Texas Agribusiness Development December Newsletter San Antonio Family Assistant Center Hours of Operation: 7:00 to 5:00 p.m. Mon-Thurs. 7:30 to 4:00 p.m. Fridays 71st BfSB Brigade Team Staff SSG Robert Quiroz Family Program Specialist Office: 512-782-1677 Cell: 512-750-3162 FAX: 512-782-3402 Robert.quiroz@ng.army.mil Rose Mary Ruiz Family Readiness Support Assistant Office: 512-782-3416 Cell: 512-788-1081 Fax: 512-782-3402 Rosemary.ruiz@ng.army.mil Eleanor Smith Family Assistant Center Specialist Office: 512-782-3404 Cell: 512-970-8032 Fax: 512-782-3402 Eleanor.smith@tx.ngb.army.mil Inside this issue: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! My time in Afghanistan is growing to a close. Our mission was, in my humble opinion, a success. Here is a short summary of what we, the Texas Agribusiness Development Team (ADT), were here to do and what we accomplished: The mission of ADTs is to work closely with the provincial government in order to provide education and services related to agriculture and animal-husbandry businesses to Afghan citizens (In short, conduct a counterinsurgency task to instill confidence of the people in their government s ability to care for them). Last Update from ghazni Specifically, we spent over $6.5 million this year to provide classes or to build structures. Examples are: poultry classes; bee keeping classes, livestock husbandry classes, wheat field improvement classes, grape trellising classes; construction of a feed mill, livestock slaughter facility, livestock sales barn, hide-storage facility, retention ponds, irrigation systems, demonstration farm, veterinary clinic, artificial insemination clinic (for livestock not what you may think), wind & solar power projects, culvert repair, wool merchant s storage area repair; agriculture curriculum development and computers/books for a local high school and the University of Ghazni; rebuilding the Director of Agriculture s office; and providing education for Ag Extension Agents. You may not know it from watching the news but, I can tell you, most of the people of Afghanistan welcome and support our efforts. Unfortunately, many are intimidated by the Taliban. But, progress is being made! Stay the course. Never quit! Merry Christmas, Dan 12/10/2009 TX ADT2 Shows TX ADT3 The Ropes TX ADT2/TX ADT3 visit the AI Clinic Checking up on Projects TX ADT-2 Project Photos TX ADT Information and Resources Army Community Services (FT Sam) 2 2 2 3 4 5-6 YELLOW RIBBON Event #5 Instructions to register online Log on to www.jointservicessupport. org 1. click on Register now 2. Set up your profile 3. Once complete follow number 3 in Yellow Registration below. Yellow Ribbon registration instructions 1. Once logged on 2. Make sure your in Texas, if not upper right corner select Texas 3. Select JSS and the screen drops and double click on YRRP 4. Select Events 5. Select the event for 6-7 February 2010 in San Antonio, TX 6. Click on register Once you have registered or you have problems registering please contact the FRG office at 512-782-3416/3426
December TX ADT-2 News Page 2 Tx adt2 shows tx adt3 the ropes SGT Alexander Stewart, a geologist, with Texas Agribusiness Development Team 2, and MAJ Stephanie Normand, a pest management specialist, with Texas ADT 3, perform a quality assurance quality control check on culverts in Jungle Bah Farm, Afghanistan on Dec. 2, 2009. The Texas ADT visited the Jungle Bah Farm to perform a quality assurance quality control MAJ Normand (Right) was part of a group of TX ADT-3 Soldiers that arrived in Ghazni ahead of the main body to prepare the TX ADT-2 to TX ADT-3 transition. check on various projects on the farm and to introduce and familiarize the new Texas ADT 3 Soldiers to the projects. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Rebecca F. Corey, PRT Ghazni) Tx adt2/tx adt3 visits the AI Clinic 1 LT Brad Clark (left), the Agriculture Operations Officer, for Texas Agribusiness Development Team 2, speaks with the Artificial Insemination Clinic manager while their interpreter and MAJ Ross Davis (far right), the Agriculture Chief for ADT 3 listen in Ghazni City, Afghanistan on Dec. 2, 2009. The Texas ADT visited the AI Clinic to introduce and familiarize the new Texas ADT 3 members with projects currently in progress.(photo by U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Rebecca F. Corey, PRT Ghazni) MAJ Davis (Right) was apart of the advance party (ADVON) to help with the transition between TX ADT-2 and TX ADT-3. Checking up on Projects SGT Alexander Stewart, a geologist with the Texas Agribusiness Development Team 2, assigned to Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Afghanistan, discusses the status of two projects with, Mr. Safar Ali, Assistant Vice- Principal of the Sanaee High School in Ghazni City, Ghazni, Afghanistan. The team was at the high school to check the status of a storage shed and garden area being built for the Agriculture students at the high school. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Rebecca F. Corey)
December TX ADT-2 News Page 3 TX ADT2 Project Photos Demonstration Farm Construction Retention Dam Contruction APIARY (BEE KEEPING) GRAPE TRELLISING CLASSES & SUPPLIES Livestock Sales Facility Construction Feed Mill Construction RANGE LAND MANAGEMENT & DATA COLLECTION FOR TX A&M
TX ADT Rear Detachment Address TX ADT FRG WEBSITE Texas Agribusiness Development Team 4255 N Interstate 35 San Antonio, TX 78218 Phone: 512-782-3415 Fax: 512-782-1604 TX ADT Rear Detachment Rear Detachment Commander: CPT Javier Rosales Javier.rosales@us.army.mil Operational Support: SGT Cliff Partee Cliff.a.partee@us.army.mil Operational Support: SGT Earle Sorensen Earle.sorensen@us.army.mil Operational Support: SGT Justin Blue Justin.blue@us.army.mil ArmyFRG.com was established to provide a web portal to the military family and friends of loved ones deployed. We strongly encourage registering because it will provide unit specific information and resources. It also empowers families and friends by allowing them to control the level they want to participate. https://www.armyfrg.org RESOURCES American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services 877-272-7337 www.redcross.org TRICARE Service Center 800-444-5445 www.tricare.mil/mybenefit Military One Source 800-342-9647 www.militaryonesource.com Texas National Guard Family Support Foundation www.txngfoundation..org Army forms it draw- more more its pool As the transiing and from of Employer Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR) 800-336-4590 www.esgr.mil Texas National Guard Family Program Online Community www.guardfamily.org United Concordia 800-866-8499 www.tricaredentalprogram.com Army National Guard Pay 877-ARNG-PAY ARNG-MILPAY@arngfsc.ngb.army.mil Sesame Street Talk, Listen, Connect www.sesameworkshop.org/ initiatives/emotion/tlc After Deployment www.afterdeployment.org ID Card/Deers Locations (not a complete list) Wylie 972-287-6862 FT Sam Houston, San Antonio 210-221-0415 (By Appointment) Lackland AFB, San Antonio 210-671-4178 Randolph AFB, San Antonio 210-652-2276 Army Families online www.aflo.org Pre-kindergarten Benefit www.tea.state.tx.us 1-800-793-0321 New Parent Support Program Fort Hood, TX 254-287-2286
FT Sam Houston
FT Sam Houston Area Code (210)