It s very gratifying, Dechent said. It s a needed mission. We love the opportunity to be able to - Chief Warrant Offi cer 4

Transcription

1 8A November 2, 2017 FORT BLISS BUGLE On the Road > DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD FORT BLISS BUGLE November 2, A >> TO THE RESCUE... >> A UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, flies over San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oct. 18, while heading to Utuado to deliver food and water from FEMA to its residents, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. >> 1st AD Combat Aviation Brigade provides aid to Puerto Rico > STORY BY SGT. THOMAS CALVERT 24TH PRESS CAMP HEADQUARTERS PHOTOS BY CAPT. TYSON FRIAR CAB, 1ST AD PUBLIC AFFAIRS A fter Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, many communities became isolated due to flooding from the storm. As a result, many citizens desperately needed basic living staples such as food, water, fuel and medical supplies. Soldiers assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, came through with help. In particular, Maj. Gema Robles, executive officer, CAB, 1st AD, and a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and helicopter crews from the CAB, took the time to help the community of Barrio San Lorenzo, a small town struggling to make ends meet. Every time I talked to those folks, they were getting more and more help, Robles said. It was comforting to land three times in the same place, to connect with people and be able to provide for some of their needs, and also to see them having the means (themselves). Others joked that she adopted the village, she said. But Robles saw it as a chance to get people affected by the storm the help they desperately needed. Things are getting better, Robles said. I saw the improvement over six or seven days in this small town. That really put me at ease. Things are moving in the right direction. Soldiers assigned to the CAB are doing their part in supporting relief efforts in Puerto Rico. The unit aided the Department of Defense s mission on the island through supporting U.S. Army North, FEMA and first responders. We do a lot of things on behalf of the United States at large, but this one hits close to home, Robles said. I think anybody would jump at the chance to just go do whatever. I could be shoveling dirt, as long as I was here helping with something, it s worth it. The CAB s mission is focused on delivering food and water to disaster survivors, providing medical evacuation support, assessing terrain and route viability and distributing resources with emergency services to isolated communities throughout the island. The sheer joy in their faces and their eyes that you can see, regardless of the language you re speaking, is definitely a telling sign of how grateful they are in receiving the supplies, said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ryan Dechent, a CH-47 Chinook pilot assigned to the unit. That s equally felt by the aircrews and all the personnel we take with us to help distribute and get supplies in the hands of the people. The CAB has been working hand-in-hand with FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, a Marine aviation unit, and Army National Guard units from New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico. Together, they have distributed approximately 474,130 pounds of water, 169,710 pounds of food and 4,155 pounds of medical supplies to those affected by Hurricane Maria through their joint effort. We did similar missions for (Hurricane) Harvey, but we ve done a lot more here, Robles said, primarily because of the need and because of the saturation of a bunch of other assets over there versus what s over here. Here it s what comes through boat and by air, so there s a more limited pool of assets to help the region. The CAB deployed to Puerto Rico between Sept. 26 and Oct. 11, bringing in UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The mission was an opportunity to help those who need it most, Dechent said. It s very gratifying, Dechent said. It s a needed mission. We love the opportunity to be able to - Chief Warrant Offi cer 4 provide assistance and help out. Ryan Dechent We ve performed similar support missions in Houston, but having an opportunity to help the remote areas here and seeing and interacting with the local population has been an experience. Robles, who was raised in the Rio Piedras neighborhood of San Juan, had the chance to check in on her family who stayed in Puerto Rico during the storm. She viewed the mission as a chance to give back to her former home. The opportunity to come back to your homeland and to check on your folks and be able to help your countrymen in the same place where you grew up brings peace of mind, Robles said. There s also a sense of helping the commonwealth and my hometown, which is an honor. THE SHEER JOY IN THEIR FACES AND THEIR EYES THAT YOU CAN SEE... IS DEFINITE- LY A TELLING SIGN OF HOW GRATEFUL THEY ARE IN RECEIVING THE SUPPLIES. Spc. William Gordon, a CH-47 Chinook crew chief from Virginia Beach, Va., and assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, passes water to a resident of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Oct. 18, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. >> (From top) Soldiers assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and agents with the San Juan Federal Bureau of Investigation, unload a CH-47 Chinook helicopter s supply of food and water from FEMA to the residents of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Oct. {18, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. { R { { { R Pfc. Angel Vega, right, from Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, and assigned to the CAB, 1st AD, hands an agent with the San Juan FBI water as they unload a CH-47 Chinook helicopter s supply of food and water from FEMA to the residents of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Oct. 18, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. Soldiers assigned to the CAB, 1st AD, and agents with the San Juan FBI, unload the CH-47 Chinook helicopter s supply of food and water from FEMA to the residents of Utuado, Puerto Rico. Residents of Utuado, Puerto Rico, watch Soldiers assigned to the CAB, 1st AD, and agents with the San Juan FBI, unload a CH-47 Chinook helicopter s supply of food and water from FEMA to the residents of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Oct. 18, following the {devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.

2 10A November 2, 2017 FORT BLISS BUGLE 142nd CSB stays ready with M4 qualification By Jonathan LeBlanc Fort Bliss Bugle Staff MCGREGOR RANGE, N.M. Soldiers assigned to the 504th Combat Sustainment Company, 142nd Combat Sustainment Battalion, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade, spent the day here Friday qualifying on the M4 carbine. The Soldiers became proficient on their weapons for upcoming training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and for future deployments. Although a requirement, the Soldiers also enjoyed stepping away from the normal work routine to get some hands-on training with their basic Soldiering skills. Second Lt. Jacob Melendez, a platoon leader assigned to the 504th CSC, 142nd CSB, 1st AD Sust. Bde., said the training not only keeps the Soldiers ready for training and deployments, but also allows noncommissioned officers to mentor them and use the experience they have gained. The hands-on training allows Soldiers and leaders to stay sharp with their skills. The leaders get to troubleshoot any issues the Soldiers are having with zeroing their weapons, in addition to making necessary adjustments that will allow the Soldiers to hit the targets with more accuracy, Melendez said. Melendez said he only wishes the Soldiers could train more. I understand that we are support and not on the front lines, but I do believe that every Soldier should be more familiarized and continue to be consistent so they don t become complacent, Melendez said. At least one Soldier also used the training to gain skills above and beyond the M4 qualification. Pfc. Aliyah Avery, an ammunition stock control and accounting specialist assigned to the 504th CSC, 142nd CSB, 1st AD Sust. Bde., trained to help leadership give commands from the range tower. This is a critical part of the weapons training as it applies safety standards for everyone out there. I give the Soldiers all the commands of when they need to go down the range to check their targets, when to lock and load their weapons, when to fire and to cease fire, Avery said. Railroad Model & Historical Association celebrates NATIONAL MODEL TRAIN MONTH In November Open every Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. No admission charge!!! 6335 Vaughn Court Between Alameda and Delta Just West of Ascarate Rd. Jonathan LeBlanc / Fort Bliss Bugle Staff A Soldier makes the necessary adjustments to his M4 carbine to zero the weapon for qualification at McGregor Range, N.M., Oct. 20. The Fort Bliss Bugle is the most Popular Publication on post! Call to Advertise

3 FORT BLISS BUGLE November 2, A Put situations in perspective to reduce anxiety By Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Special to the Fort Bliss Bugle Have you ever had so much anxiety about a situation you have become stuck and unable to focus or take purposeful action? Have you seen this happen to someone else? The skill of Put It In Perspective allows us to stop catastrophic thinking and lower anxiety so we can accurately assess a situation and deal with it. When we waste critical energy ruminating about the potential worst-case outcomes of a situation, we call it catastrophic thinking. Another way to look at this type of thinking is making a mountain out of a molehill or making a Himalaya out of a mountain. Catastrophizing is detrimental to taking purposeful action because it creates high levels of anxiety, decreases focus and increases helplessness. Potential triggers of catastrophic thinking are ambiguous situations, when something we value highly is at stake, being run-down or depleted or if we already fear the situation. Modern technology creates more opportunities for ambiguous information to cross our paths. For example, a text message from a significant other saying, We need to talk, or an from your first sergeant that says, Meet me in my office at 1700, could be interpreted many ways. Downward spiral is one style of catastrophic thinking. Downward spiral is when an activating event occurs and our brain starts to tell us a story that gets increasingly negative and improbable, causing us to get more and more anxious. Our brain is like a runaway train with these worst case thoughts. The second style of catastrophic thinking is scattershot, which is when we start thinking about many disconnected, catastrophic events. We utilize the analogy of a shotgun blast because the shot is scattered as are our worst-case thoughts about the activating event. The final style of catastrophic thinking is circling, which is when our thoughts about two or three potentially negative outcomes repeat. The thoughts do not get more negative, but block purposeful action. There are five chronological steps to using PIIP: Step 1: Describe the activating event, and jot down the four Ws who, what, when and where. We want to be objective in this step and put down just the facts about the activating event. Step 2: Capture all the worstcase thoughts. In this step, we want to make sure we exhaust all our worst-case thoughts about the activating event. Step 3: Generate best-case thoughts. This might be difficult for some, but generating best-case thoughts elicits a jolt of positive emotion to lower our anxiety just enough so we can identify most likely outcomes. Step 4: Identify the most likely outcomes. In this step we want to identify two or three most likely outcomes, our most likely emotions, and how others involved in the situation might be feeling so we can anticipate how to deal with it. Step 5: Develop a plan to deal with the most likely outcomes. In this step we want to develop a plan for what we identified in Step 4. By using the skill of Put It In Perspective we are able to halt catastrophic thinking and create a mindset that allows us to identify the most likely outcomes of a situation and develop a plan for those outcomes. We can use PIIP by ourselves or as an empathy tool to help others we see catastrophizing.

4 12A November 2, 2017 FORT BLISS BUGLE 1421 LEE TREVINO, STE D OPEN NOW! superioritybarberstudio superioritybarberstudio Abigail Meyer / File photo Family, friends and loved ones visited graves at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery here following the Memorial Day ceremony May 30, Fort Bliss National Cemetery to hold Saturday burials By Jonathan LeBlanc Fort Bliss Bugle Staff Fort Bliss National Cemetery will be one of six national cemeteries that will offer weekend cremation burial services the first Saturday every month, beginning Saturday. The five other national cemeteries offering this pilot program for weekend burial services are Florida National Cemetery, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Riverside National Cemetery and Calverton National Cemetery, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration. James Porter, director, Fort Bliss National Cemetery, said he and others who work at the cemetery pride themselves on improving access to burial benefits while meeting individual needs of families. An annual customer satisfactory survey indicated the need for extended services, Porter said. We want Veterans and their families to choose VA, Porter said. Our burial services should be convenient for families, loved ones, funeral homes and community members. The VA operates 135 national cemeteries and 33 Soldiers lots and monument sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico, according to a press release. Fort Bliss will continue taking requests for weekend burial services for religious purposes. The scheduling office is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Central Standard Time. Those who would like to schedule a Saturday service should call the national scheduling office at

5 FORT BLISS BUGLE November 2, A MILITARY DISCOUNT FOR ALL ACTIVE AND FORMER MILITARY AND THEIR DEPENDENTS ON IN-STORE PURCHASES SATURDAY, NOV * *No limit to savings. Please show your military proof of service at checkout to receive discount. This offer is not good with any other discount. Visit us online for detailed course descriptions Make the right choice for a successful career! PROGRAMS AVAILABLE Office Technology Specialist Bookkeeping/Accounting Clerk Truck Driver Medical Assistant Medical Coding Technician Classes are bilingual 9001 CASHEW, ST. 100 (915) Daniel Torok / U.S. Army Gen. Robert B. Abrams, commander, U.S. Army Forces Command, participates in a panel at the Association of the United States Army s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 9 through 11. Gen. Abrams: Soldiers must regain readiness mindset By David Vergun Army News Service WASHINGTON Gen. Robert B. Abrams recalled once being awakened at 2 a.m. on a Friday. It was the early 1980s then, and he was a young lieutenant stationed in a cavalry squadron in West Germany. It was a unit alert that had woken him from his sleep, he recalled. Back then, those alerts could come at any time, completely unannounced. And when they came, Soldiers in area bars would need to report to their units, in whatever state they were in, within two hours. Abrams, commander, U.S. Army Forces Command, spoke in October at the Association of the U.S. Army s Annual Meeting and Exposition. Once Soldiers were assembled, he said, they had four hours to get all their gear and ammunition loaded on trucks and tanks, and move out to their tactical assembly areas. They had to be ready to cross the border into East Germany, if called to do so. Everyone had a sense of urgency and knew what was at stake, he said, remembering his early days in the Army. The Army needs to regain that same sense of urgency today, he said, but we re not there yet in our Army. However, the mindset is beginning to shift, he said. That s the direction the Army is now taking. Improved training Abrams pointed to a number of readiness indicators, including training, which he said has improved over the last couple of years. Recently, the Army has shifted its training focus to a decisive-action training environment that s very robust, he said. The DATE training environment includes training with both conventional and non-conventional forces in all domains during every combat training center, or CTC rotation, he said. Leading up to the CTC rotation, units have also improved their home-station training, he said, adding that there s been a 300 percent increase in company-level, live-fire exercises at home station over the last two years. Even aviation units at the platoon and company levels are now participating in live-fire exercises, something not widely seen since before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. Non-deployable Soldiers We ve made huge progress over the last couple of years in reducing the number of nondeployable (Soldiers), Abrams said, adding that it s still the number one readiness challenge facing the Army today. Some units have 7 or 8 percent non-deployable Soldiers, he said, so there s still some work to do to shrink those numbers. Abrams attributed improvements in reducing the number of non-deployable Soldiers to several factors, including the fielding this year of the commander s Medical Readiness Dashboard. That computerized medical update allows company and battalion commanders to better understand and deal with the medical status of their Soldiers. Improved physical training is another area the general credited with reducing injuries and elevating fitness levels. He gave a shout-out to a pilot program now underway that is incorporating a new Soldier readiness test involving four brigades from FORSCOM that are evaluating all five measurements of fitness. The Army is moving away from an industrial-age medical system, to one that s more like the type used for professional athletes that gives Soldiers the care they need at their point of impact and at the point of injury, he noted. The importance of care is so important because muscular-skeletal injuries continue to impact Soldiers, he said. Improved equipment Twelve of the Army s 25 brigade combat teams have to date received their complete authorized stockage lists, Abrams said, and U.S. Army Materiel Command is working on equipping the rest. ASLs consist of such things as repair parts, fuel and construction material kept at each BCT distribution center. To ensure the equipment is sufficient and where it needs to be, Abrams said FORSCOM conducts monthly logistics and aviation readiness reviews. The biggest struggle in equipping the force right now, he said, is getting spare parts to where they are needed in a timely manner. Currently, he said, the wait time is about five times what it should be. A big part of increasing readiness, Abrams said, involves adequate and predictable funding from Congress. Continuing resolutions crush us at the unit level, he said. We are unable on a monthly basis to adequately plan to support training and requisition repair parts for our fleet at a tempo we are training. Abrams admitted that the Army doesn t have an adequate narrative about readiness to present to lawmakers. We in the military intuitively know what readiness means but have been unable to articulate it to the public. Everybody wants a ready force but we have a hard time describing it. ASK HOW YOU CAN GET CASH BACK MILITARY DISCOUNT

6 14A November 2, 2017 FORT BLISS BUGLE DWI Statistics for FY17 Fall in for some delicious homemade food Drug Statistics for FY17 Voted El Paso s Favorite Magarita Daily Lunch Specials SISD Lunch Discount 10% MILILTARY (Must show ID) (Must show ID) DISCOUNT on TUESDAYS Daily Drink Specials Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. MON-FRI Live Entertainment Sunday Brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m Montwood Drive Drunk driving leads to lives lost R E M E M B E R that you are not only affecting your life, but others as well when under the influence of alcohol. Please drive responsibly!

7 FORT BLISS BUGLE November 2, A SATURDAY NOV 18 th 1:00 PM UTEP football VS SUN BOWL STADIUM $ 10 TICKETS CALL ENROLL NOW! Space still available When caring for your child is the only thing that matters. Full and part-time daycare 18 mos to 12 years Fun learning pre-school program Pre-K and Kinder classes Creative, challenging curriculum Safe, loving environment Experience staff Breakfast, lunch, snack provided Hours: 7 am-6 pm 6 am for military if requested After school transportation MILITARY DISCOUNT Tetey s Tots Daycare and Preschool 3500 McRae Blvd. Located behind All Saints Episcopal Church Loc TTDP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin

8 16A November 2, 2017 FORT BLISS BUGLE Fresh Sanderson Farms Split Breast, Drums, Thighs or Leg Quarters Bone in, Jumbo pack ground fresh in Store Daily 89 lb USDA CHOICE 85% Lean Ground Beef Sold in Packages of 3 lbs or More in our Meat Case New Crop Sweet Clementines 3 lb. Bag Limit 2 Additional: $3.99 ea ea 2 77 lb FRESHER USDA Choice Beef Boneless London Broil or Top Round Roast or Bone In Chuck Roast or Family Pack Steaks 2 97 lb Fresh Atlantic Salmon Fillets Coke, Pepsi or 7 Up 2 Liters Select Varieties Limit 5 Additional: 4 for $5 99 ea 6 99 lb Military Discount Jennie-O Oven Roasted Turkey or President Swiss Cheese Sliced Fresh in the Deli Limit 4 lbs. Additional: $5.99 lb lb General Mills Cereal oz., Fiber One, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Breakfast Biscuits, Soft Baked Squares 5-6 ct. or Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks 6-10 ct. Select Varieties Limit 4 Additional: $2.49 ea ea Lucerne Gallon Milk Select Varieties Limit 2 Additional: $2.69 ea for$ 2 5 SATURDAY, NOV. 4TH, IS MILITARY DISCOUNT DAY * MIX & MATCH Doritos oz., Fritos or Cheetos oz. Select Varieties Sale Price: $2.99 ea. RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL Final Price 1 77 ea When You Buy 3 Limit 1 Reward Per Transaction $ 10 OFF People featured are not actual service members. PURCHASE OF $100 OR MORE LIMIT 1 COUPON PER CUSTOMER. This coupon cannot be used unless the purchase is $100 or more after deducting all manufacturer coupons and store coupons, and without including money orders, lottery tickets, gift cards, alcohol, tobacco, prescriptions, stamps and other products prohibited at law. Cannot be doubled, tripled, quadrupled or exchanged for cash. Not valid toward previous purchase. Void if copied or transferred in the event of return, coupon savings may be deducted from refund. May not be used in combination with any other offer. One coupon per customer, per transaction. COUPON GOOD 11/02/17-11/08/17 *Some Restrictions Apply. Military ID Required. 15 % OFF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE *See store for exclusions Prices Effective 11/02/17 08/06/ /11/15 11/07/17 Visit visit RAIN CHECK: We strive to have on hand sufficient stock of advertised merchandise. If for any reason we are out of stock, a Rain Check will be issued enabling you to buy the item at the advertised price as soon as it becomes available, Savings may vary. Check price tag for details. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Please, No Sales to Dealers. AVAILABILITY: Each of these advertised items is required to be readily available for sale at or below the advertised price in each Albertsons store except where specifically noted in this ad Albertsons, L.L.C, Albertsons, the Albertsons logo, the Savon Pharmacy logo and the 10 for $10 logo are trademarks of New Albertson s, Inc or its subsidiaries and is used under license. We reserve the right to correct printed errors. ALL LIMITS ARE PER HOUSEHOLD, PER DAY. Selection varies by store _ROP_FT-Bliss_ALB_GL