newsletter may 2011
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May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 3
Next Drill:
May 14-15 Sgt.’s
Time:
0600
First
Formation:
0630
Inside this
issue:
Ceremony to honor
veterans of the
Bataan Death March
on Page 2
The FRG has some
tips for Summer fun
on Page 3
How to keep the
―memorial‖ in
Memorial Day
on page 4
The leadership of the
122nd PAOC sounds
off on page 5
Check your finances
before they check
you on Page 6
122nd Soldiers Train at BK-11
Army Staff Sgt. Jason Kriess and Marine Capt. Staci Reidinger joke with a local veterinarian before an interview during a humanitarian project in Tarlac
City, Philippines April 4.
By Pvt. Ryan Scott
122 PAOC
CAMP MURRAY, Wash-
ington -- Washington Army
National Guard Soldiers
from the 122nd Public Af-
fairs Operations Center par-
ticipated in Balikatan 2011
on the Philippine island of
Luzon this month.
The soldier-journalists
played a large role in the
media coverage of the exer-
cise; not only in gathering
and preparing news stories,
photographs and media prod-
ucts for public and internal
consumption, but also in
dealing directly with media
outlets both local and inter-
national.
The Guardsmen worked
closely with their Navy, Air
Force, and Marine counter-
parts during the exercise.
―It was great to work with
fellow journalists from the
other branches of the mili-
tary,‖ said Staff Sgt. Jason
Kriess, the noncommissioned
officer in charge of the
122nd‘s broadcast section. ―I
learned a lot about the speed
at which journalists work and
how important it is to get out
timely and accurate informa-
tion.‖
As the field and command
post training exercises were
going full speed at Camp
Aquino in Tarlac and Fort
Magsaysay to help improve
the interoperability of the
U.S. and Philippine militar-
ies, military civil affairs
teams were scattered across
the countryside offering
medical aid and humanitar-
ian support to some of the
country‘s poorest residents.
The soldiers from the
122nd were there to cover
the story.
―It was refreshing to see
the humanitarian side of the
military,‖ said Kriess. ―We're
not just the men and women
who fight our nation's wars.‖
Washington‘s soldier -
journalists were on hand to
provide media coverage for
number of the medical, den-
tal, veterinary and engineer-
ing civil action projects that
took place over the course of
the two week exercise.
The humanitarian projects
were a joint effort by the
U.S. and Philippine service-
members, aimed at offering
basic essential services to
some of the poorest people
in the Northern Philippines.
U.S. military civil affairs
teams from across the Pa-
cific region gave out truck-
loads of donated clothes and
school and medical supplies
to the residents of some of
the Philippine‘s poorest
barangay‘s, or villages.
The soldier-journalists
performed a number of
other tasks during the exer-
cise, including editing and
producing the Balikatan
2011 magazine which was
distributed to the U.S. and
Philippine servicemembers
who participated in the
trainings.
Photo by Pvt. Ryan Scott
Page 2 PAOC Journal April 2011
Ceremony Honors Bataan Death March Survivors
Photo by Maj. Angela Halvorson
Lt. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, speaks with Rosario S. Baclig, a survivor of the Bataan Death March. Wiercinski was among the distinguished visitors to place a wreath at the base of Capas National Shrine,
April 10, in remembrance of the Death March.
By Staff Sgt. Karen Person
122 PAOC
TARLAC, Philippines --
Distinguished visitors, ser-
vicemembers, veterans and
members of the community
attended a wreath-laying
ceremony April 10, to re-
member the Bataan Death
March and honor World
War II veterans from the
Philippines, United States,
and allied nations.
The brutal 60-mile Death
March ended here in 1942,
where Allied prisoners of
war were incarcerated at
Camp O'Donnell. Today, a
national monument pays
tribute to the thousands of
servicemembers who gave
their lives in defense of free-
dom.
"We should not forget the
10,000 lives that were lost,"
said Vice Governor of the
Tarlac Province Pearl
Pacada.
She said we can also learn
from the surviving veterans
who moved forward after
their appalling experience. Lt. Gen. Francis J.
Wiercinski, U.S. Army Pa-
cific commander, was among
the distinguished visitors to
place a wreath at the base of
the monument. He called the
experience, "humbling."
"This is hallowed ground,"
said Wiercinski. "It was an
honor to meet the family
members of World War II
veterans."
Several Filipino World
War II veterans received
plaques to commemorate
their service. The oldest vet-
eran in attendance was 101
years old.
Czech Republic Ambassa-
dor to the Philippines Josef
Rychtar also recognized
Czech servicemembers who
were among the Allied pris-
oners of war subjected to the
horrific march.
"They were fighting along-
side, shoulder-to-shoulder,"
Rychtar said.
U.S. forces are in the Phil-
ippines taking part in Balika-
tan 2011. Balikatan, meaning
"shoulder-to-shoulder" in
Tagalog, the official lan-
guage of the Philippines, is a
joint exercise between U.S.
and Philippine armed forces.
USARPAC directs Balika-
tan side-by-side with the
Armed Forces of the Philip-
pines to develop interopera-
bility, cooperation, and the
armed forces' ability to re-
spond quickly and work to-
gether effectively to provide
relief and assistance in the
event of natural disasters and
other crises that threaten
public safety and health.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Karen Person
Filipino participants wear U.S. and Filipino-style World War II uni-
forms as part of the Bataan Death
March ceremony at Capas National Shrine, Tarlac, Philippines, April 10.
Distinguished visitors placed
wreaths at the base of the national monument.
Filipino servicemembers carry a wreath during the Bataan Death
March ceremony April 10, at Ca-
pas National Shrine, Tarlac, Phil-ippines.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Karen Person
May 2011 PAOC Journal Page 3
The FRG needs volunteers!
Co-lead to help organize and plan FRG events and activi-
ties! You'll help come up with event ideas, ways to show
our appreciation towards our soldiers, and ways to boost
morale.
Treasurer to help us keep the money organized! Respon-
sibilities include managing the FRG bank account and
tracking expenses in and out.
Volunteers to assist on the day of an event, to help us
brainstorm ideas or to volunteer to run with a
particular idea... we would love your help as part of the
FRG team.
The time commitment is very minimal. We plan two ma-
jor events each year (Summer Picnic and Holiday Dinner)
and we will brainstorm morale boosters that we can do
throughout the year.
If interested contact Becky West at (206) 913-3543 or
email her at beckywest@live.com.
Family Readiness Group Roundup By: Mrs. Becky West
122nd/141st FRG
Hi Everyone!
Here is an update on what
is going on with your FRG.
Similar to last year, we
will be having a summer
family event as well as a
winter banquet.
If you have suggestions
about event venues, activi-
ties, etc., or if you would like
to suggest additional events
that the FRG could put on,
please let me know.
COL Abbott has requested
that all FRG‘s maintain a
phone tree of the Soldiers‘
family members‘ phone
numbers.
This is in case of an emer-
gency deployment.
We had a great roster of the
Soldiers‘ information, but
with the advent of new Sol-
ders and the lack of spouse/
family contact information,
it definitely needs to be
updated.
MAJ Lepp will be coordi-
nating the gathering of this
information from everyone
during drill.
Coming Up This Month:
There will be two Armed Forces Day celebrations:
Saturday, May 21 at Cowan & Memorial Stadiums at Lewis
Main. Armed Forced Day kicks off with a run at 9 AM - Ac-
tivities, events, etc. start at 10 AM. Army vs. Air Force soccer
games at noon & 2 PM. There will also be food, carnival
rides, entertainment, military re-enactors from Roman to pre-
sent day, military heritage displays, massing of the colors &
more.
Sunday May 22 from 2 PM – 5 PM at the Greater Tacoma
Convention and Trade Center there will be a free Armed
Forced Day event for soldiers, veterans, and their families.
There will be live performances, food, and vendors.
FRG/MWR Events: 4-H Summer Camps
This summer there will be a variety of adventure camps for
Military Teens through 4-H.
These adventures are available to military youth (both active
and reserve) between the ages of 14 and 18.
The camps are being funded by the Office of the Secretary
of Defense.
There is a $25 non-refundable Reservation fee that covers
the cost of the camp shirt and water bottle.
We will work with participants to help with transportation to
and from Whidbey Island.
For more information click here or contact Kevin Powers at
kcpowers@wsu.edu or 509-667-6540.
Disney military discounts Disney is offering special discounted rates for military fami-
lies. For more information, click here.
Beachfront Cabins at American Lake Lewis-McChord Family and MWR has private beachfront
cabins at American Lake from the Northwest Adventure Cen-
ter.
Book up to 3 months in advance for holiday weekends!
They are open year-round.
For more information, please view the MWR website here.
Online Tutoring The Department of the Army now offers an online tutoring
service designed for children of Army service personell. The
tutoring is offered for kindergarten through high school stu-
dents.
For more information, click here.
Financial Readiness One-on-one counseling is available for Soldiers and their
spouses (budgeting, debt management, credit counseling, in-
vestment education, general financial planning).
Location: Waller Hall, Room 400, 2140 Liggett Avenue.
Appointment Line: 253/967-7166
Page 4 PAOC Journal April 2011
G reetings from the
Public Affairs
Training Work-
shop (PATW) in
Reno, NV, 122nd Soldier-
Journalist!
This week‘s PATW was
an event-filled educational
experience for those of us
fortunate enough to attend
(LTC Bolante/SSG Person/
SSG Kriess/SGT Mattson/
PV2 Scott). I will remind
the soldiers mentioned
above that it is your duty to
be the ―trained trainers.‖
You are expected to share
all of the information and
experiences learned this
week with the other mem-
bers of the 122nd PAOC.
I will share with you all as
much as I can about what
we learned about current PA
branch issues updates about
DINFOS. We had the
chance to network with both
National Guard Bureau –
Public Affairs staff and our
Public Affairs counterparts
from across the country.
I was proud to be part of
the 11 members of the Wash-
ington National Guard Public
Affairs professionals to par-
ticipate in the PATW. The
122nd team linked up exten-
sively with WA State PA
staff and the WA Air Guard/
Wing PA Staff.
A warm welcome home
and much congratulations to
the Balikitan 2011 ODT
Team! Those of us who did
not deploy only heard rave
reviews of your mission ac-
complishments in the Philip-
pines culminating in a per-
sonal homecoming congratu-
lations by ATAG BG Daugh-
tery. Nice work, team.
At this upcoming 14-15
May drill, we must focus on
these tasks: SRP, Weapons
Qualification and Pre-Garuda
Shield 2011 ODT team
preparation. We will also
need to focus on the Home-
land Response Force FTX
coming up in June. We will
need to begin performing
mission analysis and pre-
operational checks. CSM
Santos and I want a back-
brief on all of these priorities
by the end of drill.
Finally, congratulations to
SGT Stephen Mattson upon
his recent graduation as Dis-
tinguished Honor Graduate
at DINFOS. I expect every
new DINFOS graduate to
‗educate‘ all members of the
PAOC with updates about
policy and operational TTPS
from DINFOS upon their
return.
Drive safely to the next
IDT everyone and Tail-
winds.
Photo by Lt. Col. Anthony Bolante
Soldiers laugh as an instructor
views the student‘s video product
at the Public Affairs Training
Workshop in Reno, NV May 5.
Welcome to another week-
end for the Guard! HOOAH!
Sergeant‘s huddle will be at
0600 on Saturday morning.
Section leaders, please en-
sure you are ready to brief
your training plan for the
weekend during sergeant‘s
time.
Primary focus this weekend
will be weapons qualification
and equipment maintenance.
Those who have not yet
taken the APFT will be com-
pleting one this weekend.
This weekend starts off
early—0630 first formation.
Please come prepared for
all we need to do to get out
of the door on time Saturday
morning.
Any questions pertaining to
this weekend‘s drill, contact
your first line leader BE-
FORE the end of the week.
Congratulations to the
Balikatan team for a very
successful mission. Also, congratulations to
SGT Mattson. He graduated
top of his class at DINFOS
and was named Distin-
guished Honor Grad for his
efforts. Nicely Done!!
Be safe out there and
thanks for all you do. See
you at drill.
CSM Corner
Commander‘s
Comments
Staff Sgt. Karen Person, Sgt. Stephen Mattson and Lt. Col. Anthony Bolante, and Staff Sgt. Theanne Tangen of the South Dakota National
Guard, enjoy an afternoon hiking around Lake Tahoe May 5, 2011. The
group spent the week at the Public Affairs workshop held May 2-6 in Reno, NV.
Photos by Sgt. Stephen C. Mattson
Taking a Break From the Biggest
Little City
May 2011 PAOC Journal Page 5
MHD’s Historical Happenings By Maj. Ken West
141st Military History Det.
May is a month that is
associated with two things:
One being Mother‘s Day,
the other Memorial Day.
Due to the fact that only
5% of our population has
every served this country in
uniform and less than 1%
currently serve, most people
view Memorial Day with
the significance of a mere
three-day weekend.
If you were to ask the ma-
jority of the country‘s popu-
lation how they plan on
spending Memorial Day
weekend, the answers usu-
ally are centered on yard
cleanup and other outdoor
activities. A perfectly legiti-
mate answer, and Lord
knows I‘ll be out there cut-
ting the grass and waging
my ongoing war against the
special ―hybrid/won‘t-go-
away‖ moss that grows in
the Pacific Northwest.
But I challenge you this
year to do something differ-
ent: Remember and Reflect.
Remember that Memorial
Day is more than a day off.
It is a federal holiday ob-
served on the last Monday
of May, originally enacted
as Decoration Day in
1866, to honor the Union
troops of the Civil War.
At that time, people used
this day to remember all of
their lost, not just the ones
lost in the military.
Each of us has lost
someone we care about.
These losses impact us on
a personal level each and
every day.
In my own life, I try and
remember those I have
served with, family mem-
bers who have passed
away and all of those that
are currently in harm‘s
way.
I also try and visualize
what it must have been
like to go to war in times
past and think about the
sacrifices they made.
In the winter months of
the American Revolution,
Soldiers in Valley Forge
were beaten, unclothed
and struggled not only for
their own survival but,
also that of our nation.
In the Civil War, broth-
ers were forced to turn
their weapons on each other
in an attempt to maintain the
Union.
WWI saw extreme trench
warfare, in the worst of con-
ditions, where wool was the
only option for warmth.
And WWII, a war that was
promised to last for only one
year for the Americans,
forced the separation of
families and only allowed
for limited war-time snail
mail correspondence.
What today‘s population
doesn‘t understand is that all
veterans have sacrificed for
their rights and those sacri-
fices were numerous.
Reflect on what is impor-
tant in your life. Reflect on
where you have been, what
you have done and where
you are going. Tell those
closest to you what they
represent in your life and
truly live without regret.
Use Memorial Day to
honor those whom have
given so much of them-
selves, by living each day of
your life to the fullest.
Because of their sacrifices,
YOU CAN.
Photo source unknown
Trivia: What was Arlington National Cemetery before it
was a cemetery?
Answer: In next month‘s newsletter
Historic Dates in May:
May 5, 1961:
Astronaut Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space.
May 7, 1945:
The Nazi‘s sign an unconditional surrender to the Allies, end-
ing WWII in Europe.
May 18, 1980:
Mount St. Helen‘s erupted.
May 25, 1884:
The first telegraphed news dispatch, sent from Washington to
Baltimore appeared in the Baltimore Patriot.
Page 6 PAOC Journal April 2011
The American boy‘s daily
adventures rarely included
lessons in investing and
stock market trading.
Although the boy watched
his grandfather spend his
retired life traveling the
country in a fifth wheel,
financed by his trades in the
stock market, the boy re-
fused his grandfather‘s at-
tempts at sharing his knowl-
edge and passion.
By the time his grandfa-
ther died, he had earned
millions of dollars in the
market.
Now, Air Force Staff Sgt.
James Bolinger reminds
himself daily how regrets
not listening to his grandfa-
ther. He must learn the hard
way how to invest his
money and achieve his fi-
nancial goals.
Many people have finan-
cial goals in life. Military
service members are no ex-
ception. The hard part is
having the means to achieve
those goals.
Three ways service mem-
bers can provide the means
to reach their financial goals
is to invest in real estate, the
stock market or the Thrift
Savings Plan.
Real estate offers a variety
of strategies that service
members can employ to
gain income.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Tony
J. Spain has invested in real
estate since 1996.
―I realized early on, when I
was in high school, that real
estate was beneficial,‖ said
Spain, who joined the Army
in 2002. ―And I saw opportu-
nities there that were good.‖
The advantage to buying
real estate is that someone is
always going to need a place
to live and food to eat, said
Spain, who invests primarily
in rental and agricultural
property.
Spain said his strategy
changes with the economic
climate.
―Pretty much the decision
process is what has
changed,‖ said Spain. Inves-
tors need to look at what the
market in the area is doing.
Will the house they are look-
ing at sell, and if not, can
they rent it?
―From the late ‗90s until
the real estate bubble burst, it
was good times, and it was
easy,‖ said Spain. ―Property
values were going up so fast
a house could be bought and
sold in a month.‖
Being in the military adds
challenges to real estate in-
vesting because of the possi-
bility of transfers or deploy-
ments.
Managing property that is
in a different state is hard,
said Spain, who owns prop-
erties in Illinois and North
Carolina. Also, the market
for buying and renting is
different from one area to
another.
For service members that
do not have the time to de-
vote to real estate, the stock
market may be a more viable
option.
Bolinger began investing in
the stock market in 2010.
―I made 20 percent last
year,‖ said Bolinger. ―I had
the account before but let
somebody else manage it.
All they did was lose the
money.‖
Bolinger said that when he
took back control of the ac-
count, he made back the
original investment within a
month, and within four
months had made $1,000 on
it.
Online software allows
service members to easily
buy and sell stock, said
Bolinger. Plus there are great
books out there that explain
how to invest and what to
look for in stock.
An advantage service
members have in investing in
the stock market is that they
can invest anywhere in the
world as long as they have
internet capability.
Real Estate and the stock
market are two examples
where the investor is in con-
trol of the investment. If
service members do not
want to take the direct-
control method, they can
choose to let their invest-
ments be managed by a
third party.
Many service members
invest in the Thrift Savings
Plan, which was developed
in 1986 so uniformed ser-
vice members could set up
retirement savings and in-
vestment accounts.
―The TSP is a no-stress
investment,‖ said Bolinger.
―I put away 10 percent of
my paycheck, and they
handle all the dirty work.‖
The TSP is good for ser-
vice members who do not
have any time to invest or
any knowledge of invest-
ing, said Spain.
Service members are al-
lowed to contribute up to a
certain dollar amount of
their taxable income that is
specified annually by the
Internal Revenue Service.
Investing in real estate,
the stock market or the TSP
are not the only options
available in having the
means to achieve financial
goals. They are just a few
common ones.
It is the responsibility of
each service member to
ensure he has the means to
achieve those goals.
Once the goals are set, the
next step is to choose how
to get there.
By Sgt. Steven C. Mattson
122 PAOC Minding Your Cents
All 122nd PAOC Soldiers are required to attend the following IDT dates scheduled for FY- 2011:
DATES LOCATION
14-15 May 2011 Camp Murray, WA
4-5 June 2011 Camp Murray, WA
9-10 July 2011 Camp Murray, WA
6-7 August 2011 Camp Murray, WA
2011 Drill Schedule
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