Dec elmorro 2011_web

December 2011

Fort Buchanan

The Sentinel of the Caribbean

Housing tenants advised to save rent $, Page 6

El MorroVol. 47 issue 5

Garrison Holiday Celebration pics, Pages 19, 20

Community images now available on

Holiday Concert

ODIERNO Page 6

Features

Odierno discusses Iraq drawdown, transition By Heather Graham-Ashley III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs

Antilles Middle School will present its annual Winter Concert Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the school cafetorium. The show will feature the AMS Intermediate Band in its first performance of the year, the outstanding young vocalist Lucyann Ceballos, a group of Ms. Escribano’s french students, and the An-tilles Jazz Ensemble, made up of students from AMS and Antilles High School. There will be music in a variety of different styles, includ-ing some songs to start off the holiday season. Admission is free and refreshments will be sold by the AMS PTSO.

FORT HOOD, Texas -- As American forces are sched-uled to be out of Iraq by the end of this month, they are leaving the nation in a posi-tion to sustain the long-fought

peace that has been estab-lished over the past nine years, explained Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno at Fort Hood, Dec. 6.

Odierno was at the Great Place to meet with command-ers and community leaders,

and to provide an update about the current state of the Army as well as the way ahead.

“Obviously, the corps re-mains significantly commit-ted to the wars in Iraq and Af-ghanistan,” the chief said.

With the last Fort Hood

troops in Iraq arriving home or re-positioning to in theater, Odierno said that, looking back on the height of sectarian violence and potential civil war in Iraq in 2006, it would be difficult to believe the country is where it is today.

“I always tell everybody we have to put it in perspec-tive and I think the military has made incredible strides working with the Iraqi mili-tary and the Iraqi government

Ferriter takes command of IMCOM

Photo by Luke Elliott

CHANGE Page 5

Army Wins, Pages 10, 11

By Tim HippsIMCOM Public Affairs

SAN ANTONIO – Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter took the reins of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command from Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch during a change of command ceremony Nov. 17 on Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno presided over the changing of the guard for the command, which relo-cated from suburban Washing-ton, D.C. to South Texas during the past two years as part of Base Realignment and Closure.

Ferriter, a 1979 graduate of The Citadel, came to Texas from a tour as deputy com-mander for advising and train-ing for United States Forces Iraq, supporting Operation New Dawn. Before that, he commanded the U.S. Army Infantry Center and the Ma-neuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga.

As well as IMCOM com-mander, Ferriter is now the Army’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

All three Soldiers served as “battle buddies” at some point during the war in Iraq.

“Both Rick Lynch and Mike Ferriter, I’ve known for awhile,” Odierno said. “Most important, I got to see them op-erate in combat. These are two

Soldiers who not only under-stand what it’s like to take care of our Families, but they under-stand what it’s like being at the tip of a spear. There’s no better person to lead us in installation management than somebody who’s experienced both.”

Ferriter’s combat tours in-clude Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and two tours in Iraq.

“I’m confident that Mike Ferriter is the right man for the

job – a proven leader with the right experience to lead us into the future,” Odierno said. “He understands Soldiers and Fam-ily and is the right leader at this important time of transition for our Army.”

Ferriter and wife Margie have four children who under-stand Army life: Dr. Meghan Ferriter, Capt. Dan Ferriter, Capt. Paddy Ferriter and 1st Lt. Mary Whitney Whittaker.

“The Ferriters are a great

Army Family and IMCOM is fortunate to have them,” Odi-erno said. “Always remember that the strength of our na-tion is our Army. The strength of our Army is our Soldiers. The strength of our Soldiers is our Families. And that’s what makes us Army Strong.”

Ferriter said, “there are hun-dreds of thousands of Army Families that are exactly the

Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter receives the colors for the Installation Management Command from Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno on Nov. 17, 2011 at Fort Sam Houston. Lt. Gen. Ferriter assumed command of the Installation Management Command from Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch.

The Sentinel of the CaribbeanEl Morro

Fort Buchanan

The Command Group2December 2011

Garrison CommanderCol. John D. Cushman

Deputy to the Garrison CommanderGunnar G.F. Pedersen Jr.

Deputy CommanderLt. Col. Kenneth M. Hammond

Garrison Command Sergeant MajorCommand Sgt. Maj. Derrick T. Simpson

Public Affairs OfficerGrissel Rosa

Media RelationsPedro Silva

Command InformationLuis Delgadillo

El Morro ContributorsCapt. Taylor Opel

Luis Salazar

1st Mission Support Command Public Affairs OfficerMaj. Carlos M. Cuebas

Mailing address —Public Affairs Office

Building 390 Crane Loop Ste. 311Fort Buchanan PR, 00934-4616

Story submissions —E-mail to: [email protected]

Telephone numbers —(787)707-5762/4486 Fax: (787)707-3362

1st MSC submissions —E-mail to: [email protected]

1st MSC telephone number —(787)707-4988

El Morro is an authorized publica-tion printed in accordance with Army Regulation 360-1.

Contents of El Morro are not neces-sarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Depart-ment of Defense, Department of the Army or U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Buchanan.

El Morro is published monthly by the Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army Garrison. Circulation 5,000.

All editorial content of El Morro is prepared, edited, provided and ap-proved by the U.S. Army Garrison Pub-lic Affairs Office. For guidance on how to submit items for publication e-mail the garrison Public Affairs Office.

The Editor reserves right to edit all submissions and to determine the suit-ability for inclusion in El Morro.

Every effort will be made to publish submissions in a timely manner. How-ever, time, layout, style and editorial considerations, as well as determina-tions for publication, are made by the Commander or the Public Affairs Of-ficer.

El Morro

Commander Commentary

The Army’s Backbone Command Sgt. Maj. Derrick Simpson

The Holidays are the perfect time to reflect and to be thankful for what we have and to think about our New Year resolutions as 2012 comes near. These reso-lutions are the result of our deci-sion or determination to make a difference. Our new Command-ing General, Lt. Gen. Mike Fer-riter, is not only determined but committed to make a difference in the lives of our Soldiers and Family members as head of the Installation Management Com-mand. I would like to share with you his Command Philosophy.

For an individual who is passionate about Soldiers and Families building teams is cru-cial. There should be always open communication in order to understand and meet our ex-pectations.

He also emphasizes the Ar-my’s “Golden Rule” to “Do what’s right always!” I add, even if no one is looking. It’s called integrity.

Empower your subordinates. That’s the essence of being a true leader. It’s giving your em-ployees and Soldiers the neces-sary means or opportunities to exceed even their own expec-

tations. A good example is the graduates of Fort Buchanan’s first class of the Civilian Lead-ership Development Program.

Take care of people. These are tough times. In order to move forward we need to take care of the well-being of those around us, our Soldiers and our civilian workforce in a holistic way – physical, family, spiri-tual, emotional and social.

Build trust. The CG used the example of the card game “Go Fish” but in order to build trust you play with your cards facing the others. In other words, it al-lows us to see the other “play-ers” or employees’ cards and appreciate the best in them and what they bring to the organiza-tion, such as: knowledge, skills, and experience that contributes to achieving our mission.

Great units enforce standards. The challenges of the future will require Army leaders to adapt to solve complex problems by looking at them through a new perspective. That means to en-force standards as our founda-tion in order to build a stronger organization and therefore a stronger Army.

Say “Thank you” often. The expression takes a new mean-ing during this Holiday Season. It not only expresses gratitude but helps us remain humble. It’s serving others without thought of recognition or gain. We have countless employees and Sol-diers that every day go above and beyond the call to duty in everything they do to enhance the quality of life of our com-munity – many anonymously.

Never quit! Former Los An-geles Dodgers manager, Tom-my Lasorda, used to say that “the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s [woman’s] determi-nation.” You might be surprised how far you could go and how much you can achieve if you persist. So, never, ever quit!

Lt. Gen. Ferriter’s “Way Ahead” relies on the vari-ous events that will take place in the next 100 days that will shape IMCOM’s future. As he said, “conditions may change; but Army priorities are clear.” They are: 1) Sup-port Army mission, 2) Instal-lation Management/”The En-terprise” (IMCOM Campaign

Plan version 4), 3) Empower Senior Commanders/Garrison Commanders, 4) Take Care of Soldiers and Families by keep-ing the promise included in the Army Family and Community Covenants , 5) Energy & Water Security, and 6) Fiscal Steward-ship.

Lt. General Ferriter’s final points of his command philoso-phy are: demonstrate inspired leadership in all we do. We will win together!We will build strong relation-ships!We will build trust!We will have fun!

I truly believe our workforce is committed, always working together to enhance the well-being of our Soldiers and their Families and therefore improv-ing our Fort Buchanan commu-nity. That’s the pride of a job well done!

Thank you for everything you do. You are the reason for our merriment during this Holiday Season. On behalf of my wife Christina and my son Joshua, Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! ¡Muchas felicidades y felíz Año Nuevo!

I’d like to start off by invit-ing readers of my monthly column to turn to pages 10 and 11 of this month’s El Morro to see the results of the fourth annual Turkey Bowl.

I’ll let those pages speak for themselves but as always I’d like to thank the Marines from the 4th Landing Sup-port Battalion for their great sportsmanship. With the se-ries now tied at two each , next year’s contest will surely be exciting.

As we look forward to the future and the New Year it’s important to note some changes to the IMCOM lead-ership. Recently, Lt. Gen. Mike Ferriter took command and with him came the ad-dition of IMCOM’s interim

Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Felt. Command Sgt. Maj. Felt is filling in for Command Sgt. Maj. Rice who is in Afghani-stan.

The command team at Fort Buchanan looks forward to a bright future under the leader-ship of Lt. Gen. Ferriter. Ad-ditionally congratulations to Regional Support Command Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Wills who was selected as the 80th Training Command (TASS) Command Sergeant Major.

They bring with them a fresh vision that complements the foundation for excellence laid out by the previous IM-COM command team, Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch and Com-

mand Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola. Switching gears now I’d

like to address some issues that I have noticed around Fort Buchanan. The most troubling of which is a lack of recognition of military cus-toms and courtesies.

As an Army installation we must work together to make sure that we meet the highest standard of discipline and re-spect for Army traditions. Re-gardless of whether you are civilian or a member of the military here there are proce-dures you must follow when on post. There are two cer-emonies occurring every day that should be respected by members of the Fort Buchan-an community: Reveille, and Retreat. Reveille is played

here every day at 6 a.m. Service members when not

in formation but in uniform, at the first note of music, must face the flag or its direction and salute. Civilians should go to the position of atten-tion and place their right hand over their hearts. If a service member is in uniform and in a vehicle; pull over when safe and have all passengers exit the vehicle and salute. Civil-ians should pull over in a safe area and remain there until the music stops. Civilians if they choose can exit a vehicle and place their right hand over their heart. End the salute or courtesy on last note of music.

For service members in

CSM Page 3

The Sentinel of the CaribbeanEl Morro Fort Buchanan

From The Top 3December 2011

IMCOM CGs Holiday Message

In this holiday season we join thousands of people around the globe, who celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of a new one.

During this time, we must take time to reflect about the great chal-lenges that we have faced during the year 2011. We must also get ready to work hard to accomplish our goals in the New Year that will begin shortly.

In addition, we must reflect about the great liberties that we enjoy in our nation, which are protected by the sacrifice of the men and wom-en in uniform, who today serve far away. Many of them are Puerto Ri-cans and many of them belong to the Army Reserve Puerto Rico.

I realize this season is especially difficult for the mobilized soldiers and their families, who will spend their holiday season away from their loved ones. I want everyone to know that I recognize your great sacrifice and service.

Like those who served before us, our Puerto Rican troops are part of a new generation of warriors, who

Puerto Rican Warriors continue a noble tradition of service

Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández,1st MSC Commander

today continue the noble tradition of selfless service to our country.

I wish all of you Happy Holidays. Receive a heartfelt THANK YOU for your service and dedication.

Sincerely,Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández

CSM, From Page 2

Lt. Gen. Mike Ferriter, IMCOM Commander

One of the world’s greatest leaders was a gate guard who worked at the main gate of Fort Benning, Ga. What made him so great was that he knew his job was more than checking ID cards. With his awesome attitude, he conveyed that he cared to every per-son passing through his lane.

Somehow he succeeded in making a difference just through his genu-ine message of “Welcome Home!” I talked with many people who came into contact with him--Soldiers, par-ents visiting their Soldiers, Civilians going to work, and visiting retirees who were stationed at Fort Benning years ago--and all agreed. He made a difference.

We’ve all seen this type of inspired leadership on every installation. Showing that we care exemplifies the very spirit of the holiday season.

The great thing about being part of the Army Family is that caring goes beyond the holiday season. It is day in, day out, year-round.

Margie and I and our four kids

have lived and grown as a Family on Army installations around the world. In addition to the gate guard, we’ve met many whose sense of service far exceeded their job description--really dedicated people at a housing office, Youth Sports coaches, and Child De-velopment professionals, to name just a few. My family’s experience is not unique. Every Soldier and Family member can point to service provid-ers on our garrisons who go out of their way to help.

The same sense of caring is why so many Soldiers, Family members, Civilians and retirees volunteer their time and talents across the installa-tion. Our volunteers welcome new-comers. They teach classes, men-tor children and teens, and run play groups for young mothers and tod-dlers. They plan outings for Wounded Warriors, build houses for disabled veterans, support Survivors, help prepare Families for deployment and throw welcome home parties.

Caring and selfless service is in-

grained in our Army culture, and we are much stronger because of it.

Army Strong! To everyone who has extended a

helping hand this past year, wheth-er in a professional capacity or as a volunteer, thank you. Thank you for choosing to go the extra mile to make a difference for Soldiers, Civilians and Families.

Let’s all enjoy what the season of-fers, wherever we are, and enjoy time with friends and loved ones. As we celebrate, let’s remember those who are deployed and extend extra sup-port to their Families at home.

Let’s also be mindful of those around us who may find this time of year more difficult. For those who need assistance, our installations pro-vide a number of Soldier and Family support services. If you are unsure where to go, start with Army Com-munity Service or the chaplain’s of-fice.

From my Family to you and yours, we wish you a safe and happy holi-

days and a blessed new year.Editor’s Note: Lt. Gen. Michael

Ferriter assumed command of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command at Joint Base San Antonio Nov. 17. He is also Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management. IMCOM is the Army’s home. Its mis-sion is to provide Soldiers, Civilians and their Families with a quality of life commensurate with the quality of their service.

uniform not in formation, at 5 p.m. during the playing of Retreat and “To The Color,” at the first note of Retreat, face the flag or the direction of the music and stand at attention. When the first note of To The Color is played render a hand salute and remain at at-tention until last note of “To The Col-or” has been played. Civilians should go to attention and at the first not of Retreat and place their right hand over their heart. As with Reveille, if in a vehicle a service member in uniform must pull over when safe and have all passengers exit the vehicle and render a proper hand salute. Civilians should pull over in a safe area and remain there until the music stops. Civilians if they choose can exit a vehicle and place their right hand over their heart.

Taps plays at 11 p.m. but there are no formal procedures for the playing of Taps outside of a military funeral or memorial ceremony. Whether you are driving your vehicle or walking through a military installation, you should never dash under cover to avoid paying respect to the flag and talking during Reveille or Retreat is

forbidden and considered disrespect-ful. The responsibility for enforcing these customs and courtesies does not solely lie with the installation com-mand sergeant major or the police de-partment. Every member of the Fort Buchanan community has a responsi-bility to enforce these standards.

Something else that has been trou-bling me is the open disregard for cleanliness, particularly around the Defense Commissary Agency/Ex-change Parking Lot and the parking lot near the PXtra. I believe we owe a sincere thanks to the DeCA and Ex-change employees who clean up the area but they should not have to clean anything up. I implore visitors to the Exchange and the Commissary to treat our installation just as you would treat any of the natural treasures found around Puerto Rico.

If you see trash, pick it up. Think twice before throwing garbage on the ground and do the right thing and find a trash can to discard your waste. As we pass into the Holidays let us re-member that in order to insure pros-perity we must safeguard the privileg-es and blessings we have.

1st MSC Holiday Message


Fort Buchanan

News4December 2011

Civilian post housing residents go rent free Invoice delivery delays prevent civilians on post from paying rent; housing office advises residents to be prepared to pay back-rent

If something is too good to be true then it is probably false. Such is the case with civilian housing residents go-ing rent-free in November and December. According to a memo released by the housing office, delays in invoice deliv-ery, which have been occur-ring for some residents since the beginning of the fiscal year, are resulting in civilian on-post residents from being billed for their rent. The problem does not affect service members liv-ing on post.

According to the memo, “the Directorate of Public Works and the Resource Management Office are working with DFAS to solve this situation as soon as possible.” Keeping tabs on the situation is acting Housing Manager, Jose Ortega, who is the point of contact for the is-sue.

“The housing office does very important things to sup-port the quality of life of Sol-diers and because of Fort Bu-chanan’s uniqueness of having a large workforce, civilian workforce, we have … 50 per-cent of our housing residents who are civilians, DoD (De-partment of Defense) civil-ians,” said Ortega.

The memo continues, “be-cause of a change to the Army Financial systems, the Defense Finance and Accounting Ser-vice, DFAS, is currently unable to process rent payments from civilians.”

Residents are advised to set aside their normal rent pay-ments because they will most likely be billed for their rent all at one time according to the memo.

Ortega said that arriving at a solution quickly was of the highest priorities for members of the garrison staff from the Resource Management office, the Directorate of Public Works and the Command Group.

While the rental issue is of

Story and photos by Luis DelgadilloFort Buchanan Public Affairs

concern at the moment, the most common concern is the condition of the homes.

“Our units are old and thus they require more maintenance than normal modern units,” he said.

Here too, Ortega and deci-sion makers for the garrison are charting a course to address the aging infrastructure of the Coconut Grove and Las Coli-nas housing areas. Looking at best courses of action in order to implement the Army’s Resi-dential Community Initiative.

According to the program’s Web site, “RCI is a critical component of the Army’s effort to eliminate inadequate hous-ing through public-private part-nerships and award contracts to eliminate inadequate family housing in the U.S.”

Locally, the program is al-ready underway with a target date of 2017 for new housing at Fort Buchanan.

“This is a DoD-wide initia-tive for which we are conduct-ing a housing assessment and there will be a joint housing as-sessment for the RC initiative from 5 to 9 December, with the intent to build new hous-ing with the up to date DoD standards,” he said. A housing assessment helps the garrison understand how many units will actually be required; cur-rently there are 90 housing units at Fort Buchanan. Ortega said that the previous housing

assessment conducted in 2007 determined that there was a need for 86 housing units. “this (new) assessment might vali-date that number or it might in-crease it,” said Ortega.

As with this issue the hous-ing office is prepared to help service members, civilians and their families with a multitude of issues relating to their qual-ity of life in housing units on post or in Army housing off post.

One of offices main under-takings is working with Sol-diers or installation civilians on transportation agreements who decide to live off post. HOUSING Page 7

Fort Buchanan has two housing areas, Coconut Grove pictured above and Las Colinas.

For support to off post resi-dents the housing division’s housing services section assists with the locating and connects property managers with poten-tial occupants.

“No uniformed Soldier should go anywhere else before going to the housing services office,” said Ortega.

When Soldiers seek off-post housing Reinaldo Abraham, housing management special-ist helps facilitate their search and manages the relationship between the landlord and the service member. Though there are less a hundred occupied housing units on Fort Buchan-

an, off-post, the housing ser-vices office helps more than service members or civilians. This includes reviewing lease agreements, inspecting off-post housing for suitability, and pro-viding resources to investigate the purchase of property here in Puerto Rico.

“We brief the Soldiers about Fort Buchanan, we explain ev-erything about Fort Buchanan and the main question is where they want to live, off-post or on-post,” said Abraham.

Abraham who has worked in the housing services office

Stephanie Acosta, housing services coordinator for the Directorate of Public Works’ Housing Division.

Reinaldo Abraham, housing management specialist with the Directorate of Public Works’ Housing Division.


NewsEl Morro Fort Buchanan December 2011

5

Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch delivers remarks on Nov. 17, 2011, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, after passing command of the Installation Management Command to Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter.

same, and that’s where we get our inspiration.”

Lynch, the only commander IMCOM has known, was quick to thank Odierno for his men-torship.

“I’ve been blessed in my 35 years of uniformed service,” Lynch said. “One of the top … blessings is my relationship with Ray Odierno.”

Odierno thanked Lynch for a career well done, capped by the complex move of an Army command from the nation’s capital to the heart of South Texas.

“Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch has served selflessly in our Army with extraordinary distinction for nearly 35 years,” Odierno said. “He’s devoted his career to taking care of Soldiers and their Families. I have watched Rick for years, always step forward, raise his right hand, and say ‘Put me in. I want the toughest job. I want the tough jobs and I’ll make it work. I’ll make it happen.’

“We thought he was the per-fect person to lead IMCOM

and transform it into a world-class organization focused on our customers. The customers are our Soldiers and their Fami-lies and our retirees.”

He cited the 120,000 people who make up IMCOM.

“We are grateful for the dedicated Army civilians and contractors that have made IM-COM such a large success,” Odierno said. “In short, the IMCOM team has been and will remain a key ingredient in our ability to protect and sus-tain combat forces around the world. I thank each and every member of IMCOM for your untiring effort and commitment to our Soldiers, their Families and the Army.”

Odierno commended Lynch for embodying words like courage, confidence, candor and compassion.

“In your 35-plus years, you have made history,” Odierno told Lynch. “You have lived in the arena and you have ex-celled inside that arena. Thank you for your steadfast dedica-tion and loyal service to our Soldiers and our nation.”

Odierno applauded Lynch’s

On Nov. 17, 2011. Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter assumed command of the Installation Management Command from Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter delivers remarks on Nov. 17, 2011, after assuming command of the Installation Manage-ment Command from Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Photos by Luke Elliot

CHANGE, From Page 1

wife, Sarah, for her dedication to the mission.

“Sarah has been serving alongside Rick every step of the way,” Odierno said. “She’s dedicated herself to our Sol-diers and Families. Whether it be leading [Family Readi-ness Groups] or working with the Families of fallen Soldiers, Sarah has met and listened to the Gold Star Families to as-sess how the Army was meet-

ing their needs and helped the Army improve its services.

“I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that Sarah has selflessly given of herself to the Army, to our Families and to our nation. Sarah, you are a true American patriot and hero. We want to thank you for all you’ve done and sacrificed throughout the years for our Army.”

The ceremony also marked

the passing of the responsibility of IMCOM command sergeant major from Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola to Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Felt. Felt, top noncommissioned officer for the IMCOM Central Region, will serve until the scheduled arrival of Command Sgt. Maj. Earl L. Rice.

“I want to personally recog-nize Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola,” Odierno said. “He was side by side with me for 15 months in Iraq when I was the multi-national corps com-mander probably during the most difficult time there was in Iraq. And frankly, I couldn’t have done it without him. We were merged at the hip. We were merged in our own minds with each other.

“There is no other finer NCO, no other noncommissioned of-ficer I would have liked by my side than Neil Ciotola. He’s a Soldier’s Soldier, a combat leader, and the epitome of a command sergeant major.”

Photos by Tim Hipps


News6December 2011

El Morro Fort Buchanan

For emergencies call 787-707-3337 to be referred to the Chaplain’s emergency line

to provide a level of security that will be sustainable by the Iraqi Security Forces as we leave,” Odierno said. “There’s still violence in Iraq, but the level of violence is signifi-cantly less than it has been for a long time. We believe they have the capacity to sustain peace within Iraq.”

The Army chief said it is time to allow Iraq to recog-nize their sovereignty and al-low them to move forward as a nation. Odierno said the Iraqis “still have many diffi-cult challenges ahead of them, both political and economic,” but the U.S. will maintain re-lationships forged over the last nine years.

“Just because we left, doesn’t mean we don’t and will not sustain a long-term military relationship with Iraq,” he explained. “What-ever size of the Army we have has got to be ready, modern-ized and capable of meeting whatever tasks they’re asked to do.”

As operations in Iraq come to a close and the defense budget remains in question, the Army is facing potential cuts to the force. Odierno said those cuts would require a re-look at how the Army provides national security, since reduc-tion in troop levels across the services could reduce the mil-itary’s capability to respond to real and potential threats.

“We’re going to have to de-termine, depending on what level we end up at, what we can and can’t do,” he said. “It’s up to me, as well as the other joint chiefs as we talk about the joint force, to ensure we communicate what we’ll be able to do and what we can’t do.”

Policy and national strat-egy will have to be adjusted to meet the available force, which could be the smallest Army since the 1940s, the smallest Air Force ever in this nation’s history and the lowest number of ships the military has had in a long time, Odi-erno said.

With those cuts, more Sol-diers will be transitioning out

of the Army into a shaky civil-ian job market and economy. Many of them could poten-tially join the more than 20 percent of veterans receiving unemployment compensa-tion; a number Odierno said is much higher than their civil-ian counterparts.

“It’s significantly higher than the normal unemploy-ment rate, so it’s incumbent on us to ensure that we have pro-cesses in place that allow them to properly transition into ci-vilian society, and getting the jobs that we believe they are more than qualified for,” the Army chief said.

The unemployment rate among veterans is a major concern of the Army chief as Soldiers leave the Army and return to civilian society. Cit-ing Soldiers’ dedication, dis-cipline, training and skills de-velopment, Odierno said they, as a whole, are more than ca-pable of garnering civilian po-sitions.

“I’m more than comfortable with them taking on a variety of jobs,” he said.

Recent tax break legisla-tion to encourage companies to hire veterans has been a good start, Odierno said, but more work can be done to help Soldiers find work outside the military. Compounding their difficulty finding civilian ca-reers, he said many veterans leaving the military and enter-ing civilian society are doing so battling the effects of trau-matic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress.

The Army is pouring in re-sources to help Soldiers, and will continue to do so, Odier-no said, but there is no black-and-white answer to post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injuries, known as PTS or TBI.

“It’s a complex, difficult issue that we’ll continue to work through,” he said.

Army officials continue to work with governmental vet-erans’ agencies, doctors and behavioral health specialists to ease Soldiers’ transitions and provide the best care available, Odierno said, not-ing that the commitment to providing support and care to

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno speaks with reporters about the state of the Army and the way ahead Dec. 6, 2011, during a press conference at Fort Hood, Texas. Odierno is a former III Corps and Fort Hood commander.

Photo by Daniel Cernero

Soldiers and their families is one Army officials work every day, and will continue.

“Our priority remains with our Soldiers and families and we will ensure that the pro-grams remain in place. We will continue to fund those programs,” Odierno said. “That’s our priority and we’ll never walk away from that priority.”

ODIERNO, From Page 1

CORRECTION

The article titled “Internship opportunities abound through AVC,” in the November edition incorrectly listed academic internship opportunities as being available through the Army Volunteer Corps. The AVC is a Army Community Service program that only only deals with volunteers not college stu-dents seeking college credit for interships. The El Morro editorial board regrets the error.


NewsEl Morro Fort Buchanan

7December 2011

FORT LEE, Va. – Applica-tions for the 2012 Scholar-ships for Military Children Program are now available at commissaries worldwide as well as online through a link on http://www.commis-saries.com and directly at http://www.militaryscholar.org.

Awards will be based on funds available, but the pro-gram awards at least one $1,500 scholarship to a stu-dent at each commissary.

The scholarship program was created to recognize military families’ contribu-tions to the readiness of U.S. armed forces and the com-missary’s role in the mili-tary community. Since the program began in 2000, it has awarded more than $9.3 million in scholarships to 6,069 military children from 62,000-plus applicants.

To be eligible for a schol-arship, the student must be a dependent, unmarried child, no older than 21 – or 23, if

enrolled as a full-time stu-dent at a college or university – of a service member on ac-tive duty, reservist, guards-man, retiree or survivor of a military member who died while on active duty or sur-vivor of a retiree. Eligibility is determined using the De-fense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database.

Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current military ID card. The applicant must also be planning to attend or already attending an accredited col-lege or university, full time, in the fall of 2012 or be en-rolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program.

Applicants must submit an essay on a topic which will be available Dec. 1 on http://www.mili taryscholar.org. Applications must be turned in to a commissary by close of business Feb. 24, 2012.

According to the National Retail Federation, more than half of all shoppers in 2010 said they’d like to receive gift cards, marking four years in a row that gift cards have topped consumers’ holiday wish lists. And while most any gift card will work for most, military sup-porters have long struggled with finding the right one for troops serving far from home.

The Army & Air Force Ex-change Service’s 3,100 retail fa-cilities in all 50 states and some 30 countries may be the solution for both military members and supporters.

“Exchange gift cards are an excellent way to send troops exactly what they want as they can select their own gifts,” said the Fort Buchanan Exchange’s General Manager Tony Pares. “Whether the service member who receives the card wants

a cappuccino from Starbucks, some beef jerky from the Ex-change or a tank of gas for the family car, the recipient gets support that is tailored to their need.”

While only authorized mili-tary shoppers can redeem Ex-change gift cards, any American can send them by simply call-ing 800-527-2345 or logging on to www.shopmyexchange.com and clicking “Support Your Troops” and then the “Gift and Calling Cards” icon.

From there, Exchange gift cards, ranging in values from $10 to $500, can be addressed to a specific service member or sent to “any service mem-ber” through the American Red Cross, Fisher House Founda-tion, USO, Soldier and Fam-ily Assistance Center, Air Force Aid Society or Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Open season on scholarships for military children ends Feb. 24

Gift Cards Ensure Troops’ Stockings are Stuffed for the Holidays

Staff Sgt. Joseph Gose, from the garrison Religious Support Office speaks with Yvette Robles, an administrative assis-tant, concerning the selection of on post quarters at the Directorate of Public Works’ Housing offices Nov. 17.

Photos by :Luis Delgadillo

HOUSING, From Page 4since 1999 most often rec-ommends that newly arrived service members or civilians who wish to live off-post, find a gated community that is ser-viced by Fort Buchanan school system school buses.

Living off-post has some set-backs but they are not normally issues that a tenant wouldn’t face anywhere else. “The com-mon problem the wear and tear of the houses,” said Maldo-nado. “If a landlord says that something is damaged we go and see it and we try to come up with a solution to the problem.”

Whether it is resolving ten-ant and landlord issues or pro-viding advice to newly arrived service members the housing office priority is effective cus-tomer service.

With as much as the housing office does for residents Ortega and his staff require assistance from housing residents with just a few key tasks, among them is filling out housing resi-dent surveys and turning them in.

“We tried to do one survey when the hurricane season started, it was about the gen-erators and the response from the residents was weak,” said Ortega.

In order for me to provide

Delfin Sepulveda, housing inspector for the Directorate of Public Works’ Housing Division.

a better service, If I don’t get your (a resident’s) feedback I’ll be working in a vacuum … or miss identifying the real need

of the residents,” he said. “It limits my ability to provide the best quality of service that the residents deserve.”


News8December 2011


Ever feel like there was something missing from the El Morro?

Like perhaps your unit??

Starting January 3, 2012, school lunch prices at all De-partment of Defense Educa-tion Activity schools Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS) will increase.

On November 10, 2011, the military services approved an increase in the price of school lunches at DoDEA schools in order to keep pace with in-creasing operational costs and comply with The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (Pub-lic Law 111-296). The Act requires participants in the USDA meal program to raise paid student lunch prices to a level comparable to the state subsidy rate used for USDA re-imbursement.

“As the designated School Food Authority, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service provides school meals on a non-profit, break even basis. In order to keep pace with increas-ing food and operational costs, and to be compliant with this new law, school lunch prices will increase for the first time in seven years,” explained U.S. Army Lt. Col. Thomas Shrader, an Exchange spokesman.

The last price increase was a $0.10 per meal in 2004. The new increase is $.35 per full price meal making the new prices starting on January 3, 2012, $2.40 for Elementary Students and $2.55 for Second-ary Students. Families qualify-ing for the Free and Reduced Meal Program will not be im-pacted by the meal cost increas-es. The cost of a reduced-price meal will remain unchanged at 40 cents per meal.

Wholesome, balanced meals are vital to the academic achievement of school-aged children. The DoD School Meal Program meets the same USDA guidelines as CONUS schools by providing all of the important nutrients children need to be successful in school and healthy in the future.

School lunch prices rise at Fort BuchananDoDEA Public Affairs

El Morro is the Fort Buchanan community newspa-per and the editorial board wants to include military

units from Fort Buchanan in its pages.

If you’re tenant unit would like stories or stand alone photos published in the El Morro contact the editor,

Luis Delgadillo at: (787)707-5762 or by e-mail at [email protected]

If you are military retiree or service member wishing to announce a garage sale or place a classified ad,

beginning in January, El Morro will launch a classifieds section. Call today for space and details.

FORT LEE, Va. - The ser-geant major of the Army visit-ed Fort Lee Tuesday to present awards to the support staff of the 2011 Best Warrior Com-petition. Before recognizing the Fort Lee members, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III took time to share his thoughts on professionals.

“Who has their dog tags?” he asked.

After hearing affirmation in the audience, Chandler said “That’s the mark of a profes-sional. I’ve got mine on.”

Being a professional is about character, commitment and competence, he said.

“If you’re not wearing (your dog tags) right now, in this auditorium, you’re wrong,” said Chandler. “And if you’re wrong, it’s because of one of three things: You’re not a per-son of character. You’re not a person of commitment, or you’re not competent. If you say ‘No one is more profes-sional than I,’ how can you say that if you are not willing to wear something as basic as a dog tag.”

M o v i n g back to ba-sics is the future of the Army, said Chan-dler. He pointed out how well the Army has done in the last 10 years, but said some have let the standards slip away.

“Let’s get back to dog tags, physical fitness, and look-ing and acting like a Soldier,” Chandler said. “That’s what’s going to drive our Army in the future -- the realization, or re-awakening, that something as basic as a set of dog tags de-fines who you are. Wearing your dog tags and being a per-son of character, doing what you are supposed to do even

SMA encourages professionalism

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III speaks about being a profes-sional in today’s Army during the 2011 Best Warrior Competition support award ceremony Tuesday at the Army Logistics University at Fort Lee, Va.

Story and photo by Amy Perry Fort Lee Public Affairs Office

when no one is looking.”Chandler encouraged the

noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, in the audience to enforce the standards of the Army.

“You have to know what the standard is and you have to be able to set it yourself,” he con-tinued. “Are we going to walk past a deficiency or are we go-ing to correct it and move on?”

Recognizing the importance of the Best Warrior competi-tion for the Army, Chandler said Team Lee does a tremen-dous job at providing the re-sources that make the compe-tition work.

He said while the Army will continue to look at alternate locations to hold the event, as efficiency and effectiveness should always be sought, the Fort Lee team is the intangible that will likely keep the com-petition returning here.

“Your commitment to ex-cellence, I believe, is going to see the event stay here for the foreseeable future,” Chandler said. “My hat’s off to you for everything you did.”

Command Sgt. Maj. C.C. Jenkins Jr., CASCOM and Fort

Lee command sergeant ma-jor, has been the driving force of the last three Best Warrior competitions. While he will retire before the next one, Jenkins said it was a distinct honor for him

to be able to recognize the sup-port team.

“We have the opportunity to recognize the people of Fort Lee, not only Soldiers, but civilians and contractors as well, everyone who had a part in this great event,” he said. “It’s a pleasure and privilege to work as your sergeant major at Fort Lee. We identified our best Soldiers, the best to put on the team, to make this event successful.”

Let’s get back to dog tags, physical fitness, and looking and acting like a Soldier.

Raymond F. Chandler III- Sergeant Major of the Army


NewsEl Morro Fort Buchanan December 2011

9

First Army Soldiers of the 2nd Bat-talion, 348th Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade welcomed their new command sergeant major during a change of re-sponsibility ceremony conducted at Ra-mos Hall Dec. 3.

Incoming CSM, Command Sgt. Maj. Jose V. Martinez took responsibility of the “Cobra” Soldiers from acting CSM, Master Sgt. Luis Figueroa who dutifully held the position of CSM for the battal-ion for six months.

Members of the official party includ-ed Maj. Sheyla Baez, commander of the 2-348th Regt., Command Sgt. Maj. Robert G. Todd, 158th Inf. Bde. CSM, incoming CSM and outgoing acting CSM.

Honored guests included Command Sgt. Maj. Derrick T. Simpson, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan Com-mand Sergeant Major and family mem-bers and member of the 1st Mission Support Command.

Martinez comes to the 2-348th from the 1st Mission Support Command where he was assigned to the 393rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.

“Today is a good day to take respon-sibility,” said Martinez. “I’m convinced that I will work with committed people of great value with great values to serve our nation,” he said

During his remarks Martinez said that before accepting the position of 2-348th CSM he consulted with one of his most

important advisors, his wife Ana.Figueroa will return to his previous

duties as noncommissioned officer in charge of the battalion’s signal team.

“Today is about honor, the honor of transferring responsibility to Command Sgt. Maj. Martinez,” said Figueroa. “Thank you for giving me your sup-port and now I encourage you to give the same support to Command Sgt. Maj. Martinez,” he said.

Figueroa thanked Baez for her sup-port and for the experience. In her re-marks Baez said she welcomed the op-portunity of having Martinez join the “Cobra” battalion and looked forward to the idea of retaining two very strong NCOs in her command.

According to his bio, Martinez’s en-listed in the U.S. Army in 1986 and has held every level of NCO leadership from team leader to command sergeant major. In 2003 Martinez was called to active-duty in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom and Endur-ing Freedom as the Mobilization First Sergeant for the U.S. Army Reserve in Puerto Rico, in charge of 856 Soldiers.

He also served in the Persian Gulf War from 1990 to 1991 during Opera-tions Desert Storm and Desert Shield. His awards include the Army Achieve-

ment Medal, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star device, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Government of Kuwait Medal, Armed Forces Re-serve Medal, Noncommissioned Offi-cers Professional Development Ribbon with 3 device, the Army Reserve Com-ponents Achievement Medal with three

2-348th welcomes new command sergeant majorStory and photos by Luis DelgadilloFort Buchanan Public Affairs

Command Sgt. Maj. Jose V. Martinez, speaks to guests and Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 348th Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, during his change of responsibility ceremony during which he took responsibility of 2-348th troops at Fort Buchanan P.R. Dec. 3.

oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal one oak leaf cluster, Overseas Service Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters.

Martinez is married to Ana Lourdes Guadalupe and they have two children Joy Alexander and Anna Camille ages 12 and 9 respectively.

Maj. Sheyla Baez, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 348th Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, hands the battalion colors to incoming command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Jose B. Martinez as outgoing acting command sergeant major, Master Sgt. Luis A Figueroa looks on at Fort Buchanan, P.R. Dec. 3.

Master Sgt. Luis A. Figueroa, outgoing acting command sergeant major, speaks to guests and Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 348th Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, during the battalion’s change of responsibility ceremony at Fort Buchanan P.R. Dec. 3.

SMA encourages professionalism

The Sentinel of the CaribbeanDecember 201110 Turkey Bowl 2011http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortbuchanan_elmorro/

Army Defeats Marines 26-12, reclaim Turkey Bowl Trophy

Before

After


Fort Buchanan

Turkey Bowl 2011 11http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortbuchanan_elmorro/

Before

After


Features12December 2011


Did you visit USAG Fort Buchanan today? Let us know how was your experience in our facilities? How was our service?

By Myrna Llanos, Prevention CoordinatorASAP Prevention Coordinator

ASAP Informs: Drunk, Drugged Driving Prevention Month

It is very easy to provide feedback through: hardcopy comment card, your personal computers and now through your smartphones. Yes, now you can

provide us immediate feedback, through your smartphones:

1. Go to an iphone or Android apps store2. Download any barcode scanning application3. Scan the barcode on the office poster

When filling out the ICE comment, please make sure you answer the satisfac-tion question (“Were you satisfied with your experience at this office/facility?”). The satisfaction percentage on the ICE report is based on the number of “yes”

responses to the satisfaction question. The Overall Satisfaction question is designed to rate the customer total experience and the results are used to determine the satisfaction percentage for that particular service. If the cus-

tomer does not respond to the satisfaction question, the submission will not be included in the satisfaction percentage that is rolled up in reports.

With your feedback, our services always improve. ICE makes it better!

Once again the Holiday Season soon will be approaching us. This special season generally means more parties, which raises the potential to drink. Driving defensively means not only taking responsibility for yourself and your actions but also keeping an eye on “the other guy.” If you plan to drink, designate a driver who won’t drink. Alcohol is a factor in almost half of all fatal motor ve-hicle crashes.

December is annually designat-ed as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (referred to as 3D Month). Every day, almost 30 people in the United States (in-cluding Puerto Rico) die in motor ve-hicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.

This amounts to one death every 48 minutes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 3D Month reminds us to “Designate before we Celebrate” and encourages safe and sober driving. The Ft. Bu-chanan Army Substance Abuse Pro-gram (ASAP) will be emphasizing drunk driving prevention education during this campaign.

If you are a host for a party, here are some things you can do to pro-mote responsible drinking at a social function:

1. Provide plenty of non-alcoholic beverages. 2. Do not pressure guests to drink. 3. Serve food to slow the rate of ab-sorption of alcohol. 4. Stop serving alcohol at least one hour before the party is over. 5. If guests drink too much, call a cab or arrange a ride with a sober driver.

In addition, to stay safe consider the following tips: 1. If it is a close friend, try and use a soft, calm approach at first. Suggest to them that they’ve had too much to drink and it would be better if some-one else drove or if they took a cab. 2. If it is somebody you don’t know well, speak to their friends and have them make an attempt to persuade them to hand over the keys. Usually they will listen. 3. Locate their keys while they are preoccupied and take them away. Most likely, they will think they’ve lost them and will be forced to find another mode of transportation.

Having a fun holiday is having a safe holiday. Take a stand against impaired driving.

Support the Ft. Buchanan ASAP in the public awareness and enforce-ment campaign to prevent impaired driving.

Do your part: Don’t drink and drive! And remember: Friends don’t let friends drive drunk

Fort Buchanan endangered species thriving at DNER

UBINAS: Welcome to the Cambalache Plant Nursery. This plant nursery be-longs to the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and was created in 1978 due to large re-forestation demands in that year and it is focused on growing trees that can be planted in rural and urban areas.

After the creation of this nursery, 2 million trees have been planted and a new program was created to protect En-dangered Species.

Specialized personnel have been re-cruited to work with endangered species in the scientific investigation division that includes a biologist and his assis-tant.

These biologists visit areas were the endangered species are found, in this case, the Palo de Rosa that has been identified at Fort Buchanan. They have been monitoring the trees and seeds that were collected. These biologists monitor the flowering and fruit (seed) production of the tree. This seed is col-lected manually and brought to the plant nursery, dried, logged in a data base, and then placed in containers (seed-bed) with soil apt for germinating.

The next step is to monitor the germi-nation period.

The germination of this seed has been

challenging since it took more than 2 months to sprout (grow) and each seed germinated in different periods, for ex-ample, today one seed could grow and two weeks later another could sprout.

Once seedlings grow and reach an ad-equate size, they are transferred to larger planters, the growth is monitored, an identification number is given with the origin and germination time, and taken to an area were insects are controlled and proper fertilizer applied.

This tree grows very slow and it has been found that in other parts of the is-land the seeds never germinate. This is why it is treated as an endangered spe-cies since its germination and growth are challenging. El Morro: What is done with these trees after they leave the nursery?

-We have an example with the “Palo de Ramón” (endangered species) were the seeds were collected in this same forest, germinated and grew here and then introduced back into the Cam-balache Forest.

For the case of the Palo de Rosa we are still in discussion on where they will be planted but most probably in a PRDNER forest and if possible at Fort Buchanan in a protected area were no future construction projects are planned.

Photos by Luis Delgadillo

Fort Buchanan’s El Morro takes a field trip to the Department of Nat-ural and Environmental Resourc-es- Forest Bureau. Our guide, Rubén Ubiñas, an agronomer and supevisor with Cambalache For-est Nursery near Arecibo.


Healthy Living 13El Morro Fort Buchanan December 2011

By Capt. Taylor Opel, DVMFort Buchanan Veterinary Treatment Facility

During the approaching holiday sea-son, it is important that we ensure that our four-legged family members can safely enjoy it as much as we do. Many things we look forward to for Thanks-giving and Christmas can be hazardous for our pets. This article will address these dangers and ways to minimize risk if not prevent them altogether.

Holiday Table Scraps: We tend to enjoy lots of rich, fatty foods dur-ing the holidays. Since our pets are not accustomed to abrupt changes in their diet, a sud-den increase in fat con-tent can have a nega-tive impact on their digestive health. Feed-ing things like ham, tur-key, and sweets are common causes of vomiting, diarrhea, and even pancreati-tis, which can be very serious, even fa-tal. Even the juices from cooking these foods can sometimes have enough fat to make your pet very sick. Foods with bone fragments are especially danger-ous. Since bones are not digested by the body, they can become lodged in your pet’s intestinal tract causing an ob-struction and potentially requiring sur-gical removal. If the bones have sharp points, they can poke through your pet’s stomach or intestines and cause a severe and life-threatening bacterial infection. It is important to keep holiday treats and candies out of your pet’s reach. Addi-tionally, remember gifts under your tree that may be food items and may be very tempting to curious pets.

Chocolate: Many of us are aware that chocolate can be hazardous to our pet’s health, yet it continues to be the most common toxic ingestion in our pet population. It is not at all uncom-mon to see a bowl of chocolate candy on the dining room table i n the home of a pet owner. It is this acces-sibility and sweet taste that makes choc-olate a very enticing toxin for dogs and cats. The primary toxins in chocolate are caffeine and theobromine (a compound related to caffeine). Depending on the dose, these compounds can cause hy-perexcitability followed by weakness, loss of balance, seizures, and ultimately coma and death. The doses of theo-

bromine and caffeine are dependent on the amount and type of chocolate in-gested. While all choco-late poses these risks, types of chocolate with a more bitter taste tend to have a higher concentra-tion of these toxins. For instance, baker’s chocolate is more danger-ous than milk chocolate, which is more dangerous than white choco-late. If your pet ingests chocolate, it

is important that they are seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Other Toxic Foods: Macadamia nuts, grapes,

chewing gum with xy-litol, unbaked yeast dough.

Household Plants: Some holiday ornamental

plants can cause illness in your pet if either the leaves or the stems are ingest-ed. Clinical signs caused by household plants can range from mild to severe de-pending on the type of plant involved. Ingestion of lilies is very serious and can lead to acute kidney fail-ure. Mistletoe can cause mild GI upset, vomiting, diarrhea or liver failure and seizures. If your pet ingests these plants, they should be seen by a vet-erinarian. Poinsettia ingestion can be irritating to the mouth and stomach, resulting in mild GI up-set and temporary loss of appetite. In rare cases, blisters may form in the ani-mal’s mouth. These signs are typically s e l f - limiting and do not require

veterinary care. Christmas Trees:

Tree ornaments can present a hazard to pets. There are a wide variety of ornaments on the mar-ket, and some look very

similar to pet toys (espe-cially to cats). Most of these ornaments have hooks that

can cause injury to the paws or inside of your pet’s mouth. If ingest-

ed, they can also damage the intestinal tract. If your cat is tempted to play with the ornaments on your tree, decorate the bottom third of the tree with non-break-able, plastic, or wooden ornaments that do not have hooks, or decorate only the top two-thirds of your tree. You may feel your tree looks funny, but it will save you from spending the holidays at an emergency veterinary clinic.

Animals are also attracted to Christ-mas lights, and will chew or pull on the

cords. Electrocution or burns to the face and mouth can result when a

pet bites an electric cord. Lights need to be hung out of reach of pets, and animals should not be left unattended around Christmas trees or other strands of lights. This

is not only a danger to the pet, but to the family. Frayed electric cords are a hazard to

the entire household and an overzealous cat at play can easily bring down a poorly secured Christmas tree. Trees should be secured to a wall or ceiling hook. This will help prevent the tree from toppling over should your pet decide to jump on it to get to a tempting ornament.

The presents under the tree pose a similar risk as the ornaments hanging from it. Animals often see ribbons and string as toys and may chew on them. Eventually they may swallow them which can cause an intestinal obstruc-tion. This can be a life-threatening situ-ation requiring emergency surgery to

remove the foreign material. Keeping these types of items away from pets is a simple way to protect them.

For more informa-tion or if your pet ex-

periences any of these problems, call the Fort Buchanan Vet-erinary Treatment Facility at 787-707-2038. If it is an emergency or outside

Holiday safety for pets: keep rover out of dangerof the clinic’s business hours (M/W/F 0800 – 1530, T/TH 0800-1700), please contact your local veterinary emergency clinic.

We will be closed on December 23, 26, 30 and January 2, 6.

Open to all Active and Retired Mili-tary Personnel, National Guard, Coast Guard, FBI, Fort Buchanan Security

Personnel, Reservists, and DoD civilians.

Appointment times are available, but walk-ins are welcome

Our Holiday Hours are 8 a.m. to noon on December 27, 28, and 29. We will be closed December

23, 26, 30 and January 2, 6

Veterinary Clinic now open dur-ing lunch for retail purchases,

appointment scheduling from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

(787)-707-2038

Normal Business HoursMon. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Tues. 7:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.Wed. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.Thurs. 7:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.Fri. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Fort Buchanan Veterinary Treatment Facility

Vaccination Clinic

Visit our YouTube channel to see the latest video news stories from the Fort Buchanan Public Affairs Office.

To suggest story ideas or if you’d like to bring attention to an individual who stands out in our community contact the

Fort Buchanan Public Affairs Office at 787)707-5762 or [email protected]

www.youtube.com/user/FortBuchanan


Features14December 2011


Luis Salazar on safety: six flags over motorcyclesBy Luis SalazarSafety Office Contractor

In an effort to improve the reg-istration process for all soldiers, the new Web site through the Army IMCOM Registration Sys-tem will make registration for all courses easier to accomplish.

Registration is now required for all driving courses as well as for Motorcycle Safety Founda-tion courses.

The new address is https://apps.imcom.army.mil/AIRS

This site will provide on-line registration and management of traffic safety training courses for the Army Traffic Safety Training Program. You can view course calendars to see what courses are being offered at garrisons in your local area. It will also aid

you in successfully registering for courses electronically using a web based browser or smart phone. To view available cours-es, log on to the link above and select a region and then a garri-son from the drop down menu. From there just choose the date of the course and register.

Army Traffic Safety Training Program gets a new Web site

https://apps.imcom.army.mil/AIRS

Flags normally herald distinctive col-ors, patterns, or symbolic devices. As a verb the word denotes a condition that raises attention if activated. Whether noun or verb it is interesting to know that your motorcycle has six flags. Good control and use of these flags will deter-mine your safety, style and dare I say survival while riding.

In the interest of solidarity with our motorcycle let’s look once more at these heralds of control that help us raise the flag of safety over our riding skills.

HANDLEBARS –At times I’ve seen motorcyclists relate to their handlebars as a fashion statement. To them it’s all about “good” looks? Right? Whatever the case, ask how well can I control the way my bike steers? Can I countersteer without any obstacles? Yeah that thing I’ve seen other riders do. When they press left or right on their handlebars the motorcycle will lean towards the di-rection pressed. Handlebars need to be treated as a pressure sensitive device that help steer, control lean and make our ride fun, exciting and safe.

THROTTLE – The primary creator of time and space for the motorcyclist on the highway. Proficient use of the throt-tle will help create the necessary envi-ronment leading to the positive side of safety. It will help you define and create a rolling space cushion needed to survive ongoing traffic challenges. Most riders tend to look at their throttle as a tool to accelerate from point A to point B. If that is your case, look again. You can also decelerate and this can be used as a means of preemptive braking helping the rider shorten the reaction time used for actual braking. Smooth acceleration and deceleration is a basic technique that

needs to be mastered by all riders. The alternative to this is seen on the road as motorcycles violently jerk up or down on a straightaway or even worse as they buckle and wobble their way through curves. Knowing how to “flick” you wrist and control your throttle is truly a song in itself.

CLUTCH LEVER – Control of the friction zone is an art all to itself. As a beginner it probably is the hardest and most challenging aspect or riding. New-comers sometimes treat their clutch in such a way that as soon as the motor-cycle rolls from a start they go ahead and release the clutch lever only to find that the bike stalls. Novice and expe-rienced riders need to understand that the friction zone, yes the area where the clutch begins to transmit power to the rear wheel and ends as the clutch is fully engaged, is not controlled by speed but much more by intelligent application of finger pressure. This pressure can work for us in two ways. As we accelerate it can help us smoothly shift gears. The in-verse is also true as the clutch lever can also be used to downshift smoothly and decelerate the motorcycle. Try it next time you are in a safe practice area and develop a personal pace for better con-trol of the friction zone.

GEAR SHIFT LEVER –It behooves all riders to understand the use of this le-ver. Is it easily reachable with your foot? Can you comfortably slide your foot underneath the lever to be able to up-shift? I remember a friend many years ago telling me that the first time he rode his Yamaha 650 was after he bought it and took it on a ride from San Juan to Isabela. Being new to motorcycles he did not know much about the sequential gear pattern of most bikes but had been told where first, neutral and second was.

So he took off on the trip and never went above second gear. Imagine the trip it must have been exhausting. On top of that he said that the gears when he shift-ed grinded and rattled. Have you seen this before? Engine speed is the main in-dicator of shifting. High revving engines are yelling at the top of their gears for an upshift as well as motorcycles vio-lently jerking at slow speeds usually are communicating to the rider the essential need to downshift. Perspective is the key word with the gear shift lever and each rider must develop the correct vi-sion. Gear Shift Levers are not hammers and must be treated in a synchronized way to avoid the grind, rattle or jerk-ing of the motorcycle. As you correctly match engine speed to road speed you will see that shifting gears will almost fall into place by providing just a small amount of pressure with your left foot. Don’t ever force the shift and if you ever are rewarded with the proverbial clang, grind or are met with resistance as you shift, practice making the shift at differ-ent speeds to see if you receive a better message. As you achieve smooth effort-less shifts, know you are well on your way.

BRAKES (Front & Rear) – It is im-portant to note that on a motorcycle we have one throttle and two brakes. Ever wonder why this is? Many motorcycle riders tell me that their main relation-ship with these life savers is limited to the aft brake only, leaving the front one untouched. Rear brakes are great and can be used to achieve different objec-tives. However we should be careful to understand that at most rear brakes will provide a total of 30% of our total brak-ing force. If we try to increase braking performance by adding additional pres-sure then we end up in a wheel lock sce-

nario with likely loss of steering control and a potential fall. While wise use of the rear brake can create good exit strat-egies to bad curves and traffic situations we should understand that the real pro-tagonist for sure stops is the front brake.

Front Brakes tend to make some rid-ers wary. Simple reason is a riders myth that they will go head over tea kettle if they use them. Front brakes need to be used and as you practice either on the road or track see how much dive, dis-tance or time is incurred by using them in controlled practice stops. Learn to add different amounts of pressure so that you know how your bike will react in all situations. Practice by applying some pressure first to your front brake and then adding rear brake pressure. As you gain full control of the brakes on your motorcycle. Practice on good clean surfaces before you take it to the road. Don’t forget that full application of brakes should only be done straight up and not in turns or leans.

With experience you will note that riding a motorcycle can be quite diverse and we can achieve good safe behavior using various techniques. Many riding variables need to be managed; different input controls have to be worked simul-taneously and diverse dynamics that af-fect motorcycle stability all tend to dem-onstrate the need for increasing both experiential as well as technical knowl-edge of the inputs that control our mo-torcycle. Managing this trifecta of driv-ing, braking and lateral forces so that in the long we win at life and survival. Bet-tering our technical knowledge, increas-ing our maneuvering effectiveness and furthering our control on these Six Flags needs to become a prime directive for every motorcycle rider. As always stay safe and let me know how it went.

Staff Sgt. Marilyn Bernier from the 475th Engineer Company, currently deployed in Afghanistan, is interviewed by Alba Nydia Diaz host of the WAPA TV show Entre Nosotras, while her husband Wilfredo Molina, their daughter Keliann Maree, 9, and their son Kenneth, 7, watch with emotion, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Nov. 7. Bernier was interviewed live via satellite from Afghanistan as an example of the new generation of US Army Reserve veterans.

Army Reserve Strong over satellite

Guaynabo, PR- The distance be-tween Afghanistan and Puerto Rico was dissolved thanks to the technology, when Staff Sgt. Marilyn Bernier, 475th Engineer Company, was interviewed live, via satellite, at WAPA-TV’s “Entre Nosotras” show, 7 Nov.

“The Puerto Rican soldiers who are here are all working hard and we are doing well,” said Bernier to Alba Nydia Diaz, host of the TV show.

Bernier’s family was also present at the TV studio during the live interview.

Her spouse Wilfredo Molina, their daughter Keliann Maree Molina, 9, and their son Kenneth O. Molina, 7, were all very happy and excited to see their mom on the TV monitor.

“We all are very proud of you,” said Molina to his wife.

“I love you and miss you very much. I cannot wait until you come home,” said Keliann to her mom, while containing her tears.

Talking directly to her family, Ber-nier highlighted the support received. “You know you have been my strength throughout this process. You keep me strong and stable. All of this is for you. I want you to know that mom is always thinking of you,” said an emotional Ber-nier.

“One of the most difficult things is to be away from your family. Other than that, I am doing the job I chose. Con-sidering all the circumstances, we are doing very well”, added Bernier, while answering Diaz’ questions.

Bernier, a Guayama, Puerto Rico na-tive, is a member of the Army Reserve

By Maj. Carlos Cuebas1st MSC Public Affairs

since 1998 and performs duty as Hori-zontal Construction Supervisor at the 475th Engineer Company, US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, currently de-ployed in Afghanistan.

Molina, who works as supervisor at a local Toyota Dealer in San Juan, has been taking care of the couples’ two kids for 10 months.

“My boss has helped and supported

me a lot during this time. I really have to thank him publicly,” said Molina.

The TV show host also got emotional and sent a message directly to Bernier and all the soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan.

“Many blessings to you and to all your peers, especially to all the Puerto Rican soldiers. You are risking you lives, but you are making us all very proud. Many

blessings to all,” said DiazThe interview took place during the

veteran’s day week, in order to highlight the new generation of US Army Reserve veterans and their families.

“Of course I am excited about coming home. I want to be with my family, kiss them and hug them. We all will be home very soon, after completing this tour,” said a proud Bernier.

Photo by Staff Sgt, José Santos Santos

US Army Reserve - Puerto Rico promotes balance among its troops

Fort Buchanan, PR- With the intent of promoting the balance , morale and wellbeing among its workforce, fami-lies and the military community across the island, the US Army Reserve-Puer-to Rico (1st Mission Support Com-mand) celebrated a Sports Festival and a 5k run, 19 Nov at Fort Buchanan.

The event was funded with the Army Communities of Excellence (ACOE) monetary award that the 1st MSC re-

ceived last year. The Sports Festival included many

activities for the family, such as an ob-stacle course, Gotcha paintball, water slide, rock climbing wall and others events.

“We really appreciate not only the participation of the 1st MSC soldiers, but also the participation of the whole military community. I hope you en-joyed this event,” said Brig. Gen. Fer-nando Fernández, commander of the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, 1st

Mission Support Command. Retired Sgt. 1st Class Angel Rios,

from Carolina, PR, came with his fam-ily to participate in the event.

“This type of activities is very im-portant for the military community. It maintains the family balanced and the good relations among soldiers,” said Rios who was accompanied by his wife and two children.

As part of the benefits of participat-ing in the event, the command distrib-uted promotional items to all registered

participants. A gym bag, an aluminum water bottle, a hat and shirts were part of the coveted articles received by the participants.

The main event of the day was the 5k run, which started at 4:30 p.m.

The overall winner of the race, with 18 minutes, 31 seconds, was Den-nis Rodriguez, a University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo campus, student, who is the son of Orlando Rodriguez, a fed-

BALANCE Page 16


eral employee.“This is the first time I par-

ticipate in this type of event at Fort Buchanan, but I really enjoyed the race. I tried to run fast from the beginning, until I found my place in the group. Fortunately, I was able to main-tain my pace the whole time,” said Rodriguez.

The overall winner for the female category was Sgt. 1st Class Saby Calo, 1st MSC Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, with 23 minutes

A military dependent enjoys the climbing wall, during the 1st MSC Sports Festival, 19 Nov 2011 at Fort Buchanan, PR. The event promoted the wellbeing and morale of the troops and their families.

Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández (left) and Command Sgt. Maj. René Rivera (right), 1st MSC Commanding General and Command Sgt. Maj. respectively, cross the finish line of the 5k race, during the 1st MSC Sports Festival, 19 Nov 2011 at Fort Buchanan, PR. The event promoted the wellbeing and mo-rale of the troops and their families.

Runners start the 5k race during the 1st MSC Sports Festival, 19 Nov 2011 at Fort Buchanan, PR. The event promoted the wellbeing and morale of the troops and their families.

BALANCE, From Page 15 and 59 seconds.“It was challenging because

there was another female that I thought was going to pass me. But I liked it very much. I think this race should happen again next year,” said Calo.

Sgt. 1st Class Sammy San-tiago, assigned to the 268th Transportation Company, was the first 1st MSC male service member crossing the finish line.

“This was a very good run. I found the last 800 meters to be more challenging because there was a hill. But other than that,

I feel happy to be able to make a good representation of the 1st MSC”, said Santiago who has been mobilized twice to Iraq.

“This is a great event be-cause I had the opportunity of bringing my children and creat-ing great family bonding,” said Santiago.

There were many service members, families and mem-bers of the military community who participated in the day’s events. There were over 160 participants registered in the race, with several male and fe-male categories.

Photos by Staff Sgt, José Santos Santos


Finance unit deploys to AfghanistanSoldiers assigned to the

389th Finance Detachment, US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, left to Fort Dix, N.J., Nov. 12, as part of their preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan.

“I am very satisfied with the level of preparation of our sol-diers. I know we will do an ex-cellent job,” said Capt. Jaime Soto, unit commander, as the troops boarded the bus, which would take them to the airport.

Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernán-dez, senior U.S. Army Reserve officer in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, talked to the troops.

“You will represent not only

your unit, but every Puerto Ri-can soldier. I know that you will perform superbly and that you will make us all proud,” said Fernández.

Fernández also addressed the family members present. “I want you to be sure that you are not alone. You have us, the US Army Reserve family in Puerto Rico. If you have any questions or doubts, please contact us im-mediately,” said Fernández.

Mr. Wilfredo Morales was one of the family members pres-ent. “We are happy and confi-dent that everything will be all right. We are very proud”, said Morales, who came to say good-bye to his grandson Spc. Arnal-

do Oscar Martinez. Spc. Lasey Lopez Santiago is

another reservist mobilized with the 389th. For Lopez, who is an accountant at the accountant-ing firm Velez-Medina, based in Humacao, the mobilization pro-cess is not new.

“My father (Warrant Offi-cer Two, Pedro López) left for Iraq at the beginning of the year 2011. Now, I am the one being mobilized. My brother (2nd Lt. Peter Lopez) will also be mobi-lized to Afghanistan. This is not new for me,” said Lopez, who hopes to be able to reunite with her brother, once both are in Af-ghanistan.

The 389th Finance Detach-

ment will be responsible for payroll and contract payment actions, once in Theater. The Puerto Rican troops must com-plete additional training at the

Fort Dix, NJ mobilization sta-tion, before leaving to Afghani-stan.The 389th is part of the over six units scheduled to mobilize during the 2012 fiscal year.

Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández, senior U.S. Army Reserve officer in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, addresses the soldiers assigned to the 389th Finance Detachment prior to mobilization to Afghanistan, 12 Nov.


This section is dedicated to high-light a service member from our command, in recognition to his/her hard work and dedication to the mission. Units are encour-aged to submit names every month by the 20th of the month.

December 2011 1st MSC Spot-light: Spec. Christian Matos Martinez

Unit: 246th Quartermaster Com-pany, Aguadilla, PR

Time in service: Two years in the US Army Reserve- Puerto Rico

Age: 22

Army Physical Fitness Test score (APFT): 300+

Push-ups: 106 repetitions in two minutesSit-ups: 85 repetitions in two minutes2 miles: 11 minutes, 40 seconds

Home of Record: Spc. Matos resides in Loiza, PR.

Career Status: Matos will deploy soon with the 246th Quartermas-ter Company to Afghanistan.

Civilian Career: He is a fresh-man at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Carolina, PR. where he is pursuing a bachelor’s de-gree in Criminal Justice.

Quote: “My goal in the Army is to become a leader as enlisted soldier or as an officer.”

1st MSC Excellence Spotlight:

Spc. Christian Matos Martinez

By Cadet Maria Rivera393rd CSSB Unit Public Affairs RepresentativeFor 1st MSC Public Affairs

Soldiers from the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment for the 1st Mission Support Command wait for the command of Sgt. 1st Class Edgar Paez to execute the windmill, one of the preparation drills as part of the new Army Physical Readiness Training. 5 Nov.

Lead by Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernán-dez and his staff, soldiers from the Head-quarters and Headquarters Detachment for the 1st Mission Support Command, conducted the new Army Physical Read-iness Training during their first battle as-sembly for the current fiscal year, Nov. 5.

The Army’s physical training has drastically changed from the old one. The warm up and cool down exercises, which are now called “preparation and

New way to train our troopsBy Staff Sgt. José Santos Santos1st MSC Public Affairs

recovery drills”, are way different than the previous ones.

With the new preparation drills from the command voice of Sgt. 1st Class Edgar Paez, a noncommissioned officer from the 1st MSC maintenance section, the soldiers started their training. The ex-ecuted drills were: the bend and reach; the rear lunge; the high jumper; the rower; the squat bender; the windmill; the forward lunge; the prone row; the bent-leg body twist; and of course, the push-up. Then the soldiers performed

the Military Movement Drills (MMDs) as part of the Endurance and Mobility Drills, which were the “main dish” for the day. The MMDs are a series of exer-cises designed to train the full spectrum of aerobic and anaerobic endurance re-quirements.

“Excellent! We had a lot fun. We needed to change it, soldiers get tired of doing the same thing; we must do this more often”, said Sgt. 1st Class José A. Cuevas, a veteran and a soldier who is currently working at the logistics sec-tion.

Cuevas also commented on the par-ticipation of the 1st MSC commanding general on the APRT with his troops: “when you see a general doing the same thing as you, that motivates you and makes you go the extra mile” he said.

It is very common to see Brig. Gen. Fernández and his staff performing with their troops in all types of training and events. At the end, the new recovery drills were well welcomed by the over 40 sweaty and motivated soldiers, who were ready to hit the showers. The intent of the changes to the Physical Fitness Program is to improve the health and wellness of our troops, as well as their combat effectiveness.

By implementing these new exercises, it is expected that soldiers will be able to perform better in real situations on the combat zone.


1st MSC Building Spiritual Strength

Soldiers assigned to the 393rd Com-bat Sustainment Support Battalion’s, Headquarters, Headquarters Detach-ment and the 215th Military Police De-tachment participated in a prayer break-fast held at the installations’ Community Club, Nov. 6.

Chaplian Capt. Evelio Rodriguez from the 1st Mission Support Command (1stMSC) Chaplain’s Office, hosted the event. This is the first time that a prayer breakfast was held at the battalion level.

The breakfast event served as an op-portunity for the soldiers to pause and become aware of the upcoming chal-lenges that lie ahead, as these units pre-pare for mobilization.

“Conducting these types of events is very important”, stated the 1st MSC

Chaplain (Col.) Jacob Goldstein, who just returned from Afghanistan and con-siders his experience in theater a posi-tive one.

“A soldier who is spiritually en-gaged, makes a much better soldier”, commented the chaplain.

Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández, 1st MSC Commander, highlighted how successful the command has been in the numerous missions conducted during the 10 years war in the global war on terror fighting period.

“We have been doing this for a long time. This upcoming deployment is seri-ous business,” said Fernández.

There was also a lot of positive feed-back from the participants.

“It was really nice; the music was nice and the breakfast gave us the opportu-nity to take the time and reflect and find yourself,” said Spc. Betsy Rodriguez,

who is assigned to HHC 393rd. Chaplain Rodríguez explained how

vital it is to have the soldiers become aware of, not just the mental and the physical, but also the spiritual aspect of their lives. Spiritual Fitness is a part of a soldier’s overall well-being and is a part of the Comprehensive Soldier Fit-ness, which is geared toward enhancing the resilience, readiness and potential of Soldiers, family members and Army ci-vilians.

“The objective is to bring God to the soldiers and the soldiers to God,” Rodri-guez said.

Rodriguez explained that spiritual strength will always take you further, in times of need and the Army is complete-ly aware of this fact, to the point that it is having soldiers comply with a man-datory “Spiritual Soldier Fitness” yearly online course.


Around The Post18 El Morro Fort BuchananDecember 2011

When I took command of the Installation Management Com-mand in November 2009, we set out to validate that we were doing the right things and doing things right, and to find better ways of doing business.

This self-evaluation was par-ticularly important at the time, as the Army was focused on find-ing the right kinds and levels of support for Soldiers and Fami-lies stressed by repeated and ex-tended deployments.

First we started expanding our identity. Today when we talk about providing for Soldier, Ci-vilian and Family quality of life, we don’t just mean the Installa-tion Management Command--we mean the Installation Man-agement Community, which also includes the office of the as-sistant chief of staff for installa-tion management and the offices of the assistant secretaries of the Army for installations, energy and environment, and manpow-er and reserve affairs.

And then we started to focus the talent and expertise of this diverse community on our com-mon goal: providing Soldiers, Civilians and Families with a quality of life commensurate with their service. In March 2010 we published version 1 of the Installation Management Campaign Plan, which outlines how we provide the facilities, infrastructure, programs and ser-

vices required to support Soldier, Civilian and Family readiness and well-being. Since then, each update has reflected a stronger sense of community and more robust strategy for addressing the challenges we face.

Over the past two years the IMC has reviewed programs, services and infrastructure in areas such as child care, youth development, housing, educa-tion, employment, recreation and behavioral health. As a re-sult, a number of programs and services have been enhanced, to include Survivor Outreach Services, the Exceptional Fam-ily Member Program, the Army Community Service, Child, Youth and School Services, the Army Substance Abuse Pro-gram, the Total Army Sponsor-ship Program, the Army Career and Alumni Program, and Sol-dier and Family Assistance Cen-ters. At the same time that we have enhanced the effectiveness of programs, services and infra-structure, we have worked to im-prove the efficiency of delivery at every level, starting from the top. As we moved IMCOM’s headquarters from Virginia to Texas under Base Realignment and Closure, we also integrated a subcommand, the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, into the headquar-ters, and reduced from seven to four regions worldwide. In

doing so, we reduced overhead costs and streamlined delivery of services to our customers.

Even as we are addressing to-day’s fiscal challenges, we are looking to the future and how we will support the Army of 2020. Through BRAC, our installa-tions have built and renovated facilities to support the reshaped Army. Through initiatives such as Army Net Zero, our installa-tions are developing sustainable practices to ensure we will con-tinue to have the resources to ac-complish our mission. Through improved knowledge manage-ment, we continue to strengthen our shared understanding of how to operate in a dynamic environ-ment in ways that save time and money. And we continue to in-vest in our most important as-set: our people. Through a new command-wide approach to tal-ent management and workforce development, we are making sure we will have in place the right people with the right skills to take on future challenges.

The IMC has a huge impact on the lives of Soldiers, Civil-ians and Families--on how we work, train, live and play. The immediate resource challenges only intensify our focus on the mission. We are dedicated to do-ing our best in serving Soldiers and Families today--and we will find ways to serve even better tomorrow.

Defender 6’s final column Harry Hauck, Puerto Rico’s “Old Man of the Sea”, was presented with a “Lifetime Achievement Award, at the 201I DEMA (Diver’s Equip-ment Manufacturer’s Associa-tion) Convention, held recently in Orlando, Florida. It was awarded to him by the National Association of Underwater Instructors ( NAUI), Scuba diving’s premier International Educational and Certifying agency. Hauck was recognized for teaching and certifying thousands of divers in Puerto Rico over the past 44 years, and for his nearly 200 Underwater Beach Clean-ups. He uses his diving students to remove un-derwater trash at Puerto Rico’s public beaches. He organized the first Clean-up in 1972 on the east-coast island of Icacos.

During the DEMA Con-vention, Hauck met with TV oceanographer, Jean Michele Cousteau the son of the famous Jacques Cousteau Jean Mi-chele has own TV Nature pro-gram, dealing with conserva-tion of the ocean’s marine life and environment. Hauck told Jean Michele that he had met his famous father. Jacques, in 1952 in France, when the older Cousteau was a Naval Com-mander in charge of the French Navy’s underwater unit.

Hauck was, at that time, a member of the U.S. Navy’s UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) (Frogmen) and was do-ing training exercises with the

French unit. Hauck also re-minded Jean Michele of the time, in 1966, when the elder Cousteau and his research ship, the Calypso, were in Puerto Rico on their way to South America, when two of their specially-trained sea lions es-caped from the Calypso near the city of Fajardo. They were finally recovered two weeks later.

Hauck has received many honors, including the “Citizen of the Year” by the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board; “Citizen of the Day”, by the Puerto Rico Governor, Senate and House of Representatives, and by the Mayor of San Juan. He is a member of the Puerto Rico Sports Hall of Fame.

He has Letters of Commen-dation from former U.S. First Lady, Nancy Reagan, Secretar-ies of the U.S. Army and Navy and was given an award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

He is still active in his En-vironmental efforts, cleaning beaches and giving presenta-tions to Civic and local school groups.

(Harry Hauck was a Fort Buchanan MWR employee from 1982 to 1995. He cre-ated Buchanan’s Scuba diving program. In 1993, Hauck and the Fort Buchanan Scuba div-ing team was awarded NAUI’s “Environmental Richness” award for their underwater beach clean-ups.)

Long time Fort Buchanan Community member honored

Harry Hauck was recently presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Diver’s Equipment Manufacturer’s association. Hauck is seen here at left in a photo with Jean Michele Cousteau, the son of the famous Jacques Cousteau

Courtesy photo

Governor hosts military communityFort Buchanan Garrison Commander, Col. John D. Cushman, attended the “Governor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony” held December 4, at La Fortaleza (The oldest Governor’s Mansion still in use in the Western Hemisphere, built in 1540). Puerto Rico’s Governor, Hon. Luis Fortuño and First Lady Lucé Vela greeted members of the armed forces and showed them the “Armed Forces Appreciation Christmas Tree”. This was an initiative of the Office of the First Lady to recognize the contributions of the mili-tary to our country. The 14 ft. tree was decorated with yellow ribbons to symbolize our hope for the safe return of our troops.


Around The Post 19El Morro Fort Buchanan December 2011

Rain fails to dampen Fantasyland Holiday Celebration

With just a little more than half an hour to go until the Holiday Parade’s kickoff at 4 p.m. Dec. 9, it seemed like the driving rain was going to dampen Fort Buchanan’s holi-day spirit.

Members of the Directorate of Family and Morale Welfare and Recreation were franti-cally trying to discover what options they had to get the parade started. One thing was for sure, Dallas Petersen, the director of DFMWR wasn’t going to permit more than a hundred children to walk in pouring rain, no matter how bad they wanted to.

One of the main persons coordinating the placement of the floats and organizations marching in the parade was Estrella Casanova, with the DFMWR, who looked like a traffic cop as she waived ve-hicles and people into place.

Luckily, the weather broke just long enough to not only keep parade kids dry but to also let all in attendance en-joy the Fantasyland Holiday celebration without getting soaked.

“I’m not a native Puerto Ri-can but I’ve learned that the weather changes every five minutes so we just waited it out,” Petersen said.

This took months and months of planning. We start-ed planning this back at the

Story and photos by Luis DelgadilloFort Buchanan Public Affairs

end of July,” Petersen said. “We probably have 5000 man hours into this event, easy. The ice rink itself is synthetic and it takes a week in itself to put up.”

Petersen himself got in on the action when he helped remove the tarp from the ice rink and dry it off so the line of more than fifty children waiting could get a chance to skate.

“We get assistance from DES (Directorate of Emergen-cy Services) DPTMS (Direc-torate of Plans, Training Mo-bilization and Security) from the 1st MSC (Mission Support Command) and the National Guard, the Marine Corps. It’s definitely a community event

put on with the help of the community,” said Petersen

Some of that support came from members of the Fort Buchanan Community like Spc. Jerry Vang, a veterinary technician who works at the Veterinary treatment facility. Vang was operating the bull ride controls and said the most rewarding thing was seeing the smile on the faces of kids as he bucked them off of the mechanical bull. “There was this girl that was on for 93 seconds, said Vang.

Surveying the event site one could see a mix of retir-ees, garrison employees, chil-dren and service members in

Just after 7 p.m. Dec. 9 the Christmas tree for the Fort Buchanan Fantasyland Holiday Celebration lit the night’s sky.

Luis R. Peña Sr. and junior pose for a photo during Fort Buchanan’s Fantasyland Holiday Celebration Dec. 9.

Manny Arroyo bucks atop the mechanical bull as his mother Judith Esquilin watches. Esquilin works for the the Directorate of Public Works as an admin-istrative assistant.

Now available on Flickr.com

Images of you, the Fort Buchanan Community

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortbuchanan_elmorro/

“civies” and some still wear-ing their duty uniforms, like Maj. Hymet Llovet of the commander of the Puerto Rico National Guard Language Center.

“I come to these events because my children always participate. They’re here at the schools and I don’t live on post so I come to pick them up and we participate in all of

the events that they do here, whether it’s Halloween, this Christmas celebration and the parade, we always participate with the Fort Buchanan Com-munity,” said Llovet.

“It takes an incredible amount of work from all of my people, all of DFMWR and the people that assist us and it shows what a dedicated group of folks they are.”

Disney characters including Snow White made appearances at the Fan-tasyland Holiday Celebration Dec. 9.

From right: Dallas Petersen, director of DFMWR, Magda Figueroa, installa-tion executive officer, Col. John D. Cushman, garrison commander, Command Sgt. Maj. Derrick T. Simpson, installation command sergeant major, and 1st Mission Support Commander, Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández, watch the Fantasyland Holiday Celebration Parade at Fort Buchanan Dec. 9. The parade almost had to be postponed due to inclement weather but just a half hour prior to its scheduled start at 4 p.m. the rain stopped and the show went on.

Around The Post20 El Morro Fort BuchananDecember 2011 The Sentinel of the Caribbean

Fort Buchanan’s organizational page is now available on Facebook

From Facebook.com Search “Fort Buchanan” then find our Government Organization page.

Fort Buchanan now has an official page on Facebook. Find photos, video and important news and event information

from us here by logging on and clicking “like” on our page. Find the photos from the Holiday Celebration and from

the Turkey Bowl on our page.

Sgt. 1st Class Mary Sastre, her husband Staff Sgt. Jason Sastre both with the San Juan recruiting battalion watch the parade from the side of the road Dec. 9 with their children Natalie and Jason Jr.

Members of the Antilles High School Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, Cadet 2nd Lt. José González, Cadet 1st Lt. Jeffrey Sánchez Jr., Cadet Staff Sgt. Marcos Santiago Jr., Cadet Staff Sgt. Mario Rentería lead the parade carrying the colors Dec. 9.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Gilmore Con-suelo has his daughter Ysabel blow a kiss to the camera during Fort Buchanan’s Fantasyland Holiday Celebration Dec. 9.

Spc. Jerry Vang of the Veterinary Treatment Facility operates a mechanical bull ride during the Fantasyland Holiday Celebration Dec. 9.

Adriana Filomeno, a student at Antilles Middle School, surprises onlookers as she transforms using the costume she wore during the Holiday Parade.

The show must go on, see the story, P. 19