1st AD, Fort Bliss hold active shooter seminar

2A March 12, 2015 FORT BLISS BUGLE 1st AD, Fort Bliss hold active shooter seminar By Wendy Brown Fort Bliss Bugle Editor Not only did Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss commanding general, take on the subject of active shooters during a seminar at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center March 4, he asked the whole community to do so as well. Twitty brought together about 200 community leaders, most of them in the law enforcement, military and education fields, to learn about active shooters from several subject matter experts and talk about ways to improve the community s response. There are no known threats to Fort Bliss, and Soldiers and civilians alike responded extremely well to the active shooter event at the El Paso VA Health Care System clinic Jan. 6, Twitty said, but it is always necessary to be ready for the unexpected. I m telling you all here today, as the senior commander of this installation, if anything happens on this installation that we failed to do, it s my fault, Twitty said. Anything that we failed to do, it s my fault. Got it? And I m not in the business of failing. So we re going to come up with a plan so we don t fail and so we take care of the people that reside and live on this installation. Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st AD and Fort Bliss commanding general, awards Pfc. Justin Summers, 72nd Military Police Detachment, with the Army Commendation Medal, during the 1st AD and Fort Bliss Active Shooter Seminar at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center March 4. Accompanying Summers, a member of the detachment s Special Reaction Team, is his K-9 Cesar. Twitty also presented several other civilians with the Commander s Award for Civilian Service Medal, and several other Soldiers with the Army Commendation Medal for their actions during the active shooter event at the El Paso VA Health Care System s clinic Jan. 6. It s not about if. It s about when, and so we have got to get serious about this and we re going to move out smartly and we re going to develop a plan and we re going to rehearse it. >> Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty Speakers included Ryan Castro, special agent with the Fort Bliss Counterintelligence Field Office, Andrea K. Simmons, special agent with the FBI, Maj. Sean Hubbard, coauthor of the Naval Postgraduate School thesis Defeating the Active Shooter, Darren Crossley, supervisory operations watch officer for Fort Bliss Directorate of Plans, Training Mobilization and Security and Todd M. Pidone, deputy chief of police for the Fort Bliss Directorate of Emergency Services. Lisa Hamp, who survived the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings after she and her classmates successfully barricaded themselves in a classroom, particularly captivated the audience s attention. They asked her many questions after her talk. In the years since the incident, Hamp said she has concluded active shooter events are short events, so police response will not be quick enough to immediately protect civilians, and this fact makes it necessary for civilians to take action on their own. They re going to need to be educated on what are their options, and I think one of the things that (my) story highlights is that seconds matter, Hamp said. One way civilians can educate themselves is to know what gunfire sounds like, so they can begin taking action as soon as possible, Hamp said. Hamp also discussed the run, hide, fight escalation of responses to an active shooter. If possible, people should first run from an active shooter; if that is not possible, they should hide; and if the other two responses are not feasible, go ahead and fight, Hamp said. Speaking later, Pidone said people who decide to fight an active shooter should do so with as much force as possible and with the expectation of winning. Oscar Leeser, El Paso mayor, attended the event, and he thanked Twitty for inviting him and being proactive on the subject of active shooters. When I talk about Fort Bliss and I talk about El Paso, I talk about the same ZIP code, Leeser said. There is no different ZIP code, but it s really important that when we do have a situation when we need to work together, things like today, we need to Photos by Wendy Brown / Fort Bliss Bugle Editor A special agent with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, who asked not to be identified, shows Dr. Sarah Martin, a psychiatrist with William Beaumont Army Medical Center, left, and Shannon Navarro, chief of Fort Bliss Garrison plans, analysis and integration office, right, a camera during the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss Active Shooter Seminar at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center March 4. Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss commanding general, looks at a.338 Lapua rifle during the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss Active Shooter Seminar at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center March 4. Next to him is Salvador Navarro, an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol. know what the other one s thinking. After the talks and lunch, members of the audience broke up into working groups to develop ideas on how to improve the community s response to active shooters. The purpose was to come up with ideas, develop them into standard operating procedures and rehearse them in the late summer to early fall, Twitty said. This is his third time Twitty has been stationed at Fort Bliss, and in the years he has been stationed here, there have been three active shooter situations, Twitty said. He warned against becoming complacent. It s not about if, Twitty said. It s about when, and so we have got to get serious about this and we re going to move out smartly and we re going to develop a plan and we re going to rehearse it. BRAC Continued from Page 1A when the active Army cuts down to 490,000 Soldiers by the end of 2015. Just two weeks ago, Lt. Gen. Karen Dyson, military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army (financial management and comptroller), said by the end of FY16, the active force would move to 475,000 Soldiers. As we shrink further, more excess capacity is created, said Hammack, adding that the impact of sequestration in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 created an increasing number of failing facilities and infrastructure. Right now 7 percent of the Army s facilities are in failing condition, yet we still have operating units in them, she said. Twenty four percent of Army facilities are in poor condition and the number of failing or poor increases every year. Hammack told the committee members that sustainment is the lowest cost method of maintaining a building. If a structure is not sustained properly due to lack of investment, then it falls into restoration and modernization Instead of fixing one leak, you have to replace a roof, she said. We saw a 9 percent increase in requirements for restoration and modernization directly due to impacts of underfunding in 13 and 14 due to sequestration, she said. Buildings which are not maintained adequately, now due to constrained funding, may need to be replaced in the future at a much higher cost, she explained. So we re increasing the cost for future generations due to sequestration right now. The Fort Bliss Bugle is an unofficial publication authorized by AR 360-1 and printed each Thursday in the interest of the Fort Bliss and El Paso, Texas, communities. It is the only Fort Bliss publication allowed to be distributed on Fort Bliss property. The contents of the Fort Bliss Bugle are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, or The Laven Group, LLC. The appearance of advertising in the Fort Bliss Bugle does not constitute endorsement of the products or services advertised. 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FORT BLISS BUGLE March 12, 2015 3A UNIT NEWS>> Training is the oil that keeps the engine of our Army running Exercise keeps 2-43 ADA Soldiers Top Notch n 9A 1st Bn., 43rd ADA conducts SPEAR training n 10A CAB supply Soldiers promote new handheld device n 11A Old Ironsides food service Soldiers look to progress in Army-wide culinary competition Photos by Staff Sgt. Brooks Fletcher / 16th MPAD III Corps senior command food advisor, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brock Sanders, inspects the administrative documents of Staff Sgt. Matthew Garver, field sanitation team NCO for G Co., 47th BSB, as part of the unit s evaluation for the Phillip A. Connelly Award Competition, held at Doña Ana Range, N.M., March 4. Food service specialist, Spc. Diana Hof, G Company, 47th BSB, prepares egg rolls as part of evening meal during the Phillip A. Connelly Award Competition, held at Dona Ana Range, N.M., March 4. Food service specialist, Pfc. Arif Yohannes, G Co., 47th BSB, prepares a stir fry dish for Soldiers of 4th Bn., 27th FA Regt., during the Phillip A. Connelly Award Competition, held at Doña Ana Range, N.M., March 4. Concertina wire and security forces guard 4th Bn., 27th FA Regt. s fully functional field feeding area, operated by food service specialists from G Co., 47th BSB, staged at Doña Ana Range, N.M. as part of the Phillip A. Connelly Award Competition, March 4. By Staff Sgt. Brooks Fletcher 16th Mobile Public Affairs Attachment, 1st AD Public Affairs DOÑA ANA RANGE, N.M. - Culinary specialists from G Company, 47th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, participated in the III Corps-level evaluation for an Army-wide culinary competition held at Doña Ana Range, New Mexico, March 4. The competition is a part of the Phillip A. Connelly Award program, which recognizes food service branch personnel across the Army and promotes professionalism. Representing the Old Ironsides Division in the program s Army Field Feeding category, the culinary team used a month-long field training exercise held by 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, to showcase their abilities. We have been out here on a daily basis, feeding 350 to 400 Soldiers, said Staff Sgt. Manuel Grajeda, G Co., senior food operations sergeant. The leadership found it in the best interest of the command to capitalize on this opportunity and show that we are not just playing a role, but we are committed to our craft. Along with a concertina wire parameter and security force, to include M109 Paladins, the culinary team s fully functional field feeding area was established to demonstrate their full potential. When I arrived in this unit, I saw a remarkable group of Soldiers making it happen, said Grajeda, a former recruiter and NCO Academy instructor, now a 12-year food service veteran. I knew from that moment this was a team that could win a DA-level award. Performing to standards worthy of a DAlevel competition is key, but it is these standards that III Corps chief food operations management, Sgt. Maj. Timothy Woods, said are essential to food service in the Army. When we come out to evaluate food service operation, (inspectors) are checking to make sure that the teams are following regulations and upholding the standards, said Woods, who is in charge of running the corps food program. Aside from ensuring that food is properly prepared and Soldiers are trained and know how to use their equipment, we also evaluate how well they understand the overall concept of operations. Woods added that while he and his team also come out to coach, teach and mentor all the while making comments on food preparation, serving technique, and area appearance that this is still a competition. With the unit s III Corps-level evaluation complete, G Co. Soldiers will have to wait until their III Corps competitors at Forts Riley, Kansas, Fort Carson, Colorado, Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, are evaluated before III Corps announces which team will move on to the FORSCOM-level competition.

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8A March 12, 2015 FORT BLISS BUGLE Staff Sgt. Mervin Moore and Pfc. Cory Jackson carry a notionally-wounded Spc. Shalene Pederson to the casualty collection point. 5th Bn., 52nd ADA s defense capabilities tested By 1st Lt. Kathryn Zurmehly 5th Bn., 52nd ADA WESTERN EUROPE Soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, conducted a comprehensive site defense exercise in the midst of a constant drizzle that quickly turned their Patriot sites into pits of mud Feb. 25. The Site Defense Exercise was used to evaluate the Fighting Deuce s readiness in the event of enemy contact at their Patriot sites. It was a more complex exercise than the battalion had undergone in the past, relying not merely on their own resources, but also on the help of Company A, 503rd Infantry Security Forces, who also had a chance to Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Williams, left, 2nd Bn., 43rd ADA, 11th ADA Bde., Sgt. Maj. Michael Davenport, center, 2nd Bn., 43rd ADA operations sergeant major, and Command Sgt. Maj. Bryan Pinkney, 11th ADA Bde. senior enlisted advisor, cut the inductee cake to demonstrate the unity of the Corps after the Noncommissioned Officer Induction Ceremony held at an undisclosed location in the Arabian Gulf region, Feb. 23. (Below) Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Williams, far right, 2nd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, swears in the newly inducted noncommissioned officers to the NCO Corps during a ceremony held at an undisclosed location in the Arabian Gulf region, Feb. 23 Photos by 1st Lt. Kathryn Zurmehly / 5th Bn., 52nd ADA Sgt. Anthony Atencio, casualty of a notional mortar attack, is carried off by Pfc. Michael Jordan and Spc. Joshua Gebo while Spc. Donald Bruce stands guard. run around in the mud. The enemy forces were played by some of 5-52 s own, bundled up in civilian clothing and armed with dummy weapons. They hid throughout the site, trying to stir up confusion and chaos as the infantry cleared every tent and vehicle of possible enemy. For the other Patriot Soldiers, this was an opportunity to do things they rarely get a chance to do. Some of the 5th Bn., 52nd ADA air defenders pulled guard duty and weapons ready. Though it did not quite work out as planned for some. I felt the infantry did a really good job in their movements. Even though I died in the beginning, it was a really good learning experience, said Spc. Shalene Pederson, Battery B, who was a notional casualty in the initial simulated mortar attack. She was quickly evacuated by several of her Btry. B Soldiers, along with several other simulated wounded Soldiers. The wounded were well tended to by the Fighting Deuce medics and air defense operations continued unhindered. It was a break in the routine for the air defenders a chance to see not only what infantrymen do in action, but also understand their own roll in the event of enemy contact. Meanwhile, as events played out, battalion staff followed their own battle drills, some newly developed for the local situation, and Courtesy Photos complicated, because of a power outage. Nonetheless, the battle drills were ready and prepared us for the unforeseen. The battalion staff drove on regardless. It went well. We were prepared, according to Sgt. Lindsey Lungo, S-2, NCOIC, HHD. The unit s deployment to EUCOM is a first for 11th ADA Bde. and they are only the third ADA unit at their location. This defense exercise was evaluated by USAEUR officials to assess the sustains and improves of 5th Bn., 52nd ADA, when faced with a worst case scenario. Warrior Battalion hosts NCO induction ceremony while deployed By Staff Sgt. Brian Lefevers Btry. B, 2nd Bn., 43rd ADA, 11th ADA Bde. SOUTHWEST ASIA Thirteen Soldiers from Task Force Warrior, 2nd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bliss, and 14 Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry, 50th Infantry Brigade, New Jersey Army National Guard, were inducted into the Noncommissioned Officer Corps Feb. 23 at an undisclosed Arabian Gulf location. The purpose of the ceremony is to honor and recognize high-performing Soldiers who have proven themselves worthy to join an elite corps of professional trainers and leaders. Command Sgt. Maj. Bryan A. Pinkney, command sergeant major, 11th ADA Bde., and guest speaker, warmly welcomed the inductees. Pinkney provided professional advice and encouragement for challenges the inductees will inevitably face in their future as leaders. During the height of the ceremony, the Soldiers Request and the NCO Response were recited. Train me to be self-sufficient, that I may lead the way, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you, with my life if necessary, should your life be in danger, said Spc. Elias Rodriguez, health care specialist, Btry. B, 2nd Bn., 43rd ADA, as he recited the third paragraph of the Soldier s Request. I will be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike, Sgt. David Moon, Patriot fire control enhanced operator and maintainer, Btry. B, 2nd Bn., 43rd ADA, recited the NCO s Response. I will exercise initiative and take appropriate action in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, or my moral courage. The NCO Induction Ceremony is a time-honored, military tradition the Army adopted from 17th century military traditions introduced by Frederick the Great of Prussia. It feels great to be a noncommissioned officer and to be a part of such a historic ceremony, said Sgt. Rory Grieve, air defense enhanced early warning system operator, Btry. B, 2nd Bn., 43rd ADA., about the ceremony and his new responsibilities as an NCO.