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VVOLLEYBALLOLLEYBALL WRAPSWRAPS UPUPEEXERCISEXERCISE HONESHONES SKILLSSKILLSHHOLIDAYOLIDAY MEMORIESMEMORIES

Friday, December 19, 2003Volume 4, Issue 15 www.nsgtmo.navy.mil/jtfgtmo

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By SGT Jolene Staker

For a place where people can wear shortsto a Christmas party, it may be hard to imag-ine how the landscape can look like Christ-mas, but with the multiple-tree display at theNEX, the huge light display on CPO hill,lights hanging from the light poles on Sher-man Avenue and all of the decorating done byindividuals, Guantanamo Bay does look likeit’s ready for the holidays.

While some JTF troopers are missing thesnow they would have seen at home, and allare missing loved ones, Christmas spirit isalive and well here.

“We’re away from home – not too far butfar enough – so we’ve got to make the best ofit,” said SFC Kenneth Sobecki, motor ser-geant at the J-4 maintenance shop of the177th Military Police Brigade. “I do Christ-mas; it’s just who I am, and I try to share thatwith people here.”

From the troopers at the shop on ShermanAvenue who have decorated their motor pool,to the first sergeant who had soldiers decoratethe tree his wife sent him, troopers are findingways to cope with being away from their fam-

ilies at home by focusing on the way to sup-port their military family here.

“I just came back from leave where I didChristmas with my family, but I’m stillgoing to do Christmas here,” said 1LTJoshua Romano, executive officer for BCompany, 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Reg-iment. “They’re my family here – myGTMO family.”

1LT Mike Paquette, 1st platoon leaderof A Company, 1-181st said that his unitwill be having several small unit parties ofdifferent ethnic backgrounds. This willallow the members to both celebrate theirown culture while at the same time learningabout other cultures.

Many units are having Christmas partiesand gift exchanges. Troopers will also have aspecial Christmas meal at both Seaside Gal-ley and Café Caribé. Shrimp cocktail, beef,turkey, ham, potatoes, rice pilaf and fresh din-ner rolls are just a small sampling of what willbe available.

Besides celebrating with their militaryfamily here, troopers will also want to get in

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Photo by SGT Jolene Staker

Members of A Company, 1st Battalion, 181stInfantry Regiment stand under the concertina wirewreath hanging over their unit headquarters. Pic-tured are: back (from left) – SPC Todd Collins andSGT Allan Raymond; front – CPL Philip Trimble,SPC Kenneth Pierce and CPT John Drohan. See Christmas, page 5

Friday, December 19, 2003

JTF-GTMO Command

Commander:MG Geoffrey D. MillerJoint Task Force CSM:CSM George L. NievesPublic Affairs Officer:Lt. Col. Pamela L. HartDeputy PAOLt. Cmdr. Robert W. Mulac70th MPAD Commander:Maj. Jonathan P. DolanCommand Information Officer / Editor:1st Lt. Tracy L. SaucyCirculation: 2,100 copies

The Wire StaffThe Wire NCOIC: Staff Sgt. Patrick ClowardEditor:Spc. Rick FahrStaff writers and design team:Sgt. Jolene StakerSenior Airman Thomas J. DoscherSpc. William D. IngramSpc. Katherine Collins

Contact us:From Guantanamo:5239/5241 (Local phone)5426 (Local fax)From CONUS:Com: 011-53-99-5239DSN: 660-5239Public Affairs OfficeOnline:http://www.nsgtmo.navy.mil/jtfgtmo

The Wire is produced by the 70thMobile Public Affairs Detachmentassigned to the Joint InformationBureau at Joint Task Force Guan-tanamo. This publication is printedunder the provisions provided inArmy Regulation 360-1 and doesnot reflect the views of the Depart-ment of Defense or the personnelwithin.

Happy holidays.The Christmas season always seems to

invoke memories of traditional familygatherings, enjoying peace and solitudeand reflecting upon the true meaning ofChristmas. During this season a number ofour troopers will have the opportunity totake leave and enjoy the holidays withfamily and friends. I sincerely hope thatour troopers with young families havebeen given the first opportunity for somewell deserved time at home. It is indeed ajoyous time of year.

Many of us however will not have theopportunity to be with family this year duringChristmas. For those of us who will be onduty during the holiday season it is importantthat we maintain the link with those backhome. Being away from family is not easybut there is little doubt that we remain fore-most in their thoughts and they in ours.

There are several ways in which youcan stay in touch. Hopefully, many of youhave taken the opportunity to wish yourloved ones a happy holiday by doing ashort video that will be aired on your localtelevision stations back home. Our publicaffairs office has done a wonderful jobcompiling footage of our troopers bothindividually and as units.

The MWR facilities offer another wayto stay in touch. Utilizing e-mail or thechat features of our computers is defi-nitely technology in action. The videocams add visual contact as well. Have youtried Dial Pad? Visiting http://www.dial-pad.com will allow you to register for PCto telephone contact back home at very lit-tle cost. You will need a headset in order tocomplete the call, but it offers the abilityto utilize the MWR resources in yetanother way.

Video teleconferences provide anotheralternative to link up with those back home.If your armories or reserve centers haveVTC capability you can arrange a timethrough your unit. See your first sergeant orcommander and schedule a block of time.This is a great way to communicate!

Finally, family support groups havebeen doing great things in our absence.Many of them have established electronicnewsletters and have kept family membersinformed. I’ve also heard reports of theseorganizations providing help to needyfamilies.

Hopefully these methods of linking upwith hometown America will assist you incontacting your family and friends thisholiday season. They are faster than themail and cheaper than using the telephone.At any rate, please contact your familythis holiday season.

Your senior leadership of the JTFwishes to take this opportunity to wish allof you and your families a Merry Christ-mas and Happy New Year.

Honor Bound.

Trooper to Trooper

BG Mitch LeClaireJTF GTMO

deputy commanderfor operations

Use technologyto stay in touchthis season

Holiday fitness eventsDec. 20: Jingle Bell Fun Run, 7 a.m., G.J. Denich Gymnasium

Dec. 27: JTF 5K, 6:30 a.m., Camp AmericaDec. 31: New Year’s Eve Resolution Run, 11:59 p.m., G.J. Denich Gymnasium


To: JTF-GTMO personnelFrom: SGT Joshua Carroll, JTF GTMO

PAOSubject: JTF-GTMO Official Com-

mand Visit.This office has been informed of an

official visit by Gen. Santa Claus to theJoint Task Force Guantanamo on 25December. The following directives willgovern activities of personnel during thisvisit:

1. No creatures will stir without offi-cial permission. This will include allnative mice and banana rats. Special stir-ring permits will be obtained through theChief of Staff's office. Requests should besent to Navy Capt. McNeill, acting JTFchief of staff, no later than 20 December.

2. Personnel will settle their brains for along winter nap prior to 2200 hours on 24December. Uniform for nap: pajamas, cot-ton, light drowsing, with kerchief, general

purpose.3. Personnel will utilize standard ration

sugarplums to dance through their heads.This item may be picked up at SeasideGalley. POC is MSG Hay.

4. Stockings, wool, cushion sole, will behung by chimneys with care. Necessarysafety precautions will be taken to avoidfires. Individual sections will submitstocking-hanging plans to Lt. Kringle inBulkeley Hall by 0800 hours, 22 Decem-ber.

5. At first sign of clatter from lawn, all per-sonnel will spring from their beds to investi-gate and evaluate cause. Immediate actionwill be taken to tear open shutters and throwopen window sashes. Personnel located inCamp America will throw open their doors inlieu of shutters and/or windows.

6. Volunteers are needed to drive onesleigh, miniature, and eight (8) deer, rein,tiny, for use of Gen. Claus. Driver must

have current rooftop license or be able topass a rooftop safety course as given by theJ-4 Transportation Office. Interested per-sonnel should see SFC Waltenburg toarrange a class time.

7. Gen. Claus will enter all sectionsthrough chimneys. Sections without chim-neys will draw a Chimney Simulator fromthe J-4 Warehouse for use during cere-monies. Requests must be submitted toSSG Dennie in triplicate prior to 20December.

8. All personnel will be rehearsed inshouting “Merry Christmas to all, and toall a good night.” This shout will begiven upon termination of Gen. Claus'visit. Uniformity of shouting is theresponsibility of all section chiefs. Anytrooper who requires remedial ShoutTraining should contact any member ofthe Public Affairs Office no later than 21December.

Memo to JTF troopers: Gen. Claus on the way

By SrA. Thomas J. Doscher

With Christmas less than aweek away, JTF GTMO per-sonnel are looking back to fondChristmas memories and look-ing forward to making newones with new friends here onthe island.

For some people, fondChristmas memories, fromchildhood or later in life, areabout the lights, the tinseland getting that one specialgift.

Air Force Staff Sgt. EricResler, J-4 Maintenance,remembers the first thing hedid when he got his first bikeone Christmas morning whenhe was 7 years old.

“I rode it,” he said, despitethe snow on the ground in hishome town of Bedford, Ind.

Resler had never had a bikeof his own before that Christ-mas.

Resler said the troopers inhis shop are celebrating Christ-mas this year together.

“ W e ’ r ee x c h a n g i n ggifts,” he said.“And we just dec-orated the shop.”

SPC JasonBracht, 384thMilitary PoliceBn. also treasuresthe Christmaswhere he got hisfirst bike, butthat’s not themain reason.

“I was seven,and my unclecame back fromthe Marines,” hesaid.

Bracht’s uncle,who was a heli-copter mechanicin the MarineCorps, returnedfrom six monthsat sea to surprisehis nephew forChristmas.

“It was cool,” Bracht said.“We had football games in the

back yard. And snowballfights. We didn’t do that kind

of stuff when he wasn’taround.”

Bracht said he’d try to makethe camaraderie he felt at thatChristmas felt at this one.

“My unit’s having some-thing at the Community Cen-ter,” he said. “I’ll hang out withfriends and make it like a fam-ily.”

Petty Officer 1st Class JoeHutton’s fondest Christmasmemory is from two years ago,the last Christmas she spentwith her family.

“All my family gatheredtogether for my grandmother’sChristmas party,” Hutton said.“Family from all around - hersister and her kids and hergrandkids got together for ajoyous time.”

Hutton said deploymentsabroad have prevented herfrom being with her familyfor Christmas since then, butshe intends to make the bestof it.

“I’ll just be hanging outwith new friends,” she said.

Christmas memories return with holidays


MAJ George Harrington of Headquarters, 1st Battalion,181st Infantry Regiment poses with Grinch. Grinch wasa gift from a civilian co-worker. Grinch has been toBosnia and will go on any future deployments as well.Harrington doesn't really qualify as a Grinch since he isone of the officers who will be working the gate onChristmas to give his soldiers extra time off.


By SPC William Ingram

Some members of the Puerto RicoNational Guard are serving on a deploy-ment close to home.

The 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regi-ment, has been attached to the various mil-itary police companies at GuantanamoBay, Cuba, working as military police forthe Joint Task Force. Their training con-sists of various activities relating to opera-tions at Camp Delta. This unit consists ofsoldiers from all over Puerto Rico, whichhas a long history of National Guard serv-ice.

The first body of the Puerto RicoNational Guard formed for U.S. militaryservice was a battalion of volunteersauthorized by Congress in March 1899.After several years of forming several dif-ferent regiments, in September 1920 thePuerto Rico Volunteers became the 1-65thInfantry Regiment.

The 1-65th unit is home based out ofFort Bragg, N.C., where for five monthsthe unit trained up on their military readi-ness before venturing to Guantanamo.

Members of the unit have upbeat atti-tudes and are motivated to work hard,according to unit leaders. Unit membersspeak highly of this deployment and are

ready to get back to their families once thedeployment is over, said SPC FrankRodriguez.

A majority of the troopers are civilianpolice officers, which gives the unit a greatdeal of experience that is valuable on thisdeployment.

SFC Rusty Jennings, 463rd MilitaryPolice Co. Operations NCO, said that

members of the 1-65th Inf. Regt. haveworked well with other units.

“The 1-65th Inf. Regt. has done anexcellent job working and training with463rd military police company,” he com-mented. “We have approximately eightmilitary police companies and all that the1-65th worked beside stated that workingwith them has been an honor.”

Traducido por SFC Ernesto L. Ramos

Algunos miembros de la Guardia Nacional de Puerto Ricofueron activados y están destacados muy cerca de casa.

El 1er Batallón del Regimiento 65 de Infantería están atacha-dos a varias compañías de policías militares en la Base Naval dela Bahía de Guantánamo.

Su entrenamiento consiste en varias actividades relacionadasa las operaciones del Campamento Delta.

Este grupo de soldados de Puerto Rico miembros y que tienenuna larga historia en el servicio de la Guardia Nacional.

El primer contingente de soldados de la Guardia Nacionalformados para servir en el Ejército de los Estados Unidos fue unBatallón de voluntarios autorizados por el Congreso de los Esta-dos Unidos en Marzo de 1899. Después de muchos años de for-mar diferentes regimientos, en septiembre de 1920, losvoluntarios de Puerto Rico vinieron a formar el Regimiento 65de Infantería.

El 1-65th con base en Fuerte Braga, NC, estuvo

por espacio de 5 meses entrenando y sal iendo a difer-entes misiones antes de iniciar su misión en Guantá-namo.

Los miembros de esta unidad son soldados altamente motiva-dos y comprometidos a cumplir su misión; según los líderes desus respectivas unidades. Los soldados han hablado muy biende esta movilización y ya están listos para regresar a sus casasjunto a su familia y seres queridos, según afirma el SPC FrankRodríguez.

La gran mayoría de ellos son oficiales de la policía en suvida civil, que le da a la unidad un buen equipo con expe-riencia esencial para cumplir la los objetivos de esta mis-ión.

SFC Rusty Jennings de la unidad 463 de Policías Militaresdijo que los miembros del 1/65 han trabajos excelentemente consus respectivas unidades.

Tenemos aproximadamente 8 compañías de Policías Mil-itares en las que el 1/65 de Infantería están atachados y dijeronque trabajar con ellos es un honor.

Puerto Rican Guard unit serving throughout JTF

1/65 de Infantería Orgullo de Puerto Rico

SSG Raul Ortiz of 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, Puerto Rico National Guard, assigned to the 216thMilitary Police Co., closes a sally port gate in Camp Delta. The regiment’s members have been serving withvarious units within JTF Guantanamo Bay.

Photo courtesy of Navy Photographer's Mate Second Class (AW/SW) Shawn McDonald)


touch with family at home. Paquette said thathis comrades “will try to take it easy for achange and call or e-mail home to talk toloved ones.”

Because of mission requirements, manytroopers will be working on Christmas. Unitsare working around busy schedules to takethe time to celebrate Christmas, and the Com-mand Group of the 1-181st are going to stepin and work as many schedules for theirtroops as they can to allow them more timeoff.

“I feel it’s only right as a commander togive our soldiers some extra time off, and one

way we can do that is to step in and take ashift,” said LTC Joseph Noonan, 1-181stcommander. “The leadership is not going totake a day off while their soldiers are workingon a holiday.”

While troopers cannot be home for Christ-mas they will be surrounded by people dedi-cated to ensuring they experience as manyChristmas-related events as the missionallows. “On behalf of the JDOG staff I wouldwish that everyone have a safe and meaning-ful holiday season,” said CSM Steven Short,JDOG Camp Commandant.

For religious holiday events please seepage 8.


In the holiday spirit are (from left)SFC Kenneth Sobecki, J-4 motor sergeant from the 177th Military PoliceBrigade; and SPC Carlos Ortiz, SPCAnthony Magofna and SGT Thomas Miller, J-4 mechanics of the 463rdMilitary Police Co. The troopers have decorated the motor pool on Sherman Avenue.



From the unusual, SSG Jason Girt (from left), SSGBrian Moore and SPC Bryan Brager all of the 384th Mili-tary Police Battalion, stand in front of the palm tree they decorated as a Christmas tree. The tree might not betraditional, but the trio said that it will certainly suffice for watching over presents.


1LT Mike Paquette (above), 1st platoon leader, BCompany, 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment,looks at Christmas Cards sent by students of theImmaculate Conception School in Massachusetts.SGT Steve Yablonski (below) of B Company, 1-181ststands by the tree he decorated for unit members,ready Christmas presents. The tree was sent to1SG David Lavoie by his wife. Having the tree hasimproved the Christmas spirit for this unit, he said.

Christmas from page 1


By SSG Patrick Cloward,Senior Airman Thomas Doscher,SGT Jolene Staker andSPC William Ingram

Bombs, bus crashes and mortar shells.Joint Task Force Guantanamo underwent Rotation

Four’s second Routine Integrated Defense Operationlast weekend, keeping them ready for the fight indefense against terrorism.

SPC Edwin Rosario of the 1st Brigade 181stInfantry Regiment worked with his team, firing mortarshells at a seaside target. He had nothing but positivesto say about the training.

"I think we did a really good job,” he said. “Youcan't beat the gunner that we had. SPC [Chris] Cun-ningham was all over it."

Sgt. Dan Jones, who was cross training on the mor-tars, took value from the time he spent.

"I like it a lot. It's really cool,” he said.More localized training came from a bus accident

earlier.

RIDO improvesskills, responsefor JTF troopers

See RIDO on next page

Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn Eklund

Photo above and inset photo by Senior Airman Thomas Doscher

Members of Bravo Co., 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment fire mortar shells at a target boatduring Saturday’s live fire exercise. SPC Dan Green (below, left) fires a machine gun at a tar-get while SSG Sean Maguire assists.


RIDO from previous page“I wish that we had more training with

emergency responses,” said Petty Officer2nd Class Jored Cardona, a Corpsmanwith the Naval Base hospital. “The expe-rience we received will help us toimprove our ability to work smart, fastand get to the site fast. I believe that weneed to train all the time and perfect ourskills.”

Master Chief David Peck, who was on

the scene, also saw it as good trainingexperience.

“The emergency response teams areworking hard and fast to their abilities andtheir training,” he said.

On the Leeward side, Marine forces hadgood things to say about their experience.

"The live-fire exercise went extremelywell,” said Marine 1st Lt. Eric Olson of MCompany, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2ndMarine Division. “We were able to coordi-

nate with an adjacent unit and conduct alive exercise with Naval Security Forcesand MSST."

Though some saw the teaching value inthe effort, many saw it for its fun.

"All training is serious because it couldhappen in real life, but it can also be funbecause it is training,” said MASN JamesLawrence of Naval Station GuantanamoBay Security Forces Ground Defense Ele-ment.

Clockwise from top right:

Photo by SPC William IngramA medical technician evaluates “casualties” during a mockbus accident scene Friday morning.

Photo by SPC William IngramEmergency response personnel rehearse evacuating “casu-alties.”

Photo by Petty Offficer 1st Class Shawn EklundMedical personnel quickly evacuate a “casualty” from thescene of an exercise.


By SGT Jolene Staker

For those wanting to attend chapelservices and events during the holidayseason there are many to choose from.

The first activity in the new CampAmerica chapel will be the Christmasdecorating on Saturday at 7 p.m.,which will be followed by carolingpractice and then refreshments.

Christmas caroling will be on Mon-day. Carolers need to meet at the CampAmerica chapel at 6:30 p.m. and willgo to different locations to sing.

The first service in the new chapelwill be held Sunday morning at 9.There will be a candle-lit service onChristmas Eve at 7 p.m.

There will be a Catholic Mass byBishop John Kaising, who is the auxil-lary bishop of the Archdiocese of theMilitary Services, on Christmas Day at5 p.m. in the Camp America Chapel.

A Catholic Advent Penance Servicewill be held at the NAVBASE MainChapel at 7 p.m. on Monday

There is also a Christmas EveCatholic vigil at 5:30 p.m. and a Mid-night Mass, which will start at 11:55p.m. On Christmas Day there is aCatholic service at 9 a.m.

Chaplains will greet troopers at boththe Seaside Galley and Cafe Caribeduring the special holiday meal onChristmas day.

Chaplain Stephen Feehan, JTFchaplain, is working to take care oftroopers’ special spiritual needs duringthis season.

“At Christmas we sing ‘Joy to theworld, the Lord is come’ we celebratethe birth of Christ, the Light of theWorld, who came to the world to castout the darkness of evil,” Feehan said.“He is here today, and He continuesthat work today.”

Alpha: an opportunity to explore themeaning of life

Tonight:“Why and how should I tell others?”

Dec. 26:“Does God heal today?”

7-8:30 p.m.Camp America Chapel, Bldg. 3203

Worship ServicesCatholic

Main ChapelWed. 5 p.m. R.C.I.A. (Cobre Chapel)Fri. 5 p.m. RosarySat. 4:15 p.m. Confession

5:30 p.m. Vigil MassSun. 9 a.m. Mass

10:15 a.m. Spanish Mass (Sanct. B)M-Fri. 11:30 a.m. Mass (Cobre Chapel)

Camp AmericaSun. 5 p.m. Mass

Wooden Chapel

ProtestantMain Chapel

Mon. 7 p.m. Prayer Group Fellowship*Wed. 7 p.m. Men’s Bible Study*

7 p.m. Spanish Group390-Evan’s Pt

Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Home GroupNob Hill 5B

Sun. 6:30 a.m. Praise and Worship Service

9:30 a.m. Sunday School11 a.m. Service/Sunday School5 p.m. Bible Study

* Fellowship Hall located in Chapel Complex

Camp AmericaWed. 7 p.m. ServiceSun. 9 a.m. Seaside Galley(Temporary location until further notice)

7 p.m. ServiceWooden Chapel

New Life FellowshipMain Chapel

Sun. 12:45 p.m. Service

Pentecostal GospelSun. 8 a.m. Service (Sanc C)

5 p.m. Service (Sanc C)

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day SaintsSun. 9 a.m. Sanctuary A

IslamicFri. 1 p.m. Classroom 12

Chapel Complex

JewishFri. 8 p.m. Fellowship Hall

Camp America Church Bus schedule:Sun. 8 a.m. Windward Loop

8:15 a.m. Tierra KayThe bus will return following worship.

Need a spiritual lift? Join Chaplain Daniel Odean andother JTF troopers for music and fellowship during

Soul Survivor.7 p.m. every Wednesday at Club Survivor.

Members of the JTF choir will join with the United Jamaican Fellowship fora holiday concert tonight.

The concert, “Voices of Praise,” will begin at 7 p.m. and will be at the W.T.Sampson Elementary ampitheater.

JTF choir to perform concert

Chaplains, staff support troopsduring busy holiday season

SSG ReeveWinters (left),SPC Luis Mar-rero and SSGJeffery Lewis(right), JTFchaplain assis-tants browsethrough the hol-iday decora-tions at the Nexto prepare todecorate thenew CampAmericaChapel.December 21stwill be the firstservice in thenew building.Photo by SGT Jolene Staker


Camp Bulkeley

Fri., Dec. 198 p.m. Freaky Friday

PG - 97 min10 p.m. Once Upon a

Time in MexicoR - 97 min

Sat., Dec. 208 p.m. Secondhand Lion

PG - 107 min10 p.m. The Medallion

PG13 - 89 min

Sun., Dec. 218 p.m. Cabin Fever

R - 94 min

Mon., Dec. 228 p.m. American Graffiti

PG - 109

Tues., Dec. 238 p.m. Grind

PG13 - 100 min

Wed., Dec. 248 p.m. Midnight Run

R- 125min

Thurs., Dec. 258 p.m. Johnny English

PG - 88 min

Downtown Lyceum

Fri., Dec. 197 p.m. Elf

PG - 88 min9 p.m. Texas Chainsaw

MassacrePG13 - 98 min

Sat., Dec. 207 p.m. Good Boy

PG - 88 min9 p.m. Lost in Translation

R - 102 min

Sun., Dec. 217 p.m. The Last Samurai

R - 144 min

Mon., Dec. 227 p.m. The Runaway Jury

PG13 - 128 min

Tues., Dec. 237 p.m. Texas Chainsaw

MassacrePG13 - 98 min

Wed., Dec. 247 p.m. Elf

PG - 88 min

Thurs., Dec. 257 p.m. The Last Samurai

R - 144 min

MovieSchedule

At Club Survivor ...Dec. 30: The Least Worst Band,

rock and roll;Jan. 1: Dot Wilder, jazz;

Jan. 2: Wild Gypsy, variety.

By Air Force Lt. Col. Bruce Medaugh

Sometimes, when an issue hasbeen brought to the Inspector Gen-eral’s (IG) office, it is something thatmight have been resolved earlier, ifleaders follow Policy Letter No. 8.

Policy Letter No. 8 established therequirement that both civilian andmilitary personnel receive an initialcounseling within 14 days of theirarrival at GTMO and can create awin-win situation for everyone.

The initial counseling helps lead-ers and their troops establish the tasksand performance expectations theyare required to meet. For you, thetrooper, you will be on your way tosuccessfully doing your job and meet-ing your expectations once you’vereceived your initial counseling.

The second part of Policy LetterNo. 8 requires a performance counsel-ing be conducted every 45 days afterthe initial counseling. This helps thesupervisor and the person who worksfor him or her to talk about how thingsare going and if necessary, identifyany areas that may need to beimproved.

The supervisor is required to con-duct and record each of these ses-

sions. It is the supervisor’s responsi-bility, but each member should alsohelp track this requirement. It is ineveryone’s interest to do so. If youknow your counseling is not meetingthis standard, remind your supervisorthat it is required.

Meeting the requirements set byPolicy Letter No. 8 is importantbecause it is a clearly defined standard,which must be met. Most importantly,when the counseling is done right andto standard, the supervisor and mem-ber will be able to discuss and resolveissues before they erupt into a problemwhich may end up in our office.

If you have a question about coun-seling or any other matter that youcan’t solve in your chain of command,please feel free to contact the Inspec-tor General. Each IG team member isready to assist you with issues youmay be experiencing during theirdeployment.

The IG phone number is 5399. Youmay visit the IG office in Room 204of the Commissions building Mondaythrough Saturday. The Camp AmericaIG office is in Building 7200 and isstaffed Tuesday, 9-10 a.m., and Fri-day, 3-4 p.m. IG assistance is avail-able anytime by appointment.

Counseling can quelchproblems before they start

Photo by CW3 Gerald Jordan

Parade winnersChristmas parade contest winners celebrate their victory. Pictured are 1SG David Folsom(standing), JTF first sergeant, and SFC Kenneth Sobecki (left) and SSG Steve Holman.

Coupons for a free 15-minute telephone call willbe available to servicemembers in Guantanamo Bay.

The calls may be made between tomorrow andDec. 31. The coupons will be available from troopers’command.

Free calls available


Photo by SPC Rick Fahr

SPC Kurt Witucki (above) of the 177th MP Brigade returns a volley during JTF beach volleyball tournament action Saturday.SPC Brian Tivnan (below, right) warms up with teammate Daniel Jones of the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment team.The 1-181st, seeded first, won the tournament.

By SPC Rick Fahr

The JTF beach volleyballregular season winners main-tained their supremacy in theleague’s postseason tourna-ment on Saturday.

Members of the 1st Battal-ion, 181st Infantry Regimentrolled through the four-teamevent, beating the 177th Mili-tary Police Brigade team in thefinal match.

Other teams in the tourna-ment were the 384th MilitaryPolice Battalion and the 273rdMilitary Police Co.

In the opening roundmatches of the single-elimina-tion tournament, the 1-181stdefeated the 273rd in threegames – 16-14, 11-15 and 15-7.The 177th dispatched the 384thin two games – 15-3 and 15-8.

In the final, the 181stneeded only two games toclaim the title – 15-4 and 15-3.

1-181st wins beach volleyball tourney177th, 384th, 273rdalso compete in event


Hash-runningcomplementsfitness programBy SPC Rick Fahr

On Saturday afternoons, it’snot unusual to see a group of 30-50 people scrambling aroundGuantanamo Bay like they’relooking for something.

They are.They’re trying to find a trail

of flour left by “hares.”They’re hashers.Hash-running has been

around for generations, and it’sgrowing in popularity at Guan-tanamo Bay.

It’s a combination of a phys-ical fitness event and a socialmixer.

Hash-running offers physi-cal training benefits to justabout anyone because the trailshave built-in mechanisms tokeep the pack of hashers moreor less together. Some partici-pants run the entire distance.Some walk. Most do both overthe courses, which are usuallyat least 4 miles long.

“A hash run is sometimesvery challenging. Sometimes it’sa lot longer than I would care torun,” said MSG Randolph Hayof the 177th MP Brigade, an avidrunner. “If you’re doing otherthings – going to the gym some,running some – then a hash runfits right into that.”

In addition to the physicalaspects of the runs, hashers geta different perspective on theisland they inhabit.

“The great benefit to a hashrun is that we have some excite-ment, and we see GuantanamoBay from some very differentangles,” Hay explained. “We justdon’t see it from the roadway.We see it from the skyline. Wesee it from the trails. It’s a greatway to see Guantanamo Bay.”

See HASH on next page


Trooperpicks

JTF personnel’s predictionsfor this week’s games

Chiefs at VikingsLions at PanthersTitans at TexansRedskins at BearsGiants at CowboysBroncos at Colts49ers at EaglesChargers at SteelersRavens at BrownsDolphins at BillsLast week’s recordOverall record

1st SGTSandra Adams-Jones

273rd MP Co.

Craig BaselMWR director

SSGDeon Lee

216th MP Co.

SSGStephanie Nielsen

384th MP Bn.

ChiefsPanthers

TitansBears

CowboysColts

EaglesChargersRavens

Dolphins6-4

71-45

ChiefsPanthers

TitansBears

CowboysColts

EaglesSteelersRavens

Dolphins7-3

70-46

ChiefsPanthers

TitansBears

CowboysColtsEagles

SteelersRavens

Bills8-2

80-36

ChiefsPanthers

TitansBears

CowboysColts

EaglesSteelersRavens

Bills9-1

76-40

Games

Sports highlightsRams, Chiefs continue winning waysCompiled bySPC Rick Fahr

If the Kansas City Chiefsand St. Louis Rams continueon their paths, the road to theSuper Bowl will be Interstate70.

Both teams have clinchedtheir divisions and are eyeinghome field advantage for theplayoffs.

Other teams that haveclinched their divisions are theNew England Patriots andCarolina Panthers . ThePhiladelphia Eagles and Indi-anapolis Colts have clinchedplayoff berths. Two divisionsare still up for grabs

In the AFC North, theCincinnati Bengals and Balti-more Ravens are tied with 8-6records. The Bengals have atougher road ahead, though, asthey travel to St. Louis thisweekend. The Ravens play theCleveland Browns.

The Green Bay Packersand Minnesota Vikings aretied for first place in the NFCNorth with 8-6 records. ThePackers have an edge this weekas they play the OaklandRaiders, while the Vikingshost the Chiefs.

Other contenders kept theirplayoff hopes alive with wins onSunday. The Tennessee Titansbeat the Buffalo Bills, 28-26.The Dallas Cowboys pasted theWashington Redskins , 27-0,and the Colts thumped theAtlanta Falcons, 38-7.

***Quick: Who had the best

record in the NBA as of Mon-day?

The Los Angeles Lakers(18-5). Everybody knows that.

But who was a half-gamebehind the dream team? TheIndiana Pacers (18-6).

And don’t look now, butsome other teams have postedsurprising early season records.

The Sacramento Kings wereat 16-5, and New Orleans hadromped to a 17-7 mark.

***In the crazy world of men’s

college basketball, Kentuckyand Connecticut are at the topof the rankings.

A flurry of oddball losseshas shuffled the top teams, butexpect Florida, Duke, Mis-souri and Kansas to be in themix for the national title.

***This week’s football bowl

lineup includes: Monday –Tangerine , N.C. State andKansas ; Tuesday – FortWorth, TCU and Boise State;Wednesday – Las Vegas, Ore-gon State and New Mexico;Thursday – Hawaii, Houstonand Hawaii; Dec. 26 – MotorCity , Northwestern andBowling Green , and Insight –Virginia Tech and California.

Compiled fromwww.espn.com


Hashers – including MSG Howard J.Kingsley (right) of the 384th MilitaryPolice Battalion – make their way upone of Guantanamo Bay’s many hills.Each hash run has its own course,with varying degrees of difficulty andlength.

HASH from previous page

After each run, the hashers –most of whom have earnednicknames for participating inthe runs – gather for a period offood and fun.

“We have our hash names.We kid each other a lot. It’sgreat fellowship. It’s wonderfulfellowship,” Hay said.

For more information, con-tact Stanley Hovell, ext. 7606.


15 Minutes of Fame...

By SPC William Ingram

SPC Frank Rodriguez is a member ofthe Puerto Rico National Guard on his firstdeployment.

Q. What inspired you to join themilitary?

A. My uncle in the Air Force inspiredme. He said a very honorable thing to dois join the military.

Q. How many years and in whatbranches and components have youserved?

A. I have always served in the Army.I served seven years in the Puerto RicoNational Guard. I’ve always been aninfantry soldier. At home I am anaccountant for a hospital, and I reallyenjoy working there.

Q. Where have you deployed?A. This is my very first deployment,

and it has been an experience of a life-time to finally get the opportunity to usemy skill in the National Guard.

Q. What do you recall as your bestmilitary experience?

A. The work that I am doing here hasto be my best military experience. I wasgiven the chance to be deploying toanother country and have the opportu-nity to visit the United States while Iwas stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey.We were training very hard to learn theskill to be deployed at GuantanamoBay.

Q. How has your military serviceimpacted and molded you as a service-member and a person?

A. The service has impacted me a lotas a person. I will be a better person pro-fessionally at my job and at home withmy family.

Q. In what ways has your familysupported you in your militarycareer?

A. My family has supported me in mydecision to join the military. Without

their support I would not be so proud tocontinue my career in the military. Myfamily has been there for this deploy-ment. My family is supporting eachother at home by staying in contact witheach other and staying close to eachother.

Q. In what way have you kept incontact with your family?

A. I call my family as much I can. Iuse the morale calls and LCN to stay incontact with my family. It is very impor-tant to stay in contact with your familybecause this will help keep you moti-vated when you are far away from them.

Q. What is the greatest challengeyou anticipate experiencing here?

A. I anticipate getting more experi -ence while I am deployed here at Guan-tanamo Bay. We are challenged everydayto provide the best support to the JointTask Force here in Cuba. We are alsochallenged in learning how to treat peo-ple with respect when they are fromanother country. Trying to keep myselfphysically and mentally fit, ready for anytraining that may come up, is a challengetoo. The language barrier is not a chal-lenge for myself, but some soldiers inmy unit do not speak English that well. Itis always important to challenge your-self.

Q. Do you feel that it is important tohave more training with the U.S.National Guard and the Puerto RicoNational Guard on regular basis?

A. It is a really good idea to havethe chance to train and learn otherskills that the Army National Guardprovides for us. It will give us anopportunity to work on some of ourlanguage barriers and make the guardmore unified.

Q. How do you feel your personalexperience have equipped you to suc-ceed here professionally and person-ally?

A. Personally you will never see theworld in the same way. I have seen a lotof things that I know that I will not againtake for granted, like my family and job.

Q. Do you feel yourself a rolemodel?

A. Yes I do because my family and myfriends are proud of me. I am a positiveperson that believes in working hard andplaying hard.

Q. What qualities in others assistyou here at Guantanamo Bay?

A. People have their own qualitieshere at Guantanamo that help me com-plete the mission. My unit here and backhome supports each other, and that alsois a great quality.

With SPC Frank Rodriguez, 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment

SPC Frank Rodriguez1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment

friday, december 19, 2003 it’s beginning to look a lot ...ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu › uf › 00...

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