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Standing watch over Fort Hood since 1942
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013 08:09:12 PM |
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In the wake of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s May 14 announcement of a Defense Department-wide furlough to take effect in early July, Fort Hood post officials are preparing for 11 discontinuous days off for more than 1,000 appropriated fund U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Hood civilian employees, and more than 5,000 across the installation. “We started doing our furlough analysis in March and we’re updating that based on what we know today,” Andy Bird, deputy commander of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Hood said Tuesday about the post’s planning process leading up to the proposed furlough. In a memorandum sent last week to all senior leaders within DoD addressing budgetary shortfalls due to sequestration, Hagel laid out the timeline for planning and implementation of the 11-day furlough of its civi...» read more
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Force protection exercisePfc. Lawrence Toh (left), a Fort Hood firefighter with the 36th Engineer Brigade, and Fort Hood firefighter Robert Casanova evacuate Sgt. Brandy Gonzales, a 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion role player during Phantom Vigilance May 15. For more coverage, see pages C1 and C8.
Pavers honor past corps commanders, create legacy for studentsOfficials from Texas A&M University – Central Texas and the Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the United States Army unveiled the Military Friends and Family Walk during a paver ceremony May 16 at the TAMU-CT campus. The walkway, which sits in front of Founder´s Hall, honors the 31 former III Corps and Fort Hood commanding generals and includes room for expansion.
Torch run: MPs support Texas Special OlympicsThough it was a windy afternoon with a chance of thunderstorms, that didn´t stop nearly 70 Soldiers from the 89th Military Police Brigade from running more than four miles in support of the Special Olympics Tuesday. There was not one complaint from the pack while they carried the torch down Tank Destroyer Boulevard in the middle of the day as onlookers cheered them on. This was a completely voluntary run for the Soldiers, each of whom had their own reason for running. As passing vehicles honked and waved the runners on, it served as motivation to each participant.
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Service members honored on Armed Forces DayARLINGTON, Va. - The Army´s top enlisted advisor, along with senior enlisted advisors from sister services, took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Saturday in honor of Armed Forces Day. Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler III joined his counterparts from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Army supports President Obama’s request for BRAC round in 2015WASHINGTON - As the Army cuts the number of Soldiers in its ranks, there will be an excess of infrastructure in place that used to support those Soldiers. Maintaining that extra unused infrastructure could mean other critical Army programs will suffer, a senior official said. “A future round of base realignment and closure, or BRAC, in the U.S. is essential to identify and reduce excess Army infrastructure, and prudently align our civilian staffing with reduced uniform force structure,” said Katherine Hammack, the assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. She spoke May 15, before the Senate Appropriations Committee, subcommittee on military construction, veterans affairs and related agencies.
SecDef: Solving sexual assault crisis will take ‘all of us’WASHINGTON - Sexual assault in the military is a crime and a problem that all military members at all levels will have to fight together, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday. “This is going to take all of us,” Hagel said during a joint Pentagon news conference with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hagel noted he and Dempsey, along with the service secretaries and chiefs of staff, attended an “important, productive” White House meeting May 16 with President Barack Obama to address the situation, which Dempsey has termed a “crisis.”
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Animals from every corner of the worldNEW BRAUNFELS - Before I begin the bulk of this Traveling Soldier story, I need to make one thing known: I am NOT a fan of snakes. Snakes didn’t used to bother me so much because I’m not regularly around snakes, so I didn’t think too much about them, but ever since last month when I was (un)fortunate enough to cover a story for the Sentinel over a rattlesnake round-up in Lometa, I’ve been a little uneasy about the idea of snakes. Being in the same vicinity as more than 1,000 rattle snakes pretty much turned me off to the idea of snakes forever.
Field DayField Day
Communication Corporation establishes vet hiring programSignal Soldiers planning to enter the civilian workforce in the near future have an exclusive opportunity to be hired for a job that would normally require a college degree. Verizon Wireless, with the help of the Army Career and Alumni Program, is fielding an initiative that will immerse former Army signal Soldiers into a familiar work environment in the civilian sector.
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Force Protection Exercise: Tests Fort Hood, community response to disasterSuspicious packages at Central Texas College and Harker Heights High School, an explosion at a building on post and a fuel spill into an installation waterway served as training scenarios for Fort Hood’s annual postwide Force Protection Exercise May 14-16. The annual training event tests the installation’s emergency response capabilities and ability to work with outside organizations in the event of a real-world incident.
Fort Hood EMT gives first responder’s perspectiveEmergency medical technician Michael Watkins has been a first responder on Fort Hood for four years, so when he was called on to take part in the Fort Hood’s annual postwide Force Protection Exercise on May 15, he slipped into his role without missing a beat. The training exercise began with simulated incidents in the local community, with subsequent Fort Hood events, including vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices resulting in injuries and death. Responders were not forewarned, and their reactions were documented for later after-action reviews.
Pet PlatoonThe shelter is located on 80th St. and Engineer Dr. in Bldg. 4902. The Fort Hood Stray Facility is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Fri. and closed for lunch from noon-1 p.m. The facility is closed on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 287-4675. You can find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/strayanimalfacility.
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Post golf champion crownedThe 2013 Post Golf Tournament concluded its four rounds of golf May 16 at the Courses of Clear Creek as winner Jacob Morton, Carl R. Darnall Medical Center, cleared the field by 25 strokes with a four-day total of 312. Entering the final day of play, the race in the five-person championship flight was more for second place than first, as Morton had built himself a sizeable lead after posting back-to-back 75s to open the tournament.
Fort Hood Soldier readies for first fight under UFC contractIt’s been more than five months since Staff Sgt. Colton Smith defeated Canadian Mike Ricci in “The Ultimate Fighter” season 16 finale to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. Now, as Smith readies for his first professional UFC fight Saturday, the Fort Hood Soldier noted that other than a busier pace, nothing has really changed.
Charity golf tournamentCharity golf tournament
News Briefs
Ceremony Monday
The Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery will honor Memorial Day with a wreath-laying ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday.
The ceremony will take place at the assembly area wall at the cemetery, which has emblems representing each branch of the nation’s armed forces.
Members of local veterans’ service organizations will take a wreath and place it before the emblem representing each service.
The ceremony will honor and pay tribute to the Soldiers, Sailors Airmen and Marines from Central Texas who have lost their lives supporting missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Killeen Mayor Dan Corbin will make welcoming remarks and Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Ierardi, commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division and
Fort Hood’s senior mission commander, will be the featured speaker.
The ceremony will include the singing of the national anthem, the raising of the flag, an invocation, a 21-gun salute and playing of taps.
Special needs seminar
Fort Hood’s Exceptional Family Member Program hosts a seminar to empower special needs Families from 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesday in the Oveta Culp Hobby Soldier and Family Readiness Center.
The seminar, entitled “How the Pieces Come Together,” is offered to any Fort Hood community member with a special needs child or Family member. Besides covering special needs services and resources available from EFMP, the seminar will also cover transition services by school liaison officers and school-based special education services offered by the Killeen Independent School District.
To register or for more information, call 287-6070. The Oveta Culp Hobby Soldier and Family Readiness Center is located in Bldg. 18000 on Battalion Avenue.
The Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery will honor Memorial Day with a wreath-laying ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday.
The ceremony will take place at the assembly area wall at the cemetery, which has emblems representing each branch of the nation’s armed forces.
Members of local veterans’ service organizations will take a wreath and place it before the emblem representing each service.
The ceremony will honor and pay tribute to the Soldiers, Sailors Airmen and Marines from Central Texas who have lost their lives supporting missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Killeen Mayor Dan Corbin will make welcoming remarks and Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Ierardi, commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division and
Fort Hood’s senior mission commander, will be the featured speaker.
The ceremony will include the singing of the national anthem, the raising of the flag, an invocation, a 21-gun salute and playing of taps.
Special needs seminar
Fort Hood’s Exceptional Family Member Program hosts a seminar to empower special needs Families from 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesday in the Oveta Culp Hobby Soldier and Family Readiness Center.
The seminar, entitled “How the Pieces Come Together,” is offered to any Fort Hood community member with a special needs child or Family member. Besides covering special needs services and resources available from EFMP, the seminar will also cover transition services by school liaison officers and school-based special education services offered by the Killeen Independent School District.
To register or for more information, call 287-6070. The Oveta Culp Hobby Soldier and Family Readiness Center is located in Bldg. 18000 on Battalion Avenue.
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