

what colors work together,

said Arnold. Often in re-

tail its what you can do to

make customers want to

come back. For me, its fun

to meet new people who

give us inspiration and we

in turn try to inspire them.

So I always give them eye

contact, smile and remem-

ber their name.

Her coworker, Jacque-

line Fassassi, Roses De-

partment Store proces-

sor, noted that discussing

issues at work that they

cant talk with anyone else

lightens her day. I also

like to dance a little while I

work, because it makes my

day go by easier.

At Party City, where

fun is the centerpiece of

the party supply rental

company, Tom Brill, Party

City Store District Heights

manager, was unaware of

the unofcial holiday, but

whole-heartedly promotes

fun in the work place. I

wasnt aware today was

Have fun at Work Day,

but I encourage the em-

ployees to have a good time

while theyre working,

said Brill. They share

some of their home-life sto-

ries with each other and

tell funny stories and jokes

to create a fun atmosphere.

We believe in getting the

job done, but theres al-

ways room to have fun. On

special occasions we have

pizza parties to lift their

spirits and reward them

for their extra effort during

inventory time, said Brill.

I feel like the more we

can be a part of each oth-

ers lives outside of work

and know whats going on

with each other the more

fun well have, Brill added

Jerome Manning, Party

City assistant manager,

noted We have cleaning

competitions all the time

for fun. In fact, we had a

really good time last night,

clowning around while we

were cleaning and doing

inventory.

Finally, inside one of

the last places one might

expect to nd any sort of

levity was found to be just

the opposite at the dental

ofce of Dr. Cox and Dr.

Greenstein in Clinton.

Raimey Rite, dental

technician of 15 years,

shared the special relation-

ship she has with her fel-

low coworkers and the pri-

mary dentist she assists.

I like to talk to the pa-

tients and see whats been

going on in their day and

try to make light of it, be-

cause some people come

into the dental ofce al-

ready stressed. So I have

to distract them by talking

with them so by the time

the Dr. Greenstein comes

in theyre already calm.

However, it all depends on

the patients attitude, espe-

cially during a root canal ...

So, while Im observing the

procedure, I physically sit

in a chair higher than him

and I make fun of his grey

hair and the patients love

it, said Rite. The doc-

tor usually has a snappy

comeback. We do a lot of

role play, depending on

how nervous the patient

might be.

Rite also mentioned a

recent time when surgi-

cal gloves were ordered

and the only colors avail-

able were pink and green.

We gave Dr. Greenstein

a pair of pink gloves. He

was reluctant at rst, how-

ever, when challenged, he

meets it head on. But now,

its become a running joke

here because everyone else

wears pink gloves and we

explained to him that only

a true man wouldnt have

a problem wearing them,

said Rite. He didnt like it

at rst but now he plays

along.

Rite explained, Were

stuck with each other

for 10-hours a day and

deal with a lot of stress-

ful patients who come in

stressed and sometimes

traumatized from events

in their lives.We have to be

able to calm them down, so

were kind of like chair-side

psychiatrists, said Rite.

So we have fun and let the

patients see us have fun,

which calms them down.

Its all a part of making the

patient comfortable.

Rite reected on a prank

played on Dr. Greenstein

by the entire staff. We had

this one patient who was a

police ofcer who agreed to

come in wearing her uni-

form and play a joke on

Dr. Greenstein. Although

he hadnt come into work

yet Greenstein was in for a

surprise. When he arrived,

the ofcer approached him

with a rolled up piece of

paper in her hand, telling

him that he was being sub-

poenaed for court with the

staff looking on laughing

at his reaction. We like to

play pranks on each other.

So it appears that even

in the most unlikely work

environments, Prince

Georgians thrive on hav-

ing a fun day at work to

promote an environment

of trust for their customers

and camaraderie amongst

their coworkers.

WORK, from page 1

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Jerome Manning, Party City assistant manager in Capital Heights, says he

rewards employees with pizza parties.

1008907

1050245

Andrews Gazette

6

Friday, February 6, 2015

BY LESLIE C. SMITH

STAFF WRITER

A journey of melodic

melding will take over

the Publick Playhouse

on Saturday as Karen

Lovejoy and The Lovejoy

Music Group and Phil

Wiggins and the Chesa-

peake Sheiks bring their

dynamic, jubilant and

effortless sounds to the

venue.

Jazz vocalist Karen

Lovejoy fronts the well-

versed and first-class

Lovejoy Music Group -

comprised of Herb Smith

on saxophone and wood-

winds; drummer, Law-

rence Bubbles Dean, pia-

nist and musical director,

and Bob Shann, bassist

which will bring their

versatile approach to jazz

to the stage with a funky

mix of blues and jazz.

Harmonica virtuoso

Phil Wiggins brings his

cast of Piedmont blues to

the stage. Having played

for more than 30 years as

part of the duo Cephas

and Wiggins, he was

spurred to go into differ-

ent directions seeking to

follow in the vein of the

black string and swing

bands of the 20s and

30s like Martin, Bogin

and Armstrong, and the

Mississippi Sheiks. All

these people were at first

categorized as Piedmont

players or Delta players

then people started call-

ing them songsters be-

cause they played a lot of

different styles of songs,

Wiggins explained.

This jazz blues show

is far from anything you

would expect; dont come

ready to cry your way

through this show. With

these two powerhouses

its about energy and get-

ting the crowd to have a

good time.

The root of blues

-- as it relates to jazz

-- is that its to kind of

have fun and to make

it soulful and energetic.

People think of blues as

something that you are

drowning in a bottle and

crying tears. Blues to me

has always been a joyful

music -- joyful in that its

a release for the spirit.

Sometimes its a way of

even laughing at your-

self. It speaks to some

situations -- some situ-

ations one might prefer

not to be in maybe -- and

it does so in a comical

way; in way that allows

you a release. So to me

the music is about uplift-

ing; its about healing; its

about fun.

Wiggins added, There

are some people into this

music that are obsessed

with trying to recreate

something from the past,

like I say in the music

notes, were not trying

to create the old 78s we

just love this music and

we play it in the present;

were not trying to imi-

tate people from the past.

We love this music in the

present and we play it in

the present -- play it the

way we feel it. We see

it for celebration -- for

dancing and celebrating.

And thats the energy we

try to put out when we

perform.

Blues has always

been very much a part

of Wiggins life. Wiggins

discovered his love for

and became grounded in

blues spending time in

his familys hometown of

Titusville, Ala., where he

spent many summers.

I believe I fell in love

with the sounds of the

blues from my grand-

mothers church; outside

the church on Wednesday

nights because I would

walk my grandmother

to church and I would

wait outside the church

for her to finish. I would

listen to the prayer meet-

ing -- the prayer meeting

was the elder women of

the church that would

do these congregational

prayers. One woman

would sing out a phrase

and the congregation

would answer back and

that to me was almost

like a pure blues sound

even though the lyr-

ics were not blues and

the words were prayers

and praise but the feel

of it was a deep blues, a

deep emotional [sound]. I

think, really, that is how

it got into my blood.

With these two artists

performing at this venue

it is sure to be a treat for

the ears and the spirit.

And both of these art-

ists are doing their part

to ensure that these

American born and bred

art forms remain a part

of the American experi-

ence.

Lovejoy imparted,

There is undoubtedly

an audience for jazz -- a

young audience for jazz

-- but the question is,

how do you get to them?

Because whatever music

industry that is left, the

last thing they want to

deal with is jazz The

Internet offers potential.

There is an avenue that

needs to be explored; its

a communication entity

and it holds the potential;

to reach what has not

been reachable before. I

just think we just have to

become very savvy public

relations folks and use

the tools that are avail-

able today to be able to

put the music out there

It really is about expo-

sure. When I perform in

public venues and there

are young people in the

vicinity -- whether its 14

or 25 -- they will come up

and ask questions. They

are really interested in

the music; its just get-

ting to that group.

Wiggins often teaches

and takes any opportu-

nity to share through

performing to continue to

infuse this music to the

next generation and ex-

pose to new audiences. I

talk to a lot of young peo-

ple about the Piedmont

The Publick Playhouse offers musical ight of jazz, blues fusion

seeMUSIC, page 7

If you go ...

Find out more

about Karen Love-

joy and the Love-

joy Group at www.

lovejoygroup.com or

reach them at lovejoy-

group@yahoo.com to

be added to the mail-

ing list.

Find out more

about Phil Wiggins

and the Chesapeake

Sheiks, biography

and future events, on

www.philwiggins.com.

The performance is

on Saturday 8 p.m. at

the Publick Playhouse

in Riverdale, Md., call

301-277-1710.

1050522

Andrews Gazette

Friday, February 6, 2015

7

and the swing tunes;

and I have taught peo-

ple that will hopefully

carry it on.

I dont worry about

it dying out; it has

what people need.

Blues music, especially,

was born and created

in a time when life was

really hard for people

and people needed

something to sustain

their spirit and that is

why blues was created;

and I think it still has

that power in it. Nowa-

days, people still need

it now; were living in

this high-tech world

where people spend so

much time looking at a

screen they need some-

thing real and I think

that what this music

can provide. So I think

well always need it;

and as long as people

are doing it -- and do-

ing it well -- t will live

on.

Whether a casual

fan or an aficionado,

both artists have some-

thing for you to enjoy.

BY SENIOR AIRMAN

NESHA HUMES

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The U.S. Air Force pre-

mier rock band, Max Im-

pact, performed for Super

Bowl XLIX fans at West-

gate Entertainment Dis-

trict in Glendale, Arizona,

on Feb. 1.

Thousands of foot-

ball fans listened to the

30-minute concert as

they passed through the

restaurants and stores of

Westgate. The dining and

entertainment district is

less than a half-mile from

The University of Phoe-

nix Stadium, where Super

Bowl XLIX was held.

They played a single

show, ranging from clas-

sic rock to country, at the

district, just hours before

the kick-off of Super Bowl

XLIX.

This is probably a

highlight of my career,

playing for 10,000 to

15,000 people on Super

Bowl Sunday, Tech. Sgt.

Robert K. Smith, Max Im-

pact percussionist, said.

The performance went

absolutely amazing.

The band transitioned

into their nal song by

asking everyone to take a

moment to be serious and

remember the events of

September 11, 2001.

We all remember

where we were and what

we were doing when we

heard about the attack

on twin towers, Senior

Master Sgt. Ryan Car-

son, Max Impact vocalist,

said. But today, instead, I

want to focus on the days

after the attack, when

all the stores were sold

out of American ags, we

want to take you back to

those days and the sense

of pride the nation felt.

The band concluded

their performance with

God Bless the U.S.A., a

song by Lee Greenwood.

They made me feel

like a real patriot, said

Railton Anderson, an at-

tendee, who laughed as

he tugged at his New

England jersey.

The six-member band

provided similar patri-

otic closers for their four

shows at Fan Fest in

Scottsdale in January.

The weeklong entertain-

ment, fashion and food

event was home to the

Entertainment Sports

and Programming Net-

works live broadcast for

the Super Bowl.

I think the tour was

great, Sgt. Jonathan

McPherson, Max Impact

pianist, said. We had

the opportunity to play

for Super Bowl fans and

reach a national audi-

ence by being featured on

ESPN.

The band seeks to use

the power of music to

inspire audiences world-

wide, create innovative

products and programs

while representing Air

Force excellence.

We brought the Air

Force message not only

to the people of Glendale,

but also the nation and

the world, McPherson

said.

Max Impact performs for fans at Super Bowl

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ SENIOR AIRMAN NESHA HUMES

SeattleSeahawk fanscheer forMax Impacts performanceatWestgateEntertainment

District inGlendale, Az., Feb. 1.Max Impact is theU.S. Air Forces premier rockband.

MUSIC, from page 6

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Andrews Gazette

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Friday, February 6, 2015

1050496