LEISURE B1 LIVING C1ACROSS DOD AA1

Controlled monitoring

Mexic-Arte Museum

Santa’s Workshop opens

Temple advances

SPORTS D1

36TH ENGINEER BRIGADE Soldiers team up with the Armed Forces of Liberia A2

DFAC Thanksgiving meal timesThanksgiving meal hours

for today are as follows: break-fast (continental): 6-7 a.m.; lunch (Thanksgiving meal) 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner: 5-6 p.m.

The following dining facilities will be open for normal weekend hours Thanksgiving Day: •NorthFortHood(Bldg.56471).•AlwaysReadyInn(Bldg.91226).•Operation Iraqi Freedom (Bldg.21020).•TheodoreRoosevelt(Bldg.9205).

All dining facilities will be open for regular weekend hours Friday-Sunday.

CRDAMC holiday hoursCarl R. Darnall Army Medical Cen-

ter and its primary care clinics will modify operating hours in obser-vance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 27-28. The hospital remainsopen every day for emergency ser-vices, inpatient care and labor and delivery services.On Thursday – Thanksgiving Day:•All CRDAMC primary care clinicsand pharmacies will be closed. Ben-eficiaries with urgent care needs should report to CRDAMC Emer-gency Department.•ThePatientAppointmentSystemwill not be available. •Allpharmacieswillbeclosed.On Friday:•Thomas Moore Health Clinic willmaintain normal clinic hours. Ben-eficiaries can schedule appoint-ments at Thomas Moore by calling theNurseAdviceLineat1-800-TRI-CARE• Allotherprimarycareclin-ics will be closed.•ThePatientAppointmentSystemwill not be available.•The Refill Pharmacy located atClear Creek Exchange and Thom-as Moore Clinic Pharmacy will be open.

Darnall and all its clinics will resume normal operating hours Dec. 1.

Beneficiaries should call the Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-TRI-CARE(874-2273)forassistancewithurgent health issues and scheduling appointments.

The Nurse Advice Line is available 24hoursadaytoprovideinformationon urgent health issues, guidance for non-emergency situations and instructions for self-care for minor injuries and illnesses and assistance with scheduling appointments. Tri-care beneficiaries may speak to a registered nurse on the nurse advice line by calling 1-800-TRICARE (874-2273)Option1.

Exchange holiday hoursThe Exchange will be closed

Thanksgiving Day. The III Corps Express will be open on Thanksgiv-ing Day.Following the holiday, Exchange

hours are:• Clear Creek Exchange: Friday,4 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 6 a.m.-9p.m.;Sunday,9a.m.-9p.m.•WarriorWaySpecialtyStore:Fri-day, 5 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 6a.m.-8p.m.;Sunday,10a.m.-7p.m.• Main Class VI: Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.;Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.•IIICorpsExpreess:24hours.• Kouma Express: Friday, 4 a.m.-midnight; Saturday, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday,9a.m.-10p.m.• Clear Creek Express: Friday, 6a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-8p.m.;Sunday,9a.m.-7p.m.• Warrior Way Express: Friday, 5a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 6 a.m.-9p.m.;Sunday,9a.m.-9p.m.

NEWS BRIEFS

Fooddrive ..........A3Editorial ..............A4Post events .......B3Across Texas ....B5Entertainment .B6

Pet Platoon .......C2VA internship ... C3HealthWorks ... C5Basketball .........D1Couch Potato ...D3

INDEX

72nd Year, Issue 47 Standing watch over Fort Hood since 1942 www.FortHoodSentinel.comWednesdaY, november 26, 2014

BY TECH. SGT. JAKE RICHMOND

DoD News

WASHINGTON — Praising Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s “class and integrity,” President Barack Obama announced Mon-day at the White House that Hagel will leave his post.

The president said Hagel has agreed to remain in his position until a successor is nominated and confirmed. For that, Obama said, he is “extraordinarily lucky and grateful.”

“When I asked Chuck to serve as secretary of defense, we were enter-ing a significant period of transi-tion,” Obama said.

That transition included the drawdown in Afghanistan, the need to prepare our forces for future missions, and tough fiscal choices to keep our military strong and ready.

Last month, Obama said, Hagel came to him to discuss the final

quarter of his presidency. It was then that Hagel initially deter-mined that, having guided the department through this transi-

tion, it was an appropriate time for him to complete his service, the president added.

“Over nearly two years, Chuck

has been an exemplary defense secretary,” Obama said, credit-ing Hagel for providing a steady hand during the modernization of the administration’s strategy and budget to meet long-term threats, while still responding to immedi-ate challenges, such as ISIL and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Hagel said he is “immensely proud” of what the department has accomplished during his tenure.

“I believe we have set not only this department, the Department of Defense, but the nation on a stronger course toward security, stability and prosperity,” the sec-retary said. “We have helped keep this country and our fellow citi-zens safe. We have sustained the blessings of liberty our ancestors secured and upheld the oath we took. That work will continue. It must continue. The world is still too dangerous, the threats too numerous for us to lose focus.”

President announces Hagel’s resignation as defense secretary

DefenseSecretaryChuckHagelshakeshandswithPresidentBarackObamaattheWhiteHouseMonday.ThepresidentannouncedthatHagelwouldresignhisposition as defense secretary.

Courtesy photo

See Hagel, A6

BY MASTER SGT. JACOB CALDWELL

III Corps Public Affairs

While pay raises, increased ben-efits and new weapon systems are nice, the one thing that the Army needs most today is funds that can be spent on maintaining readiness, said Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland at the Fort Hood – Killeen Chapter of the Association of the United States Army membership meeting Nov. 19 at Club Hood.

MacFarland, the III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, was the guest speaker at the meet-ing filled with civic leaders from across Central Texas.

MacFarland spoke at length about his four priorities as the

corps and post commander: com-bat readiness, leader development, quality of life, and community relations.

But the focus of the evening was on the challenges of maintaining combat readiness and shortening what he saw as the growing chasm between the military and the civil-ian populace. MacFarland said he will need help from community leaders to address those challenges.

Weapons systems are built in nearly every state of the union, he said. There is a constituency for those systems; there is no constitu-ency for readiness.

“This is our challenge in the Army,” MacFarland said. “We

Readiness #1 challenge for Army

Lt.Gen.SeanMacFarland,IIICorpsandFortHoodcommander,wasthekeynotespeakerattheFortHood–KilleenAUSAmembershipmeetingconductedNov.19atClubHood.

Photo by Master Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, III Corps Public Affairs

Spc.LizHarrellandSgt.FirstClassJamesPryoraccepta$1,000checkforthealuminumcanchallengeonbehalfofMATESNorthFortHoodfromLt.Gen.SeanMacFarland,commandinggeneralofIIICorpsandFortHood.

Photo by Christine Luciano, DPW Environmental

BY CHRISTINE LUCIANODPW Environmental

Mason Pantoja toured the Fort Hood recycle center and learned

about what is compostable, why it’s important to keep lakes and streams cleaned and how to make recycled paper.

“We need to work together to

recycle and keep the environment clean,” said Pantoja, a student at Clarke Elementary School.

Presentations were made by Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful, the City of Killeen Geographic Infor-mation Systems Team and Fort Hood’s environmental programs. Each of the presenters were divided by 2,000-pound bales of paper as students rotated through the area.

In honor of America Recycles Day, the recycle center had second-graders from Clarke Elementary School at its annual school event to raise awareness about how materi-als are repurposed and recycled.

“We have to start young and help these students understand the impact they have on the environ-ment,” said David Holmes, recy-cle materials, sorter and identifier supervisor.

Pantoja and his classmates watched Silvia Rhoads, executive director of Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful, make recycled paper from water and shredded paper. Rhoads mixed the two, drained the water, blotted and pressed the paper and set it out to dry.

At another booth, Jock Flores, environmental protection

specialist, sprinkled cocoa to simu-late dirt as a pollutant in a water-shed model. Students learned how different pollutants like petroleum, oils and fertilizers can impact the environment, fish and organisms. Flores also explained that what is dumped on the ground can make it to the creek, and ultimately, into the lake and drinking water.

“These students are the stew-ards of the environment, and we have to pass on good practices and knowledge to them,” Flores said.

Traveling to other presentations, students learned how to reduce waste at home, and what types of materials are recyclable and how long it takes for these recyclables to decompose in the landfill.

“I’m glad our students visual-ly got to see how recycling and composting works,” said Courtney Brewer, a second-grade teacher. “It’s real life and gives them a new experience outside of the class-room.”

The event continued the next day with a special incentive for alu-minum cans. Cars lined up before 7:30 a.m. in front of the recycle

Hood celebrates America Recycles Day, wins state award

See MacFarland, A6

See Recycle, A6