Former Fork Union post-

graduate Tyler Schuster

volunteers his time at an

elementary school near

him where he spends

time with ‘exceptional

needs’ students. In partic-

ular, Tyler has grown

close to a 6 year old: Levi.

Levi has grown up with

over five serious medical

impairments, including: a

painful, debilitating con-

dition known as spinal

bifida, Down syndrome,

chronic lung disease, per-

manent hearing and vi-

sion loss. Due to these

conditions, he had, until

recently, been unable to

eat food orally, but is

slowly learning. Levi has

undergone ten surgeries,

including an operation on

his spinal cord and two

open-heart surgeries.

Although the odds have

been against him, Levi

has persevered and flour-

ished, contrary to medi-

cal prognoses. Through

extensive medical care

and an abundance of

God’s grace, Levi sur-

vived infancy, has learned

to walk and is beginning

to eat on his own.

Interact’s Project Levi supporting special needs boy &

his family

It’s okay to be salty

Many in my generation

have no recognition of the

new slang that is associat-

ed with the word salty.

Cadets who read this title

might question, “Exactly

what is Captain Biette get-

ting at”? While I am per-

fectly content with the

slang, I am also sure that

we can all appreciate this

word on a fuller and deep-

er level.

In the Gospel of Matthew,

as part of the Sermon on

the Mount, Jesus said, “You

are the salt of the earth,

but if salt has lost its taste,

how shall its saltiness be

restored”? (Matthew 5:13a

ESV) Salt, due to its pre-

servative properties, was

so valuable in the ancient

world that many cultures

actually used it as curren-

cy. It seems, then, that

Jesus had a good handle on

what he was talking about,

especially in using salt as a

component in a lesson to

teach his followers how

they were supposed to

affect the culture that they

were a part of.

I find salt fascinating on a

scientific level as well.

Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is

a profoundly simple com-

pound. Table salt, what

most people know sodium

chloride as, is generally

considered benign. The

medical establishment

does not even consider

salt to be the health hazard

that they once thought it

was. One atom of sodium

(Na) chemically bonded to

Volume I , Issue 2

February

01

2016

“[Levi] is the happiest

little guy in the world…

[he] would put a smile

on your face in seconds”

Tyler Schuster

Micah Giszack— continues to page 3

Captain Jason Biette— continues to page 3

On February 4th we will present Fork Union

Military Academy class rings to juniors and

seniors for the fifth year in a row. We can

now consider the ring ceremony a Fork Union

tradition. It was important for me to have

this special event become a celebration. After

all, it is a once in a lifetime event.

Alumni tell me that they wear their Fork Un-

ion rings well into college and even instead of

their college rings, because they value not

only the quality of the rings provided by Jos-

tens, which rival most college rings, but also

because they know they “earned” their FUMA

class rings.

One of my favorite expressions, a saying used

by a former Coast Guard Academy Superin-

tendent, RADM Frank Leamy, is that

“Character reveals itself in adversity.” While

there is much joy and happiness in the Fork

Union experience, it is challenging, and peo-

ple appreciate the things they had to work

hardest for…thus the Fork Union ring is

cherished.

At each ceremony, I take in two rings to show

all the cadets. One ring was worn by a cadet

who graduated in 1912, and the other was

worn by a cadet who graduated in 1962.

The cadet who wore this 1962 ring sat in the

same seats the cadets sit in today, but in 1912

Wicker Chapel was not yet built. The rings

represent the thousands of cadets who have

graduated over the last hundred years. One of

the many reasons I came to work at Fork

Union after retiring from United States Coast

Guard...

RADM Burhoe on

Class Rings Rear Admiral J. Scott Burhoe— continues to

page 4

Volume I , Issue 2 Page 2

Between Friday, January 22, and the

following Sunday, Fork Union’s campus

saw 18 inches (gusting winds made

absolute measurements a near-

impossibility) of snow. Over the week-

end, cadets took plenty of time to enjoy

the chilly weather (with thick coats on,

of course) by romping around in the

powder. Cadets were not only having a

good time, but many took the time to

shovel out sidewalks and roadways in

addition to the concerted efforts by our

dedicated maintenance teams, who

used plows throughout Friday evening

to remove the still-falling snow. Though

the campus was beautiful under the

white blanket, some are glad to see

melting, welcoming it as a harbinger of

the coming spring season and spring

break, which is now roughly one

month away as of today. This week,

our campus will see temperatures near-

ing or exceeding seventy degrees. Rain,

not snow, can be expected on Wednes-

day , and each day of this next week

will see air over 46 degrees. Black ice

will be less of an issue this week as tem-

peratures hover at or well above freez-

ing. Though forecasts taper in accuracy

with added time, trends dictate that

through the next two weeks, Fork Union

will see temperatures more suitable to

March than early February.

On Thursday, January 21, Fork Union

received a unique visitor. The chaplain

for the New York Yankees, Mr. George

McGovern spoke in a FUMA chapel ser-

vice, providing cadets with autobio-

graphical information in combination

with some of the people he works with.

He explained that he’s

been involved in profes-

sional sport chaplaincy

for a long time; he

worked for the New York

Giants and Jets simulta-

neously before moving

into Major League Base-

ball.

Mr. McGovern agreed to an inter-

view by The Sabre. He said, “I hap-

pened to be in the area when the

Jets and Mets were looking for a

chaplain”. When asked if the team

members seemed to be responsive

to hearing God’s word, McGovern

said, “I’ve been very fortunate… all the

coaches have been supportive of chap-

el…about half of the players are in-

volved somehow”. Mr. McGovern talked

about Dennis Byrd’s career-ending inju-

ries, and said that he recognized that

even with his entire life crumbling, he

said, “I know I still

have Jesus Christ”.

Yankees’ Chaplain George McGovern visits Fork Union

Fork Union received 18 inches of snow, but the heat is on

“Some of the [professionals]

feel that they’re invincible,

that they do not need God…”

Mr. George McGovern

Photo Cr. COL Al Williamson. Friday, January 22–

Fork Union blizzard begins. Wicker Chapel

Cadets enjoyed sledding over the January 22 weekend

Left to right: Samer Khalil, Denzel Opoku, Mr. George McGov-

ern, Logan Justice

Dalton Fowler and Micah Giszack

Mr. McGovern’s NY Giants Super bowl Rings

Mr. McGovern said

that some of the big-

gest challenges that

face new NFL players

is a multimillion dol-

lar salary at that age.

Micah Giszack

Volume I , Issue 2 Page 3

In order for Levi to fulfill his quest

of eating on his own, he needs to

receive intense, individualized

physical therapy. This therapy is

available at a specialized camp in

Richmond, VA; however, there is

an intimidating cost, which ap-

proaches $1,000 per day. Levi’s

family is elated with his progress

thus far, but knows the needed

therapy poses immense financial

burden. In order to help Levi, our

Interact Club will donate all pro-

ceeds from various events over

the next weeks, but Levi’s family

needs as much help as possible,

and further donations can be

accepted here, in addition to

supporting Fork Union’s Interact

Club.

...that explodes when it comes in contact with water. Moreover, chlorine,

by itself , is a highly noxious and poisonous gas. Table salt is a wonderful

example of what God can do to completely change the nature (of some-

thing or someone) from harsh, volatile, caustic and poisonous to pleas-

ant, valuable, needful and even life giving and sustaining. So, the chal-

lenge before each and every one of us today is to do as Jesus says, go out

and bring life and preservation to the world we are a part of by enacting

Christ’s Word. Put off that old, volatile and caustic self and embrace the

new creature that we are in Christ.

Be salty!

Continued: Project Levi

Continued: Salty

Tyler Schuster, left; Levi, right

On February 14th and 15th, a crew of our FUMA ca-

dets, mostly members of the Academy’s PIER Club,

volunteered their time to assist with the National

Special Olympics Tennis Tournament, held annually

at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville. This is the

fifth year our cadets have been involved in this

event. The opening ceremony for the event was

held that Thursday evening, with 14 of our cadets

carrying state banners, leading each participating

state’s contingent. On Friday afternoon, 14 of our

cadets served as ball boys for 3 hours, chasing

down errant tennis balls at the net and throwing

them back to the servers. These two events gave

our cadets the opportunity to be of service to the

community and provided them insight into the Spe-

cial Olympics program, which provides so many the

opportunity to take part in activities that we might

take for granted. We look forward to the continu-

ing relationship between this great program and

FUMA. Pictures from the tournament are available

on Fork Union's website.

Cadet volunteers prior to the ceremony’s initiation

FUMA Cadets Volunteer at

Special Olympics Tennis

Tourney COL Rob Feathers

Captain Jason Biette

Photo Cr. BristolPreaching

New self-heating battery could minimize a common

struggle among winter drivers

A self-heating battery developed by researchers at Penn State could have a

dramatic impact on many Americans

during the winter months, especially

those who drive electric vehicles. The

concept is a lithium-ion car battery that

will automatically heat itself if the tem-perature drops to or below 32 degrees

Fahrenheit. This battery has been nick-named the “all-climate battery”, or

ACB . Here is how it works: The ACB

uses a 50-micrometer thick nickel foil

with one end attached to the negative terminal and the other extending out-

side the cell to create a third terminal. A temperature sensor attached to a

switch begins electron flow through the

foil to complete the circuit. This process rapidly

heats up the nickel foil

through re-sistance heating and warms the

inside of the

battery. Once the battery is at

33 degrees Fahr-

enheit or above, the switch turns off and the electric current flows in its

conventional manner. While other ma-terials could also serve as good re-

sistance-heating elements, nickel is low

-cost and works well. This is tremen-

dous for not only owners of electric

cars but also for drones and outdoor

robots or automated equipment. The development is also greatly beneficial

to some space equipment, as the batter-ies that power them do not function

efficiently at sub-freezing tempera-tures, where outer space can reach

temperatures as frigid as -455 degrees Fahrenheit when far enough from plan-

etary systems. Conventional car batter-

ies exposed to sub-freezing tempera-tures suffer critical power loss, which

leads to sluggish charging in chilly weather, restricted regenerative brak-

ing and reduction of vehicle cruise

range by up to 40 percent. Previous

attempts to improve the low-

temperature performance of lithium-ion batteries have focused on develop-

ing additives to improve the low-

temperature behavior of electrolytes,

and on externally heating and insulat-

ing the cells With concepts for these

innovative batteries, some personages have expressed concerns about price

and weight, while some have remained altogether apathetic. The developers of

the all-climate battery have responded

to and disbanded some of the primary

concerns, as they've developed the ACB to weigh only 1.5 percent more and

cost only a fraction of a percent higher than conventional batteries for hybrid

and all-electric vehicles. Engineers have

also devised the battery to shoot from -4 degrees

Fahrenheit to 32 degrees

within 20 sec-onds and from -

22 degrees Fahrenheit to

32 degrees Fahrenheit in

30 seconds,

while consuming merely 3.8 percent and 5.5 percent of the cell's capacity, respectively. When asked about the

future of this research, Professor Chao-Yang Wang (among the foremost re-

searchers and developers of the all-

climate battery) said that he and his

team "Think [they] can use similar

structures or principles to actively reg-ulate the battery's ultimate safety, per-

formance, and lifespan.”

...was because I knew that southern military

schools had such a rich and storied history in Vir-

ginia. I want there to be more opportunities and

occasions to take pride in Fork Union and restore

the many traditions associated with these very

special schools, so we brought back the ring cere-

mony.

Of course it is easy to love and appreciate this

school when you lead it. From interacting so often

with alumni, I also have the advantage of knowing

that cadets will love this school in time, even if

they don’t always love it now. My dream is that

ceremonies like this will help cadets appreciate

the Fork Union experience while they are going

through it, not years later.

I have met many alumni who tell me that their

experience at Fork Union was the key to their

success…and many are successful beyond meas-

ure. I need all cadets to help maintain the great-

ness Fork Union Military Academy is known for.

The Fork Union Military Academy class ring is just

one symbol of school pride, and I’m told that the

class ring, as we know it today, originated at West

Point, The United States Military Academy, in

1835.

West Point was the first American school to use

rings as a sign of common recognition. The ring

symbolized unity, togetherness, a band of broth-

ers, and lifelong friends bound by common experi-

ence.

I know that cadet life at Fork Union is not

easy. This ring is earned, just as the honor of grad-

uating from FUMA is earned. The class ring sym-

bolizes the achievement that results from hard

work and sacrifice.

I ask all junior and senior who wear class rings to

wear them with pride in themselves, pride in all

those who went before, and all those who will

follow.

Go Rings! Go FUMA!

Continued: Rings Rear Admiral J. Scott Burhoe

2016 Fork Union Class Rings

Grayson Williams

Concept ACB graphic. Photo Cr. Gizmag.com

Page 4 Volume I , Issue 2

Fork Union Military Academy

We’re on the Web!

example.com

Editor’s Note Sabre Now is in its infancy, but since

the last issuance, the Sabre team has

received positive commentary

without number. This second edition,

as with the first, was a joint effort

between the dedicated Sabre team

and faculty, staff and cadets. As the

promontory cadet editor of both the

print publication and this one, my job

is to review each submission. I’ve

found that apart from a gifted base of

writers, cadets at FUMA are

exceedingly willing to contribute,

some utilizing free time in a volunteer

effort. Many events happen around

campus every day, but we would not

be able to push this newsletter out

there without the support we have

received from select cadets and

various faculty members: this issue

and last. A publication every two

weeks certainly is ambitious, and I am

confident that we can uphold such a

timeframe because of those who

assist us, of course not forgetting the

permanent Sabre team and their

contributions. Do not forget that we’re

accepting criticisms and compliments

alike at sabre@fuma.org. If there is a

story that you feel should be

published, please send your ideas our

way at that e-mail address! Thanks for

reading Sabre Now; if it were not for

the readers, we would have no reason

to publish. Until next time.

Phone: 434-848-3212

Address: 4744 James Madison Hwy

Fork Union, VA 23055

Comments for Sabre Now: Sabre@fuma.org

All back issues can be found here

As oil prices drop, airline fare remains steady

In the recent months U.S. crude oil prices have plummeted, managing to stay around $30

a barrel; the cheapest it’s been in years. Despite this, airlines, the biggest consumers of

crude oil in America, haven’t lowered their ticket prices accordingly. Normally, there

would be a discount in oil prices due to a practice known as hedging. Hedging is a prac-

tice in which a corporation pays a premium to buy oil at a flat rate regardless of the mar-

ket price. This has worked for years, with airlines being able to slash their oil costs, but

recent price drops have caused this practice to backfire.

Alternatively, companies such as American Airlines, who stayed away from hedging,

have been reaping the benefits. With ticket prices dropping in the recent weeks, they’ve

seen a spike in both financial and commercial success. “It’s certainly a blessing,” says

CFO Paul Jacobson, “and we hope to milk it for all it’s worth.” When Chris Woodard of

USA Today asked exactly what he meant by “milking” this blessing, Jacobson explained

that the airline planned to buy up as much oil as it could in reserve before the prices

jumped again.

American’s practices are serving as a guiding light for fellow airlines such as Southwest

and Alaska. "We’re still committed to hedging over the longer term, but feel this is the

right time to just kind of sit on the sidelines and wait it out," Southwest’s vice president

of finance Mark Jackson said in a call with analysts. Taking somewhat of a middle road,

the airline is cutting the amount of fuel that it purchases through hedging in half and

buying the rest at market price. Alaska airlines is following the same model with the

hopes that fuel prices will say low.

Hopefully more corporations will start to stray away from hedging so that those frequent

flyers committed to a specific airline can reap the benefits of these decreasing fuel prices as well.

Chase Ray

Forewarned is Forearmed

February’s Calendar of Events

February 5th: Winter Leave Weekend begins at 1230

February 8th: Winter Leave Weekend ends— all cadets will be back

on campus on Monday at 1830

February 15th: Term 3 Final Exam. New Cadets will report. This day

also marks the beginning of the fourth term.

February 19th: Leave weekend begins after class

A full 2015-2016 Academic Calendar may be found on our website. A

PDF is available for all parents to download here.

All information hereto has been verified. Modifications to preserve accuracy were taken when necessary.

Volume I , Issue 2 Page 5

Note: Due to the final exams for term 3 taking place on Monday, February 15th, the

third Sabre Now publication will be scheduled for Tuesday, February 16th.