ASBP recognizes donors n 11B. Ready people never quit. FORSCOM chaplain speaks to hundreds at Bliss prayer breakfast

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1 FORT BLISS BUGLE February 12, B COMMUNITY>> Fort Bliss is El Paso and El Paso is Fort Bliss. STAND TO! Materiel Common Operating Picture What is it? The U.S. Army Materiel Command has been hard at work developing a system the Materiel Common Operating Picture that provides an overall picture of logistics readiness across the Army. M-COP, live on both unclassified and secure networks, aggregates data and provides leaders access to timely information in a user-friendly, easy-to-interpret online dashboard format. What has the Army done? M-COP receives, synchronizes and aggregates data from multiple Army automated systems. It leverages the power of the Logistics Information Warehouse - Portal, the Secretary of the Army-designated authoritative repository for Army logistics data which itself integrates legacy systems data, with data emerging from other objective systems. The system creates data visualizations, including end-to-end logistics supply chain activities, Logistics Readiness Center activities and regional materiel requirements, into a set of integrated and interactive views that expose options to deliver readiness. What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future? AMC is working toward full integration of enterprise resource planning data from the Logistics Modernization Program and Global Combat Support System-Army. M-COP s open architecture allows for the addition and removal of required data sources, and the commercial off-the-shelf software allows for rapid inclusion of information requirements. M-COP requires minimal training to navigate the application. Information sheets are available within the application for each dashboard, explaining what questions are being answered by the view and which data sources and business rules are used for the metrics being displayed. Why is this important to the Army? M-COP transforms immense amounts of data by using business intelligence and business analytics to create actionable information through interactive data visualizations. Where leaders in the past had to pull data from different systems and develop slides, M-COP will automatically provide real-time live displays. The system can be used in any Army venue where it can be of value. M-COP streamlines preparation and execution increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness of events and meetings. The system also benefits subordinate and supported organizations, allowing them to directly point to and drill down on key issues, conduct trend analysis, and answer questions. R2C Symposium conducted by Division West n 2B Photos by Wendy Brown / Fort Bliss Bugle Staff Chaplain (Col.) Thomas Solhjem, U.S. Army Forces Command chaplain, speaks during the Fort Bliss National Prayer Breakfast at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center Feb. 4. Ready people never quit FORSCOM chaplain speaks to hundreds at Bliss prayer breakfast By Wendy Brown Fort Bliss Bugle Staff Chaplain (Col.) Thomas Solhjem, U.S. Army Forces Command chaplain, used his life as a backdrop for a message about readiness at this year s Fort Bliss National Prayer Breakfast at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center Feb. 4. I know what it is to be unready, said Solhjem. I know what it is to be broken and to be adrift. I know what it is to not have purpose and meaning in life. I know what it is to walk in the wrong direction, on the wrong path and to keep the wrong company. Friends, what I d like to tell you today is very simple. I m a beggar who was helped, a leper who was restored, a blind person who regained their sight, and I ve received my faith and by belief. Solhjem encouraged the audience of several hundred people, largely made up of Soldiers, to make themselves spiritually ready, and therefore ready in every other aspect of their lives, including the Army. Serve (God) with distinction and honor and those that we stand in grace with, said Solhjem. Never fail for him and never let a friend fail, and as we move into the future, if we as an Army can embrace these principles, we re going to be a healthy, successful organization that will be respected and feared in the world at large. Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss commanding general, said the first National Prayer Breakfast took place 73 years ago in Washington, D.C., when senators and representatives informally gathered at Congress to pray for the country and one another during World War II. Jung Jin Choi sings How Great Thou Art during the Fort Bliss National Prayer Breakfast at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center Feb. 4. ASBP recognizes donors n 11B Soldiers put food on their plates during the Fort Bliss National Prayer Breakfast at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center Feb. 4. The uncertainty and stress of protecting the U.S. is one that remains with service members today, Twitty said. Today we live in a world of uncertainty, with conflicts in places like Ukraine, Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and several other countries, Twitty said. We also find Soldiers from Fort Bliss depart to various parts of the world including Africa, Europe, the Pacific, and the Middle East. Those Soldiers who are not deployed are training to be ready to answer our nation s call in defending our nation s freedom and to fight around the globe wherever we re called upon. A Bible reading from Luke 12:35-40 prefaced Solhjem s speech, and it also urged people to be ready. But understand this, if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not let his house be broken into, part of the passage read. You all must be ready because the son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect. Solhjem recounted how he turned his life around and became ready to serve God and the Army. He joined the Army at age 17 to extricate himself from a bad environment, and found himself a product of the 1960s and 1970s Army, when there were problems with drugs and alcohol, racial tensions and inappropriate relations, Solhjem said. I was not spiritually healthy; I was not relationally ready, Solhjem said. I was not ready for life in my spiritual life, in my personal life or in my professional responsibilities as a young Soldier. Thankfully, a noncommissioned officer in Bamberg, Germany, took him under his wing and helped turn his life around, Solhjem said. He introduced him to the now retired Chaplain (Col.) Gary Sam Sanford and his wife Linda, who helped him and showed him how a healthy family functioned. Then, one day in the chapel in Bamberg, Solhjem was praying and found himself asking God if he could See PRAYER BREAKFAST Page 5B Optimal Performance Rodeo Soldiers/medics participate n 13B Things to do... Senior Love conference: El Paso Community College s Senior Adult Program s 20th annual conference is 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. Saturday at EPCC Administrative Service Center Auditorium, 9050 Viscount, featuring speakers, exhibitors, entertainment, and art exhibit and more. Food donations accepted at the door Inni Heart dinner shows: The restaurant (formerly La Tierra), 1731 Montana, offers a three-course meal followed by performance. Flamenco Duende Gitano performs Saturday. Call for time and ticket information: Jerry Lee Lewis/Chubby Checker show: The rock legends perform at 5 p.m. Saturday at Socorro Entertainment Center, Santos Sanchez. Tickets: $25 (first-row table seats, $100) Sweetheart getaway: Sunland Winery and Dance Studio, 1769 Victory in Sunland Park, hosts a Valentine Party 8 p.m.-midnight Saturday with wine tasting and dancing to live music by David Huerta. Wine and cheese plates are available for purchase. Cost: $15 ($25 couples); includes special valentine desserts, wine tasting and a half-hour dance session. (575) Valentine dinner/dance: Santa Lucia Catholic Church, 518 Gallagher, will host its annual Valentine dance 7 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Saturday at the church s Centro Amistad Hall, featuring a dinner and live music by River City Band. Dinner served 7-8 p.m.; dance 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. BYOB; set-ups sodas and beer available for sale. Cost: $30; reservations recommended. Tables for 10 available with advance reservation Valentine s Day dinner: Ardovino s Desert Crossing, One Ardovino Drive in Sunland Park, presents its Valentine s Day dinner Saturday, with a five-course dinner and music and dancing with Dave Borrego Jazz, featuring the vocals of Claudia Casillas. Dinner attire; reservations taken from 6:30-10 p.m. Cost: $95. (575) , ext. 3 Valentines romantic sunset dance: Shundo Ballroom Dance Studio, 120 Paragon, hosts a Valentine s dance 7-10 p.m. Saturday with a romantic Rumba dance lesson, chocolate-covered strawberries and dancing. Bring your favorite wine or drink; event limited to 20 couples. Call for reservations. Cost: $56 per couple

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3 FORT BLISS BUGLE February 12, B Military trained. Workforce ready. Career resources to help you get there. Our Military Skills Translator Tool helps match your military training with a civilian career and degree program. It s just one of the many resources we offer the Armed Forces community. phoenix.edu/civiliancareer University of Phoenix is a longtime member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC). No federal or Marine Corps endorsement of advertisers or sponsors is implied. The University s Central Administration is located at 1625 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Tempe, AZ Online Campus: 3157 E. Elwood St., Phoenix, AZ University of Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved. MIL-3833

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