DOD Safe Helpline 877-995-5247 OCTOBER 28, 2016 JBSA ...extras.mysanantonio.com/_CreativeServices/...Oct 28, 2016 · Jose Rodriguez See AMEDDCS, P3 Lt. Col. Shawn Owens, Animal Health

FORT SAM HOUSTON

OCTOBER 28, 2016VOL. 58, NO. 43

A PUBLICATION OF THE 502nd AIR BASE WING – JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON

DOD Safe Helpline877-995-5247

JBSA Sexual Assault Hotline 808-SARC (7272)

JBSA Domestic Abuse Hotline 367-1213

JBSA Duty Chaplain 221-9363

JBSAHOTLINES

HALLOWEEN HOWL DOWN PAGE 5

U.S., BRITISH SOLDIERS TEAM UP PAGES 18-19

SOLDIERS TEACH RESPECT FOR FLAG PAGE 6

Army Medicine and U.S. BorderPatrol partner for training,veterinary care and cost savingsBy Jose RodriguezAMEDDC&S Public Affairs

The U.S. Army Animal Care Specialist, 68T, advanced individual training course at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston is one of the most demanding within Army medicine. 68Ts are responsible for the prevention and control of diseases transmit-ted from animal to man, as well as the comprehensive care for government-owned animals.

A lot is packed into this 11-week course. During the final part of the course, 68T students need hands-on time with animals needing veterinary care.

However, resources were limited at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. The Department of Defense Military Working Dog Veterinary Service at JBSA- Lackland provides the highest level of veterinary care for mili-tary working dogs, and specialty referral care for working dogs of other federal government agen-cies.

Students go to JBSA-Lackland for training, but the opportunity for time with animals is limited. Additionally, since they are still learning, the students can slow down treatment at the clinic.

The JBSA-Lackland clinic pro-vides care to the Department of

Pvt. Miles Gist cleans the teeth of a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol work-ing dog

Photos by JoseRodriguez

See AMEDDCS, P3

Lt. Col. Shawn Owens, Animal Health Branch chief at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston (right) instructs animal care specialist students Pvts. Miles Gist (left) and Audie Farley (center) on preparing a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol working dog for surgery recently.

PAGE 2 NEWS LEADER OCTOBER 28, 2016

By Gary SheftickArmy News Service

Women who join the Army at age 25 or older are the most likely Soldiers to attempt suicide during their first years of service, researchers found. Soldiers who have not yet deployed are also more likely to attempt suicide than their more experi-enced counterparts.

These are among a host of findings from the Army’s multi-year “Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service members,” or STARRS.

At the same time, the research found that wom-en and Soldiers who never deployed are actually not the most likely to die by suicide. Soldiers who use firearms in their suicide attempts are more likely to end up as fatalities, while women are more likely to attempt suicide by drug overdose, with a better chance of rescue.

STARRS, which began in 2009, was actually a group-ing of eight different studies conducted for the Army by the National Institute of Mental Health, along with several universities. Har-vard Medical School, the University of Michigan and the University of California-San Diego all participated in the study.

STARRS examined the records of 1.6 million Soldiers on active duty from 2004 to 2009. It also collected new information directly from more than 110,000 Soldiers at various

points in their careers, from 2010 to 2014.

Participants included new Soldiers in basic train-ing, established Soldiers in units around the world, and members of several brigade combat teams be-fore and after deploying to Afghanistan.

Of the 110,000 Soldiers researchers contacted directly for information as part of STARRS, 72,000 agreed to be contacted again in the future to pro-vide additional information. They form the core study group for the ongoing STARRS-Longitudinal Study or STARRS-LS.

The data are still being culled and research con-tinues under STARRS-LS. This study, funded by the Department of Defense, will continue through 2020.

STARRS-LS will con-tinue following the 72,000 Soldiers throughout their careers and collect more data from other Soldiers, even after they transi-tion back to civilian life. A primary focus will be to identify risk and protective factors for suicide.

STARRS began as an action-oriented science effort, said Dr. Robert J. Ursano, a lead for the study at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

“It is actionable science,” he said. “It is science meant to solve problems.”

The findings are being summarized in scientific and medical journals. Sev-en years into the research, at least 35 journal articles have been published and

several more are undergo-ing peer review now.

“That’s where the real meat and potatoes is for what’s come out of STARRS,” said Dr. Kenneth Cox of the Army Public Health Center (Provisional), another scientist involved in the studies.

STARRS-LS also intends to “dig deeper” into three specific groups: female Soldiers, Special Forces troops and Reserve-compo-nent Soldiers, Cox said.

“Suicide is a complex problem,” said Michael Schoenbaum, a scientist at NIMH who has been involved in the STARRS re-search from the beginning.

“In a certain way, suicide is like needles in a haystack,” he said. “The Army is a big haystack and there are too many needles [suicides], but in statistical terms, suicide is still a rare outcome.”

The goal of STARRS, Schoenbaum said, is to use data to sort the population. Instead of looking at all Soldiers, the Army will focus instead on a smaller percent-age deemed to be high risk.

“We have demonstrated that this is possible,” Schoenbaum said.

Employing linear regres-sion and machine learning, using models and algo-

rithms, the research teams have been able to identify high-risk populations.

Schoenbaum said it’s possible to identify seg-ments of the Army that are most at risk for suicide using the same kind of approach credit card companies use to identify fraud.

When credit card com-panies detect irregular spending on a customer’s credit card, they contact that customer to verify those purchases. While it sometimes turns out that a customer’s card has not actually been stolen, a percentage of those calls do end up alerting users to card theft.

When it comes to sui-cide, relationship issues, stress, alcohol or drug abuse, getting passed up for promotion, financial problems, suffering trau-matic brain injury or un-dergoing hospitalization for psychiatric issues are all irregular factors that might predict a suicide attempt.

While most Soldiers with those symptoms or prob-lems will never commit suicide, Schoenbaum said, that group of Soldiers is at higher risk for attempting suicide.

“We’re not trying to identify Private Smith, the

ticking time bomb ... our goal is to identify a thou-sand people with a higher concentration [of risk fac-tors],” he said.

Researchers also found that infantrymen and combat engineers have a higher risk of suicide than Soldiers in other military occupational specialties. What’s more, Cox said, infantrymen were subject to the highest risk before deploying and their risk factor dropped somewhat after arriving in theater.

Soldiers in other Military Occupational Specialties were just the opposite: their risk of suicide was highest while deployed, Cox said.

Infantrymen have higher risk factors across the board, though.

“We recruit people who like sports, who jump off of things, who bang their heads on things,” Ursano said.

Infantrymen also have a higher probability of suffering accidents and fa-talities other than suicides, he said, based on their tendency toward more dangerous activities both on and off duty.

“These are really dem-onstrations of the possibil-ity,” Ursano said. “They aren’t finalized tools, but [hey demonstrate the abil-ity to predict.”

While there is no magic pill to prevent suicides, intervention tools are be-ing developed by research-ers such as Dr. Thomas Joyner at Florida State University and Dr. Peter Gutierrez at the Univer-sity of Colorado School of Medicine, Ursano said.

While that effort is not part of the STARRS family of studies, he said, it is parallel research. A team is putting together recom-mended actions that the Army might take to pre-vent suicides based on the STARRS research.

FORT SAM HOUSTON

A PUBLICATION OF THE 502nd AIR BASE WING – JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO – FORT SAM HOUSTON

Editorial Staff

502nd Air Base Wing/JBSA Commander

Brig. Gen. Heather L. Pringle

502nd ABW/JBSA Public Affairs Director

Todd G. White

502nd ABW/JBSAPublic Affairs Chief

Bill Gaines

Writer/EditorSteve Elliott

Layout ArtistJoe Funtanilla

News Leader office:3170 Stanley Road

Building 2750JBSA-Fort Sam Houston

TX 78234-2687210-221-1031 DSN 471-1031

News Leader Advertisements:EN CommunitiesP.O. Box 2171

San Antonio, TX 78297210-250-2052

News Leader email:usaf.jbsa.502-abw.mbx.

[email protected]

This Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the News Leader are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government or Department of Defense. It is published weekly by the 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Public Affairs Office, 3170 Stanley Road, building 2750, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234-2687; 210-221-2030, DSN 471-2030. Printed circulation is 10,000. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patron-age without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or pa-tron. If a violation or rejection of this equal op-portunity policy by an advertiser is confirmed, the printer shall refuse to print advertising from that source until the violation is cor-rected. The editorial content of this publica-tion is the responsibility of the 502nd ABW/JBSA Public Affairs Chief. The News Leader is published by EN Communities, 301 Ave. E, San Antonio, TX 78205, 210-250-2052, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. government, under exclusive written contract with the 502nd Air Base Wing and JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Public Affairs Office. The civilian printer is responsible for commercial adver-tising. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Air Force. Stories and photos for publica-tion consideration may be e-mailed to [email protected] by close of business Thursday.

Research sheds new light on Soldier suicides

Photo by Sgt. Kimberly Lessmeiter A graphic from STARRS-LS website, based on a original photo of Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, at Combat Outpost Sperwan Ghar, Afghanistan, in 2013.

OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEWS LEADER PAGE 3

News Briefs

Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol, or CBP working dogs, but availability is limited. The CBP uses dogs for border security, drug interdiction and explosive detection.

Just like humans, den-tal disease and medical problems can take these working dogs off duty. Obtaining veterinary care is expensive, and along the border, sometimes non-existent.

Seeing the need for both training and animal care, the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School, or AMEDDC&S, Animal Health Branch partnered with the CBP to provide training opportunities for Soldiers while also pro-viding veterinary care for the CBP working dogs.

This mutually beneficial program provides Soldiers have the opportunity for training with working

animals while helping the CBP save money on veterinary care.

In January 2015, AMEDDC&S Animal Health Branch began receiving the first CBP working dogs and incor-porated their care into the 68T training. The last two weeks of the course are practical application, where they work on real patients, not simulation. The program with the CBP dogs takes the stu-dents from the beginning to end process, the same as in an Army veterinary treatment facility.

“Students have to receive the patient from the handlers, talk and interact with the handler, take vitals, insert a cath-eter, draw blood fecal samples and run tests,” said Lt. Col. Shawn Owens, Animal Health Branch chief.

AMEDDC&S gives the dogs medical exams, dental cleaning and extraction, spay and

neutering, and preven-tive gastropexy surgery, a procedure where the stomach is attached to the right abdominal wall. This adhesion prevents twisting of the stomach during bloat – referred to as gastric dilatation-volvulus or GDV – which can be deadly.

Barrel chested work-ing dogs are predisposed

to this condition. Bring-ing the CBP dogs directly to AMEDDC&S provides students with two days of surgical rotation, where before the program they only received half a day.

The program also pro-vides students the oppor-tunity to perform dental care on working dogs.

“These are high-energy animals and

they release that energy through biting and dif-ferent activities,” Owens said. “The dog’s dental disease can sometimes be profound and require extractions, broken teeth, root canals, in addition to routine cleaning.”

The services AMEDDC&S provides the CBP is very costly when contracted privately.

“The program is sav-ing tax dollars because we’re training Soldiers at the same time provid-ing services to another federal agency,” Owens said. “The training still has to happen and the CBP needs veterinary services, so why not make this a win-win? This allows us to give students the best train-ing available, as these are real working dogs. You can’t model that.”

Pvt. Audie Farley joined the U.S. Army because he likes animals

Fourth Army Band Reunion Concert

The 323rd Army Band “Fort Sam’s Own” presents the Fourth Army Band Reunion Concert titled “A Nightmare At The Quad” at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Quadrangle, 1422 E. Grayson St.

Influenza Vaccinations Now Available

TRICARE ben eficiaries 36 months of age and older can receive their influenza vaccination at their primary care clinic or on a walk-in basis from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday from 6 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday on the first floor of the Brooke Army Medical Center Con solidated Tower. Flu vaccinations are also available at the Military & Family Readiness Center, Building 2797 on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Vaccinations for patients 6 to 35 months of age are not currently avail-able. For the 2016-2017 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of the flu shot. The nasal spray flu vaccine should not be used, therefore it will not be offered.

Deadline Approaching For Navy Alternate Cover Wear Date

The Monday deadline for wear of the Alternative Combination Cover, or ACC, is Monday and Navy leaders want to remind all officers and chiefs to acquire that cover or the current combination cover by that date. The deadline for wear was announced last October in NAVADMIN 236/15, which detailed the plan to redesign several uniform elements for Sailors that im-prove uniformity across the force, as well as improve fit and function of the uniforms. This policy phased out the female “bucket” cover and mandated the ACC and the current combina-tion cover for wear by both men and women. Wear-tests and Sailors’ feedback were incorporated into the final designs that were announced. The ACC and combination cover for officers and chiefs can be worn by both men and women in service and dress uniforms. For more information, visit www.navy.mil/ah_online/ftrStory.asp?issue=3&id=91438.

See NEWS BRIEFS, P6

Photo by Jose Rodriguez Maj. Patrick Grimm (right), Animal Health Branch deputy chief, per-forms a gastropexy on a Customs and Border Patrol working dog while assisted by Pvt. Jade Baxter (left), a student attending Army Animal Care Specialist, 68T, advanced individual training at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Gastropexy is a surgical operation in which the stomach is sutured to the abdominal wall or the diaphragm.

AMEDDCS from P1

U.S. ARMY NORTH COMMANDER VISITSWHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE

Soldiers from the U.S. Army North Quick Reaction Force, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discuss defense tactics and procedures with Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, U.S. Army North commander, during his visit to White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Oct. 19.

Photos by Sgt. Maj. Dean WelchLt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, U.S. Army North commander, visits with Soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during the ARNORTH Quick Reaction Force, or QRF, training exercise at White Sands Mis-sile Range, N.M., Oct. 19. The QRF may be called on to defend critical infra-structure during a natural disaster or as part of homeland defense.

See AMEDDCS, P22


By Jerry McCallJBSA-Fort Sam Houston Energy Manager

We hear a lot about “Energy Star” these days, but what does it really mean? It’s one of the Joint Base San Antonio energy policy require-ments when choosing new or replacing old equipment and appli-ances, after all.

I decided to do a little research and find out. The first thing I did was search the Internet for “Energy Star” – pro-found, huh?

Google came up with 917 million results with the first non-commercial one being the Energy Star home page (http://www.energystar.gov). which tells me that Energy Star “is a government-backed program helping busi-

nesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.” That sounds logical.

Now I have several choices for more infor-mation: Find Energy Star Products, Energy Star Qualified, About Energy Star, Federal Tax Credits, Rebate Finder and Buildings and Plants.

Let’s look at “About Energy Star.” This contains information on how much money the program has saved us in home and business and how much it has protect-ed the environment.

I want to know more about what it means if a product has an Energy Star label though, so I’m going to check out the “Energy Star Qualified” choice. Here I learn that the product has to meet the following “key guid-

ing princi-ples” to get the coveted label (which is quite a list):

• Product catego-ries must contribute significant energy sav-ings nation-wide.

• Quali-fied prod-ucts must deliver the features and performance demanded by consumers, in addi-tion to increased energy efficiency.

• If the qualified product costs more than a conventional, less-efficient counterpart, pur-chasers will recover their investment in increased energy efficiency through

utility bill savings, within a reasonable period of time.

• Energy efficiency can be achieved through broadly available, non-proprietary technologies offered by more than one manufacturer.

• Product energy consumption and perfor-

mance can be measured and verified with testing.

• Labeling would ef-fectively differentiate products and be visible for purchasers.

Ok, we know what the criteria are for a product to get the label. Now let’s try an example. Say we want to purchase a new computer for the office.

I go to “Find Energy Star Products” on the home page and I find a categorized product list-ing, and under “Business & Government” and “Im-aging Equipment” is a list of computers which can be downloaded in several different formats depend-ing on your interest.

Here’s an interesting tidbit I ran across while researching: If all com-puters sold in the U.S. met energy star require-ments, the savings in

energy costs would grow to $1 billion each year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from more than 1.4 million vehicles.

So the next time you buy equipment for the of-fice, remember that you are required to choose from the Energy Star approved listing. But it’s a good idea to check this list when buying appliances at home as well. Even if the pur-chase price appears a little higher than some other brands, you will save money over the long haul.

For more information about energy conserva-tion, call the base en-ergy manager for JBSA- Fort Sam Houston at 671-1537, JBSA- Randolph at 671-6468 and JBSA-Lackland at 671-0252.

Energy conservation: choose from the Energy Star approved listings


FAMILY HALLOWEEN FUN ATJBSA-FORT SAM HOUSTON

Ghosts, ghouls and goblins, oh my! Things started to get frightening at the Military & Family Readiness Center at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Saturday with more than 700 JBSA families attending the third annual Super Heroes Howl Down Halloween Party.

Three-year-old cowgirl Grace collects candy

and other goodies while trick or treating at the

different stations at the third annual Super

Heroes Howl Down Halloween Party at the

Military & Family Readiness Center at

Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston

Saturday.

Photos byTiffany Sertich

Three-year-old Kaiden Asuelo (left), dressed as Captain America, and his

father, Tech. Sgt. Antonio Asuelo (right), decorate a spooky pumpkin in the arts

and crafts room at the third annual Super Heroes Howl Down Halloween

Party at the Military & Family Readiness Center at JBSA-Fort Sam

Houston Saturday.


News Briefs

Yield right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks

Fall CCAF GraduationThe Fall 2016 Community College

of the Air Force graduation ceremony is at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Fleenor Theater. Call 295-4472 for more information.

Notice of Public Meeting to Discuss FHISD State Financial Accountability Rating

The Fort Sam Houston Independent School Districts hosts a meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Professional Development Center, 1908 Winans Road, to discuss the FSHISD’s rating of “A” for superior achievement on the state’s financial accountability system.

BAMC Veterans Day CelebrationBrooke Army Medical Center holds

a Veterans Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 4 outside the Garden Entrance of the hospital. All veterans are invited and all are wel-come to attend. The event will include patriotic entertainment from local area schools, the San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancers, a tree dedication, health information booths and more.

Education FairThe Military & Family Readiness

Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, 3060 Stanley Road, building 2797, hosts an education fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 14. Meet with college representatives, U.S. Army Medical Department and ROTC recruiters. Another information session will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Brooke Army Medical Center Medical Mall.

Joint Outpatient Experience Survey

The Joint Outpatient Experience Survey, or JOES, gives people a chance to comment on their military health care experiences. For more information, visit http://www.health.mil.

Winans Entry Control Point Operations

Entry into Watkins Terrace Housing, Youth Services, Fort Sam Houston Independent School District, Dodd Field Chapel and the Army Reserve Center through the Winans Entry Control Point, will require an approved Department of

Continued from P3

See NEWS BRIEFS, P21

Across Joint Base San Antonio loca-tions during newcomer’s local condi-tions briefs, newly arrived military and civilian members are instructed that the right of way for pedestrians must be yielded by motorists before entering crosswalks.

In accordance with the Texas Transportation Code Section 552.003, “Pedestrian Right-Of-Way At Crosswalk” (http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/TN/htm/TN.552.htm), pedestrians don’t have the right of way until they are in the intersection or a crosswalk of a roadway.

By following the safety tips listed

below, you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of a motor vehicle/ pedestrian accident:

• It is critical to look left, then right and then left again before entering a crosswalk

• Cross only at designated cross-ings. Entering traffic at a mid-block area or from between parked cars is dangerous.

• Never dart out into a crosswalk.• Always make eye contact with

the vehicle operator before stepping into a crosswalk even if it is well lit. A distracted driver will not see you.

(Source: 502nd Air Base Wing Safety Office)

Soldiers help fifth graders learnhow to render honors, fold U.S. flagBy Sgt. 1st Class Wynn HokeU.S. Army North Public Affairs

Soldiers from the Fort Sam Houston Honors Platoon met with a group of fifth-graders at M.H. Specht Elementary School in San Antonio Oct. 18 to teach them the proper way to fold, raise and lower the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

“It is important to know how to fold the flag,” said Heather Hansen, from the school's physical education department. “Knowing the steps go and how to properly pay respect is something we need to show kids who volunteer to put up and take down our nation’s flag.”

Four member of the caisson took two hours out of their schedule to hold a training event with more than 30 students at the request of the school and by Sgt. Major Dave Poist, U.S. Army Medical Depart-ment G3 sergeant major, who has a child attending Specht Elementary.

“I really respect what these guys at the cais-

son do and what they are bringing to the kids here,” Poist said. “A lot of these kid’s fathers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts or somebody they know have fought in a foreign land. So I want them to know to put their hand over their heart and to know the symbolism behind that flag.”

Before they started teaching the kids how to properly fold the flag, they had to do give a little impromptu quiz to see how much they knew about the U.S. flag.

“It was an honor to come to Specht and be able to show these stu-dents the proper way to fold the flag and render daily honors,” said Staff Sgt. Darren Thomas, Military Funeral Honors Platoon. “These kids are really smart. They know their flag history.”

After the quiz, the kids took turns learning how to correctly fold the flag. The final task of the class was to go outside to the flag pole and properly

take down the U.S. flag. The students gathered around the pole with their hands over their heart, standing reverently while the caisson Soldiers rendered honors and lowered the flag, then folded it with precision.

“We really appreciate you coming down and taking the time to show the kids and talk about the basic knowledge of the flag,” Hansen said. “The kids were thrilled to learn this.”

At the end of the class,

one last question was asked. What does the flag mean to you?

One little girl stood up while holding the Star Spangled Banner she had just meticulously folded, and said, “It means hon-oring our country.”

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Wynn HokeA fifth grader at Specht Elementary School in San Antonio is coached by Staff Sgt. Darren O. Thomas (left) and Staff Sgt. Brandon Hood (right) from the Fort Sam Houston Honors Platoon Oct. 18 on how to properly fold the U.S. flag, as well as how to render proper honors when raising and lowering the flag. The students are volunteers with the task of putting up the flag in the mornings and taking it down at the end of each school day.

Courtesy photo


SIKORSKY HELICOPTER LANDS CLOSE TO ORIGINAL BAMC

The Sikorsky H-19 “Chickasaw” helicopter is shown in use (below) and during maintenance (bottom right) at Fort Sam Houston in 1961. The helicopter was part of the 82nd Medical Detachment and attached to Brooke Army Medical Center. The H-19 is now on display not far from the former Brooke Army Hospital building at the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum (top right).

MEDICAL HISTORY

Photos courtesy U.S. Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage

https://www.facebook.com/medhistory/?ref=page_internal


Since 1970, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce has organized Celebrate America’s Military, or CAM, an annual tribute to the military. The two-week celebration during the month of November features events presented with com-munity partners, making it the largest event of its kind nationwide.

The following events are open to the public:

CAM Opening Ceremony and 30th Anniversary Vietnam Veteran Memorial Dedication

Date/time: Tuesday, 10-11 a.m.Location: 100 Auditorium

Circle, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts Steps

In honor of the 30th an-niversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, the Chamber hosts an opening ceremony to kick off CAM and commemorate the building of San Antonio’s memorial uniquely designed to remember Vietnam War veterans.

San Antonio Symphony Veteran’s Day Concert “Salute to Service,” featuring the U.S. Air Force Band of the West and the 323d Army Band “Fort Sam’s Own.

Date/time: Wednesday, 7-9 p.m.Location: Majestic Theater,

224 E. Houston St.The San Antonio Symphony,

the U.S. Air Force Band of the West and the 323d Army Band “Fort Sam’s Own” join together to present a patriotic musical celebration honoring the nation. While the event is free of charge and open to the public, tickets are required. Ticket holders have pre-access to the Majestic Theater when doors open at 6 p.m. Non-ticket holders will enter at 6:45 p.m.

UIW Military Appreciation Football Game

Date/time: Nov. 5, 2:30 p.m. Location: Benson Stadium at

the University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway

The University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals football team plays the Southeastern Louisiana

University Lions, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. UIW Athletics and Extended Academic Programs host a pre-game military appreciation tailgate. Free admission to the game for all active-duty military, veterans and Department of Defense employees with ID and their families. Parking is $8 per vehicle. First 500 fans will receive a military appreciation drawstring bag. Half-time events include enlistment ceremony and UIW and Army band performance. To contact the UIW Cardinal ticket office, call 805-3000. Children 2 and up will need a full price ticket. For tickets, visit https://uiw.universitytickets.com.

Humor for HeroesDate/time: Nov. 5, 7 p.m.Location: Texas A&M-San

Antonio Auditorium, One Univer-sity Way

Humor for Heroes strives to demonstrate our appreciation to current and former military mem-bers by providing an entertaining night of comedy, fostering con-nections with military resources and contributing much needed financial support to military charities. This is a ticketed event and open to the public. Tickets are $15 each or two for $25.

UTSA Celebrates America’s Military (Downtown Campus)

Date/time: Nov. 9, 3-6 p.m.Location: UTSA Downtown

Campus, 501 W. Cesar Chavez Blvd.

Veterans resource fair and speaking engagements.

Hiring Red, White and You!Date/time: Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to

1 p.m.Location: Freeman Coliseum

Expo Hall 2, 3201 E. Houston St.Join the Texas Workforce

Commission, Workforce Solutions Alamo for the 4th Annual Hiring Red White and You Job Fair. This event is designed to connect employers seeking qualified can-didates with Texas veterans and their family members seeking employment.

UTSA Celebrates America’s Military (Main Campus)

Date/time: Nov. 10; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., veterans resource fair; 3 p.m., veteran’s study room dedication; 4 p.m., Army and Air Force ROTC pass and review

Location: 1 UTSA Circle

Wish For Our Heroes Ride Texas San Antonio Event

Date/time: Nov. 10, 2:30 p.m.Location: Toyota FieldJoin the San Antonio Spurs

and “Wish for Our Heroes” Riders for a welcome party to San Antonio and to be on site to see a few wishes granted to military heroes. Twenty-four riders and a convoy of support staff travel from Wichita Falls, Texas, to Corpus Christi, Texas, in the span of five days, covering just over 500 miles. The event begins Nov. 7 and conclude Nov. 11. RIDE TEXAS began in 2011 and has successfully taken a unified team across the state each year since. The event is led by wounded heroes and the pur-pose of the team is to assist our wounded heroes in completing this journey. Each day is filled with single day events such as meet and greets, parades, and dinners. These single day events are used to not only meet the community but to raise funds for our Military members and to grant wishes.

Texas A&M University-San Antonio Celebrate America’s Military

Date/time: Nov. 11, 8:30 a.m.Location: Patriots’ Casa, Texas

A&M-San Antonio, One University Way Texas A&M University-San Antonio will honor service members with a flag raising along with a wreath-laying ceremony on Veterans Day at the Patriots’ Casa. This event is free and open to the public.

Moment of Silence and National Roll Call Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Date/time: Nov. 11, 9 a.m.Location: Patriots’ Casa, Texas

A&M-San Antonio, One University Way

Texas A&M University-San Antonio will honor service members with a moment of silence and National Roll Call on Veterans Day at the Patriots’ Casa. This event is free and open to the public.

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Veteran’s Day Ceremony

Date/time: Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m.

Location: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Road

Music prelude begins at 9:30 a.m. with ceremony at 10 a.m. Guest speaker is Allen B. Clark Jr., West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran.

Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers Commemorative Ceremony

Date/time: Nov. 11, 1:30 p.m.Location: San Antonio National

Cemetery, 517 Paso Hondo St. Comprised of former slaves,

freedmen and Black Civil War veterans, the historic Buffalo Soldiers persevered through difficult conditions to become some of the most elite and most decorated units in the U.S. Army. The annual Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers Commemorative Ceremony at the San Antonio National Cemetery honors these past heroes with a keynote speaker, the reading of a memo-rial list, military honors and taps and a benediction. Speaker is Rear Adm. Rebecca McCormick-Boyle, commander, Navy Medicine Education and Training Command.

San Antonio Spurs Veterans Appreciation Night

Date/time: Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.Location: AT&T Center, One

AT&T Center ParkwayThe San Antonio Spurs host

the Detroit Pistons with tip-off at 7:30pm. All military and friends of CAM can access this special offer by going to http://spursgroups.com/2016veteransday and using the OFFER CODE: MILITARY. Tickets purchased through this offer will receive a special military-themed T-shirt at the game. Instructions on where to pick up T-shirt will be emailed to the address provided at the checkout 48 hours prior to the game. Children 24 months and younger get in free.

U.S. Military Veterans Parade and Wreath Laying at the Alamo

Date/time: Nov. 12, 10 a.m. wreath laying, parade at noon

Location: Alamo PlazaThe U.S. Military Veterans

Parade Association presents the annual Veterans Parade in down-town San Antonio, during the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s Celebrate America’s Military Week. Representatives from each branch of the military services and special guests speak briefly then carry wreaths to the en-trance of the Alamo in recognition of the nation’s and Texas veter-ans. Line the downtown streets and wave your American flag and show your pride as veterans past and present are honored. For more parade information, visit http://www.usmvpa.com/index-PARADE_DATE.html. Honor-ary parade marshall is World War II Navy veteran Susano Ortiz and grand marshalls are District 26 Sen. Jose Menendez and District 19 Sen. Carlos Uresti.

Army West Point Tailgate Party

Date/time: Nov. 12, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Location: Alamo Beer Company, 202 Lamar St.

Pricing: Tailgate, free; barbecue plate and iced tea, $10; souvenir beer glass (beer discounted with purchase), $10; parking, $10; shuttle bus to/from game (one mile

from tailgate to stadium), $6. Kids’ activities include free Fun Zone. For stadium game tickets, contact Army West Point at 845-938-2526. For more information and tailgate registration, visit https://secure.west-point.org/wpsst/armytailgate. For information regarding tailgate registration, email [email protected].

Segs4Vets Mobilizing America’s Heroes 5K Run/Walk

Date/time: Nov. 13; registra-tion, 7:30-8:30 a.m.; event, 9 a.m. to noon

Location: Freetail Tap Room, 2000 S. Presa St.

Segs4Vets (http://www. Segs4Vets.org) provides mobil-ity devices to military members severely injured while serving overseas in Operation Endur-ing Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Segs4Vets started in 2005 and has since awarded over 1,400 mobility devices to men and women who have served our country. This event will feature a 5K run/walk beginning at the Freetail Tap Room, with an awards ceremony and door prizes after-wards. Email [email protected] or call 913-2563.

San Antonio Rampage Military Family Night

Date/time: Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.Location: AT&T Center, One

AT&T Center ParkwayThe San Antonio Rampage

hockey team hosts the Charlotte Checkers with the puck drop-ping at 7:30 p.m. All military and friends of CAM can access this special discounted ticket offer by going visiting http://spursgroups.com/novemberhockey and using the offer code MILITARY. Children 24 months and younger get in free.

The Stars Behind The StripesDate/time: Nov. 19, 6 p.m.Location: La Fontana Springs,

27618 Natural Bridge Caverns RoadA night of wining and dining

presented by Association of the United States Army, myKlick and friends. This special dinner is to honor the spouses and significant others who support the members of the armed forces. Visit http://myklick.city/myklick-10000strong-event-stars-behind-the-stripes/.

CELEBRATE AMERICA’S MILITARY IN NOVEMBER


During September 2016, Joint Base San Antonio commanders administered 18 non-judicial punishment actions under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The punishments imposed reflect the commander’s determina-tion of an appropriate punishment after consid-ering the circumstances of the offense and the offender’s record.

A “suspended” pun-ishment does not take effect unless the offend-er engages in additional misconduct or fails to satisfy the conditions of the suspension. The suspension period usu-ally lasts for six months unless a lesser amount is specified.

Administrative dis-charge may also be an

option for commanders after the conclusion of an Article 15, depending on the circumstances. The following are some of the non-judicial punishment actions that closed out in September. Decisions regarding dis-charge are not included.

Conduct unbecoming

an officer: A major pla-giarized an assignment in the Air Command and Staff College distance learning program. The member received forfei-ture of $3,724 pay for one month, suspended forfeiture of $3,474 pay per month for one month and a reprimand.

Willful dereliction of

duty: A senior airman willfully failed to re-frain from engaging in offensive, inappropriate,

and service-discrediting behavior on social networking platforms. The airman received a reduction to the grade of airman first class, forfeiture of $1,041 pay per month for two months with one month suspended, 45 days of extra duty and a repri-mand.

Other offenses under

Article 134 (providing alcohol to a minor): An airman first class in technical training unlawfully provided al-cohol to another mem-ber who was under the age of 21. The member received a reduction to the grade of air-man, forfeiture of $878 pay per month for two months with one month suspended and a repri-mand.

Willful dereliction of duty: An airman ba-sic in technical train-ing was caught looking at another student’s test during an exami-nation. The member received 14 days extra duty, 14 days restric-tion to base, forfeiture of $783 pay per month for two months with one month suspended and a reprimand.

Larceny – An air-

man basic in techni-cal training stole six lipsticks and a tube of eyelash glue from the Base Exchange. The member received 30 days extra duty, 30 days restriction to base, forfeiture of $783 pay per month for two months with one month suspended and a reprimand.

Drunk and disor-derly, disrespect to a commissioned officer, wrongfully altering an ID: An airman basic in technical training was found drunk and vomit-ing in the bathroom of a building. When Security Forces arrived to assist, the member was disre-spectful to a commis-sioned officer, calling him “bro” and “dude.” It was also discovered that the member had altered the birth date on his ID card to make 1997 look like 1992. The member received 30 days extra duty, 30 days restric-tion to base, forfeiture of $783 pay per month for two months with one month suspended and a reprimand.

Use of a controlled

substance: An airman

first class in technical training tested posi-tive on a urinalysis for the use of marijuana. The member received a reduction in grade to airman basic, forfeiture of $783 pay per month for two months (sus-pended) and a repri-mand.

Failure to go, fail-

ure to obey: A techni-cal sergeant failed to go to his prescribed place of duty and failed to provide work ma-terials to a superior as directed to do. The member received a re-duction to the grade of staff sergeant (suspend-ed), 45 days extra duty and a reprimand.

(Source: 502nd Air Base Wing Judge Advocate General Office)

Crimes and punishment at Joint Base San Antonio


Service members encouraged to stay fit to fight during National Emotional Wellness MonthBy Ashley PalaciosJBSA-Randolph Public Affairs

Emotional wellness, which often carries a negative stigma, encom-passes a wide variety of skills such as a proactive, instead of a reactive, ap-proach to life, the ability to remain calm while fac-ing adversity, remaining nonjudgmental of others and yourself, and even being able to express your feelings in a healthy and assertive way.

“A common miscon-ception of emotional health is that a person with emotional health is always happy or positive,” said Gina Ramirez, 359th Medical Group Mental Health Office outreach and resiliency coordinator.

“Life has its peaks and valleys. There is never a constant state of joy. It’s in our reactions to life that we discover who we truly are,” she said. “No one is perfect, but in practic-ing healthy behaviors we begin to move toward positive behavior.”

Another common mis-conception about emo-tional wellness is that it’s a weakness to seek out help.

“Seeking out help is actually a strength,” Ramirez said. “The weak-ness is in lack of self-awareness.

Military members may be concerned the mental health visit will go onto their record and af-fect their career. Like a medical appointment, it does go into their record, however, the percentage of people whose careers are negatively affected by mental health is slim.

The negative impact comes from waiting to seek help and spiraling downward; this spiral is

what effects job perfor-mance, the mission and ultimately the active duty member’s career,” Ramirez said.

While there are several reasons people aren’t more proactive with their emotional well-being, Ramirez believes the main reason may be getting caught in the “busyness” of life.

“We live in this con-stant tension between productivity and wellbe-ing,” Ramirez said. “It’s easy to get caught up in taking care of the every-day tasks and putting our-selves last on the priority list. When we do that, we end up with an emotional bank that’s depleted. But when we put ourselves first on the list, we end up

with an emotional bank that’s full.

“We’re then able to take care of those urgent tasks without feeling spent and able to build those vital relationships,” she said.

Understanding the mind-body-behavior con-nection is also critical to emotional well-being.

“What we think affects how we feel and how we feel in our body affects our behavior,” advised Ramirez. “Controlling our mind and feelings goes a long way in emotional health.

Some signs that a person may need to seek help include difficulty in coping with the day-to-day, impulsive mood swings, excessive sadness

or worry, thoughts of hurting oneself or others, and using food, alcohol or drugs to numb the pain.

Ramirez stressed the importance of Airmen getting involved with the events on base and taking a proactive approach to their emotional health.

“We all go through seasons and changes in life that take a greater toll on our emotional well-be-ing,” Ramirez continued, “such as, deployments, a permanent change of sta-tion, a new job, birth of a new baby and a death in the family. But there are several things Airmen can do to take a proactive ap-proach to their emotional well-being.”

Family Advocacy, Mental Health, Military &

Family Readiness Centers and the chaplain’s office are a few of the agencies across Joint Base San Antonio with resources to help Airmen maintain a healthy mind-body-behav-ior connection, she said.

“The 5K’s, Life Skills classes, theme months, and the workshops of-fered around base are all valuable resources Airmen and their families can take advantage of,” she added. It's impor-tant to recognize the role leadership plays in a service member’s emotional well-being, Ramirez said, “Really getting to know your people and who they are is so important.

“When you know what your people are going

through, you can ask questions when something doesn’t seem right,” she said. “Also, encouraging your people to take care of themselves by allow-ing them to take physical training time, creating an atmosphere where your people feel valued and respected is vital to helping your people stay emotionally and physically fit for duty.”

To learn more about ways you can be proactive in your emotional well-being, contact the Brooke Army Medical Center behavioral health depart-ment at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 916-1600, op-tion 1, or the 359th MDG Mental Health Office at JBSA-Randolph at 652-2448.

Courtesy graphic






Meet Your Army:Master sergeant goes from Peru to San AntonioBy Gary SheftickArmy News Service

Master Sgt. PatriciaFont was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and has earned recogni-tion helping U.S. Army missions throughout South America.

She joined the U.S. Army after attending Queens College for a year in New York. Her parents were a bit surprised at her decision to join the Army. But now they are proud of her accomplish-ments.

“In our culture, you don’t see too many females in the military,” Font said.

Font became a con-tracting specialist and eventually was assigned to support U.S. Army South. In 2013, she returned to Peru for almost three weeks to assist with construction contracts at the U.S. embassy in Lima. While there, she also spent some time with her parents.

“They were really proud to see me working at the U.S. embassy,” she said, adding they were just as proud when she became a U.S. citizen.

Her father is a retired colonel who served in the Peruvian special forces.

“I grew up with dis-cipline,” Font said. “My father always made me do physical training.” He also took her to the range often to fire a pistol.

Today, her oldest brother serves as a general in Peru and one of her younger broth-ers serves in the Texas National Guard. Her oldest son, Alexander, is an ROTC cadet at Texas A&M University. Her two younger brothers work

for the IRS in Austin, Texas, about an hour drive from where she is stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

She and her family now consider San Antonio home.

“I like the culture,” she said of San Antonio. “Many of the residents are bilingual and every-body is friendly with the military.”

From August 2012 through 2013, Font de-ployed from San Antonio to countries in South America to help with contracting missions. There she earned the 2014 National Latina Style Distinguished Service Award.

She was credited with saving the government more than $100,000 in the awarding of 65 con-tracts valued in excess of $1.8 million.

She spent six months deployed in Columbia, and while she was off duty, she volunteered to work with underprivi-leged children.

“I had a little free time, so I was able to help,” she said. “The children were so happy.”

She also performed community service in San Antonio. At Christmas time, she provided gifts to poor children and helped serve meals to the home-less and elderly. She was named the 410th Contracting Support Brigade Noncommissioned Officer of the Year in 2012.

In 2014, Font trans-ferred to Fort Lee, Va., where she served with the U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command. She became the senior enlisted advi-sor for the field director-ate office at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., where she was in charge of 88 Soldiers and more than 300 civilians provid-ing contracting support to U.S. Army North.

Her priority was to take care of her Soldiers and employees, she said, and to ensure they received the training and education necessary to

complete the contracting missions. A number of her Soldiers were able to complete their college degrees.

Font herself has earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in human resources.

Several months ago, she transferred back to San Antonio to serve again with the 410th CSB. There, she said, her husband can receive care at Brooke Army Medical Center and she can put her language skills to good use.

In her current role, she helps deploy contracting teams throughout Central and South America. She now has teams de-ployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Honduras, Paraguay and Brazil.

Font has some ad-vice for young Hispanic Soldiers, especially for some young women whom she has observed serving quietly.

“Don’t be quiet,” she said. “Be proud to have an accent. I’m proud.”

Courtesy photoMaster Sgt. Patricia Font, (center) poses with her National Latino Style Distinguished Service Award while flanked by her daughter, Gabriella, (right) and son, Alexander, (left) ROTC cadet at Texas A&M University.

Photo by Robert A. WhetstoneBeneficiaries attending the Military Retiree Appreciation Day at BAMC Saturday were able to get flu shots, mammograms, turn in expired medications and learn about a variety of opportunities and services.

BAMC, 502ND ABWTEAM UP FOR

MILITARY RETIREEAPPRECIATION DAY

Photo by Dewey MitchellHundreds of military beneficiaries from communities surround-ing San Antonio attended Military Retiree Appreciation Day at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Saturday.

Photo by Robert A. WhetstoneSleep Disorder Services was a busy section during Military Retiree Appreciation Day at BAMC Saturday. BAMC partnered with the 502nd Air Base Wing to host the annual event.


JBSA Fire EmergencyServices give tips for a fire-safe and Happy HalloweenBy Ricardo S. CamposPublic Fire and Life Safety Educator 502nd Fire Emergency Services

Ghosts, goblins, and other monsters will be coming up your side-walk this weekend, but of course these non-threatening creatures of the night are none other than children who are enjoying Halloween festivities.

With the excitement of this annual event, Joint Base San Antonio-Fire Emergency Services asks parents to follow a few tips to ensure the night is filled with fun and not tragedy.

Trick or treating hours for all locations are from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday.

In 2013, an estimated 6,100 pedestrian deaths and 160,000 medi-cally consulted nonfatal injuries occurred among pedestrians in motor vehicles, according to Injury Facts 2015, the statistical report on unintentional injuries created by the National Safety Council, or NSC.

The NCS research revealed the reasons for pedestrian deaths and injuries varied by age. Darting or running into the road accounted for about 70 percent of pedestrian deaths or in-juries for those age 5 to 9 and about 47 percent of incidents for those 10 to 14.

The American Acad-emy of Pediatrics, or AAP, has compiled a list of Halloween safety tips (https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/

Pages/Halloween-Safety-Tips.aspx) to help ensure adults and children have safe holiday. This includes the do’s and don’ts on the trick-or-treat trail.

• All costumes, wigs, and accessories should be fire-resistant.

• If children are al-lowed out after dark, fasten reflective tape to their costumes and bags to make sure they are visible.

• When buying Halloween makeup, make sure it is nontoxic and always test it in a small area first.

• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs.

• Enter and exit drive-ways and alleys care-fully.

• At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing.

• Instruct your chil-dren to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and avoid trick-or treat-ing alone.

• Tell your children not to eat any treats un-til they return home.

• Teach your children to never enter a strang-er’s home.

To learn more Halloween safety tips, visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website at http://www.nfpa.org/education or the National Safety Council at http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/halloween-safety.aspx.

People can also con-tact the Fire Prevention Offices at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 221-1804; JBSA-Lackland at 671-2921 or JBSA-Randolph at 652-6915.


Army release details about new Combat Application TourniquetBy Ellen CrownArmy Medical Materiel Agency Public Affairs

Makers of the Combat Application Tourniquet™ have updated the de-sign of the widely used tourniquet.

The update has re-sulted in two different versions of the tourniquet currently in use in the field, though both have the same national stock number (NSN 6515-01-521-7976). Deployed Soldiers may soon receive the updated version and wonder how to use it.

“When you need to ac-tually use a tourniquet is the wrong time to figure out which version you have and how to use it,” advised Jason Harrington, Army Medical Materiel Agency’s nurse consultant with the Medical Devices Program Management Office.

“Soldiers need to look

at their tourniquets and become familiar with the version they have been issued by carefully read-ing the printed instruc-tions that come with each CAT.”

The older version of the tourniquet, “Genera-tion 6,” which was devel-oped through research at the Army Medical Research and Materiel

Command, is a small, lightweight tourniquet designed to completely stop arterial blood flow from an injured limb.

Exsanguination (i.e. bleeding to death) is the most common cause of potentially surviv-able death for wounded warfighters. So every Soldier carries a CAT on the battlefield to provide

life-saving care to them-selves or a fellow Soldier.

The update version of the CAT, “Generation 7,” features a single-routing buckle through which Soldiers feed the tourni-quet belt before tighten-ing it with the windlass (a textured black rod).

The “Generation 6” CAT model has two slots on the buckle and could be used to either double-route (buddy care) or single-route (self-care) the belt.

While the updated CAT single-slot buckle is designed for faster and easier application, the Army emphasizes that both models are effective.

“Soldiers who have an older version should not feel they have to replace their device by getting the newer version or fear that the older version is any less effec-tive,” Harrington said.

Both have been tested by the Army Medical Research Materiel Command’s Institute of Surgical Research and the Navy. Additionally, Army medics are now trained on both versions.

Harrington recom-mends keeping the instructions for reference and refresher training.

In appearance, the

two generations differ in the color of the fastener strap. The fastener strap on the new model is gray, compared to a white strap on the older model.

Additionally, the new model’s lot number and “G7” are visible on the device and through the manufacturer’s packaging.

Photo by Ellen Crown A photo of the CAT Generation 7 applied to a Soldier’s leg.

Courtesy Army image Graphic depicting visual differences between CAT Generation 6 and CAT Generation 7.

Flu season: don’t get sick, get stuckEvery year in the early

fall, flu season begins again. The flu makes most people feel sick and miserable, but for some people it can be deadly.

Getting the flu vaccine

every year is the best way to protect you, your family and your commu-nity from the flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, recommend

that everyone six months and older get the flu vac-cine every year. The flu virus is always changing, so the vaccine changes every year. Getting the shot one year probably

won’t protect you the next year.

Getting a flu shot ev-ery year not only lowers your chances of getting the flu, but it means that people you come in con-

tact with are less likely to get the flu from you.

TRICARE beneficiaries can get the flu shot at no cost from their doc-tor, a participating retail network pharmacy or

from a military hospi-tal or clinic. If you get the shot at a pharmacy, make sure that you get it from the pharmacist.

See FLU, P22

Photo graphic by Steve Thompson Getting the flu vaccine every year is the best way to protect you, your family and your community from the flu.


Medical services and rugby: an organized chaosBy Robert A. WhetstoneBrooke Army Medical Center Public Affairs

In 1823, picking up a round football and running with it on the school grounds of “Rugby School,” a private co-ed-ucational day and board-ing school in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, William Webb Ellis had no idea he would be called the father of the sport we know as rugby.

Whether this is fact or myth, the interna-tional committee named the Rugby world cup the “William Webb Ellis Trophy.”

In 1971, a club team was born in San Antonio at the hands of a few doctors from Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

The San Antonio Rugby Football Club, or SARFC, and the British Army Medical Services team played a match on a freshly cut pitch, or field, at the Wheatley Sports Complex Oct. 15. It is not uncommon for the temperature to reach 90 degrees in San Antonio, but on this fall afternoon, it may have been a little hot for the visiting com-petitors.

Exiting the pitch at the end of the first half of the match, one of the players from the visiting British team said, “All right gents, stay warm and loose.” A teammate yelled back, “Well, there’s really no chance at that not hap-pening is there?” This had been the lightheart-ed tone of the entire visit to the Alamo City.

Rugby is a physical sport with a short list of rules and very little equipment needed. Only

a shirt, shorts and cleats, or boots as they are called in Europe, are al-lowed, with five millime-ters of padding normally used for head gear to avoid scratches, nicks and cauliflower ear.

Most are familiar with basic rules and terms of the game. A match has two 40-minute halves with a five minute break in between. There are no time outs and only seven substitutions are allowed. The “scrum” looks like organized chaos or a group wrestling match, and the “lineout” fea-tures team members lifting another high in the air to catch a throw from out of bounds to resume play.

There is a distinct connection between the two teams that played on this smoldering fall afternoon – both have ties to the medical pro-

fession. The day before the match, the British Army Medical Services, or BAMS, team visited Brooke Army Medical Center and toured the Center for the Intrepid.

“On a defense engage-ment piece, it worked out really well,” said Warrant Officer 2nd Class Stuart Cooke, a combat medical techni-cian in the British Army and member of the BAMS team. “We were kind of unaware that San Antonio was the home of U.S. military medi-cine, so as soon as we found that out we got in contact with Arnal (Sgt. Arnal Prasad, assistant noncommissioned officer in charge of rheumatol-ogy and dermatology at BAMC; also on the board of directors for the SARFC and plays the position of “prop” for the team) and he sounded

really keen to get on board for us to come and visit BAMC and the CFI.”

Prasad had a vital role

in arranging the match with the AMS. “We’re the 15th largest team in the country and the third

fastest growing team in the country, so that’s one of the reasons we get put on the map to have teams like this play us,” Prasad said.

“We have varying degrees of medical trades from physical therapists, to dentists, doctors, com-bat medical technicians, dog handlers and medical evacuation pilots on the team, so I think you can have that bond because you’re military and I think you can have that bond because you’re medical,” Cooke said. “That has worked out as a massive added bonus for us to form that relationship that will hopefully go on into the future and we can reciprocate in the United Kingdom if they can ever bring a team over.”

Both teams had im-portant objectives for playing these types of matches.

“The advantage for us in the SARFC is that it’s

Brooke Army Medical Center Command Sgt. Maj. Albert Crews (left) inspects a miniature souvenir Rugby ball The British Army Medical Services Rugby Team was giving to patrons during their visit Oct. 14. The team attended the Hispanic Heritage Day ceremony in the medical mall and toured the Center for the Intrepid.

Photos by Robert A. Whetstone The San Antonio Rugby Football Club, a 45-year-old organization formed by doctors from Brooke Army Medical Center in 1971, execute a “lineout” to throw the ball back into play in their match against the British Army Medical Services Rugby Team at the Wheatley Sports complex in San Antonio Oct. 15. See RUGBY, P19


higher caliber rugby,” Prasad said. “We get to see a different style of play – a much more aggressive, much more skillful style of play that we’re not used to seeing here.”

Cooke has a different but important perspec-tive. “The first point of our tour is to de-velop the British Medical Services team for the season in the U.K.,” he explained. “The second point is to spread the word of rugby across America and hopefully develop the U.S. game and develop our commu-nity and contacts as we come over and to offer a bit of coaching advice and how it is happening in England, because it is a bit more of a popular sport.”

Watching the match unfold was much like one of the signature plays in the game, the scrum. What looks like chaos to an observer, is really an organized movement.

“A scrum is a big boy’s game,” Prasad said. “You have eight people (from each teams for total of 16) out of 15 in a scrum. It starts off with two

props in the front and a guy called the hooker, sandwiched by the props who are basically prop-ping the scrum up and then everybody behind them locks us in; you

have two locks; you have flankers that flank on the side; and you have a big man on your eight side (on the back), watching the blind side from either side of the field. The ball

is thrown in the middle and you’re binding, clash-ing and trying to push each other over the ball.”

Never mind the final score was BAMS 45, SARFC 10. It seemed to be

irrelevant to the players. “I think rugby is a

great alternative for those who have played Ameri-can football and want to play a physical sport and want to play with a rugby

club,” Cooke said.The fact that medi-

cal professionals play such a seemingly rough sport does not faze the participants.

“No, it’s not that dan-gerous,” Prasad said. “It looks a lot worse than it is. In rugby, you’re wearing basically your shorts and a T-shirt, and you’re throw-ing the ball backwards and you have to think about self-preservation.”

Cooke gave a little more perspective.

“If you go in concerned about getting injured, you’re going to get hurt,” he said. “So your mind has to be focused on the game. There will always be someone to fill the gap if need be. Otherwise we wouldn’t play.”

Within the organized chaos of the scrums and lineouts, there are four BAMC service mem-bers and one contractor currently on the SARFC team, and they are look-ing to add more.

“Most people that play here on our team are military or ex-military, whether they are from BAMC or other units at Fort Sam Houston,” Prasad said. “The family atmosphere is what we look for. It is a judicious sport.”

Photo by Robert A. Whetstone The San Antonio Rugby Football Club, a 45-year-old organization formed by doctors from Brooke Army Medical Center in 1971, are locked in a “scrum” during their match against the British Army Medical Services Rugby Team at the Wheatley Sports complex in San Antonio Oct. 15. The visiting British broke open a close match in the second half and won, 45-10.

RUGBY from P18


Learning to break the cycle of bullyingBy J.D. LeviteAir Force Surgeon General Public Affairs

Bullying is not just a part of life that stops in the schoolyard; it can have consequences that stretch into adulthood and impact people for the rest of their lives.

According to the National Center for Education, one in four children will experi-ence bullying in their lives, and it comes in many forms: social, verbal, physical and even cyberbullying. But just because it exists and has remained for a long time doesn’t mean it has to stay that way forever.

“We can prevent bul-lying,” said Maj. Josh-ua Duncan, pediatri-cian and chief resident for General Preventive Medicine Residency with the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. “We can change these behaviors, and we can prevent some of the consequences we see.”

Some of those con-sequences include an impact on healthy be-havior for both children who bully and children who get bullied. For both, there can be psy-chological effects.

Duncan said, “A lot of people who have experienced bullying will develop mental health disorders like anxiety or depression. Being bullied also puts them at risk for suicide as well as developing psychoses.”

He added that chil-dren who are bullied while involved in sports or other physical activi-ties can be at a greater

risk for developing obesity.

“This can be a form of social bullying where they’re the last person picked on the team or nobody wants to in-clude them,” he said. “That causes them to withdraw. They tend to avoid those kinds of ex-periences. They tend to avoid physical activity because they’ve been bullied.”

Children who bully can develop many of the same mental health issues, and they are more prone to engage in certain ac-tivities like substance abuse or exhibit criminal behavior as they age. They also can continue abusive relationships later on in life, Duncan said.

For this reason, it’s important for adults, including parents and

teachers and other au-thority figures, to learn to recognize the signs associated with bully-ing. Duncan said kids tend not to report bul-lying because they want to be independent and don’t want to be judged by their peers.

Some of the signs for children who are being bullied include unexplained injuries, psychosomatic symp-toms like stomach aches or headaches, difficulty sleeping, and bed-wetting episodes. These children can be withdrawn and refuse to participate in social activities or sports. Some of them may even run away or attempt to injure themselves.

“These signs aren’t always specific to bul-lying,” Duncan said, but in cases where any of those symptoms are

present that should raise a flag for not just parents but also prima-ry care providers and teachers, too.”

There are three things Duncan recom-mends for countering bullying: ignore, stand up, and get help. The first step stems from the fact that bullying is often one person try-ing to create or take advantage of a real or perceived power imbal-ance. Often ignoring a bully’s advances re-moves the power he’s trying to wield.

“That doesn’t always work,” Duncan said. “In that case, I would encourage children to stand up both figurative-ly and literally. Standing up tall and looking the bully in the eye levels the playing field of the power imbalance.” He said he encourages

parents to rehearse firm statements with their children so they have something definitive to say.

The last step is get-ting help, and that means finding other people to be on your team.

“One of the best ways to prevent bullying is by roping in bystand-ers. By encouraging your children to build strong relationships with other kids, they’re going to have friends who are going to stand up for them. It’s going to equalize that power imbalance.”

For Airmen whose children might be get-ting bullied or doing the bullying, there are sev-eral things they can do to break that cycle. The first and most impor-tant step is to recognize the signs of bullying

mentioned above. After that, parents can take action by engaging with the school. Most schools have anti-bullying policies with staff that are trained on how to intervene.

“Your child has a right to attend school in a safe environment that’s also supportive,” Duncan said. “That’s really what most schools want for your child. So, I’d engage with the schools early on when you know your child is being bullied.”

He added parents can also talk to their pedia-trician.

“Pediatricians have specific training on how to address this, and they have some tools they can provide you,” he said. “Additionally, because we know there can be health conse-quences of bullying, they can also further evaluate these children who are being bullied or bullying other chil-dren to see if any treat-ment is indicated.”

There are several resources available on bullying. The first place to start is with the school and local gov-ernments because both should have anti-bul-lying policies in place that are worth knowing. Watchdog group http://www.BullyPolice.org is lists state policies on combatting and pre-venting bullying.

Duncan also recom-mends http://www.StopBullying.gov as a resource for parents, children and providers as well.

(Editor's note: October is National Bullying Prevention Month.)

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Defense-issued access credential. All visitors, contractors, and vendors with non-DOD issued credentials such as a driver’s license, passport, etc., will stop at a visitor center lo-cated on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, to be identity proofed, background vetted and issued a credential prior to entering the Winans Entry Control Point. Visit the JBSA webpage at http://www.jbsa.mil/Home/VisitorInformation.aspx for visitor center hours, locations, con-tact information and more detailed instructions. To speak to a security assistant call 221-1902/221-1903.

Jadwin Entry Control Point Temporary Closure

The Jadwin Entry Control Point is closed through Nov. 6. All traffic will be re-routed to the commercial and regular lanes at the Walters Entry Control Point. This closure is to allow installation of active vehicle barriers and supporting utilities at this gate. The North New Braunfels gate is open for regular, non-commercial traffic to Department of Defense ID holders from 6-9 a.m. weekdays. For more information, call 221-5283.

BAMC Bariatric ClinicBariatric surgery can improve

quality of life for individuals who

are obese and have obesity-related conditions such as type II diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, or other obesity-related conditions. Bariatric surgery is the most successful long-term treat-ment of obesity. There are three kinds of laparoscopic bariatric surgeries performed at Brooke Army Medical Center: adjustable gastric band, gastric bypass and vertical sleeve gastrectomy. The BAMC Bariatric Clinic is a self-referral clinic and offers informational seminars on the second, third and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

There is also a bariatric support group held on the first Wednesday of each month in the main dining room in the lower level of BAMC. The Bariatric Clinic will also accept referrals from your primary care manager. Call 916-9023 to set up an appointment.

Check Military,CAC,Dependent ID Expiration Dates Now

All Defense Enrollment Eligibil-ity Reporting system, Command Access Card and military ID card locations throughout Joint Base San Antonio are by 100 percent appointment only and wait time for an appointment can be up to 30

days. Civilian and military mem-bers need to remember then their CACs and military IDs expire and schedule renewal appointments appropriately. Appointments can be made online at https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil.

Voting AssistanceThe Joint Base San Antonio

Voting Assistance Program office is located at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, 2380 Stanley Road, building 124, first floor. Assistance is available by appointment only between the hours of 9-11:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. Call 221-VOTE (8683) for more information. Visit http://www.FVAP.gov for more voting resources.

Weingarten Rights: Having Union Representation

The Labor Relations Statute entitles a bargaining unit employee to representation by the union dur-ing an examination, by an agency representative, in connection with a matter under official investiga-tion if that employee reasonably believes disciplinary action will result. If the employee requests union representation, no further questioning will take place until a representative is present. For those stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, call 808-0205; JBSA-Randolph, call 652-4658 and JBSA-Lackland, call 671-4528.

News BriefsContinued from P6

MICC employees selected for leadership trainingBy Daniel P. ElkinsMission and Installation Contracting Command Public Affairs Office

Two members of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command, or MICC, headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, were selected by the Alamo Federal Executive Board to participate in its nine-month leadership pro-gram.

Lydia Hardy and Jennifer Hastedt were among the 45 participants selected from throughout San Antonio for the Leadership Federal Executive Board, or FEB, Program.

Established in 1993, the Leadership FEB Pro-gram is designed to de-velop a cadre of federal leaders with a greater understanding of chal-lenges facing the federal community.

Participants from various federal agencies throughout San Antonio come together once a month to exam-ine in greater detail the working relationship between the city and its

federal partner. They will hear from key decision-makers in both the public and private sectors repre-senting San Antonio’s top corporations, city offices, Bexar County, non-profit and federal organizations.

Hardy, an operations officer with the MICC Training, Readiness and Exercise Division, is re-sponsible for civilian and military readiness and training management as well as military schools for more than 1,500 civilian and military personnel.

She said she hopes to leverage her participa-tion in the program to grow and develop as an Army civilian leader by gaining greater insight of applying her skills to better serve the federal government and city of San Antonio.

“I am honored to be a part of this leadership program,” Hardy said. “I am excited about the developmental opportuni-ties and the chance to network with colleagues from different agencies in San Antonio.”

The 2007 Webster Uni-versity graduate added she plans to take from this program the abil-ity to influence civilian leader development and mentorship that builds upon the Army’s Civilian Education System.

Hastedt is a contract specialist supporting the MICC acquisition of aviation services for Fort Rucker, Ala. She believes local leaders need to take an active role in sustain-ing communities where federal employees work and reside, and that programs such as this will allow her to achieve personal goals of learn-ing, professional growth and serving the greater good.

“I am humbled to be selected into the program and very excited to learn from the other partici-pants,” Hastedt said. “I look forward to exploring ways to work with other government agencies and enhancing the govern-ment’s relationship in San Antonio.”

Hastedt, a 2013 University of St. Mary’s School of Law graduate, hopes to take from the

leadership program les-sons learned in fostering communication between organizations to explore developmental assign-ments that benefit both employees and organiza-tions.

Both Hardy and Hastedt begin their train-ing program this month.

Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, the MICC is made up of about 1,500 military and civilian members as-signed to three contract-ing support brigades and a field directorate office

throughout the United States who are respon-sible for contracting good and services in support of Soldiers.

In fiscal 2016, the command executed more than 32,000 contract actions valued at more than $4.6 billion across the Army, including $2.1 billion to American small businesses. The command also managed more than 585,000 Government Purchase Card Program transactions in fiscal 2016 valued at an additional $741 million.

Photo by Ryan L. MattoxJennifer Hastedt was selected by the Alamo Federal Executive Board to participate in its nine-month leadership program which began this month. Hastedt is contract specialist with the Mission and Installation Contracting Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

Photo by Daniel P. Elkins Lydia Hardy was selected by the Alamo Federal Executive Board to participate in its nine-month leadership program which began this month. Hardy is an operations officer with the MICC Training, Readiness and Exercise Division at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston.


Organizational Point Of Contact VMIS

Mondays, 1-4 p.m., Military & Family Readiness Center, building 2797. Unit and Agency Organizational Points of Contact, or OPOCs, will receive training with the Volunteer Management Information System, or VMIS.

Open to all registered OPOCs. Call 221-2705.

Volunteer Management Information System

Mondays, 1-4 p.m., Military & Family Readiness Center, building 2797. Volunteers will receive hands-on training with the Volunteer Management Information System, or VMIS. Open to all registered volunteers. Call 221-2705.

Helping Us Grow Securely Playgroup

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon,

Middle School Teen Center, build-ing 2515. A playgroup for infants and toddlers; open to parents and their children. Registration is not required. Call 221-2418.

Post-Deployment ResiliencyWednesdays, 1-3 p.m., Military

& Family Readiness Center, building 2797. Service members scheduled to deploy, go on tem-porary duty longer than 30 days or go on a remote assignment are required to attend this briefing. Registration required by calling 221-2418.

THE GATEIf it is administered by another health profes-sional at a clinic within the pharmacy, it may not be covered.

If you get your flu shot from a military hospital or clinic, you may want to call ahead to find a good time and make sure it is avail-able.

This year, the recom-mended flu vaccine an injectable flu shut. In previous years, a nasal spray, called FluMist was also available.

This year, the CDC recommends against us-ing the nasal spray, due to questions surrounding its effectiveness. Military hospitals and clinics will not offer FluMist this year, and TRICARE will not cover it if you get it from a pharmacy or doctor.

Talk to your doctor if you have allergy con-

cerns about the flu shot.TRICARE covers the

flu shot for all benefi-ciaries. Service mem-bers should follow their Service policy for getting the shot and getting the proper documentation so it is recorded in their readiness system and medical records.

The flu is a serious disease that has the po-tential to spread quickly and easily. Getting the flu shot doesn’t mean you can’t get the flu, but most years it lowers your chance of getting the flu up to 60 percent. Most side effects are temporary and mild, such as soreness and redness at the injec-tion site, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat and chills.

TRICARE ben eficiaries 36 months of age and older can receive their influenza vaccination at their primary care clinic or on a walk-in basis

from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday from 6 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday on the first floor of the Brooke Army Medical Center Con solidated Tower.

Flu vaccinations are also available at the Military & Family Readiness Center, build-ing 2797 on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Vaccinations for patients 6 to 35 months of age are not cur-rently available. For the 2016-2017 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of the flu shot. The nasal spray flu vaccine should not be used, therefore it will not be offered.

For more informa-tion about the flu, visit http://www.tricare.mil/flu.

FLU from P17

and wanted to become a veterinary technician. Like many young enlistees, he thought the duties of a 68T involved caring for dogs and cats. Now at the end of his training, Farley understand his new job is much more involved.

“We have to learn how to do everything,” Farley said. “We learn dental cleaning, lab

work, X-Rays, vaccina-tions, administering medicine, anesthesia, taking blood and emer-gency care. We also as-sist during surgery. It’s like I tell other students, you only do one job on only one species, while we all of your jobs combined and on differ-ent species. It’s amaz-ingly hard, yet I really enjoyed training and working with animals.”

The benefits of this partnership are more than just cost savings and training. “The defense of our nation is desperately relies upon animal use,” Owens said. “One border patrol dog we worked on sev-eral months ago aver-ages more than 220 in-terdictions a month. In that dog’s life span, that is an enormous impact on national security.”

AMEDDCS from P3


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DOD Safe Helpline 877-995-5247 OCTOBER 28, 2016 JBSA ...extras.mysanantonio.com/_CreativeServices/...Oct 28, 2016 · Jose Rodriguez See AMEDDCS, P3 Lt. Col. Shawn Owens, Animal Health