andrewsgaz 041114

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 | VOL. 3 NO. 13

Spacesuperiorityremains vital tonational security

5Navy’s laserweapon readyfor summerdeployment

4 Talking Baseball:Great Day at theBallpark

8

BY SENIOR AIRMANNESHA HUMES

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Weary, filthy and expo-nentially better equipped,a group of Airmen emergedfrom a simulated apoca-lypse deep in the moun-tains of West Virginiaas the annual disasterresponse exercise, codenamed Black Flag, drew toa close on April 4.To create the greatest

sense of realism and ur-gency, these fire protec-tion, emergency manage-ment and bioenvironmen-tal engineer Airmen trav-eled to the National GuardBureau’s Joint Interagen-cy Training and EducationCenter for Center of Na-tional Response, to hone

their disaster-responseskills together.Airmen from the 11th

and 113th Civil EngineerSquadrons and the 779thAerospace Medical Squad-ron, Joint Base Andrews,Md., joined forces withAirmen from the 482ndCivil Engineer Squadronat Homestead Air ReserveBase, Fla., to round outa total-force team of ac-tive duty, reserves and airguard emergency respond-ers.“I’ve never seen sites

like this; it’s like the realworld,” said Tech. Sgt..James Nedd, an emergen-cy management craftsmanfrom the 482nd Civil En-gineer Squadron at Home-stead Air Reserve Base,Fla. “We don’t get opportu-

nities to train with otherteams in an environmentlike this at our home sta-tion, and the experiencehas been incredibly ben-eficial.”Layered for warmth, the

teams file into the CNR’schilly Memorial Tunnelfor the third day of BlackFlag to receive a scenario.The cadre announced a labexplosion and the teamshastily started to loadsupplies in their vehiclesto prepare for a biohazard-ous investigation.Throughout, the train-

ing cadre planned exer-cises and evaluated theteams, in the field andover video surveillance.These team leaders ques-

Lions and Tigers and Biohazards, OhMy!

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS NESHA HUMES

Airmen prepare to change into hazardous material suits during Black Flag, a trainingexercise at the Center for National Response in W.Va., March 27. More than forty activeduty, guard and reserve Airmen learn real-world emergency response training duringthe two-week exercise. see BIOHAZARDS, page 5

The 11th Civil EngineerSquadron will initiate aninstallation-wide “No Heat/No Cool” period to assistthem in switching heating,ventilation and air condi-tioning systems from heat-ing to cooling modes. Thestart date for this periodwill be April 15 and it willrun through May 15.During this “No Heat/No

Cool” period, HVAC tech-nicians will complete allequipment servicing andstart-up preparations.Based on last year’s

data, we were able to con-serve approximately 394megawatt hours of electric-ity and approximately 2,200dekatherms of natural gasthroughout the period. Theresults of our efforts werea combined monetary sav-ings of $46,000 that can po-tentially be re-invested intoour base.During the “No Heat/No

Cool” phase, only mission-critical facilities, Child De-velopment Centers, criticalserver rooms and housingwill be exempt. We ask foryour patience and under-standing while this is be-ing accomplished. For moreinformation, please contact11 CES Customer Serviceat 301-981-5151.

No Heat/NoCool startsApril 15

BY CHRIS BASHAMSTAFF WRITER

Clint Bruce grew up inArkansas and Texas andplayed football for theU.S. Naval Academy andthe NFL before serving asa Navy SEAL before andduring the Gulf War.“I just love this nation,

and serving this nation.Not who we are at anygiven time, but who weconsistently say we wantto be,” Bruce said.Still, it hasn’t always

been easy. It hasn’t al-ways felt like Americaloves its service membersback.“As I served and after

I got out, as I continuedto lose friends, I saw thisapathy toward MemorialDay,” Bruce said. “It hadbecome a very meaning-ful day for me, as a man

who had lost friends inthe service.”Bruce is quick to admit

that he “didn’t do Memo-rial Day well,” until helost friends.“As I was dealing with

the loss of friends, I wasvery frustrated to seethat it didn’t seem likeanybody really cared, andwe were still losing guysand gals overseas,” Brucesaid. “My friend thoughtAmerica was worth dy-ing for, and he didn’tknow them. If the peoplehe died for didn’t misshim even on the one daythey’re supposed to reallymiss him, that makes hisdeath make less sense tome.”At yet another Memo-

rial Day backyard bar-beque, surrounded byfamily and friends andthe ghosts of the fallen,

Bruce realized thingshad changed for him. Hisheart was not in the wel-come-to-summer festivity.His wife pulled him aside,and said, “I miss them,too. I loved them, too. AndI know you don’t like this,but I have never seen youupset about something,and not do somethingabout it.”As far as Bruce could

tell, “Memorial Day hadbecome a three-day mat-tress sale.” It was wrong.It was harsh. So heturned to his training.“I started the classic

military movement of theroad march. That’s whatI knew how to do,” Brucesaid. He walked around alake in downtown Dallas,“and with every mile andevery step that started tohurt, I felt better. I don’tlike to suffer; that’s not

the point. But the rela-tionships we had wereforged in the bonds of suf-fering, in boot camp andcombat, and the sufferingbrings back the memo-ries.”Two hours into his

walk, he saw a WorldWar II veteran, “ramrodstraight,” watching him.Bruce walked to the olderman, thinking to thankhim for his service de-cades before, and the manasked a question.“Son, who are you car-

rying?”That question was the

beginning of Bruce’s heal-ing, and of a new move-ment.“It kind of took my

breath away. He said ev-erything that I was feel-ing, and I shared a name

WHO ARE YOU CARRYING?

Nonprofit heals hearts,honors the fallen

SUBMITTED PHOTO

see HEAL, page 5

BY STAFF SGT. CARLINLESLIE

AIR FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRSAGENCY

Air Force leaders out-lined what the next 25years for remotely pilotedaircraft will look like in theRPA Vector, published April4.“The RPA Vector is the

Air Force’s vision for thenext 25 years for remotely-piloted aircraft,” said Col.Kenneth Callahan, the RPAcapabilities division direc-tor. “It shows the currentstate of the program, thegreat advances of where wehave been and the vision ofwhere we are going.”The goal for the vector

on the operational side is tocontinue the legacy Airmencreated in the RPA field.The vector is also designedto expand upon leaps intechnology and changes theAirmen have made throughthe early years of the pro-gram.“The Airmen have made

it all about supporting themen and women on theground,” Callahan said. “Icouldn’t be more proud ofthem for their own advanc-es in technology to expandthe program, making it atop platform.”The document gives pri-

vate corporations an out-look on the capabilities theAir Force wants to have inthe future, ranging fromcreation of new RPAs topossibilities of automatedrefueling systems.“There is so much more

that can be done withRPAs,” said Col. Sean Har-rington, an intelligence,surveillance, and reconnais-sance command and controlrequirements chief. “Theirroles (RPAs) within the AirForce are evolving. We havebeen able to modify RPAsas a plug-and-play capabil-ity while looking to expandthose opportunities.”

Future ofremotelypilotedaircraftoutlined

see AIRCRAFT, page 4

BY STAFF SGT. KATIESPENCER

459TH AIR REFUELING WINGPUBLIC AFFAIRS

The 459th Air RefuelingWing hosted the ReserveOfficer Development Edu-cation course April 3-6 atthe Sheridan Suites hotelin Alexandria, Va.More than 70 young of-

ficers from ranks of lieu-tenant to major attendedthe course spanning vari-ous units from Air ForceReserve Command. All at-tendees held some sort ofstatus in the Reserve to in-clude traditional reservists,Air Reserve Technicians,

Wing hostsDevelopmentcourse

see COURSE, page 6

2 Friday, April 11, 2014Andrews Gazette

HOTTICKETSAround Town

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint Military Publications,9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md., a private firm in no wayconnected with the U.S. Air Force or any branch of the UnitedStates military. The appearance of advertising in these publications,including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement

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April 11-13Smithsonian Craft ShowNational Building Museum, 401 F Street N.W., Wash-

ington, D.C.10:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. SundaySee — and buy — a wide range of crafts and wearable

art by 120 of the most prominent artisans in the country.For information visit www.smithsoniancraftshow.com.

April 12St. Charles Running FestivalRegency Furniture Stadium, Piney Church Road, Wal-

dorf, Md.First race starts 8:30 a.m.Join 10 mile, 5K and Kids Fun Run races, children’s

activities and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs BaseballFun Fest, in support of local charities and the College ofSouthern Maryland. For information visit www.stcharles-runfest.com.

April 12Tavern NightRiversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Road, River-

dale Park, Md.8 p.m.Adults 21 and over can enjoy tavern-style food and bev-

erages and entertainment by the Ship’s Company Chan-teymen. For information visit www.pgparks.com.

COURTESY OF THE RETIREEACTIVITIES OFFICE

JSOH no goThe Joint Service Open House at

Joint Base Andrews, normally heldannually in mid-May, is a budgetcasualty this year. “We will miss theinteraction that event allowed us tohave with our friends in the com-munity, but this decision will savemore than $2 million in tax dollars,”said Col. Bill Knight, 11th Wingcommander. “We are in the processof adjusting our strategies to ensurea robust outreach program withinour local community,” he added.Nearly 1 million people would visitthe base over a weekend to see airshow activities and static displays.The cancellation was prompted by aDepartment of Defense reduction inoutreach activities by 45 percent. Itsgoal is to save an estimated $1 billiondollars over the next 10 years. The2012 Joint Services Open House costapproximately $2.1 million.

Update your addressAddresses on mailing labels used

to send Still Serving and the After-burner are the ones on record withthe Defense Finance and AccountingService. Send changes in this infor-mation to DFAS. Retiree Activities

Office staff receive label informa-tion electronically, and cannot makechanges to it. Faulty addresses alsodelay or cancel mail dispatched byDFAS. A common problem happenswhen a retiree moves but maintainsthe same bank account. The retireecheck continues to be deposited butcome tax time, the retiree does notreceive needed tax return data. CallDFAS (800-321-1080) to provideyour current mailing address. Thosewith myPay accounts can changetheir addresses online. You can faxit to 800-469-6559 or send it to USMilitary Retirement Pay, P.O. Box7130, London, KY 40742-7130. Sur-vivor Benefit Plan annuitants canalso use the 800-321-1080 number.However, changes by fax go to 800-982-8459 or by mail to US MilitaryAnnuitant Pay, PO Box 7131, Lon-don, KY 40742-7131.

VA helps with funeralplanningThe Department of Veterans Af-

fairs offers an online funeral direc-tors resource kit. Funeral directorsuse the kit when helping veteransand their families make burial ar-rangements in VA national cemeter-ies or in the Army’s Arlington Na-tional Cemetery. The website helps

families plan burials and apply forVA memorial benefits. Videos areavailable in English and Spanish.The website is available at www.cem.va.gov/cem/funeraldirector.asp.VA maintains 3.2 million grave sitesin 131 VA national cemeteries. Morethan 118,000 veterans and familymembers were interred in fiscal year2012. Information on VA burial ben-efits can be obtained from nationalcemetery offices, online at www.cem.va.gov or by calling VA at 800-827-1000. To make burial arrangementsat a VA national cemetery, call thecemetery scheduling office at 800-535-1117. For information about in-terments at Arlington National Cem-etery, call 877-907-8585.

The Retiree Activities Office isopen 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday. Visit the office inBuilding 1604 at California andColorado Avenues or call us at 301-981-2726. Our e-mail address [email protected]. Call the officebefore your visit to ensure a volun-teer is on duty. The RAO has a web-site at www.andrews.af.mil; Under“Helpful Links” click on “RetireesActivity Office” for information on re-tiree subjects, including past copies of“Retiree Corner.”

Retiree Corner


It’s been a harsh few weeks forservice members stationed close tohome. Even before a grieving Navycould lay to rest Master at Arms 2ndClass Mark Mayo, the hero of NavalStation Norfolk who gave his life todefend a fellow shipmate when anunauthorized civilian attempted toboard the USS Mahan last month,Fort Hood was rocked by anothermass shooting. This time, it appearsthe shooter was a Soldier angryabout the denial of his request for

leave. This week a Sailor was founddead of an apparently self-inflictedgunshot wound at Naval SupportActivity Portsmouth Annex, and aMarine standing sentry at CampLejeune was shot and killed by afellow Marine, in an incident whichappears to have been caused by neg-ligence.We know service in the military

has risks; that war is never reallyover, and combat is necessary toprotect and defend the country. Butit seems wrong to lose so many, soclose together, here.The four incidents don’t share

all that much, aside from the tragicloss of life. It’s hard to understandwhat would spur anyone to turn inviolence against his fellow Ameri-cans, fellow Soldiers and shipmates.Maybe it is better for all of us if wenever learn to understand that bru-tality and evil.So, let us focus for a little while

longer on Petty Officer Mayo, abrave Sailor and son of a Sailor, whowill be remembered by his friendsand a grateful nation for his split-second decision to do what neededto be done, without sparing his own

CommentarySo much time at half-staff

see COMMENTARY, page 7

1041820B

3Friday, April 11, 2014 Andrews Gazette

BY JASON ALDERMAN

One of the few positiveoutcomes of the 2008 finan-cial crisis was that it helpedshine a light on the impor-tance of understandingand staying on top of yourcredit profile. Along withthat heightened visibility,however, has come a greatdeal of confusion and mis-understanding – particular-ly around the all-importantcredit score.“The consequences of not

maintaining a sound creditscore can be very costly,”says Anthony Sprauve, se-nior consumer credit spe-cialist at FICO. “A low scorecan bar you from getting anew loan, doom you to high-

er interest rates and evencost you a new job or apart-ment.”Five factors are used to

determine your credit score:Payment history (usuallyaround 35 percent of yourscore), amount owed (30percent), length of credithistory (15 percent), newlyopened credit accounts (10percent), and types of creditused (10 percent).Fortunately, if your credit

score has taken a hit, youcan initiate several actionsthat will begin improving italmost immediately. Just beaware that it can take manyyears to recover from eventslike bankruptcy or foreclo-sure.First, find out where

you currently stand by re-

viewing your credit reportsfrom each major credit bu-reau (Equifax, Experianand TransUnion). Look fornegative actions your credi-tors might have reported aswell as errors and fraudu-lent activity, which you canchallenge through the bu-reau’s dispute resolutionprocess. You can order onefree report per year fromeach bureau through thegovernment-authorized site,www.AnnualCreditReport.com; otherwise you’ll pay asmall fee.You might also want

to order your credit score.Lenders use credit scores tosupplement their own selec-tion criteria to determinewhether you are a worthycredit risk. Several types are

available, including FICO®Score, VantageScore (a com-peting model jointly createdby Equifax, Experian andTransUnion) and proprie-tary credit scores from eachof the three bureaus, amongothers. Scores typically costfrom $15 to $20 each.Note: You may see of-

fers for free credit scores,but they’re usually tied toexpensive, ongoing credit-monitoring services you mayor may not want. Read thecontract carefully.Here are a few tips for

improving your credit his-tory:• Always pay bills on

time and catch up on missedpayments.• Set up automatic pay-

ments for recurring bills and

automatic minimum creditcard payments if you oftenmiss deadlines.• Sign up for text or email

alerts telling you when yourbalance drops or paymentsare due.• Never exceed credit

card limits.• Monitor your credit uti-

lization ratio (the percent-age of available credit you’reusing). Try to keep your cu-mulative utilization ratio –and the ratios on individualcards or lines of credit – be-low 30 percent.• Transferring balances

to a new card for a lowerrate will slightly ding yourcredit score – although itwon’t take long to recover.But be careful the transferdoesn’t increase your utili-zation ratio on the new card.• Make sure that card

credit limits reported to the

credit bureaus are accurate.• Don’t automatically

close older, unused accounts;15 percent of your score isbased on credit history.• Each time you open a

new account it slightly im-pacts your score, so avoid do-ing so in the months before amajor purchase.• Pay off medical bills, as

well as parking, traffic andeven library fines. Once old,unpaid bills go into collec-tion, they’ll appear on yourcredit report.“Bottom line, don’t lose

hope,” says Sprauve. “Thenegative impact of past cred-it problems will graduallyfade as recent good paymentbehavior begins to show upon your credit reports.”

Jason Alderman directsVisa’s financial educationprograms.

Demystify your credit score

BY M.H. JIM ESTEPPGREATER PRINCE GEORGE’SBUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

For many of you, Imag-ine Andrews Public CharterSchool has become a signifi-cant part of your lives. Chil-dren from both on and offbase meet every day in thisfirst-of-its-kind school thatcalls Joint Base Andrewshome, melding the commu-nities of Andrews and PrinceGeorge’s County in a waythat no other atmospherecan provide.While you may not

know it, the school quietlyachieved an historic mo-ment of its own last month,as its charter was renewedfor another three-year term.Charters in Maryland areonly granted for three years,but, thanks to the staff atthe school, the team on baseand Prince George’s Countysupport, Imagine Andrewsreceived unanimous ap-proval from the CountySchool Board to continue itsingular mission: Providinga world-class education forthe children of our nation’sAirmen, Sailors, Soldiersand Marines.We know how much the

school means to the base,and to those in the servic-es, but the school means sovery much to the county aswell. Take a look at the as-sessment performances ofImagine Andrews, versusthe county, and the overallstate of Maryland, and un-derstand how the countyis being lifted by the Imag-ine family, as their modelof excellence pays tangibledividends to the children ofPrince George’s County:

2013Prince George’s Proficient

and Advanced results inReading assessments: 77.6

percent State of Marylandoverall, Proficient and Ad-vanced: 85.0 percent Imag-ine Andrews: 90.4 percentProficient and Advanced

MathPrince George’s Proficient

and Advanced results 68.0percent State of Marylandoverall, Proficient and Ad-vanced 79.2 percent ImagineAndrews: 89.7 percentThe numbers are truly

staggering, and the expecta-tions will continue to remainhigh for this local and na-tional award-winning school.We anticipate these next

three years, just as the firstthree have, will continueto see Imagine Andrews asthe model that could andshould be adopted on basesthroughout the world, withthe diverse communities onand off the base meeting inan environment built andmaintained like no other,where our children’s futuresare the ultimate priority.We look forward to the

next two years, as the schoolfully populates, adding the7th grade in the 2014/15school year, and reaching itsfull middle school populationwhen the 8th grade joins thefamily in 2015/16.Thanks to all of you for

your support, and for yourcontinuing quest for ex-cellence every day, in thework you do for our coun-try, and with the educationof your children. Additionalthanks must go out to PrinceGeorge’s County ExecutiveRushern Baker III (D) forhis bold governance changewith the school system, ashis leadership continues tolet parents throughout thecounty know that nothingshort of system-wide excel-lence will be accepted.

CommentaryImagine Andrews is aschool that means business


Michael Sedge joinedthe Navy as a young manwith only two goals inmind: Getting out of Flint,Mich., and staying as faras possible from Vietnam.“It was 1973, three of

my high school friendswent off to Vietnam, andmy number was comingup,” remembers Sedge. “Iwent to the recruiter andasked, ‘What do I need todo to get geographical lo-cation?’ and he said, ‘Fouryears of your life.’ I flew toNaples and a week laterthe war was over.”Sedge spent the next

two years unloading air-craft, “and that taught meI did not want to kick box-es the rest of my life,” andthen finished his militarycareer in a public affairsoffice. A few major eventshappened while he wasstationed there, “so I gotto know people, from worldleaders in media and thebureau chief for the As-sociated Press in Rome,”leading to his first post-military job. “I spent oneyear as a war correspon-dent on military aircraft,and put in more time inwar zones than I ever didin four years of active du-ty,” Sedge said.His Navy background

helped him as a war corre-spondent, Sedge said, be-cause few people workingat other overseas officeshad that advantage.“They’d go out to cover a

story, but if you don’t knowhow the military functionsand the hierarchy, it’s verydifficult to get good infor-mation,” Sedge said.

Before long, he wasrunning his own mediaagency, and later transi-tioned to marketing prod-ucts for companies hopingto get a foothold in theArmy and Navy Exchangestores, and later promot-ing international callingcards, bringing athletesand musicians to performfor the troops and settingup telephone operationsfor service members ina war zone through theArmed Forces ExchangeService. That contract led

to another governmentcontract in Italy, where hemet his future businesspartner.For the past decade,

Sedge has provided ar-chitectural design, engi-neering service and con-struction management inEurope, Africa and theMiddle East, “doing thingsmost American companieswill not do,” Sedge said.It all adds up to a busy

and fulfilling life, one thatwould seem to be “enough”for most people. But

through it all, Sedge hasbeen writing, as well, fromarticles and audio tapescripts to children’s plays,television documentariesand more than 30 nonfic-tion books, including theaward-winning “The LostShips of Pisa.”This year, Sedge has

two fiction titles comingout: First is “The Ora-cle,” a modern mysteryinspired by an ancientGreek sibyl thought tohave lived at the city ofCumae, just a short drivefrom Sedge’s home in mod-ern southern Italy. Sedgehad researched the areafor articles he was writingfor “Discovering Archae-ology” magazine aboutthe 3,000-year-old ruinsat Cumae. A second fic-tion title, “Death Watch,”is about an internationalterrorist who is a U.S. citi-zen and who plants a vi-rus aboard an Americanaircraft carrier.Though Sedge based

his writing career on non-fiction, these two latestbooks are not his first ef-forts at writing fiction.He had a book and moviedeal about internationalterrorism and NCIS, “butwhen 9/11 happened, Co-lumbia and Bantam can-celled the deal, sayingthey can’t touch it at thistime,’ Sedge said.For now, he’s back at

his writing desk, workingon two more nonfictiontitles and another novel,traveling the world andcontinuing to carve outhis own path. It’s a longway from Flint, Mich., andexactly where he wants tobe.

Michael Sedgereturns to fiction

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JBA BuzzWhat do you want to be when you grow up?

Tyler Haidz-cuck, son ofMaster Sgt. Rob-ert HaidzcuckJoint Base An-drews

Jordan Pre-isch, daughterof Master Sgt.Steve PreischJoint Base An-drews

Jeanpaul Truss,son of Mas-ter Sgt. SusanPadilla-Roman,Joint Base An-drews

Aaralyn Marti-nez, daughter ofStaff Sgt. Chris-tian Martinez,Joint Base Andrews

“I want to be anastronaut because Iwant to see things inspace.”

“I want to be a chefbecause I love cook-ing.”

“I want to be aninventor becauseI want to make theworld a better place.”

“I want to be a teach-er because I likehelping children.”

CAPTION THIS

Send your silly captions for this week’s photo to [email protected]. The funniestones will be used in a future edition of The Andrews Gazette.

AIRMEN HELPING AIRMEN -ANDREWS KICKS OFF 2014 AIR

FORCE ASSISTANCE FUND CAMPAIGN

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/STAFF SGT. TOREY GRIFFITH

Col. Bill Knight, 11th Wing/Joint Base Andrews commander (center), fills out his dona-tion form to kick off the Air Force Assistance Fund at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March31. Senior Master Sgt. Leonard Arsenault (left) and Master Sgt. Eric Villafana (right) arethe 11th Wing AFAF project officers. The campaign runs March 17 to April 25.

In recent years, RPAs not only sup-ported the warfighter on the ground, theyalso played a vital role in humanitarianmissions around the world. They provid-ed real-time imagery and video after theearthquake that led to a tsunami in Ja-pan in 2011 and the earthquake in Haitiin 2010, according to Callahan.Then, most recently, during the Cali-

fornia Rim Fire in August 2013, morethan 160,000 acres of land were de-stroyed. Though this loss was significant,it was substantially decreased by thesupport of the California Air NationalGuard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing,with support from an MQ-1 Predator, aremotely piloted aircraft.With this vector, technologies may

be created to improve those capabilities

while supporting different humanitarianefforts, allowing the Air Force to supportnatural disaster events in a more effec-tive and timely fashion.The future of the Air Force’s RPA pro-

grams will continuously evolve, to al-low the Air Force to be the leader in Air,Space, and Cyberspace.“We already combine our air, space and

cyber forces to maximize these enduringcontributions, but the way we executemust continually evolve as we strive toincrease our asymmetric advantage,” saidGen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief ofstaff. “Our Airmen’s ability to rethink thebattle while incorporating new technolo-gies will improve the varied ways our AirForce accomplishes its missions.”To see the RPA Vector, visit http://

www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/news/USAFRPAVectorVisionandEnablingCon-cepts2013-2038.pdf.

AIRCRAFT, from page 1

FROM OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH

Navy engineers are making final adjust-ments to a laser weapon prototype thatwill be the first of its kind to deploy aboarda ship late this summer.The prototype, an improved version

of the Laser Weapon System, will be in-stalled on USS Ponce for at-sea testingin the Persian Gulf, fulfilling plans an-nounced by Chief of Naval OperationsAdm. Jonathan Greenert at the 2013 Sea-Air-Space Expo.“This is a revolutionary capability,” said

Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm.. Mat-thew Klunder. “It’s absolutely critical thatwe get this out to sea with our Sailors forthese trials, because this very affordabletechnology is going to change the way wefight and save lives.”Navy leaders have made directed-ener-

gy weapons a top priority to counter whatthey call “asymmetric threats,” includingunmanned and light aircraft and small at-tack boats that could be used to deny U.S.forces access to certain areas. High-energylasers offer an affordable and safe way totarget these threats at the speed of lightwith extreme precision and an unlimitedmagazine, experts say.“Our nation’s adversaries are pursuing

a variety of ways to try and restrict ourfreedom to operate,” Klunder said. “Spend-ing about $1 per shot of a directed-energysource that never runs out gives us an al-ternative to firing costly munitions at inex-pensive threats.”Klunder leads the Office of Naval Re-

search, which has worked with the NavalSea Systems Command, Naval ResearchLaboratory, Naval Surface Warfare Cen-ter Dahlgren Division and others to makepowerful, directed-energy weapons a real-ity.The Navy already has demonstrated the

effectiveness of lasers in a variety of mari-time settings. In a 2011 demonstration, alaser was used to defeat multiple smallboat threats from a destroyer. In 2012,LaWS downed several unmanned aircraftin tests.Over the past several months, working

under the ONR Quick Reaction Capabilityprogram, a team of Navy engineers and sci-entists have upgraded LaWS, and proved

that targets tracked with a Phalanx Close-InWeapon can be easily handed over to thelaser’s targeting and tracking system. Theresult is a weapon system with a singlelaser weapon control console, manned bya surface warfare weapons officer aboardUSS Ponce who can operate all functions ofthe laser-and if commanded, fire the laserweapon.Using a video game-like controller, that

Sailor will be able to manage the laser’spower to accomplish a range of effectsagainst a threat, from disabling to com-plete destruction.The deployment on Ponce will prove

crucial as the Navy continues its pushto provide laser weapons to the fleet atlarge.Data regarding accuracy, lethality and

other factors from the Ponce deploymentwill guide the development of even morecapable weapons under ONR’s Solid-StateLaser - Technology Maturation program.Under this program, industry teams ledby Northrop Grumman, BAE Systemsand Raytheon Corp. have been selected todevelop cost-effective, combat-ready la-ser prototypes that could be installed onvessels such as guided-missile destroyersand the Littoral Combat Ship in 2016.

The Navy will decide next year which,if any, of the three industry prototypes aresuitable to move forward and begin initialship installation for further testing.“We are in the midst of a pivotal transi-

tion with a technology that will keep ourSailors and Marines safe and well-defend-ed for years to come,” said Peter Morrison,ONR program manager for SSL-TM. “Webelieve the deployment on Ponce and SSL-TM will pave the way for a future acquisi-tion program of record so we can providethis capability across the fleet.”For more news from Office of Naval Re-

search, visit www.navy.mil/local/onr/.

Navy’s laser weapon ready for summer deployment

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY JOHN F. WILLIAMS

The Laser Weapon System temporarily installed aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) in San Diego, Calif., is atechnology demonstrator built by the Naval Sea Systems Command from commercial fiber solid state lasers, utilizing combinationmethods developed at the Naval Research Laboratory. LaWS can be directed onto targets from the radar track obtained from a MK15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon system or other targeting source. The Office of Naval Research’s Solid State Laser portfolio includesLaWS development and upgrades providing a quick reaction capability for the fleet with an affordable SSL weapon prototype. Thiscapability provides Navy ships a method for Sailors to easily defeat small boat threats and aerial targets without using bullets.


tioned, observed, and assisted the students, challengingtheir decision-making and offering guidance.The Airmen applied their knowledge in hands-on sce-

narios including simulated chemical, biological, radio-logical, or nuclear incidents or attacks.Participants lauded the events’ realism.“It’s awesome,” said Tech. Sgt. John “Eric” Wagner,

Air Force District of Washington manager of the specialmission division and cadre member. “It’s a really good,realistic venue with realistic scenarios.”The training facilities were created to conduct haz-

ardous environment training, explosive ordnance dis-posal, underground search and rescue, counterterrorismtactics and hostage rescue. They offer venues such asan egress and confined space, post-blast rubble area,wrecked vehicle scenes, a staged bunker and cave ar-eas, as well as chemical, biological and drug laboratoryscenes.The staged hazardous environments at the CNR cre-

ate realistic stress for Airmen, teaching them to performand communicate as a team in the event a real-worldcrisis arises.Staff Sgt. Christopher Kurban, 779th Aerospace Medi-

cine Squadron bioenvironmental engineer education andtraining manager and cadre member, said one of the big-gest challenges team members face is the expectations oftheir gear’s capability.“At home stations, scenarios are often simulated with

the assumption the equipment is functioning and theoperator knows how to use it,” said Kurban. “Here youmust learn all your equipment and your team members’equipment in order to complete the joint mission. Whenyou’re here using real chemicals, you better learn thelimitations of your equipment.”The 40 total-force Airmen that emerged from the tun-

nel learned valuable skills that they will not soon forget.“It’s been beneficial being able to work with other

teams to see what their capabilities are, what kind ofequipment they have, how they use it, how they runtheir operations in comparison to how we do things atthe fire department,” says Tech. Sgt. Zachary Silvis, 11thCES firefighter. “It’s brought us all on the same page,to have a joint understanding and find the best way towork together effectively [in order to complete the mis-sion].”

BIOHAZARDS, from page 1

with him and went home and took my backpack off, andmy bride said, ‘You’re lighter. You walked it off.’,” Bruceremembered.He shared the story with civilians, and realized that

although Memorial Day has become known more forlighthearted gatherings and commerce, everyday Ameri-cans wanted to honor those who have given their livesfor our country, just as he did.“That meant so much to me. It wasn’t apathy about

Memorial Day. It was uncertainty. They wanted to doMemorial Day well, but they didn’t know how to,” Brucesaid.For Memorial Day 2011, Bruce gathered 500 people in

Dallas, each to walk at least 20 hours plus 11 minutesmore, for 2011. Each year, his group grows, and adds an-other minute to the walk. This year, his nonprofit, Carrythe Load, will encourage people to “carry more than youhave to, further than you think you could,” on a roadmarch from West Point to Dallas, to raise money for Me-morial Day programs and other nonprofits that serve tohonor the fallen, nationwide. The organization has ex-panded its focus to honor firefighters, rescue personneland law enforcement officers who have lost their lives inthe line of duty, as well.“It would have been impossible for me to be brave

overseas if I didn’t know men and women would be bravefor my family at home, and we don’t honor them. It’sshameful. We established Memorial Day to rememberwell, and to work hard to honor the sacrifices of the peo-ple who serve this nation,” Bruce said.Not everyone walks the entire distance, but families

and friends gather along the way to walk for five milesin memory of a loved one who sacrificed life for country.“Everyone has a different version of the story. For me,

it is about anger and reconciliation toward this nationthat I served,” said Bruce. “They just lost their husband,or Daddy, or son. I’m not angry anymore.”Last year, more than 25,000 people joined the walk,

all because, as Bruce sees it, “we’re smart enough toask the right people the right question: ‘Do you want toremember them well and make Memorial Day matteragain?’ I have yet to find an American who doesn’t wantto do that. When they say ‘yes,’ as great Americans al-

ways will, we tell them this is how we’re doing it.”Carry the Load reaches out to nonprofit and corpo-

rate partners, always asking for participation more thanmoney.“Money is important, but we want you to get out on

the street and walk, and answer who you’re carrying, orlisten to the story of someone who is there in memory ofsomeone else,” Bruce said. “It’s neat and fun to see howconnected we all are. We don’t have to look far to see afather or a grandfather or an uncle who served or evenfell.”This year’s National Relay will begin April 29 in West

Point, and end with its 20 hour and 14 minutes Memo-rial March, May 25-26 in Dallas. Carry the Load willwalk May 4 and 5 through the Washington, D.C. metro-politan area. To learn about the planned route, and toparticipate, visit www.carrytheload.org.

HEAL, from page 1

BY STAFF SGT. TORRI INGALSBEAIR FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS AGENCY OPERATING LOCATION-P

Gen. William Shelton, the commander of Air ForceSpace Command, highlighted a successful satellitelaunch to the House Armed Services Committee’s sub-committee on strategic forces during an April 3 budgethearing for national security space activities here.“Just this morning, we had a very successful Defense

Meteorological Satellite Program launch out of Vanden-berg Air Force Base, (Calif.), on an Atlas V,” Shelton said.DMSP is the primary provider of terrestrial and space

weather information for the U.S. military. DMSP satel-lites carry sensors vital to weather prediction and spaceweather forecasting. DMSP sensors provide visible, in-frared, microwave and space weather data to enhanceinformation available to the warfighter.Shelton was joined by Gil Klinger, the deputy as-

sistant secretary of defense for space and intelligence;Douglas Loverro, the deputy assistant secretary of de-fense for space policy; Lt. Gen. John Raymond, the 14thAir Force commander and the Joint Functional Compo-nent Command for Space, U.S. Strategic Command; andBetty Sapp, National Reconnaissance Office director. Allparties agreed stable funding of space programs is criti-cal to maintaining an advantage in the space arena.“Our nation’s advantage in space is no longer a given,”

Shelton said. “The ever-evolving space environment isincreasingly contested as potential adversary capabili-ties grow in number and sophistication.”Changes to the space environment have caused

changes to policies and practices within the Departmentof Defense and the Air Force.“The evolving strategic environment increasingly

challenges U.S. space advantages,” Loverro explained.“Space is no longer the sole province of world powers. Itis a frontier that is now open to all. In the last severaldecades, space has become more competitive, more con-gested and more contested. What worries me the most isthe contested nature of space, which we now face.”He stressed the importance of space, not only to those

on American soil, but to the warfighters of partner na-tions.“It underpins DOD capabilities worldwide,” he said.

“It enables U.S. global operations to be executed with

precision, on a worldwide basis, with reduced resources,fewer deployed troops, lower casualties, and decreasedcollateral damage. Space empowers both our forces andthose of our allies to win faster, and bring more of ourwarfighters home safely.”Satellite launches, like the one at Vandenberg AFB,

and units like Joint Forces Component Command forSpace, provide the various capabilities necessary tomaintain space superiority now, and in the future, of-ficials said.“To meet the demands of the dynamic space envi-

ronment, my command is focused on three operationalobjectives: Providing timely warning and assessment,supporting national users and joint and coalition forces,and protecting and defending our space capabilities,”Raymond said. “JFCC Space is and will continue to bethe world’s premier provider of space capabilities, evenas it faces constantly evolving operating and threat en-vironments. I am confident that the men and women ofJFCC Space are prepared to meet these challenges witha spirit of dedicated innovation and devotion to duty,providing the warfighter assured access to the world’spremier space capabilities.”DOD and AF leaders agree the key to a successful

space program and an enduring advantage in space isinnovation, as well as the appropriate budget to accom-plish mission requirements.“Providing budget stability and flexibility in this very

dynamic strategic environment is necessary to maintainand bolster the viability of our nation’s space capabili-ties,” Shelton said. “Given this new ‘normal’ in space, Ibelieve we are at a strategic crossroad. I believe it is areality that requires us to address how we protect ourspace systems, challenge traditional acquisition practic-es and consider alternative space architectures that aremore resilient and affordable.”

Space superiority remains vital to national security

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/STAFF SGT. CARLIN LESLIE

Gen. William Shelton testifies in front of the House ArmedServices Committee subcommittee on strategic forcesApril 3, 2014 in Washington, D.C. Shelton spoke on spaceand cyberspace capabilities. He is the Air Force SpaceCommand commander, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

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COURTESY OF 59TH MEDICAL WINGPUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Department of Defense recentlyupdated its immunization guidelines,requiring all service members to receivethe hepatitis B virus immunizations.Since 2002, the Air Force has admin-

istered the vaccination to new recruits.Most deploying Airmen and health careworkers have also received the vaccina-tion. However, about 10 percent of theactive duty force has not yet been vacci-nated. Hepatitis B is a potentially fatalliver disease spread by contaminatedblood or body fluids.The hepatitis B vaccine is given in 3

doses.• Dose 1 is given.• Dose 2 must be given at least 30

days after dose 1.

• Dose 3 must be given at least 60days after dose 2, and at least 120 daysafter dose 1.The Aeromedical Services Information

Management System has been updatedto comply with this requirement. The re-quirement for a hepatitis B vaccinationbegan appearing on service members’individual medical readiness lists March28. Members have 365 days to completethe three-shot series before they areflagged for non-compliance.Commanders should ensure their Unit

Health Monitors notify members of thisrequirement. Immediate action is recom-mended because it takes at least fourmonths to complete the series.Service members can check their IMR

status online by visiting the Air ForceSurgeon General’s web site at https://imr.afms.mil/imr/MyIMR.aspx.

Service members requiredto get Hep B immunization

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.

Active Guard/Reserves and Individual Mo-bilization Augmentee.The RODE course is four days long

and focuses on leadership developmentfor young officers. It occurs twice a yearand is broken into two phases. Phase onestudents receive an orientation and brief-ings from senior leaders along with a six-month long curriculum to be completedbefore they return for phase two. Phasetwo students are required to give an oralpresentation, and help mentor the phaseone officers.“This course gives young officers the

chance to ‘re-blue’ by developing them-selves as citizen Airman,” said Maj.Costau Bastien, director for junior officerdevelopment, AFRC, Warner Robins, Ga.“They learn how to work the triad be-tween military commitments, family, andcivilian employer and how to take thoseskills and apply them to those compo-nents.”This is the first time in years the 459

ARW has hosted the RODE course.“We are so thankful to the 459th ARW,”

said Bastien. “Having this course in theD.C. area is very beneficial because these

officers can see the partnership betweenhigher-level decision makers and theunits. Ultimate decisions are made hereand it directly affects these young offi-cers. “While the course offers the opportu-

nity to hear from senior officers, it’s alsoa chance to network with other young of-ficers within the command.“I look forward to networking with

folks and meeting people to learn whatthey are doing and what works,” said 1stLt. Melanie Singer, cyberspace operationsofficer, 706th Fighter Squadron, NellisAir Force Base, Nev. “This course is espe-cially important for the Reserve becauseit gives us the chance to be on orders andlearn about leadership outside drill week-ends and annual training.”The 459 ARW commander, Col. Wil-

liam Mason, gave the young officers someadvice as they continue on with their AirForce Reserve careers.“As you talk to business leaders, com-

munity leaders, and your political lead-ers, you need to make sure you are push-ing the Reserve,” said Mason. “We alwaysget lumped in with the Guard. We are dif-ferent. And as young officers, you need tomake sure you tell the Reserve story.”

COURSE, from page 1

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ STAFF SGT. KATIE SPENCER

Air Force Reserve officers gather April 4 at the Sheridan Suites Hotel, Alexandria, Va.The officers are participating in a Reserve Officer Development Education coursegeared toward teaching young officers the importance of leadership and professionaldevelopment.

1036426B 1036432B


BY JULIE MITCHELLARMY & AIR FORCE EXCHANGE SERVICE PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Army & Exchange Service is warning militaryshoppers about scammers posing as service members of-fering to broker the sale of used boats, cars and motor-cycles through the Exchange.In one recent case, a scammer, who posed as a Soldier,

tried to defraud a man in Tennessee out of $2,500 for thesale of a used boat, saying that the Exchange would shipthe boat once payment was made. Fortunately, the would-be buyer contacted the Fort Campbell Exchange and wasadvised that any ads related to used vehicle sales arefraudulent as the Exchange does not have authority to sellvehicles in the continental United States.“I’m glad this individual contacted us prior to wiring

any funds because it has been our experience that oncemoney is sent, no vehicle is received and the ‘seller’ is no-where to be found,” said Rick Koloski, the Exchange’s LossPrevention vice president.“In the past, we’ve been aware of cases where these

scammers have used the Exchange trademarked logo andname to purportedly sell used motorcycles and cars in theUnited States,” Koloski said. “Now, they have branched outinto boats. We have received a steady flow of calls frompeople who have been wrongly informed they are waitingon a motor vehicle from the Exchange.”The Exchange is authorized to sell new cars and motor-

cycles, but only overseas. Exchange facilities are locatedsolely on military installations. While the Exchange doeshave mail order and Internet offerings, the Exchange doesnot advertise in civilian outlets such as metropolitan news-papers or automobile sales magazines. All advertisementsfor legitimate Exchange offerings are published in outletswhose audiences mostly comprise military members.

Exchange warnsshoppers aboutused-vehicle scams

The Security Forces Blotter keeps members of theJoint Base Andrews community informed and aware ofthe crimes and offenses that occur throughout the baseeach week. If you have any information that may help theSecurity Forces solve a crime or prevent a criminal act,please contact BDOC (Base Defense Operations Center)at 301-981-2001, CRIME STOP LINE at 301-981-2677(COPS), or the investigations section at 301-981-5656.

4:58 p.m., March 28: Security Forces responded todamage to personal property at the Air National GuardReadiness Center. The victim stated he entered his workcenter at approximately 7:45 a.m. and returned to his ve-hicle at 4:45 p.m. to find his vehicle damaged. The vehicledamage consisted of dents and scratches to the driverside of the vehicle. Security Forces took a statement andaccomplished a SFMIS report.

12:02 a.m., March 30: There was a loud noise com-plaint on Chicago Drive. The residents were briefed onquiet hours.

1:24 a.m., March 30: There was a loud noise com-plaint on Dogwood Lane. The residents were briefed onquiet hours.

10:30 a.m., March 31: There was a verbal dispute be-tween two residents on Jackson Road. Both individualswere separated and released to their chain of command.

4:48 p.m., March 31: There was a verbal disputebetween two residents on Tucson Ave. Both individualswere separated and released to their chain of command.

7:40 p.m., March 31: There was an attempted entryat the Main Gate. The individual did not have propercredentials to enter the installation and was briefed tocomplete a U-turn. The individual proceeded on base andwas stopped and challenged at the barrier. The individu-al was charged accordingly.

10:45 p.m., March 31: An individual was drivingwhile under the influence of marijuana. Individual con-sented to a blood, breath, or urine test. The individualwas charged accordingly.

JBA Half MarathonJoint Base Andrews will be holding the second annual

JBA half marathon 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., April 26. Securitywill be heightened for safety measures to keep runnersand base populace safe during the event; due to height-ened security, please plan accordingly. The route willaffect Menoher Drive, Arnold Avenue, North PerimeterRoad, East Perimeter Road, South Perimeter Road andPearl Harbor Gate. Pearl Harbor Gate will be open forlimited operation during this time. If you have any ques-tions please feel free to contact the 11 SFS/Police Ser-vices section at 301-981-8573.

Security Forces Police Blotter

young and precious life. In a time of chaos and anxiety,MA2 Mayo reminds us all that there is still honor. Thereis still courage. There is still a right thing to do, no matterhow hard. And there is still a country worth defending,even, sometimes, to the last breath.Petty Officer Mayo is being honored at a funeral service

in Washington, D.C., today, and will be buried at ArlingtonNational Cemetery. May we always remember him, andothers who have given their lives to save another.

COMMENTARY, from page 2

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1038097B

What a wonderful life this great,altruistic, loving man lived.Donald Allan MacLennan,PhD Physicist, at age 77, passedaway in Gaithersburg, MD, onFebruary 28, 2014, after a valiant,year-long battle withundifferentiated NeuroendocrineMerkel Cell Cancer. Born inSanturce, Puerto Rico,MacLennan was a man of greatdignity who grew up inSacramento, California, where heattended public schools. Hegraduated from University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, with

honors in Engineering and a PhD in Physics.Highly respected as an “inspiration” with a reputation for “brilliance”among his colleagues, Donald enjoyed a distinguished career, known forhis creativity, shown in a vast range of expertise. His contributionsranged from designing nuclear reactors to fluorescent lamps at GeneralElectric Company, to technical management of the flash sources businessat EG&G, (now Perkin Elmer), to developing defense against ImprovisedExplosive Devices (IEDs) at BAE Systems. Following five years at BAE,Donald went on, well past retirement age, to add significant input to theJoint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) withthe Department of Defense (DOD) and through Lanmark Technology andIdeal Innovations, Inc.; and to take part as a consultant in projectdevelopment for the Pentagon. Donald was dedicated to the prevention ofloss of life of innocent civilians and young troops in the Middle East.During his years as a Principal Research Scientist in the Washington D.C.area, where Don led projects in electrodeless lamps, MacLennandiscovered a lamp excitation method, characterized by an expert witnessas a “once in a decade” breakthrough. Along the way, he was issued 12patents, (five pending) and was one of the designers of the SulfurLighting System, recognized with many international awards in 1995.Don was a happy family man who loved to share his technical expertiseby helping other home owners at the Courtyards at Rio TownhomeCommunity, where he served as the lighting committee, “the man whokept the yard lamps on.”The HOA board is installing a new street lamp in his honor with a plaquededicated to his name.A Scottish Memorial for Donald MacLennan, with bagpipes will be heldon Saturday, April 12, at 3:00 P.M., at the River Road UnitarianUniversalist Church, 6301 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817. All areinvited. Please call the church for directions.Donald is survived by an adoring wife, Rosalind, a twin sister, DianaRecord, a retired school teacher, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ayounger brother, Rod MacLennan, a retired airline first officer/captain forEastern Airlines, who now is head of his own business, Airline Captainfor a Day, in Las Vegas, and a large extended family.MacLennan took great pride in his marriage of 47 years to his lovingwife, Rosalind Lacy MacLennan, and his three grown children, Nicole,son-in-law, Dr. Leon Henderson-MacLennan, who live in PacificPalisades, California, Duane, who is a manager at Farmer BrothersCoffee in Los Angeles, and Alicia, a pilot and first officer for QatarAirways in Doha, Qatar; and granddaughters, Maribel, 6, Gabriela age 3.Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the American Cancer Societyin memory of Donald A. MacLennan.

Obituary


BY KEVIN CONCANNONUSDA UNDER SECRETARY FOR FOOD, NUTRITION

AND CONSUMER SERVICES

As a child, I always looked forward tothe carefree joy of summertime. I remem-ber the long days of playing outside at anearby park until I needed to come homefor lunch. Unfortunately, many of ournation’s children do not experience thesimple joys of summer. Far too many areleft worrying where their next breakfastor lunch will come from when schools aredismissed for summer break.During the school year, about 31 mil-

lion American children receive schoolmeals through the National School LunchProgram and School Breakfast Programevery day. About 21 million of those chil-dren receive meals at a discounted rateor for free, based on their family’s income.When summer rolls around, though, only

about 3.5 million of these children partic-ipate in USDA’s summer meals programs.That means millions of eligible low-in-

come children are at risk of going hungryduring the summer months. To thrive andreach their highest potential, childrenneed good nutrition all year long.USDA’s Summer Food Service Pro-

gram works to fill this hunger gap forchildren who qualify for free and reducedprice meals during the school year. Theprogram serves free, healthy meals to eli-gible children ages 18 and under, and ismade possible through the efforts of na-tional, state, and local partners, includinga cadre of energized volunteers.While USDA has worked to increase

access to summer meals for low-incomechildren for many years, SFSP began re-ceiving priority attention in 2013. Lastsummer, USDA employed a new tactic

of working with partners to deliver in-tensive, targeted technical assistanceon SFSP in five states. The result was ahistoric increase in the number of mealsserved, nationwide—7 million more thanthe previous year. We hope to continuebuilding on last year’s successes withour state and local partners in 2014, andmove closer to closing the summer hungergap.The key to success this year will be

expanding the number of sites open forsummer meals. We must spread the wordto schools, parks and recreation depart-ments, libraries, and faith and other com-munity organizations across the nation;their participation is critical for the con-tinued success of SFSP. The deadlines tobecome Summer Food Service Programsponsors vary by state, and begin as ear-ly as April 15. Program sponsors overseeand provide meals to summer sites. Inreturn, USDA, through the states, reim-burses program sponsors for the mealsserved to children.

Galvanizing hundreds of faith-basedgroups, civic groups, recreation centers,food banks, schools, other non-profit or-ganizations, and volunteers takes time,effort and commitment on all sides. Forany community that treasures its youth(and I haven’t met one that doesn’t), wemust organize now to fight hunger thissummer.If you or your organization is interest-

ed in helping us reduce the risk of hun-ger among our nation’s youth, visit ourwebsite, www.summerfood.usda.gov. Thesummer meals outreach toolkit includessample outreach plans, templates, cus-tomizable flyers, door hangers, letters toparents, examples of site activities, bestpractices, and more. State representa-tives are also available to answer ques-tions and facilitate sponsor enrollmentand site registration.This year, let’s work together to make

sure every child in our great nation has ahunger-free summer.

CommentarySummer shouldn’t mean hunger for our nation’s children

BY LT. COL. LANCE RODGERS

Though we didn’t get to attend openingday at home for the Nationals this sea-son, we did get to their second home gameagainst the Atlanta Braves…and we did itin style. At a fundraiser auction last fall, agroup of four of us bid on and won a pack-age deal that included on-field passes dur-ing batting practice, access to the DiamondClub, and seats behind home plate. It wasalso Nationals T-Shirt Day, so we eachstarted with a free T-shirt for attending.With the exception of the unseasonablycool weather (the T-shirt came in handy asan extra layer) and the fact that the Natslost 6-2, it was a great day of baseball.During batting practice, we stood be-

hind the batting cage and watched howeffortlessly these guys flicked their batsthrough the hitting zone, spraying linedrives all over the field and occasionallyhitting one over the fence to give the fansa thrill. On three occasions, balls rolledover to our area, which we were instructedto keep as souvenirs. If we just could havegotten a fourth, we would each have hadone to take home.After watching both teams hit, we went

up to the Diamond Club where the buffetawaited. They had everything from pop-corn and hotdogs to fancy salads, roastedlamb, and chicken kabobs. There were alsotons of deserts and beverages. We all ateheavily.We then ventured down to our seats,

which were 11 rows from the field just

outside the Diamond Club. The Nationalsstarted out with a bang! Centerfielder De-nard Span walked to lead off the first in-ning and then stole second. With two outs,first baseman Adam LaRoche crushed onemidway into the right field mezzanine togive the Nationals a 2-0 lead. In the sec-

ond inning, Nationals second baseman An-thony Rendon hit a foul ball a couple rowsbehind where I was sitting. Since manytimes, the first person who touches theball is not the one who ultimately gets it,I watched closely and sure enough caughtthe bobble. So, by the second inning, I

had watched batting practice from 10 feetaway, been fed well, saw a monster homerun, and caught a foul ball. We each wenthome with a souvenir.Nationals’ pitcher Stephen Strasburg

shut down the Braves for three innings,but got into trouble in the fourth. Hadthird baseman Ryan Zimmerman beenhealthy, they would have gotten out of theinning without any runs, but with an ail-ing shoulder, he heaved a throw over La-Roche’s head at first, which would havebeen the third out. LaRoche moved backto try to catch the ball, but it tipped offhis glove, allowing a run to score and keep-ing the inning alive for the Braves. Bravespitcher Julio Teheran then lofted a softliner into right field to tie the score 2-2. Inthe fifth inning, Strasburg allowed a walkand four consecutive singles, leading tofour runs, making the score 6-2, and that’sall she wrote.After sweeping the Mets in three games

on the road in New York, the Nationals losttwo of three to the Braves to end their firstweek with four wins and two losses, tiedfor second in the division. However, it stilllooks to be a promising year for Nationalsbaseball.For more information on Nationals

baseball, visit the website at nationals.com/dream or call 202-640-7000.Lt Col Rodgers is a Military Evaluator

with the DoD/IG in Arlington, Va. He wasdrafted after college by the Chicago WhiteSox, but cut when Jose Mota, Manny Mo-ta’s son, signed.

Talking BaseballGreat Day at the Ballpark

PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON NATIONALS

On the field during Nationals batting practice, from left, are retired Maj. Mike Turnbaugh,Chief Master Sgt. Rod Lindsey, Lt. Col. Lance Rodgers and Maj George Onyenyeonwu.

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Documents

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