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FORGING THE
JRTC & FORT POLK GUARDIANTHE
Home of Heroes @ Fort Polk, LA June 5, 2020Vol. 47, No. 23
Weekend weather
Friday Saturday Sunday
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Inside the Guardian
WARRIOR SPIRIT
Deployment ............... 3
Tax center reopens ..... 8
509th jump ............. 10
Ticks ....................... 12
Home safety ............. 14
Dog paw prints ......... 16
FORT POLK, La. — Safety.That word — safety — is always
paramount in the minds of Armyleaders. Whether it is squad, team,platoon or company training, rota-tions to the Joint Readiness TrainingCenter, National Training Center, ora deployment down range, safety isof utmost importance.
With the current COVID-19 pan-demic, safety has become even moreprominent in planning for units asthey seek to mitigate the effects ofthe coronavirus, while at the sametime conducting realistic trainingbefore heading to an overseas de-ployment.
Rotation 20-08 at the JRTC seeksto do just that as the 4th SecurityForce Assistance Brigade, with ele-ments from the 3rd Battalion, 126thInfantry Regiment, Michigan Na-tional Guard, and the Security ForceAssistance Command from FortBragg, North Carolina, prepare for adeployment to Afghanistan laterthis summer.
The focus on safety began beforethe Soldiers boarded buses or air-craft for the trip to Alexandria,Louisiana in transit to Fort Polk.Soldiers received a COVID-19screening at their home station, fol-
lowed by another screening by ateam of JRTC and Fort Polk medicalpersonnel at the Arrival/DepartureAirfield Control Group (ADACG) atAlexandria International Airport.
Once on Fort Polk, rotational Sol-diers were assigned to barracks thatnormally sleep 40, but to maintainsocial distancing requirements, willsleep just 12 for this rotation.
Sgt. 1st Class KohlbyHollingsworth, C Company, 2ndBattalion, 4th SFAB, said the limitednumber of Soldiers in each barracksis a plus.
“We actually have more spacehere so it’s kind of nice,” he said. “Ithelps alleviate concerns about con-tracting COVID-19.”
Hollingsworth said the precau-tions 4th SFAB has put in place —social distancing, gloves, masks,and eye protection — should keepSoldiers COVID-19 free during therotation.
“I’m not really worried about it,”he said. “I don’t think anyone is inany serious danger of getting it.When we reach the field, I think aslong as we set the practices now,when we get out there we’ll be justfine.”
Hollingsworth said he knowsArmy leaders are watching this ro-
4th SFAB Builds Combat Power in Preparation for Rotation 20-08By CHUCK CANNONCommand information officer
Please see Rotation, page 5
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A Soldier with the 4th SecurityForce Assistance Brigade gives handand arm signals to a fellow Soldierwhile donning a mask for COVID-19mitigation during vehicle off-loadingoperations at the centralized receivingand shipping point (CRSP) on NorthFort Polk in preparation for Rotation20-08 at the Joint Readiness TrainingCenter and Fort Polk.
2/GuardianJune 5, 2020
VViieewwppooiinnttIn our viewGuardian staff asked local residents,
“What have you done to prepare for hurricane season?”Here are their responses:
Beth Isley: "We have sand bags and hurri-cane supplies to last a couple weeks with noelectricity. We have flashlights, extra batter-ies, to-go bags, a first-aid kit and a campstove for boiling water and cooking.”
The Guardian, is an authorizedpublication for members of the U.S.Army. Contents of the Guardian arenot necessarily official views of, orendorsed by, the U.S. Government,Department of Defense, Departmentof the Army or Fort Polk.
The Guardian is published weeklyby the Public Affairs Office, JointReadiness Training Center and FortPolk.
The Guardian can be found on theJRTC and Fort Polk web site athome.army.mil.polk and the JRTCand Fort Polk Facebook page at@JRTCandFortPolk/. Guardianarchives can also be found on theJRTC and Fort Polk website.
Links to the Guardian are alsoincluded in all-users emails to govern-ment email users and by request tonon-military units. To be included onall-users messages [email protected].
All editorial content of theGuardian is prepared, edited, provid-ed and approved by the Public AffairsOffice, Joint Readiness TrainingCenter and Fort Polk.
For more information on Fort Polkunits and happenings visit the follow-ing Facebook pages: @JRTCOperationsGrp,@BayneJonesACH or @fort-polkmwr.
GuardianEditorial Staff
Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank
Joint Readiness Training Centerand Fort Polk commanding general
Col. Ryan K. Roseberry
Garrison commander
Kim ReischlingPublic affairs officer
Chuck CannonCommand information officer
Christy GrahamEditor
Angie Thorne
T.C. Bradford
Keith Houin
Staff writers
Editorial Offices
Building 4919, Magnolia Street
Fort Polk, LA 71459-5060
Voice (337) 531-4033
Fax (337) 531-1401
Email: [email protected]
Fort Polk Homepage
home.army.mil/polk/
Rodney and Victoria Fultz : "We alwayskeep the propane tank full and stock upon canned goods and water. If you havepets, keep their food stocked as well."
Teresa Prichard: “I’m rolling my coron-avirus-preparedness stock over to myhurricane-season stash.”
Lisa Adams (Pictured with StephanieCarroll, left): "I stocked up on the essen-tials."
John Crook : “It's hurricane season. I al-ways make sure I have a bit of extra wateron hand!”
Charlie Elliot: "You need to get a stash offood and water in the house. You’ll need bat-teries for flashlights and fuel for your carsand gasoline containers, if you have them.”
NNeewwSSccooppee
/3GuardianJune 5, 2020
Road workMississippi Avenue is undergoing reno-
vations — pavement milling, new asphaltand installation of permanent pavementparking. Travel lane and shoulder closuresare projected to continue through June 19.The primary traffic impact will be contin-ued delays associated with flaggers con-trolling traffic within and around the workzone. The moving work zone will requireintermittent temporary closures of intersec-tions and drives along this segment of Mis-sissippi Avenue.
The new asphalt paving is projected forJune 22-July 10. The contractor will closeintersecting roads at Mississippi Avenueand install "road closed to thru traffic"signs along Alabama Ave after 8 a.m. Mon-day through Friday. Flaggers will be placedwithin the work zone to control and miti-gate conflicting traffic movements. Effortswill be made to minimize traffic impacts,but delays should be expected and alter-nate routes used if available.
Off limitsThe following establishments in the Fort
Polk, Leesville, Barksdale Air Force Baseand Shreveport areas have been designatedas off limits by the Armed Forces Discipli-nary Control Board of the Joint ReadinessTraining Center and Fort Polk:
• Blackhawks Motorcycle Club, 2463VFW Road., Leesville
• The Venue, 11810 Lake Charles High-way, Leesville
• American Legion Post 510, 703 NorthGladys St., Leesville
• Adolph’s Grocery, 100 Vernon St., NewLlano
• Banshees Motorcycle Club, 1330 and1340 Rapides Ave., Alexandria
• BEAST Motorcycle Club, 3149 DavisRoad., West Lake
• Outcast Motorcycle Club, 5151 U.S.Highway 90 East, Lake Charles
• Pipes Emporium, 1304 CentenaryBlvd., Shreveport
• Kokopellis, 400 Commerce St., Shreve-port
• Lotus, 2001 East Texas St., Suite 3,Bossier City.
100% ID scansBeginning June 6, the installation will
transition back to a 100% ID scan of all per-sonnel entering the installation. It will re-main a no-contact scan. Drivers will pres-ent their cards to access control point per-sonnel, including any cards belonging toother occupants in the vehicle.
Briefs
FORT POLK, La. — Opening the deploymentceremony for the Joint Readiness Training Centerand Fort Polk’s 383rd Modular Movement Con-trol Team, 519th Military Police Battalion on June1 at 10 a.m., 1st Lt. Madalyn Larch, unit move-ment officer, extended her gratitude to the Sol-diers and said, “These heroes have successfullycompleted their training and are prepared to se-cure their place in history alongside every otherSoldier who has ever fought our nation’s wars.”
Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, JRTCand Fort Polk, and Lt. Col. Shawn C. Keller, com-mander, 519th MP Bn, were guest speakers. Dueto COVID-19 social-distancing and mask require-ments, Families and fellow Soldiers were not inattendance.
The 383rd MMCT’s 21 Soldiers are deployinginto Africa Command’s area of responsibility “toexpedite, coordinate and supervise transporta-tion support of units, cargo and personnel intoand through air and water ports,” said Capt.Tiara Knotts, commander, 383rd MMCT.
Discussing her team’s unique qualities Knottssaid, “we are a small group with 21 service mem-bers — we are designed to execute five move-ment control missions.
An MCT can breakdown into two- to three-person teams and still function without the entiregroup. Being modular allows the MCT to be flex-
ible; we can be employed at various locationsand in a variety of configurations to meet mis-sion demands.”
Keller, the first guest speaker, thanked Sgt. 1stClass Marketa Pearson (383rd MMCT acting 1stSgt.) for “ensuring our Warriors continue tostand tall in support of our great battalion andour nation.”
Highlighting the team’s extensive training andpreparations, Keller remarked on their readinessto deploy.
“Standing before you are 21 of your Fort Polkteammates, Soldiers and warriors. They’vehoned their skills and perfected their craft. Frombeing poked and prodded by the Bayne-JonesArmy Community Hospital teams, to the small-arms qualifications, squad and team live-firesand, just a week ago, training with the Air Forceat Barksdale Air Force Base — these Soldiers areready to deploy,” he said.
Keller continued by promising that the Sol-diers’ Families would be cared for during theirdeployment.
“To the Soldiers and your Families who willremain behind, it is my pledge to you that if theyneed something all they have to do is say some-thing,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Keller expressed his ex-citement and pride for the MCT.
“Captain Knotts and Sergeant First Class Pear-
383rd Modular Movement Control Team deploysBy CHRISTY GRAHAMGuardian editor
Please see Ceremony, page 7
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Newest “Home of Heroes” teammatesMilitary working dogs Gerber (left) and Xando (right) arrived to the Joint Readi-ness Training Center and Fort Polk on May 28. They are both patrol explosiveMWDs and are excited to be joining the world-class 50th Military Working Dog De-tachment in the 519th Military Police Battalion.
4/GuardianJune 5, 2020
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FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kans. — The FortLeavenworth Soldier who took action to end anactive shooter situation May 27 on the CentennialBridge in Leavenworth spoke about the incidentduring a press conference May 28.
Master Sgt. David Royer, a corrections non-commissioned officer with the 705th Military Po-lice Battalion (Detention), said he was eastboundwaiting to cross the bridge into Missouri whenthe incident occurred. He said he was talkingwith his fiancé, Haley Siela, on speaker phonewhen the suspect exited a vehicle and beganshooting a rifle at other vehicles on the bridge.Before ending their call, Royer instructed Siela tocall 911.
“I assessed the situation quickly, lookedaround and took the only possible action I couldtake,” Royer said. “I accelerated my truck andstruck the active shooter, pinning him under-neath my truck.”
While waiting for law enforcement to arrive,Royer said he got out of his truck and found thesuspect underneath the truck, determining therewas no longer a threat. He said he began life-sav-ing procedures at this point. Law enforcementshowed up within minutes, he said.
“It was a textbook response on their part,”Royer said. “They handled the situation amaz-ingly well.”
Royer said he has had ample active shootertraining during his 15-year military career in-cluding Military Police Special Reaction TeamTraining (Military SWAT Team), Air AssaultSchool, a Military Police Investigator Course andother situation-specific training, which also at-tributed to his quick reaction.
“I was shocked that it was happening, but theadrenaline took over and, with my military train-ing, I took appropriate action to take the threatout quickly,” Royer said. “I didn’t imagine (anactive shooter situation) would happen in traffic,but it was always in the back of my mind be-cause of how crazy things are in the world today.
“I constantly consider what I would do whileat various places with my family” he said. “Ifsomething were to happen, how would I exit ifmy children and fiancé are with me? How do Iget them to safety before I react?”
Royer said he also attributes his quick actionsto his upbringing.
“It runs in our blood to stand up and dowhat’s right and put ourselves in front of harm’sway,” Royer said. “(My parents) taught me to not
let fear take control, always do what’s right andprotect the innocent.”
Local law enforcement and Royer’s command-ers agree that his actions were heroic.
“He won’t call himself a hero, but I will,” saidLeavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens. “Hesaved countless lives. His actions were extraordi-nary, and he should be commended for that.
“We’re grateful … on behalf of the entire Leav-enworth community,” he said.
Col. Caroline Smith, 15th Military PoliceBrigade commander, said she was proud of Roy-er.
“I think many people will sit back and wonderwhat they would do in that situation and if theyhave the confidence and the courage to act whennecessary,” Smith said. “I think Master Sgt. Royerdid what was necessary to neutralize the threat.In a split second, he made the right decision.
“He acted with courage and conviction. I haveno doubt that he saved many people’s lives,” shesaid. “We’ll never know how many lives he
saved, but I can say I’m proud of his actions andwho he is as an NCO.”
Siela said she was proud, too.“I couldn’t have done what he did,” she said.Royer has a different mindset.“There are people all around the world that
would do the right thing, and I believe there ismore good out there then there is bad,” Royersaid. “There are good people that would stop adangerous situation and save lives.”
“My life is worth something, but there are alsomany other lives out there, too,” he said, “If I sac-rifice myself for the majority, then that is my pre-rogative.”
Two people were injured during the incident,including an active-duty soldier who was shotand the shooting suspect. Both are being treatedfor injuries.
Law enforcement continue to investigate theincident.
Royer joined the Army in 2005 and has beenstationed at Fort Leavenworth since 2014.
Soldier tells how he stopped active shooter on bridgeBy BOB KERRArmy News Service
Master Sgt. David Royer, 705th Military Police Battalion (Detention), supported by 15th MPBrigade Commander Col. Caroline Smith and 705th MP Battalion Command Sgt. Maj.Justin Shad, speaks to area reporters about taking action to subdue an active shooter onCentennial Bridge in Fort Leavenworth during a press conference May 28 at Sherman
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DoD launches effort to collect 8,000 units of COVID-19 convalescent plasma
WASHINGTON — Patients who have recov-ered from COVID-19 may hold a treatment intheir veins that could help others currently suf-fering from the virus.
The Defense Department has begun an effort
to collect 8,000 donated units of plasma from pa-tients who have recovered from COVID-19 tosupport the development of an effective treat-ment against the disease.
"We may want to ask you to donate blood,"Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the JointChiefs of Staff, said in a virtual town hall May 31.
"That can help others who are severely ill, and ifwe can do that, then we'll be on a good path to-ward getting powerful therapeutics."
Donations will be accepted at 15 Armed Serv-ices Blood Program centers across the continentalUnited States and in Hawaii, Guam and Ger-
OSJA
Please see Plasma, page 7
GuardianJune 5, 2020 /5
RotationContinued from page 1
tation with a discerning eye to see if it’s feasibleto resume large-scale training.
“I think we’re here to help figure out thosebest practices during this time and that’s one ofthe ways we can contribute to the force,” he said.“That’s what we’re here to do, and to continue onwith our training as well.”
Before heading to the JRTC “Box” trainingarea, 4th SFAB Soldiers were issued multiple in-tegrated laser engagement systems — MILES —gear. Maj. Kevin Mott, 2nd Bn, 4th SFAB execu-tive officer, said adjustments were made to theway MILES gear was distributed to Soldiers.
“For a typical rotation we would go to a ware-house with a significant number of people todraw our MILES gear at the same time,” he said.“With the COVID-19 mitigation measures, wehad cases of individual MILES gear dropped offat each company area so we don’t have peoplecongregating indoors or in one area. Instead wehave five or six Soldiers who inventory theMILES, and then we will issue it out to individ-ual Soldiers. It limits the size of crowds; we’renot dropping off a case for a whole platoon — it’seach barracks and there are 12 Soldiers per bar-racks.”
Maj. Chad Campbell, C Co, 2nd Bn, 4th SFABcompany commander, said in addition to theMILES issue adjustments, other areas werelooked at to mitigate possible COVID-19 expo-sure, including using a solution of 95% water and5% bleach to sanitize equipment and workspaces.
“We’re looking at continuing the bleach/watersolution even after things return to normal,” hesaid. “It’s said cleanliness is next to Godliness; Ithink it gives everyone a heads up and says let’sre-look how we’re doing business, and not justbecause of COVID-19, but because we want tomaintain a healthy workplace.”
As the 4th SFAB’s vehicles began arriving via18-wheeler, safety measures — both to preventinjury and COVID-19 — were followed. Maj.Jonathan Cach, B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th SFABtroop commander, said any time vehicles aremoved, Soldiers have to use proper groundguide procedures.
“You must ensure Soldiers are aware of all themoving pieces around them,” he said. “Anytimewe’re in the yard, all of our personal protectiveequipment is on — helmet, gloves and eye pro-tection.”
As for COVID-19 mitigation, Cach said he lim-its the number of Soldiers in the yard and makessure they maintain social distancing.
“We use the fence (chain link fence around themotor yard) as our guidepost,” he said. “If youthink one Soldier per section of fence, then thatkeeps them 6 feet apart, and allows them to sitdown and take their masks off when it’s hot.”
Cach said that while masks are an importanttool in COVID-19 mitigation, it’s also importantto protect against heat casualties. He added hav-ing a good water source on hand is important,and medics are on standby in the event some-thing should happen.
“With our rank structure, it’s actually madethings easier,” he said. “We are 100% NCO withmyself and one other officer here. It’s been verysmooth. The NCOs understand ground guideprocedures and hand and arm signals.”
Cach said Fort Polk safety office representa-tives have been a big help.
“They’ve been awesome,” he said. “They’renot here troubleshooting or yelling at us; they’rehere helping us, and it’s been really great. It’sbeen really smooth.”
Capt. Adam Graetz, 4th SFAB safety officer,said there were a few minor issues unloading theunit’s vehicles.
“We’ve had a few things that were loaded a lit-tle differently than what we expected, but theteam handled it with no problem and workedthrough it,” he said.
Another area that Graetz identified as needingwork was heat mitigation. “We’re a new unit anddon’t have a lot of tents to set up and get our Sol-diers out of the heat,” he said. “The heat downhere is no joke, especially coming from Fort Car-son, so we’re figuring out things. Our commandsergeant major was able to get ice from the din-ing facility, and we borrowed some tents fromthe post safety office. Between heat and live fire, Ithink those will be our two biggest safety issues.”
Graetz said it will be a challenge to maintain
COVID-19 mitigation efforts once the 4th SFABmoves to the Box.
“But this is a unit of senior leaders, so they’veall been hand selected,” he said. “That meansthey’re in the top percent of Army leaders. Itmight be uncomfortable, but they’ll be OK. It’san all-volunteer unit so they all want to be here.This is the first time our unit has come to a CTC.It’s a little different with the COVID-19 restric-tions, but it’s still going to be great training.”
Unloading containers May 28 at a temporary 4th SFAB motorpool setup at the Joint Readi-ness Training Center and Fort Polk for Rotation 20-08.
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Please see Rotation, page 6
4th SFAB Soldiers prepare to safely off-loada High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehi-cle and trailer at the CRSP on May 28.
4th SFAB Tactical Operations Center dis-cusses safety issues during a morning briefon May 28 while adhering to COVID-19 so-cial-distancing guidelines.
6/ GuardianJune 5, 2020
RotationContinued from page 5
Soldiers from the 4th SFAB unload vehicles while ob-serving COVID-19 mitigation guidelines May 27.
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Army leadership shares message
Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, JRTC and Fort Polk,speaks to members of 4th SFAB during a reception, staging, on-ward movement, and integration rehersal brief on May 28 whileadhering to COVID-19 mitigation measures. Pictured, from leftto right, are Capt. J. Sheridan Massey, rotation planner JRTCOperations Group; Frank; Maj. Tia Terry, lead rotation planner forRotation 20-08, 4th SFAB; and Maj. Edwin Bodenheim, execu-tive officer, 4th SFAB.
4th SFAB Soldiers lay out MILES gear prior to is-suance while adhering to social-distancing and COVID-19
mitigation measures.
Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Security Force As-sistance Brigade, work in their Tactical Operations CenterJune 3 before deploying to the Joint Readiness TrainingCenter and Fort Polk's training area for Rotation 20-08.
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CeremonyContinued from page 3
son, I’m excited for you and your team. I lookforward to hearing about the great things you’llbe doing. I’m proud of each and every one of you— stay safe, watch out for your battle buddiesand God speed,” he said.
The next to speak at the podium was Frank.He said that the formation reminded him of the“old guard,” as he conveyed his sense of pridefor the team.
“Captain Knotts, I’m exceptionally proud ofyour team. This movement control team is thebest one in the Army,” he said.
Frank said that he was sad to see them go asJRTC heavily relies on the MCT to move largenumbers of Soldiers into and out of the JRTCtraining area or “box.”
“You guys are the most trained MCT in theArmy. There is nobody that matches the stan-dards set by your team at each rotation here atJRTC,” he said.
“You do your real-world mission all the time.That’s how I know AFRICOM and General(Stephen J.) Townsend are getting the best,” hesaid.
“I am exceedingly proud of this team. Youguys look great today. I know AFRICOM is excit-ed to get you on their team.”
Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, JRTC and Fort Polk, walks through the ranks of the383rd Modular Movement Control Team, 519th Military Police Battalion, after speaking attheir deployment ceremony June 1. The ceremony followed COVID-19 mitigation restric-tions including face-coverings, social-distancing and reduced attendance.
PlasmaContinued from page 4
many. Patients fully recovered from COVID-19 are
the only ones who qualify to be a COVID-19 con-valescent plasma donor, said Army Col. AudraTaylor, chief of the Armed Services Blood Pro-gram. DoD personnel, their families and non-DOD civilians with access to collection facilitieson installations are welcome to donate.
"Our goal as a lifesaving program is to providea safe and ample supply of blood products. Theneed is now," Taylor said. "We are calling for allwho are healthy, able and eligible to donate andhelp us stand mission-ready and save lives."
Why convalescent plasma is collectedWhen a person contracts SARS-CoV-2, the
virus that causes COVID-19, their immune sys-tem creates antibodies to fight the virus. Theseantibodies are found in the plasma, Taylor ex-plained.
Plasma with infection-fighting antibodies iscalled convalescent plasma, she said. Throughthe blood donation process, this plasma is collect-ed from a donor who has recovered fromCOVID-19 and may be transfused into a sick pa-tient still fighting the virus, if they qualify for thistreatment. This may boost the immune system ofthe patient and help with the recovery process,Taylor said.
The collection process for this type of plasmais the same as standard blood collection, she not-ed. It is being investigated for the treatment ofCOVID-19 because there is no approved treat-ment for the disease at this time, and there issome indication that it might help some patientsrecover from COVID-19.
Several COVID-19 patients in the militaryhealth system have received convalescent plasmatransfusions as part of their treatment, Taylorsaid.
The treatment, which must be carried out un-der an approved protocol, is used for those hos-pitalized and severely ill with the disease.
Eligibility requirementsDonating CCP is the same as a standard
platelet or plasma donation and must meet spe-cific requirements set by the Food and Drug Ad-ministration. Donors must be at least 17-yearsold, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in goodhealth. Women who have ever been pregnantmay need additional testing for specific humanleukocyte antigen antibodies that may be presentin their blood.
In addition to these standard requirements,those who have fully recovered from COVID-19
must be symptom-free for at least 14 days.Donors must also produce documented laborato-ry test results proving they tested positive for thevirus, Taylor explained.
"If a donor believes they meet these require-ments, they must first contact the local blood-donor center before coming in. If they qualify,they can set up an appointment," Army Col. Ja-son Corley, Army Blood Program director, said."At the appointment, the donor must bring therequired documentation and undergo the stan-dard donation procedure. Final determinationsare made by the medical director or designee."
For more information, visit https://www.mili-taryblood.dod.mil/Donors/where_to_give.aspx.
Donald Perry, a Fort Bragg civilian employee who recently recovered from COVID-19, do-nates his plasma at the Fort Bragg Blood Donor Center on May 7.
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FORT POLK, La. — The pream-ble to the Manual for Courts-Martialstates, “(t)he purpose of militarylaw is to promote justice, to assist inmaintaining good order and disci-pline in the armed forces, to pro-mote efficiency and effectiveness inthe military establishment, andthereby strengthen the national se-curity of the United States.”
At the Joint Readiness TrainingCenter and Fort Polk, the com-manding general and subordinatecommanders take good order anddiscipline seriously. However, cer-tain disciplinary issues continue tobe prevalent across Fort Polk suchas breaking quarantine/isolation or-ders, violating General Order No. 1,driving under the influence of alco-hol, wrongful use/possession ofcontrolled substances, fraterniza-tion, and sexual assault.
Below are recent examples of ad-verse legal actions for units withinthe Fort Polk jurisdiction.
• A sergeant, assigned to 2nd Bat-talion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rdBrigade Combat Team, 10th Moun-tain Division, was issued a GeneralOfficer Memorandum of Reprimandfor fraternizing with junior enlistedSoldiers by engaging in sexually ex-ploitative behaviors while at a socialgathering, in violation of Article 92,Uniform Code of Military Justice.The CG directed filing the repri-mand in the Soldier’s Army Mili-tary Human Resource Record.
• A sergeant, assigned to 519thMilitary Police Battalion, was pun-ished under Article 15 for disobey-ing a lawful order (breaking quaran-tine), in violation of Article 92,UCMJ. The service member wassentenced to a reduction to E-4, ex-tra duty for 30 days, restriction for30 days, suspension for 6 monthsand a forfeiture of $500 pay for 1month.
• A specialist, assigned to 2nd Bn,4th Inf Reg, 3rd BCT, 10th Mtn Div,was punished under Article 15 fordisobeying a lawful order (travelingoutside of the 50-mile radius restric-tion), in violation of Article 92,UCMJ. The service member wassentenced to a reduction to E-3, for-feiture of $1,151 pay for twomonths, suspension for 6 months,extra duty for 45 days and restric-tion for 45 days.
• A specialist, assigned to 3rdBattalion, 353rd Regiment, JointReadiness Training Center Opera-tions Group, was punished underArticle 15 for disobeying a lawfulorder (breaking quarantine), in vio-lation of Article 92, UCMJ. Theservice member was sentenced to areduction to E-1, forfeiture of $866pay for two months, suspension for6 months, extra duty for 30 daysand restriction for 30 days.
• A specialist, assigned to 519thMP Bn, was administratively sepa-rated under Chapter 14-12c (Com-mission of a Serious Offense), withan Other Than Honorable character-ization of service for illegal use of aweapon or dangerous instrumentand aggravated criminal damage toproperty. Generally, an OTH charac-terization of service results in a re-duction to the lowest enlisted gradeand the loss of a majority of a serv-ice member’s VA and educationalbenefits.
• A private first class, assigned to710th Brigade Support Battalion,3rd BCT, 10th Mtn Div, was admin-istratively separated under Chapter14-12c (Commission of a Serious Of-fense), with a General (Under Hon-orable Conditions) characterizationof service for assaulting a police of-ficer, resisting arrest, disturbing thepeace and disobeying a lawful ordergiven by a commissioned officer.Generally, this characterization ofservice results in the loss of a serv-ice member’s educational benefits.
Soldiers punished, separated for UCMJ violations
FORT POLK, La. — As a result of COVID-19stay-at-home orders, the Fort Polk InstallationTax Center — 2165 Ninth St., bldg 1455 — wasshuttered not long after its grand opening.
With restrictions lifting, the center reopenedJune 1 and will pick up right where it left off byproviding free income tax return preparation andfiling for active duty personnel and their Familymembers, reservists on active duty for more than90 days and military retirees through July 15, asthe 2020 Internal Revenue Service extended thetax payment deadline.
The tax center is open Monday through Fridayfrom 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and will see clients by ap-pointment only.
The center is run by Soldiers — IRS certifiedvolunteers — who conduct free tax preparationfor the Fort Polk community.
Capt. Michael Moore, Fort Polk Tax Center of-ficer in charge, said the center’s tax preparershave gone through a thorough two-week trainingcourse with the Internal Revenue Service, butthere is also an attorney on staff at the tax centerto help them handle the more difficult tax forms.
As part of the tax center’s COVID-19 safetyparameters, tax preparers and clients are re-quired to wear masks during their appointment.In addition, clients can no longer wait for theirtaxes to be prepared while on site.
Moore said clients will also have to drop offtheir information and come back to finish theprocess.
“For safety reasons, instead of waiting at the
center while preparers are working on their tax-es, clients will have to come back to pick up theircompleted forms. On average, it takes 45 minutesto finish a client’s taxes. When they come back,they can review and sign their taxes and then wesubmit them,” he said.
To save time, Moore said after clients maketheir appointment, they should go online andprint out form 13614-C, which they will need tofill out.
“They can Google the form, print it and fill itout in advance helping the process move alongsmoothly and quickly,” he said. “If they aren’t fa-miliar with the Internet or don’t have access to aprinter, the tax center also has copies of the formthat clients can fill out when they arrive for their
8/GuardianJune 5, 2020
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Make appointment to get taxes done at reopened Fort Polk Tax CenterBy ANGIE THORNEGuardian staff writer
Please see Tax, page 9
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appointment.” With a shortened tax season and fewer person-
nel, Moore said he still thinks his team will beable to process just as many tax forms as last yearby July 15.
“We serve a lot of active duty Soldiers and re-tirees, many of whom waited for us to reopen toget their taxes done. We had a waiting list beforewe closed, and we called those folks first to getus started. There are still plenty of open timeslots for people to call and make appointments,”he said. “I think it was a huge relief, especiallyfor our retiree population, when we reopened.We closed so abruptly, and they didn’t knowwhat to do because many of them may not becomputer savvy like other filers who could dotheir taxes online.”
Pvt. Brandon Grigg, 2nd Battalion, 4th In-fantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10thMountain Division, said he’s also happy the taxcenter reopened.
“I feel like it’s a good opportunity for new Sol-diers, such as myself, who don’t know a lot aboutdoing their taxes. This way, I get to ask questions,learn more about the tax process and it’s free,” hesaid.
For more information or to make an appoint-ment, call 531-1040.
Written by Mao Tse-Tung, “Quotations fromChairman Mao Tse-Tung” is commonly knownas “the little red book,” because it was originallyprinted in pocket size with bright red covers. It iscompromised of excerpts from statements andspeeches from Mao, the Chairman of the ChineseCommunist Party from 1943 until his death in1976. First published in 1964, it is one of the mostwidely distributed books in the world.
Many modern-day “leader readers” may notknow much about Mao, but it is likely that theyhave heard of some his quotes contained in thisbook. One of the more well-known quotes is “po-litical power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”
I have to admit two things in regards to thisbook. First, I was surprised it is on this Chief’slist. After all, it has been around for decades and,while it was lauded as “the book to read” duringVietnam by Army leaders, communism is dead— a failed experiment, right?
My second admission is that I am disappoint-ed that it took me so long to read it. One of mytrue-life heroes, Colonel David Hackworth, dis-cusses this book in his ownwork, “About Face,” and hecarried it on every tour hehad in Vietnam. He de-manded his subordinatesread it, and know it.
To understand their enemy, they had to knowtheir enemy, and this was a way to know whatmade the Communist Vietnamese dedicated andfierce fighters. I read Hack’s book years ago andhave been meaning to read his recommendation— the little red book. I am glad I finally did.
There are a few reasons I think the Chief has
this title on his list.First, Chinese commu-nism is not dead, andthey are a world powerthat the U.S. spars withnot only economicallyand in trade but some-times on the high seasand potentially in a de-cisive-action environ-ment.
Reading and study-ing this book gives in-sight into the funda-mental beliefs that have been ingrained into Chi-nese culture for decades. The principles andthoughts contained in this tiny book are power-ful tools for influencing behavior. The awarenessgained by reading this book will better help inknowing an enemy and developing an approachin engagements, whatever form they may take.
Another reason is that this book is effectively ahandbook for insurgents, revolutionaries, dissi-dents or terrorist to cull techniques to develop atheme that would elicit support from a civilianpopulation. It worked for Mao, and it is working
now for some of our oppo-nents across the globe whostudy and use the template inhis book to mobilize supportfrom a depressed population.Reading this book may help
us identify when some of these techniques arebeing used and assist in countering them.
Lastly, by simply reading this book one wouldthink that Mao was an inspiring democraticleader with an appreciation for what the peoplewanted. We know that this is far from the truth,as his regime murdered millions of Chinese citi-
zens labeled as traitors, spies or dissidents.This was not an easy read. It had highs, lows
and some areas that were just plain “flat liners,”but it was interesting overall. This book earnstwo and a half anvils out of five on the JointReadiness Training Center and Fort Polk anvilscale.
TaxContinued from page 8
The little red book review by LeslieBy Lt. Col. (retired) MARK S. LESLIEDPTMS director
Commentary
Spc. Paige Barnnett, 317th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10thMountain Division, a tax specialist at the Fort Polk Installation Tax Center, helps Pvt. Bran-don Grigg, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th MountainDivision, get his taxes done June 1.
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509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) Soldiers land on Geronimo Drop ZoneOperations Group
and 1st Battalion (Air-borne), 509th InfantryRegiment held airborneoperations June 1 asSoldiers jumped ontothe "Geronimo DropZone." The Air Forceprovided air support tothe Joint ReadinessTraining Center andconducted internaltraining. A video isposted on JRTC andFort Polk’s Facebookpage.
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Celebrating best
Left : Spc. Logan Shephard, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 5th AviationRegiment, (left), is the 2020 Joint Readiness Training Center andFort Polk Soldier of the Year and Spc. Nicole Dupreez, Dental Ac-tivity, is the JRTC and Fort Polk Soldier of the Year runner up.Right : Staff Sgt. Erica Whaley, Dental Activity (left) is the 2020JRTC and Fort Polk Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and
Staff Sgt. Tyler Eissler, 519th Military Police Battalion, is the JRTCand Fort Polk NCO of the Year runner up. The winners were an-nounced at a ceremony held at the Fort Polk Warrior Center June3. If the winners are not able to complete their upcoming duties,the runner ups will step in for them. Look for the story in theJune 12 edition of the Fort Polk Guardian.
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Yoel Scott, 6, lands a bass at Catfish Cove. Yoel is the son of JoshuaScott, a civilian employed at the Directorate of Family Morale, Wel-fare and Recreation's Child and Youth Services on Fort Polk.
Katie Hawthorne gets a little exercise on the Warrior Hills GolfCourse trail with her son, Noah (asleep in the stroller) and dog,Cooper. Katie is the spouse of Chap. (Capt.) Sam Hawthorne, 519thMilitary Police Battalion.
Master Sgt. Joshua Bone, Fire Support, Joint Readi-ness Training Center Operations Group (right), en-joys a round of golf with his spouse, Stephanie,and their daughters Emily, 13 (far left) and Olivia,10. It was the first time Stephanie, Emily and Oliviahad played golf.
From left: Courtney, Justin Jr. (6), Holly (3) and Sgt. Justin Hays Sr., 1st Battalion(Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, enjoy a brief respite from their morning walkbeside the turtle pond on Warrior Hills Golf Course June 2. The pond, one of manyquality of life areas on Fort Polk, has become a favorite place for walkers to catchtheir breath before tackling the hilly path.
Quality of LifeMilitary Families step outside to enjoy Fort Polk community
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DoD helps discover facts about ticks, diseases they carry with MilTICK programG
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Editor’s note: In the May 29 edition of theGuardian we featured an artical about snakes. Inthis week’s edition we cover another critter —ticks — that are prevalent in the area. Please takeprecautions.
FORT POLK, La. — As you step outside thissummer, realize that COVID-19 isn’t the onlydanger you may encounter. Something as simpleas walking across a yard or taking an enjoyablehike through the woods could have detrimentalconsequences due to something tiny — like atick.
Instead of holding out a thumb, these blood-sucking hitchhikers hold the first pair of theirlegs outstretched while resting on the tips ofgrasses and shrubs, waiting to climb onto a host.Whether you want to give them a lift or not,when a host — human or animal — brushes thespot where a tick is waiting, it quickly climbsaboard.
Ticks find their hosts by detecting breath andbody odors, or by sensing body heat, moistureand vibrations. Some ticks find optimal places toattach and begin to feed quickly and others willwander around, looking for places where theskin is thinner, like the ear.
As they feed, ticks may transmit pathogensthat can cause any one of the following diseases:
• Anaplasmosis — these bacteria are spreadprimarily from the blacklegged tick and the west-ern blacklegged tick. Signs and symptoms typi-cally begin within one to two weeks after the biteof an infected tick. Early signs of the illness in-clude fever, chills, severe headache, muscleaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of ap-petite.
• Babesiosis — is caused by microscopic para-sites that infect red blood cells and are spread bycertain ticks. Many people who are infected withbabesiosis do not have symptoms. Some peopledevelop nonspecific flu-like symptoms, such asfever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, lossof appetite, nausea, or fatigue. Because the para-sites infect and destroy red blood cells, babesiosiscan cause a special type of anemia called he-molytic anemia. This can lead to jaundice (yel-lowing of the skin) and dark urine. For thosewho do have symptoms, effective treatment isavailable.
• Ehrlichiosis — is a bacterial disease spreadto people primarily through the bite of infectedticks including the lone star tick. People withehrlichiosis will often have fever, chills,headache, muscle aches and sometimes upsetstomach.
• Lyme disease — is a bacterial disease trans-mitted to humans through the bite of infectedblacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms includefever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic skinrash called erythema migrans. If left untreated,infection can spread to joints, the heart and thenervous system. Lyme disease isdiagnosed based on symptoms, physical findingsand the possibility of exposure to infected ticks.Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated suc-cessfully with antibiotics.
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever — is a bacter-ial disease spread through the bite of an infectedtick. Most people who get RMSF will have afever, headache and rash. RMSF can be deadly ifnot treated early with the right antibiotic. Early
signs can include fever, headache, rash, nausea,vomiting, stomach pain, muscle pain and lack ofappetite. However, the disease can rapidlyprogress into a life-threatening illness.
You should see your health-care provider ifyou become ill after having been bitten by a tick,having been in the woods or in areas with highbrush where ticks commonly live. When you
come inside, you should check your clothes.Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing.Any ticks that are found should be removed.Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after youcome indoors.
GUARDIAN STAFF
This is a highly magnified ventral shot of a female Ixodes scapularis tick, otherwise knownas the deer tick, a primary vector for Lyme Disease. The U.S. Army Public Health Center of-fers free identification and analysis of ticks that have been removed from human patientsfor Department of Defense beneficiaries through its MilTICK testing program.
This is a photo illustration of a blacklegged tick, a lone star tick, and a dog tick — in relationto Lyme Disease.
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TicksContinued from page 12
Take a shower as soon as possible and per-form a tick check all over your body.
In addition, when you remove a tick, saveit and have it tested with help from the De-partment of Defense.
For more than 20 years the Army PublicHealth Center Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory,Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, hasbeen offering military clinics and health-careproviders test kits for identification andanalysis of ticks that have been removed fromhuman patients.
This service was known as the DoD Hu-man Tick Test Kit Program. The program isexpanding so that individual DoD beneficiar-ies who have been bitten by ticks can submittheir ticks directly to the Military Tick Identi-fication/Infection Confirmation Kit, orMilTICK, program, without needing to visit aclinic or order a test kit.
Why should you be interested? It is a freetick testing and identification service availableto DoD personnel and their dependents. Indi-viduals eligible to submit include active dutyservice members; National Guard personnel;Reservists in all services; civilian personnelworking for the DoD or any of the services(including Army Corps of engineers); contrac-tors supporting DoD or any of the services; re-tired service members; and dependents, in-cluding spouses, parents or children of any ofthese categories.
Ticks can be submitted following the in-structions on the MilTICK form and resultswill be reported back to the sender within twoweeks.
The results are used to track ticks and tickborne pathogens by location and can be usedby patients seeking medical guidance and/ortreatments for possible exposure to tick-bornedisease. See the submission process and list ofeligible users on the followinglink: https://phc.amedd.army.mil/PHC%20Resource%20Library/MilTICKforms_2020.pdf.
The purpose of submitting a tick is to helpkeep you safe by providing tick species iden-tification; engorgement level, a relative in-dicator of the duration of attachment;and analysis for the pathogens thatcause the human illnesses such as Lymedisease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever andrelated spotted fevers, ehrlichiosis, anaplas-mosis, babesiosis, and more. Infection poten-tial increases relative to the duration of attach-ment.
If you aren’t sure how to properly detach atick, the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention offer a step-by-step process on how toremove a tick.
Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tickas close to the skin’s surface as possible.
Pull upward with steady, even pressure.Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause themouthparts to break off and remain in theskin.
If this happens, remove the mouthpartswith tweezers. If you are unable to removethe mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave italone and let the skin heal.
After removing the tick, thoroughly cleanthe bite area and your hands with rubbing
alcohol or soap and water.Never crush a tick with your fingers.
Dispose of a live tick by putting it in al-cohol, placing it in a sealed bag or con-
tainer, wrapping it tightly in tape or flushingit down the toilet.
However, for the purposes of MilTICK, dis-regard the last instruction on disposal.
Editor’s note: The following informationon tick-borne diseases was found at www.cdc.gov and www.army.mil/article235944.
This is what late stage rash looks like in a patientwith Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
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14/GuardianJune 5, 2020
Heed safety message regarding home during National Safety Month
FORT POLK, La. — Each June the Army ob-serves National Safety Month in conjunctionwith public and private organizations across theUnited States. This year efforts are expanding topromote a campaign focused on four key areas:Emergency preparedness, driving, ergonomicsand safety culture. During these uncertain times,safety and risk management helps inspire confi-dence in everyday tasks, according tohttps://safety.army.mil.
Shane Denning, Fort Polk’s Garrison SafetyOffice director, said safety is often discussed,which is great, but it can become "white noise" toSoldiers and Family members.
“Having a safety month, especially as summeris kicking off, gives us an opportunity to spot-light safety and really provides relevant informa-tion,” he said.
The safety office’s first topic of focus is safetyin the home.
The top hazards in and around the home in-clude poisoning, falling, choking and suffocating,drowning and fires and burns.
In 2016, 31% of deaths from all causes of injuryoccurred in the person’s home. The percentagevaried by the cause of injury. More than half ofthe deaths attributable to poisoning (52%) oc-curred in the home. About 44% of deaths fromfirearms and suffocation occurred in the home,according to the National Center for Health Sta-tistics.
The following information and tips can helpkeep you safe:
* Poisoning — every day, more than 300 chil-dren in the United States, ages 0 to 19, are treatedin an emergency room, according towww.cdc.gov. Two children die as a result of be-ing poisoned. It’s not just chemicals in yourhome marked with clear warning labels that canbe dangerous. Everyday items like householdcleaners and medicines can be poisonous as well.Medication dosing mistakes and unsupervisedingestions are common ways that children arepoisoned. Active, curious children often investi-gate — and sometimes try to eat or drink — any-thing they can get into.
The following tips can help poison-proof yourhome:
• Keep medicines and toxic products, such ascleaning solutions and detergent pods, in theiroriginal packaging where children can’t see orget them.
• Put the nationwide poison control center
phone number, (800) 222-1222, on or near everytelephone in your home and program it into yourcell phone. Call the poison control center if youthink a child has been poisoned but is awake andalert; they can be reached 24 hours a day, sevendays a week. You can also visit their website atwww.poison.org. Call 911 if you have a poisonemergency and your child has collapsed, experi-enced a seizure or is not breathing.
• Follow label directions carefully and read allwarnings when giving medicines to children.
• Safely dispose of unused, unnecessary or ex-pired prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs,vitamins and supplements. To dispose of medi-cines, mix them with coffee grounds or kitty litterand throw them away. You can also turn theminto a local take-back program or during Nation-al Drug Take-Back events.
* Falls — they can be a threat to anyone, but itcan be especially dangerous for older adults byreducing their ability to remain independent.One out of five falls causes a serious injury, suchas broken bones or head injuries. Each year 3 mil-
lion older people are treated in emergency de-partments for fall injuries and 800,00 are hospi-talized with a head injury or head fracture. In2015, the total medical costs for falls totaled morethan $50 billion.
However, falls aren’t something that just hap-pen when you age. Here are a few proven waysto reduce falls.
• Make your home safer. Get rid of things youcould trip over.
• Add grab bars inside and outside your tubor shower and next to the toilet.
• Put railings on both sides of stairs and makesure your home has ample lighting by addingmore or brighter light bulbs.
* Choking — you can help prevent your childfrom choking. Have your child:
• Sit up while eating (no laying down); sit in ahigh chair or other safe place.
• Avoid eating in the car or a stroller.• Cook and prepare food in ways that are ap-
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HomeContinued from page 14
propriate for each stage of your child’s develop-ment.
• Pay close attention to what your child is eat-ing and what they put in their mouth.
• Some foods served uncooked, whole or incertain shapes can be choking hazards, and cut-ting up food into smaller pieces and mashingfoods can help prevent choking.
• If the item is small enough, they can alsochoke on things like magnets, hard candy, coins,toy parts and more.
* Suffocation — sudden infant death syn-drome and unintentional strangulation fromthings like curtain cords are dangers that canlead to suffocation. Some safe sleep practices toprevent SIDS include:
• Placing the baby on his or her back at allsleep times.
• Using a firm sleep surface, such as a safety-approved mattress and crib.
• Keeping soft objects and loose bedding outof the baby’s sleep area.
• Sharing a room with the baby but not thesame bed.
When it comes to cords, if you are unable toswitch to cordless window coverings, followthese safety tips:
• Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toysaway from windows and window cords, prefer-ably to another wall.
• Make sure that tasseled pull cords are asshort as possible; keep all window cords out ofreach for children.
• Eliminate any dangling cords.• Check that the cord stops are properly in-
stalled and adjusted to limit the movement of in-ner lift cords.
• Continuous-loop cords on draperies andvertical blinds should be permanently anchoredto the floor or wall.
* Drowning — When enjoying time at thepool or beach, injuries aren’t the first thing peo-ple think about; yet, drowning is a leading causeof injury and death for young children ages 1 to14. Three children die every day as a result ofdrowning. Key prevention tips include learninglife-saving skills such as basic swimming andcardiopulmonary resuscitation. Other safety tipsinclude:
• If you have a pool, then fence it off. Install afour–sided isolation fence, with self–closing andself–latching gates, around backyard swimmingpools. This can help keep children away from the
area when they aren’t supposed to be swimming.Pool fences should completely separate the houseand play area from the pool.
• You should always make sure your kids arewearing life jackets when they are in or aroundbodies of water like lakes or the ocean, and thepool, if they are just learning to swim.
• Always closely supervise kids when they arein or near water (including bathtubs in thehome). Don’t let activities like reading, talking onthe phone or socializing distract you from keep-ing an eye on your kids.
* Burns — Every day more than 300 childrenages 0 to 19 are treated in emergency rooms forburn-related injuries and two children die as a re-sult of being burned. Younger children are morelikely to sustain injuries from scald burns that arecaused by hot liquids or steam, while older chil-dren are more likely to sustain injuries fromflame burns that are caused by direct contactwith fire. There are ways you can protect chil-dren and other family members from fires andburns.
• Install and maintain smoke alarms in yourhome — on every floor and near all rooms familymembers sleep in. Test your smoke alarms once amonth to make sure they are working properly.Use long-life batteries when possible.
• Have an escape plan. Create and practice afamily fire escape plan and involve kids in theplanning. Make sure everyone knows at leasttwo ways out of every room and identify a cen-tral meeting place outside.
• Cook with care. Use safe cooking practices,such as never leaving food unattended on thestove. Also, supervise or restrict children’s use ofstoves, ovens and microwaves.
• Check your water heater temperatures. Setyour water heater’s thermostat to 120 degreesFahrenheit or lower. Infants and small childrenmay not be able to get away from water that maybe too hot and maintaining a constant thermostatsetting can help control the water temperaturethroughout your home, preventing it from get-ting too high. Test the water at the tap if possible.
Denning said Soldiers know how to followsafety procedures but tend to relax that focuswhen it comes to their own homes.
“We have so many rules and laws in the work-place (for good reason) that, when we retreat toour homes, we often let our guard down. Oftennothing happens, but it's that one time that Iwant to highlight. We can get complacent in the
routines of our homes and often walk right bysignificant hazards. That’s why taking extra pre-cautions is important,” he said.
The additional time spent at home duringstay-at-home orders in response to COVID-19can exacerbate the complacency and importanceof home safety.
“Safety is supposed to be a habit and not aburden. It shouldn’t ruin the relaxing time spentat home. I like to use the analogy of seatbelts:Some of us grew up in an era when seatbeltsweren't required, and we had to develop thehabit over time. Today, after years of practicing agood habit, I have to try hard to stop myself fromputting on a seatbelt if I'm only backing the carfrom the carport into the driveway,” he said.
Denning hopes that focusing awareness andaltering perceptions about safety in the home be-comes an ingrained habit that people don’t haveto think twice about.
Editor’s note: The Fort Polk Guardian, work-ing with the Fort Polk Garrison Safety Office, isproducing a series of articles in June — NationalSafety Month — to help the Fort Polk communitystay safe. The safety tips and information aboutNational Safety Month were gathered fromhttps://safety.army.mil, www.cdc.gov andwww.cpsc.gov.
Dogs leave paw prints on hearts for a lifetime
Fort Polk, La. — If you’ve been stationed atFort Polk or lived in the surrounding communityfor the last two years, you are probably wellaware that our commanding general is a notewriter. His signature red-sharpie notes on news-paper articles, slide presentations, operational or-ders and photos can be seen on display across theinstallation and in the homes and offices of citi-zens in the surrounding community. Seeing hisdistinctive script, your name and “ATW BGFrank” can elicit a host of emotions. It’s nice to berecognized and to know that what you are doingmatters.Recently, the public affairs office got sev-eral notes from the CG — all very complimentary— but one particularly caught my eye and mademe laugh.
As you know, our Command Information Offi-cer, Chuck Cannon, has been illustrating hischaotic life with four cats. He wrote a calamitous-cat commentary about trying to complete hishoney-do list while his four cats were deter-mined to sabotage his efforts at every turn.Thankfully, Chuck survived the misadventuremostly unscathed, with blood drawn only twice.
As a result, he received a note from the com-mander about his story that said, “Chuck, wemight have to get you a dog! ATW BG Frank.”
That note made me laugh. I knew the com-mander had a dog, and I’ve been tempted to of-fer to dog sit if he ever needed adog sitter. I’ve become the go-toguy amongst my friends to dog sitwhen they go out of town.
In fact, one of my dogs wasshipped back to me from friendswho were stationed in Korea last year.
Lucy is a Louisianagirl and didn’t farewell in the metropolisof Seoul. Many of thelocal nationals wereafraid of her, also. Herbreed is unknown, butwe think she is a Car-olina Dog, also knownas a Dixie Dingo. Theyare feral dogs primari-ly found in the south-eastern United States;but Lucy, although alittle wild, is a pam-pered pooch.
Over the course of our marriage, my husbandDrew and I have adopted, befriended and raisedsix dogs. As the late George Carlin said, “life is aseries of dogs.” His stand up bit is hysterical, buthaving dogs, while amusing at times, is anythingbut funny.
It’s a deeply moving experience where twocreatures, one human and one canis familiaris,bond in a manner that only other dog lovers canunderstand. Dogs choose to commune with hu-mans; they trust us; live and work alongside us,and the relationships we build with them are re-markable.
We adopted our first dog (our first baby) in1998 while we were stationed at Fort LeonardWood. The baby, a faun-colored Chihuahuanamed Radar, was my husband’s best friend.Radar had a great life. He traveled to Germany,
Kansas, back to Missouri and toColorado. While my husband wasdoing a Rotation at the Joint Readi-ness Training Center at Fort Polk,Radar passed away due to compli-
cations with an enlarged heart. That was themost difficult news I ever had to deliver.
We got our second dog, Rocket, a beautifulboxer with a fancy bloodline, through breedersassociated with the German Kennel Club. Whenwe went to see the puppies, they alluded that hewas defective and not suitable for showing.That’s when we knew he was the dog for us. Wedidn’t want a show dog.
Shortly after we got this boxer puppy, my hus-band went to Fort Leonard Wood for the BasicNoncommissioned Officer Course, now calledthe Advanced Leadership Course. I was in Ger-many doing “stairwell” living with a Chihuahuaand a brand new puppy, transitioning from ac-tive duty and beginning my career as a Depart-ment of the Army Civilian. Rocket was a hard-head and a lot of work.
During BNOC, my husband tore his anteriorcruciate ligament and then 9/11 happened. Hisreturn to Germany was delayed, he underwentsurgery in December and then deployed to Koso-vo (against his doctor’s orders) in February 2002.I was stuck with this wild dog.
I failed to mention, Drew was the one whowanted a boxer. He said his granddad had one,and he always wanted one. His grandfather alsohad a Chihuahua.
Somehow, Rocket became my dog. He onceran off into the German wilderness (picture theBrothers Grimm) during a long walk. I searchedthat eerie forest for what seemed like hours; afterI found him, I knew I couldn’t live without him.He was the dog for me.
All of his annoying habits (peeing when he got
excited, drooling all over the floor, trying to lickyour plate when you walked by, getting his headstuck in the cat box, being caught standing on thekitchen table or being extremely rambunctious)no longer mattered. I loved that dog.
Rocket and I were thick as thieves. Where Iwent, he went with me. We’d often walk to themarketplatz then take the bus home. In Germany,dogs are allowed nearly everywhere.
When our son Baker was born, Rocket couldbe found under his crib as he slept, becoming asecond set of eyes for me. He was vigilant and onguard for the tiny human.
Rocket and Radar traveled with us back fromGermany to Fort Riley. They kept my son and mecompany while Drew spent three years on thedrill sergeant trail, during one deployment toIraq and two to Afghanistan.
After drill-sergeant duty, we spent four yearsat Fort Carson. While at Carson, we acquired athird dog, an English bulldog and Labrador re-triever mix. We saw her at the pet store andthought she was a Boxer like Rocket. The salesassociate told us she was a Bulldador, the latestin designer hybrids.
We left for dinner and a few beers at PhantomCanyon Brewery, and my friend convinced methat sometimes dogs needed to be rescued fromthe pet store. She said when they get too big thedogs are sent back to the puppy mill.
I may have been slightly intoxicated, but I de-cided I needed to go back to the mall and saveher. Twelve hundred dollars later, I purchasedRowdy — the most expensive mutt in history.
Having three dogs was too much. Rowdy wasa wild woman; she chewed up Drew’s govern-ment blackberry, our grandfather clock and thelegs of our kitchen table. But, she was also ex-
By JEAN CLAVETTE GRAVESPublic affairs specialist
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Commentary
16/GuardianJune 5, 2020
Graves
Please see Paws, page 17
Daisy (top) and Rowdy (bottom). Lucy
GuardianJune 5, 2020 /17
PawsContinued from page 16
tremely sweet and loving. We could not imaginerehoming her. After Radar died, I thought to my-self “no more dogs. We are back to a two dogfamily,” but my husband’s fellow Soldiers hadother plans.
As I mentioned, Radar passed away whileDrew was in the box with the 110th Military Po-lice Company in 2011. I couldn’t reach him andhad to send a text to his executive officer, 1st Lt.Christopher Housel, who relayed the message.(Housel is now a major, and I feed him and hisbuddies every time they do a rotation at FortPolk).
My husband typically has two emotions thatare seen by his Soldiers, leaders and peers — hu-mor and anger. After he heard about Radar, how-ever, they saw a broken-hearted man. Drew toldme he felt like he lost his best friend. The nextday, the spouse of another NCO in the companyshowed up with a little black and white Chi-huahua. She told me her husband sent her overwith the pick of the litter for Graves. That littledog’s name is Daisy, and she worships theground my husband walks on. It’s humorous tosee this tough-gruff man with his purse dog, butthey’re a nice pair.
That leads me to our journey to Fort Polk,Louisiana and why we are here. After that JointReadiness Training Center rotation, Drew depart-ed for Afghanistan. It was supposed to be a nine-month deployment, but his platoon did such agreat job they stayed on for the full year.
During the deployment, his branch managersaid he needed to leave Fort Carson. Drew wouldbe promoted to Master Sgt. soon, and there wasno spot for him in his current battalion. He wastold to update his wish list on his Army Knowl-edge Online profile; we chose Hawaii, Alaskaand Joint Base Lewis-McChord. His branch man-ager called back and said, “You’ve got threechoices: Germany, Japan and Fort Polk.”
We loved Germany; Japan would be a once ina lifetime opportunity, but we had three dogs(and a cat), a new truck, a camper and Rocketwas twelve years old. We were afraid he would-n’t make the flight. We ultimately decided tocome to Fort Polk because of our dog.
When we left Colorado, it was 8 degrees.When we arrived to Fort Polk, it was 70 degreesand humid; it might as well have been 100 de-grees. We lived in our camper (with three dogs, acat and our kid) for a couple of months before wefound a place to live.
Two weeks after receiving our householdgoods and settling in, Rocket had a massiveseizure. The vet said he had blood cancer, andthe only humane thing to do was to put him outof his misery. We let him eat Fat Boy and Skinnyhamburgers and ride around in the truck beforethe vet gave him medicine that put him into aneternal sleep. All three of his humans were thereas he left us for the rainbow bridge. Even now,it’s heartbreaking to write.
We were back to two dogs. We only need twodogs. After we lost Rocket, I didn’t think I’d everlove another dog, and that was fine. Rowdy andDaisy were all we needed.
On a weekend outing to Lake Charles and rou-tine stop at PetSmart, we found Chance. Theywere having an adoption event and we all sepa-rately interacted with this weird looking Shar-Pei/Sheppard mix. On the drive back home, myson said, “Did you see that brown and black
Shar-Pei? He reminded me of Rocket.” Drew andI had both seen him and, while he definitely was-n’t a boxer, he had dark soulful eyes and leanedagainst his cage to be rubbed — just like Rocketwould do to our legs when he wanted attention.We talked about him the entire trip home and, bythe time we returned, we voted to take a chanceon Chance. The next day, I called in sick andwent back to Lake Charles to pick him up. Wecall him a Louisiana dingo because he alwayssmells like swamp water.
Here we are with our four dogs Daisy, Rowdy,Chance and Lucy. They each have managed tocarve a spot in our hearts. Rowdy loves to ride inthe car and visit Lowes with me. She always getsa lot of attention and is exhausted whenever weget home. We call her “mama Row” because shetreats the other dogs (and cats) like they are herpuppies.
Daisy can always be found under a blanket onmy husband’s lap or in our bed. Every morningas I get up to go running, she starts yapping andbarking at me. I think she is telling me, “be quiet,daddy’s asleep.” She and Rowdy are both gettingolder, and the gray hair is showing up in theirblack fur.
Chance will sit in our yard for hours sniffingthe air and monitoring his property. Every nighthe sleeps with our son, unless there is a thunder-storm. In that case he needs to be with my hus-band and me.
Lucy, our newest edition, must have all the at-tention at all times. She is a blond bombshell, andshe uses her nose to force you to pet her if shefeels she isn’t getting the affection she deserves.
At the office, we’ve been teasing Chuck aboutall the communing he’s been doing with his cats.If you look at his Facebook page, you’ll find pic-tures of his cats or his granddaughter. I thoughtI’d write a commentary about life with dogs. Butthe stroll down memory lane had the water-works flowing like the time I watched “Marleyand Me,” or after I read “A Dog’s Journey.” Don’tlet me fool you; I cry at the American Society forthe Prevention of Cruelty to Animals commer-cials every time.
Ironically, the day I began writing this story, asI was out for my morning run, I heard a cat cry-ing and this tiny guy came running out of thewoods towards me. I tried to run away, and itjust ran with me. I bent down to pet him, and hekept following me. I picked him up and tried toput him back where he came from, but he would-n’t have it. I was summarily adopted by a catwho we decided to keep and name Stitch, be-cause I’m sure he will be a lot of trouble.
I guess the difference between having dogsand having cats is that we adopt dogs, but catsadopt us. Dogs live to please us and cats demandwe please them. Simba, the cat my brother gaveme last summer (he was evidently too “bitey andtoo scratchy”) still hasn’t accepted Stitch, but Ithink he’s coming along.
I basically live in a zoo. Thankfully, I have adog door and a big fenced-in backyard. I have asoft spot for animals; dogs are my favorite, catsare a close second and even our bearded dragonJeffery is endearing.
If you are privileged enough to have an animalin your life treat them well. Keep their shots up-to-date; periodically sneak them extra treats; takethem on long walks; scratch their bellies and be-hind their ears; let them sit on the furniture andlove them the way they love you; and, as BobBarker used to say, "help control the pet popula-tion — have your pets spayed or neutered."
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Stitch (left) and Simba (right).
Chance
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Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation and JRTC, Fort Polk events, notifications
Going out of business sale
Fort Polk Thrift Shop reopens
The Fort Polk Thrift Shop has officially reopenedtoday at their new location in bldg 830 — the old
commissary — from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store will also be open Saturday, June 6, from
9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Sales will be cash only, and masks are mandatory
while in the store.Regular operating hours (listed below) will re-
sume next week.Tuesday-Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.
Wednesday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cash only sale, available nowthrough July 4, subject to availability.
Contact Michelle Myers at 537-4089 ext. 211 or by email at
[email protected] can be picked up from the
Fort Polk Exchange Food Court, 7742Colorado Ave. (bldg 850)
Monday-Friday 11 a.m to 3 p.m.Please visit
facebook.com/polkexchange for alist of available sale items.
