April elmorro 2012_web

April 2012

Fort Buchanan

The Sentinel of the Caribbean

Make that PCS as smooth as possible, Page 20

El MorroVol. 47 issue 9

Earth Day Expo to be held April 20, Page 8

Community images now available on

AER

CHILD Page 9

News

Rearing children through love and respectDuring the month of April,

the Family Advocacy Pro-gram (FAP) launches an awareness campaign for the Prevention of Child Abuse. As in prior years, I invite you

to reflect for one moment on the day in which your baby was born. Try to recall the thoughts and warm feelings you felt the first time you held your new born. Perhaps, you felt: Love, tenderness, peace, fear, preoccupation and/or so

many other feelings that they probably brought tears and/or smiles to your face.

As parents we know, chil-dren grow in a fast manner. As they grow up they need to learn good behavior through constructive and effective dis-

cipline. Helping children to learn good discipline skills at every stage can help them be-come mature and successful adults. The basics are Love and Respect. It is essential that children know that they are loved no matter what;

that when they are being dis-ciplined they are also receiv-ing an explanation for their wrong action or behavior. I highly recommend to parents and/or caretakers to have a

Garrison Awarded Superior Unit Award

ASUA Page 6

Hero to hired , Page 5

Story by Luis Delgadillo Fort Buchanan Public Affairs

Col. John D. Cushman, commander of Fort Buchanan, P.R. and Col. Edwin C. Domingo, the former garrison commander affix the ASUA streamer to the gar-rison Colors March 28 while garrison Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Derrick T. Simpson keeps the flag from touching the ground.

By Wilda DíazFamily Advocacy Program Manager

Photo by Luis Delgadillo

For the first time in it’s histo-ry U.S. Army Garrison Fort Bu-chanan has been honored with the Army Superior Unit Award.

In a ceremony at the Com-munity Club, Soldiers and members of the Fort Buchanan

civilian work force gathered March 28 to watch Col. John D. Cushman, garrison com-mander and the previous Gar-rison Commander, Col. Edwin C. Domingo place a the Army Superior Unit Award streamer on the garrison colors.

Domingo was the command-

er Oct. 23, 2009, when in the early morning hours a powerful explosion measuring a magni-tude of 2.8 on the Richter scale, shook the installation, injured 14 people who were working at the time, and caused wide-spread damage to the installa-tion totaling more than $6 mil-

lion. Housing residents and guests

at El Caney Lodge were startled awake and as they ventured out-side to see what was going on the were met by first responders from the Directorate of Emer-

The theme of this year’s Campaign is “A Strong Tra-dition of Soldiers Helping Soldiers.”

The contribution cam-paign will run through May 15 so community members able to make donations should do so through their chain of command

Soldiers requiring AER assistance should contact their unit chain of command or go to their local installa-tion AER office. The AER office here is located at Army Community Service office Building 390, Crane Loop, Suite 101. For more information about the an-nual campaign or to contrib-ute, please contact Fort Bu-chanan’s Army Emergency Relief Campaign coordina-tor is Chief Warrant Officer Marlene Rivera from the installation’s Legal Office. (787) 707 - 5154, or by e-mail: [email protected]

The Sentinel of the CaribbeanEl Morro

Fort Buchanan

The Command Group2April 2012

Garrison CommanderCol. John D. Cushman

Deputy to the Garrison CommanderGunnar G.F. Pedersen Jr.

Deputy CommanderLt. Col. Kenneth M. Hammond

Garrison Command Sergeant MajorCommand Sgt. Maj. Derrick T. Simpson

Public Affairs OfficerGrissel Rosa

Command InformationLuis Delgadillo

El Morro ContributorsCapt. Taylor Opel

Luis Salazar

1st Mission Support Command Public Affairs OfficerMaj. Carlos M. Cuebas

Mailing address —Public Affairs Office

Building 390 Crane Loop Ste. 311Fort Buchanan PR, 00934-4616

Story submissions —E-mail to: [email protected]

Telephone numbers —(787)707-5762/4486 Fax: (787)707-3362

1st MSC submissions —E-mail to: [email protected]

1st MSC telephone number —(787)707-4988

El Morro is an authorized publica-tion printed in accordance with Army Regulation 360-1.

Contents of El Morro are not neces-sarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Depart-ment of Defense, Department of the Army or U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Buchanan.

El Morro is published monthly by the Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army Garrison. Circulation 5,000.

All editorial content of El Morro is prepared, edited, provided and ap-proved by the U.S. Army Garrison Public Affairs Office. For guidance on how to submit items for publication e-mail the garrison Public Affairs Office.

The Editor reserves right to edit all submissions and to determine the suit-ability for inclusion in El Morro.

Every effort will be made to publish submissions in a timely manner. How-ever, time, layout, style and editorial considerations, as well as determina-tions for publication, are made by the Commander or the Public Affairs Of-ficer.

El Morro

Commander’s Commentary

The Army’s Backbone Command Sgt. Maj. Derrick T. Simpson

The following commen-tary is an excerpt from Col. John D. Cushman’s speech during the Army Superior Unit Award ceremony held last month on March 28.

Good morning and wel-come to all our distinguished guests for today’s event. A warm welcome back to my predecessor and Garrison Commander during the event we commemorate today, Colonel Edwin C. Domingo. Most of all, a special wel-come to the members of the Fort Buchanan family who will soon be recipients of the Army Superior Unit Award for outstanding meritorious service.

Two of the Army values that I treasure the most are

selfless service and personal courage. First you put the welfare of others before your own. Second, you faced fear, danger or adversity enduring physical duress and at times risking your personal safety. These two Army Values con-verged during the emergency that represented the explo-sion of the CAPECO fuel farm adjacent to our installa-tion.

Those two values imme-diately evoke a connection with “teamwork”. If you see closely they all have something in common, the objective is – to serve. You served outstandingly under extraordinary dangerous cir-cumstances. That’s the spirit that epitomizes the Fort Bu-

chanan family – Soldiers and Civilians – during many emergencies - from natural disasters to those caused by man like CAPECO.

I was not the Garrison Commander at the time but I’ve seen the resilience of this community that pulled together through these tough times and came out stronger. That’s the Fort Buchanan I know and I am proud to serve as their Commander. It is the commitment of each member of this family to go a little further, endure a little longer and look a little closer to see “How I can be of help.”

That’s selfless service. That’s larger than one person. It is the multiplying force of you and me to become all

of us. It’s enduring physical duress and even sometimes risking personal safety to continue on the right path. That takes courage, personal courage.

It is an honor for me to be here in this moment in time to be part of this significant ceremony as we recognize the Soldiers and Civilians who honored the United States Army by their acts of courage and selfless service. You, the brave men and women I see before me and others that could not be with us today exemplify the honor and commitment to our na-tion. Your legacy will live forever in the history of the United States Army Garrison Fort Buchanan. Thank you.

In many ways April is the month for new beginnings. No, these days it doesn’t bring in the New Year but did you know that a few hundred years ago April 1st was considered New Year’s Day? The reason was that most of the modern world marked a new year by the beginning of spring, or the growing season as opposed to a date in the middle of winter.

Season are non-factors here at Fort Buchanan but the sense of a new beginning still perme-ates throughout the installation in the month of April. One of the signature events of the year will be occurring this month, the Fort Buchanan Earth Day Exposition, on April 20th will feature dozens of information booths and presentations and will feature theme of “Net Zero Energy & Water for Resources Conservation.” It is surely to be an event you can’t miss and if it is anything like last year’s you’ll be kicking yourself for not attending.

April is known for two other important observances, It is the Month of the Military Child and also Child Abuse Preven-tion Month. As a member of

this community who is com-mitted to the welfare of our population I want to emphasize the importance of these two observances. First, it is never OK to strike a child. Physi-cal violence should never be used when trying to discipline a misbehaving boy or girl. As Ms. Wilda Díaz eloquently puts it in her front page article this month, “... parenting is an imperfect journey.”

Many of us perhaps remem-ber our own parents’ missteps in how they raised us and may-be you’ve even said to your-self, “When I’m a parent there is no way I’m going to ...,” fill in the blank.

Because parenting is an im-perfect journey it us up to us as adults to stop and think about our actions when we consider physically disciplining our children. The Army Values teaches us about Respect. Col. John D. Cushman has often spoken about this and said that, to him, it is the most important value. I tend to agree and even more so when you think about it in terms of our young chil-dren.

We must remember that

sometimes the reasons they ‘act out’ are because there are un-derlying issues. As the Month of the Military Child I want all service members and their families to carefully consider the thoughts and feelings of your children. Use this month as an opportunity to reconnect with your children if you’ve been away on a deployment. The religious holidays many of us celebrate such as Easter and Passover, afford us opportuni-ties to begin new relationship building behavior that we can carry into the rest of the year. Taking of advantage of these opportunities to become better acquainted with our families creates the resiliency we need in a Profession of Arms.

As we serve so do our chil-dren, though obviously in a different capacity, I implore you to spend more time with you children this month. If your days in the Army are over and you’ve long retired call your children and tell them you love them. Tell them you appreciate the sacrifice they made for you while you served in the military. Since 1983 the Army has recognized the con-

tributions of family members. The important thing is to make amends while you can and if your children are young it’s important to build those rela-tionships now as your children are still developing.

Additionally please keep an eye out for the Army Commu-nity Services class and event schedule found in the Direc-torate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s pub-lication, the Live and Explore. It is the best resource for ac-tivities and events occurring here at Fort Buchanan. Before I close I’d like to thank all of the members of the Fort Bu-chanan work force who were present for duty when the Ca-ribbean Petroleum Corpora-tion’s fuel farm exploded on Oct. 23, 2009. Your historic work on that fateful day repre-sents “outstanding meritorious performance of a difficult and challenging mission carried out under extraordinary circum-stances,” as the award citation reads. Let us carry the pride of a job well-done into the future as we serve our customers, our nation and the future of our children, Army Strong!

The Sentinel of the CaribbeanEl Morro Fort Buchanan

From The Top 3April 2012

Thoughts from the Chaplain’s office

In 1994 there was study conducted by the Gallup Or-ganization that reported Phil-adelphia ranked first among U.S. cities on what was called the “hostility index.”

The hostility index was based on a nine-question scale that asked people how they felt about such things as loud music, supermarket checkout lines, and traffic jams. Other cities in the top five were New York, Cleve-land, Chicago, and Detroit. At the bottom of the hostility index were Des Moines, Min-neapolis, Denver, Seattle, and Honolulu. Medical experts looking at the results felt it was no coincidence that the cities that rated high on the hostility index also had high-er death rates.

Commenting on the study, Dr. Redford Williams of

Duke University Medical School said, “Anger kills. There is a strong correlation between hostility and death rates. The angrier people are and the more cynical they are, the shorter their life span.”

This study reminded me of when a golfer was asked why he bought a new putter, he said, “The old one didn’t float.”

What about your anger? Do they call you “Old Faith-ful” at work – not because you show up everyday but because you blow up every week? You may say, “I re-ally don’t have a problem with anger.” Are you sure? Sometimes the stoic, silent people are the ones that have the most trouble with anger. They stuff it on the inside. As a chaplain I have noticed over the years that you can substitute the word “hurt” for “anger.”

One of my favorite writ-ers, Charles Lowery, notes that some people handle an-ger like a turtle; they just pull their head in and go pout. Others handle anger like skunks; they stink up the en-

Roman Catholic MassesSunday mornings — 11:30 a.m.

— Post ChapelConfessions: Sunday mornings

–11:00 a.m.—Post ChapelWeekdays, call 244-4981 or 707-

3904.Preparation for Confirmation,

First Communion,RCIA, etc. call 707-3904.

ProtestantCollective Protestant Service

Sunday morning — 9:00 a.m. — Post Chapel.

1st Sunday of every Month — 3 p.m. —Youth Ministry—Chapel

Annex, Bldg. 292

Counseling: Call the Chapel of-fice at 707-3904 or 238-7668.

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

”Proverbs 29:11

tire place. Both of those re-sponses to anger are inappro-priate and both will get you into trouble or keep you from being successful in life. An-ger can be similar to a fire in a fireplace in a remote cabin during a winter blizzard. If it gets out of control it can kill the inhabitants either directly by the heat and smoke, or in-directly when they are forced to flee the burning house and then are exposed to the freez-ing temperatures. On the oth-er hand, if the fire goes out, the occupants will freeze to death within the cabin.

Proverbs 29:11 reminds us

Assistant Chaplain, Maj. Timothy Stansberry

Fort Buchanan Chapel Schedule

The brilliant history of the U.S. Army Reserve in Puerto Rico goes back to 1922. Since then, our troops and families have answered the Na-tion’s call in every critical moment of our history, both in the combat, as well as the humanitarian fronts, displaying an unmatched strength of character and determination. Today, our forces continue moving forward, delivering critical capabilities to the Army, the Nation, our communities and our families.

The US Army Reserve in Puerto Rico of 2012 has thousands of Citi-zen Soldiers with highly technical, specialized and professional skills in logistics, personnel management, training, engineering, information technology, communication network-ing and law enforcement, among oth-ers. In addition, Soldiers from the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico con-tinuously perform their jobs around

Army Reserve-Puerto Rico 90th Anniversarythe world, through humanitarian mis-sions and also supporting the operat-ing force during the current conflicts.

I want to encourage everyone in the command to reflect about the fu-ture of this wonderful organization. Let’s use this historical juncture to ensure that the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico continues supporting the Nation’s needs during the next 90 years. Together, we must strive to maintain our level of professionalism and excellence in every endeavor that we are tasked to perform.

Since 9/11, nearly 95% of the Army Reserve-Puerto Rico units have mobilized and deployed in sup-port of overseas contingency opera-tions; today there are approximately 200 troops from our command mobi-lized around the world. To each one of them and their families, thank you for your commitment to our country and for your selfless service in this

that, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” As the summer months ap-proach your “hostility index” may increase with the long lines and heavy traffic. My

advice would be to get good and angry but be sure you control and channel your an-ger so others will get the good and not the anger.

Blessings, Chaplain Stansberry

All Volunteer Force.As we celebrate the 90th anniver-

sary of an organized Army Reserve in Puerto Rico, we recognize the extraordinary history of accomplish-ments, devotion to duty, and sacrifice of our Soldiers and their families. We must also remember the service and sacrifice of our fallen comrades, who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our Nation. They will forever remain in our hearts and minds.

I also realize that each generation of Army Reserve Soldiers serves with honor and distinction. However, on this significant moment, I am very proud to serve with a very special generation of Army Reserve Soldiers who are bright, able and willing to serve the Nation and their communi-ties in a moment’s notice.

During the last several decades the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico has consistently succeeded on every

mission. The next 90 years will be no different. US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, 90 years serving the Nation.

Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández,Commander, U.S. Army Reserve in Puerto Rico


Fort Buchanan

News4April 2012

Senior enlisted leaders meet to tackle troop, family issuesWASHINGTON – The mili-

tary’s top enlisted leaders and their spouses gathered here to-day to discuss the most press-ing issues affecting service members’ lives, and to identify possible solutions.

On the first day of the De-fense Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference, leaders touched on a wide range of issues includ-ing pay and benefits, suicide prevention, community aware-ness and outreach, and transi-tions from military to civilian life, Army Master Sgt. Terrence Hayes, public affairs chief for the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman, told American Forces Press Service.

“This conference brings our senior leaders’ experience and knowledge to the table,” he said, noting the venue serves as both an idea exchange and an avenue for practical solutions.

The Defense Department’s most senior service member, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, is leading the con-ference. Battaglia serves as the senior enlisted advisor to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Joining him for a series of roundtable discussions are Sgt. Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Michael P.

By Elaine SanchezAmerican Forces Press Service

Leavitt, Command Chief Mas-ter Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall of the National Guard Bureau, and nine combatant command senior enlisted leaders.

Earlier today, the spouses broke away to meet with First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House to discuss issues impacting military families. Seated around a table in the Pentagon, the leaders focused their attention on suicide pre-vention.

Battaglia stressed the need to combat this universal prob-lem. “We need to work extra hard and put in some midnight oil just to try to crack the code on it and where this is coming from,” he said, stressing the need for a “significant reduc-tion” in suicides.

Navy Fleet Master Chief Pet-ty Officer Roy M. Maddocks Jr. of U.S. European Com-mand noted a need to address the three primary behavioral health risk factors: broken re-lationships, financial problems and legal issues, which he said often overlap.

The military should be get-ting ahead of these problems starting from a service mem-ber’s first day of service, Mad-docks said. They need educa-tion on retirement planning, financial management and investments, such as the mili-tary’s Thrift Savings Plan, he said.

“We have, traditionally, taught these things to officers

from the time they come into service, but haven’t, tradition-ally, done it that well for en-listed,” Maddocks said. “We’re starting to do it more, but I don’t think we’re doing it well enough.”

Later in the day, the focus shifted to community aware-ness and outreach. Army Col. David Sutherland, special as-sistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for warrior and family support, explained the DOD’s efforts to raise com-munity awareness and support for troops, veterans and their

families. His staff, he said, trav-els across the nation to support community-based efforts to aid troops and their families with transition and reintegration.

Troops don’t come home to government programs, he stressed -- they come home to their families, neighbors and communities.

Communities must step up to embrace troops and veterans, particularly once their battle buddies are no longer by their side, the colonel said. They need new battle buddies, he added, but this time from their

communities -- people who can assist them in translating their skills, knowledge and attributes into civilian life and organiza-tions.

Government programs can’t do it alone, but independent or-ganizations working together at a community level can, he told the leaders.

The leaders and their spouses will continue their discussions tomorrow at the Pentagon, Hayes said, and will follow up throughout the year to discuss progress and steps toward solu-tions.

Courtesy photo


NewsEl Morro Fort Buchanan April 2012

5

WASHINGTON -- A new website championed by the Army is aimed squarely at Sol-diers ready to leave the service, to help them find jobs that best match their knowledge, skills, abilities and interests.

The website, www.h2h.jobs, for “Hero 2 Hired”, or H2H, is part of a larger, ongoing Army effort to make easier for Sol-diers the transition from military life to civilian life.

The Hero 2 Hired site includes more than 3 million real-time job listings, said Col. Edward D. Mason, chief, Army transition policy initiative, who also said the “jobs are all relatively fresh and new.” The colonel said the site uses an algorithm to weed out “stale jobs.”

The site allows Soldiers to search in a particular zip code or city for jobs, using their military occupational specialty as crite-ria for the search. A search in Kansas City, Mo., for jobs that might be suitable for a soon-

Website helps transform heroes to hired civilians to-be-separating infantryman yields 42 available jobs, for in-stance.

The site also provides “career recommendations” to Soldiers, based on their Military Occu-pational Specialty, or MOS. A search on the site for careers that might be suitable for an infantryman yields results like “police identification and re-cords officers,” “aircraft cargo handling supervisors,” and “cor-rectional officers and jailers.”

The site actually returns 25 career recommendations for that search, and includes aver-age national pay for each as well as projected number of open-ings available in each field and growth potential.

The site also includes a “ca-reer path exploration” option that involves a 14-question test for Soldiers to answer to identi-fy career choices they might not have thought about before.

“A lot of people think if you were a truck driver in the Army, you need to be a truck driver outside,” Mason said. “Well, maybe you don’t want to drive

trucks. And not everybody that has been in infantry needs to be security guard.”

The test “qualifies your inter-ests and identifies career fields you may be more interested in,” Mason said. Also on the site is the option to develop and post a resume so that the 50,000 employers who have vowed to hire veterans can find the most classified separating service members. According to Army officials, more than 130,000 Soldiers separated last year. For Soldiers preparing to separate, the Army is looking for ways to smooth the transition, said Mason. The H2H website is just one part of the Army’s plans to recreate the process to transi-tion Soldiers out of the Army. Mason said the Army’s re-engi-neering of the transition process makes it a “commander’s pro-gram.” That, he said, puts more responsibility on leadership to ensure Soldiers are involved in transition programs.

“The commanders are re-sponsible for tracking their people,” Mason said. Previ-

ously, Soldiers slated to leave the Army might have “fallen through the cracks.” Now, Ma-son said, “we are trying to put discipline into the process. And move it from attendance, to making it an outcomes-based program.”

The transition process, Ma-son said, will begin a year be-fore a Soldier’s end-of-service

date and will ensure ample time to provide Soldiers with the greatest opportunity for success after their military service.

When Soldiers become suc-cessful as civilians, Mason said, that’s good also for the Army. “Soldiers will be great ambas-sadors for the Army, and that helps sustain the all-volunteer force.”

Different ways to measure growth, developmentBy Educational & Developmental Intervention Services

By C. Todd LopezArmy News Service

Did you know there are differ-ent ways to measure how well your child is growing and devel-oping? Besides monitoring your child’s height and weight, it is just as crucial to keep an eye on how he plays, learns, speaks, be-haves and moves. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental problem.

The good news is that the ear-lier you recognize a delay, the more you can do to help your child reach his/her full potential. The first step is to ask for a de-velopmental screening, which is a procedure used by health care professionals and educational specialists. A developmental screening will let you know if your child is learning the basic skills when he/she should, and if a comprehensive assessment is needed to confirm or rule out a developmental delay.

The developmental mile-stones listed below can give you a general idea of what is expect-ed for each age range. We en-courage you to take time to ob-serve your child and complete the checklist. If you answer “NO” to 3 or more items in any age range, let your pediatrician know. If your child is a military dependent, please contact the Fort Buchanan Early Interven-tion (EDIS) office to request a free developmental screening. For more information call EDIS at (787)707-2165.Developmental Checklist9 Months• Does your baby get into a crawling position and start to crawl?• Does your baby sit indepen-dently for several minutes with-out using her hands for support?• Does your baby respond to her name by turning her head, smil-ing or looking for you?• Does your baby respond to the

tone of your voice or when you say “no-no?”• Does your baby bang toys up and down on the table or floor?• Does your baby pick up small toys with only one hand?12 Months• Does your baby stand alone and start to take a few indepen-dent steps? • Does your baby take a few steps with you holding his hand? • Does your baby follow sim-ple commands such as “Come here”, “Give it to me” or “Give me a kiss”? • Does your baby say a few words like “Mama”, “Dada” or “baba” (bottle)? • Does your baby bang 2 toys together? • Does your baby use his thumb and forefinger to pick or pinch small objects like Cheerios?15 Months• Does your child move around the house by walking rather than crawling?

• Does your child crawl up the stairs? • Does your child point to what he wants? • Does your child have 5 words in addition to “Mama” and “Dada”? • Does your child throw a small ball? • Does your child drop small toys into a container (such as a box or bowl)?24 Months• Does your child walk up at least 2 stairs by himself? • Does your child jump? • Does your child name pictures in a book when asked? • Does your child speak 50 or more words? • Does your child put things away where they belong? • Does your child pretend that objects such as blocks or boxes are something else? 30 Months• Does your child kick a ball without hold on to something?

• Does your child run well with-out falling or bumping into things? • Does your child speak sen-tences 3-4 words long? • Does your child know the prepositions of “on” and “un-der”? • Does your child turn door-knobs, twist tops or screw off lids? • Does your child get a chair or box to stand on if something is out of her reach? 36 Months• Does your child go up the stairs alternating feet (right foot then left foot)? • Does your child stand on one foot without holding onto some-thing? • Does your child tell you what is happening in a storybook? • Does your child hold a crayon or pencil like an adult? • Does your child dress himself? • Does your child use a fork and spoon with little or no spilling?

Courtesy Graphic


News6April 2012

El Morro Fort Buchanan

Renewable energy comes to the forefront

Spring Concert

Antilles Middle School will be presenting its annual Spring Concert on the evening of Wednesday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m.

in the school cafetorium. The performance will feature

the AMS Beginning Band in its first performance of the year and the AMS Intermediate Band, as well as the always exciting Antil-

les Jazz Ensemble. There will be a wide variety of

music from Classical to Gospel to Rock and Jazz.

The students in these groups have been working hard since January to prepare for this pro-gram and we invite the entire Fort Buchanan Community to join us for this gala musical event put on by our talented students.

As always, admission is free!

WASHINGTON (March 19, 2012) -- The Army plans to invest more than $7 billion in renewable-energy sources, wind, solar, biomass and geo-thermal, and has released a draft request for proposal, or RFP, that could allow multiple projects to begin nationwide.

Speaking at a media round-table March 15, Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment, said the cumulative investment will help the Army reach its goal of having 25 percent of the Army’s energy come from renewable sources by 2025. She began the roundtable by restating the Army’s “net-zero strategy.”

“Specifically, a net-zero en-ergy installation produces as much energy annually as it uses, and this does not mean replacement of current energy requirements with onsite en-ergy production,” she said. “It means that installations address energy efficiency as

the primary first step and then evaluate, repurpose and reuse energy as well as energy re-covery.”

Presently, the Army con-sumes 2.5 million megawatt hours annually.

In addition to energy con-servation, installations will strive to establish alternative forms of energy that will al-low them to “island” or con-tinue to operate should the power grid fail.

“We understand there’s a need to enhance our energy security because it’s opera-tionally necessary, financially prudent and critical to our mission,” Hammack said. “We know that power grids are in-creasingly vulnerable and ex-pose Army operations to risk.”

She noted those risks in-clude terrorist attacks as well as natural disasters such as drought and forest-fire condi-tions in the west (which some installations are already fac-ing) and unstable weather to include tornadoes.

Hammack said the Army’s risk-mitigation strategy in-volves onsite renewable-ener-

gy production and it must be done in a fiscally responsible manner, which is where the Energy Initiatives Task Force, or EITF, comes into play.

The EITF serves as the cen-tral managing office to plan and execute large-scale renew-able energy projects of greater than 10 megawatts (rough-ly enough to power 30,000 homes) on Army installations, which will be accomplished by leveraging private-sector financing.

“The EITF was tasked to develop a process that is clear, consistent and transparent so that we can provide the private sector with a consistent envi-ronment to engage with the Army which will allow EITF projects to maximize return on investments for both the Army and industry,” Hammack said.

EITF Executive Director John Lushetsky said that since the EITF began operating six months ago, it has developed standard approaches and crite-ria to evaluate different proj-ect opportunities to make the business of large-scale, re-newable-energy development

much more predictable and routine.

“We have screened more than 180 Army and National Guard installations and are currently engaged with 15 different installations at vari-ous levels of due diligence,” he said. “For each of these projects, the EITF reviews a number of critical project suc-cess factors that include in-stallation security and mission impacts, expected life-cycle economics, real-estate access, utility regulations, systems integration, environmental permitting and acquisition ap-proach.”

A renewable-energy project guide will be issued for com-ment later in the spring Lush-etsky said.

The task force has been working closely with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to develop a request for proposal un-der what it calls the Multiple Award Order Contract, or MA-TOC.

The MATOC provides a two-step process. In the first step, companies submit initial proposals and qualifications

that are not project-specific. “This will allow us to se-

lect who we think are broadly qualified companies to bid on solar, wind, biomass -- waste to energy -- as well as geother-mal projects,” Hammack said. “Once we’ve established that qualified list, then we’ll be in a position as projects are qual-ified by the EITF to issue task orders.”

The draft RFP for the MA-TOC is out for public com-ment until March 24. Lushet-sky said in the last six months the EITF has had requests to meet with some 195 compa-nies and financial institutions, and met with 40 to outline the EITF approach and plans.

The EITF plans to have a summit in May to meet with industry and discuss the re-newable- energy development guide as well as specific proj-ects.

“Long term, the Army is also interested in exploring the role of micro grids and en-ergy storage as those technol-ogies become better defined and more affordable,” Lushet-sky said.

By J.D. LeipoldArmy News Service


NewsEl Morro Fort Buchanan

7April 2012

WASHINGTON -- Service members and veterans whose military service was involun-tarily extended under the “Stop Loss” program between the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Sept. 30, 2009, are eligible for special retroactive pay, and they now have more time to apply for it.

Eligible service members, veterans and their beneficiaries now have until Oct. 21 to apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Spe-cial Pay, Pentagon officials an-nounced today.

“Even with extensive out-reach efforts and tremendous support from the president, Congress, the [Veterans Af-fairs Department], veteran and military service organizations, and friends and family around the world, some qualified indi-viduals have not yet applied,” said Juliet Beyler, the Defense Department’s acting director of officer and enlisted person-nel management. “We highly encourage anyone who may be eligible to apply for this pay. You have earned it.”

The special pay is compensa-tion for the hardships the invol-untary extensions caused, offi-cials said. Eligible members or their beneficiaries may submit a claim to their respective mili-tary service to receive $500 for each full or partial month served in a Stop Loss status.

When the special pay began on Oct. 21, 2009, the servic-es estimated 145,000 service members, veterans and ben-eficiaries were eligible for this benefit.

Because the majority of those eligible had separated from the military, officials said, the ser-vices have engaged in extensive and persistent outreach efforts, such as multiple direct mailings, public service announcements and continuous engagements with military and veteran ser-vice organizations, social net-works and media outlets.

To apply for the pay, or for more information on submis-sion requirements and service-specific links, go to http://www.defense.gov/stoploss.

Boy Scouts learn about fire fighting

Recently members from the Bayamón Boy Scouts, Troop 25, came to the Fort Buchanan fire station to visit with the local firefighters and found out what it was like to be a firefighter.

“The boys had the oppor-tunity to tour the fire station, see how the trucks work, and learn about the specialized equipment used by firefight-ers” said Firefighter Héctor Rivera.

The Scouts learned how fire fighting has evolved and how the firefighters do much more than people realize.

The days of firefighters only responding to fires has long past, in today’s fire departments firefighters re-spond to all sorts of emergen-cies and have to be trained in subjects such as emergency medicine, technical rescue, hazardous materials, chem-istry, structural engineering, and public education.

When asked what do fire-fighters do all day if there are no fires, they were surprised to find out that a typical day

By Brad BowlingFort Buchanan Fire Department

Fire Captain Luis Roig (Center) and Firefighter Héctor Rivera and members of Bayamón Boy Scout Troop 25 learn about some of the equipment used by the Fort Buchanan Fire Department.

at the fire station wasn’t all fun and games. In a normal day crews spend their day maintaining their equipment, attend training classes, con-ducting fire inspections, and performing physical train-ing.

The Scouts wrapped up their visit by participating in a miniature firefighter challenge consisting of put-ting on the fire fighting gear and performing an obstacle course of fire fighting activi-ties.

Fire Captain Luis Roig said “These kids have never had this kind of opportunity before, the fact that they were able to actually wear the gear and feel what it is like to work in the equipment is different than anything they have been exposed to before.”

While there is a limited community on Fort Buchan-an the Fire Department is al-ways engaged in community activities and public educa-tion.

Deadline for ‘Stop Loss’ pay extended

With Engine One in the background, scouts from Bayamón Boy Scout Troop 25 learn about Fort Buchanan fire fighting from members of the department like Lydia Rivera a longtime member of the department and one of the few female firefighters in Puerto Rico.


News8April 2012


ASAP brings you alcoholism screeningsAlcohol is the most com-

monly used drug in the United States (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Alcohol is popu-lar, socially accepted, and le-gal. Yet it is the most frequent cause of individual and fam-ily pain and suffering. Drink-ing too much alcohol can lead to health problems, including alcohol poisoning, hangovers, and an increased risk of heart disease. This April, during Al-cohol Awareness Month, the Ft. Buchanan Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) en-courages you to take this time to educate yourself and your loved ones about the dangers of alco-hol abuse. In Puerto Rico alone, the Traffic Safety Commission reported there have been 110 drunk driving accidents during the year 2010. To spread the word and prevent alcohol abuse, ASAP is joining other organiza-tions across the country to hon-or Alcohol Awareness Month to prevent alcohol abuse in our Ft. Buchanan community.

Alcohol Awareness Month is an opportunity to raise aware-ness of alcohol abuse and en-courage people to make healthy, safe choices. Warning signs of abuse

If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you may have a problem with alco-hol:•Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad? •Does your drinking ever make you late for work? •Does your drinking worry your family?•Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won’t?•Do you ever forget what you did while drinking? •Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking?Strategies to cut back, quit

There are many strategies you can try to cut back or quit drink-ing. To get started:•Keep track of your drinking and set a drinking limit.•Try to avoid places where heavy drinking occurs.•Ask for help from a doctor, family, or friends.•If you keep alcohol in your home, keep only a limited sup-ply.

National Alcohol Screening Day will be held 5 April, 2012. ASAP Staff at Ft. Buchanan will be conducting voluntary anony-mous screenings on that day, from 0900-1500 at the Main PX lobby. National Alcohol Screen-ing Day (NASD) is designed to reduce stigma, inform, edu-

By Myrna LlanosPrevention Coordinator

cate, and raise awareness about the dangers of at-risk drinking through anonymous self-as-sessments. The screening will not provide a diagnosis; it will help you recognize symptoms that are consistent with a condi-tion or concern that would ben-efit from further evaluation or treatment. You will also receive guidance and connect those in

need of help to proper resources.If you are drinking too much,

you can improve your health by cutting back or quitting. Keep track of how much you drink, avoid places where over drink-ing occurs, and find new ways to deal with stress. If you are concerned about your own alco-hol use or that of someone you care about—a relative, a friend

or co-worker—please visit our booth. You will be able to speak to someone who will as-sess your needs and provide in-formation so that you can help yourself and/or help others.

If you have a question about this article or about substance abuse in general, please e-mail me at [email protected] or call (787) 707-3125.

The Fort Buchanan Army Earth Day Exposition 2012 The Fort Buchanan’s Earth

Day activity is scheduled for Friday, 20 April 2012 at the Community Club from 9:00 am to 2:00 p.m. This year’s theme is “Net Zero Energy & Water for Resources Con-servation”. Nevertheless, the theme is not only a strategy but the Army’s vision to ap-propriately manage our natu-ral resources with a goal of net zero installations.

According to Fort Bu-chanan’s Environmental Management Policy Memo-randum #23, we must keep our commitment to conduct operations that are safe and

environmentally acceptable, promote resource conserva-tion through waste reduction, recycling, pollution preven-tion, and energy conserva-tion.

Our Installation is also le-veraging partnerships with the private sector through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) as the pri-mary tool to achieve energy, water, and fuel conservation goals.

Johnson Controls was awarded a $34 million con-tract to install wind and so-lar photovoltaic systems, light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting, energy management control systems, and other en-

ergy conservation equipment and processes in Puerto Rico. This contract will benefit Fort Buchanan and 11 Army Re-serve Centers on the island, saving. This action is project-ed to save the Army more than $61 million over the contract life. These projects awarded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Dis-trict, Alabama, support the Army’s goal of producing 25 percent of its utility energy requirement from renewable energy sources by 2025.

Under an ESPC, an energy service company provides equipment, capital and ex-pertise to attain a specified level of energy savings over

an extended period of time, up to 25 years. The contrac-tor recoups their investment through an agreed-upon per-centage of guaranteed cost savings.

The Army’s Earth Day is an awareness tool that com-plies with Army Regulation 200-1 and helps us reach our community and neigh-bors to p romote environ-m e n t a l s t e w a r d -ship in pa r tne r sh ip with other Fed-

By Alicia NavedoEnvironmental Specialist Contractor

eral, State, and local orga-nizations. Fort Buchanan invites all interested organi-zations and agencies to have booths at the site to distribute promotional and educational material as well as to pres-ent innovative ideas to the community. If you are in-

terested in participating or have any ques-

tions, the point of contact is Mr. Aníbal Negrón, Acting Chief E n v i r o n m e n -tal Division, at 787-707-3575,

or e-mail at: anibal .negron1@

us.army.mil.

Fort Buchanan’s organizational page is now available on Facebook

From Facebook.com Search “U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan”

then find our government organization page.

Fort Buchanan now has an official page on Facebook. Find photos, video and important news and event information

from us here by logging on and clicking “like” on our page. This month look for the snake rescue photo album, which

documented the recovery and release of an endangered Puerto Rican Boa.


NewsEl Morro Fort Buchanan April 2012

9Criar a los hijos a través del amor y respeto conversation with the chil-

dren as soon as the undesired behavior occurs, as children tend to have a short attention span. Children also need to express themselves without being interrupted. They need to feel that parents, teachers, or/and caretakers are actively listening to them. During my years of experience in work-ing with children, I have learned that they tend to feel respected when adults stop what they are doing to look at them while they are giving an explanation for their actions.

Besides, children need these basic concepts: Safety; Right from Wrong; Values (self-respect, respect for others, integrity, loyalty); Structure; Responsibilities; Good Study Habits; Confidence (healthy self-esteem); Effective Com-munication Skills.

These tools will teach chil-dren better ways to react to different situations as well as to maintain a well-balanced life style as they become adults.

And if you get a bit frus-trated during your parenting journey, just remember that there is not a perfect parent. In fact, parenting is an imper-fect journey.

My best advice is not to set high standards for you or your children. Enjoy the adventure of parenting. According to T. Berry Brazelton, “Keeping the Big Picture in mind is one of the most important things parents can do, and also one of the hardest”. Therefore, no matter what situation you en-counter, just be a parent: be fully connected and engaged in your children’s life as much as possible.

I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes: “When I approach a child, he/she in-spires in me two sentiments; Tenderness for what he/she is, and Respect for what he/she may become.” - Louis Pasteur

For additional information on parenting skills and keep-ing healthy relationships, please contact the Family Ad-vocacy Program at 787-707-3709/3698.

CHILD, From Page 1

By Wilda DíazFamily Advocacy Program Manager

Durante el mes de abril, el Programa de Apoyo Familiar lanza una campaña de sensibi-lización para la Prevención del Abuso Infantil. Al igual que en años anteriores, los invito a re-flexionar por un momento en el día en que nació su bebé.

Trate de recordar los pensa-mientos y sentimientos cáli-dos que se sintió la primera vez que celebró el nacimiento nuevo. Tal vez, usted sentía: el amor, la ternura, la paz, el miedo, la preocupación y /o tantos otros sentimientos que probablemente trajo lágrimas y/o sonrisas a su rostro.

Como padres sabemos que los niños crecen de una manera rápida. A medida que crecen tienen que aprender el buen comportamiento a través de la disciplina constructiva y eficaz. Usar técnicas efecti-vas de disciplina en todas las etapas de crecimiento de los niños puede ayudarlos a con-vertirse en adultos maduros y exitosos. Los fundamentos son el Amor y Respeto. Es es-encial que los niños sepan que son amados por sobre todas las cosas; que cuando se les esté disciplinando también reciban una explicación de su mala ac-ción o comportamiento.

Yo recomiendo a los padres y/o cuidadores que tengan una conversación con los niños tan pronto como el comporta-miento no deseado se produce, ya que los niños tienden a ten-er poca retención de atención. Los niños también necesitan expresarse sin ser interrumpi-dos. Ellos necesitan sentir que sus padres, maestros, y/o cui-dadores los están escuchando detenidamente.

Durante mis años de expe-riencia trabajando con niños, he aprendido que tienden a sentirse respetados cuando los adultos dejan a un lado lo que están haciendo para mirarlos o atenderlos mientras ellos están dando una explicación de sus actos.

Además, los niños necesitan estos conceptos básicos: se-

guridad, reconocer el bien y el mal; valores (autoestima, res-peto por los demás, la integri-dad, la lealtad); la estructura; las responsabilidades; buenos hábitos de estudio; la confianza (autoestima saludable); comu-nicación efectiva. Estas herra-mientas les enseñan a los niños mejores formas de reaccionar ante diferentes situaciones, así también como para mantener un estilo de vida equilibrada según van creciendo y con-virtiéndose en adultos.

Y si usted se siente un poco frustrado durante su experien-cia en la crianza de sus hijos,

sólo recuerde que no hay un padre perfecto. De hecho, la paternidad es una experiencia imperfecta.

Mi mejor consejo es no es-tablecer estándares muy altos para usted o sus hijos. Disfrute de la aventura de ser padres. De acuerdo a T. Berry Bra-zelton, “Mantener una visión amplia en mente es una de las cosas más importantes que los padres pueden hacer y también una de las más difíciles.” Por lo tanto, no importa en qué situación se encuentre, sim-plemente sea el mejor padre que pueda ser: este presente

y comprometido en la vida de sus hijos tanto como sea po-sible.

Quiero dejarle con una de mis citas/frases favoritas: “Cu-ando me acerco a un niño, él/ella me inspira dos sentimien-tos, sensibilidad por lo que él/ella es, y respeto por lo que él/ella puede llegar a ser.” Louis Pasteur

Para información adicional sobre herramientas de crianza y manteniendo relaciones fa-miliares sanas y saludables favor de comunicarse con el Programa de Apoyo Familiar a través del 787-707-3709/3698.

The Sentinel of the CaribbeanApril 201210 Superior Unit Award Ceremonyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/fortbuchanan_elmorro/

gency Services. Among the hardest hit fa-

cilities was the Directorate of Public Works building, which housed the offices of the very people who would be needed to respond and begin recov-ery efforts.

For their actions from Oct. 23 to Nov. 9, 2009 the citation reads, “the U.S. Army Gar-rison Fort Buchanan and its subordinate units displayed outstanding meritorious ser-vice under extraordinary dan-gerous circumstances.”

During the ceremony awards were handed out to Soldiers and members of the work force at the time of the incident.

In his remarks to the audi-ence March 28 Domingo put it another way, “Now, Fort Buchanan will proudly dis-play the Army Superior Unit Award streamer in all cer-emonies representing the he-roic actions taken by the Sol-diers and Civilians during the CAPECO Fuel Tank explo-sion. This award will also be written in the Fort Buchanan lineage,” he said.

Domingo also gave credit to the other organizations that were on hand in those trying days, which helped in the re-sponse.

“Our success cannot be

ASUA, From Page 1

Col. Edwin C. Domingo, the former garrison commander of

Fort Buchanan, was the keynote speaker during the Army Superior Unit Award ceremony held at the Community Club March 28. The garrison received the ASUA for

“outstanding meritorious service under extraordinary dangerous

circumstances.”

Col. John D. Cushman, the current garrison commander, and Col. Edwin C. Domingo, the garrison commander dur-ing the Caribbean Petroleum Corporation fuel farm explosion, share in the honor of placing the Army Superior Unit Award streamer onto the garrison colors, at the Community Club March 28.

Garrison Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Derrick T. Simpson, Col. John D. Cushman, the current gar-rison commander, and Col. Edwin C. Domingo, the former garrison commander prepare to affix the Army Superior Unit award Streamer to the garrison colors March 28. During the ceremony Soldiers and members of the work force also received the individual Superior Unit Awards.

The view of the fire from above.

measured without the as-sistance from our commu-nity. The 1st Mission Support Command, the Puerto Rico National Guard, the United States Coast Guard San Juan Sector, the Fort Buchanan Military Treatment Facility, the Federal Bureau of Inves-tigation, the government of Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense School, the Com-missary, AAFES, the United States Army Reserve Com-mand and the Installation Management Command for their contributions during the phases of evacuation, disaster assessment and recovery op-erations to help restore this installation to normal opera-tion,” he said.

Perhaps one of the more dramatic accounts of the ex-plosion came from Laura López who, at the time of the explosion was the front desk clerk for the El Caney Lodge. López initially felt a change in air pressure as she stood behind the counter of the lodge just a split-second before glass, debris and the front sliding doors came hur-tling toward her.

“I felt the doors like push toward me and the they ex-ploded and I screamed and hit the ground,” said López.

Thinking that the explosion was a terrorist attack she fled the front counter area to seek

cover and returned a short time later to answer phone calls from frantic hotel guests who were trying to find out what had happened.

Shortly after, López said she printed out the guest ros-ter and began to evacuate the hotel with some assistance from Soldiers who were guests at the lodge and recog-nized the danger.

“Seeing them, that really helped me a lot,” said López.

Across post at the Fire De-partment, Héctor Rivera was awoken by what he thought was a car crashing into the Fire Station.

After getting his bearing he and the other firefighters on duty that night went outside to see the towering fireball il-luminating the night sky.

“As we got closer we no-ticed that the fire was actu-ally outside the fence,” said Rivera.

Though they could not reach the fire to begin sup-pression methods, Fort Bu-chanan Police and Fire De-partment personnel began assisting with the triage of in-jured personnel and the evac-uation of garrison residents. The Puerto Rico Fire Depart-ment, which was the first unit to respond to the fire, and other federal agencies com-bined efforts to end the blaze and after four days the fires

Photo courtesy FBI




Fort Buchanan

Superior Unit Award Ceremony 11http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortbuchanan_elmorro/

The view of the fire from above.

cover and returned a short time later to answer phone calls from frantic hotel guests who were trying to find out what had happened.

Shortly after, López said she printed out the guest ros-ter and began to evacuate the hotel with some assistance from Soldiers who were guests at the lodge and recog-nized the danger.

“Seeing them, that really helped me a lot,” said López.

Across post at the Fire De-partment, Héctor Rivera was awoken by what he thought was a car crashing into the Fire Station.

After getting his bearing he and the other firefighters on duty that night went outside to see the towering fireball il-luminating the night sky.

“As we got closer we no-ticed that the fire was actu-ally outside the fence,” said Rivera.

Though they could not reach the fire to begin sup-pression methods, Fort Bu-chanan Police and Fire De-partment personnel began assisting with the triage of in-jured personnel and the evac-uation of garrison residents. The Puerto Rico Fire Depart-ment, which was the first unit to respond to the fire, and other federal agencies com-bined efforts to end the blaze and after four days the fires

were finally extinguished. Emergency personnel were successful in preventing the explosions of the remaining fuel storage tanks.

“We rediscovered the val-ues of teamwork, respect and caring. We saw Soldiers, ci-vilians, members of federal agencies and our surround-ing community, working to-gether, hand in hand, to bring Fort Buchanan back to where it was, thus enabling our Soldiers, their families and our workforce to come back home safe,” said Domingo.

Members of the Directorate of Public Works conduct assessments of the perimeter fence area days after it was destroyed by the fire.

The Deputy to the Garrison Commander, Gunnar G.F. Pedersen Jr. and former Fire Chief Wayne Doherty speak shortly after the fire was extinguished.

Left: Col. Edwin C. Do-mingo, speaks to Gov. Luis Fortuño shortly after the fires were extinguished at the Pedrín Zorilla Coliseum.

Below: The sliding doors of the El Caney Lodge were blown off their tracks and flew as far as 30 ft., narrowly missing the hotel clerk, Laura López in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, 2009.

Photo courtesy FBI

Photo by Raymond McCormick

Photo by Raymond McCormick

Photo by Raymond McCormick Photo by Raymond McCormick


Features12April 2012


Under Secretary of the Army Dr. Joseph W. Westphal is hosted during his visit to Puerto Rico by Maj. Gen. (Ret.)Félix A. Santoni, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for Puerto Rico. Westphal visited the island to deliver the keynote address during the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras’ ROTC ball. He also met with key government officials and military leaders from the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves to discuss key partnerships, unit capabilities and Army priorities. Pictured from left to right: Mrs. Carmen I. Santoni, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Félix A. Santoni, Honorable Dr. Joseph W. Westphal and Mrs. Linda Westphal.

Photo by Lt. Col. Rob Manning

During the period of 15 to 16 March, Puerto Rico had the privilege to have the 30th Un-der Secretary of the Army Dr. Joseph W. Westphal and his wife Linda, visit Puerto Rico, where he came to be the main speaker at the Taino Warriors Battalion Cadet Ball, which took place the evening of 15 March at the “Centro de Bellas Artes” in Caguas, P.R.

I had the pleasure of accom-panying him and his wife to the event and can assure you that it was an event that made us all look very good. In fact Dr. Westphal had this to say, “The entire trip was excellent. I learned much and enjoyed the meetings with the Governor, Lt. Governor, Congressman, TAG, and all the many leaders that I had the pleasure of meet-ing. Their welcome and hospi-tality was much appreciated by Linda and I.”

I want to commend the pro-fessor of military science and battalion commander of the Taino Warrior Battalion for extending the Under Secretary the invitation to come to our is-land to be the keynote speaker at this event and want to go on

record to state that the Under Secretary was very impressed with our cadets and the manner in which they handled them-selves during the event.

Considering the importance the Army has placed on the ini-tiative to increase the number of Hispanic officers, there is no doubt that these cadets are the future of our Army’s Hispanic leadership. Dr. Westphal even said that we are contributing greatly in addressing an issue that the Army needs to attend to, as the Hispanic population of the nation increases and be-comes a larger percentage of our population.

The following day, the Un-der Secretary visited with the President of the University of Puerto Rico and the Chairman of the Board of the Trustees of the UPR System. Both, Dr. Muñoz and Lcdo. Luis Ber-rios Amadeo, who is also one of our U.S. Army Reserve am-bassadors, discussed with Dr. Westphal the plans for the new building scheduled to be con-structed at the UPR Rio Piedras Campus. The proposed facility will house the ROTC activi-ties. We expect the bids to be held very soon the ROTC can enjoy facilities they deserve.

In addition to this meeting,

the Under Secretary visited Senator Lucy Arce and was presented a Senate resolution honoring his visit. Our Adju-tant General hosted Dr. West-phal and laid out his concerns,

requesting his support for the Puerto Rico National Guard and he also stressed the unique characteristics of its bilin-gual capability that makes the Puerto Rico National Guard great. He then, visited with the Governor, our Resident Com-missioner and the Secretary of State, followed by a visit with the Commanding General of the 1st Mission Support Com-mand and the Garrison Com-mander of Fort Buchanan.

This culminated with a no-host activity in his honor hosted by the yours truly, which was attended by over 60 individu-als, many stakeholders who support our Army, the mili-tary leaders of the island and which also included five cadets from the United States Mili-tary Academy at West Point who were visiting our island as part of the Spring Immersion Internship led by the Spanish professor of the Academy.

In my opinion, the Under Secretary’s visit to Puerto Rico was a total success for all the

Army stakeholders on the is-land and we strongly feel that we will all benefit from this visit.

Based on his comments throughout the visit, he was very impressed with the suc-cessful outreach that has been achieved and gave accolades to the manner in which the Puerto Rico Fusion Cell organized and executed the visit.

I want to strongly commend all who were involved in the visit and want to express my most sincere thanks to all who supported this visit. The OIC of the Puerto Rico Fusion Cell, Lt. Col. José Plaza,did a superb job to ensure that this visit was as successful as it was and I’m sure that our Army is much stronger in our island as the re-sult of this visit.

To Dr. and Mrs. Westphal our eternal gratitude for allow-ing us the opportunity to enjoy their company and for giving us the privilege to show the best of our Army here in Puer-to Rico.

CASA, hosts Under Secretary of the ArmyBy Ret. Maj. Gen. Félix A. SantoniCivilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, Puerto Rico


Healthy Living 13El Morro Fort Buchanan April 2012

Fort Buchanan Veterinarian asks: ‘What About Mutts?’

All too often we tend to look for pedigreed, beautiful dogs that cost a fortune to buy and look after. Mutts, mongrels, cross-breeds, mixed-breeds or even “designer breed” dogs all have one thing in common, no papers! Mutts have a bad reputation simply because they were born often by accident to parents from opposite sides of the tracks, but these dogs are just as lovable and loyal as any purebred. There are many advantages to owning a dog of questionable parentage that you can get from your local shelter or rescue group.

Mixed-breeds are often healthier. With purebreds, there are certain health prob-lems that are particular to each breed. This is one of the big-gest risks purebred owners face be-cause the dogs often inherit medical con-ditions from their parents due to the pureness of the breed. Mixed-breeds may develop those health prob-lems, but they

may escape them thanks to their mixed heritage. This is called “hybrid vigor” and any geneticist will tell you that it is a good thing. Some pure-breds have health problems simply due to certain exagger-ated breed traits -- like short faced dogs with bulging eyes tend to have eyes pop out! Or large breed dogs with sloping backs tend to have hip and back problems. A mixed breed may be less likely to experi-ence these breed related prob-lems. Mixed-breeds can also live longer than purebreds. A healthier dog can live longer than a dog that is predisposed to major health issues. Genetic issues that are caused by reces-sive genes may not show up in a cross-breed thanks to other dominant genes from the par-ents.

A shelter pet will cost less than a purebred pet. Purebred puppies can cost

several hun-dred to sev-eral thousand

dollars from a reputable breeder. Since most mutts come from animal rescue centers

and local shelters, getting a dog is a

relatively cheap business. In some cases the animal shelter will give you the dog free of charge. Others simply require a donation or a nominal adop-tion fee for the upkeep of the shelter and care of the animals. Numerous shelters are also providing services such as mi-crochipping, spay/neuter waiv-ers and even vaccinations that are included in your adoption fee.

Mixed-breeds often have the best qualities of each par-ent breed. Look at the popu-larity of “labradoodles” -- the personality of a Labrador and the low-shed coat of a Poodle. You can also be proud of hav-ing a completely unique dog, how many can claim that they have a Husky / Chihuahua dog (no kidding, we have one at the clinic)? The endless combina-tion of traits in the mutt can result in amazingly cute and one-of-a-kind features.

There are some downsides to choosing a mutt. Because of the uncertainty of the dogs an-cestors, you will not know how big your puppy will grow nor how it’s going to turn out in the looks department. Sometimes the pup who was only supposed to grow to be ten pounds, turns out to be thirty! The personal-

By Capt. Taylor Opel, DVMFort Buchanan Veterinary Treatment Facility

Building 676 Sallyport St.

Appointments available for Active Duty Military, Retirees, Dependants, Coast Guard, Army National Guard, Reserv-ists, Fort Buchanan Residents, GS Employees, Fort Buchanan Security Personnel, US Cus-

toms and FBI Personnel.

Normal Business HoursMonday to Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Surgical and Dental services available

Please call 787-707-2038 to schedule an appointment.

Fort Buchanan Veterinary Treatment

Facility

ity of a mutt is also a gamble. Purebred dogs are bred to have specific temperaments that are predictable, while a mutts’ per-sonality is a mystery. Shelter dogs can also have undesir-able behaviors. Some were never taught basic obedience, or developed bad habits due to being in the wrong home envi-ronment. Some were neglected and never learned how to be-have properly around people or other animals. A shelter dog may require some extra train-ing and attention to help them become a great pet.

The most important reason to consider getting a mutt is to decrease the severe dog over-population problem. The Hu-mane Society estimates that 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year in shel-ters due to overpopulation. You can help by spaying or neuter-ing your pets, only obtaining dogs from responsible breed-ers, and adopting from your local animal shelter or rescue group.

In the love and care depart-ment there really is no differ-ence whether you own a very expensive purebred dog or an adorable mutt. If you are look-

ing for a simple companion, temperament and personality are the most important things to look for, regardless of the breed. All dogs need plenty of love and the more you give them the happier the dog will be, and the more love they will give in return. For questions or to make an appointment at the Veterinary Treatment Facility call – 787-707-2038


Features14April 2012


Luis Salazar on safety: Entry, speed, brakes & turnsBy Luis SalazarSafety Office Contractor

In an effort to improve the reg-istration process for all Soldiers, the new Web site through the Army IMCOM Registration Sys-tem will make registration for all courses easier to accomplish.

Registration is now required for all driving courses as well as for Motorcycle Safety Founda-tion courses.

The new address is https://apps.imcom.army.mil/AIRS

This site will provide on-line registration and management of traffic safety training courses for the Army Traffic Safety Training Program. You can view course calendars to see what courses are being offered at garrisons in your local area. It will also aid

you in successfully registering for courses electronically using a web based browser or smart phone. To view available cours-es, log on to the link above and select a region and then a garri-son from the drop down menu. From there just choose the date of the course and register.

Army Traffic Safety Training Program gets a new Web site

https://apps.imcom.army.mil/AIRS

As we turn the corner on spring and head into summer we are beginning to see more and more motorcycles on the street. Added to the summer riding season the $1.?? per liter prices at the pump also have a magnifying effect as riders try to beat the gas pump monster. This will bring more riders in contact with the highways and byways of Puer-to Rico.

It will also take many to our beauti-ful mountain roads where curves will be the staple diet of a fun ride. One of the things that quickly catches my atten-tion when I see mo-torcyclists on the twisties is the use of brakes and throttle as they round cor-ners or ride through s t r a i g h t - a w a y s that connect these curves. Not an un-common situation is to see a motorcy-cle chug a lug their way through a turn jerking up and down as the rider maneuvers his metal steed in such a way that he does not run off the road. Other times one is able to see how a rider uses correct braking tech-niques before a turn to set up their entry speed and complete the turn smoothly.

In motorcycle safety classes I always share with our students the fact that their ability to complete a curve successfully will pretty much be regulated by their entry speed into the curve. If you come in too hot then get ready to do a Hail-Mary play before you reach the apex of the curve. Trail braking is a good tool to help set your cornering speeds as you

round into the center of the curve espe-cially if you come in fast. It helps to de-lay the apex of the turn giving you some extra time and distance yet this should be used with great care and with copi-ous amounts of wisdom and expertise. Other things which are somewhat more common and could have disastrous re-sults if not used correctly in this Hail Mary scenario will be downshifting, clutch pulling, adding some amount of brake pressure or even running wide or short while riding in the slot to be able to manage motorcycle speed and complete the turn. In this installment I would like

to look at some of the techniques we have avail-able to complete a curve success-fully from the tried and prov-en basic SLPR (Slow, Look, Press, Roll) to more advanced braking tech-niques.

This basic technique is not only important to un-derstand but effective and safe if utilized correctly. Running off the road with a motorcycle is and continues to be the #1 cause why riders have single vehicle motorcycle crashes. What does this tell us? Basically that a rider needs to pay more attention, increase their skill level and proficiently practice perfect curves to lower risk level and the inherent dan-gers of unmanaged risk. Riders should not give in to the shortcuts and bad hab-its that sometimes are used just to get things done faster. Learning correct use of your control inputs (throttle, brakes and clutch) is essential to street survival

on Puerto Rico highways. So just how do we go about getting

every curve right every time we ride them? The tried and proven method is one called SLOW, LOOK, PRESS and ROLL. This procedure is basic and safe if you follow all of its steps. Let’s go over this four step scenario and see how it can be applied in a turn. Before you come into a curve SLOW down either by applying brakes, decelerating or downshifting smoothly and set up your safe and manageable entry speed for that specific turn. As you near your en-try point for the curve start using your eyes to LOOK though the turn. Search for uneven surface characteristics, take a look at the turn angle of the road and scan for additional traffic occupying the turn with you (front, back and to the sides). Choose a good path of travel to enter the turn and begin to execute your turn with care. As you begin to ride through the turn gently PRESS the han-dlebars in the direction you want to go. This technique is called counter steer-ing and it is a recognized way to initiate lean to execute and hold a curve. As you ride through the curve slowly be-gin to ROLL by gradually accelerating and safely achieving a good speed so as to stabilize the motorcycle while at the same time exiting the curve.

Correct use of the front brake is criti-cal to safely managing speed as you ride. Sometimes riders in their desire to stop quickly in emergencies add so much brake pressure that they can lock up the front brake and go into a fall scenario. The same thing happens in a cornering scenario. Your front brake outside of holding 70% or more of your braking power is also a great friend to have in speed management. The chal-lenge with the front brake is how we

squeeze and how much pep you put into the front brake lever. Many experi-enced riders forego the use of the front brake or only minimally use it as part of their riding routine. The balance of truth sides with those riders who do use the front brake in conjunction with the rear brake continually and not as an optional task. Going back to training, one of the things that is important in correctly using your front brake is how we squeeze and how much we squeeze the lever. In other words quantity and quality of front brake lever pressure is essential to good management. As you initially squeeze your front brake lever the rider begins to see that a weight bal-ance occurs gradually by shifting focus to the front tire as the forks compress from the forward weight transfer. As you smoothly squeeze the front brake and after the weight balance occurs the rider can add more pressure until full pressure can be added once the motor-cycle is straight up and not leaned over. If a rider adds quick and full pressure to the front brake before the weight trans-fer happens results like front tire lockup can be achieved with less than happy results.

It is beneficial for riders to spend some time practicing the use of the front brake lever even with the motorcycle parked. Get a feel for the front brake by exploring the full range of move-ment and pressure on the lever. Mark where the front brake lever begins to show drag and where you feel counter pressure as this is the place where the forward weight transfer begins to take place. After that continue to add pres-sure slowly but firmly until maximum brake has been attained. After you prac-

SLPR Page 18

So just how do we go about getting every curve right every time we ride them? The tried and proven method is one called Slow, Look, Press and Roll.

Luis Salazar

15

Personnel from the 1st Mission Support Command’s (1st MSC) staff sections and directorates conducted a Command Team Training Workshop at the 1st MSC headquarters, 10-11 Mar.

The purpose of the work-shop was to provide infor-mation and guidance to the company level leaders about current Army Reserve train-ing policies and procedures, as it relates to individual, medical and training pre-paredness, in order to im-prove overall command readiness and mobilization posture.

“As Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz (Chief, Army Reserve and Commanding General) said, you cannot be a commander one weekend a month,” said Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernán-dez, 1st MSC commander, while explaining the level of compromise expected from commanders at all levels.

The training workshop targeted issues that must be worked at the unit level, pro-moting the development of

Success starts at the squad level

Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández Commanding General of the 1st Mission Support Command addresses the audience during the Command Team Training Workshop held at the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico headquarters , 10-11 March

open, professional commu-nication between the leaders and their troops, in order to resolve problems or conflicts at the lowest level.

“If you fix things at your level, we will definitely im-prove across the command. The Commanding General’s priorities are my priorities” said the 1st MSC Command Sgt. Maj. René Rivera.

“I think this was a very productive event because I learned things that I did not know before,” said 1st Lt. Neryannie Figueroa, 271st Human Resources Company (Postal) commander.

The main focus areas during the workshop were Duty Military Occupation-al Skill Qualified statistics (DMOSQ), Un-satisfacto-ry participation (UNSAT), pending loss status, readiness codes mismatches, medical and training readiness and retention issues within the command.

“We got only one sole mis-sion; preparing and training our soldiers and units so they can be able to deploy at any-time, to anyplace around the world” added Fernández.

From right to left, Capt. Victor Ortiz , commander of the 597th Quarter-master Company, 1st Sgt. Reynaldo

Milliam-Velazquez from the 432rd Transportation Corps Company

and his Commander Capt. Felipe Abraham pay close attention to the

briefers, during the Command Team Training Workshop held at the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico head-

quarters , 10-11 March.

Fort Buchanan, PR- The 1st Mission Support Com-mand (1stMSC) conducted a Safety and Occupational Health Advisory Council (SOHAC) at the 1st MSC headquarters, 26 Feb.

The safety council is con-ducted at least twice a year in order to provide a forum for leaders in the command to review safety concerns that affect direct or indirectly our soldiers.

The council also provides a space to review risk control options, to make risk control decisions, and to direct im-

1st MSC promotes, enforces safety among its ranksBy Sgt. Jose F. Babilonia1st MSC Public Affairs

plementation of risk control measures across the largest US Army Reserve command in the Caribbean.

“The SOHAC is important because you have the oppor-tunity to bring up the issues that need to be addressed and find out in which ways we can handle them moving for-ward” said Mr. Jesus A. Soto, Safety and Occupational Spe-cialist for the 210th Regional Support Group (210th RSG)

The Army safety regula-tion (AR 385-10) targets the responsibilities, and proce-dures of safeguarding and preserving Army resources worldwide, to include sol-diers, Army civilians, and

Army property against ac-cidental loss. It also estab-lishes the composite risk management (CRM) as the Army’s principal risk reduc-tion methodology.

“The nature of our work is risky (referring to the Army operations) and we have to be able to deal with it, with the minimum risk,” added Soto.

The safety council enforc-es the necessity of programs such as the CRM and the General Service Administra-tion vehicles (GSA) Safety Training as a valuable tool for accident prevention for our troops and to better equip our soldiers in the decision making process.

Spc. Jose J. Arroyo and Spc. Nestor Guerra, from the 471st Engineer Com-pany, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) while working at one of the many Army Reserve engineer community projects around the Puerto Rico. The 1st MSC Safety Council provides a space to review risk control options, to make risk-control-option decisions, and to direct implementation of risk control measures across the largest US Army Reserve command in the Carib-bean.

By Sgt. Jose F. Babilonia1st MSC Public Affairs

16Creating memories through a fishing campBy Maj. Carlos M. Cuebas1st Mission Support Command Public Affairs Officer

Ponce, PR-The US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico and the Army Reserve Child Youth and School Services (CYSS) conducted a fishing camp for soldiers’ dependents at the Cer-rillos Lake, 3 Mar.

“It was a great experience for each one of us. Now, my son wants to go to fishing because he feels like he is an expert,” said Sgt. 1st Class Virgen Ro-driguez, from the 166th Re-gional Support Group, who attended the camp with her husband and their 5 year old son.

Besides showing the partici-pants how to effectively use a fishing pole and other fishing devices, the fishing camp had the intent of creating an op-portunity for military families to share quality time, develop patience and respect for Mother Nature.

“It is very important to take some time off to expend with your loved ones, in special places, and Cerrillos (lake) is a special place. Definitely Puerto Rico has pretty places to en-joy,” added Rodriguez.

The fishing camp was con-ducted in direct coordination with the Natural Resources De-partment of Puerto Rico.

The Army Reserve CYSS strives to build community partnerships by outreaching to local, state and federal agencies that seek to support military families with children. These organizations help to encour-age and sustain Army Reserve children by offering programs that understand the uniqueness of being a military child.

“One of the goals of the fish-ing camp was to facilitate our military families to spend qual-ity time together, before the soldiers mobilize in support of the current overseas contingen-cy operations. This event cre-ated a great opportunity for our families to create new memo-ries that will accompany them during the upcoming mobiliza-tion period,” said Janeska Bar-rientos, Army Reserve CYSS coordinator.

The Army Reserve-Puerto Rico and the CYSS plan to con-duct additional fishing camps in the upcoming months, at differ-ent lakes throughout the island. Those interested in participat-ing must contact Mrs. Barrien-tos at 787-362-6268.

“Well, it is definitely some-thing that you cannot let pass, otherwise, you will be sorry to hear the great adventures that other people went thru and you missed it,” recommended Ro-driguez.

A representative from the Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural Resources and the daughter of one of the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico soldiers, practice a fishing technique during the command sponsored fish-ing camp held at the Cerrillos Lake , Ponce PR, 3 March.

1st MSC trains leaders on Suicide-intervention skills

Army Civilians from the Soldiers Readiness Process-ing Center (SRPC) partici-pated in the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) during the 1st Mis-sion Support Command’s Suicide Prevention Cam-paign, February 2012.

“This was a great opportu-nity for our staff to get famil-iarized and to better under-stand the dynamics involved within the ASIST program. This will definitely enhance

our capabilities having dif-ferent employees certified, part of the full time staff sup-port, in order to provide bet-ter services to our supported population during time of cri-sis,” said José R. Ruiz-Espa-da, Supervisor SRPC Fort Buchanan.

The Army continues to increase the availability of suicide intervention ASIST training for leaders at all lev-els and other key personnel, whose primary duties involve assisting those who are more susceptible to suicide ide-ation.

The training certifies civil-ian workforce leaders in sui-cide prevention and interven-tion skills.

ASIST is part of the Army’s multi-disciplinary, holistic approach to health promo-tion, risk reduction, and sui-cide prevention that accounts for the many challenges our Soldiers, Families and Army Civilians face.

According to the 2010 Ar-my’s Health Promotion, Risk reduction, Suicide prevention report, the Army Reserve had a 34% increase in suicides (43 cases) in the year 2010.

By Soldiers Readiness Processing Center Unit Public Affairs Representative

From left to right Lt. Col. Yvette A. Thomas 1st Mission Support Com-mand Admin. Nurse Surgeon’s Office and her daughter Lauren Thomas trying to catch a fish during the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico’s fishing camp held at the Cerrillos lake, Ponce PR, 3 March.

The same report states that the Army recognizes that each suicide represents a family that has suffered an ir-reparable loss.

The 1st Mission Support Command, US Army Re-serve-Puerto Rico provides confidential counseling re-sources, suicide prevention training videos and in-person training that address a variety of common challenges our forces face.

For more information and resources about suicide pre-vention, visit www.prevent-suicide.army.mil.

This sec-tion is dedicated to highlight a service member from our command, in recog-nition to his/her hard work and dedica-tion to the mission. Units are encour-aged to submit names every month by the 20th of the month.

1st MSC Excellence Spotlight:

17

Time in service: Five years in the US Army Reserve- Puerto RicoUnit: 311th Quartermaster Company, Aguadilla, PR

Home of Record: Ponce, P.R.Career Status: Sgt. Jeniffer Ruberté joined the US Army in 2006 and was assigned to the 271st Human Resourc-es Company (Postal). She participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007-2008. After arriving from deployment, Ruberté supported her unit during mo-bilization, from 2008-2009.

She also worked with the 1st Mis-sion Support Command Mobilization Team from 2009-2010. Since June 2010 she has served as an active guard reserve Soldier assigned to the 311th Quarter Master Company, Aguadilla, P.R. as a human resources noncommis-sioned officer. Recently, she was rec-ognized by the Senate of Puerto Rico during the Women Veterans Day.

Civilian Career: Ruberté graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce Campus, with a Bachelor Degree in Science with a Concentration in Psychology and a Master Degree in Industrial and Orga-nizational Psychology.

Future plans: Her short term goal is to promote to Staff. Sgt. and complete the Advance Leaders Course before the end of her first contract. Her long term goal is to successfully complete 20 years of service in the Armed Forces.

Quote: “With God all things are pos-sible.”1st MSC Excellence Spotlight: This section is dedicated to highlight a service member from the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, in recognition to his/her hard work and dedication to the mission. Units are encouraged to sub-mit names every month by the 20th of the month.

More local recruits see West Point as an option

Alberto Jose Roche-Escalera, 16, a Ponce native and an Antilles High School senior, became the most recent Puerto Rican accepted to the United States Military Academy West Point.

“I did not know how to react after I read the letter of acceptance. I am very, very happy,” said Roche-Escalera who also stated he is very proud of becoming one of the few Puerto Ricans accepted to the Academy.

According to West Point officials, there are only two Puerto Ricans attend-ing the Academy this year.

Admission to West Point is open to all young men and women, and is extreme-ly competitive. To be considered for ad-mission to West Point, a candidate must be at least 17 but not yet 23 years old on July 1st of the year of admission, be unmarried, and have no legal obligation to support children. Candidates must be qualified academically, medically, and physically, and must receive a nomina-tion from an approved source, such as a member of Congress.

“I am very proud of my son. This is a clear example that if you really want something, you can achieve it,” said Staff Sgt. Alberto Jose Roche-Zayas, fa-ther of the newly accepted West Pointer, who is also a US Army recruiter.

Being accepted to the United States Military Academy is not an easy task. The academy receives approximately 20,000 applications every year. Only

1,300 candidates get selected. “I took the SAT three times, in order

to get the highest score possible before sending the application,” added Roche-Escalera, while explaining the process of application.

“It takes a long time. It is not a fast process. My recommendation to others interested in applying to West Point is to start the process as soon as possible and not to quit. Do not get overwhelmed with the long list of requirements. The worst that can happen is that they tell you no. It is better to try and not get accepted, than not trying at all,” added

Roche-Escalera.Roche-Escalera is scheduled to report

to the Academy during the fall 2012 with an expected graduation date sum-mer 2016. He wants to concentrate his studies in Computer Engineering and to make a career in the Army.

According the Forbes magazine, West Point is the Best Public College or Uni-versity in America for undergraduate education. There is no cost for tuition, or room & board.

Those interested in applying to West Point can visit http://www.usma.edu/ and start the process online.

Alberto Jose Roche-Escalera, 16, a Ponce native and an Antilles High School senior (left), is greeted by Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández, senior US Army Reserve officer in the Caribbean (right), in moments when Roche-Escalera received notification of his acceptance into West Point, 14 Mar. According to West Point officials, there are currently only two Puerto Ricans cadets at-tending the Academy this year.

By Maj. Carlos M. Cuebas1st Mission Support Command Public Affairs Officer

Under Secretary of the Army visits U.S. Army Reserve - Puerto RicoBy Maj. Carlos M. Cuebas1st Mission Support Command Public Affairs Officer

The Under Secretary of the Army, Hon. Dr. Joseph Westphal visited the 1st Mission Support Command, US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico headquarters, 16 Mar.

During the visit, Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández, accompanied by Command Sgt. Maj. René Rivera, briefed Westphal about the command’s capabilities, readi-ness and the support that the largest US Army command in the Caribbean has provided to the nation during the last de-

cade. “Approximately

ninety five percent of our units have mobilized since 9/11. Despite that fact, volunteerism in the island contin-ues being strong,” said Fernández.

During the brief-ing to Westphal, Fernández also explained details about other missions being conducted by the US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico.

“Beside the continuous support that

we provide to the War Against Ter-rorism, our current operations also in-clude annual train-ing exercises, both in the states and overseas, as well as participation in Theater Secu-rity Cooperation missions,” said

Fernández.Participation in Theater Security Co-

WESTPHAL Page 19

Approximately ninety five percent of our units have mobilized since 9/11.

Brig. Gen. Fernando FernándezCommander, 1st MSC

Sgt. Jeniffer Ruberté-Laspina


Around The Post18 El Morro Fort BuchananApril 2012

Classifieds

Located in Juncos, P.R. I have a 3 bed, 3 bath, 2 terr, home with a sunken living rm. New kitch-en, pool and much more. For info call Erica: 214-244-7476.

HomesRetired Marine moving to Puerto Rico. I would like to rent, sublet or share an apart-ment or house if it is furnished that would be great, close to Fort Buchanan.

I am planning to make a full move to PR and would like to spend 30 days there to look around and get a feel for the place. Stable income, good credit, Retire Military.

If anyone has anything please contact Don Earl at 209 275-2382 or e-mail me at: [email protected]

Rental Needed ASAP

El Embassy Dorado Vacation Club, Capacidad 8 personas en 2 habitaciones, 2 baños. Puede ser dividido y utilizado para dos semanas al año. Escucha ofertas llamando a Rafael al 787-272-1174.

Timeshare

Propiedad sin dueda consta de 317 mts y medio. Urbanizacion Extension Caguax, calle Tu Rey, V-8, calle sin salida. Tiene 3 cuartos, 1 baño marque fine para tres carros. Excelente condiciones, Studio y baño con entrada independiente puede ser rentado. 787-258-2255

Homes

Please call Maximina Colón-Frick at (787) 234-4072 if you are interested in any of the following items for sale: One Jazzy Pride electric wheel chair for the handicapped ($600). One loading ramp for the chair ($100). One heavy duty extra large capacity electric clothes dryer - 220 volt (Roper) ($125). One exercise bike - Gym Mas-ter ($60.00).

Miscellaneous

Advertise with us for free. If you are a current, or retired, service member or disabled veteran who wishes to adver-tise your home, car or the an-nouncement of a yard sale feel free to contact Luis Delgadillo, the editor of El Morro.

Yard sale

To advertise call 787-707-5762

Under Secretary of the Army Hon. Dr. Joseph Westphal (left) is briefed by Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernández, senior US Army Reserve officer in the Ca-ribbean, (right) during the Under Secretary’s visit to the 1st Mission Support Command, US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico headquarters, Fort Buchanan, PR, 16 Mar, while Command Sgt. Maj. Rivera and other staff officers observe. During the presentation, Fernández explained the command’s capabilities, readiness and the support that the largest US Army command in the Carib-bean has provided to the nation during the last decade.

WESTPHAL, From Page 17

Fort Buchanan popular phone numbers

tice on a parked bike, take the motorcycle to a parking lot or a safe strip of road where there are no additional dangers from bad highways and other traffic. Begin at slow speeds and as you get proficient continue to raise your speed and practice braking until you reach your normal working speed on the highway. As you do this you will accomplish correct use of the front brake and you will be able to defuse the “Armaged-don moment” where nervous energy takes over good habit and incorrect brake pressure is applied.

You will go from a grab and stab technique on the front brake lever to a grace-ful squeeze that will help you come to a stop with a high de-gree of safe handling. All this will be achieved without the dreaded front wheel lockup. At all times remember that if your bike is leaned a good part of your traction reserve is being used to keep the bike upright. Full use of the brakes requires

that a motorcycle should be as straight up as possible in order to recoup the traction reserve that was in use by the motor-cycle lean.

So as you begin to enjoy those mountain curves this summer remember the chal-lenges that you will encoun-ter. Along with the incredibly beautiful scenes that encom-pass the mountain highways of Puerto Rico you will also face green moss on the roads, pot-holes and poor road surfaces. Curves will be a part of every beautiful scene.

Good use of the brakes and proper cornering technique will make the difference in a fun ride or one that will have you picking up your bike from the pavement. May you have a great summer riding season.

Any Soldier who is inter-ested in taking any of our mo-torcycle safety courses at Fort Buchanan please check our motorcycle safety class cal-endar at https://apps.imcom.army.mil/AIRS. Here you can sign up for courses as well. It’s just that easy.

SLPR, From Page 14

Fort Buchanan Operator ...................(787) 707-3403

Library ................................................(787) 707-3208

Exchange ...........................................(787) 792-8989

ID Card Facility ..................................(787) 707-3938

Commissary .......................................(787) 707-2078

Tricare Service Center ......................(787) 707-2665

Religious Support Office ..................(787) 707-3904

Fitness Center ...................................(787) 707-3767

Army Community Services ..............(787) 707-3804

Auto Shop ..........................................(787) 707-3972

Community Club ...............................(787) 707-3535

1st Mission Support Command .......(787) 707-4988

Installation Public Affairs Office ......(787) 707-4486

Survivor Outreach Services ............(787) 707-3692

Family Advocacy Program ...............(787) 707-3709

operation missions has been identified by Army Reserve leaders as one of the possible ways the Reserve forces could apply the operational nature of its forces and the institutional knowledge gained after then years of persistent conflict, once the operations in Afghanistan end.

The future of the Army was also a subject of discussion during the encounter between Fernández and Westphal.

“Naturally, as we reshape the force, we have to be much more creative in sustaining the readi-ness for the Reserve forces. We need to look at the last ten years of combat operations and how you contributed to that effort, what lessons we take from that and how we need to be ready for future challenges, while sus-taining the requirements here in Puerto Rico,” said Westphal, while explaining the future of the forces, under the current re-ality of fiscal constraints.

“If you look at the historical cycle of funding for the Depart-ment of Defense, we had con-

tinuous ups and downs,” added Westphal.

Before 9/11 the Army Re-serve was essentially a strate-gic force engaged primarily on training one weekend a month and two weeks every year. Af-ter 9/11 the Reserves became an operational force providing critical capabilities to the nation in an extended basis.

“It would be easy for the Army to fall back to the pre 9/11 days, but we do not want to do that,” said Westphal. The meeting between the Under Secretary of the Army and the senior US Army Reserve officer in the Caribbean took place as the Pentagon prepares to reduce spending by $487 billion in the next decade.


Around The Post 19El Morro Fort Buchanan April 2012

Afghanistan- Soldiers as-signed to the 215th Military Police Det., US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, who are currently deployed in Afghanistan, have the responsibility of conducting customs inspections as part of their mission in country.

Before anything crosses over U.S. borders, everything that is shipped back to the States from Afghanistan must go through a thorough customs inspection.

Characterized by warmth customer service, uncommonly found in the current Afghani cold and harsh environment, the 215th troops uphold the in-spection standards, while trying to make the required process a pleasant and amicable experi-ence for the troops being in-spected. According to a recent report sent by Capt. Hector Prie-to, unit’s Operation Officer, sev-eral customers have expressed great satisfaction with the 215th troops’ professionalism, while conducting their customs mis-sion, which has made a lasting positive impression in the mem-bers of the units being inspected.

Proven professionals: 215th MP Det. upholds standards

Soldiers from the 215th Military Police Det., US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico current deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan have the responsibility of conducting customs inspections as part of their mission in country.

Linda Westphal (center), wife of Under Secretary of the Army, the Honorable Dr. Joseph W. Westphal, visits with staff members at the Rodriguez Army Health Clinic at Fort Buchanan, P.R., March 16. While her husband was visiting Puerto Rico dignitaries and Army leaders in San Juan, Mrs. Westphal took time out of her schedule to visit the clinic and later met with Soldiers assigned to Fort Buchanan’s Community Based Warrior Transition Unit. At right: Mrs. Westphal tours the CBWTU escorted by the unit’s 1st Sgt. Juan Waypacheco.

By Capt. Héctor L. Prieto215th MP DETUnit Public Affairs Representative

Around The Post20 El Morro Fort BuchananApril 2012 The Sentinel of the Caribbean

Tools and tips for a smooth PCS

The Directorate of Logistics’ Transportation Division employees Lillian Cálderon and Gilberto Hernández assist Soldiers and civilians with their permanent changes of station.

Your Permanent Change of Station (PCS) does not have to be overwhelming if you plan well and do your research.

According to the calendar it is almost PCS season, the time be-tween Memorial Day and Labor Day when the Military moves more than one third of their total shipments for the year, which is about 600,000 across all of the branches.

Last summer, the Military moved 230,000 Families and this year, due to base realign-ments and closures, the Defense Department’s Personal Property Program is estimating an addi-tional 10,000 moves will take place over the three-month pe-riod.

So with an even busier PCS season fast approaching, Ser-vice Members and their Fami-lies will need to get organized, stay focused and most of all remain flexible. Luckily there are some programs in place that can assist Families, whether it is their first or fourteenth PCS.

The first priority should a visit to Relocation Readiness Office

for information on moving and post-move orientations. At Fort Buchanan we offer assistance with in-transit situations by pro-viding classes on move-related topics and offer individual PCS planning also maintain a loan closet from which Families may borrow basic household goods and small appliances. Office is located in Bldg. 390 Crane Loop, suite 101, (DFMWR/ACS) and can be reached at (787) 707-3682, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. To find the relocation office at your new/next duty sta-tion, visit www.militaryinstalla-tions.dod.mil and select the in-stallation, then go to “programs and services” and select “Fam-ily Center”.

For some people, it’s all about having a plan in place. The Plan My Move application (http://apps.mhf.dod.mil/pls/psgprod/f?p=MHF:RELO:0), offered through the DOD’s Military Community and Family Policy office, is available online to help you create a customizable calen-dar that maps out your upcom-ing PCS. Tasks can be changed, moved, added or removed and

you can also create travel check-lists, arrival checklists, lists of documents to hand-carry and important phone numbers - all of which you can print out and take with you. Best of all, there is a Relocation Budget Plan tool that allows you to create an Ex-cel spreadsheet to account for all of the expenses you will incur, as well as the entitlements you will receive as part of the PCS.

And if you think that you have a unique question that can’t be covered by the more than 150 tip sheets that Plan My Move offers, you can visit the PCS fo-rum. The Military Community and Family Policy office has created a platform within the social networking arena (www.facebook.com/MCandFP) for Military Families to have dis-cussions and get answers to their PCS questions. Of course Mili-tary OneSource also provides online resources through their Relocation Assistance Program (www.militaryonesource.com/MOS/FindInformation/Catego-ry.aspx?CategoryID=141) and live help at (800) 342-9647, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Among topics on renting or buying a home, spouses finding new jobs and the stress of re-locating abroad, Military One-Source offer step-by-step guides

to the actual, physical move.The site can also redirect you

to their Relocation Tool (www.relocationessentials.com/ aff/militaryonesource/default.aspx) that gives you access to local crime reports for the area you’re moving to (which can influence your decision to live on or off base), school performance re-ports and even compares the cost of living differences be-tween your current duty station and the next one.

To prep your children for the upcoming relocation, parents and kids alike can check out Military Youth on the Move (http://apps.mhf.dod.mil/pls/psgprod/f?p=MYOM).

Children in elementary school through high school can view the site themselves to get an-swers to questions or concerns they might have, from how to make new friends to adjusting to a new school and even deal-ing with the boredom of a long car ride. There is also a section for parents to help them handle the stress that their child may be feeling.The newest resource offered by the DOD is www.move.mil, which was created in an effort to make moving a little bit easier for Military Families and acts as the internet-based gateway for household goods

Story by Adria LuccaRelocation Readiness Manager

and is called the Defense Per-sonal Property System (DPS). By signing up for and using the DPS, you can submit your application online, instead of traveling to a Transportation Office, track your shipment, file claims online and receive the full replacement value of lost or damaged goods. Plus you can complete customer satisfaction surveys on the moving com-pany you are assigned. Once your things are packed and on the truck, you might want a re-source that can help you learn about your new duty station.

Lastly, there are a few sites that can help you figure out where you’ll live when you ar-rive at the new duty station. Your BAH rate will most likely change, so visit www.defense-travel.dod.mil/perdiem/bah.html and simply put in the new zip code with your rank to get the appropriate BAH rate.

Once you have the numbers straight, the DoD sponsored Automated Housing Referral Network at www.ahrn.com can help you secure housing off the installation, or you can try www.remilitary.com and www.militarybyowner.com, which both feature homes for sale and for rent near Military Installa-tions.
