Andrews 061215

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 | VOL. 4 NO. 23

AIR FORCE NEWSMaintenance scheduled on main gate,

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COMMUNITYTeaching seniors to fight back,

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ENTERTAINMENTFun things to do around town,

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BY11THWINGPUBLICAFFAIRS

Joint Base Andrews wel-comed 14 community andcivic leaders into the 2015Honorary Commanders Pro-gram during an inductionceremony luncheon,May 29,atThe Club.

The Joint Base AndrewsHonorary CommanderProgram encourages an ex-change of ideas and experi-ences, as well as friendshipsbetween key leaders of thebase’s surrounding commu-nities, JBA commanders andAirmen.Inaddition, it allowsbase commanders and theirunits to learn more about lo-cal leadersand the local com-munity.

“This program allows usto partner with civilians inthe community and empow-er them to learn more aboutour mission, specifically thatof the Air Force and Navy,”said Col. Brad Hoagland,11th Wing/JBA commander.

Joint Base Andrews inducts14 honorary commanders

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN PRESTON WEBB/RELEASED

Col. Bradley Hoagland, 11th Wing/Joint Base Andrews commander, speaks withSenior Andrews Ambassador, Jim Estepp, Andrews Business & Community Alli-ance president and chief executive officer and his wife, Nancy, during the JointBase Andrews 2015 Honorary Commander Luncheon May 29, at The Club, JointBase Andrews.

AIRMEN OF NOTEJAZZ UP MUSIC FEST

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. CHAD C. STROHMEYER/RELEASED

U.S. Air Force Band Airmen of Note members per-form during the Great American Brass Band Fes-tival at the Norton Center for the Arts in Danville,Ky., June 5. See story on page 6 .

Honor on the menu at Mission BBQBYBOBBYJONES

STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

It is standard in Ameri-cana living forpeople to showtheir patriotism during theplaying of the National An-them at any sports arena, beit professional, collegiate orhigh school.That same spiritof patriotism isalsoaliveandwell within the confines ofthe Mission BBQ in Colom-bia,Md.

Bill Kraus and SteveNewton have built a solidchain of down-home Ameri-cana barbecue restaurants,where patriotism is servedwarm and daily with a sideof barbecue for theAmericanheroes who protect, serveand save.

Every day at noon, even

during the busy lunch houras customer’s stream intorestaurant, several mountedflat-screen televisions set tovarious sports events fade to

black. An announcement isbroadcast on the PA systemasking everyone in the res-taurant to please stand forthe National Anthem. The

restaurant staff, along withamixed crowd of active-duty,retired veterans, and localpatrons, stops to pay honorby saluting or putting theirright hand over their heartas the National Anthemstarts to play on the televi-sions.

“By playing the NationalAnthem, we offer just whatwe think is perspective toremind people how proudwe are of our country andwhat we believe our busi-ness stands for, and moreimportantly,what ourheroeshave stood for,” said Kraus,founder ofMission BBQ.

“Mission Barbecue isnothing other than the storyof my best friend and I [andour] love of barbecue, love for

see BBQ, page 4

see COMMAND, page 6

BYBOBBYJONESSTAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

The Southern PrinceGeorge’s County Commu-nity Charities Inc. and theUpsilon Tau Omega chap-ter of Alpha Kappa AlphaSorority Inc. have joinedtogether to support the ed-ucation of Prince George’sCounty students bound forcollege through comedy.

On June 26, the local or-ganizations are sponsoringthe Cultured Pearls Com-edy Show at the UniversityofMaryland’sClariceSmithPerforming Arts Center— Kay Theater, in CollegePark, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.Doors open at 7 p.m. Theproceeds fromthe showwillbenefit the SPGCCC Edu-cation Scholarships.

“Every year we giveout scholarships to gradu-ating high school seniorsin districts, 7, 8 and 9 ofsouthern Prince George’sCounty and we give ascholarship to a student atMorgan State who majorsin education,” said Marcia

Alexander-Adams, the so-rority’s public affairs offi-cer.Private school studentswho live or attend schoolwithin those districts arealso eligible.

Alexander-Adams saidthat applications for schol-arships are given to stu-dents who have high aca-demic achievement and tostudents from low-incomehomes.

Danaeka L. Spear, theAKA chapter’s president,said Joe Torry would head-line the show. ComediansJoe Recca, Travis Spencerand Christina Wilson, aka“Elevation,” would also befeatured.“These are come-dians who value educationand support our effortsto raise funds for scholar-ships for our students,”saidSpear.

Torry, a nationallyknown actor and come-dian, said he was passion-ate about the significanceof young people pursuinghigher education.

Comedy show willsupport scholarships

see COMEDY, page 3

BOBBY JONES/ANDREWS GAZETTE

MissionBBQ founder Bill Kraus chatswith patrons.

Andrews Gazette2 Friday, June 12, 2015

June 12Hyattsville Summer Jam Series6:30-8:30 p.m.City Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin St.,

HyattsvilleHeld from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the second Fri-

day of the month from May 8 through Sept. 11, thisevent includes food (burgers, chicken and hot dogs),a beer and wine garden, musical entertainment, amoon bounce and Mandy the Clown. Free. Call 301-985-5021, or visit www.hyattsville.org.

June 12Cork to Fork Dinner6:30-9 p.m.Romano’s Winery and Vineyard, 15715 Bald

Eagle School Road, BrandywineAn exceptional dining experience where local

food and wine come together. Food will be preparedby local caterer Pineapple Alley. ($) call 301-752-1103, or visit www.romanowinery.com.

June 13Uncorked: A Saturday Wine Event6-9 p.m.SnowHill Manor, 13301 Laurel-Bowie Road, LaurelSample wine from Maryland wineries, enjoy mu-

sic, and learn about art. ($) Call 301-249-2004, orvisit www.pgparks.com.

June 13Juneteenth1-5 p.m.Walker Mill Regional Park, 8840 Walker Mill

Road, District HeightsThe 8th Annual Juneteenth Celebration will be

held at Walker Mill Regional Park. This is a freefamily event open to the public, and will be held rainor shine. Call 301-446-3232, or visit www.pgparks.com.

June 13Celebrating the Potomac11 a.m.-4 p.m.Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park, 3400

Bryan Point Road, AccokeekA day of music, food, and activities highlighting

the cultural and environmental importance of ournation’s river. This year’s festival will feature: rock-abilly band Jumpin’ Jupiter, river-related “enviro-tainment” and ukulele lessons for kids and adults,upcycled eco-craft making station, “trash-free Po-tomac” games from Alice Ferguson Foundation,living history cooking and fishing demonstrationsand much more. ($) Visit accokeekfoundaton.org formore information.

Hot ticketsaround town

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint MilitaryPublications, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,Md., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S.Air Force or any branch of the United States military.The appearance of advertising in these publications,

including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsementby the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force orthe products and services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion,sex, national origin, age,martial status, physical handicap, political af-filiation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchases, user or patron.

COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

Maxine Minar, [email protected]

John Rives, [email protected]

Tiffany Arnold, page [email protected]

Leslie Smith, [email protected]

Bobby Jones, [email protected]

New LeadershipRetired CMSgt. Brooke

McLean is the new presi-dent and CEO of Air ForceEnlisted Village in Shali-mar, Fla. He fills thevacancy created by thedeath of retired CMSAFJim Binnicker in March.McLean is responsible foroverseeing the operationsof Teresa Village, BobHope Village and Haw-thorn House, carrying outAFEV’s mission of pro-viding a home to widowsof retired airmen, moth-ers of active-duty servicemembers and retiredmilitary couples. Thereare nearly 400 residentsin two independent livingfacilities and 65 residentsin Hawthorn House, anassisted-living and mem-ory-care facility. McLeanhad served as AFEV’s di-rector of development. Heserved in the Air Forcefor 30 years, primarily as

a logistics planner.

Many DFASServices

The Defense Financeand Accounting Serviceoffers enhanced tools forits customers. Militaryretirees have 1099R taxstatements for the pastfive years available online24/7. These often help infiling or refiling tax re-turns, for loan applica-tions and other personalfinancial business. Veri-fication of pay, format-ted on DFAS letterhead,can also be downloadedfor printing. Another toolallows those subject tocommercial debt or court-ordered garnishments ofpay to view court docu-ments used to establishthose debts and garnish-ments via their myPay ac-counts. Combined FederalCampaign contributorsare no longer restricted to

approved charities withinthe CFC region wherethey work. More informa-tion on these and othermyPay features is avail-able at www.dfas.mil/mypayinfo.html.

Retirement HomeCemetery

The Soldiers’ and Air-men’s Home NationalCemetery, one of two na-tional cemeteries main-tained by the Departmentof the Army, is located onthe grounds of the ArmedForces Retirement Homein Northwest Washing-ton. From 1861 to 1864,the cemetery acceptedthousands of soldiers’ re-mains from 17 of the 25Union states, filling the6-acre cemetery. An addi-tional 9 acres were addedin 1883. A vehicular gateon Harewood Road fea-tures a double iron gatewith stone piers. Just

inside the gate are thesuperintendent’s lodge,built circa 1867, and theLogan Mausoleum, thecemetery’s most promi-nent monument. Thecemetery is the final rest-ing place of 21 recipientsof the Medal of Honor.The cemetery is open ev-ery day from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. The office telephonenumber is 877 907-8585.Visitors to the cemeterymay also be interestedin President Lincoln’sSummer Cottage on thegrounds.

The Retiree ActivitiesOffice is open 10 a.m. to3 p.m., Monday throughFriday. Visit the office inBuilding 1604 at Califor-nia and Colorado Avenuesor call 301 981-2726. Callbefore your visit to ensurea volunteer is on duty.The RAO has a website atwww.andrews.af.mil.

Retiree Corner

BY SENIOR AIRMANPRESTON WEBB

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Explosive ordnance dis-posal Airmen conductedtraining on Joint Base An-drews, June 4.

EOD’s responsibilitiesinclude countering impro-vised explosive devices, dig-nitary support sweeps, airbase recovery, and flightlinesupport for any aircraft car-ryingmunitions thatmaybedamaged.

“The large part of ourmission on Andrews is Se-cret Service support,” saidStaff Sgt. Luke Mefford,11th Civil Engineer Squad-ronEOD training and quali-ty assurance technician.“Weactually perform the mostSecret Service support mis-sions out of any other EODunit in theAir Force.”

To maintain readinessfor both stateside and de-ployed scenarios, JBA EODtechnicians must constantlyundergo various forms oftraining and exercises.

“The biggest challengethat [EOD] has now, is howdo we transition from 14years of wartime to peace?”said SeniorMaster Sgt. Jer-emiah Grisham, 11th CESEOD superintendent. “Howdo we retain and motivateAirmen that joined to go towar so we don’t lose theirexperience and keep themsharp for the future?”

To keep his Airmen in-spired, Grisham searches

for specialized training op-portunities. These includeair assault school, advancedrobotics training, mountainwarfare classes and otherfast-paced wartime exercis-es EOD Airmen might findinteresting.

Mefford and Senior Air-man Aaron D’Angelo, 11thCivil Engineer SquadronEOD technician, participat-ed in a short-notice exerciseto simulate a possible situ-ation they could face whiledeployed.

Tech Sgt. Kevin Cum-mings, 11th CESEODNCOin charge of training, set thescenario to the technician’sdisadvantage, burying mul-

tiple devices for them tofind, and attaching them topressure plates that couldbe set off by shifting only afew ounces of weight on thedevice.

Though their ingenuitywas put to the test, Meffordand D’Angelo successfullylocated, uncovered and dis-posed of the buried devices.

Mefford credits theirsuccess, both during thisexercise and in the field, toteamwork and camaraderie.

“The basis of this careerfield is trust,” Mefford said.“If you can’t trust the guynext to you, you can’t workwith him.”

D’Angelo mirrors this

sentiment.“You need to be able to

notice the tiny, little differ-ences in your teammate’smood or what they’re think-ingwhile you’re on an opera-tion,” D’Angelo said. “Evenif they’re your team lead,it’s your responsibility as amember to make sure theysee your point of view beforemaking a final call. If youdon’t, you could wind up ina situation you don’t wantto be in.”

Having a high degree ofknowledge of their cowork-ers and being in such a closeenvironment fosters cama-raderie throughout the ca-reer field, Grisham empha-sized.

“Friendships and espiritde corps are never some-thing that’s difficult to forgein EOD.These guys are likebrothers,” Grisham said.“Being EOD is about con-tributing to something larg-er than yourself and know-ing the people on your leftand your right are doing thesame thing. They’ll alwaysbe there for you and you’llalways be there for them.”

Mefford claims his co-workers motivate him tocontinuously improve.

“If you’re not pushingyourself or your teammatesto improve, you need to stepaside. If we’re not pushingourselves to be better, itcauses complacency.” Mef-ford said. “Complacency iswhat causes people to gethurt and even die.”

EODs conduct training at JBA

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN PRESTON WEBB/RELEASED

Staff Sgt. Luke Mefford, 11th Civil Engineer SquadronExplosive Ordnance Disposal training and qualitycontrol technician, inspects a patch of discolored dirtwith a metal detector.

Andrews GazetteFriday, June 12, 2015 3

BYSENIORAIRMANMARIAHHADDENHAM


The outbound lanes atthe Main gate on JointBase Andrews are sched-uled to be closed June15-July 1, due to construc-tion. Inbound lanes andthe Visitor Control Centerwill be open normally.

To ease traffic conges-tion during this time pe-riod, the West Gate, adja-cent to building 1500, willbe open 24/7 for outboundtraffic only. Addition-ally, the outbound lanesat Westover Gate, alsoknown as Old Main Gate,located at the intersectionof North Perimeter Road

and Westover Drive willbe open daily from 3-6p.m. for individuals de-parting the installation.

According to the 11thSecurity Forces Squadron,turn-around procedureswill be modified and maycause delays.

All other gates will notbe affected and will con-tinue to perform undernormal operations. It isrecommended for patronsto give themselves extratime to and from the in-stallation and avoid usingthe Main gate when pos-sible.

For more information,contact 11 SFS at 301-981-8575.

Maintenance scheduled onmain gate outbound lanes

The outbound lanes at the Main Gate on Joint BaseAndrews will be closed June 15 through July 1, due toconstruction.

The Security ForcesBlotter is intended tokeep members of theJoint Base AndrewsCommunity informedand aware of the crimesand offenses that occurthroughout the base eachweek. If you have any in-formation that may helpSecurity Forces solve acrime or prevent a crimi-nal act, please contactBDOC (Base Defense Op-erations Center) at 301-981-2001, crime stop line981-2677 (COPS, or theinvestigations section at301-981-5656).

June 5, 7:50 p.m.: Se-curity Forces respondedto a loud noise complaintat Bldg. 1690. SecurityForces made contact withthe individual and briefedthem on quiet hours.

June 6, 3:07 a.m.: Se-curity Forces respondedto a domestic disturbanceat Liberty Park BaseHousing. Security Forcesmade contact with the in-

dividual. The individualwas apprehended andcharged accordingly.

June 7, 2:17 a.m.: Se-curity Forces respondedto a loud noise complaintat Bldg. 1657. SecurityForces made contact withthe individual, contactedtheir first sergeant andbriefed them on quiethours.

June 7, 3:20 p.m.:At the Main Gate, Secu-rity Forces stopped anindividual attemptingto bring an illegal sub-stance on base. The indi-vidual was detained andcharged accordingly.

June 7, 5:53 p.m.:Security Forces respond-ed to an anonymous tipthrough the “LiveSafe”App reporting individu-als practicing archery inLiberty Park Base Hous-ing Area. The individualswere briefed and directedto the archery range.

Security ForcesPolice Blotter

“Whilemostpeople onlyseemy funny side, I have aserious side when it comesto how important gettingan education is to me, es-pecially a college educa-tion,” said famed comedianJoe Torry. “The Bachelorof Arts degree I receivedfrom Lincoln Universityhas helpedme to have lon-gevity in a career I love,and it allows me to helpothers through my youthand community programscalled Giving Back theLoveFoundation. I jumpedat the opportunity to bea part of this scholarshipfundraiserbeingsponsoredby the Southern PrinceGeorge’s County Com-munity Charities Inc., inpartnershipwith theUpsi-lon Tau Omega Chapter ofAlpha KappaAlpha Soror-ity Inc. because we share acommitment tohelpingouryouth achieve success.”

Spear added: “This isdefinitely a great event tocome to and wouldmake agreat pre-Father’sDay gift.Come out, have fun andlaugh it up with us. Ourhope is to raise asmuch as$28,000 by filling all 552seats at the show.”

The money raised fromtheeventwill benefit schol-arships slated for 2016.The show is for adults only18 and older. Free parkingis available in Lots 1B andZ. For more informationabout tickets visit theclarice.umd.edu/ticketing-discounts.Tickets cost $50.

COMEDY, from page 1

BY LESLIEC. SMITHSTAFF WRITER

Echoes of Nature, basedin Bowie, is a nonprofitstarted in 2002 by EchoUzzo, education director.

The company startedwith a simple idea — tovisit day cares and schoolsin her community — andhas grown since its initialinception. Currently theorganization has a staff ofinstructors SarahWolfe,Li-sa Garrett, Alex Simpkins,and animal care specialistAnna Turner, along withUzzo’s husband, MichaelUzzo, executive director.

“It was just going to beme,” Uzzo joked. She start-ed with the idea that shewanted to bring the natu-ral experience of animalsto children in the area. “Es-pecially with the little guysyou can’t just put them ona bus and take them some-where.Wepresent to ages 2through 8th grade, visitingday cares, early learningcenters and schools— bothprivate and public. Withthe school programs, wefollow the state curriculum,so we tie in with what theyare learning at the time.”

Sparked by her naturalinclination toward animals,Uzzo discovered a path inwhich to share her passionwith others. “I was going tobe veterinarian. I grew upin rural North Carolina.

You either did research orwere a veterinarian— andI wasn’t doing research,not on the live animals.In college, I received aninternship with the NorthCarolina Natural HistoryMuseum and that startedthe path of doing interpre-tiveworkwith live animalsand audiences.”

“I worked with the Vir-ginia Living Museum inNewport News, Virginiaand lot of what I do is whatI gained from them, theirstyle,” said Uzzo, who hasalso worked with the Balti-more Zoo Educational De-partment.

Wanting all to experi-ence this up-close look atnature, Echoes of Naturestarted visiting all types oforganizations at different

locales. “We also go to adultfacilities anywhere fromindependent living all theway throughnursing rehab— so all stages,” Uzzo said.

Schools, businesses andorganizations are able toinvite the organizationto their location for a liveexperience with animals.They also participate innumerous types of eventsaround town such as EarthDay on Fort Meade to localfestivals.

The organization alsoconducts several afterschool nature clubs in thearea, as well as, runningsummer camps at client lo-cations such as the Chesa-peake Art Center, alongwith a weekend program

Echoes of Nature‘brings nature to you’

LESLIE C. SMITH/ANDREWS GAZETTE

Michael Uzzo, executive director Echoes of Nature,tells Bowie International Festival attendees about thered-tailed hawk.

see NATURE, page 5

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country. I wanted to build abusiness that had purpose,meaning and significance,”Kraus said.

Kraus and Newtonopened theirfirst restaurantin Glen Burnie on Sept. 11,2011with amission.

“That was intentional.It was 10 years after theworld changed. We’re goingto change it back by remind-ing people what’s still greatabout our country. Becausewhat we think is still greatabout our country is its he-roes,” said Kraus.

“Andwe’re justproudandhumble to be able to serveour heroes,” said Kraus.

Kraus’ grandfather wasan Army World War I vet-eran, and his father servedduring the Korean conflict.Currently Kraus’ oldest son,Andrew, has served in theMarines for the past fiveyears, and his younger son,Alex, just finished a year attheU.S.NavalAcademy.

Kraus views his businessas an opportunity to giveback and say thanks. Hesaid that a portion of every-thing at Mission goes backto the community, in termsof fire and police charities.

“On the military side,we support the USO, HonorFlightNetworkandwehave

a strategic partnership withthe Wounded Warrior Proj-ect (WWP),” said Kraus.

According to Kraus, withthe charity nights and thesale of theirAmericanHero’sCups, Mission Barbecue’srecent annual contributionto theWWPwas in excess of$415,000.

“We’re just trying to doour part for those who havegiven so much, here’s ourchance to give back to letthem know that they haveour support,”Kraus said.

As you look around therestaurant, thewalls are cov-ered with military memora-bilia frompatrons—of lovedones who once served in thearmed forces. Kraus encour-ages his customers to bringin their photos or items to bedisplayedandhonored in theestablishment.

“Somuch ofwhat you seeon the walls is shared withus. So every Mission BBQis different because theyreflect the community ofheroes who grew up there,”Kraus said.

“Working for a brandthat’s givingback to our com-munity as well as our veter-ans is fantastic,” said GeorgeThomas, aMission BBQ em-ployee of only seven weeks,noting his enthusiasmwork-ing forMissionBBQ.

“Now that I’m workinghere I feel that I’m serving

for my granddad, GeorgeL. Thomas Sr. “Every day Icome to work I’m blessed tobe able give it back to himfrom the heart,” said the na-tiveWashingtonian.

“I enjoy atmosphere here,especially at noon when westop to play the National An-them. I think that should bedone everywhere, not just atthisrestaurant,”Thomassaid.

As Kraus walks throughhis business, he quietly car-ries two squadronpatches inhis pocket as a constant re-minder of the ultimate sac-rifice two military memberssuffered during their toursof duty. First Lt. BrendonMooney, U.S. Navy seal whowas killed Sept. 21, 2010and Lt. Valerie CappelaereDelaney, who was killedduring a training accidentonMarch 11, 2013.

“I carry the patches asa constant reminder of thewhy we’re doing what we’redoing to serve, honor andthank the memories of folkslike them.Theywill neverbeforgotten at Mission BBQ,”Kraus said. They will for-ever live amongst theheroeson display here at MissionBBQ,”Kraus shared.

MissionBBQhas severallocations in Maryland in-cludingLaurel,GlenBurnie,Columbia andAnnapolis.

BBQ, from page 1

BOBBY JONES/ANDREWS GAZETTE

Patrons pay tribute as the National Anthem plays at Mission BBQ.

Clinton Location6410 Coventry Way(301) 868-7001

1051169

www.LevisRestaurant.comDelicious North Carolina BBQ & Soul Food

1051303


BY BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

When it comes to crime,particularly robbery, as-sault — and sometimesunfortunately, worse — itwould seem some of ourmost vulnerable citizenswould be our senior citi-zens. Dr. Clifford Thomas isa senior citizen for whom anunsuspecting,would-be rob-ber would be best served tonot run into in a dark alley,due to his extensive yearsof training in several disci-plines of martial arts since1964.

According to the 61-year-old grandmaster, he is theonly black belt to haveearned four martial artsdoctorate degrees, includ-ing martial arts educa-tion, martial arts science,martial arts medicine, andphilosophy and martial artssciences.

“As a senior citizen, youshouldn’t have to peer outyour window from betweenblinds and be afraid. I wantseniors to be able to takecare of themselves,” saidThomas, a 10th-degreeblack belt.

On June 8,Thomas,CEOofWe Lead By Example Inc.— Tae Kwon Do RamblersSelf-Defense Systems, helda free senior safety and self-defense workshop to teachsafety and practical self-defense methods for senior55 years and older at theBladensburg CommunityCenter.

In cooperation withthe Maryland-NationalCapital Park and PlanningCommission, Departmentof Parks and RecreationNorthern Area, Thomaswelcomed more than 20seniors to the three-hoursession.

The 6-foot, 2-inch tall,200-plus pound martial art-ist uses a walker as he waitson pending knee operation.However, don’t be misled bythe seasoned instructor’sability. At the beginning ofthe class, Thomas shared arecent incident from a cou-ple of weeks ago.

“I was at the servicestation pumping some gaswhen a couple of youngteenagers ran up on me andone said, ‘You know whatthis is.’ I said, ‘No, what isthis?’ ‘We’re going to rob youand then beat the crap outof you,’” Thomas relayed.

Thomas realized thatthey saw him as helpless

and defenseless, and espe-cially vulnerable because hewas using a walker. “I toldthe boldest one that I woulddismantle a certain part ofhis anatomy and make himeat it,” said Thomas. Fortu-nately, the commitment inThomas’ voice was enoughto scare them off.

“None of you have tobe afraid,” added Thomas.During the demonstrations,he enlisted the help of Su-san McCutchen, one of hissecond-degree brown beltstudents and Tae Kwon DoRamblers Self-Defense Sys-tems program coordinator,to expose senior citizens tothe natural weapons theyhave at their disposal, suchwalking canes, purses andfingernails. The “streetsmart” techniques will en-able them to protect them-selves against crime andincrease their chances ofsurvival.

Thomas also showed themotivated seniors differentstriking techniques theycould deploy against anattacker, including usingtheir cane to break collarbones, jabs to the solar plex-us and groin, block punchesand trip the assailant tothe ground, before makinga hasty retreat.

“You only have two sec-onds to act. The first iswhen the moment they at-tack you and the second is

when you retaliate or try toescape,” said Thomas.

Once a safety directorand head of the emergencyresponse locally, sharedhome safety tips on how touse a fire extinguisher incase of fire.

“Many of you think youknow how to use an extin-guisher, but if you have aring of fire surrounding you,you’ll probably panic, espe-cially if you have Alzheim-er’s or dementia.You shouldbe more concerned, though,with having an escape planrather fighting a fire,” saidThomas, who has a degreein engineering and envi-ronmental research. “Selfdefense is not always physi-cal,” said Thomas, I need toknow how to defend myselfif my house catches fire.”

Thomas also intro-duced pickpocket scamsand purse-snatching sce-narios to the audience tohelp them in safe guardingtheir valuables and identitytheft.

The session concludedwith invited guests from theBladensburg law enforce-ment community who cameout to inform the residentsabout other resources avail-able. For more informationabout future events contactThomas at 202-251-1030 orsend an email to [email protected].

Teaching seniorsto fight back

there once a month.When Uzzo visits loca-

tions, “They’re going to seeat least four live animalsand there are usuallyprops that go along with it.Some of our younger guyscan’t touch the live reptilesso if we have a turtle webring a turtle shell andthat way they get a visualand a tactile experience.It’s our goal with everyprogram we do. That iswhy a lot of the groups weconduct are smaller classsizes, so we can walk and

talk and they have thatup-close experience,” Uzzoexplained.

The organization hasplans to eventually open apermanent facility whereschools and families willbe able to come for pro-grams and visit naturalis-tic exhibits.“This will allowthem to see an animal andwhen they are out explor-ing they kind of know whatto look for,”Uzzo explained.

There is a large varietyto the creatures that willcome to visit. “We have 80ambassadors — five dif-ferent kinds of mammals;reptiles — snakes, turtles,

lizards; amphibians —frogs and toads — a cou-ple of salamanders; bugs;three birds – the red tailhawk is one; and once in awhile fish,” Uzzo said.

“I love doing it I canhonestly say I like mywork,” Uzzo shared.

Patrons can give a tax-deductible donation tosupport the programs ofEchoes of Nature and tosupport the animal am-bassadors. If you wouldlike to find out more aboutthe organization and theiravailability, visit Echoesof-Nature.org.

NATURE, from page 3

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“By doing this we hope tostrengthenour relationshipswith our local neighbors.”

The diversity of JBA’ssix wings, two headquartersand more than 80 tenant or-ganizations impact not onlymissions and surroundingcommunities in theNationalCapitalRegion,butmissionsacross the entire Depart-ment of Defense and aroundthe world.

Honorary commandersare invited to attend eventsonbaseand in the surround-ing communities that Air-men and sailors from JointBase Andrews support. Inturn, HCCs also invite theunits they are paired with toparticipate in events in thelocal community.

“We look forward toworkingwith thenewhonor-

ary commanders,”Hoaglandsaid. “We also look forwardto continuing the relation-ships we have formed withthe other 25 honorary com-manders still serving.”

During the luncheon,each inducteewaspresenteda certificate of induction andan honorary commander la-pel pin.

2015 Joint BaseAndrewsHonorary Commanders are:

n Mrs. Francesca Pel-legrino,presidentand found-er of Catholic Coalition forSpecial Education

n Ms. Dorothy “Carolyn”Lowe, District V Coffee Clubfacilitator

n Mr.Dave Dotterer,Mis-sion BBQ director of opera-tions

n Mr. Bradley Frome,assistant deputy adminis-trative officer for EconomicDevelopment and Public In-frastructure,PrinceGeorge’sCounty

n Mrs. Christine Wray,president ofMedStar,South-ern Maryland Hospital Cen-ter

n Mr. H. Douglas Rice,principal of Imagine An-drews Public Charter School

n Mr. Ellis Watson, chiefexecutive for CouncilmanObie Patterson, 8th District

n Mr. Anthony Ayers,Capitol Heights Police Chief

n Mr. Mark Magaw,Prince George’s County Po-lice Chief

n Mr. Marc BashoorPrince George’s County FireChief

n Mrs. Lori Arguelles,president and chief execu-tive officer, The Alice Fergu-son Foundation

n Mrs. Desiree Griffin-Moore, executive director,TheCommunityFoundationin Prince George’s County

n Mr. Shawn Scarlata,owner and CEO of BluelineSecurity Services

n Mr. Franklyn Johnson,manager, Edible Arrange-ments Suitland,Maryland.

COMMAND, from page 1

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS BY SENIOR AIRMAN PRESTON WEBB/RELEASED

Marc Bashoor, center left, Prince George’s County fire chief, receives a certificatefrom Lt. Col. RockieWilson, center right, 11th Civil Engineering Squadron command-er; Col. Bradley Hoagland, far left, 11thWing/Joint Base Andrews commander; andJim Estepp, far right, Andrews Business &Community Alliance president and chiefexecutive officer and Senior Andrews Ambassador, May 29, at The Club, Joint BaseAndrews.

Col. Bradley Hoagland,11th Wing commander,addresses attendees ofthe Joint Base Andrews2015 Honorary Com-mander Luncheon Cer-emony May 29, at TheClub, JBA, Md. During theluncheon, each inducteewas presented a certifi-cate of induction and anhonorary commanderlapel pin.

BY STAFF SGT.CHAD STROHMEYER


Airmen of Note, thepremier jazz ensemblewith the U.S. Air ForceBand performed severaltimes this past weekend atthe Great American BrassBand Festival in Danville,Kentucky.

Collaborating with sev-eral jazz artists such asWycliffe Gordon, Al Hoodand Rex Richardson, theband showcased their tal-ent and dedication to thou-sands of patrons.

“This type of event fitsour mission statementperfectly,” said Master Sgt.Tyler Kuebler Airmen ofNote music director. “Tocome here and inspirepatriotism, support thosewho have served and con-tinue to serve allows us toshowAmerica what theAirForce is all about.”

The festival, whichbrings in approximately40,000 people every year,has been held in Danvillesince 1990 and features awide variety of musicians,food and Americana. With

this being the bands firstappearance at the GABBF,giving a great first-impres-sion was vital.

“The fact we were ableto collaborate with so manyinternationally-renownedartists lets everyone knowthe level of excellence eachmember possesses,” saidKuebler. “We took this veryseriously and spent a lot oftime rehearsing each per-formance.”

With several great mu-sicians packed in to oneplace, the crowds definitely

got their money’s worth.“The crowd interaction

has been fantastic,” saidTech. Sgt. Paige Wroble,Airmen of Note vocalist. “Alot of people attended and Isaw several of children en-joying themselves as well.”

After the performances,band members sharedlaughs and photos with at-tendees.

“We get to do what welove,” said Wroble. “Wewere born to do this andfeel honored to share itwith the world.”

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. CHAD C. STROHMEYER/RELEASED

Master Sgt. Tyler Kuebler, Airmen of Note musicdirector, watches as a soloist performs during theGreat American Brass Band Festival on June 5.

Airmen of Note jazz up GreatAmerican Brass Festival

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