VOL. 38 NO. 8 | FEBRUARY 27, 2009

Gate closure Schofield Barracks’McNair Gate will be

closed March 4-18, inorder to install additional

force protection measures. All other gates

will maintain current operational times.

See News Briefs, A-4

Welcome homeSoldiers and families ofthe 2nd Stryker Brigade

Combat Team are reunited after a 15-month

separation.

B-1

Sharing sergeants

84th Engineers partnerwith Iraqi army to create

Iraqi NCO academy.

A-3

INSIDE

This issueFootsteps in Faith A-2

Deployed Forces A-3

News Briefs A-4

FMWR B-2

Sports & Fitness B-5

Threatening e-mail

CID warns of old phishing scam with twist of intimidationU.S. ARMY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION COMMAND

News Release

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — The U.S. ArmyCriminal Investigation Command (CID) iswarning the greater Army community of anolder Internet phishing scam with a newtwist.

CID wants to make the public aware ofhow to recognize the “Death Roll Squad”(DRS) scam and what actions to take shouldsomeone receive it.

According to the FBI, the DRS phishingscam originated overseas and has been cir-culating on the Internet for more than five

years.Much like other foreign e-mail scams,

the DRS scam preys upon the e-mail recip-ients’ emotions. This latest version claims tohave personal knowledge of and access tothe victims, but the new scheme threatensphysical violence if victims do not complywith the e-mail’s demands.

Prior e-mail scams, rather than threaten-ing harm to the recipients, appealed to therecipients’ sense of empathy or desire for fi-nancial gain. By doing what was asked ofthem in the e-mails, often cashing a check,recipients were told they would be helping

the sender or the sender’s family out of a ter-rible situation in their country.

Other scam e-mails promised victims thatif they cashed a check sent to them, theycould keep a percentage. These checks werebogus, and victims lost thousands of dollars.

As fewer people fall victim to these scams,new e-mail schemes are created. Now, withthe general public having a better under-standing of what scams are out on theInternet, these cybercrooks have moved onto yet another human emotion — fear.

The majority of these scams are mass e-mails, in which no one person is individu-

ally targeted, but rather hundreds of thou-sands of e-mails are blindly sent out.

They are usually written in such a waythat a person receiving one may think it wasaddressed specifically to them. These scam-mers can mask their identities and loca-tions, allowing them to strike quickly andthen disappear leaving little to no trace be-hind. The scammers attempt to deceive re-cipients into revealing personal, bankingor financial information.

CID has no reports of the scammers

Garrison sets its way aheadAIKO ROSE BRUM

Chief, Internal Information

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — A significantchange to how barracks are managed, a gar-rison university and, perhaps, blogs are someof the innovative goals planned for U.S. ArmyGarrison-Hawaii (USAG-HI) in the comingmonths.

Soldiers and civilian personnel who work forUSAG-HI learned what goals and objectives thegarrison hopes to achieve in fiscal years 2009-2010 during recent Employee Workforce TownHall meetings at Schofield Barracks, Fort

Shafter and the Pohakuloa Training Area.According to the garrison commander, Col.

Matthew Margotta, the initiatives were exam-ined by USAG-HI directorates and discussed ata garrison off-site meeting to achieve “buy-in.”

“Our goals and objectives define what wewant to accomplish as a team or an installa-tion over the next two years,” Margotta said.“After I was here the first couple months, weestablished our vision. Then, it was a top-down driven approach to identify specific ob-jectives; this time it’s a different approach.”

This time, Margotta solicited feedback from

his commanders and directorates. They toldhim what direction they wanted to go andwhat issues they wanted their organizations totake on. Then, overall goals and objectiveswere further massaged, refined and finalized.

Five key areas, each containing manysubareas, were addressed: high-quality cus-tomer service, the housing experience for fam-ilies and single Soldiers, two-way communi-cation, support for Army Force Generation(ARFORGEN) and caring for the workforce.

Passing the torchWHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD — Firefighter Nick Wond, Wheeler Army Airfield fire station, shows Kenneth Cope, 3, and mom, Deandra,the finer features of his helmet at the Wheeler Armed Services YMCA, Wednesday.

Jeremy S. Buddemeier | U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii Public Affairs

SEE WORKFORCE, A-8

Soldierkilled inKuwaitaccident

ARMY NEWS SERVICE News Release

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait — Spc.Cwislyn K. Walter, 19, assigned tothe 29th Brigade Special TroopsBattalion, 29th Infantry BrigadeCombat Team (IBCT), died as a re-sult of injuries sustained in a sin-gle vehicle accident on SeventhRing Road outside Kuwait City,Kuwait, Feb.19.

W a l t e r ,a NationalGuard Soldierfrom Honolu-lu, was as-signed to the29th IBCT anddeployed toKuwait in Oc-tober 2008.

Walter joined the Hawaii Na-tional Guard in April 2007, andcompleted her basic and advancedindividual training at Fort Gor-don, Ga., where she was trained asa signal support systems specialist.She obtained follow-on trainingat Fort Jackson, S.C., as a humanresources specialist.

Service members held a memo-rial service for Walter, Monday, atCamp Virginia, Kuwait.

Three other Soldiers were in-jured in the accident. The causeof the accident is under investiga-tion.

Walter

Sling-load critical for Army operationsSTAFF SGT. TYRONE C. MARSHALL JR.

25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD — Many timesduring the course of Army operations it isn’tfeasible to transport supplies, weapons andother resources through traditional meanssuch as convoy operations.

This fact necessitates the need for alterna-tive means to move resources, which is whythe Sling-Load Inspector Certification Course(SLICC) is so critical.

Soldiers from the 25th Combat AviationBrigade (CAB), 45th Sustainment Brigade, and57th Military Police Company, experiencedSLICC training to provide that alternativemeans for their respective units.

Staff Sgt. William Baker, noncommissionedofficer in charge, SLICC, and a primary in-structor, shared his five-man team’s mission.

“(Our mission is) to train Soldiers to becometheir unit’s subject matter expert in sling-load operations and minimize deficiencies bybeing proficient inspectors and riggers.”

Baker, an experienced parachute rigger, hasinstructed the course for the Aerial Deliveryand Field Services Department for the past

two-and-a-half years. He is keenly aware ofthe significance of getting Soldiers properlytrained.

Sling loading is a necessity for units to

move equipment and supplies in remote op-erational environments like the mountains of

Heritagerecognizedat event

Story and Photo by

SGT. MIKE ALBERTS25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — Sol-diers throughout U.S. Army-Pa-cific (USARPAC) and distinguishedguests gathered to observe BlackHistory Month and to celebratethe accomplishments and contri-butions of African-Americansduring an observance at Sgt.Smith Theater, here, Feb. 19.

Hosted by the 130th EngineerBrigade, 8th Theater SustainmentCommand, the event includedstatic displays of literature andart distinctive of African-American culture, profiles of someof the U.S. Army’s accomplishedAfrican-American Soldiers, andsongs performed by Sgt. 1st ClassAnthony Gantt, maintenance su-pervisor, 536th MaintenanceCompany, 524th Combat Service

Sgt. Corey Baltos | 45th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

Soldiers from the 524th Combat Support Sustainment Brigade attach a cargo hook to a UH-60Black Hawk during the final phase of their sling load inspection certification course last week.

SEE HISTORY, A-9

SEE SCAM, A-9

SEE LOAD, A-6

Power outageThe Directorate of Public

Works will turn off power toselect housing areas in theSanta Fe neighborhood,Schofield Barracks, from

8 a.m.-4 p.m., March 2, 5,9 and 12. This outage is in

support of replacing electrical power lines

in the area.

See CommunityCalendar, B-2

“Staying safein everythingwe do. Don'tdrink anddrive."

Sgt. Jordan FeltHHC, 225th BSB Air ConditionMechanic

“Stay safe bybeing extra cautious of what we do. It's different herecompared to over there."

Spc. Juana VasquezHHC, 225th BSB Human Resource Specialist

“Do the rightthing. Nodrugs, fightingor trouble.Have safefun."

Staff Sgt. Terriod SmithHHC, 225th BSBCook

What does “Surviving the Peace" mean to you?

The Hawaii Army Weekly wel-comes articles from Army organi-zations, announcements from thegeneral public about communityevents of interest to the military com-munity, and letters and commen-taries.

If you have newsworthy ideas orstories you’d like to write, coordi-nate with the managing editor at656-3155, or e-mail editor@hawai-iarmyweekly.com.

The editorial deadline for articlesand announcements is the Fridayprior to Friday publications. Prior co-ordination is mandatory.

Articles must be text or Word fileswith complete information, no ab-breviations; accompanying photo-graphs must be digital, high resolu-tion, jpeg files with full captions andbylines.

The Hawaii Army Weekly is anauthorized newspaper and is pub-lished in the interest of the U.S.Armycommunity in Hawaii.

All editorial content of the HawaiiArmy Weekly is the responsibility ofthe U.S. Army, Hawaii Public AffairsOffice, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii96857. Contents of the Hawaii ArmyWeekly are not necessarily the offi-cial views of, or endorsed by, theU.S.Government or the Departmentof the Army.

The Hawaii Army Weekly is print-ed by The Honolulu Advertiser, aprivate firm in no way connectedwith the U.S. Government, underexclusive written agreement with theU.S. Army, Hawaii.

The Hawaii Army Weekly is pub-lished weekly using the offsetmethod of reproduction and has aprinted circulation of 15,300.

Everything advertised in this pub-lication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage withoutregard to race, color, religion, sex,national origin, age, marital status,physical handicap, political affilia-tion, or any other non-merit factor ofthe purchaser, user or patron.

The appearance of advertisingin this publication, including insertsand supplements, does not consti-tute endorsement by the Depart-ment of the Army, or The HonoluluAdvertiser, of the firms, products orservices advertised.

Commander, U.S. Army Garrison Col. Matthew Margotta

Director, Public AffairsDennis C. Drake

Chief, Command InformationAiko Rose Brum, 656-3155

Aiko.Brum@us.army.milManaging Editor

Jeremy S. Buddemeier, 656-3156 editor@hawaiiarmyweekly.com

Assistant EditorKyle Ford, 656-3150

kyle@hawaiiarmyweekly.comWeb Editor

Stephanie Rush, 656-3153stephanie@hawaiiarmyweekly.com

LayoutLeah Mayo

Staff WritersAmy Bugala

Molly HaydenAdvertising: 525-7439Classifieds: 521-9111

Editorial Office: 656-3155/3156 Fax: 656-3162

Address:Public Affairs Office

742 Santos Dumont Ave., WAAFBuilding 108, Room 304

Schofield Barracks, HI 96857-5000Web site:

www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil/haw.asp

9 dayssince last fatal accidentNumber represents fatal ac-

cidents as defined by ArmyRegulation 385-10, which is in-clusive of all active componentU.S. Army units and person-nel. Current as of 2/25/2009.

“Take my time,relax whileadjusting ...and seek helpif I need it.Live the ohanaspirit."

Sgt. RupertMartinezHHC, 225th BSBCook

“Take care ofone anotherand stay withmy battlebuddies."

Spc. DanaMarableHHC, 1-21st Inf.Regt.Medic

Nondelivery or distributionproblems in Army Hawaii

Family Housing areas? If so, call 656-3155 or 656-3156.

We want tohear from you...

A-2 | FEBRUARY 27, 2009 HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY NEWS & COMMENTARY

LT. COL. THOMAS DENZLERDirector, Directorate of Emergency Services

Despite decreases in crime in most of ourcommunities, the Directorate of EmergencyServices (DES) needs your help in sustain-ing this positive trend. DES assets are lim-ited and can’t be everywhere at the sametime. However, disciplined housing resi-dents and involved chains of command canmitigate crime-conducive conditions andinfluence their Soldiers to drive safely. Thankyou in advance for making a difference.

Securing propertyThe vast majority of larcenies continue as

a result of unsecured personal property.Many of these larcenies could have beenprevented if owners took the time to locktheir residences, vehicles or bicycles. Assuggested in CNN.com, there is a correlationbetween our faltering economy and in-creases in property crime across the nation.

Further, neighborhood watch groups haveproven to be an effective first line of defensein fighting crime during these economical-ly trying times. Contact the military police(MP) station if you'd like to get involved orto schedule crime prevention training foryour community.

In addition to locking up property, resi-dents can have their property engraved and

registered with the MPstation, thereby in-creasing the chancesproperty will be re-turned once recovered.This service is availablethe first Wednesday ofeach month at Build-ing 79 (small buildingto the right of FooteGate).

DES will also provide this service for en-tire communities. Contact Cpl. Mindy Dye at655-5170 to schedule.

Lastly, anonymous crime tips can be sub-mitted at www.militarycrimetips.com

Road construction and trafficWith construction on Schofield road-

ways, traffic had to be redirected throughsome residential areas. Unfortunately, thiscreates potential hazards for those residents,especially those along Leilehua Avenue.

We ask that all drivers obey the postedspeed limits and traffic control devices andkeep their vehicle radios at a respectful lev-el. (For example, keep your radio at a levelthat can’t be heard 30 feet away).

Law enforcement officers will be target-ing these specific areas and Hale Kula Ele-mentary School. Slow down and save your-self a ticket. More importantly, drive re-

sponsibly and save a life.Pending gate closuresMcNair and Macomb gates will close

March 4–18, and March 25–April 8, re-spectively, to install additional force pro-tection measures. These closures, combinedwith the redeployment of 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, will likely increasethe time required to access Schofield Bar-racks.

We ask drivers to set aside additionaltravel time and drive responsibly once onthe installation.

Privately owned vehicles (POV) andinstallation registration

Despite some recent misinformation, POVsmust be registered at the Vehicle Registra-tion offices at Schofield Barracks (Building 750), Fort Shafter Flats (Building 1599) orTripler (Room 1A016).

Any person who lives or works on anyU.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii installation orhousing community, or often uses installa-tion facilities, is required to register his/herPOV, and display DoD Form 2220 (decals) onthe windshield. Newly arriving Soldiers,family members and civilians are requiredto register their POVs within 10 days of thePOV’s arrival on island.

Newly purchased POVs should be regis-tered within the same 10-day period unless

additional time is required for receipt of li-cense plates and state registration via mail.

Leaders’ enforcement of this requirementultimately makes our roads safer since in-dividuals must provide proof of a recentHawaii safety inspection before registeringtheir vehicles on post. For additional infor-mation, please contact Ms. Gina Bowman,vehicle registration supervisor, at 655-8940.

Fire safety and youToo many individuals are selfishly park-

ing their POVs next to fire hydrants. Yes,parking is limited, but that doesn’t justifyputting others at risk by blocking a fire hy-drant.

Additionally, parked cars on both sides ofresidential streets and fire lanes have createda significant concern as fire trucks do nothave the required clearance when respond-ing to a fire. Some of our homes are“historic,” and it would not be uncommonfor flames to spread from one house to an-other.

If your house was on fire and your chil-dren trapped, wouldn’t you want fire trucksto have unimpeded access to your house?

An interview with fire department officialswill be featured in a coming edition of theHawaii Army Weekly that further highlightsthese concerns, but in the meantime, thanksfor not putting others at risk.

Denzler

Straight Talk

Ensuring safety requires community’s help

Real lessons of history get lost in clutterDAVID W. KUHNS SR.

Army News Service

February is Black History Month, which isfollowed by Women’s History Month inMarch. Both observances seem to suffer froma common failing — trying to rewrite histo-ry in light of what we wish had happened,rather than what did.

That’s a shame, because some of the reallessons of history get lost in the clutter. Acouple of examples from the American Rev-olution illustrate what I mean.

A few years back, a poll was taken of highschool students in Indianapolis. They wereasked to name a great figure from the Amer-ican Revolution. The number one responsewas Crispus Attucks.

Crispus Attucks was a former slave whowas shot and killed, alongside two otherprotesters, by British troops in Boston in1770. This “Boston Massacre” was one ofthe events that eventually escalated into theRevolutionary War five years later.

Attucks’ actions in protesting the pres-ence of British soldiers were representative of

the rising discontent in the colonies at thetime. That he was black is important for us toremember, but to attach a “great” label on thisearly casualty of the conflict ignores reality.

Worse, the deification of Attucks by somein our country ignores the greater contribu-tions of blacks to the cause of freedom at ournation’s birth. While many know of this ear-ly casualty, few are aware that as many as 25percent of the Soldiers who fought in the warfor independence were black. Indeed, theContinental Army was probably the mostintegrated combat force to fight for our na-tion prior to Vietnam.

Women have their equivalents of Attucks,too. Molly “Pitcher,” the wife of a Soldier inWashington’s Army, carried water to herhusband and others during the Battle ofMonmouth in July 1778.

A similar thread follows in many events highlighted during commemorative months.It is important to note that women and blackswere part of our nation’s development, but itis harmful to endow their actions with greaterimportance than they deserve.

We are left with only hints of the contri-

butions that could have been made if socie-ty had been different. It is really only in thelifetimes of many current Americans thatthings have changed.

In recent decades, blacks have risen to thehighest levels of command in our military,women have taken their rightful place inthe armed forces, and in the halls of powerin our nation’s capital. Finally, a black hasrisen to the highest post in our nation. Doorshave clearly been opened.

But, as we see women and members of eth-nic minorities climb to positions of influencein our world today, we can only wonderwhat contributions could have been made ifthese populations had, had the same oppor-tunities in the past.

So go ahead and take the time to remem-ber those few women and minority memberswho made some small impressions in our ear-ly history. But rather than endow them withmore importance than they had in their owntimes, look at how far we have come, andmarvel at what might have been.

(Editor’s Note: David W. Kuhns Sr. is ed-itor of Fort Lewis’ Northwest Guardian.)

Lent a time to re-embrace our limitationsCHAPLAIN (LT. COL.) KEVIN STROOP

Deputy, Fort Shafter Community Chaplain

As we come to the beginning of Lent,many of us have already experienced thehumility of Ash Wednesday. As we knelt be-fore the clergyperson and heard the words,“Dust you are and to dust you shall return,”it reminded us of our relative size and stationbefore God.

The Lenten period is meant to remind usthat we are not as we seem nor think — weare human, with all that goes with it.

In the final scenes of Roald Dahl’s “TheWizard of Oz,” Dorothy Gale confronts theterrible wizard. He turns out to be not terri-ble at all. The wizard is just a bald man witha wrinkled face.

“‘You are a very bad man,’ Dorothy says,and the Wizard’s answer is, ‘Oh, no, my dear.I am really a very good man, but I am a verybad wizard.’ So the great and terrible Oz isonly a human being like Dorothy herself, andthe only good he can do for them is a humangood,” said Frederick Buechner in TellingThe Truth, The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy& Fairy Tale (page 93).

Somehow, in terms of our modern era,human good, well, it’s just not goodenough.

In the Season of Lent, we come to see thatall the things we have done in the previousyear do not measure up to very much in

terms of our spiritual life. All those things weshould have done are a lengthy to-do list thatseemingly has no end.

We write the task athand and have everyintention of followingthrough, but usually donot. Nothing is everlined through, and thelist just keeps on grow-ing.

The missed recital, thepromised fishing trip,and the intimate dinnerare all written down, but not done. If only Iwere the Wizard of Oz, then with a wave ofthe wand, these things would be taken careof. But I am human.

Not only has the to-do list grown tounimaginable proportions, but the things wedo accomplish look like an all-points bulletinfor a serious felon: angry words, threats, ex-clusions, lies, lust, envy, greed and hatred.

Our rap sheet indicts us well before any tri-al. The charges include enormous amounts oftime spent hurting people, strained relation-ships, and the disappointment we havewrought. If only I were the Wizard of Oz, thenwith a wave of the wand, they would begone. But I am human.

Then what about our spiritual lives, our re-lationship with God? Our foxhole promises,our late-night pleas, and our forgotten

pledges of faithfulness. These things remindus of our guiltiness in light of God’s holiness,so we stop praying, miss worship, sink intodespair, and turn our back on our only truesource of happiness. If only we were theWizard of Oz, then with a wave of the wand,they would disappear. But we are human.

Alas, I am not the Wizard of Oz, not evenclose. Dorothy would be right in calling mea “very bad man,” and what could I say?

“Dust you are and to dust you shall re-turn.”

Truly, I am humbled by those words. Theashen mark placed on my forehead remindsme of all the shortcomings that exist with-in me. I could be depressed, but I am not, be-cause I am human. God is God.

The profound truth of life is forgiveness.The most powerful act of reconciliation isthat of our sins being forgiven and life re-stored.

Profound truth is a healing, not of body,but of soul, that can take place only when werealize we are better wizards than humans,and as human beings, we need not wavewands, but give forgiveness.

God’s action through the work of recon-ciliation, forgiveness and healing brings uscloser to who were are meant to be — not“bad” men or women, but forgiven brothersand sisters who have put away magic wandsfor the reality of a spiritual relationship withour heavenly father.

Stroop

Inspectors,commandersshare roles toresolve issues

U.S. ARMY-PACIFICINSPECTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE

News Release

The Inspector General’s (IG) role inresolving nonsupport issues is oftenmisunderstood by members of thechain of command and by familymembers requesting IG assistance.

A prime example is the resolution ofcases involving nonsupport and in-debtedness — a commander’s respon-sibility.

IGs will become involved in non-support issues when family memberscan verify they have requested, buthave not received, assistance from theunit commander.

The IG will contact the commanderto determine why the issue has notbeen resolved. In accordance withArmy Regulation (AR) 608-99, once a commander is made aware of anonsupport situation, he or she has14 days to take appropriate action.Failure to do so may constitute a vio-lation of AR 608-99, in which para-graphs 2-5 and 2-9 are punitive.

In situations where the family hascontacted the IG office prior to noti-fying the commander, the IG will en-sure the immediate family needs aremet and provide assistance in directingthe family to other agencies for assis-tance. The IG will also assist familymembers in drafting a memorandumfor unit commanders to request theirassistance.

In both cases, the IG will contactthe unit commander and monitor thecase to ensure compliance with AR608-99. In addition, all requests fornonsupport assistance made with theIG are documented and maintained inthe Inspector General Action RequestSystem (IGARS).

Of note for commanders, they are re-sponsible for thoroughly and expedi-tiously investigating claims of non-support against Soldiers in their com-mand.

Unit commanders can find more in-formation for resolving allegations ofnonsupport of a family in AR 608-99,Family Support, Child Custody andPaternity.

In addition, the Staff Judge Advocate(SJA) can be provide more clarity forcommanders regarding AR 608-99.

2ND. LT. BRANDON C. PHILLIPS84th Engineer Battalion (Construction Effects)

MOSUL, Iraq — Soldiers, noncommissioned officers(NCO), and officers stood at attention as the NCOcreed was recited. The room echoed with the proudvoices of NCOs who had just graduated from a rig-orous NCO Academy. However, this ceremony wasdifferent from most graduation ceremonies in that theNCO creed was recited Arabic rather than English.

This scene was the result of the growing partnershipbetween the 84th Engineer Battalion and the 3rdIraqi Army Engineer Regiment.

Fourteen Soldiers from the 84th Eng. Bn. spent aweek training, advising and getting to know their Iraqipartners at a joint base in northern Iraq in mid-January. The group included Command Sgt. Maj.Roy Ward serving as the commandant of the NCOAcademy, along with Staff Sgt. Brad Reigel, StaffSgt. Armand Curet, and Sgt. Christopher Crawford whoperformed as the lead instructors.

Soldiers of Ward’s Personal Security Detachment(PSD) supplied the manpower to effectively operate theacademy while away from their usual forward oper-ating base.

The academy featured instruction on leadership,counseling, combat operations orders, pre-combatinspections, and duties of an NCO. Students partici-pated in simulated scenarios, open discussions and afinal test to determine if they would graduate thecourse. In a sign of the resolve these young NCOs ofthe Iraqi Army possess, all 21 students met the required

standards and several had perfect scores on the finalexam.

In addition to the NCO Academy conducted byWard and his PSD, 1st Sgt. Bryan Hinzman advisedcompany-level senior NCOs of the 3rd Iraqi Army En-gineer Regiment. Hinzman worked closely with eachcompany Sergeant Major, routinely talking with IraqiSoldiers to be aware of the command climate in eachcompany. Overall leadership, company operations,

supply, and maintenance were among the topics dis-cussed in this partnership.

Spc. Krishna Menon and 2nd Lt. Brandon Phillipsrounded out the 84th mission as they advised regi-mental level staff officers in the areas of personnel andlogistics-areas which have proven difficult in thepast for newly formed Iraqi Army units. Commonground was quickly formed when the Soldiers realizedthe similarity of the tasks and issues associated with

their jobs. Conversations rangedfrom awards and leave to supply chainmanagement and property accountability.

Although numerous topics were covered in thetraining and advising sessions, Soldiers from botharmies found time to get to know each other. Hundredsof handshakes, pictures, and conversations promoteda bonding experience unlike any other the 84th Sol-diers have experienced in Iraq thus far. By the end ofthe week, most Soldiers were able to convey traditionalgreetings in Arabic and had enjoyed a taste of the lo-cal cuisine, including the famous chai tea widelyserved in Iraq.

An afternoon soccer match arranged by Ward wasa hit with both Iraqi and American Soldiers. The“Never Daunted” Soldiers of the 84th put up a fight,but were eventually defeated by their Iraqi counter-parts. Soldiers from the 84th are looking forward totheir next visit, as they plan to bring along a footballto share a traditional American sport with their newcomrades.

The entire week of training and bonding left an in-delible mark upon the Soldiers, who all say theywould like to return for another training missionsuch as this one. Perhaps the highlight of the week forthose involved was getting to know firsthand theIraqi Soldiers that coalition forces are trying to sup-port in Iraq. The “Never Daunted” Soldiers now knowthe common ground they share with the Iraqi Soldiers-sacrificing blood, sweat, and tears to bring security andstability to Iraq.

HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 27, 2009 | A-3DEPLOYED FORCES

84th Engineers partner with Iraqi NCOs

1st Sgt. Bryan Hinzman | 523rd Engineer Company, 84th Engineer Battalion

Spc. Tony Lalonde and Sgt. Christopher Crawford, both with Koa 7 Personal Security Detachment (PSD),Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction Effects), 18th EngineerBrigade, give hands-on training to Iraqi soldiers at the Noncomissioned Officers Academy.

3-4th Cav. Regt. practices joint operations during combined air-assault MULTINATIONAL DIVISION –

NORTH PUBLIC AFFAIRSNews Release

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPE-ICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq — In the early morn-ing hours of Feb. 15, several hundred Sol-diers from the 4th Iraqi Army Divisionsupported by coalition forces conducted acombined air-assault to clear and securethe Bichigan peninsula near Balad.

Soldiers from A Troop, 3rd Squadron,4th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Infantry Divi-sion, and the 14th Iraqi Army (IA) BrigadeMilitary Transition Team (MiTT) support-ed the operation, which began with a se-ries of U-H 60 Black Hawk training re-hearsals on the flight line of a Forward Op-erating Base, Feb. 14.

“The Iraqi Army initiated the idea for theoperation,” said Maj. Darren Buss, opera-tion officer, 14th IA Bde. MiTT.

“As a MiTT, our primary objective wasto advise the 14th brigade commanderand his staff of the planning proceduresthat had to be in place before the operationcould be executed.”

“The IA is conducting various securityoperations that will be continued daily aswell as creating new routes to reduce con-gestion in the city — all measures to secureand protect the people of this region,”Buss added.

“Our role in the Iraqi Army’s operationhas been to help enable them to step for-ward and spear-head their own opera-tions. We have done this by building theirconfidence and showing that they cancontinue to perform effectively before andduring their operations,” said Sgt. 1st ClassTravus Brandon, platoon sergeant, 3rdPlatoon, A Troop, 3-4th Cav. Regt., 25th ID.

“We are building upon their experience

level by including the air-assault elementto the operation, showing the Iraqi Armythat they can handle a complex opera-tion with an air-assault asset available.

The end result will help combined coalitionmissions because they will bring theirknowledge and training to the table for thecompletion of successful operations in

Iraq,” he continued.During the mission the IA captured two

wanted criminals and found several smallcaches in the densely wooded orchards ofthe region.

“With continued combined operationsbetween Iraqi army and coalition forcessuch as this, the Iraqi security forces willcontinue to progress as a more effectivefighting force able to secure their townsand provide a safer environment for thepeople of Iraq,” said 1st Lt. Steven Swan,a platoon leader, A Troop, who helped as-sist Iraqi forces during the operation.

During a rehearsal inside an Army UH-60Black Hawk helicopter, 4th Iraqi ArmyDivision soldiers listen to Sgt. 1st ClassTravus Brandon, platoon sergeant, 3rdPlatoon, A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cav-alry Regiment, at Forward Operating BasePaliwoda near Balad.

Spc. Jazz Burney | 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

A-4 | FEBRUARY 27, 2009 HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY SOLDIERS

Story and Photos by

SGT. MIKE ALBERTS25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD — It’s oftensaid doctors and nurses treat sick people innormal environments while flight surgeonsand aeromedical physician’s assistants treatnormal people in abnormal environments — namely, while in flight.

Recently, the Society of the U.S. Army FlightSurgeons recognized three 25th Combat Avi-ation Brigade (CAB) Soldiers as among theArmy’s best in abnormal environments.

Maj. Bradley Pearson, Capt. Ryan DeBoardand Capt. Wayne Johnson were recently hon-ored for their aeromedical achievements dur-ing an award ceremony, here.

Pearson, an emergency medicine specialistand flight surgeon, 3rd Battalion, 25th Avia-tion Regiment, 25th CAB, received theSociety’s 2009 Spurgeon H. Neel U.S. ArmyDistinguished Flight Surgeon of the Yearaward.

Capt. Ryan DeBoard, an emergency medi-cine specialist and flight surgeon, 2nd Bat-talion (Assault), 25th Aviation Regiment, andCapt. Wayne Johnson, an aeromedical physi-cian assistant, 3rd Battalion, 25th AviationRegiment, each received the Society’s 2009Aeromedical Outstanding Achievement Award.

The Society of the U.S. Army Flight Sur-geons exists to foster professional growth anddevelopment of its members and strives to im-prove the practice of Army aviation medicine.Annually, the Society identifies and awards aselect few for their contributions to their re-spective Army aviation units.

Pearson’s prestigious Distinguished FlightSurgeon award is presented to the Army flightsurgeon who personifies the characteristicsof the ideal Army flight surgeon. The award’snamesake, Maj. Gen. Spurgeon H. Neel, wasthe Army’s first aviation medical officer anda pioneer in the development of the principlesof aeromedical evacuation of battlefield ca-sualties.

According to Lt. Col. Luis Rivero, brigadesurgeon, 25th CAB, Pearson was instrumentalin the mass evacuation of approximately 8,000patients throughout northern Iraq while de-ployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedomfrom November 2006 through October 2008.

Pearson’s excellence was showcased duringtwo particularly noteworthy events: In March2007, a coordinated set of large bombs in TalAfar, Iraq, left hundreds of Iraqis wounded. Theattack quickly overwhelmed local U.S. militaryhospitals.

Pearson and his teampersonally treated andtransported three severe-ly injured boys, amongothers, all of whom wereon ventilators and re-quired intensive medicalcare.

About six months lat-er, four massive vehicle-borne improvised explo-sive devices killed at least500 people and injuredhundreds more in a re-mote part of northernIraq. It was the singledeadliest attack of thewar.

That evening, Pearsonand his team, comprisedof himself, his aeromed-ical physician assistantand two medics, wouldbe the main resource torelieve a hospital that wasalready overwhelmed.

When they arrived,Pearson assumed respon-sibility for the worst 18patients, all of whomwere transferred by heli-copter to the Kurdish cityof Dahuk. Pearson andhis team didn’t lose a single patient in flight.

“I do this work and love this work becauseI really feel like I am making a difference, im-mediately,” said Pearson. “That’s gratifying. It’seasy to love your job where the benefit of thework is clearly obvious,” he said.

Regarding his achievements, Pearson rec-ognized his team.

“It was a tremendous honor to be part ofsuch a great team. We don’t work alone andnothing that I’ve done could have been ac-complished without (others),” Pearson said.“This award had more to do with the collabo-rative efforts of a whole lot of different people.”

DeBoard and Johnson each received the Outstanding Achievement award for specificactions or achievements as Army aeromedicalphysician assistants.

According to Rivero, DeBoard is the con-summate educator. DeBoard has produced asustainable system for on-the-spot medic train-ing that encompasses all 25th CAB medics.

In addition, in several off-island trainingexercises throughout 2008, DeBoard — on hisown initiative — trained not only his unit’smedics, but the medics of other units involved

in predeployment operations in various med-ical topics of interest and relevance, and con-ducted regular, daily medic training lecturesand exercises.

Johnson was recognized for his signifi-cant role during the 25th CAB’s rotation tothe National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Ir-win, Calif., in October 2008, according toRivero.

The 25th CAB deployed a task force ele-ment, Task Force 3-25th, to support 1stBrigade, 1st Cavalry Division at NTC. Thoughthe task force deployed with a shortage offlight medics, given 1-1 Cav. Div.’s needs,Johnson foresaw the shortage and plannedand trained to cover the deficiency by as-suming flight medic duties in addition tohis deployed physician assistant duties.

For both DeBoard and Johnson, their keyto success is their passion for the work.

“I simply enjoy taking care of Soldiers,”said DeBoard, “and if my presence givesthem the confidence to fight without reser-vations, knowing that I am available to takecare of them, then my job is done,” he said.

His colleague agreed.“I love taking care of patients and getting

the sick and wounded back to their families,”said Johnson. “As far as the recognition isconcerned, I consider training my job. As amedical advisor to the battalion, when a unitis short flight medics, it’s my job to trainthem and to train as many as possible.”

Although each awardee downplayed thesignificance of his respective accomplish-ments, the brigade’s surgeon wasn’t as mod-est on their behalf.

“It really is remarkable for the 25th CAB tohave three providers selected for recogni-tion by the Society,” said Rivero. “Understandthis, Maj. Pearson and Capts. DeBoard andJohnson were selected and recognized fromthe Army worldwide.

“These awards are truly a testament totheir actions, their commitment and theirinitiative,” he added. “I’m proud to work andserve with them.”

NewsBriefs

Send news announcements forSoldiers and civilian employees

to community@hawaiiarmyweekly.com.

27 / TodayChange in Dental Appoint-

ments — New appointments atthe Na Koa and Schofield BarracksDental Clinics will be limitedthrough March 20 due to divisionredeployment activities. Dentalemergencies will be seen Monday-Friday, 7:15-7:45 a.m. and 12:15-12:45 p.m.

For more information, call theNa Koa (433-8900) or SchofieldBarracks Clinic (433-8901).

28 / SaturdaySafety Stand Down Day —

The Schofield Barracks HealthClinic will conduct a safety standdown day at the main parkinglot, Feb. 28, 9 a.m.-noon, to raiseawareness about safe living.

Topics will be presented by rep-resentatives from a variety ofcommunity programs and organ-izations, including the Army Sub-stance Abuse Program, the FamilyAdvocacy Program, MothersAgainst Drunk Driving, and theJudge Advocate General.

See demonstrations from theMilitary Police and hear first-handaccounts from Soldiers who have experienced driving under the in-fluence penalties.

March3 / Tuesday

Civilian Classes — The CivilianPersonnel Advisory Center (CPAC)will offer the following classesfor civilians:

•March 3, Proofreading andEditing with Style.

•March 9-13, The Supervisor’sRole in Human Resources Man-agement.

•March 10 and 11, Dealing withDifficult People.

•March 12, Interpersonal Com-munication Skills.

•March 19, A Review of Eng-lish Grammar, Behavioral Super-vision: Handling PerformanceProblems.

For questions regarding thecourses, contact Val Nomura, atvaletta.nomura@navy.mil or 474-0025, ext. 301. Visit https://www.donhr.navy.mil.

4 / WednesdayGate Closure — Schofield Bar-

racks’ McNair Gate will be closedMarch 4-18, in order to installadditional force protection meas-ures. All other gates at SchofieldBarracks will maintain their cur-rent operational times.

Call 656-2435.

6 / FridayFEMA Claims — If your home,

rental property or business wasdamaged by the Dec. 10-16, 2008,severe storms and flooding, youmay eligible for assistance.

Individuals and businesses haveuntil 6 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time(HST), March 6, to register withthe Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency (FEMA) for disasterrecovery assistance.

Call toll-free 1-800-621-FEMA(3326), 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily, HST,for assistance, or visit www.disas-terassistance. gov.

Online registration isavailable until midnight, HST,March 6.

7 / SaturdayRoad Closure — Beginning

March 7 and ending Nov. 7, por-tions of Williston and Wright-Smith Avenues, Schofield Bar-racks, will be closed for roadwayconstruction work. Drivers shouldavoid the area.

Also beginning March 7 andending June 12, Bragg Street willbe temporarily converted to two-way traffic serving the residents ofBetsy Ross and Patrick HenryCourts only.

Call 624-2338.

10 / TuesdayNewcomers Brief — The next

monthly newcomers briefing willbe held March 10, 4-5 p.m., atthe Soldier Support Center,Building 750, Schofield Barracks.

25th CAB nabs 3 Armywide awards

Pearson

Johnson

DeBoard

“These awards are truly a testament to their actions, theircommitment and their initiative.I’m proud to work and serve withthem.”

Lt. Col. Luis Rivero Brigade Surgeon, 25th CAB

SEE NEWS BRIEFS, A-6

A-6 | FEBRUARY 27, 2009 HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY NEWS

12 / ThursdayRedeployment Ceremony —

The 2nd Stryker Brigade CombatTeam will hold a redeploymentceremony March 12, 10 a.m., atSills Field, Schofield Barracks.

19 / ThursdayFire Warden Training — Army

regulation mandates every unitmust have an assigned fire war-den. Unit fire wardens are re-sponsible for all fire safety relat-ed topics specific to their unit.

Fire warden training will beheld for unit representatives atthe Sgt. Yano Library ConferenceRoom, Building 650, SchofieldBarracks, and at the Federal FireDepartment Headquarters, 650Center Drive, Building 284, PearlHarbor.

Upcoming training dates areMarch 19 and April 14. Classeswill be held from 10-11:30 a.m.,and seating is limited to 20 par-ticipants.

To reserve your seat, contact

Battalion Chief David Jimenez atdavid.d.jimenez@navy.mil or 471-3303, ext. 632.

OngoingTax Center Opens — The

Schofield Tax Center, Building648, at the corner of Foote Av-enue and Lewis Street, openedFeb. 2. Hours of operation are 9a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, andno appointments are necessary.

Everyone is served on a walk-in basis. Service is provided freefor active duty service members,their families and retirees.

Call 655-1040.

Kolekole Pass Access —Authorized vehicles can now ac-cess the Kolekole Pass betweenthe Waianae Coast and SchofieldBarracks, Monday through Fri-day only, pending current weath-er conditions.

A single lane is open for morn-ing commuters from 7 a.m. tonoon for one-way traffic from theWaianae Coast to Schofield Bar-racks, and from noon to 5:30 p.m.for one-way traffic from SchofieldBarracks to Waianae for the af-

ternoon commute. The pass will remain closed on

weekends and holidays. Call 655-7114.

Government Vehicle Dis-patching — All General ServicesAdministration (GSA) leased non-tactical vehicles permanently lo-cated at Fort Shafter, Tripler ArmyMedical Center or surroundingareas are dispatched monthly atBuilding 1507, Fort Shafter Flats.

Dispatching will be done duringthe second week of each month,Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8:30a.m.-3 p.m.

Call 656-8720/0290.

Phonebook Recycling — Notsure what to do with old phone-books? Local public schools usedto collect phone books but are nolonger doing so; however, tele-phone books are currently accepted at the Recycling Center, located at Building 1087-B, McMahon Rd., Schofield Bar-racks.

The Recycling Center will alsopick them up. Schedule a pick-upappointment on the Intranet athttps://dpwhawaii. army.mil/pick-up/ or call 655-0011.

News BriefsFrom A-4

Afghanistan, explained Baker. Forty-three Soldiers, including five from the 25th

CAB, completed the most recent iteration of SLICCtraining. Instruction culminated on a wet and windyday with a UH-60L Black Hawk swirling overhead asstudents sling-loaded different items at Upper 36, alanding zone on East Range.

Typically a five-day course, the training was con-ducted in four due to scheduling.

“I thought it was really good training,” said Sgt.Robert Allor, a heavy-wheel mechanic from E Com-pany, 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25thCAB. “We’ll do quarterly training on this; it’s our re-sponsibility to train the people in our units. I look for-ward to implementing the training, and I’d also liketo add the instructors were outstanding.”

Staff Sgt. Tina Smith, also from 2-25th Avn. Regt.,looks forward to training her Soldiers.

“It was good training,” she said. “(When you’re in)a war zone, you can’t always depend on wheeledtransportation, so you have to go to your secondarymethod, which is sling-loading.”

The UH-60L Black Hawk, from C Co., 2-25th Avn.

Regt., added the final dimension of realism to thetraining. Unfortunately, not all classes had the sameexperience due to deployments or bad weather.However, Baker is emphatic about having aircraft toallow Soldiers to experience the challenge of actuallysling-loading, firsthand.

“It should be a must with all the hard work theseguys spend (training),” said Baker. “We would actu-ally be taking something away from them. It givesthem confidence that they’re going to be able toperform and not freak out under the aircraft.”

With only two teams of five instructors to teach theSLICC to the Army, Baker and fellow instructorsWilliam Marshall, David Hughes, Ivan Andrade andBarry Pavasko have seen the Army’s operationaltempo dictate their schedule. They travel from placesas far as Alaska to Fort Bragg and Fort Drum to trainmany grateful Soldiers.

Smith, now a SLICC graduate, offers advice toanyone who will take the course upon its return toHawaii this July.

“Listen, take good notes and just be open-minded,”she said, with a grin. “If you already know somethingabout sling-loading, just be open-minded becauseyou’ll always come across something new.”

CONTINUED FROM A-1

Load: Terrain calls for sling training

HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 27, 2009 | A-7NEWS

Story and Photos by

SGT. 1ST CLASS DAVID E. GILLESPIE8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — The Nation-al Prayer Breakfast at the Nehelani, here,Feb. 18, put a “litany of prayers” at the topof the menu for more than 400 in atten-dance.

While some Army units hold quarterlyand even monthly prayer breakfast events,the National Prayer Breakfast celebrationmarked what one chaplain described as“crescendo, the annual highlight.”

The event featured guest speakerChaplain (Brig. Gen.) Donald Rutherford,the Army’s deputy chief of chaplains, andincluded a half-dozen prayers focused onthis time of persistent conflict.

“It was not until 1952 that the U.S.Congress adopted a joint resolution …declaring a National Day of Prayer,” ex-plained Sgt. Christopher Churilla, instal-lation chaplain’s office. “The day ofprayer was set aside to enable govern-ment leaders to reflect on the impor-tance of the divine counselor as the ul-timate source of guidance and inspira-tion.”

Following prayers for the nation,wounded warriors, the military, their fam-ilies, rear detachment and deploying andredeploying Soldiers, Chaplain Ruther-ford captivated the crowd. He shared lifestories, which all tied back to the theme ofthe day: “Put on the whole armor of God.”

Rutherford came from Washington, D.C.,to Hawaii on a whirlwind tour, arriving thenight before and flying out shortly afterthe prayer breakfast. He shared a story ofrenewing an expired driver’s license, tak-ing the test again, and having to watch amovie on defensive driving.

“I thought this was crazy, seeing thesame exact movie they used in 1973,but there were three things that stood outin that movie. It talked about, first ofall, you have to yield the right of way.Second of all, be defensive when youdrive. And third, you have to get the bigpicture,” Rutherford said.

“When you think about that, it is thesame way we follow the Lord. We have tobe people who every day yield the rightof way to the presence of the Lord in ourlives,” he continued. “We have to be de-fensive in our faith, sometimes, and youhave to see the big picture where yourfaith is calling you.”

Rutherford’s visit here in Hawaii bearsremarkable significance, said Chaplain(Col.) Rodney Lindsay, command chap-lain for the 8th Theater SustainmentCommand.

“For him to come all the way heresends a strong message that he reallycares about not only the ministry team,but Soldiers. He put us at the top of thelist, and his message reached all levels,”Lindsay said.

“Oftentimes, folks have the cookie on the top shelf, out of reach, but I thinkour deputy chief of chaplains brought the cookie down to a shelf where even the youngest Soldiers could iden-

tify,” Lindsay explained. The National Prayer Breakfast upholds

a tradition within the Chaplain Corpsand throughout the military. But thisevent goes even further, Lindsay said.

“This event also focuses more on thespiritual fitness of Soldiers and familymembers, especially in light of what’s

been happening in recent years – de-ployments, redeployments and persist-ent conflict.

“We really are focusing in on spiritu-al resiliency, and this is one of the keyvenues to encourage Soldiers in theirfaith to pray for one another, lift up ...and encourage one another,” he added.

More than 400 people celebrate National Prayer Breakfast at the Nehelani, SchofieldBarracks, Feb. 18.

National breakfast serves up smorgasbord of prayer

The deputy chief of chaplains, Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Donald Rutherford, addresses theaudience during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Nehelani, Schofield Barracks,Feb. 18.

“I’m trying to establish some long-termsystems and a mindset in garrison em-ployees that will last beyond my tenure (insummer 2010),” Margotta explained.

High-quality customer serviceSimilar to the customer service model

of the Walt Disney Company, directorateshave established a “contract” for every em-ployee, supervisor, division chief and com-mander to place added emphasis and effortin customer service. As a core function ofthe garrison, a customer service objectivewill be added to every employee’s per-formance appraisal; its mandates are beprofessional, be polite and be positive.

“I don’t care where you work … you cansomehow tie what you do at your level tosupport for Soldiers and families. You’ve gotto do what you do with customer service inmind,” Margotta said. “The best part abouthigh-quality customer service is, it doesn’tcost anything … it doesn’t cost anything tosmile; it doesn’t cost anything to try yourbest.”

In the future, all garrison employees willreceive customer service training, andUSAG-HI’s new employee orientation –new itself, since Feb. 18 – will also includethe training.

Commanders, directors, office chiefs andsupervisors must build a culture withintheir environment that not only stressesquality customer support, but also sets stan-dards — ones that develop an employee’ssense of ownership in his or her facilityand its appearance, cleanliness, layout andfunctions.

The housing experienceFor USAG-HI, probably “the most con-

tentious issues we deal with,” said Mar-gotta, are housing inequities and the chal-lenges they create.

To ensure family housing and single Sol-dier barracks are the best possible in USAG-HI, two separate objectives have been im-plemented: a First Sergeant’s Barracks Ini-tiative for single Soldiers and the “Chrysal-lis Project” for families living on post.

The First Sergeant’s Barracks Initiativewill provide single Soldiers a high-qualitybarracks living experience, with as manyamenities as can be offered, like staying ata Holiday Inn, said Margotta.

“The Chrysallis Project is really focused onenhancing our level of interaction and theservices we provide to families that live onpost,” said Claire Johnston, project director,

Army Hawaii Family Housing (AHFH). “We realize that military families have a

choice about where they live,” she contin-ued, “and in line with garrison objectives, wewill deliver a reliable and consistent level ofproperty management services, while at thesame time, being efficient in the way weachieve this.”

AHFH is beginning the housing experi-ence with residents — by asking for feed-back, conducting interviews and seekingrecommendations.

Another possibility for AHFH residents isthe “Community Mayor Program.”

“AHFH is working closely with the gar-rison to develop a program that will increaseinvolvement of residents in communitymatters,” said Johnston. “We’re partneringwith garrison leadership and other Armyservices to put together a mechanism thatwill encourage information sharing and in-creased communication between AHFH andcommunity members.”

Two-way communicationThe garrison currently provides several

ways for providers and customers to com-municate. Among them are the online In-teractive Customer Evaluation program, orICE, and town hall meetings. However, toenhance the command and community in-formation program, USAG-HI will maximizeuse of “new” marketing tools like Web logs,called blogs, and social media, such asFacebook and YouTube.

Margotta also hopes to respond to com-munity questions in an on-line and print column, ti-tled “Ask the Commander.”The USAG-HI homepageand many of its links havebeen completely redesigned,too.

“Just over a year ago, weestablished a Web Coordi-nating Council and a tigerteam to help make the garrison Web site more cus-tomer-oriented and interac-tive, complete with usefulinformation and easy nav-igation,” said StephanieRush, USAG-HI digital me-dia specialist. “The process isongoing, but we’ve already added a link for post up-dates to alert residents andworkers of immediate is-sues.”

Similarly, a Community

Information Coordinating Council will be es-tablished to synchronize all aspects of com-munity information, Margotta said. Also,TV2, the on-post cable access channel, willsoon be redesigned and offer relevant, time-ly programming.

“It’s important to listen to the voice of thecustomer,” said Margotta. “These mecha-nisms will provide more abilities for thecommunity to communicate back to us.”

Support for ARFORGENAcross all garrison lines of operation,

supporting the individual Soldier and his orher family is what the garrison is all about– before deployment, during and after, saidMargotta.

Several objectives that will enhance thiskey area include reintegration programsthat lessen risky behaviors, like WarriorAdventure Quest, a recreational outlet forSoldiers returning from war; improved sup-port for Reserve Component units; and en-hanced training capabilities — all mecha-nisms that support mission commanders.

Caring for the workforce“Green suiters have an established system

that takes care of them, and we want tomimic these systems for civilians,” Mar-gotta said.

Hawaii Garrison University, “Get-A-Cloo”club events for Army civilians living onOahu, hail and farewell gatherings, the gar-rison newsletter, and recognition programshave all been developed with the employ-ee in mind.

“It’s always a challenge to get peoplehere (in Hawaii), and (these systems) are crit-ical to retaining good employees,” Mar-gotta said.

Many other priorities and subareas roundout goals and objectives for the next twoyears: facilities and infrastructure, com-munity well-being, community engage-ment, sustainability, transformation andorganizational effectiveness.

Margotta said the listing is not all-inclu-sive, and it does not represent everything thegarrison will or intends to accomplish.Moreover, in some cases, he added, goalsand objectives may be over and above thebaseline of services and support required ofa garrison.

A-8 | FEBRUARY 27, 2009 HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY NEWS

CONTINUED FROM A-1

Workforce: Customer service tops list of objectives

Visit USAG-HI atwww.garrison.hawaii.army.mil.

Community engagement. Complementing the Army Family Covenant and the garrison’sgoal to engage military, their families and the community, Dezmond Saldivar (center)meets his new second grade teacher, Jodi Stein (right), as parents Spc. Steven Saldivar,8th Theater Sustainment Command, and Angelica Saldivar look on during “WelcomeHour” at Maj. Gen. William R. Shafter Elementary School.

HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 27, 2009 | A-9NEWS

Support Battalion, 45th SustainmentBrigade, and Sgt. 1st Class Janice Wil-son, platoon sergeant, 25th TransportationCompany, 45th Sustainment Brigade.

Attendees also enjoyed a slide presen-tation depicting notable African-Americanactivists and scholars at various stages oftheir respective careers. Additionally, spe-cial guest — actor, storyteller and play-wright — Melissa Waddy-Thibodeaux treat-ed those in attendance to a theatrical skitprofiling the life and legacy of HarrietTubman.

The nationally proclaimed theme forthis year’s observance, “The Quest for BlackCitizenship in the Americas,” provided achance to examine the evolution of thecountry and how African-Americanshelped draw the nation ever closer to be-coming a perfect union.

Founded in 1926 by African-Americanhistorian Carter G. Woodson, the celebra-tion was originally known as Negro HistoryWeek. At that time, the event was aimed athonoring two influential men: FrederickDouglas, an author, abolitionist, states-man and reformer, and Abraham Lincoln,well known as an outspoken opponent ofthe expansion of slavery, and famous forpreserving the union and ending slavery.

By 1976, as the U.S. celebrated its bi-centennial, Negro History Week was ex-panded to the entire month of February.The nation-wide event now serves to rec-ognize all African-Americans and theircontributions to shaping America’s histo-ry, often against considerable odds. One ofthose countless individuals was HarrietTubman.

Tubman was born a slave in Maryland,escaped to freedom, and later led morethan 300 other slaves to the North and toCanada to their freedom. During this pe-

riod, it is well-documented that Tubmanmade no less than 19 trips into the South,notwithstanding the fact that in everyrailroad station and post office in the Stateof Maryland placards existed which offereda $12,000 reward for her body, dead oralive.

During the Civil War, Tubman servedwith the U.S. Army in South Carolina as anurse, scout, spy and Soldier.

Melissa Waddy-Thibodeaux capturedthe life and legacy of Tubman during her

theatrical performance. Thibodeaux hasperformed for the past 40 years teachinghistory via theatrics and is currently in-volved in establishing national readingprograms. Her involvement with militaryaudiences is no accident.

“Harriet Tubman was part of the mili-tary,” explained Thibodeaux. “Harriet’sefforts tie directly into military life,” shecontinued. “Her life demonstrates courage,strength, valor and setting goals, despite allodds.

“When you Soldiers travel to anothercountry in the name of the United States,you are ‘people helping people,’” she said.“Really, that was Harriet’s mission throughher work on the Underground Railroad:people helping people.”

Two Soldiers who volunteered in thecelebration were vocal soloist Gantt andSgt. Maj. Raymond Theard, operationssergeant major, 130th Engineer Brigade,25th Infantry Division.

Gantt sang gospel music artist MarvinSapp’s “Never Would Have Made It.”Theard read the 2009 African-AmericanBlack History Month Presidential Procla-mation. Both explained that the opportu-nity to help to appreciate the struggles,achievements, progress and vast diversityof African-Americans was special.

“I really wanted to be a part of the cel-ebration, especially this year as America isin a transition period with its first blackpresident,” said Gantt. “We need more cel-ebrations like this, and not just with theAfrican-American community, but withall communities,” he emphasized. “Theseevents help us better understand each oth-er, and understanding builds unity.”

Theard has been participating in thesetypes of events since the early ‘80s, whenhe was a junior enlisted Soldier. For him,the importance of Black History Monthcould not be overstated.

“Events like this sensitize Soldiers toothers’ backgrounds and cultures, and I be-lieve it helps [foster] better race relationswithin our Army,” said Theard. “We fighttogether. Whether you’re a male or fe-male, African-American, Asian, or Cau-casian, it’s important that we understandeach other and why we stand for some ofthe things we stand for.

“Above all, these events help us betterrespect and understand each other, and bea more cohesive military,” he added.

CONTINUED FROM A-1

History: Harriet Tubman’s life dramatized

A Soldier views static displays of some of the Army’s most accomplished African-Ameri-can Soldiers during a Black History Month observance at Schofield Barracks’ Sgt. SmithTheater, Feb. 19. The 130th Engineer Brigade hosted the event.

acting on the threats and strong-ly recommends that Soldiers, civil-ians and family members who re-ceive any suspicious or unsolicit-ed e-mails delete them withoutresponse. However, if people re-ceive a threat they believe is le-gitimate or has any credibilitywhatsoever, they should immedi-ately contact law enforcement of-ficials.

The U.S. Secret Service(www.secretservice.gov) and theU.S. Postal Service (http://postal-inspectors.uspis.gov) are the pri-mary law enforcement agenciesthat deal with these types ofscams. U.S. citizens or residentswho have not suffered a finan-cial loss and want to report a scammay forward unsolicited e-mails tothe Secret Service at 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov.

People can also file complaintswith the Internet Crime ComplaintCenter (IC3) at www.ic3.gov/crimeschemes.aspx #item-13.

U.S. citizens and residents whohave suffered a financial lossshould contact the nearest fieldoffice of the Secret Service by tele-phone.

Victims are advised to continuereporting these scam e-mails tolaw enforcement agencies.

CONTINUED FROM A-1

Scam:Enforcementagencies onthe lookout

When work is finished. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2009

SGT. MAJ. TERRY ANDERSON8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD – Af-ter 15 long months in Iraq, missingbirthdays, anniversaries and theembrace of loved ones, Pvt. KendellJackson kissed his 3-year-olddaughter Mekellia, his wife Melissa,and had only one thing to say fol-lowing his return home.

“It's great to be home!" Jackson was one of more than

4,500 2nd Stryker Brigade CombatTeam (SBCT) Soldiers who returnedto Hawaii during the past twoweeks after completing the unit'sfirst deployment as a StrykerBrigade. Wheeler Army Airfield'sMultiple Deployment Facility (MDF)was the scene of many joyful, tear-filled reunions as the Soldiersstepped back on Hawaiian soil.

Sylvia Bentley waited patientlyfor her husband, Staff Sgt. CharlesBentley, 1st Battalion, 27th InfantryRegiment, as he turned in hisweapon and listened to a safetybriefing out of sight, behind thecurtain at the MDF, Feb. 17.

Bentley was keeping an eye onher 1-year-old daughter, Nevaeh,and said that they didn’t have anybig reunion plans.

“We’re just looking forward toholding each other and spendingtime together as a family,” she said.

Maj. Gary McCormick echoedthose comments at a redeploymentceremony, Feb. 19.

“(I’m) spending time with myfamily, surfing and having to say‘I’m sorry, I’m surfing too much’,”he said, laughing.

McCormick’s daughter, Aly, wasrelieved that her father was finallyhome.

“It’s really nice to have him back

and we feel really complete againas a family. It’s just nice to havehim back,” she said.

During their deployment, the Sol-diers of the 2nd Stryker Brigade

Combat Team conducted more than30,000 patrols; many of them com-bined with their Iraqi SecurityForce counterparts, to help providea safe, secure and stable environ-

ment for the Iraqi people.The Soldiers, along with their

Iraqi counterparts, found morethan 1,100 weapons caches; com-pleted more than 150 school and 20hospital projects; and providedmore than 1,000 micro-grants toIraqi business owners, totalingmore than $2 million.

“Warrior" Brigade Soldiers earnedfour Bronze Star Medals with thevalor device during their 15-monthcombat tour, along with 15 ArmyCommendation Medals with “V"device, and 35 Purple Heart Medals.

“There is a lot still to be done onthe security side, as well as on thereconstruction side," said Lt. Col.David Davidson, deputy brigadecommander. “But we've made great

gains over the past 15 months andthis brigade has a lot to be proudof."

The 2nd SBCT Soldiers hand offtheir mission to Soldiers of the 56thStryker Brigade Combat Team,Pennsylvania Army NationalGuard.

The final flight of Soldiers re-turns March 1 with brigade com-mander, Col. Todd McCaffrey.

Sgt. Maj. Terry Anderson | 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs

Melissa Jackson cries as she welcomes her husband, Pvt. Kendell Jackson, during a rede-ployment ceremony at Wheeler Army Airfield, Feb. 17.

Sgt. Maj. Terry Anderson | 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs

Maj. Cary Bathrick gives a short redeployment safety briefing to Soldiers of the2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team prior to the redeployment ceremony atWheeler Army Airfield, Feb. 17.

More than 330 Soldiers of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Divi-sion, return to Hawaii from Iraq, Feb. 19, and more than 1,000 family members and

loved ones were on hand to welcome them home at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony. The“Warrior Brigade” Soldiers spent 15 months in Iraq and completed 30,000 combat

patrols and assisted the Iraqi security forces during the recent democratic elections.Hundreds more Soldiers are expected to return by the weekend.

Sgt. 1st Class David E. Gillespie | 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs

Right — After 15 months in Iraq, Pfc. Corey Friedt receives a warm hug fromwife Anna and 18-month-old daughter Morgan. He last saw them during rest and

recuperation leave in November.

Sgt. 1st Class David E. Gillespie | 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs

The U.S. Army-Hawaiicommnity will honor2nd SBCT “Warriors” duringa redeployment ceremonyon Sills Field, March 12.

Sgt. Maj. Terry Anderson | 8th Theater SustainmentCommand Public Affairs

Above — A family member proudly holds up awelcome home sign for her returning Soldier.

Send announcements to community@hawaiiarmyweekly.com.

27 / Today

Slick Deals for Soldiers — Flight SchoolHawaii, 134 Nakolo Pl., Honolulu, is dedi-cating February as Military AppreciationMonth. The pilot shop is open 8:30 a.m.-5p.m., daily. Service members with a validmilitary ID receive $10 off an introducto-ry flight.

Visit www.flightschoolhawaii.com or call837-7767.

Military Special — Outback Steak-house in Hawaii is salutingAmerica’s military with aspecial promotion runningnow through ArmedForces Day. Every Tues-day through May 16, allactive duty military with avalid military ID receive 10-percent off their entire food pur-chase.

Visit www.outback.com.

Lenten Services — Stations of the Crosswill be held every Friday during Lent start-ing today, 5:30 p.m., at Aliamanu (836-4599) and Wheeler (656-4481) Chapels. En-joy soup and fellowship following eachservice.

Fundraiser — The Hui O Na Wahine (allranks spouses club) will be hosting a Bour-bon Street Basket Bash, today, 6-9 p.m., atthe Nehelani, Schofield Barracks.

Live, silent and fishbowl auctions will be

held. All proceeds benefit scholarships andwelfare. Dinner buffet presale tickets are$15 and $20 at the door.

Contact Rachel at 392-8609 orracheforthehui@hotmail.com for more in-formation.

28 / SaturdayParrothead Party — The local Parrot-

head chapter will hold a “5-O’Clock on theBeach” event, Feb. 28, 1-6 p.m., at theWaikiki Elks Lodge, across the street fromthe Waikiki Shell, where Jimmy Buffet’sconcert will take place that night.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at thedoor or $12.50 at the door with military ID.

A Mexican food buffet is available for anadditional $16.50 in advance. Bring a do-nation for Hawaii Food Bank and receive afree raffle ticket for door prizes.

Visit www.pauhanaparrotheads.org formore information and advance tick-

et purchase.Contact Lee Walters at 754-

2390 for event information orSandi Meehan at 330-4173 for

charity information.

Founder’s Day Dinner — The WestPoint Society of Hawaii will host its

annual Founder’s Day Dinner, Feb. 28,6:30-10 p.m., at the Hale Ikena, Fort Shafter.

Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck, 57th su-perintendent of the United States MilitaryAcademy, will be the guest speaker.

For more information, contact GroverHarms at groverharms@gmail.com.

March2 / Monday

Power Outage — The Directorate ofPublic Works will replace electrical powerlines in the Santa Fe neighborhood ofSchofield Barracks through May.

In order to replace these lines, electrical

power will have to be turned off, 8 a.m.-4p.m., March 2, 5, 9 and 12.

The housing areas that will be affected in-clude: Pitts Street, Womack Court, CutinhaCourt, Hendrickson Loop, Ailana Place,Aloala Place, Aloala Street, Aloala Way,Kiela Place, Mohala Place,Melekule Street, AwapuhiPlace, Mokihana Loop andLaniuma Place.

Army Hawaii FamilyHousing recommends resi-dents refrain from openingrefrigerators during these peri-ods to prevent food spoilage; unplugall sensitive electronic equipment suchas computers, televisions and stereo equip-ment to prevent possible damage fromsurges when power is restored; and to turnoff and unplug all air conditioners.

Once power is restored, residents will beable to use these items again.

Call 656-2435 for more information.

Medical Assistant Training — TheSchofield Barracks American Red Cross Ser-vice Center is accepting applications forspring enrollment in the Volunteer Med-ical Assistance Program (VMAP), March 2-13.

VMAP is a volunteer program that pro-vides training and experience in the medicalassistant field. Students will complete 500hours in various clinical environments.

Eligible candidates must be at least 18years old and have at least one year re-maining on island.

For more information call 655-4927 orcontact Becky LaPolice at becky.lapolice-murphy@schofield.army.mil.

Spouse Information Meeting — Thenext Spouse Information Meeting (SIM) isscheduled March 2, 9 a.m., at the Nehe-lani, Schofield Barracks.

Post Exchange Meeting — The nextSchofield Barracks Post Exchange/Com-

missary and Nehelani Advisory CouncilMeeting will be held March 2, 10:15–11:15a.m., at the Nehelani, Schofield Barracks.

Call 655-0497 for more information.

Art and Essay Contest — Essays are stillbeing accepted now through March 20 for

the Armed Services YMCA annual Art &Essay Contest. Children of active duty,

Reservists or Guard Soldiers are en-couraged to write an essay abouttheir military hero.

Winning entries may be used forpromotional materials. Savings bonds

are awarded for top entries.Visit www.asymca.org.

4 / WednesdayGate Closure — Schofield Barracks’ Mc-

Nair Gate will be closed March 4-18 to in-stall additional force protection measures.

All other gates at Schofield Barracks willmaintain their current operational times.

For more information, call the Direc-torate of Public Works at 656-2435.

6 / FridayFilm Festival — The 3rd Annual Honolulu

International Film Festival will take placeMarch 6-8 at the Hilton Hawaiian VillageBeach Resort.

Film tickets and passes can be purchasedonline:

•An individual film ticket is $8, •A five-film mini pass is $25 and pro-

vides priority admittance to any five filmsat the festival.

•An all-day film pass is $50 and providespriority admittance to all films in a singleday.

•A VIP all access pass is $100 and pro-vides priority admittance to all films, partiesand events throughout the festival.

Visit www.honolulufilmfestival.com.

Employment Orientation — Prepare

27 / TodayReturning Warriors Program — Army

Community Service’s Mobilization and De-ployment Office will hold a Seven-day Rest& Relaxation (R&R) Workshop starting to-day from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. throughMarch 6 at the Nehelani, Schofield Barracks.Family Readiness Groups can schedule R&Rworkshops “when and where you want it”by calling 655-4227.

28 / SaturdayShark Tours — Information, Ticketing

and Registration will offer another sharktour, Feb. 28, 10 a.m. Tickets are $85 aperson and space is limited. Call 655-9971or 438-1985.

March2 / Monday

Craft Workshop — Families of deployedSoldiers are invited to participate in a freeTender Loving Care (TLC) Arts & CraftWorkshop, March 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m., atAliamanu Military Reservation communi-ty center.

Call 655-1612.

Active Parenting — Learn parentingskills to enrich the parenting experience,gain knowledge about how to recognize de-velopmental milestones, and understandhow to respond to difficult behavior inchildren, March 2, 9-11 a.m., at Army Com-munity Service, Schofield Barracks.

Call 655-0596.

3 / TuesdayHappy Birthday, Dr. Seuss — The Cat

in the Hat will be visiting libraries andtelling a story or two to celebrate Dr. Seuss'birthday, March 3, 3-3:45 p.m., at the FortShafter Library, March 4, 3-3:45 p.m., at theSgt. Yano Library, Schofield Barracks, andMarch 5, 3-3:45 p.m., at the Aliamanu Mil-itary Reservation Library. These programsare for children of all ages.

Call 655-8002.

Autism Support Group — Army Com-munity Service (ACS) Exceptional FamilyMember Program (EFMP) will hold AutismSupport Group meetings March 3, at Alia-manu Military Reservation Chapel, andMarch 11, at the Main Chapel, SchofieldBarracks, from 5:30-8 p.m.

March meetings will focus on organizingand creating a portfolio for your child andwill feature guests from Schofield’s Par-ent-to-Parent through the Military ChildEducation Coalition. On-site child care isavailable, but registration and sign-up arerequired.

Contact ACS EFMP at 655-4791 or 655-1551 for details or child care reservations.

4 / WednesdayBaby Massage I — Learn how to better

understand your baby’s moods, needs, de-sires and expressions through baby mas-sage, March 4, 2-4 p.m., at Aliamanu Mil-itary Reservation Community Center, orMarch 5, 9-11 a.m., at Army CommunityService, Schofield Barracks.

This three-part series is limited to10 par-ents with their babies. Babies should be be-tween 4 and 8 months old.

Call 655-4227.

5 / ThursdayHand and Foot Tile Prints — The Arts

& Crafts Center will offer a unique class,March 5, 10 a.m.-noon, on Schofield Bar-racks. Create a unique keepsake you'll treas-ure forever. Paint a print of your child'shand or foot on ceramic tile.

Cost is $12. Call 655-4202.

Potty Training Tips — Learn what to ex-pect when potty training your toddler andsome tips to reaching this milestone, March5, 9-11 a.m., at Army Community Service,Schofield Barracks, and March 6, 9-11 a.m.,at Aliamanu Military ReservationCommunity Center.

Call 655-0596.

6 / FridayPoker Tournament — Win the Army

2009 title and take home an ultimate hometheater system by competing in the TexasHold 'Em tournament, March 6, at 6 p.m.,at the Tropics, Schofield Barracks. The toplocal winner will receive a $500 gift cardand seat at the online national finals.

Call 655-5698.

Plastic Bag Crochet — Don't know whatto do with all those plastic grocery bags?Learn to crochet a rugged, waterproof bag,March 6, 1-3 p.m., at the Arts & Crafts

Center, Schofield Barracks. Cost is $10. Call 655-4202.

9 / MondayFamily Team Building — Come to Army

Community Service, Schofield Barracks,for Army Family Team Building Level II,March 9-12, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

AFTB Level II will help you develop theskills you need to get more involved inyour community or unit and cover topicssuch as customs, courtesies and protocol,the volunteer experience, family readinessgroups, the deployment cycle, and intro-duction to leadership.

Call 655-4227.

8 / SundayTeen Photo Contest — Submit your

photos now through March 7 for the TeenTech Week photo contest sponsored byArmy Libraries Hawaii.

Applicants may interpret the theme,“Press Play@Your library," in any waythey want. Awards will be given in two cat-egories: Judges’ Pick and Teens’ Pick.

For Teens’ Pick, vote online March 8-14at http://armylibraryya.photo2009.sgizmo.com. Winners in each category willwin $30 gift cards for Amazon.com.

Call 655-8002.

12 / ThursdayStryke Back Bash — Come help

welcome back the 2nd Stryker BrigadeCombat Team, March 12, 5-9 p.m., at theNehelani, Schofield Barracks. Food cour-tesy of Just Tacos will be available 5-7p.m. Local unit bands and radio person-alities will keep the party going strong.

Blue Star Card holders, bring your ex-pired blue stripe card to enter to win aprize. You must be present to win.

For Blue Star Card information, call656-3325/7. For Stryke Back Bash eventinformation, call 655-0111/2.

13 / FridayBracelet Beading — Learn the art of

beading and make your own bracelet at theArts & Crafts Center, Schofield Barracks,bracelet beading class, March 13,10 a.m.-noon. Class costs just $35 and includessupplies. Call 655-4202.

14 / SaturdayMake and Take Acrylic Painting —

Paint your own masterpiece March 14, 10a.m., at the Arts & Crafts Center, SchofieldBarracks. Class costs $20 and includes sup-plies. Call 655-4202.

18 / WednesdayBig R: Margarita Madness — Learn

how to create your own “Margarita Mad-ness" masterpiece while celebrating an-other month of deployment complete withyour Blue Star Card friends, March 18, 6-8 p.m., at the Nehelani, Schofield Barracks.

A talented designer will be on hand togive step-by-step instruction. Canvas, paint,brushes and pupus will be provided as wellas free child care.

Space is limited, reserve today. Call 656-3327 or e-mail Sarah.Chadwick@us.army.mil.

OngoingAuto Inspections — Hawaii-state certi-

fied safety inspections are available everyday at both the Fort Shafter and SchofieldBarracks Auto Skills Centers at just $14for the basic inspection.

Call 655-9368 or 438-9402.

Aliamanu (AMR) Chapel 836-4599

• CatholicSunday, 8:30 a.m. — MassSunday, 9:45 a.m. – Religious Edu. • GospelSunday, 11 a.m. – Sunday School (Sept.–June only)Sunday, 12:30 p.m. –Worship service•ProtestantSundays, 9:45 a.m. – Worship ServiceSunday, 11 a.m. – Sunday School (Sept. – June only)

Fort DeRussy Chapel 836-4599

• CatholicSaturday, 5 p.m. – Mass in Chapel (May–Aug.)Saturday, 6 p.m. – Mass on Beach• ProtestantSunday, 9 a.m. – Worship Service• Buddhist1st Sunday, 1 p.m.

Fort Shafter Chapel 836-4599

• Contemporary ProtestantSunday, 9 a.m.–“The Wave” Worship

Helemano (HMR) Chapel653-0703

• Contemporary ProtestantSunday, 9 a.m. – Bible Study Sunday, 10 a.m. – Worship Service & Children’s Church

Main Post Chapel655-9307

• CatholicSunday, 9 a.m. – CCD & RCIASunday, 10:30 a.m. – Mass• Collective ProtestantSunday, 9 a.m. – Worship Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – Sunday School• GospelSunday, 10:30 a.m. – Sunday SchoolSunday, noon – Worship Service

MPC Annex, Building 791• Chalice CircleTuesday, 7 p.m.• Islamic Prayers and StudyFriday, 1 p.m.• Buddhist4th Sunday, 1 p.m.

Soldiers Chapel• CatholicFriday–Saturday, noon – Adoration• LiturgicalSunday, 9:30 a.m.– Worship

Tripler AMC Chapel 433-5727

• CatholicSunday, 11 a.m. – MassMonday–Friday, 12 p.m. – MassSaturday, 5 p.m. – Mass• ProtestantSunday, 9 a.m. – Worship Service

Wheeler Chapel656-4481

• CatholicSaturday, 5 p.m. – Mass• Collective ProtestantSunday, 9 a.m. – Worship Sunday, 9 a.m. – Sunday School

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

(PG-13)Friday, 7 p.m.Sunday, 2 p.m.

The Unborn

(PG-13)Saturday, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.

Grand Torino

(R)Saturday, 7 p.m.

Bedtime Stories

(PG)Sunday, 2 p.m.

Frost/Nixon

(R)Wednesday, 7 p.m.

My Bloody Valentine

(R)Thursday, 7 p.m.

No shows on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Call 624-2585 for movie listings or go to aafes.com

under reeltime movie listing.

B-2 | FEBRUARY 27, 2009 HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY COMMUNITY

Jumping for healthy heartsFORT SHAFTER — Sgt. 1st Class Diane Brookins helps a Shafter Elementary student show off her skills jumping rope, Feb. 18.Brookins was one of 20 Soldiers from U.S. Army-Pacific's Special Troops Battalion who volunteered to assist during the school’s“Jump Rope for Heart” competition. Students raised more than $3,000 for the American Heart Association.

Col. Wayne Shanks | U.S. Army-Pacific Public Affairs

SEE COMMUNITY CALENDAR, B-3

for the job you want. Attend anArmy Community Service (ACS)Employment Orientation and getinformation on employment withfederal, state, private sector andstaffing agencies. Resources willbe available for use.

Orientations will be held at ACS,Schofield Barracks, March 6 and20, 9-10:30 a.m.

Register online at www.ac-sclasses.com. Call ACS at 655-4227.

7 / SaturdayRoad Closure — Beginning

March 7 and ending Nov. 7, por-tions of Williston and Wright-Smith Avenues, Schofield Barracks,will be closed for roadway con-struction work. Drivers shouldavoid the area.

Also beginning March 7 andending June 12, Bragg Street willbe temporarily converted to two-way traffic serving the residents ofBetsy Ross and Patrick HenryCourts only.

Call 624-2338 for more infor-mation.

9 / MondayCooking & Coping — Army

Community Service will host a six-week support group series begin-ning March 9, 9 a.m.-noon, at theKalakaua community center,Schofield Barracks, for spouses ofdeployed Soldiers. Child care willbe provided.

Call Bernadette Wong at 655-1670 for more information.

10 / TuesdayNewcomers Brief — The next

monthly Newcomers Brief will beheld March 10, 4-5 p.m., at theSoldier Support Center, Building750, Schofield Barracks.

12 / ThursdayRedeployment Ceremony —

The 2nd Stryker Brigade CombatTeam will hold a redeploymentceremony March 12, 10 a.m., atSills Field, Schofield Barracks.

HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 27, 2009 | B-3COMMUNITY

Keiki create edible art at monthly programChildren get creative in thekitchen and learn healthyeating habits along the way

Story and Photos by

MOLLY HAYDENStaff Writer

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD — Growingup, I heard it a thousand times: “Don’t playwith your food.” Yet, today, I still have thehankering to hammer out the occasionalmashed potato sculpture or draw a smileyface in ketchup on my hamburger.

Why? Because it’s fun. As 14 keiki and their parents gathered

at the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA),they too experienced the fun of playingwith food during “Kids in the Kitchen,”here, Monday.

The monthly event brought keiki underthe age of 5 together for a day of inter-active, edible art. The keiki learned theimportance of food and well-roundedmeals and snacks by artfully arranging theitems on their plate.

Participants sat around a long table,which presented various food products,including graham crackers, colored frost-ing, cream cheese, pretzels and crackers ona round plate.

With help from nearby moms, chil-dren then began to construct afire truck using theedible materials.

“This brings thekids together and teach-es them how to work with eachother,” said family memberApril Philippi. “It gets themexcited.”

The pint-sized “chefs” spreadred frosting on their graham crack-ers and used circular butter crackers aswheels. Pretzels posed as a ladder and astrawberry topping created a tasteful siren.

The keiki giggled as they sampled theirfire trucks, starting the morning off rightwith an appropriate sugar rush.

“It’s messy,” said 2-year-old Mac Frieri,looking at his frosting-covered fingers.

Mac’s mom, Molly Frieri, smiled and

nodded in agreement. “This is a great program to let the kids

know that food is fun,” she said, “and heis learning and experiencing somethingnew.”

Kids in the Kitchen teaches motor skills,

sharing, the importance of listening, andfollowing directions. It allows children toexperience different textures and tastes,according to Dela LaFleur, branch directorof ASYMCA.

The program also touches on counting,colors and creativity.

Kids in the Kitchen was introduced at

Wheeler Army AirField (WAAF) nearlythree years ago to promote healthy livingand a well-rounded diet. The programgives children an opportunity to experi-ment with food and gain knowledge aboutthe importance of healthy eating.

Most of all, Kids in the Kitchen is meantto be fun.

Above — With the help of moms, 14 childrencreate interactive, edible art at the Armed Services

YMCA, Monday. The “Kids in the Kitchen” event allowedchildren to experiment with various food products like the

graham cracker fire truck, at left.

Alexis Philippi, 2, tastes her edible artproject during “Kids in the Kitchen” atthe Armed Services YMCA,Monday.

For more information on Kids inthe Kitchen, contact the Armed Services YMCA at 624-5645.

Community Calendar

From B-2

B-4 | FEBRUARY 27, 2009 HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY COMMUNITY

Life Scouts restore forests on path to ‘Eagle’ rankingNew plants shade out invasiveweeds and create healthier foreststructure in Kahanahaiki

KIM WELCHEnvironmental Outreach Specialist

MAUKUA — Kahanahaiki, a forested gulch alongthe northwestern ridge of Makua Valley, has recentlybenefitted from the efforts of three Life Scouts asthey worked to complete their individual EagleScout service projects.

Michael McCaffery, Matthew Greene and DanielGum each approached the Oahu Army Natural Re-source Program (OANRP) to offer their assistance toprotect and restore native forests on Army land. TheOANRP welcomed the support and worked witheach Scout to design a volunteer service trip thatwould meet the requirements of an Eagle Scoutproject and also help to support resource manage-ment goals.

Prior to their project dates, each Scout gatheredbackground information on the natural resources ofKahanahaiki. Their research included site visits, surveying, photographing project locations and in-terviews with OANRP staff. The Scouts were also re-sponsible for recruiting their own volunteers andproviding them with project descriptions, job as-signments and other essential information.

McCaffery and Greene elected to transplant na-tive koa (Acacia koa) seedlings. On individual daysin January, Scouts (along with their group of vol-unteers), hiked the one-hour trail into Kahanahai-ki, carrying tools for planting.

At the planting sites, the Life Scouts put their vol-unteers to work, digging up the three-inch tall koaseedlings from foot trails and from crowded grow-ing areas, locations that would not support healthy,mature koa trees. Others helped transport and re-plant the seedlings in areas deemed more desir-able. A few even helped to gather water from rain-catchment systems, to water each seedling withspecially designed back-pack sprayers.

After two full days, the Life Scouts and theirvolunteers succeeded in planting 300 koa trees inKahanahaiki.

The third Life Scout, Daniel Gum, chose to helprestore the native forest through a planting project,as well. However, instead of seedlings, he choseseeds — 7,000 seeds, to be exact, from the nativeplant Kookolau (Bidens torta).

OANRP collected the seeds from the forest ofKahanahaiki in the fall. The seeds were cleaned,counted and weighed. This week, Gum will completethe cycle by getting the seeds back to the soil of Ka-hanahaiki. He will lead his group of volunteers inmeasuring and marking 14 one-square meter plots

in the forest and planting each plot with 500 seeds.The staff at OANRP appreciate the hard work

and dedication demonstrated by the Scouts andthe benefits of their projects as a whole. Many havebenefited.

The native forest of Kahanahaiki benefit as newKoa and Kookoolau plants will help to shade out thegrowth of many invasive weeds and restore a health-ier structure to the forest.

The volunteers benefit by leaving with a greaterunderstanding of Oahu’s native forests and

committing to caring for these resources throughtheir day of service.

The Life Scouts benefit, too. McCaffery, Greeneand Gum have grown from the many challengesthey faced while planning for and managing theservice project in the remote forest location. They areon the right path to earning their Eagle Scout hon-or having learned valuable lessons in project man-agement, wilderness and hiking safety, natural re-source management, and leadership skills.

Courtesy Photo

Oahu Army National Resource Progam staff member Colleen Moriarty and a Scout volunteer plant a koaseedling. Life Scouts and their volunteers succeeded in planting 300 koa trees in Kahanahaiki Forest.

Courtesy Photo

A Life Scout volunteer plants a koa seedling to helprestore a healthier forest structure.

Send sports announcements to community@hawaiiarmyweekly.com.

28 / SaturdayNew Family Hike — Waimea Valley

will offer a guided hike, Feb. 28, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the Ali Ki Trail. The 2-milemoderate trail runs from the Waihi (wa-terfall) to the top of Kalahee Ridge anddown to Waimea’s North Valley. Cost is $5plus admission to the Valley. Hikers mustbe at least 7 years old and accompanied byan adult.

Reservations required, call 638-7766or visit www.waimeavalley.net.

March1 / Sunday

Hike Oahu — Join the Hawaiian Trail

& Mountain Club on a 9-mile intermedi-ate hike through the Mokuleia Hillside inthe Waimea Valley. The route varies, butexpect steep climbing, panoramic vistasand twists and turns. An additional $5 feeper person for the center is required. Thisintermediate hike is 7 miles. Call StuartBall at 247-5380.

Save the date for these hikes, too:•March 9, a 14-mile advanced hike

through Waimano Contour.•March 15, a 6-mile intermediate hike

along the Tantalus trails.Hikes begin at 8 a.m., and a $2 donation

is requested of non-members. An adultmust accompany children under 18. Hik-ers typically meet at Iolani Palace, moun-tainside.

Bring lunch and water on all hikes;wear sturdy shoes, as extra caution may berequired on some trails. Hikers must keepall trails and lunch sites clear of clutter, aswell as treat trees and plants with care andrespect. Visit www.htmclub.org.

Beach Volleyball Tourney —A-Levelteams are invited to compete in a 2-on-2beach volleyball tournament March 1, atthe Tropics, Schofield Barracks. Same dayregistration opens at 8:30 a.m., match

play starts at 9 a.m. Open to all militaryand civilian personnel. $10 entry fee perplayer. For more information call MichaelSmyrychynski at 438-1152 orzerun99@yahoo.com

OngoingYouth Soccer Club — The Hawaii Rush

Soccer Club is seeking players for theirboys under 14 developmental and com-petitive teams for the spring season.

Rush Soccer is a prestigious nationalclub with more than 22 affiliates across theU.S. and offers a professional coachingstaff, outstanding training programs andunique opportunities for select team place-ment.

The team practices at Mililani’s 16 AcresPark on Wednesdays and Fridays. Inter-ested players can contact Dan Wilson,team manager, at 626-7758 for more de-tails. Visit www.hawaiirushsoccer.com.

Ballet for Beginners — Learn the art of ballet at W Performing Arts Center, 823 Olive Ave., Wahiawa,Wednesdays, 4:30-6 p.m. Cost is $60 per

month. Call 779-8709.

Wrestlers Wanted — Hawaiian Cham-pionship Wrestling seeks new members.Applicants should be at least 6-feet tall,weigh 250 pounds, or have an above av-erage muscular build. Sports backgroundis preferred.

Call 676-8107.

Shafter Bowling — Unit PT (physicaltraining) bowling is held Monday-Friday,6-8 a.m. Cost is $1 per Soldier and in-cludes all games and free shoe rental.Reservations and a minimum of 20bowlers is required. Call 438-6733 formore information.

Fleet Feet — Faerber’s Flyers women’srunning club invites women of all agesand skill levels to join them at the Uni-versity of Hawaii track at Cooke Field.

The club meets Wednesdays from 5:15-7 p.m. Cost is $50 per year.

Call 277-3609.

Hawaii Youth Triathlon Club — Chil-dren, ages 7-19, are invited to join theHawaii Youth Triathlon Club, an organizedsports club run by athletes.

Membership is $50 and includes an an-nual membership with USA Triathlon, in-surance during training, a swim cap andclub certificate, review clinics and newslet-ter. Visit www.hawaiiouthtri.com.

Wahine Sailors — The Wahine Sailorsis seeking new members.

Cost is $35 per year or $5 per sail. Alllevels are welcome. Call for more infor-mation, including the meeting place andtimes at 235-8392.

Jazzercise — Combine elements ofdance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga,kickboxing and more in exciting pro-grams for all fitness levels at JazzerciseWaikele.

Classes are held Mondays and Wednes-days, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Waikele Ele-mentary School cafeteria.

Call 674-1083.

Bike Hawaii — Join Bike Hawaii’s pro-fessional nature guides and explore Oahufrom the rainforest to the reef. Packagesinclude downhill biking, sailing off Waiki-ki and more. Meals are included.

To schedule adventures, visit www.bike-hawaii.com or call 734-4214.

HAWAII ARMY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 27, 2009 | B-5SPORTS & FITNESS

28 / SaturdayWhale Counting — Come enjoy anoth-

er unique benefit of living in Hawaii to helpthe National Oceanic & Atmospheric Ad-ministration (NOAA), Feb. 28, 7 a.m.-2p.m. The NOAA counts migrating whalesfrom picturesque locations around Oahu.

Cost is $10 and transportation is pro-vided. Call 655-0143.

March1 / Sunday

All-Army Basketball Deadline — Thedeadline to apply for the men's andwomen's All-Army Basketball teams isMarch 1. The competition will take placeApril 15-May 9. Soldiers must use ArmyKnowledge Online (AKO) to apply for All-Army sports via the Department of theArmy Sports Web site, https://armys-ports.cfsc.army.mil.

The application must also be sent toyour commander for approval via the com-mander's AKO account. Call 655-9914.

Civilian Fitness Program — A new six-month program to improve civilian fitnessbegins March 1. Learn ways to improveyour health, fitness and quality of life.

No matter what your current level offitness, this program is designed to ac-commodate your needs. Participate atSchofield Barracks and Fort Shafter fit-ness centers.

Fitness assessments are required. Call655-9650.

5 / ThursdayIntramural Soccer Entry Deadline —

The deadline to enter to participate in the2009 intramural soccer league is March 5,at 4 p.m. Entries can be sent to the U.S.Army Garrison-Hawaii Sports Office in theKaala Community Activity Center, Building556, Schofield Barracks.

Call 655-9914.

16 / MondayLearn to Swim — Summer learn to

swim programs are getting underway atArmy pools. Classes begin March 16 atRichardson Pool, Schofield Barracks, withsessions through September.

Classes for all skill levels and adult be-ginners are available. For full schedule andcosts, visit www.mwrarmyhawaii.com.

Call 655-9698.

OngoingHealthy Heart Love Run — Start run-

ning today to gain entries in the healthyheart love run lottery at the HelemanoMilitary Reservation (HMR) Physical Fit-ness Center during the month of February.

Each 30-minute interval completedequals another entry.

Call 653-0719.

Paintball — Check out the paintballfacility at Wheeler Army Airfield, just offof Lauhala Road next to the baseballfields. The facility features three lightedfields for day and evening play, and theyare open for regular, league and youthplay, plus private parties and physical

training. Hours of operation are Fridays, 5-9

p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Rental equipment is available andyou can bring your own paint or buy itthere. Instruction is available.

Visit www.paintballhawaii.com or call343-3929.

100-Mile Run/Walk & 50-Mile SwimClubs — Record each mile you run, walkor swim and win incentive prizes. Stop byany Army Physical Fitness Center orswimming pool to pick up a log sheet.

Call 655-9914.

Pool Fees — Monthly passes are nowavailable for use at any Army pool. Activeduty Soldiers can use all pools for free.Family members and retirees can pur-chase individual monthly passes for $12or monthly family passes for $20.

Department of Defense, and Army andAir Force Exchange Service (AAFES) civil-ians can purchase individual monthlypasses for $15.

All passes are valid from the first day ofthe month until the last day of the samemonth, at any pool. Call Richardson Pool,

Schofield Barracks, 655-9698; TriplerArmy Medical Center Pool, 433-5257;Helemano Military Reservation (HMR)Pool, 653-0716; or Aliamanu MilitaryReservation (AMR) Pool, 833-0255.

Volunteer Coaches — Interested involunteering to be a Youth Sports coach?

Call 836-1923 for AMR, 438-9336 forFort Shafter/Tripler, 655-6465 forSchofield, or 655-0883 for HMR.

Youth Dive Team Lessons — Springboard and platform youth diving lessonsare available Monday-Thursday, 4-6 p.m.,at Richardson Pool, Schofield Barracks.

Cost is $63 per month. Call 864-0037.

Volleyball & Racquetball — Learnbasic skills and techniques from experi-enced instructors, Tuesdays and Thurs-days, 8:30-10 a.m., at Martinez PhysicalFitness Center, Schofield Barracks.

Courts will be open for free play acrossthe street from the facility.

Call 655-4804.

All Army Sports — Soldiers interestedin applying for Army-level sports com-

petitions must apply with their ArmyKnowledge Online (AKO) account athttps://armysports.cfsc.army.mil. Faxedcopies are no longer accepted by theSports Office.

Call 655-9914 or 655-0856.

Karate Classes — Children ages 5 andolder can learn Do Shudokan karate atthese physical fitness centers: Aliamanu,Fort Shafter, Helemano or Schofield’s Ben-nett Youth Center.

All youth students must be registered atCYS; cost is $35 per month. A discount isoffered for two or more family members.

Also, adults 18 and older can learn DoShudokan karate at the Aliamanu Physi-cal Fitness Center, Mondays and Wednes-days, 7-8:30 p.m.

Cost is $40 per month. Call instructorJoseph Bunch at 488-6372 or 265-5476.

Home School Health & Fitness Class-es — Classes at Aliamanu Military Reser-vation (AMR) Youth Center meet everyTuesday, 9-10 a.m., for ages 6-9, and 10-11 a.m. for ages 10-12.

Classes at Bennett Youth Center,Schofield Barracks, meet every Thursday,9:30-10:30 a.m., for kindergarten throughthird grade, and 10:45-11:45 a.m. forfourth grade and up. The classes will cov-er health and fitness activities and sportsprograms. Call AMR at 836-1923 andSchofield Barracks at 655-6465/0883.

Ladies’ Fitness Classes — Cardio Step& Circuit and Vinyasa Power Yoga class-es are offered at the Fort Shafter PhysicalFitness Center.

Beginner- through advanced-level yogaclasses are Tuesdays, 9-10 a.m., and car-dio classes are Thursdays, 9-10 a.m.

Call 438-1152.

Golf 4 Food and Fun — Get a team to-gether and come out to Nagorski GolfCourse, Fort Shafter, every Tuesday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Golf 4 Food and Fun offers a nine-holegreen fee, a foursome platter of pupusfrom Mulligan’s, a pitcher of beveragesand a luck door prize entry.

Call 438-9587.

Student Bowling Special — The Bowl-ing Center, Schofield Barracks, invites allstudents ages 18 and younger to take partin its after-school special. Games are $1.75with free shoe rental, Mondays-Fridays, 2-5 p.m. Students earn a free game for every“A” on their original report card.

Call 655-0573.

Running with alohaBAGHDAD — More than 1,000 Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, along with other service members and civilians ransix miles and raised $2,500 for charitable organizations in Hawaii in the 2nd Operation Iraqi Freedom Great Aloha Run,Feb. 8.

Sgt. Kani Ronnigen | 982nd Combat Camera Co. (Airborne)