Engineering Edge February 2012

The engineering edgeEdgEWood ChEmiCal BiologiCal CEntErVolume 4, Issue 2 February 2012

To access the electronic version of this newsletter visit: http://www.ecbc.army.mil/news/ENG/

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Engineering Inventors Pave Way for Enhanced Nerve Agent Detection, Awarded PatentECBC Engineering’s Jim Genovese, Robin Matthews and Science Applications International Cooperation on-site contractor Kwok Ong, were awarded with an official patent in November, for their latest accomplishment, the Rapid Agent Identification of Nerve Agent detector (RAIDON).

The new technology, U.S. Patent number 8057761, bridges a capability gap in the world of chemical detection, supplementing the currently fielded tactical chemical detection devices. It permits quick discrimination between classes of nerve agents in the field environment once nerve agent is detected.

“There are numerous detectors such as JCAD, ACADA, M256A1 that detect nerve agents, but the problem is they are all vanilla. They don’t tell you what family of nerve agents they fall in,” said Jim Genovese, Leader of the Innovative Development Engineering Acquisition Team.

The M256A1 kit is currently used across the Department of Defense to provide a chemical vapor detection capability at low cost, with minimal training, and without the need for a power source. An improved version, the M256A2 kit, entered production in FY10 to a standard detection method for low volatility solid and liquid agents in the field. However, it still does not provide nerve agent classification capability.

“The RAIDON provides the nerve agent classification information lacking in the existing kits by leveraging the field-proven technology and form/function of the M256A1 kit,” Genovese said. “This then enables tactical users to quickly detect and discriminate nerve agent types in the field once the M256A1 shows nerve agent detection without having to use sophisticated detectors.”

The inventor trio work on the RAIDON began more than six years ago, in 2005, when Genovese identified a requirement and growing need in both the medical and intelligence communities for identifying the speciation of nerve agents. Fielding a detector that is capable of expedient discrimination of nerve agent classes in the field permits more effective medical responses and protective measures tailored to the detected agent’s characteristics.(Continued on page 3)

ECBC’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division Supports Development of Science and Technology Site in Afghanistan, provides Field Assistance to Warfighter

Despite having to hike three-eighths of a mile over gravel-filled pathways each day for meals, sleeping in an eight-person dormitory-style room and having only outdoor bathrooms to use for three months, Engineering

Advanced Design and Manufacturing’s (ADM) Kevin Washok is thankful for what he calls “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Washok recently returned to the U.S. after spending three months in Afghanistan in the summer of 2011, assisting in the establishment of a new U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Field Assistant Science and(Continued on page 7)

Personal Spotlight: Alonzo White and family provide safe home to foster children for 13 years and counting

As certified foster parents, Lisa and Alonzo White, an ECBC-matrixed employee to the Joint Project Manager for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Contamination Avoidance (JPM NBC CA), have kept their front door open to children in need. Despite the ups and downs of serving in the foster parent role, the couple – who also raised three children of their own ages 28, 25 and 16 – said having the opportunity to change the lives of the children who have come through their doors is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world.

(Continued on page 8)

The Rapid Agent Identification of Nerve Agent (RAIDON) Sampler uses colorimetric technology to detect nerve agent. The new technology was awarded a patent and permits quick differentiation of nerve agent classes after a nerve is detected. ECBC Engineering’s Jim Genovese, Robin Matthews and Kwok Ong developed the RAIDON.

Alonzo White and wife Lisa (pictured above) have shared their love with more than 75 children over the course of 13 years as foster parents in addition to raising three children of their own. The couple’s home also provides licensed therapeutic and 24-hour Emergency Care for children.


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This newsletter was published through the Balanced Scorecard.For article suggestions, questions or comments please contact Ed Bowen at [email protected].

INSIDE ThIS MoNTh’S ISSuE:Engineering Inventors Pave Way for Enhanced Nerve Agent Detection, Awarded Patent 1

ECBC’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division Supports Development of Science and Technology Site in Afghanistan, Provides Field Assistance to Warfighter 1

Personal Spotlight:Alonzo White and family provide safe home to foster children for 13 years and counting 1

Employee Spotlight:John Stortstrom 3

ECBC Engineering Acquires Downer hall (E4301), Prepares for Move in 2012 4

Engineering’s PRIDE Program is back! 6

Awareness Tip: Black History MonthEach year in February, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) and people all across the world celebrate African American culture and history during Black History Month. The theme of the 2012 Black History Month is “Black Women in American Culture and History.”

Black History Month began through the efforts of Carter G. Woodson, Ph.D., a Harvard-educated historian who hoped to raise awareness of African Americans’ contributions to civilization. Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in 1915 “to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about black life, history, and culture to the global community.” The ASNLH conceived and announced “Negro History Week” in 1925. The event was first celebrated during

a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

By the time of Dr. Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life and significant progress had been made in bringing more Americans to appreciate the celebration. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s further expanded the consciousness of African Americans about the importance of black history, and all Americans continued to discover more about the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history,” and Congress expanded the celebration to a full month. That year fifty years after the first celebration, the nation recognized the first Black History Month. By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of black history in the drama of the American story. Since then, each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations, and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History continues to promote the study of Black history all year.

For more information about Black History Month, visit http://www.history.com/topics/black-history-month.

hR Tip of the Month: RetiringOnce an employee decides they will be retiring they should contact Army Benefits Center to request a retirement package and computation. An HR analyst will submit the Personnel Action to be forwarded with the package. A delay in submitting your paperwork could delay your pay!

For more information about your HR policies, please contact Engineering Workforce Management Representative Sabre harper at ext. 5-2722.

Safety Tip of the Month: Candle Safety• Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.• Keep candles away from items that could catch fire.• Use candleholders that are sturdy, won’t tip over easily, are made from a

material that can’t burn, and are large enough to collect dripping wax.• DO NOT place candles in windows.• DO NOT use candles in places where they could be knocked over by children.• Keep candle wicks trimmed to ¼ inch.• Remove labels and tags from candles BEFORE burning.• Extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get to within two inches of the

holder or any decorative material.• Avoid candles with combustible items embedded in them.

The theme of the 2012 Black History Month is “Black Women in American Culture and History.”

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Employee Spotlight: John StortstromIn this month’s Employee Spotlight, the Engineering Edge spoke with John Stortstrom, a mechanical engineer of the Obscuration and Nonlethal Engineering Branch to learn more about his role within the Engineering Directorate.

how did you get started with the obscuration and Nonlethal Engineering Branch at ECBC?I grew up in Maryland outside of D.C. and went to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for Mechanical Engineering. I graduated in December 2008 and soon after interviewed with the Obscuration and Nonlethal Engineering Branch for an engineering position. I had Computer-Aided Design and engineering-drawing experience from my internships, and the branch was looking for a mechanical engineer to help with configuration management and technical data support. My background was a natural fit and I started working with the branch in April of 2009.

What is your favorite part of the job?My favorite part of working for ECBC and the Department of the Army is that I have the opportunity to see and do things that I would not have had if I worked somewhere else. One of my first trips was to Dugway Proving Ground for a lot test of M722 60mm white phosphorus mortar cartridges. They fired more than a hundred cartridges. It was something I had never seen before and I thought it was awesome. At ECBC, I can be in an explosives safety class one day, and be serving as a protective mask test subject the next; and that is unique.

What projects are you currently working on?First I’ll explain what our branch does and then how I fit in. Our job is to provide engineering and chemical expertise to customers in support of obscuration, nonlethal, riot control and incendiary munitions. Obscuration munitions, such as smoke grenades and white phosphorus artillery rounds, are used by the Warfighter for concealment on the battlefield. Support is provided to a wide range of customers: the Project Managers Close Combat Systems (PM-CCS, grenades), Combat Ammunition Systems (large projectiles), and Maneuver Ammunition Systems (medium projectiles) under PEO Ammo, Joint Attack Munitions Systems Project Office (rockets) as well as other services such as the Marines and Navy.

The majority of my time is spent supporting the grenade items of PM-CCS. I am currently the branch lead project engineer for the M18/M83 smoke grenades. The M83 is filled with terephthalic acid and gives off white smoke for roughly 90 seconds, and is used for concealment. The M18 is the colored smoke grenade and is very similar to the M83. Colored smoke grenades are used for signaling and the M18 comes in four colors - green, red, yellow and violet. The Army builds and uses hundreds of thousands of these grenades every year, and we receive reports of how they save lives in the battlefield.

What is the one skill that you use every day for your job that you did not think you would need as an engineer? Customer service is the one skill I did not think I needed before I started working here. I learned this is not just an engineering job; it is about providing a service to our customers. When a PM has a problem it is important to let them know about the capabilities that ECBC has and work to coordinate those assets to provide a comprehensive and integrated solution to the customer’s needs.

Engineering Inventors Pave Way for Enhanced Nerve Agent Detection, Awarded Patent(Continued from page 1)

“The RAIDON can provide a near-term tactical method for discriminating nerve agent and pesticide class at a low cost and with low technical risk,” Ong, co-inventor chemist, said.

The prototype does not require a complicated, expensive, instrumental base, but instead is likened to “retro chemistry” and is something the Warfighter would be able to carry in their pocket. In order to minimize training requirements and enable rapid transition from prototypes to production-ready systems, the RAIDON uses colorimetric chemical reactions similar to the M256A2 kit.

“It is simple and gets the capability to the Warfighter. We are not afraid to try creative and retro methods,” Matthews, Applied Detection Technology team member and co-inventor chemist, said.

Genovese lightheartedly describes his team’s approach to the research as “Edisonian,” characterized by “hunt and try” discovery. As the patent recipients of Genovese’s well-intended wild goose chases, Matthews and Ong look back fondly now at the various milestones of success, which eventually led to the development RAIDON.

“We would try more of one thing, less of the other, dry versus wet – it was all a part of going through the rigor to find the best means for classifying the nerve agents,” Matthews said.

While the awarded patent is the “cherry on top” of the team’s past six years of successful research, it is not the end of the three inventors’ story. In fact, it is more of a second beginning. A prototype of the RAIDON currently exists but the team is in need of further funding to refine the chemical concepts and conduct stability testing. For now, the technology does not exist in theater.

As a means of generating buzz around the invention, Genovese presented their research accomplishments to Dr. Charles Hurst, COL (Ret), Chief of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense Chemical Casualty Care Division in the fall of 2009. Hurst’s advocacy for the continued development of the RAIDON technology was clear in a follow-up letter addressed to the Joint Project Manager for Nuclear Biological Chemical Contamination Avoidance.

“To my knowledge these capabilities are unique and are cutting edge. For medical personnel the RAIDON will allow for nerve agent/cholinergic substance discrimination, greater protection and more efficient and effective treatment regimens resulting in better patient outcomes,” Hurst stated in the letter.

“I believe, Hurst’s words were ‘we needed the RAIDON in the field yesterday’,” Genovese said. “As a valued customer and a key member in the U.S. Army medical community, his support was significant.”

The team remains optimistic that their research will be taken to the next level to develop the RAIDON past a prototype. Between Ong, Matthews and Genovese, they boast an impressive resume of awarded patents and have a thorough understanding of how patents can evolve.

“You can never be too busy to patent your work. In many ways, it can be the most important thing you do,” Genovese said. “Make time to do the needed paperwork to file for a patent. You may get push back, but do your due diligence to stand by your work and its authenticity. You are the subject matter expert.”

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ECBC Engineering Acquires Downer hall (E4301), Prepares for Move in 2012As a part of initial infrastructure initiatives that began in 2005, Engineering’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Division will be moving from their current home at the 3500 block of the Edgewood campus to Downer Hall, located on Otto Road. With this move the entire ADM Division will be consolidated under one roof.

“The plan is to move ADM into Downer Hall first and then work to transfer the non-surety environmental testing capabilities to the Hall,” said Bill Klein, Associate Director of Engineering.

The catalyst for ADM’s move to Downer Hall originated out of a larger comprehensive Engineering Infrastructure Initiative-Campus Plan effort, crafted in 2005 to create an engineering campus. The plan was a response to the lack of space and capability limitations due to facility restrictions. The campus plan was originally intended to consolidate all ECBC product development and assessment assets into two modern, state-of-the-art facilities, providing additional capabilities for an expanded workload, in support of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD).

At the time when the plan was designed, product development functions were scattered across Edgewood in 18 different facilities, and product assessment functions were divided across 12 facilities. The customer base for these functions had expanded dramatically following 9/11. The total number of JPEO-CBD Joint Project Managers (JPM) had increased from one to eight. Dollar-wise, the product development and assessment program grew over 100 percent from 2004 to 2009, and space needs for personnel and equipment skyrocketed accordingly. The cramping space was affecting staffing decisions and impacting the ability to effectively meet customer requirements.

“Additionally, many of the original facilities could not be modified due to their current condition, creating operational inefficiencies by having to move from building to building for different project phases,” Klein said.

As a part of the first steps in the Engineering Infrastructure Initiative, Engineering leadership generated requirements for two Military Construction Army (MCA) facilities: a modern facility for non-surety testing and a state-of-the-art product development facility. However, once submitted to the U.S. Research, Development and Engineering Command, the proposed MCAs were unable to gain the needed forward-momentum due to other initiatives—such as U.S. military oversea-operations and the Base Realignment and Closure changes— taking priority.

While the MCA facilities were unable to gain traction, a new opportunity for infrastructure development presented itself through the BRAC in 2006 – Downer Hall became available. Standing at 289,000 square feet, Downer Hall was previously the home to the Ordinance School Wheel and Track Automotive Department.

“We started talking to the Aberdeen Proving Ground garrison to negotiate a possible transfer of the building to ECBC Engineering.” Klein said.

The final requirements in the proposed building transfer between ECBC and the garrison included Engineering’s withdrawal of the MCA projects and the agreement for Engineering to turn in an amount of square footage roughly equivalent to Downer Hall. The square footage to be turned over to the garrison equates to more than twenty different buildings of space, all of which will be officially turned over to the garrison following the completed transfer of ECBC’s product integration activities to Downer Hall.(Continued from page 6)

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ECBC Engineering Product Integration Facility (PIF)Building E4301Downer Hall

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ECBC Engineering Acquires Downer hall (E4301), Prepares for Move in 2012

(Continued from page 4)

“Creating a brand new building would not have been cost effective. Repurposing a building like Downer Hall fit better within the budget plans and created the needed options for Engineering to sustain our customer work,” Klein said. As a means to illustrate the potential repurposing of Downer Hall, a team of ADM division members under the direction of ADM Division Chief Mark Schlein created three-dimensional computer aided design drawings of the facility, describing how the building will be divided amongst the functions.

“Right now the ADM division is spread out across several buildings,” said Schlein. “Downer will allow us to consolidate and integrate into one facility. Tight integration allows people to work closer together, allowing the division to move quickly and efficiently with the best possible outcome.”

Schlein said the new building will help decrease safety risks and allow space for new equipment, such as laser cutting and an additional water jet. The initial steps of ADM’s move into Downer Hall will happen in FY12, with plans for a full transition within the next several years. Currently, the needed assessments and preparations are underway to ensure the new facility can properly handle the additional equipment.

“ADM will have three-quarters of the new facility and the other part is for the Product Test Branch. Consolidating the product integration functions under one roof really rounds out the lifecycle process—ADM does design and manufacturing and the test teams perform the needed product evaluation,” Schlein said. “All together that is a comprehensive picture of product development —a combination that will allow the directorate to work together to solve problems for the Warfighter in a more efficient and effective manner.”

Engineering’s PRIDE Program is back!The PRIDE program is a career-development opportunity for high-caliber employees to gain diversified experience by serving in two consecutive six-month detail assignments within the Engineering Directorate. Participants rotate positions across the directorate and specific assignments are determined after final selection of program participants. This is an opportunity to get a bigger picture of what is going on in your directorate, to network with fellow employees, and to gain skills and insight into other areas of responsibility.

All scientists and engineers that are grades GS-10 through GS-12 in the Engineering Directorate are eligible to apply with their supervisor’s approval. Specific job duties are coordinated between the PRIDE participant and their assigned detail supervisors prior to beginning the rotations. Applications are distributed 30 Jan, closing date is 15 Feb, and the first new rotation will begin 7 May.

For more information, please visit SharePoint: https://cbconnect.apgea.army.mil/ENG/PRIDE

Progressive Rotational Inter-Divisional Exchange

2005 engineering infrastructure initiativesPictured here is a mock-up of the original MCA product integration facility proposed in the 2005 campus plan under the Engineering infrastructure initiatives. While the MCA proposals did not grain traction in 2005, they served as a primer for the eventual building transfer settlement between ECBC Engineering and the Aberdeen Proving Ground Garrison for Downer Hall, building E4301.

For more information, please call 410.436.5600, e-mail [email protected] or visit https://cbconnect.apgea.army.mil/ENG/PRIDE.

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ECBC’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division Supports Development of Science and Technology Site in Afghanistan, Provides Field Assistance(Continued from page 1)

Technology (RFAST) Program location at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. A desire to start a large-scale operation from scratch and a yearning to work closely with the Warfighter prompted Washok to volunteer for the program.

“I wanted an opportunity to go out and set up a barebones shop. This experience proved to be all that I wanted and then some,” Washok said. “And it’s important to note, I was fortunate to have the support at home to allow me to take this opportunity and be out of the country for three months.”

The RFAST program deploys civilian engineers and technicians to Afghanistan for three-to-six months to assist the Warfighter with all technical equipment needs. The program’s mission is to streamline communication

between the Warfighter and the technical professionals in order to troubleshoot issues with the Warfighter’s equipment. With technicians and engineers like Washok stationed abroad, they are able to examine equipment, identify capability gaps and work directly with the end users – the Warfighter – to develop working solutions in a more efficient manner.

“Being stationed abroad gives Warfighters the advantage of having their needs quickly met, and gives the technical workers immediate insight and ideas on how to improve the equipment they build,” Washok said.

Washok was a member of the first team to set up the RFAST program at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. The program, which is open to employees of RDECOM and its subordinate organizations, is coordinated through ADM. In the planning stages of the program at Bagram, ADM helped to create the concept for a technical village that provided the base for a larger RFAST operation in Bagram. ADM also helped determine what services the Bagram site would offer and how the RFAST mission would work there, including coordination and reach back to CONUS resources such as the RDECOM Prototype Integration Facilities (PIFs), program managers and the safety community.

“After ADM helped with the initial set-up, the RFAST PIF Director – who happens to be Dr. LTC Alan Samuels from ECBC’s Research and Technology Directorate - looked to ECBC to provide key personnel for the first rotation in Bagram,” said Mark Schlein, ADM Division Chief. “Kevin applied and was chosen from about a dozen or so other applicants to represent ECBC.”

Helping the new RFAST location take a step in the right direction, Washok worked to establish a safety program at Bagram modeled after ECBC’s safety program. Andy Cote from the ECBC Risk Office supported Washok and his colleagues to develop a safety plan appropriate to the site’s needs.

“We took the safety measures provided to us by Mr. Cote and adapted them to unique situations we had. We were able to mirror what is done at ECBC with the addition of a few Standard Operating Procedures particular to Afghanistan,” Washok said. “The help Mr. Cote provided us was significant and allowed us to get things in place over there.”

Washok noted that the information sharing in Afghanistan was two-way – he helped to share best practices from ECBC, but also gained additional perspectives and ideas from the other technicians and Warfighters stationed in Bagram.

“My relationship with the Warfighter was basically one of shared information. The technicians and Warfighters developed a knowledge bank,” Washok said. “We had machinist welders assigned to a helicopter section in Bagram. As we got to know them, we were able to show them our capabilities and what we do; and they in turn showed us their methods.

“The program is a great opportunity for engineers to network and interact with each other and with program operators on a whole new level. Seeing everyone working together toward the same goal was amazing.”

Washok’s average day started at 7 a.m. and ended at 8 p.m. The day was spent solving problems with equipment and working with contractors to coordinate solutions for problems. As Washok explained, the heart of his work lay within the relationships he made and the knowledge he gained while overseas – both things he is now applying to his work in Edgewood.

“The deployed employees get a unique experience and understand the customer better,” said Schlein. ”What we gain back home is a sense of satisfaction. It’s about how can we contribute to the Soldier better,” Schlein said.

Currently, Bagram’s RFAST Program is looking to ECBC to potentially manage the business aspects of the program, which would include contracting, purchasing and coordinating maintenance contracts.

“We’re working up a plan on how we can support them with the business of the program. Anytime you take on these tasks that serve a greater purpose you feel a sense of accomplishment. You also get the satisfaction of knowing you’re making a difference right where it counts,” Schlein said.

Schlein would like to maintain ECBC’s presence in Afghanistan through the RFAST program, ideally stationing an engineer or technician from the Center in each RFAST rotation. Currently Colin Graham, an engineer from ADM, is serving a six-month term with RFAST.

“There are always three technicians in Bagram at one time,” Schlein said. “The plan, as employees are available, is to have a technician from ECBC in Bagram at all times along with representatives from the other RDECOM subordinate organizations.”

Both Schlein and Washok emphasize the personal commitment required by RFAST participants, noting that the program requires more of an employee than just interest.

“This is a totally volunteer-based program. You have to be willing to give up three to six months of your life,” Schlein said.

With regard to the personnel sent to the programs in Afghanistan and in other locations like Iraq, Schlein says ECBC has been complimented on the fact that it has a robust number of volunteers to go overseas.

“We feel confident that here at ECBC we have several very good technicians and engineers who can replace Colin following his rotation,” Schlein said. “We intend to continue to support this for as long as needed and as long as we have people willing to apply.”

The RFAST program is open to any ECBC employee and is coordinated through ECBC’s ADM Division. For more information, please contact Mark Schlein at [email protected].

Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, [bagram.af.cent.af.mil]

Private 1st Class Zachary Root, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Personal Spotlight: Alonzo White and family provide safe home to foster children for 13 years and counting(Continued from page 1)

Alonzo serves as a Senior Acquisition Logistician for the Joint Chemical Agent Detector program within JPM NBC CA.

“Foster parenting is an education within itself in that it gives you a real understanding of how abuse, neglect and poverty can change the course of a child’s life,”

Lisa said. “Being a foster parent affords you the opportunity to impart your knowledge of parenthood, your parental teachings garnered from your parents, and to watch as the children progress from one phase to the next. It is fulfilling that you can make a difference no matter how insignificant or significant, and give back the training and love that your parents gave you.”

Lisa and Alonzo’s venture into foster parenting was influenced by many factors, one of them being a tragic situation that happened in Lisa’s life. Lisa’s mother was killed by a drunk driver in a car accident when she was eight years old, leaving her and her father to take care of her three younger siblings. At the time, foster care was a possible option for her and her siblings, but extended family took them in. The possibility of being split up from her brothers and sister and put into the foster system resonated with Lisa, guiding her decision to become a licensed foster parent. Additionally, a number of years later, a family friend asked the Whites to take their daughter in when they were faced with a tragic situation.

Alonzo attributes the couple’s decision to become foster and the discipline and responsibility learned from working within the military. In addition to being full-time foster parents, Lisa and Alonzo are also licensed as a therapeutic and 24-Hour Emergency Care home. In the past 13 years, the Whites have provided a temporary home for over 75 children.

Alonzo admits that foster parenting can be difficult and has its rough moments. Multiple court dates, unstable and sometimes violent parents of their foster children and the general adjustment of never knowing whether or not a new child is going to walk in or out of their house are just a handful of the conflicts and uncertainties the couple has weathered. Special cases require the family to change their lifestyle. “Sometimes you are required to maintain a higher level of privacy and security with certain children due to their tumultuous family background, avoiding otherwise common public outings for the sake of their safety,” Lisa said.

“We’ve had children with us and when they first arrived to our home they were broken, despondent, angry, with their clothing frayed and not certain of their future,” Lisa said.

Through motherly conversation, the children opened up and began to express to Lisa their situation.

“The kids had very little concept of family, their education neglected [their grade point average (GPA) below 1.0], and they thought that physical punishment was a norm,” Lisa said.

However, through much nurturing, compassion and attention the boys have made a drastic turnaround. Lisa said their manners have improved, their discipline intact, their GPAs now above a 3.0, and their experience of what a family structure looks and feels like has made them change the outlook of their future.

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. More than 400,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system.

“On this one particular occasion I was on TDY, Lisa phoned me and stated that she had just taken in a sibling group of five. I replied by saying ‘Are you kidding!’ She replied ‘no;’ I asked her to put all of the children on speaker phone so that I could speak with them and say hello; then there were five!” Alonzo said, laughing.

The Whites feel that opening their home to foster children has enriched their lives by the many lives that they have impacted. Persevering through the tough times has taught them a valuable lesson in self sacrifice. The Whites said their youngest son has definitely been affected by foster parenting as he has become more responsible and a leader. Seeing the different situations that the foster children have been through gives him a broad perspective of the challenges that life can bring.

“He helps Lisa with the day-to-day home management all the while taking care of his own responsibilities as a junior in high school and an athlete, while I’m away on TDY,” Alonzo said. “Being part of a foster parenting home helps him understand that family is important and that decisions you make, appropriate or inappropriate, not only affect you, but the others around you. Being exposed to the varied backgrounds of some of these children makes him grateful for the family that he has and for what he has.”

The Whites are just two of the many individuals within the ECBC Engineering Directorate workforce who dedicate their lives to an area of the community and humanitarian work. Do you or someone you know within the Engineering Directorate demonstrate selfless service or one of the other Army core values? If so, submit your article suggestion for our next personal feature story to Ed Bowen at [email protected].

For more information about foster care contact Maryland Department of Human Resourceshttp://www.dhr.state.md.us/ssa/foster/index.php

The Whites attribute their desire to be foster parents to good family upbringing and a need to give back to others the love and support that their parents, friends and family have given them as children.

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Engineering Edge February 2012