peninsula warrior april 5, 2013 army edition

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ARMY EDITION

April 5, 2013Vol. 4, No. 13

Publ ished in the in te res t o f personne l a t Jo in t Base Langley-Eus t is • www.pen insu lawar r io r.com

J O I N T B A S E L A N G L E Y - E U S T I S

Battle of the Best‘Rapid Support’ brigadeSoldiers compete inBest Warrior Competition

– Page 22

2 www.peninsulawarrior.com • The Peninsula Warrior - Army • APRIL 5, 2013

APRIL 5, 2013 • The Peninsula Warrior - Army • www.peninsulawarrior.com 3

By Nick SimeoneAMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

The Defense Department has revisedfrom 22 to 14 the number of days hun-dreds of thousands of civilian employeescould be furloughed this year because ofthe budget sequester, Defense SecretaryChuck Hagel announced March 28.

In addition, a senior Defense Depart-ment official speaking on backgroundtold reporters the start of the furloughswill be delayed until mid-to-late June,after more than 700,000 department em-ployees receive furlough notices now setto go out in early May.

Furloughs would happen over seventwo-week pay periods until the end of Sep-tember, when the current fiscal year ends,the senior official said, with employeeslikely to be told not to come to work for twodays during each of those pay periods.

Department officials say they are stillworking to determine which employeesmight be exempted.

Hagel characterized the reduced fur-loughs as well as a revised estimate of se-questration’s impact on the defense budgetas good news. The changes follow Con-

gressional approval last week of a defenseappropriations bill that prevented an addi-tional six billion dollars in cuts, ordered un-der sequestration, from taking effect.

“It reduces a shortfall at least in the op-erations budget,” the secretary told re-porters at a Pentagon news conference.“We came out better than we went in un-der the sequester, where it looks like ournumber is $41 billion [in cuts] now versusthe $46 billion.”

But despite a Congressional reprieve,

Hagel said the Pentagon is still goingto be short at least $22 billion for opera-tions and maintenance, “and that meanswe are going to have to prioritize, makesome cuts and do what we’ve got to do,”including making sharp reductions inbase operating support and training fornondeployed units.

More critical in the long run, he said, ishow budget cuts will affect readiness andthe department’s overall mission. Becauseof that concern, he said he has directed

Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter andArmy Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairmanof the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to conduct anintensive department-wide review of U.S.strategic interests, including how to pro-tect the nation with fewer resources.

“How do we prioritize the threats andthen the capabilities required to deal withthreats?” he said. “There will be some sig-nificant changes, there’s no way around it.”

Dempsey said the department has al-ready exhausted 80 percent of its operatingfunds halfway through the fiscal year andcharacterized the current budget situationas “not the deepest, but the steepest declinein our budget ever,” and warned it will af-fect military readiness into the future.

“We will have to trade at some lev-el and to some degree our future readi-ness for current operations,” the chair-man said. He called on elected leaders togive the Pentagon the budget flexibility itneeds to carry out institutional reforms.

“We can’t afford excess equipment,”Dempsey said. “We can’t afford excess fa-cilities. We have to reform how we buyweapons and services. We have to reduceredundancy. And we’ve got to change, atsome level, our compensation structure.”

Hagel announces fewer furlough days for civilians

By Lisa A. FerdinandoARMY NEWS SERVICE

The Army has transferred back to thestate of Virginia the most historic areas ofFort Monroe, including Freedom’s Fortress.

The Army sent the quitclaim deed for the312.75 acres to the Commonwealth of Vir-ginia on Thursday, said Katherine Ham-mack, Assistant Secretary of the Army forInstallations, Energy and Environment.

The deeds for the land date back to 1838.“The Army has spent a significant

amount of time surveying and refiningproperty boundaries, so that as this prop-erty reverts to the state of Virginia, it can beappropriately handled by the state, wheth-er it’s going to be sold or leased or used forother purposes,” Hammack told partici-pants of a conference call March 28.

The Army will continue to provide care-

taker status for the next 60 days to ensurethe buildings are maintained and providea smooth and orderly transition to the stateof Virginia’s management, she said.

Hammack said there are several smallerproperties that need environmental assess-ments. She said those studies are expectedto be completed shortly. She said that prop-erty, about 38 acres, will be reverted to thestate in the future.

Aportion of property at Fort Monroe willbe transferred to the National Park Service,Hammack said. However, those 122 acresare still under evaluation.

The land for Fort Monroe was deeded tothe Army for use as a military reservationand to be reverted back to the Common-wealth of Virginia when it is no longer usedfor military purposes.

Fort Monroe was closed as part of theBRAC 2005 process. The Army has been

working with the state of Virginia and theFort Monroe Federal Area DevelopmentAuthority to preserve the historical site.

Construction began on Fort Monroe in1819, after the British sailed up the Chesa-peake Bay in 1814 and burned WashingtonD.C. That action demonstrated a need forcoastal defenses.

The unique seven-sided fort, which issurrounded by a moat, was designed byGen. Simon Bernard, who was once anaide to Napoleon Bonaparte. Lt. Robert E.Lee was among the young engineers whoeventually worked on the project. He su-pervised construction of the moat.

Later, the fort played a prominent partin the Civil War, helping keep much ofthe coast under Union control. PresidentAbraham Lincoln personally launched theUnion’s attack on Norfolk from inside FortMonroe’s walls.

During the course of the war, more than10,000 escaped slaves were temporarilysheltered on Fort Monroe, and it later be-came the site of a cemetery for freed slaves.

After the war, Confederate President Jef-ferson Davis was held captive there formore than two years in the casemate dun-geon. Later the post served for many yearsas the Army’s Coast Artillery School.

Fort Monroe, located in Virginia’s Tide-water region, became a National Histor-ic Landmark in 1960. In 2011, PresidentBarack Obama designated Fort Monroe aNational Monument.

Defense Secretary

Chuck Hagel and

Army Gen. Mar-

tin E. Dempsey,

chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of

Staff, brief report-

ers at the Penta-

gon, March 28. Ha-

gel and Dempsey

discussed the

ongoing seques-

ter affecting the

Defense Depart-

ment's budget.

Courtesy photo

InTheNews

Courtesy photo


By Staff Sgt. Wesley Farnsworth633RD AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

You come into work one morning and re-ceive an e-mail informing you that you’vereceived a new assignment! You get excit-ed, as this is the e-mail you’ve been wait-ing for – a chance to see more of the worldand experience new things. That excite-ment then turns to stress as your mindstarts racing, thinking of everything youmust do to make the move go smoothly.

While there are many aspects to consid-er when planning for a permanent changeof station, one of the most important is pre-paring the move of your household goods.Hillman Jackson, Fort Eustis TransportationManagement Office manager, offers the fol-lowing advice to those in this position.

“The first thing you should do is go seeyour TMO office as soon as you get physi-cal orders,” Jackson said. “This will allowus to either book your move then, or setyou up with an appointment later.”

Jackson also recommends individualsvisit http://www.move.mil prior to vis-iting their office. Many questions peoplehave can be answered through this site.Additionally, permanent party Servicemembers may do the initial consultationonline, but students at Fort Eustis mustvisit the TMO office.

Those that need to visit the TMO officecan ensure the appointment goes smooth-ly by knowing the following informationprior to their visit:

■ Know what kind of move you wantto do

Do you want to do it all yourself, do someof it yourself and have the governmenthelp, or just have the government do it all?

■ Have an idea of how much stuffyou have

Identify how many rooms you have,including bedrooms, living rooms, a din-ing room, a kitchen, etc. You can even usethe weight estimator available on move.mil to see approximately how much ev-erything weighs.

■ Make an appointment with TMOYou should plan on being at the TMO

office for at least one hour.“One of the biggest tips I can give is to

plan ahead,” Jackson said.Once you visit the TMO office and your

move is scheduled, you can plan on a 4-6week wait before movers will pick up yourhousehold goods. TMO also encouragespeople to wait on giving notice to their land-lords until they have a firm date of whentheir household goods will be picked up.

The move.mil website also offers the fol-lowing tips on preparing for your move:

■ Record video of your property priorto the carrier coming to pack it up.

■ Jewelry and other high-value itemsshould not be shipped. If they areshipped, however, ensure they are listedon the inventory slip.

■ Watch the movers as they pack yourhousehold goods. If you can’t be present,make sure your spouse or agent knowswhat to do and arranges for additional helpif necessary.

■ Make sure adequate descriptions of thecontents are written on the boxes themselvesand it matches the inventory sheet. It doesn’thave to match perfectly, but the general cate-gory should at least match.

■ Remember it’s your move and youare in charge of it. Make sure everythingis recorded and documented before itleaves your control.

Once you arrive at your new duty stationand from the time you notify the TMO officeof your new address, you can expect a waitof about two weeks before your householdgoods are delivered, said Jackson. If you PCSto an overseas assignment, your wait time istypically 45-60 days for household goodsand 30 days for any unaccompanied bag-gage, such as clothing that is sent separately.

For additional information visit http://www.move.mil, contact the Langley TMOoffice at 764-7868 or the Fort Eustis TMOoffice at 878-4664.

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series.


By Senior Airman Kayla Newman633D AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

In the Air Force, some of the most promi-nent and widely-known jobs involve pilots.Many people don’t realize when those pi-lots land their aircraft, one of the first placesthey report to is airfield management, alsoreferred to as “Base Ops.”

The 1st Operations Support Squadronairfield management at Langley Air ForceBase, Va., is in charge of overseeing thebase’s airfield. Managing the Langley air-field is an encompassing job that requiresdetailed planning and communication toensure operations run smoothly.

The front counter at Base Ops, knownas the airfield management operationscounter, is where everything relating tothe airfield happens. Pilots submit theirflight plans and check in at the counteronce they’ve landed, airfield updates areprovided, notices to Airmen are loggedand bird activity is monitored.

“In order to take care of the airfield, wemust know everything that is going on,”explained Senior Airman Matthew Mor-row, 1st OSS airfield management shiftlead. “We also have to make sure every-thing is secure and safe for planes to takeoff and land.”

One way airfield management ensuressecurity of the runway is through being thefocal point for any construction that takesplace in or around the airfield, said StaffSgt.Aundrea Jones, noncommissioned offi-cer in charge of airfield management opera-

tions. Airfield management must maintainsafe measures so aircraft can avoid strikingconstruction equipment or personnel in theimmediate vicinity of the runways, taxi-ways and parking ramps.

Additionally, in order for planes toland safely, Airfield management con-ducts nightly lighting inspections to en-sure there are no discrepancies with navi-gational lighting aids, said Jones.

Airfield management must also conducthourly inspections, which must includechecking the pavement for foreign objects

and debris, cracks in the pavement or anyhazardous runway conditions resultingfrom adverse weather, said Jones.

Parts of the hourly checks also includelooking for birds and wildlife, as they arehazards to the jets.

“The United States Department of Ag-riculture is in charge of keeping the wild-life away from the airfield at Langley,” ex-plained Staff Sgt. Antonio Tyson, 1st OSSnoncommissioned officer in charge of air-field management training. “For the wild-life that USDA is unable to get, airfield

management does have the authority toscare them away.”

Airfield management has the authority touse specific tactics to scare off the wildlife,such as bird aircraft striking guns, whichare designed to make loud noises that helpbirds relocate away from the airfield.

Birds aren’t the only potentially harm-ful wildlife found on the runway. Airfieldmanagement has handled frogs, turtles,coyotes and even fish. In an additional ef-fort to control the wildlife around the air-field, the surrounding grass is maintainedat a height of 7-14 inches to prevent anywildlife from forming a habitat.

While performing these critical checksand procedures are vital in accomplishingtheir mission, the 12-18 Service membersassigned to airfield management mustalso maintain an open line of communi-cation. Without proper communication, anumber of things could go wrong with thejets, pilots or the airfield as a whole.

“Communication is the biggest thing,”said Tyson. “If you are comfortableworking with and talking to the peopleyou are around every day, you are goingto have better communication in lettingthem know what is going on in the air-field, as well as in the shop.”

Airfield management is open 24 hours aday, seven days a week. With such a crit-ical job, airfield management personnelmust pay close attention to the security ofthe airfield and runway through extensiveplanning and communication, ensuringLangley pilots can land home safely.

Preparing for takeoff with airfield management

Photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman

U.S.AirForceSeniorAirmanMatthewMorrow,1stOperationsSupportSquadronairfieldman-

agement shift lead, performs an inspection on the airfield at LangleyAir Force Base, March 20.


By C. Todd LopezARMY NEWS SERVICE

By December, Army officers will be rat-ed under a new evaluation system – onethat is designed to both strengthen rateraccountability and reflect current Armyleadership doctrine.

The new system will affect officers in allbranches and all components of the Army,said Maj. Gen. Rick Mustion, commander,Army Human Resources Command. Ad-ditionally, he said the new Officer Evalu-ation Report, or OER, system will be pre-ceded by deployment of mobile trainingteams Army-wide to help officers becomeaccustomed to the new system.

One change to the OER is emphasis on aclear delineation of responsibilities betweenraters and senior raters, Mustion said.

“Raters discuss performance and se-nior raters discuss potential,” Mustionsaid. Right now, he added, that distinc-tion is not being made.

There will also now be three separateevaluation forms based on grade. Thosethree “grade plates” include one for com-pany-grade officers, warrant officers andchief warrant officers two; one for field-grade officers as well as chief warrantofficers three through five; and one for“strategic leaders,” which includes colo-nels and brigadier generals.

The Army will also implement a raterprofile for the company and field-grade of-ficer plates, emphasize recommendationsfor future operational and career broaden-ing opportunities on the field grade plate,redefine the senior-rater box check, and lim-it the use of intermediate raters to specialbranches and dual-supervision situations.

GonefromtheOERwillbethe“outstand-ing performance, must promote,” “satisfac-tory performance, promote” and “unsat-isfactory performance, do not promote”boxes. Instead, raters will now choose from“excels,” “proficient,” “capable” and “un-satisfactory,” Mustion said.

The online tool that will allow officersto rate other officers will limit the numberof “excels” ratings they can offer a partic-ular grade to less than 50 percent. Duringan officer’s career, the system will ensurethe rater rates less than 50 percent of cap-tains, for instance, as “excels.” Such infor-mation about a rater’s rating history willbe part of his or her “rater profile.” Rightnow, raters do not have a “rater profile,”while senior raters do.

For senior raters, the “above center ofmass,” “center of mass,” “below center ofmass, retain” and “below center of mass,do not retain” blocks will be replaced with“most qualified,” “highly qualified,” “qual-ified” and “not qualified” check boxes.

With those ratings, a senior rater will alsobe limited to less than 50 percent of ratedofficers being marked “most qualified.”

Mustion said the Army has no intentionof restarting senior rater profiles with thechange to the new system. The “mass”-based ratings will transition to the new“qualified”-based ratings.

For company grade officers, what Mus-tion calls the “Rubik’s Cube of attributesand competencies” will also disappear.The current DA Form 67-9, includedabout 16 “yes” or “no” check boxes fora rater to answer an array of questionsabout an officer’s mental, physical andemotional characteristics, their concep-tual, interpersonal, technical and tacticalskills, and, among other things, their abil-ity to communicate, make a decision ordevelop their subordinates.

In place of that matrix of yes and nocheck boxes, raters will instead evaluate anofficer in six distinct areas – and it won’t bemultiple choice to complete the section.

“What our raters will do is write threeto four sentences, documenting the offi-cer’s performance, not potential, in linewith each of the attributes and competen-cies,” Mustion said. Raters will be asked

to write about an officer’s character;“presence,” which includes professionalconduct, intellect, leadership ability, abil-ity to develop subordinates and ability toachieve their mission.

For field grade officers, raters will in-stead provide narrative commentary thatdemonstrates an officer’s performance re-garding “field grade competencies.”

“It reverts back to a narrative description,similar to what we have today, except it is adocumentation of performance in line withthe attributes and competencies,” Mustionsaid. “What it reflects are those things thatour field grade officers and warrant officersshould be able to accomplish.”

Mustion said among those attributesare the ability to adjust to an ambiguoussituation, for instance, and the ability tomanage resources.

Career Broadening

Akey part of the new OER system will beto ask raters to make determinations aboutwhat an officer is capable of, and what sug-gestions there might be for how the officercan be better developed – both for his or hersake, and for the sake of the Army.

Mustion said the Army is asking lead-ers to identify future and broadening as-signments for officers who are rated.

“In our Army we have a lot of require-ments that are outside the operation-al Army,” he said. “We have opportuni-ties that range from fellowships here inthe [Pentagon] to teaching at ROTC, tothe operations controllers at our Nation-al Training Center to joint staff positions –which are very important to building offi-cers who can operate at the strategic level– and that’s the construct of broadening.”

Preparing for the new OER

The new OER system will start Dec. 1,2013. All ratings that take place beforethat date will use the old system. Ratingswith THRU dates after that date will usethe new system. Mustion said there willbe no close-out reports required beforeswitching to the new system.

To prepare officers for the new OER sys-tem, Mustion said the Army will deploymobile training teams this autumn. Addi-tionally, he said the new version of ArmyRegulation 623-3, which explains the OERprocess, will be available 30 days beforeimplementation of the new system. Theregulation should be available from Armypublishing sometime in November.

Photo by Master Sgt. Michael Chann

By December, officers will be rated under officer evaluation report system – one that is

designed to both strengthen rater accountability and reflect currentArmy leadership doc-

trine. Army officials say the new OER will include more writing and less box-checking.

“It reverts back to a narrativedescription, similar to what wehave today, except it is a docu-mentation of performance in linewith the attributes and compe-tencies. What it reflects are thosethings that our field grade officersand warrant officers should beable to accomplish.”

— Maj. Gen. Rick Mustioncommander, Army Human Resources

There will also now be three separate officer evaluation report formsbased on grade.Those three “grade plates” include one for company-grade officers, warrant officers and chief warrant officers two; one for

field-grade officers as well as chief warrant officers three through five; andone for “strategic leaders,” which includes colonels and brigadier generals.


By 2nd Lt. Brooke E. Betit633RD AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

More than 80 Airmen gathered at theShellbank Fitness Center track to par-ticipate in the Women’s History MonthWarrior Challenge, March 29.

The Warrior Challenge was sponsoredby the Langley Equal Opportunity Of-fice as a way to highlight the Women’sHistory Month observance in a uniqueway by fostering camaraderie in a com-petitive environment.

“I wanted to do an event that wouldrepresent the struggle of the women be-ing honored,” said 2nd Lt. Tonya Frank-lin, 633rd Comptroller Squadron financeofficer, who organized an obstacle coursefor the event. “The intent was that partic-ipants could take the time to realize thatthis event was challenging, but it was alsoa challenge for the women who brokebarriers in the areas of science, technolo-gy, engineering and math as well.”

The challenge was open to both menand women, with 21 teams participat-ing. Ten obstacle course events awaited

these determined Airmen, ranging fromflipping gigantic tires to answering ques-tions about exceptional women in the AirForce. Many were eager to take on the ob-stacles and support Women’s History.

“I wanted to represent my squadron andshow what we can do,” said Airman FirstClass Gennifer Anderson, a Langley Air-man who participated in the event. “Ourteam came out here after working on nightshift, and we were ready to go.”

According to Senior Master Sgt. SonyaHildebrand, Langley EO superintendent,the event not only honored Women’s His-tory Month, it also presented a unique op-portunity for units all over the base to cometogether. The broad sampling includedteams from force support, logistics and in-telligence, bringing the separate missionsand environments of Langley together.

“People got together in the spirit ofcompetition, but it’s also a chance tolearn about one another,” she said. “TheAir Force is made up of a very diverseteam of people and events like thesehelp to break down stereotypes. That’swhat makes our Air Force strong.”

Photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman

U.S. Air ForceTech. Sgt. MelanieThermidor, 633d Air BaseWing equal opportunity specialist,

competes in the pull-up event at theWomen’s History MonthWarrior Challenge at LangleyAir

Force Base, March 29.There were ten events set up at the challenge, ranging from physically

demanding obstacles to academic challenges.

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FeatureStory

By Sachel SeabrookAIR COMBAT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Six continents. Seven years. More than100,000 feet climbed and next month, theUSAF 7 Summits Challenge team is set-ting out to climb to the top of the world.

At 29,035 ft., Mount Everest is the high-est peak on Earth. If successful, six Air-men will become the first American mil-itary team to reach the summit of MountEverest and the first team of military Ser-vice members from any nation to reachall seven summits. Airmen who are mak-ing the trek to Everest are stationed allacross the country, including two fromHeadquarters Air Combat Command.

“For me, it’s not about making his-tory,” said Capt. Kyle “Husky” Martin.“It’s about proudly representing some-thing larger than me.”

Nicknamed Husky for sleeping out inthe snow multiple times, Martin first start-ed climbing 10 years ago. He heard abouttheAir Force 7 Summit challenge when hejoined the United States Air Force Acad-emy mountaineering club as a young ca-det. Now a T-38 pilot and division chieffor the 1st Operations Group, the Manhat-

tan, Kan., native has climbed many moun-tains, including Ama Dablam, a mountainin the Himalayan range of eastern Nepalrelatively close to Mount Everest.

“Ama Dablam is the climb I’m mostproud of,” he said excitingly. “It’s rockclimbing, ice climbing and really, reallyexposed to base camp, which is 4,000 ft.below you.”

Led by Maj. Rob Marshall, a 34-year-old Special Operations pilot who hassuccessfully conquered more than 30peaks, the USAF 7 Summits Challengeteam is dedicated to one thing: honoringfallen comrades by carrying the Amer-ican and Air Force flags to the highestpoint on each continent.

Those fallen comrades include sev-eral of Marshall’s friends who werekilled when an Air Force MC-130, callsign Wrath 11, crashed in the Albanianmountains in 2005. Two months later,tragedy struck again when two more ofMarshall’s friends, Captains Derek An-gel and Jeremy Fresques, also died withthree other Airmen in a small-planecrash near Diyala, Iraq.

Courtesy photo

U.S. Air Force Capt. Kyle “Husky” Martin trains for rock climbing in Iwate Prefecture,

Japan prior toAma Dablam in 2012. Martin is wrapping up an 18-month training regi-

men and will join the rest of the USAF 7 Summits ChallengeTeam in Nepal as they

prepare to climb Mount Everest next month.

BELOW: Members of the USAF 7 Summits ChallengeTeam hold theAmerican andAir

Force flags at of Antarctica’s highest mountain, Mount Vinson, in 2010.The team of

Airmen will attempt to climb Mount Everest in April 2013.SEE CLIMBING PAGE 9

“This trip is a great way to highlightthe resiliency of the Wounded Warrior.I want Airmen to understand that nomatter what their experience or currentlife position, there is nothing that theycannot overcome.”

— Senior Master Sgt. Robert Disneypararescueman and wounded warrior who

is ascending to the Everest Base Camp


“Remember walking around a track toraise money for your school or charity?”Marshall asked. “Well, I decided to takeit vertical.”

For every thousand feet the teamclimbs, they ask people to donate towardsthe college education of their fallen com-rade’s children.

In addition to Captain Martin, the Ever-est team includes:

■ Maj. Rob Marshall, 34, a CV-22 pilotfrom Mercer Island, Wash., stationed inAmarillo,Tex.

■ Capt. Andrew Ackles, 29, a TH-1Ninstructor pilot from Ashland, Ore., sta-tioned at Fort Rucker, Ala.

■ Capt. Marshall Klitzke, 30, a KC-135Rpilot from Lemmon, S.D., currently an in-structor pilot at the Air Force Academy inColorado Springs, Colo.

■ Capt. Colin Merrin, 28, a GPS satel-lite operations mission commander fromSantee, Calif., stationed at Peterson AirForce Base, Colo.

■ Staff Sgt. Nick Gibson, 36, a reservepararescueman and physician-assistantstudent from Gulf Breeze, Fla., stationedat Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.

“This trip is a great way to highlight theresiliency of the Wounded Warrior,” said Se-nior Master Sgt. Robert Disney, a parares-cueman and wounded warrior who is as-cending to the Everest Base Camp. “I wantAirmen to understand that no matter whattheir experience or current life position,there is nothing that they cannot overcome.”

Along with Disney, two other woundedwarriors will be going to the base camp:

■ Capt. Augustin “Gus” Viani, 28, aCombat Rescue officer stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

■ Master Sgt. Gino (last name and de-tails withheld for operational security)

Though the team is not sponsored by theAir Force, Disney credits hisAir Force train-ing for preparing him for this very moment.

“For a PJ, climbing or mountaineeringis just another way of getting to work,” hesaid. “Our Operational Risk Managementtraining prepares us to weigh the risk-to-reward ratios of our choices and to makelife-and-death decisions on the fly.”

Those risk-management skills, somethingHusky hopes Airmen pay attention to onand off duty, has contributed to the team’sunblemished history of safety and success.

With the team being stationed all overthe country, training together becomes achallenge. However, Husky managed toget creative when it came to preparinghimself for the ultimate climb.

“Since I don’t have mountains here inHampton Roads, I’ll go out to the beach-es,” the captain said. “My daughter is mytraining partner. She’ll add 20 pounds tothe baby backpack and we’ll hike throughthe deep sand in my Everest boots. Welook pretty absurd, but she loves to gooutside.”

Disney also credits his wife Tess forhelping him prepare for this moment.With her support, he has gotten back intoclimbing shape in just two months.

With both men days away from leav-ing, Disney and Husky both hope to sur-pass their own limitations and encourageother Airmen do the same.

“Oh, and come back with all of mytoes,” Husky adds. “I definitely want tocome back with all of my toes.”

To learn more about this historic ad-venture, you can check out their website,http://www.usaf7summits.com, like themon Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

CLIMBING FROM PAGE 8

U.S.Air Force Capt.

Kyle “Husky” Mar-

tin gains the ridge of

Ama Dablam during

a trip to eastern Ne-

pal in 2012.The main

peak, which stands

at 22,349 feet, is one

of the most popular

Himalayan Mountain

climbs permitted to

the public. Martin is

anAir ForceAcad-

emy graduate and

now serves as the

T-38 division chief for

the 1st Operations

Group at LangleyAir

Force Base.

Courtesy photo

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By Airman 1st Class Kimberly Nagle633 AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

With the ongoing problem of sexu-al violence present in all branches ofthe military, it’s important for Servicemembers to take measures to preventsuch acts.

In the United States, the month ofApril has been designated as Sexual As-sault Awareness Month. Joint Base Lang-ley-Eustis agencies are arranging eventsas part of the SAAM campaign to helpbring awareness to sexual violence.

“We take this opportunity to call at-tention to sexual violence and band to-gether to rebuke those who violate thetrust and sanctity of our communities,”said Bernadette Hardy, Langley SexualAssault Prevention and Response coor-dinator. “We also take this time to showsolidarity and support to the victims ofthese horrible acts.”

In fiscal year 2011, the Department ofDefense reported more than 3,100 in-

cidents of sexual assault, said MeganAlpert, 733rd Mission Support Groupinstallation sexual assault victim advo-cate.

“Becoming more aware of sexual vi-olence begins an important conversa-tion about the attitudes and underpin-nings which continue to allow sexualassault to occur not only in our military,

but also within our society as a whole,”said Alpert. “Supporting SAAM eventsis just the first step in the fight againstsexual assault. Our events aim to edu-cate and engage the community in dis-cussing and preventing sexual violencein the future and treating victims withdignity, fairness and respect.”

In addition to the impact sexual as-sault has on victims, one of the mostcrucial repercussions of sexual assaultis the effect it has on the military mis-sion, said Hardy.

“Sexual violence affects the overall mis-sion by dividing the force,” said Hardy.“Violence changes not only the victim, itchanges all involved [in the incident].”

In order to combat sexual violencethrough awareness, JBLE sexual assaultprevention professionals have planneda number of events, including Walk aMile in Her Shoes, a 5k Fun Run/Walkand poetry slam.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. April Wickes

Megan Alpert (left), 733rd Mission Support

Group installation sexual assault victim advo-

cate, and U.S. Army Master Sgt. Kevin Parker,

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command in-

stallation sexual assault response coordinator,

hang ribbons to show support of Sexual Assault

Awareness Month at Fort Eustis, April 1.SEE SAAM PAGE 11

“We take this opportunity tocall attention to sexual violenceand band together to rebuke thosewho violate the trust and sanctityof our communities. We also takethis time to show solidarity andsupport to the victims of thesehorrible acts.”

— Bernadette HardyLangley Sexual Assault Prevention

and Response coordinator


“Community members get to learn[aboutsexualassault]bytalkingwithvictimadvocates, learn how to protect themselvesvia personal safety/self-defense classes andshow support in rallies and marches on andoff base,” said Hardy. “Our outreach eventsare designed to bring awareness, get peo-

ple talking and bring the occurrence of suchlife-altering events out from the shadows.”

While these events help bring commu-nity awareness, Hardy said the respon-sibility to prevent sexual violence is ulti-mately in everyone’s hands.

“Prevention is everyone’s duty,” said Har-dy. “It takes us all to make certain that ourcommunity is a safe and good place to be.”

AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued amessage April 2 to all members of the De-fense Department, emphasizing that stop-ping sexual assault and supporting vic-tims is everyone’s responsibility.

Here is the text of the secretary’s message:

This month, the Department of Defense ob-serves Sexual Assault Awareness and Pre-vention Month with the theme “We own it …we’ll solve it … together.”

Sexual Assault Awareness and PreventionMonth is an opportunity for the entire DoDcommunity – Service members, civilians, mem-bers of our families and leaders at every level –to underscore our commitment to eliminatingthe crime of sexual assault, supporting victims

and intervening when appropriate to help stopunsafe behavior.

Together, we must work every day to instilla climate that does not tolerate or ignore sexistbehavior, sexual harassment or sexual assault.These have no place in the United States mil-itary and violate everything we stand for andthe values we defend. Creating a culture free ofthe scourge of sexual assault requires establish-ing an environment where dignity and respectis afforded to all, and where diversity is cele-brated as one of our greatest assets as a force.

We are strong because of our values of service,sacrifice and loyalty – and doing what is right.We watch out for each other and respect each oth-er. By drawing on these strengths, we can and wemust stop sexual assault within our ranks.

Remember, we own it … we’ll solve it …together.

Fort Eustis

• April 10 – Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at the Fort Eustis Exchange.• April 19 – 5K Run/Walk, hosted by the 93rd Signal Brigade.• April 20 – SHARP Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in

Anderson Field House.• April 25 – Information table at the Fort Eustis Club during lunch hours.• April 30 – Sexual Assault Awareness Capstone Event at 10 a.m. in Jacobs Theater.

Langley Air Force Base

• April 1, 15, 22 & 29 – Women’s Personal Safety Classes, 4 to 5 p.m. in the ShellbankFitness Center.

• April 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 – Chief Master Sgt. Trae King, 633rd Air Base Wing commandchief master sergeant, will speak at “Meet Your Victim Advocate” from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at the Langley Commissary.

• April 4, 11, 18 & 25 – “Meet Your Victim Advocate” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lang-ley Exchange.

• April 11 – Men’s Personal Safety Class from 4 to 5 p.m. in the ACC Fitness Center• April 13 – Walk A Mile in her Shoes at 10 a.m. at the PeninsulaTown Center (community

outreach collaboration).• April 18 – Take back the Night from 6 to 8 p.m. in City Center (community outreach

collaboration).• April 26 – STAR Road Rally from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the JBLE Memorial Park.• April 26 – Poetry Slam at 1 p.m. at the JBLE Memorial Park.

Joint Base Langley-Eustis SAAM Events

SAAM FROM PAGE 10

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By Airman 1st Class Victoria Taylor633RD AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

With crisp precision and near-robotic ca-dence, six Airmen represented the U.S AirForce Honor Guard in a drill demonstrationat Langley Air Force Base, Va., March 29.

Making numerous stops on differentAir Force bases around the world as partof their recruitment tour, the USAFHGstopped at Langley not only to look forAirmen who want to join the challeng-ing, yet rewarding experience of Air ForceHonor Guard, but also to represent theirteam to the public.

“We are the traveling department of theU.S.Air Force Honor Guard,” said SeniorAir-man Andrew Winders, USAFHG drill teamtrainer. “We are here at Langley to informpeople about Honor Guard in hopes to addvalued members to support our mission.”

One way the USAFHG team hopedto achieve this was by visiting with theLangley Honor Guard prior to the drilldemonstration.

“I had never thought about being an AirForce Honor Guardsman before today,”said Airman 1st Class Mellissa Darwin, cer-emonial guardsman for the Langley Hon-

or Guard. “Now, I’mapplying for this spe

The vision of the Ulegacy of Airmen whprotect the standardspreserve the heritage

“I think it’s vitalUSAFHG to do thesaid Staff Sgt. Justindrill team supervisoof the Airmen in theand continue serving

Although the Ametary personnel may othere are five differenalso perform differenington D.C.: the colparty, drill team and

To honor the tradtheir ceremonies, th

Photos by Airman 1st Class Victoria H. Taylor

The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team performs precise movements during a recruitment visit at Langley Air Force

Base, March 29.The mission of theAir Force Honor Guard is to representAirmen to theAmerican public and the world.

BELOW: The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team performs in front of a crowd at Langley Air Force Base. The Drill

Team promotes the Air Force mission by showcasing drill performances at public and military venues to recruit, re-

tain and inspire Airmen.

“I think it’s viefforts. It inspirand continue se

definitely interested inecial duty.”USAFHG is to ensure aho promote the mission,s, perfect the image and

of the Air Force.l to the health of theese recruiting efforts,”n Lemmon, USAFHGor. “It inspires the restAir Force to take prideg their country.”erican public and mili-only see the drill team,nt USAFHG flights thatnt ceremonies in Wash-lors, pallbearers, firingsupport flight.

ditions they display inhe USAFHG team has

an outreach flight that visits base honorguard teams.

“To ensure conformity across the board,the USAFHG also has a separate flight thatteaches base-level honor guards through-out the Air Force,” said Winders.

While many of their traditions are foundin regulations, drill team maneuvers are, bycontrast, not transcribed in a manual. Instead,they are passed down from one generation oftheAFHG Drill Team to the next, showing theresponsibility and dedication that these menand women must go through to become apart of the vision that is the USAFHG.

For more information on the USAFHG,visit www.honorguard.af.mil.

For Airmen wishing to become a partof Langley’s Base Honor Guard, contactTech Sgt. Christopher Hollingsworth at(757) 764-7181.

Photo by Airman 1st Class Victoria H. Taylor

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Justin Lemmon, U.S. Air Force Honor

Guard DrillTeam supervisor, waits for the start of the performance.

Preserving the Air Force heritage as the face of the Air Force, the

DrillTeam is renowned for their precision.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Nevison

Senior Airman Billy Degraffenreid (right), a member of the U.S. Air

Force Honor Guard Drill Team, gives instructions to members of

the base honor guard at Langley Air Force Base, March 29.The drill

team came to coach Langley Honor Guard members, as well as

to perform a demonstration at the Air Combat Command Fitness

Center to recruit Airmen for the drill team.

Photo by Airman 1st Class Kimberly Nagle

Airmen from the LangleyAir Force Base Honor Guard fold the ceremo-

nial flag in front of the U.S.Air Force Honor Guard DrillTeam during a

recruiting visit to LangleyAir Force Base, March 29.The DrillTeam pro-

motes the mission by showcasing drill performances at public and

military venues to recruit, retain and inspire.

Photo by Airman 1st Class Victoria H. Taylor

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jimmy Pryor,

U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team mem-

ber, performs during a recruitment visit. The

DrillTeam performance featured professional-

ly choreographed sequence maneuvers, toss-

es and complex weapon exchanges.

ital to the health of the USAFHG to do these recruitingres the rest of the Airmen in the Air Force to take prideerving their country.”

— Staff Sgt. Justin LemmonUSAFHG drill team supervisor


By Airman 1st Class Austin Harvill633RD AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The 11-ounce human heart pumps2,000 gallons of blood across 60,000 milesof blood vessels every day.

With such a vital, strenuous cycle to up-hold, there is no question as to why Lang-ley Air Force Base, Va., has a dedicated car-diology clinic on hand to help the Langleyhearts with their labors of love.

The cardiology clinic is a recent additionto U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley, havingbeen established late last year. With the newaddition of the clinic, a member of the Lang-ley community can receive a diagnosis ofpossible heart complications right next door.

“With our new capabilities, we serve a lotmore people,” said Tech. Sgt. Renee Reidy,633rd Medical Group cardiology lab non-commissioned officer in charge. “We cando ultrasounds, echocardiograms, electro-cardiograms, stress testing and more.”

The cardiology clinic provides so manyservices because of the complex process-es within the heart. If a patient comes inwith suspected heart concerns, one of thefirst steps for diagnosis comes in the formof an electrocardiogram, or EKG.

An EKG measures the electronic im-pulses from the heart and interprets themin a way that allows a doctor or techni-cian to gauge if a heart is irregular.

“The EKG is really the first line of de-fense,” said Reidy. “We see roughly 10 to15 patients a day for an EKG.”

Patients with other problems, or thosewho have irregular EKG reports, mayqualify for an echocardiogram or evenstress testing.

“An echocardiogram is very similar toan ultrasound that pregnant women mightreceive,” said Reidy. “In addition to the ul-trasound, however, there is a Doppler ca-pability that allows us a more accurate as-sessment of blood flow and other vitals.”

Essentially, an echo reading gives tech-nicians and doctors a window to the heart,providing them with real-time data to usein a diagnosis. With the combined capabili-ty of sound, professionals can detect issuesthat may be difficult to pick up visually.

Having this data is paramount to success-fully diagnose a patient with an acute prob-lemthatmaycauseproblemsdowntheroad.

After interpreting data from the echo-cardiogram, patients may undergo stresstesting to gather more accurate informa-tion on their condition.

“Stress testing is when we put patientsthrough some sort of cardio-intensive ex-ercise and begin an echocardiogram,” saidReidy. “This way we can determine if theheart is healthy at various levels of activity.”

SEE CARDIOLOGY PAGE 15

Photo by Airman 1st Class Austin Harvill

A patient at Langley Air Force Base lies still so a 633rd Medical Group medical technician

can apply diodes to his body prior to an echocardiogram March 26. In addition to viewing

a Doppler-enhanced ultrasound, the echocardiogram also allows medical personnel to lis-

ten to the patient’s heartbeat.


By Senior Airman Joel Mease379TH AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Chipped away and neglected, abarrier painted as a memorial for9/11 has the words, “Not Forgotten”emblazoned on it just outside theCoalition Compound Theater wherehundreds to thousands of peoplewalk by it every day.

After noticing the mural becamemore of an eyesore than a memorial,a professional organization decidedto do something about it.

“The Rising 6 took sponsorship ofthe 9/11 memorial barrier because itsymbolizes the reason we are in theU.S. Central Command area of re-sponsibility,” said Tech. Sgt. DanielHartwell, Rising 6 president. “Thattime should never be forgotten.”

The Rising 6 is an organization forService members in the enlisted ranksof E-1 through E-6. With a group ofAirmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marineswho put service above self, it didn’ttake long to get volunteers.

“We received an overwhelming re-sponse from individuals wanting tovolunteer to do the restoration proj-ect,” Hartwell said. “We had themsubmit samples of their artwork andmade our selections from there.”

Senior Airman Adrianna Recine’slove for art drew her to the project.

“I volunteered to paint the 9/11 wallto show those who sacrificed their liveswere not forgotten,” said Recine, a lab-oratory technician with the 379th Ex-peditionary Medical Group, deployedfrom the 633rd Medical SupportSquadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis,

Va. “The original painting had wornaway with time and displayed thewords ‘Not Forgotten,’ but the peel-ing paint made a different statement. Iwanted to contribute in the best way Iknew how – my passion, painting.”

While the original goal was to re-store the memorial, the lack of paintleft on the memorial and the se-vere cracking of the remaining paintwould require a redesign.

Recine said her goal was to respectthe previous artist, but add her ownaddition to the memorial.

“I have always done my own art-work and have never done a restora-tion before,” Recine said. “Although I

prefer creating my own piece with myown ideas, the request was to make itlook like the original, but I was able tomake my painting a little more realis-tic than the design before.”

The art on the memorial is expect-ed to be completed soon, but Recinesaid she hopes to put her mark onother works of art around the basebefore her deployment ends. Shesaid this art project stands out fromthe rest.

“I am so honored to have had thisamazing opportunity,” Recine said.“May God bless the men and wom-en and know that they were certain-ly ‘Not Forgotten’ here.”

Not forgotten: Langley Airmanrefurbishes worn 9/11 memorial

Photo by Senior Airman Joel Mease

Senior Airman Adrianna Recine, 379th Expeditionary Medical Group laboratory

technician, volunteers her time to refurbish the installation’s 9/11 barrier me-

morial, March 21. Recine said she volunteered to paint the 9/11 wall to show

those who sacrificed their lives were not forgotten. Recine is deployed from the

633rd Medical Support Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

Although the cardiology department has the tools todiagnose patients and help treat some problems, some-times a patient requires special treatment or surgery notavailable at Langley. For Maj. Joshua Durham, 633rdMedical Group cardiologist, this dilemma doesn’t stophim from his commitment to patient care.

“I go down to [Naval Medical Center Portsmouth] whenone of my patients needs additional treatment,” said Dur-

ham. “It is important that they have continuity of care, es-pecially when they may undergo a serious surgery.”

Although continuity of care is important to Durham, hebelieves the main mission of troop readiness supersedes all.

“Being able to keep troops ready to deploy means a lotto me,” said Durham. “It is rewarding to see them reas-sured and fit to fight.”

With such specialized and knowledgeable Airmenmanning the cardiology clinic, it is clear patients atLangley will always be in cardiac “at-rest.”

CARDIOLOGY FROM PAGE 14

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By Sgt. V. Michelle WoodsTF DURABLE PAO

Convoy escort teams provide securityand help lead the way for retrograde andredeployment operations

While standing on the back of a MaxxPromine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP)vehicle, convoy escort team commander,U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Steven Webb, watch-es as his CET, the “Dark Side,” a mixedgroup of experienced combat veterans andfirst-time deployers with the 359th InlandCargo Transfer Company, finish preparingtheir trucks for a mission to Forward Oper-ating Base Fenty, Afghanistan, Feb. 22.

Although the company is part of the7th Sustainment Brigade stationed at FortEustis, Va., with a 90-day notice they trainedto deploy to Bagram Airfield where theyserve under the 157th Combat Sus. SupportBattalion, Task Force Durable.

The company commander, Capt. NeilStevenson, walks in the 39 degree Fahren-heit drizzling rain to each truck, observingas the Soldiers conduct communicationschecks, mount their weapons and securetheir gear in the miserable weather condi-tions. He bears the weight of ensuring hebrings each Soldier back home to their hus-bands, wives, parents, sons and daughters.

Following a security brief, the com-mander bows his head with the rest ofthe CET as the 157th CSSB chaplain of-fers a prayer for the Soldiers of Dark Side.These Soldiers, who have had their bootson ground for two months, don their tac-tical gear weighing up to 75 pounds andclimb into their up-armored vehicles.

After spending hours preparing for theirmission, they pull up to the gate to exit Ba-gramAirfield when they get the word fromtheir command: mission cancelled due tobad weather. This is the result known alltoo well to those responsible for the groundwork behind retrograde and redeploymentoperations in Afghanistan.

The part of retrograde and redeploy-ment least covered by the media is wherethe Dark Side CET, and thousands of oth-er Service members, start the process ofmoving equipment. It is a long and dan-gerous task for these Army truck drivers,cargo specialists and watercraft engineers

who trained and deployed as gunnersand security escorts.

The process for retrograde is recognizedas the movement of equipment and materi-el, piece by piece, from a forward location toa reset program or to another directed areaof operations to replenish unit stocks, orto satisfy stock requirements. For the DarkSide CET, retrograde means providing se-curity for military and Afghan vehicles car-rying cargo and ensuring the Soldiers andcargo reach their final destination safely.

Steven Webb, a 16-year veteran servingon his sixth deployment, tells his team togo back to their rooms and rest until themission is back on. The following day theCET patiently goes through the same te-dious process of preparing their gun trucks,as well as their minds, against the potentialthreats that loom outside the barbed-wireand concrete barriers of Bagram Air Field.Their vigilance peaks as they set out for thefive-hour drive to FOB Fenty.

Most of the Soldiers are woken uparound 7 a.m. the following morning bythe sound of a vehicle-borne improvisedexplosive device, also known as a carbomb, which was detonated in the near-by city of Jalalabad. All but a few of theDark Side CET go about their day as usu-al. While his Soldiers rest, get haircuts andshop the local bazaar, Steven Webb grabslast-minute snacks for his troops and be-gins contacting his higher headquartersfor updates on the VBIED attack, overallthreat level, weather and cargo trucks.

The Dark Side arrives at their trucks atnoon and prepare their MaxxPros to hit theroad by 2 p.m. The mission is interruptedwhen several more cargo trucks, referred toas “NAT trucks” (National Afghan Trucks)by the Soldiers, are added to the convoy.

The NAT trucks are owned and driven byAfghan workers who are hired through a

local contractor, and have to be fueled, load-ed with cargo and fully prepared for the tripfrom FOB Fenty to Bagram Air Field.

The CET now has no estimated de-parture time and is on standby until theNAT trucks are ready to go. Steven Webbtells his mission commander, Sgt. DianaWebb, to tell the Soldiers to try and getsome rest for now.

“We never get to stay on the same sched-ule,” said Steven Webb. “Sometimes we’llleave in the morning, sometimes we’ll leavein the evening. It’s all based on differentthings like weather and the threat level.”

Sergeant Diana Webb, a mother of one(who is not related to the CET command-er), yells out to the CET to get some rest intheir trucks. Despite the noise of the firingrange a few hundred feet away and the oc-casional helicopters and airplanes comingand going, the Soldiers try to rest in anyplace they can find some comfort.

Sergeant Diana Webb, a seven-year veter-an who has deployed twice before, arrangesfor the Soldiers to get food and quickly re-turn to the staging area where they will waitfor several more hours, only to be told themission is on hold until the next day. TheDark Side takes down their mounted weap-ons and carries their bags back to the sleep-ing area. The only part of these missionsthat seems consistent is the inconsistency.

The next day, the CET arrives at the stag-ing area at 8 a.m. and goes through the sameexact process as the day before. This time,the mission is only delayed an hour. De-spite all the delays and interruptions, StevenWebb remembers why their job is critical.

“I feel our mission is very important,” hesaid. “We need to have the safe transfer ofall this equipment as the drawdown con-tinues. If all the equipment gets back safely,that’s money the military is going to save.”

Once the convoy is on the road, the Sol-

diers have the grueling task of getting a30-vehicle convoy through downtownJalalabad. Gunners remain vigilant andwatch the roofs for any suspicious activ-ity, drivers watch the hundreds of vehi-cles and pedestrians weaving in and outof traffic, and the truck commanders settheir eyes on everything.

Truck commanders are the leaders inthe trucks and are responsible for keep-ing track of the convoy vehicles, watch-ing for VBIEDs, looking for threats fromthe rooftops and watching for childrensmaller than the truck tires running intothe road. In a sea of civilians and vehi-cles, the threat of terrorists looming in thecrowd is on everyone’s minds.

The importance of getting the equipmentto its destination safely is a top priority forSteven Webb, however he said his Soldiers’safety trumps everything else.

“Of course I have to make sure my Sol-diers get there safely,” said the Pennsylvanianative who joined when he was 18 years old.“I mean, that is my number one priority. Sol-diers can’t be replaced; equipment can be.”

Photo by Sgt. V. Michelle Woods

Spc. Koffi Assila, a cargo specialist and na-

tive of Africa, mounts the .50-caliber ma-

chine gun prior to the start of a mission

from BagramAir Field to Forward Operating

Base Fenty. His job requires him to maintain

constant eyesight on the road, the debris

and trash, the caves in the mountains and

the rooftops of houses.

SEE RETROGRADE PAGE 17

The part of retrograde and redeployment least covered by the mediais where the Dark Side CET, and thousands of other Service members,

start the process of moving equipment. It is a long and dangeroustask for these Army truck drivers, cargo specialists and watercraft

engineers who trained and deployed as gunners and security escorts.


By Airman 1st Class R. Alex Durbin633RD AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Players were hunched in front of com-puter screens, intently moving their mil-itary uniform-clad avatars to capture ob-jectives and neutralize enemy forces withswift keystrokes and mouse clicks.

Muffled gunfire could be heard throughthe headsets each player wore, maskedonly by occasional verbal instructions andwarnings into microphones.

At first sight, it seems these “players”are enjoying the latest first-person shoot-er video game. However, these gamers areU.S. Army Soldiers in combat training us-ing Virtual Battle Space 2, a high-tech sim-ulator designed to teach the vital skills tosurvive and succeed on the battlefield.

VBS2 is a fully-interactive training systemthat provides a virtual environment suitablefor a wide range of military training. It of-fers simulated environments and actual to-pography for practical exercises in leader-ship and organizational skills required tosuccessfully execute unit missions.

“The goal of simulators is to seamless-ly merge the virtual, constructed and liveenvironments into a viable training experi-ence,” said Keith Jones, Army Support Ac-tivity Training Division simulations branchmanager. “VBS2 allows Service membersto use customizable missions to create a vi-able teaching platform, while increasingconfidence and knowledge.”

VBS2 was designed for federal, stateand local government agencies, and issuitable for training small teams in urbantactics and combined-arms operations inlethal and non-lethal environments.

Soldiers can split into two rival teams --OPFOR and BLUEFOR -- to accomplish awide variety of mission objectives while

simultaneously practicing teamwork andcommunication skills. The teams can re-view the mission with after-action reports,summaries and replays to learn from theirmistakes and successes.

Military simulations have a long histo-ry, dating back as far as 25 B.C., with therudimentary use of stones and drawingsto review battle tactics. Over the course ofhistory, emerging technology paved theway for more realistic simulations.

The Department of Defense introducedmodern simulators as a training capabil-ity to customize exact needs of Servicemembers while saving money, trainingspace and time.

“Modern simulators give Service mem-bers a safe, flexible way to learn skills theywouldn’t otherwise have the opportuni-

ty to practice first-hand,” said Jones. “Theygive Soldiers a sense of familiarity in poten-tially life-saving skills before their boots hitground in a deployed environment.”

In a constantly changing, technology-driven world, simulators are always evolv-ing and expanding to offer the most realis-tic and complete training experience. As atestament to this, an updated version of thesimulator, VBS2 v2.0, was released March 6.

VBS2 v2.0 offers a major software up-date and features enhanced graphics,larger terrain sizes, multi-core computersupport, terrain modification, improvedwounding and medical models, sand-storm creation, adjustment of SoldierBMI and height, vehicle-on-vehicle load-ing, towing enhancements, improved AI,a script debugger, and scuba and sky div-

ing, all to offer the most comprehensive,realistic training experience possible.

Army Support Activity now uses theupdated version of VBS2 to accurate-ly recreate elements such as fire-controlsystems, physics and weapon ballistics,using a “high-fidelity virtual sandbox”where Soldiers can conduct individualor collective training under the watchfuleyes of trained instructors.

The simulator gives the instructors thecapability to create new scenarios andthen engage the simulation from multipleviewpoints. The simulator’s squad-man-agement system enables participants toissue orders to squad members, makingit tailored to meet the individual needsof military, law enforcement, homelanddefense, loadmaster and first-respondertraining environments.

“In the environments our Service mem-bers find themselves in, it’s importantthey are equipped with more than gear,”said Jones. “This simulator gives Soldiersthe skills and knowledge to accomplishtheir missions – and survive.”

VBS2 gives Soldiers skills to survive, succeed

Photo by Airman 1st Class R. Alex Durbin

A Soldier aims at a target while using theVirtual Battle Space 2 computer simulator at Fort

Eustis, March 11.VBS2 is a fully interactive training system that provides a virtual environ-

ment suitable for a wide range of military training.

After four blown tires on the NAT trucks and ninehours into the mission, the gunner, Spc. Koffi Assila, acargo specialist and native of Africa, wipes his eyes. Hisbody runs like a machine. He maintains constant eye-sight on the road, the debris and trash, the caves in themountains and the rooftops of houses. He reaches for adrink at the bottom of his feet but doesn’t take his eyesaway from the area he is responsible for securing. Hebarely speaks except to say “I’m fine,” when StevenWebb checks on him.

Ten hours into the mission, vehicle and pedestrian traf-fic picks up again. The truck driver, Spc. Brendan Geyer,a Virginia native, turns on a siren to help clear up traf-fic and make the pedestrians aware of the convoy. Thisis Geyer’s first deployment, but he hardly lacks experi-ence at this point. In the short time he’s been deployed,he has accumulated hundreds of miles on the Afghanroads battling traffic, animals, pedestrians, complacencyand at times, sheer exhaustion.

After nearly 11 hours and about 110 miles through wind-ing, mountainous roads, the Bagram Air Field gate comesinto site. The Dark Side escorts all of the NAT trucks and

cargo into their respective locations and finally returns tothe 359th ICTC motor pool where they store their vehicles.

It’s just another mission completed for these Soldierswho come from different backgrounds and differentArmy jobs. The CET commander knows how importantthe bigger picture is.

“The best part of this deployment is knowing thefaster we pull stuff out, the faster other Soldiers get togo home and be back with their families,” said StevenWebb. “That’s what I told my son when he got upsetabout me deploying. I just told him we’re bringing ev-erybody out so they can be home with their families.”

RETROGRADE FROM PAGE 16

“The goal of simulators is to seam-lessly merge the virtual, construct-ed and live environments into aviable training experience. VBS2 al-lows Service members to use cus-tomizable missions to create a viableteaching platform, while increasingconfidence and knowledge.”

— Keith JonesArmy Support Activity Training

Division simulations branch manager


EustisCommunity Submit Eustis Community announcements to [email protected]

Mini Park opening

Race into spring as the Mini Park opens from noon to 6p.m. April 6. Enjoy many activities including go-karts, bat-ting cages and mini golf. The batting cages will also beopen for youth ball practice.

To reserve the park for birthday parties, unit organiza-tion days or any special event, call 878-2610.

Holocaust Remembrance

The 597th Transportation Brigade will host the Yom Ha’Shoa (Day of the Holocaust) at 10 a.m. April 9 at JacobsTheater, Bldg. 647, Monroe Ave. The Fort Eustis commu-nity is invited and encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact Maj. Michael Yourko at878-8404 or [email protected].

Home Buying and Selling Seminars

The Fort Eustis Housing Referral Office is sponsoring aHome Buying Seminar from 6 to 8:30 p.m. April 9, and aHome Selling Seminar from 6 to 8:30 p.m. April 11. Bothseminars will take place at the 733rd Civil Engineer Di-vision conference room at Bldg. 1407, Washington Blvd.Industry experts will include a realtor, mortgage lender,attorney and home inspector. The seminars are free andopen to the public.

Please RSVP at least three business days prior to at-tending the seminar of your choice. To register, call 878-2977/5687/5579.

3-on-3 basketball tournament

Come help shoot down sexual assault! Join the Sexu-al Harassment Assault Response & Prevention (SHARP)team for a 3-on-3 basketball tournament from 9 a.m. to5:30 p.m. April 20 at Anderson Field House. The event isfree for military, dependents and DoD civilians. 1st, 2nd,and 3rd place awards will be presented, and each partici-pant will receive a sports bottle.

For more information, contact Sgt. 1st Class Mark Ash-by at (808) 542-4240 or email [email protected].

SAAM 5K Run/Walk

The 93rd Signal Brigade will host a Sexual Assault Aware-ness Month 5K Run/Walk at 6:15 a.m. April 17 at McClellanFitness Center. Registration begins at 5:45 a.m.The eventis open to military and civilian personnel. Participants areencouraged to wear civilian clothing.

For more information, contact Sgt. 1st Class Jabbar Wil-liams at 878-2627 or email [email protected]

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Fort Eustis will host a “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” eventat noon April 10 at the post’s Exchange parking lot. Regis-tration begins at 11:30 a.m. For more information, contactSgt. 1st Class Jones Evans at 878-0361 ext. 233 or [email protected].

Family Advocacy Program

Family Advocacy Program classes for April will include:■ Anger Management – April 9, 1 to 2:30 p.m. (eight-

week series).

■ Couples Communication – April 19, 10 to 11 a.m.■ Family Advocacy Safety Education Seminar – April

18, 9 to 11 a.m.To register, call 878-0807. No children please. Classes

will take place at Bldg. 213, Calhoun St.

Balfour Beatty Communities

■ Community Clean-up Contest – Join us for the 2ndannual Community Clean-up at 8:30 a.m. April 19. Meetat the Community Center to get a bag and gloves. Res-idents will have two hours to pick up as much trash asthey can in the community. A prize will awarded to the in-dividual who collects the most trash.

■ Earth Day/SafetyAwareness Fair – BBC and on andoff-post organizations will host an awareness fair from 3to 6 p.m. April 26 at the Community Center. Activities willinclude hands-on displays, bouncers, wildlife displays, firedepartment staff, a DJ and dancing, prize giveaways, freefood and more.

■ Kids Craft:Yarn Baskets – Kids are invited to come outand create a hand-made yarn basket from 3 to 4 p.m. April9 at the Community Center. All children must be accompa-nied by a parent. RSVP by April 8.

■ Scrapbooking Event – Capture those special mo-ments in a beautiful hand-crafted scrapbook from 3 to 4:30p.m. April 23 at the Community Center.

■ “What’sWorth Saving in theWorld” Photo Contest

Throughout April BBC will be collecting photos of anythingthat you feel is worth saving on our planet. Bring in your4x6 photos and include a brief description of why you thinkthe item you selected is worth saving.The contest is opento all ages. Winners will be announced May 1.

The activities listed above are for BBC residents only.The Community Center is located at Bldg. 126, MadisonAve. For more information, call 328-0691.

Strike Zone Bowling fun

■ After-School Special – Wednesday through Friday,from 2 to 5 p.m. The After-School Special is open to stu-dents K-12.The cost is $6 and includes unlimited bowlingand shoes. This event is not valid during school breaks orholidays.

■ “Bowlopolis” Birthday Party Packages – Bowlingand shoes are available for children up to age 12 (limit-ed to 8 children). The cost is $80 (each additional child$10). The party package includes two large one-toppingpizzas, two refillable pitchers of soda, invitations, plates,cups and napkins.

■ Extreme Bowling – Fridays, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Satur-days, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. It’s time to dim the lights and pumpup the music for some “extreme” fun.

■ Karaoke at the Lanes – April 6, 20; 8:30 p.m. to 12:30a.m. Come out and enjoy karaoke with Jeff Brown fromSound Explosion.

■ Ladies League –Tuesdays, 9 a.m. Ladies leagues willstart in April; participants must sign-in by 8:15 a.m.

■ Senior League – Mondays, 7:50 a.m. Senior leagueswill start in April; participants must sign-in by 7:15 a.m.

■ Summer Mixed Leagues –Thursdays; 6:30 p.m.Three-person teams for summer mixed leagues are now forming

(starts May 9).The bowling center is located at Bldg. 675, Jackson St.

For more information, call 878-5482.

Soldier & Family Readiness

Soldier and Family Readiness (ACS) classes and brief-ings for April will include:

■ 1, 2, 3 Magic – April 12, 19, 26; 1 to 3 p.m.■ Autism’s Impact on the Military Family – April 11,

10 a.m. to noon; JacobsTheater.■ Baby and Me Play Group –Thursdays, 10 to 11 a.m.;

Bldg. 501, Madison Ave.■ Credit Reporting, Scores and Debt Management –

April 16, 9 to 10 a.m.■ DevelopingYour Financial Plan – April 9, 9 to 10 a.m.■ Effective ResumeWriting – April 12, 9 a.m. to noon.■ Federal Employment – April 25, 10 a.m. to noon.■ Financial ReadinessTraining – April 19, 11:30 a.m. to

12:30 p.m.■ Job Search Strategies –April 8, 15, 22, 29; 10 to 11 a.m.■ Leadership Development –April 8-11, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.■ ManagingYour Checking Account – April 18, 23; 8:30

to 9:30 a.m.■ Master ResilienceTraining –April 23-25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.■ Military Ball Etiquette – April 8, 10 to 11:30 a.m.;

April 16, 6 to 7:30 p.m.■ Spouses-A Soldier’s Hero – April 15, 10 to 11:30 a.m.■ Volunteer Recognition and Awards Ceremony –

April 19, 1 to 3 p.m.; Fort Eustis Club.■ Volunteer Management – April 23, 9:30 to 11 a.m. or

6 to 7:30 p.m.Unless otherwise noted, classes and briefings will take

place in Bldg. 650, Monroe Ave. For more information,call 878-3638.

The Pines Golf Course

■ Get Golf Ready Classes – Come out and “Get GolfReady” in one week, 6 p.m. April 15-19. The cost is $99per person. Golf clubs, balls and other equipment willbe provided.

■ Golfer Mixer, Cookout, and Golf – April 20 (cookoutat 11 a.m.; 9 holes of golf at noon). Free to annual mem-bers and $20 for non-members.

■ Member Referral Program – Current members willreceive 50 percent off the next month’s dues for eachmembership that they refer.

■ New Member Special – Each new member will re-ceive 50 percent off their first month’s dues. A new mem-ber is defined as someone who has not been a memberfor at least 12 months.

■ Payday Scramble – The Payday Scramble will kickoff at noon Friday with a shotgun start. The format willbe four-person Captain’s Choice (tees based on averagelength of drive). Special spring rates are $25 (members);$40 (retirees and DoD civilians); $45 (guests); $18 (E4and below); and $20 (E5 and above).The cost includes 18holes of golf, cart, range balls, food and prizes. Paymentis due at time of registration.

For more information, call 878-2252 or visit www.eus-tismwr.com.


LAFBCommunity Submit LAFB Community announcements to [email protected]

Eaglewood Golf Course dining schedule

The Langley Eaglewood Golf Course will now be openfor breakfast from 6:30 to 10 a.m. starting April 1. Lunchhours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

Visit www.jbleforcesupport.com for more information.

New Auto Hobby Shop hours

The Langley Auto Hobby Shop will now be open on Sun-days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting April 7.

Air Force Community Assessment Survey

The 2013 Air Force Community Assessment Surveyreleases April 5. The theme for this year’s survey is “AStrong Community Depends On You.” Past surveys haveresulted in new and/or improved programs to support theentire Air Force community.

E-mail notifications will be sent to active duty, reserv-ists, guardsmen and civilian employees. Spouses will besent an invitation postcard. Both the e-mails and post-cards will include a link to the online survey. All respons-es will be kept completely anonymous and confidential.

The success of the survey relies on the participation ofcommunity members – please complete the survey assoon as possible.

Personal safety classes

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. In an effort toreduce sexual assaults, the Sexual Assault Prevention andResponse office is hosting free, personal safety classes atboth the Shellbank and Air Combat Command fitness cen-ters. Women can sign up for the classes held from 4 to 5p.m. April 1, 15, 22 and 29 at the Shellbank Fitness Center.Men can also sign up for April 11 from 4 to 5 p.m. at theACC Fitness Center.

For more information, or to register, call 764-3359.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

The Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration willbe held at 1 p.m. April 8 in the static display hangar.There willalso be an art and historical display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call Master Sgt. Damaris Donesat 225 6968 or 1st Lt. Lori Seaman at 764-7075.

2013 JBLEVolunteer Salute

The Airman and Family Readiness Center will be hold-ing its 2013 Joint Base Langley-Eustis Volunteer Salutefrom 3 to 4:30 p.m. April 9 at Quesada Hall, 115 Thomp-son Street. For more information, call 764-3990.

Orthodox Christian Services

The Langley Chapel will host the following upcomingservices:

■ Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: 9:30 a.m.April 12

■ Great Canon of Saint Andrew: 1 p.m. April 17■ Akathist to the Birthgiver of God: 1 p.m. April 19■ Holy Unction: 10 a.m. May 1 (Holy Wednesday)■ Vesperalliturgy of Saint Basil the Great: 10 a.m.

May 2 (Holy Thursday); 12 Gospels Service and proces-sion with the Holy Cross at 3:30 p.m.

■ Royal Hours and Great Vespers: 1:30 p.m. May 3(Holy Friday); Lamentations Service at 3:30 p.m.

■ Blessing of theWater Service: 10 a.m. May 10 (Fridayof the Bright Week)

For the Holy Orthodox Sacraments or any other pastoralor spiritual needs, please contact the Langley Chapel (757-764-7847) and ask for Rev. Fr. Ioan Dumitrascu.

For Sunday (Resurrection) Divine Liturgies, and (Orthros)Matins Service, Orthodox Faithful are encouraged to par-ticipate in the local parishes.

Langley Enlisted Spouse’s Club

Are you married to an enlisted member and interested inmeeting other spouses or making new friends?The LangleyEnlisted Spouse’s Club meets at 6 p.m. the firstThursday ofevery month in the Langley Club, 128 Benedict Ave.

For more information, visit http://lescva.org, or http://www.facebook.com/LangleyESC

New, expecting fathers parenting workshop

A workshop for new and expecting fathers will be heldfrom 8 a.m. to noon April 11 in the Langley Chapel An-nex, classroom two. For more information or to registercall 764-2427.

Hispanic Heritage Month meeting

The Hispanic Heritage Month planning committee willhave its next meeting at 2 p.m. April 17 in the LangleyBowling Alley activities room. For more information, con-tact Master Sgt. Jose Perez at 764-1735, or the Equal Op-portunity office at 764-5878.

Co-parenting workshop

A four-hour Virginia court-approved child custody and vis-itation parenting workshop will review how to best meetneeds of children when designing and working on parent-ing plans, how to guide children through this process whileestablishing positive relationships with the other parent andexplore the importance of both parents for children to fa-cilitate co-parenting efforts. The workshop is from 12:30 to4:30 p.m. April 19 at the Langley Chapel Annex, room two.

For more information or to register, contact Family Ad-vocacy Program, 764-2427.

OSI travel briefings

The Office of Special Investigations is offering travel brief-ings at 9 a.m. everyThursday in Bldg. 1330. Before attendingthis briefing, call in advance with your planned travel locationand dates.To do so or for more information, call 764-7971.

OSI recruitment briefings

The next Office of Special Investigations recruitmentbriefing will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. April 23 in Bldg. 1330.For more information, call 764-7971.

Poetry Slam

The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office is ac-cepting entries for a poetry contest and reading. Poetry mustbe related to any of the following: Consent, Sexual Assault,Healthy Dating, Surviving Sexual Assault, or No Means No.

Submit your entry before April 15. Poetry Slam read-ings will begin 1 p.m. on April 26th at the JBLE Memori-al Park. All poets who enter will receive a prize. The win-ning poet will be presented an autographed book titled“BTrae’d” by Chief Master Sgt. Trae King, 633rd Air BaseWing command chief master sergeant, who will read oneof her poems at the event.

Send your poems or inquiries to Vanessa Williams 764-3359 or [email protected].

SAPR road rally

The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office ishosting a motorcycle road rally at 9 a.m. April 26. All partic-ipants must arrive at 7:30 a.m. for registration and safetychecks. Participants must RSVP.The event is free of charge.

For more information, call Vanessa Williams at 764-3359or [email protected].

Wednesday Morning Bible Study

Military Ministries sponsors Morning Bible Study from6:15 to 7:15 a.m. every Wednesday in the Langley ChapelAnnex auditorium. For more information, contact Joe Shireyat 764-5527 or [email protected], or ChuckMacri at 928-7220 or [email protected].

Budget assistance

The Langley Federal Credit Union is committed to help-ing its members affected by budget cuts. For informationor to discuss financial options, call 827-5328, (800) 826-7490 or stop by a branch.

Dependent passports

Dependents accompanying their sponsors overseas(except Hawaii) are required to have an Official No FeePassport before departure. For more information or tocontact the Military Personnel Passport Office, call 225-2468 or email [email protected].

Survivor benefit plan for single Airmen

Single airmen are required to attend a mandatory SurvivorBenefit Plan (SBP) counseling session prior to their officialretirement date. For more information, call your Joint BaseLangley-Eustis SBP counselor at 764-5231 or visit http://mili-tarypay.defense.gov/survivor/sbp/01_overview.html

Appearance for military CAC issuance

If you are active duty, reserve or National Guard and needa Common Access Card issued, you do not need to be inuniform, however, you must present the proper military im-age in accordance with AFI 36-2903, Personal Appearanceof Air Force Personnel. For more information, call the Mili-tary Personnel Section at 764-2270 or 574-2270.

Finance schedule change

The 633rd Comptroller Squadron Financial Services Of-fice’s Ca$h Lab and Cashier Cage schedule has changed:

■ CA$H Lab (computer center): 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Mon-day, Wednesday and Friday).

■ Cashier Cage (disbursing function): 8 a.m. to noon(Monday through Friday).


OutsideTheGate Submit OutsideThe Gate announcements to [email protected]

Audible Egg Hunt

Region 3 Lions Clubs and Journey for Sight District 24-Dwill host an Audible Egg Hunt from 1 to 3 p.m. April 13 atthe HolidayTrav-L-Park, 1075 General Booth Blvd., VirginiaBeach.This event is open to blind and visually-impaired in-dividuals of all ages (ages 12 and under for siblings). Oth-er activities will include games, prizes and snacks.


Spring Arts and Crafts Show

The annual Colonial Williamsburg Employees SpringArts and Crafts Show will take place from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. April 13-14 at the Historic Triangle Community Ser-vices Building, 312 Waller Mill Rd., Williamsburg. Admis-sion and parking are free and open to the public. Jewel-ry, woodcrafts, photography, paintings, jams, and otherhandmade gifts will be available for purchase.

For more information, contact Tanya Lyons at 945-1548or email [email protected].

CivilWar Re-enactment

The Endview Plantation will host a Civil War Re-enact-ment from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 13-14 at 362Yorktown Rd.,Newport News. Come out and see the re-enactment of bat-tles fought 150 years ago inWilliamsburg as part of the Ses-quicentennial remembrances of the Civil War. Visitors canwatch demonstrations, experience camp life, visit with liv-ing-historians, listen to lectures, and take photos.

Admission is $7 per person and free for children ages6 and under. House tours will be available at a reducedprice during this event.

For more information, visit www.endview.org or call887-1862.

Isle ofWight Homeschool Day

The Isle of Wight County Historic Resources Divisionwill host Homeschool Day at its historic sites from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. April 19. Homeschoolers of all ages can vis-it the following sites for a selection of fun and engagingactivities that highlight the history of Isle of Wight Coun-ty and Virginia:

■ Isle of Wight County Museum, 103 Main Street,Smithfield

■ Boykin’sTavern, 17130 Monument Circle, Isle ofWight■ Fort Boykin, 7410 Fort BoykinTrail, Isle of Wight■ Fort Huger, 15080TalcottTerrace, Isle of Wight■ Carrollton-Nike Park, 13036 Nike Park Road, CarrolltonThis event is free, but registration is required. To register,

email [email protected]. For more information, vis-it www.historicisleofwight.com.

Sandy Bottom Nature Park

The City of Hampton Parks and Recreation offers the fol-lowing educational programs at Sandy Bottom Nature Park,1255 Big Bethel Rd., Hampton.

■ Big Fish Tournament – April 26, 7 to 8:45 p.m.; $10each; ages 16 and older. This is the first time that anglerswill be allowed to fish at Crystal Lake. Prizes will award-ed to the top three contestants. All participants must pos-

sess a valid Virginia fresh water fishing license.■ Kids Fishing – April 6, 10 to 11 a.m.; $2 each; ages

3 to 15. Learn the basics of fishing, fishing techniques,different types of bait, and how to bait your own hook.Bring your favorite fishing pole or use one of ours. Anadult must accompany all children.

■ Meet the Animals – April 13, 1 to 2 p.m.; $2 each; allages. Come out and join a park ranger for a leisurely naturehike.We will discuss the history of the park and see the crit-ters in the Nature Center. We will then hike to our wildlifeeducation area and view the native non-releasable wildlife.

■ Overnight Survival Camp – April 12-13 (10 a.m. April12 to 8 a.m. April 13); $15 each; ages 7 to 14. We will teachyou how to turn everyday items into useful camping sup-plies. Registration deadline is two days prior by 3 p.m.

■ Primitive Fire Starting – April 28, 10 to 11:30 a.m.;$2 each; ages 10 and older. Learn how to make a fire theway that Native Americans did. Lessons will include howto gather material to make a fire bundle, collecting woodand using friction to make a fire.

■ Turtle Painting – April 20, 11 a.m. to noon; $2 each;ages 3 and older. We will teach you about our native tur-tles and help the turtles to finger paint. Each participantwill receive a picture painted by a turtle.

Unless otherwise noted, the registration deadline for theprograms listed above is one day prior to the event, by 3p.m. Other activities at the park include boat rentals, camp-ing, fishing, walking trails, and a Wildlife and Nature Center.

For registration deadlines and other information, call 825-4657 or visit www.hampton.gov/sandybottom.

Military Appreciation Night

The Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce is hosting“Military Appreciation Night” from 6 to 11 p.m. May 18 atLangley Speedway, 11 Dale Lemonds Dr., Hampton. Comeout for an evening of stock car and kart racing. Admission isfree for active-duty military and their family members (withmilitary ID). Activities will include a special recognition cer-emony, military static displays, and a special race wherethe top drivers will race for one of the five branches of thearmed forces for the Chamber Cup.

Register online at www.military-salute.com for your freeticket voucher.Tickets are limited to the first 3000 who signup, so act fast.


Horticulture Help Line

Hampton master gardeners are available to answer anyquestions that you may have about lawns, gardens orplants. Hours are 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Mondays; and 9 to11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.,Tuesdays.

Call the Hampton office of theVirginia Cooperative Exten-sion at 727-1401 or e-mail your questions to [email protected].

OnlineTravel Show

The Virginia Tourism Corporation has launched “For theLOVE ofTravel,” a brand-new episodic travel show forYou-Tube. The webisodes are short vignettes that feature au-thentic destinations and local people who tell a personalstory about some of the lesser-known and newer travelexperiences in Virginia. Visitors to Virginia.org will also beable to watch the videos and get helpful maps, itineraries,travel packages and suggestions to book a trip to the plac-es featured in each webisode.

The debut webisode is available at www.YouTube.com/VisitVirginia. Visit www.Virginia.org to book a trip or re-quest a free Virginia is for Lovers travel guide.

Hampton History Museum discounts

The Hampton History Museum is offering free admis-sion, as well as half-price memberships, to active and re-tired military, their families and civilian employees duringthe month of April. This includes entry into the Hamp-ton History Museum galleries and the special exhibit “AnAmericanTurning Point:The Civil War in Virginia -SurvivingWar,” as well as all museum events and programs takingplace during the month.

For more information on the Hampton History Muse-um’s monthly happenings, call 727-1610 or visit www.hamptonhistorymuseum.org and like Hampton HistoryMuseum on Facebook.

Walk Hampton Clean

The Hampton Clean City Commission will host “Walk HamptonClean” from 6 a.m. to noon April 13 in Hampton. Invite your family,friends, colleagues and acquaintances to pick a spot or an area thatneeds to be cleaned, even in your own neighborhood, then spend30 minutes or longer walking that area and picking up trash. Partic-ipants are invited to join a Walk Hampton Clean celebration spon-sored by the Hampton Bay Days Committee after the cleanup.

Volunteers are strongly encouraged to work with at least onepartner (some sites will require partnering). Equipment providedby the HCCC will include litter sticks, safety vests, work gloves,plastic gloves, trash bags and/or cigarette litter counters, all avail-able on a limited basis. Litter sticks, safety vests, work gloves and counters are reusable and must be returned.

The HCCC is located at 1296Thomas St., Hampton. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Formore information, call 727-1130, visit www.hampton.gov/hccc, or email [email protected].


CloseUp www.peninsulawarrior.com

Langley Air Force Base and the city of Hampton participat-

ed in a simulated F-22 Raptor crash at Hampton’s Gosnold

Hope Park, March 28. The exercise was designed to help

first responders from the city of Hampton and Langley Air

Force Base work more effectively together in the event of a

real world emergency. The mock F-22 Raptor aircraft frame

(above) features propane hoses running along the inside

and outside of the body, and allows crews to control the in-

tensity and scope of a fire during training exercises.

Photos by Staff Sgt. Wesley Farnsworthand Senior Airman Kayla Newman


CloseUp www.peninsulawarrior.com

Photo by Senior Airman Jason J. Brown

U.S. Army Spc. Ryan Lewis (right), assigned

to the 689th Rapid Port Opening Element, re-

ceives theArmyAchievement Medal from Col.

Charles R. Brown, 597th Transportation Bri-

gade commander, during the brigade's annual

BestWarrior Competition awards ceremony at

the unit chapel annex at Fort Eustis, March 29.

Lewis won top honors at the competition in

the junior enlisted category, earning the title

of 597thTrans. Bde. “Soldier of theYear.”

Photo by Senior Airman Jason J. Brown

U.S. Army Sgt. Claribel Lopez Feliciano, 688th Rap-

id Port Opening Element transportation manage-

ment coordinator, receives the Army Achievement

Medal from Col. Charles R. Brown, 597th Transpor-

tation Brigade commander, during the brigade's an-

nual Best Warrior Competition awards ceremony at

the unit chapel annex at Fort Eustis, March 29. Lo-

pez Feliciano won top honors at the competition in

the noncomissioned officer category, earning the ti-

tle of 597thTrans. Bde. “NCO of theYear.”Photo by Staff Sgt. Wesley Farnsworth Photo by Airman 1st Class R. Alex Durbin


Soldiers from the 597th Transportation Brigade prepare

their weapons on Range 2 during the rifle qualification

portion of the brigade’s BestWarrior Competition. In addi-

tion to rifle qualification, competitors were tested on mili-

tary knowledge, physical fitness, marksmanship andArmy

warrior tasks and drills.


U.S.Army Pfc.William Montgomery, 690th Rapid Port Open-

ing Element cargo specialist, races through the obstacle

course during the Best Warrior Competition. The obstacle

course was one of the week-long competition’s events that

tested each Soldier’s physical fitness.


U.S.Army Spc. Nashon Richardson, 689th Rapid Port Open-

ing Element cargo specialist, pulls back the charging han-

dle of a M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun during the Best

Warrior Competition. Each participant was required to suc-

cessfully disassemble and reassemble the weapon as part

of the “mystery challenge,” one of 11 events testing each

Soldiers skills.


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Fender 212R electric amp w/ stand and pedal;$300. Call Joe at 846-3903.

Hampton, Chichester Heights, 2046 sf 3bdr, 2baw/in-ground pool $1400 7572323532

Automobiles for SaleMarshall 100W acoustic amp w/ stand and pedal;$550. Call Joe at 846-3903. 1994 Mustang Cobra Coupe, red, 5-spd, 86,000

original miles, 1 owner, CD &cassette player, carcover, all original parts avail, $10,000 firm. Call757-887-0414.

Orlando, , Orl-Grd Lake 2bd 14-21 Apr./19-26 Mayfor 900 10mi frm Dis. Call 757-288-5250.

Oscar Schmidt semi hollow guitar w/softcase;$150. Call Joe 846-3903.

• For active-duty, retired military, their eligible family members and active or retired civil service employees If you are retired military or retired DOD civilian, include current employer and work phone number on the application.

• Only 5 ads per week, per household• Renewals, corrections and cancellations cannot be taken

by phone and must be resubmitted• Illegible, too long or otherwise do not conform

to instructions will not be published and must be resubmitted for the next issue

• Automotive ads must begin with make, model and year• Real estate ads must begin with name of city,

neighborhood and must be your primary residence.• Ads will not be accepted via offi cial mailing channels

such as guard mail or postage and fees paid indicia.• Free ads cannot be of a commercial nature (i. e., business

opportunities, help wanted, etc) and must be personal property of the eligible member. Should not represent a sustained income or business or listed through agents or representatives.

• When advertising a home for rent or home for sale, the home must be THE PRIMARY RESIDENCE. (All rental properties are considered paid ads.)

Get online!Get online!Submit your classifi ed ad and advertise for FREERestrictions do apply see below for details

WE DO NOT ACCEPT CALLS FOR FREE CLASSIFIED ADS

Deadline Thursday, 5 p.m. for the following week’s publications

Qualifi cations:

Restrictions:

Free!

Submit online at:Submit online at:www.forteustiswheel.com/free www.forteustiswheel.com/free

Fast!

Easy!

YOU JUST BLEW 10,000.$

Buzzed. Busted. Broke.Get caught, and you could be paying around $10,000 in fines, legal feesand increased insurance rates.

buzzeddriving.adcouncil.orgBuzzed driving is drunk driving.


TM

peninsula warrior april 5, 2013 army edition

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