John Sandor, with Boy Scout Troop 67, was responsible for passing out Red Cross fliers that communicated “what to do instructions in case of a power outage,” here, Nov. 16.

The National Training Center and Fort Irwin underwent a planned power outage Nov. 16, and sticking around that Saturday to provide a helping hand to the community was Boy Scout Troop 67.

The installation planned for various resources to be available, such as warming stations, cooling stations, ice distribution points and some restaurants remained open with generator power.

Scouts arrived to the ice point at Tiefort View Intermediate School that morning and immediately began handing out 20-pound ice bags to people pulling up in their vehicles, according to Maj. Scott Shopa, assistant Scout Master and project manager with Western Region (South) United States Army Health Facility Planning Agency at Fort Irwin.

Boy Scout Steven Shopa follows the Scout motto of “Do a Good Turn Daily” by helping distribute ice during a planned power outage, here, Nov. 16.

The Scouts staffed the ice point until 11 a.m. They also provided Red Cross fliers that communicated “what to do instructions in case of a power outage” and a list of free, emergency notification smartphone apps, said Shopa.

Shopa stated that the experience showcased Boy Scout values.

“Scouting teaches the spirit of volunteerism and builds confidence in handling all kinds of situations,” Shopa commented. “The Scout slogan is ‘do a good turn daily.’ The Scout motto is ‘always be prepared.’ [That]Saturday, the Scouts exhibited both, for the good of Fort Irwin, during the power outage.”

On his first visit to Fort Irwin, Congressman Paul Cook said he was impressed at how the Fort Irwin community came together after a freak thunderstorm on Aug. 25 caused more than $100 million in flood damage to many areas of the National Training Center, including the closing of Lewis Elementary School.

“This is a very special community,” Cook told a crowd of about 60 Soldiers and civilians at a town hall meeting, the first stop of his visit on Nov. 5. As a retired Marine Corps infantry officer, Cook recalled how today’s military services are different from the post-Vietnam War era.

“Every time you go to a combat situation, if you have a difficult situation, you worry about the right flank, the left flank,” Cook said. “Often times, it comes from the small unit involvement. That’s what it’s all about. That’s the other reason why I’m so passionate about the military services. When you have that morale, it’s going to contribute to problem solving.”

Asked about his concerns for the local economy, Cook urged his audience to focus on education.

“The services, especially the Army, have great schools,” Cook said. “Take advantage of every school you can get. It’s going to prepare you to make that transition … How much does an auto mechanic make now nowadays? It’s the same thing in your chosen field. Get as much education as you can.”

After the town hall, Cook toured Fort Irwin to view a construction project and areas that were damaged by the monsoon flash flood. At the site of the future water treatment plant, Garrison Commander Col. Jon Braga explained to Cook that the new facility will convert the two-pipe water system (potable and non-potable) to a one-pipe delivery system for potable water.

“This is great. Water is huge,” said Cook, a Yucca Valley resident, who had earlier described himself at the town meeting as a “desert rat” sensitive to desert issues.

From the vantage point overlooking the construction site, Cook was also able to see the Fort Irwin terrain that contributed to the flooding. Braga described the storm’s microburst that poured three inches of rain in one hour on the installation and the direction of the water flow.

Cook viewed damaged at a bridge on Outer Loop Road and asked about the repairs for the columns, whose foundations are exposed. Muhammad Bari, director of Public Works, explained that funding for the fix was pending.

Braga mentioned that the bridge is one of 166 issues with structures that Garrison is dealing with from the flood.

Cook also viewed the repairs at Lewis Elementary School, which will be ready for students to return Jan 13. Ninety percent of the classrooms were affected by the flash flood, according to Principal Patricia Baer. District Superintendent Dr. Marc Jackson, Baer and Karen Gray, president of the SVUSD Board of Trustees, provided Cook descriptions of the work. Cook thanked the trio and said they had done a great job with the situation.

For the fourth year, Fort Irwin received more than bundles of good cheer from a Southern California based non-profit, For Families of Active Military (FFAM). On Nov. 23, a busload of students from La Salle High School, a private high school in Pasadena, landed at Fort Irwin’s Town Center to spend their day to help decorate walls of storefronts, lampposts and trees on Goldstone Avenue with Christmas wreathes, banners and lights on.

Janet Ford, Fort Irwin’s Family, Morale Welfare and Recreation Department’s special events coordinator said, “I and the outdoor recreation team totally enjoyed the experience of working with Bridget Bhlem and the students from La Salle Catholic High School. Even though it was raining and chilly, we all worked together to make Towne Center festive for the Soldiers and their Families during the holiday season.”

To brighten families of Soldiers with their Thanksgiving meal, FFAM also arranged for 50 turkey donations and a hundred food boxes brimming with fixings for traditional Thanksgiving meals, in coordination with the post’s Army Emergency Relief office.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, FFAM arranged for several families in Yorba Linda to welcome military families to their waterfront homes for dinner, boat rides to view Christmas lights, karaoke singing and cheering their favorite football teams on large screen TVs.

After Thanksgiving, La Salle High School returns with more cheer, as over a hundred Christmas trees purchased through their fund-raising efforts will be distributed to lucky Soldier families in early December, in coordination with Fort Irwin’s Army Emergency Relief office.

Executive director and FFAM co-founder Bridget Blehm said her organization began in 2006 as she and others became aware of the hardships of military families.

“We wanted to give back to those who sacrifice so much on our country’s behalf,” Blehm said.

The National Training Center and Fort Irwin commander, Brig. Gen. Ted Martin, and the host of “The Tonight Show,” Jay Leno.

“The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno hosted Soldiers from the National Training Center and Fort Irwin for the taping of a Thanksgiving Day show, Nov. 27.

The event closed out an era of Thanksgiving specials with servicemembers of all branches, since the show will be in New York next year with Jimmy Fallon as the new host. This was the 13th year that the late night show had invited Soldiers from this installation to be part of a military audience for the holiday broadcast.

Jay Leno holds mementos provided by Brig. Gen. Ted Martin (left of Leno), while taking a photo with Soldiers of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin.

The commander for the NTC and Fort Irwin, Brig. Gen. Ted Martin, attended the taping, which aired the next night, and presented Leno with a plaque and coin. Leno then took photos with servicemembers.

Leno, a supporter of the military, has traveled overseas to visit with troops and once came out to the NTC with his rocket car. “The Tonight Show” also provided a Thanksgiving buffet for servicemembers on the night of the taping.

Jay Leno and his rocket car at the National Training Center in 2004. This was the 13th year that Leno and “The Tonight Show” had invited Soldiers from this installation to be part of a military audience for a Thanksgiving Day holiday broadcast.

Sgt. 1st Class Ellington Releford, of the 916th Support Brigade, here, with Fox NFL Sunday commentator Eddie George asks FOX Sports network experts about his favorite team during the Fox NFL Sunday’s special Thanksgiving broadcast from Fort Irwin.

 

Fox Sports Girls helped NFL football fans on Fort Irwin celebrate game day during the warm-up to Fox Sports Thanksgiving Day NFL game.

 

Fox Sports commentators Jay Glazer and Eddie George interviewed several Soldiers, who were among approximately 1,000 Soldiers and Family Members from Fort Irwin who watched the NFL Thanksgiving Day broadcast of the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers game from “The Box,” at National Training Center on Fort Irwin.

 

National Training Center commander Brig. Gen. Ted Martin tells Fox Sports commentator Eddie George “I have the best job” commanding the National Training Center during an interview for a Fox Sports Thanksgiving Day pre-game show. The show was broadcast live from the 430,000-acre NTC training area known as “The Box.”

 

Asha, a member of the FOX Sports Girl team, locks in on her “target” during a visit to the National Training Center and Fort Irwin, Nov. 27, related to the Fox NFL Sunday’s special Thanksgiving broadcast.

Photo by Sue Ollar
This American badger (Taxidea taxus) popped up in a residential area of Fort Irwin, Oct. 27.

On the evening of Oct. 27 a badger was observed digging outside a residential fence in cantonment, here. A biologist with Directorate of Public Works responded to the scene to find a healthy badger eagerly digging just beyond the Fort Irwin Garrison commander’s fence. The badger was reported to be aggressive towards some children, who ventured too close, so it was decided to relocate the animal.

Bystanders were moved to a safe distance while a small team of Military Police, the biologist, and Col. Jon Braga dislodged the busy digger from its hole, capturing it with a catch pole (a noose pole commonly seen used by animal control for capturing dogs and coyotes). The animal was placed in a pet carrier and immediately relocated to Bitter Springs, an area with suitable habitat that is off-limits to military training.

The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is a member of the Mustelid family (weasels and wolverines). This predominately nocturnal carnivore has a stocky build, powerful forearms, and formidable claws. They use their physical attributes to hunt ground-dwelling rodents (i.e. ground squirrels, gophers, kangaroo rats). Badgers are typically solitary, except during spring when females are rearing young. They generally occur in low densities, 0.2 to 5 individuals per square kilometer. Badgers are such highly efficient predators that they often eradicate local populations of burrowing rodents before moving on to a new area where prey is abundant. As a result, badgers lead fairly nomadic lives that often require them to travel, on average, 2.8 km each night searching for prey. During a single night a badger will leave behind a trail of freshly dug holes that may be used later as dens by coyotes, tortoises, snakes, skunks and burrowing owls.

Despite their aggressive reputation, badgers generally pose little threat to humans. Badgers put on defensive displays when cornered or approached too closely, but are not likely to attack a person unless provoked. Females with young offspring can be aggressive in defense of offspring. Badger activity declines during the coldest months of winter when they may remain in a single burrow for days or weeks in a state of torpor (reduced body temperature and metabolic rate).

While not typically dangerous to humans, badgers are sometimes perceived to be a risk to pets. Badgers are not particularly fast movers or good climbers. Most healthy adult house cats can easily escape them. Small, unattended dogs may be at risk, but badgers are only likely to injure a large breed of dog if the dog attacks first. The best way to protect pets from negative encounters with badgers is to obey leash laws. If you think a badger is digging a burrow in your yard or work area contact DPW Environmental Division to have the animal trapped and relocated. It is not advisable to physically confront a badger.

Badgers have been listed by the California Department of Fish and Game as a species of special concern due to their state-wide population decline and disappearance from large sections of the state. Because of such low densities, encounters with badgers are rare at Fort Irwin, with only two sightings in the last year and one capture/relocation. To assist in preserving this species on Fort Irwin, report all sightings of this animal and address information requests to the DPW at 380-3740 or 380-2681.

Lewis Elementary School students will return to the school’s campus and classrooms on Jan. 13, said Jesse Najera, Silver Valley Unified School District Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services and Personnel, during a Nov. 13 town hall meeting on Fort Irwin.

Parents are encouraged to bring their children on Jan. 13, like on the first day of school. The school will resume its normal schedule, including bus schedules for the three district schools on post.

The closure of Lewis in August, because of flooding, resulted in about 400 students and their teachers moving into facilities at Fort Irwin Middle School. Its other 242 transitional kindergarten, special education and kindergarten students and teachers were moved to Tiefort View Intermediate School.

Najera briefed approximately 200 parents attending the meeting about the special year-end schedule for the school. Lewis Elementary School students will follow a minimum schedule Dec. 16 through 19, with school ending at noon for kindergarteners and transitional kindergarteners, and 12:25 p.m. for first and second graders. December 20 will be the first of five days of independent study for the students. The other four days of independent study will be from Jan. 7 through 10, following the school district-wide winter break, Dec. 23-Jan. 6. Teachers will be reporting to the school on Jan. 6 to prepare the return of their students in their rehabilitated classrooms.

Marc Jackson, SVUSD superintendent, said in a Nov. 5 email to the Fort Irwin Public Affairs Office, that all of the carpeting is being replaced at Lewis. The flooring and dry walls, up to three feet, are all redone, as are the technology drop points. The cost of repairs to the damage to the school is running about $2 million.

The school’s staff will be looking for volunteers to help with the move, similar to when the school was closed after the flooding.

“We’re going to rely on military partners to help with the move,” said Lewis Elementary School Principal Patti Baer.

Doubling up with the two other schools on Fort Irwin “involved a lot of planning,” noted Jackson. Student drop-off and pick-up times and locations had to be adjusted, as well as school lunch hours and front offices. Additional lunch hour supervisors and health aides were hired at FIMS to meet the age-level needs of the Lewis pupils.

“The Lewis students are resilient and are doing well,” Jackson commented. “They’re great kids.”

Despite the turmoil, school attendance has remained at 96 percent, noted Najera at the town hall.

Jackson commended the school’s staff for adjusting to the situation.

“Moving three times during a semester would be hard on any staff, yet the Lewis team amazes everyone,” Jackson said. “Principal Patti Baer and Dean of Students Aubrey Zucco are super stars.”

Jackson also noted, “I also can’t say enough to the command for the support and assistance that Silver Valley has received. General Martin [National Training Center commander] and Garrison Commander Col. Jon Braga moved on this problem from day one. Their leadership in this case is not only to be respected, but admired.”

Ongoing

Sportman’s Club. If you’re a gun enthusiast, go hunting, or like to fish, join this club. The club operates a shooting range on post and can also organize fishing and hunting trips. Contact John Antes at 380-6372 or john.r.antes.mil@mail.mil.

Dec. 13-14

Winterfest 2013. Dec. 13, 5-9 p.m.; Dec. 14, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Samuel Adams Grille – Town Center. FMWR will host one of the most anticipated events of the year, sponsored by Victorville Motors. The festival is a two day event that features holiday festivities and activities for everyone. Friday night highlights the spectacular Winterfest transformation and holiday décor right outside of the Irwin Event and Catering. Enjoy performances by the Operation Rising Star Winner 1st Lt. Derrick Bishop and the Fort Irwin Church Gospel Choir. Saturday morning brunch at Samuel Adams Grille with a special visitor! Go to http://fortirwinfmwr.com/2013/11/winterfest-2013/ for more information.

Dec. 14

“Jingle Bell Jog” 3K/7K Fun Run. 8-10 a.m. Freedom Fitness Center. Come dressed in your holiday colors and festive clothing. $3 pre-registration, $5 day of the run. Call 380-7720.

January

From Jan. 21 to April 15, all Active Duty, Retirees, and their dependents, as well as Reservie and National Guard on orders for more than 30 days, can use the Tax Center at building 288 for free tax preparation. The Tax Center hours will be 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday. Call ahead for an appointment at 380-3604. Appointments are prioritized and recommended. Walk-ins also welcome.

December Center Chapel Holiday Services

Dec. 9. Christmas Chapel Decorating. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Dec. 11. Catholic Reconciliation Service. 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 15. Gospel Community Christmas Program. 6-8 p.m.
Dec. 24. Christmas Eve Mass. 5-6 p.m.
Dec. 24. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. 7-8 p.m.
Dec. 29. Catholic Mass. 9-10 a.m.
Dec. 29. Combined Protestant Service. 11 a.m. – noon.

As this year comes to a close, and I reflect upon my tenure as commander of Fort Irwin Garrison, I can truly say that the community here – Soldiers, Families and civilians – has been a group of people who embody the American spirit of strength, generosity and respect.

In the Army, strength is synonymous with resiliency. In this community, generosity has been forthcoming in many ways. And in the Army, being respectful has been a value – a character trait – that fundamentally defines our Soldiers.

Our community demonstrated resiliency time and time again, as this High Desert installation took punches from Mother Nature. Punches that unexpectedly stopped electricity from flowing into our homes and offices; punches that inundated Lewis Elementary and forced our children and their teachers to find a safe, dry place. But the community stood its ground, and flexed back.

Your resiliency motivated you – drove you – to take a look and say, “How can I help?” and “I’m here to help.” Your resiliency was motivated by compassion also, as you took hold of the task to move an entire school for those kids and educators.

Your resiliency kept you composed when the electricity went out three times. This last time, a planned outage, even saw our Boy Scout Troopers pitch in to help pass around those 20-pound bags of ice. They truly defined ‘cool under pressure.’

The community’s generosity is a reflection of our American way of life and our Soldier’s sworn commitment to protecting the defenseless around the world. Here, you opened up your wallets to programs, such as the Combined Federal Campaign, Army Emergency Relief, Feds Feed Families and Angel Tree. You contributed to scholarship funds, unit Family Readiness Groups, and other worthy campaigns.

You opened up your hearts and homes to pets, and shared your time to volunteer all over this post. We may be in the ‘season of giving,’ but on Fort Irwin, our community gives all year.

The respect you have shown has been honorable. Soldiers and Family members put a high value on education – enrolling in college courses while stationed here, and graduating as well. Respect for education was not marginalized.

Our Soldiers, Families and civilians took part in stand downs, discussions and training dedicated to understanding the perils of sexual assaults and suicides. You committed yourself to respecting the problem and becoming part of the solution. You committed yourself to creating a climate that respects the dignity of every member of the Army Family.

The 2013 calendar may be on its last page, but for the Fort Irwin community a new page is a chance to continue all the good things made possible by you. I ask that you stay devoted and unwavering in your ability to be resilient, generous and respectful. I wish you the best of times with family and friends as we look forward to a new year together, Ready and Resilient.

Soldiers of Green Team with Operations Group and family members gather at the top of Teifort Mountain, Nov. 26.

The oldest Operations Group team, the Green Team, became the tallest after the unit and family members reached the top of Tiefort Mountain, here, Nov. 26.

The unit, also known as Scorpions, invited family to be part of the team-building event of trekking to the top of this installation’s most prominent terrain feature. At the top, the hikers were rewarded with panoramic views of the National Training Center and snow capped peaks, said Master Sgt. John Heintzelman, first sergeant with the Scorpions.

“The event was a great opportunity for everyone to bond while enjoying the fresh November air,”Heintzelman said. “After the climb, the team celebrated with a [barbecue] and a few new adventure stories to share.”

The Green Team is the NTC’s armor task force training team for rotational units.

Sam Hunter theorizes that petroglyphs around Black Mountain are not crude representations of animals, crops, and people but were intended to record and memorialize a great battle and war fought thousands of years ago between competing confederations of Native American tribes for dominance in the region.

When retired first sergeant Sam Hunter was hired to work as a tank simulator technician at the National Training Center, little did he know that he would be spending much of his life outside Fort Irwin documenting a great battle that happened 7,000 years ago in a 25-square mile battle space west of Fort Irwin.

It was in November 1999, said Hunter, that a friend from Newberry Springs invited him and his wife Nadine to visit Inscription Canyon, about eight miles north of Hinkley, to look at some rocks inscribed with hundreds of Native American petroglyphs thousands of years old.

Hunter compared what they saw to photographs in a book published in 1984. Some of what was in the book was no longer there.

“We started to do an informal inventory to see what was missing,” Hunter said. “It just kept getting bigger and bigger.”

More troubling was another issue.

“We ran into the problem of archaeologists and anthropologists telling us we don’t know what [the petroglyphs] mean, because the Indians didn’t have any form of writing,” Hunter said.

Hunter refused to take that for an answer.

“That made no sense, because [archaeologists and anthropologists] said the same thing about the Egyptians, Aztecs and Mayans,” Hunter said. “There are cultures around the world as far back as 3,500 years ago that had forms of writing, all except in the continental United States. The whole concept of aboriginal peoples ‘only in the United States’ not having any form of writing defies rational logic. There had to be something else there.”

Hunter came to the realization that many anthropologists today continue to follow the lead of research conducted more than 150 years ago by a pioneering anthropologist of that era, Lewis Henry Morgan.

Hunter learned that Morgan was much more than a pioneer of scientific anthropology. As a lawyer and investor, Morgan was using his research on Native American tribes to help his clients gain legal possession of Indian lands during the great western expansion of the United States in the 19th century.

“Morgan set up the concept that only the American Indians had no writing, no record of the land that they owned.” Hunter said.

As Hunter began his readings in cultural anthropology, he continued his field investigations in the Mohave Desert. Sometimes with his wife and sometimes with his grandson, Hunter has spent thousands of hours on foot, exploring miles of desert scrublands and dry lake beds, climbing over boulders, ridges and escarpments of the Black Mountain complex.

Hunter’s explorations also took him outside the Barstow area, to a thousand mile-radius around it, to New Mexico, Arizona, and other parts of California.

Inscription Canyon

A casual visitor to Inscription Canyon may find the petroglyphs interesting – some crude, some intricately designed, but nothing much more than graffiti left by hunter-gatherer tribesmen crossing the Mohave desert between their winter and summer homes. Hunter sees something else.

Hunter saw the geometric designs repeated in many petroglyphs, but he also noted how they were clustered at strategic points on rocks that were themselves chipped into certain shapes.

“I have 46 binders with 4,000 data sheets and some 40,000 photographs,” Hunter said. “Everyone is telling me, ‘That is your interpretation.’ But when you see the same thing repeated hundreds of times, it is more than that. We are at a point where it is not just an interpretation of one thing. It’s the same thing over and over and over again. So now, we’re settling into evidence.”

Hunter said the stories embedded in the petroglyphs are reinforced by stories he has heard from Native Americans living in the Barstow area. He has also found Indian narratives written in accounts published by anthropologist studying Native American cultures of the southwestern U.S.

Hunter said his thoughts about the Black Mountain complex came together about 12 years after he had begun his research, when he was trying to explain to a Fort Irwin Soldier what he was doing within the complex.

“As a military man, I was familiar with how the military uses diagrams,” Hunter said. “That’s exactly how I got the idea. The military uses a flat map and icons to represent units moving through the terrain. If we do it today, why couldn’t they have done it then?”

Sam Hunter’s years of research on petroglyphs and other artifacts around and on Black Mountain north of Hinkley has led him to theorize that they memorialize a great battle between Uto-Aztecan and Hokan tribes thousands of years ago. The yellow lines and arrow on the aerial map depict the route and progress of the attacking Hokan warriors.

5,000 Year-Old Battle Maps

“All of a sudden, it occurred to me that Fort Irwin and the Black Mountain complex have been continually doing the same mission for 5,000 years, although with different people, using different technologies and different logistics. We have newer technologies, but the mission is the same, the need for logistics is the same,” Hunter explained.

Drawing on years of field research corroborated by many anthropology publications, Hunter has proposed a comprehensive theory that brings together all he has learned. Inscription Canyon is part of a scaled down replica of the battlefield several miles on the other side of the Black Mountains.

“The big battle was 7,000 years ago,” Hunter said. “The Uto-Aztecan lost. The Hokan had better technology. They used atlatl darts against the cruder, handheld spears of the Uto-Aztecan who then scattered, all the way to the Great Basin and down to Mexico. Two thousand years later, the Uto-Aztecans re-united and came back and retook their homeland.

“Once the Uto-Aztecans retook their homeland, they made the Black Mountain battle ground into a war memorial,” Hunter said. “They made it an annual mourning site where they would mourn the dead and honor those who died in that battle, and to educate their young warriors. They took a look at that mountain, and when they made those clusters of petroglyphs, they actually laid them out and designed them according to the way the battle went.

“Most researchers who go in Inscription Canyon see this little part and that little part, and they can’t figure it out.

“But this is a compact little place. Once I plotted the site locations, I could trace the progress of the battle. It started out simply by finding all the sites and tracing a line from site to site and seeing what made sense. Now, we test the hypothesis by going in and looking at the petroglyphs and rock faces to see if it holds up from one site to another.

“I went back to a place I call Dictionary Rock, and all of a sudden, those designs that didn’t make any sense, started to make sense. Once I started to match up the rock faces with the terrain, I could ‘read’ the petroglyphs and began to understand what they were trying to say.”

Hunter theorizes that many of the rock faces he has examined here and elsewhere have been altered to create a rough map of the final battleground, including a distinctive notch to represent the tip of the narrow spur where the battle ended. The rock faces and/or nearby boulders have petroglyphs that are meant to depict the final battle as it proceeded up the mountain where Uto-Aztecan defenders were pushed to their deaths, landing on the jagged rocks some 30 to 40 feet below.

Traditions and History

In 2010, Hunter went public with his research and his thesis, publishing a monograph with extracts from his writings for the past 14 years. His 94-page thesis, “Native American Religious Site Attacked,” had a public purpose. He published it to gain public attention and support for the Black Mountain complex to be designated a national monument. That designation would afford it federal protection status and attract funding to preserve and conduct further research on the Native American artifacts and earthworks in the area.

Hunter is concerned that the off-road enthusiasts and extreme tourists could knowingly and unknowingly vandalize the area. Large rocks and boulders on hard desert pavement that once signified an important Native American memorial ritual site near Barstow has already been vandalized.

“They took rocks from the site and made fire pits,” Hunter said. “This site is over 5,000 years old, and they’re using it for a campfire.

“Traditions are living history, memories which define us as a people and honor the lives of our ancestors and those who came before us.

“In U.S. history, the American Indian was condescendingly perceived as both primitive and brutal or as a noble savage with only verbal traditions and absolutely no history, written or otherwise. We need to change that.”

A public affairs file photo shows chairs and desks donated to Another Chance Academy of Adelanto, Calif.

High Desert school districts and Veterans recently echoed the team spirit shown by the Fort Irwin community after Lewis Elementary School was shut down by last year’s devastating flood, here, Aug. 24.

In preparing space to accommodate some 400 Lewis Elementary School students, Fort Irwin Middle School had to dispose of unneeded furniture and equipment stored at the school. The items, considered surplus, could be donated, but to whom?

Katie Hylton, director of maintenance, operations and facilities for Silver Valley Unified School District, received a suggestion from an Adelanto School District official. Hylton was informed that perhaps Another Chance Foundation Academy would be interested. The newly established academy teaches military Veterans marketable job skills at its location at the Southern California Logistics Airbase in Adelanto, Calif. The academy had been trying to acquire desks, chairs, gym equipment and electronic equipment for its training facility.

Another Chance would accept the furniture, but it needed to be loaded and transported to SCLA. No problem. The Hesperia Unified School District provided a semi-trailer truck for the transportation and the Adelanto Elementary School District allowed one of its drivers to operate the truck. The driver also happened to be a National Guard Veteran and had trained at Fort Irwin. These are the types of coincidences that should happen more often, right?

The truck arrived to FIMS, Nov. 22, and was greeted by six Veterans from the academy. They and the driver spent a rainy morning and afternoon loading the semi-trailer with the furniture that was delivered to the academy.

“Their efforts helped our district clean up areas that I didn’t have the manpower or space to handle, and Another Chance was grateful to accept our donation of furniture that can be used to provide on-the-job training in furniture rehabilitation for Veterans,” said Hylton.

Hylton added that her district also donated 28 computer monitors to the academy to be used in its training labs.

Carmen Becker, a director with Another Chance, said the 53-foot trailer was filled to capacity with desks and chairs. She explained that as a non-profit, Another Chance, can accept donations of surplus furniture and materials from school districts. The desks and chairs will eventually be refurbished by Veterans training in a carpentry shop. The academy not only provides vocational instruction, but provides Veterans with counseling and job search resources.

“Our goals are to help Veterans and keep them off the streets,” Becker said.

Justine Shively and husband, Spc. Anthony Shively, enjoy a moment together. Justine credits family support for her lifestyle change that led to dramatic weight loss.

Six months after having baby, wife of Soldier became resolute about losing weight

Some say that losing weight is one of the hardest personal goals to accomplish; that starting a diet or exercise plan may be easy, but succeeding can prove a bit more elusive.

Justine Shively will tell you that, yes, a weight-loss journey can be difficult, but goals are within reach and more. She hit her target and demolished it by losing 115 pounds, 75 more than she had planned. She took those pounds off over the course of 18 months while living at Fort Irwin. Her journey included working out on her own, changing her diet, and participating in activities offered by the Group Exercise facility here.

Justine is the wife of Spc. Anthony Shively, an Army tanker. He was stationed here for approximately three years – his first duty station after enlisting – and changed duty stations this past December. The young couple had their first child in August 2011. A few months after baby Ryder was born, Justine resolved to lose weight, she said. That was around February of 2012 when she weighed 255 pounds. She felt compelled to do something, not just for herself, but for her loved ones too, said Justine from Grand Island, Neb. She is staying there with her son and other family; her husband will be serving in South Korea for a year.

“I made this change now, because I wanted to be healthy for myself, my husband and my son,” Justine stated in an email. “I wanted to be able to do everything with my son and with my family. I also wanted to model healthy eating and healthy exercise habits for our son and future children we may have. It was my choice, but it’s also a lifestyle change.”

Justine said she had always struggled with her weight and was teased in school, beginning in elementary. She was active through high school, but never really ate healthy. Her weight increased in college and she did not feel comfortable with her image.

“Deep down, I was always self-conscious of how I looked in public and worried about what other people said about me,” Justine stated. “I was told a few times that I was nice, but not pretty enough to date and that if I was smaller, I would be perfect.”

After marrying Anthony in 2009, Justine resigned to being herself, because Anthony loved her for who she was, and there was nothing she could do to change her weight, she believed. Ultimately, she transformed herself through commitment comparable to a Soldier’s.

“I would say her dedication would be very similar to a Soldier’s duty to being fit and being a professional,” Anthony stated through an email. “I say that, because it takes everything you have inside of you to be that dedicated, and if you’re not dedicated to something, you will not get anywhere in anything you do.”

Justine admits that her weight-loss challenge was one of her most arduous experiences.

“I have never worked so hard or struggled so much,” she said. “I have never pushed this far physically, mentally or emotionally and it has definitely made me a stronger person.”

When times got hard and challenging for her, she never backed down, said Anthony.

Justine Shively holds son Ryder, shortly after his birth in 2011 here. About six months after Ryder was born, Justine determined to lose 40 pounds; she dropped 115 from her weight of 255 pounds.

“She kept her head up and drove on with her heart and soul and gave everything,” Anthony added.

Justine did the opposite of what many others do in her situation – she persisted. A 2012 research study found that a large percentage of people conducting weight-loss regimens quit early.

According to a “Prevention” magazine online article from August 2012, researchers at the University of Alberta and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Canada, found that 43 percent of participants in an outpatient weight-loss program dropped out before achieving sustainable weight loss. The article quotes Dr. Daniel Birch, the study’s lead author, as saying: “The number one lesson for anyone is to manage your expectations.”

Birch recommended making goals realistic and having a supportive team.

“I wish we had an easy fix,” Birch said. “But to reach a healthy weight, the investment of time is well worth it.”

Jasmine Henry, a fitness instructor and personal trainer at Fort Irwin, facilitates some of the Group Exercise activities here. She understands there can be several factors that contribute to a person’s success, or lack of, when pursuing individual health goals.

“There are the challenges of finding time, childcare, money, support system, and most importantly – psychological/mental games,” Jasmine said.

Jasmine saw in Justine a firm determination that originated with an unwavering commitment to her son and family.

“Once she became a mother, she realized that she needed to become healthy, not just for herself, but for her son and her new family,” Jasmine said. “She wanted to be able to play and run around with her son and not get winded.”

Jennifer Hester, a military spouse here, befriended Jasmine during her own weight-loss pursuit and acknowledges that Justine’s dedication to a healthier lifestyle was family oriented.

“Justine had so much love for her son and husband, and that is what I saw that made her so determined,” Jennifer stated via email.

Justine included new baby and carriage in her initial goal to shed 40 pounds, she said.

“I decided to start my journey with walking and pushing the stroller every day, twice a day,” Justine said. “I walked six miles daily with our son.”

The first year of Justine’s plan was mostly exercising on her own, she said. During that time she also conducted 60 days of the workouts “Insanity Program” and “Body by Vi.” After that, she got involved at the Group Exercise facility here. She participated in cycling, kick boxing, and a hip hop exercise class. The program that provided a huge boost was the “Mommy and Me Stroller” class, she said.

“I wanted to tone my body after losing weight, and this class was perfect for me, because I could take my son to a fitness class and he could play with other children while I worked out,” Justine said. “Through class, I have met some amazing women.”

Justine credits her exercise partners and Jasmine for providing support and for having empathy. She was able to share with her new friends, who understood, about the rigors and milestones associated with the push to lose weight, and about body image issues.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Hester

Mothers and their children participate in a “Mommy and Me Stroller” exercise class at the Group Exercise facility here. The women in the class became part of a support group for Justine Shively during her weight-loss journey.

“Unless you’ve been there, you don’t really know what it’s like to struggle, and how you look and how people see you,” Justine said.

A support group is very important, said Jasmine.

“If you don’t have it at home, you need to find it in friends or at the gym … somewhere!” Jasmine stated. “You have to know that there is someone else on your side.”

Jennifer, along with other moms from the stroller class, became part of Justine’s support network. The ladies in the class motivated each other, even using social media to continue encouragement and to send reminders about meeting for exercise sessions, said Jennifer. The support from the group was amazing, she said. She received inspiration from Justine’s individual journey as well.

“Justine really taught me just to keep going, there will be days that won’t be great, but to always keep moving forward,” said Jennifer, who reached her goal of losing 30 pounds. “She kept me motivated with her beautiful story of how she has been able to not only lose weight, but transform her entire lifestyle.”

For Justine, getting healthy also involved making changes in diet as part of her lifestyle modification – an adjustment that some would consider drastic.

“I ate fast food, cakes, cookies, pop, and overate often,” Justine said. “I knew that I needed to cut all of these things out of my diet in order to be healthy, [but] instead of cutting everything out at once, I stopped these habits a few at a time. I first cut out pop and fast food. I replaced those things with water and cooking at home. Then I stopped eating cakes and cookies and other junk food by replacing them with fruits and vegetables. I cut my portion sizes and started measuring what I ate. We now eat whole grains, lean meats, a lot of fruits and vegetables, dairy and a lot more healthy food. That doesn’t mean I never eat at restaurants and it doesn’t mean I never eat junk food, but I rarely do so.”

Jiustine feels more confident and much happier with herself, she said. She has more energy and feels healthier. She has grown to love exercising and running. She participated in several 5K runs here during and after her weight loss. Her family leads a healthy and active lifestyle. And, she now weighs 140 pounds, going from a size 18 to a size eight.

“I love seeing myself in the mirror and I love to shop too!” Justine stated. “I was very shocked at how different I looked. I don’t even resemble the person I was before this achievement! I feel I am now, who I was supposed to be.”

Justine demonstrated that it doesn’t take a small amount of work or effort to lose weight – it takes going beyond previous attempts to reach a goal. It takes a solid commitment, dedicating time, and receiving support from friends and family.

“I pushed myself very hard,” Justine said. “I pushed myself to my limit and sometimes pushed harder, so I could see what I was capable of. It was very hard and there were times I wanted to just give up, but I kept going – for my son and for my health. My husband and my family were a great support system. We are all very close and without them, I don’t think I could have accomplished that goal I set for myself. Having completed my weight loss journey, I can say it ranks with one of the most important moments in my life.”

Army MWR Libraries offer free access to more than 25,000 eBooks and audiobooks through the Army Digital Media Library.

Patrons may browse the Army Digital Media Library, borrow titles with a library account, and enjoy them on all computers and majors devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Nook®, Android™ phones and tablets, and Kindle®. The Army Digital Media Library uses the Overdrive Media Console app, which offers the ability to sync bookmarks and reading progress across devices, variable listening speed for audiobooks and guidance for first time users.

Patrons registered at MWR Libraries can visit http://army.lib.overdrive.com or download the Overdrive Media Console app for their device. When using the Overdrive app for the first time, click on “add a library” and type “Army” in the search box. Then select “Army Digital Media Library.” You will need a library account web login and PIN from your library to check out an ebook or audiobook.

The collection of eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video available is being continually expanded. Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period and there are no late fees.

“Now it’s easier than ever to download ebooks from the Library,” said Michael Steinmacher, Supervisory Librarian at Barr Memorial Library, Fort Knox, KY. “We want to make our great collection available, and as easy to use as possible, so I hope that people take advantage of this tremendous resource.”

Ed Iden, director of Outdoor Recreation, prepares for the movement of a gingerbread house his staff built to provide holiday cheer at the Fort Irwin Town Center, Dec. 12.

If you went to the Fort Irwin Town Center during the holidays, you saw them – a giant gingerbread house and Santa’s sleigh.

Those props were part of the decorations that contributed to the holiday cheer and featured prominently during this community’s Winterfest celebration, Dec. 13-14.

The community members who built the items are none other than the Fort Irwin Outdoor Recreation staff. Led by director Ed Iden, the staff includes John Law, Doug Law, Brandi Getz and Virginia Manns. They also got help from Iden’s brothers Jacob and Michael, who took time off from work in Arizona to assist. Last year the sleigh was built and this year the staff worked late into the night for weeks to assemble the gingerbread house, Iden said.

“These guys have worked almost a month-and-a-half straight building this and several other things,” Iden said a day before the 14-foot gingerbread house was to be trucked to the Town Center. “They work their days off, they come in before their shift starts, and they’re here long hours after their shift ends. Probably, between all of us, there are almost 2,000 hours into this right now.”

The work on the house required construction and electrical skills, and creative designing for the different adornments attached. Outdoor Recreation staff also built a chair used by Santa for photo sessions with children. In addition, the staff assisted installation units with the construction of 12 giant, wooden Christmas postcards for a friendly Winterfest competition; all the while, the staff continued with providing recreational support to the community here.

“We want to do this,” Iden said. “I love this community. I love serving Soldiers. I didn’t serve myself, so it makes me feel good knowing I can contribute. I enjoy running Outdoor Recreation here; it’s been a blast and any chance I get to do something a little bit more, I try to be involved in it.”

The sleigh features four plaques with an inscription of a Christmas story written by Iden’s mother, Judith Ann Burch, who passed away from cancer in 1993, Iden said. He wanted to share with the community the story his mother read to him growing up in Barstow. Iden hopes to one day have the narrative published with proceeds donated to research in children’s cancer. An excerpt of the story follows:

“‘Why Santa’, said Mrs. Claus, ‘look at your sleigh. You must have a new one before the big day.’ And Santa agreed, it was getting quite old. It was bent up and rusted, a real sight to behold. This year there’d be more to load on his sleigh. He just couldn’t afford to break down on the way. So a new sleigh was bought to carry Santa that year. And the little elves hurried and scurried with cheer.”

Courtesy Photo
The Kids Vision for Life program visited Fort Irwin and provided children with eye exams and glasses, Dec. 7.

During the stopover to this installation, the program attended to 108 children. Forty-one patients received glasses that day and 50 others were ordered glasses. Also, 95 gift certificates for VSP® Vision Care were provided.

According to a press release from Alcon Foundation, Kids Vision for Life provides vision screenings, eye exams, and eyeglasses to children, ages 5-12, at no cost to families through mobile clinics, schools and special events in communities across the United States.

“We are honored to provide vision services to children at [Fort Irwin],” said Stephen Shawler, president of Essilor Vision Foundation. “Proper vision care can have a significant impact on the lives of our children, and we know that poor vision puts academic success at risk. Through Kids Vision for Life, we are able to give corrective glasses to children who didn’t even know they needed them.”

The program also works to educate parents and communities about the importance of children’s vision care and the role it plays in literacy, society and the economy, according to the press release. The Kids Vision for Life event was made possible by Essilor Vision Foundation, Alcon Foundation, and VSP® Vision Care.

Courtesy Photo

The commander of 916th Support Brigade, Col. James Kazmierczak (left) holds a ceremonial check with Joe Madrid, supervisor of the section. The maintenance section contributed $3,000 to the Fort Irwin Food Basket Program.

Traditions are meant to be sustained. So, when the 2013 fall and winter holiday season arrived, staff of the maintenance section for the 916th Support Brigade, here, joined in on the holiday spirit of giving.

The section contributed $3,000 to the 2013 Food Basket Program administered by Army Community Service, here. It was the second year the section staff contributed to the program and the fourth year the workers had provided funds during the holidays, said Joe Madrid, supervisor for the section.

The brigade’s maintenance section is staffed by eight federal employees, said Madrid. They raised $1,000 through hot dog sales during the year, knowing they would be giving it to the Food Basket Program. The additional $2,000 came to the section from the Charles Tillman and the Tillman Family Trust. Tillman, a cornerback with the Chicago Bears football team, is associated to the section by way of his wife, Jackie, who is Madrid’s daughter.

The Food Basket Program facilitated the distribution of food baskets during last year’s holidays for servicemembers (in grades of E4 or below) and their families, who were experiencing financial hardship. Three hundred and eight baskets were provided for Thanksgiving and another 300 for Christmas, with all the baskets being purchased with donations, said Bob Lucas, manager of the Food Basket Program and Army Emergency Relief program.

Servicemembers were selected by unit first sergeants and the baskets were provided by the Fort Irwin DeCA Commissary, said Lucas. Commissary vendors contributed half the cost of the baskets, which had a $65 value. The Food Basket Program fund provided $18,000 to complete the baskets.

Madrid emphasized that, similar to him, most of his staff retired from the military, with two employees having served as first sergeants – noncommissioned officers who understand the challenges junior enlisted Soldiers experience. He said that military life can be tough for young Soldiers and their families. For that reason, his staff is willing to help out.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Madrid said.

The maintenance section also helped out by contributing to two Fort Irwin Fire Department “Toys for Tots” campaigns in past years. The staff would like to continue providing funds to holiday programs, Madrid said.

“We hope to do it again next year,” he said.

While Fort Irwin has resumed normal operations, efforts are continuing to repair damage caused by last summer’s powerful, localized storms that resulted in millions of dollars of damage over five weeks in July and August.

Three major power outages, on Jul. 22 and Aug. 18 and 29 were all caused by downed power lines in the high desert wash areas near Interstate 15, said Muhammad Bari, director of Fort Irwin’s Directorate of Public Works. The last outage on Aug. 28 came four days after a short but powerful afternoon thunderstorm flooded numerous Fort Irwin buildings and streets on Aug. 25.

In the days following the flood, all commands on Fort Irwin, its Soldiers, family members and civilians pitched in to restore and resume normal operations. While the Fort Irwin community is now focused more on year- end holiday festivities, work continues on more permanent repairs, as well as on fixes to the post’s vulnerability to power outages and storm damage.

“During this storm, over 160 buildings got minor to severe damage,” Bari noted.

“Repair contracts have been let for over 95 facilities that were flooded. We had leaking roofs, flooded basements and mechanical rooms, carpet damage, wall damage.”

Some of the more than $40 million worth of contracts, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, will be used to repair the most seriously damaged facilities that include two barracks, the National Training Center Operations Leader Training Program facility, and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment squadron headquarters. Other contractors began work in December to resurface the eroded Outer Loop Road and Westbrook Road leading out to Bicycle Lake.

“The repair work requires a lot of planning and coordination,” said DPW engineering division’s Gary Cooper.

Building tenants have to be temporarily moved to other office spaces, so they can continue working, before contractors can move in to do repairs, Cooper said.

Fort Irwin is also now working with higher Army headquarters to obtain additional tens of millions of dollars to do more work, including fortifying foundations of two bridges weakened by the flood and to update Fort Irwin’s storm water management system that dates back to the 1970’s.

“Fort Irwin is at the end of 30-mile long extension cord,” Bari said, in commenting about the post’s dependence on power lines and electricity supplied and maintained by Southern California Edison.

Bari said SCE is now conducting detailed survey and studies to revaluate electric utility infrastructure that SCE owns and operate. The survey report that will lead to upgrading the power distribution system to Fort Irwin will be submitted to SCE corporate and the NTC command by next summer.

“Short-term, SCE is stocking more resources,” Bari said. “That will improve the response time to Fort Irwin.”

Bari said that the Aug. 28 power outage required SCE to replace a downed 96-foot tall power pole. It took several hours to bring the replacement pole to the site as it was not a stock item and was not readily available. The power outage duration may have been reduced if the pole was available in the stock.

Fort Irwin is working with Installation Management Command headquarters to obtain approval for permanent backup generators to be sited near the child care center and other facilities that serve the community.

Long term, Fort Irwin has four renewable energy projects that are planned to be online in the next three years, said Bari.

• The Army is in the process of selecting a contractor to provide the post with power from a 15-megawatt solar panel facility to be constructed just outside the main gate to Fort Irwin.
• The $165 million hospital now being built to replace the current Weed Army Community Hospital includes a 2-megawatt solar energy system that will supply 90 percent of the hospital energy needs, including heated water.
• A 1-megawatt trash-to-energy facility will be built during 2013-14 on Fort Irwin. This project will help manage solid waste/trash and also provide 1-meggawatt electricity. The project also includes installing solar panels on carports at NTC and Operations Group headquarters that will provide 750 kilowatt energy.
• A separate 1-megawatt facility will be built on Fort Irwin in 2014 as a solar energy demonstration project funded by the Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program.

Currently, Fort Irwin and the NTC consume about 28 megawatts of electricity daily.
“These projects will help Fort Irwin shave its peak load that will reduce our electricity bill,” Bari said.

Bari also explained that the projects are paving the way for the fort to become a net-zero energy installation in the future.

Major Thomas Laybourn

Volunteers gather for a photo after moving classroom materials into Lewis Elementary School here, Jan. 2.

On the second of day of 2014, Soldiers, family members and faculty from Lewis Elementary School and the Silver Valley Unified School District moved classroom materials from their temporary facilities back to a renovated Lewis.

After a devastating flood, which damaged much of Fort Irwin and a great deal of Lewis, the school had to be closed while renovations were applied to fix flood damage. The temporary classrooms at Tiefort View Intermediate School and Fort Irwin Middle School were an adequate solution in the interim, but teachers and students alike have been very excited about returning to their original campus.

Fifty-eight volunteers from every unit on post and several spouses participated in loading classroom material onto trucks brought in by the school district and then unloading the same material at corresponding classrooms at Lewis. Morale was very high throughout the day as volunteers witnessed their hard work making the community better.

“This is like a one way trip to heaven for doing a good deed,” said Sgt. Hami Yazdanpanah, with 51st Translator Interpreter Company. His sentiments seemed to reflect most of the volunteers’ attitudes as the participants were able to complete the move in one day instead of two, which had been the original plan.

“This is great,” said Toni Chastain, a teacher at Lewis, who along with many other teachers took the opportunity to continue organizing their classrooms as volunteers delivered their materials.

Ultimately, the transition of materials will allow students and teachers to begin afresh at Lewis with its first day on Jan. 13. The cooperation shown by the volunteers and the school district reinforces the commitment towards children’s education. Katie Hylton, director of operations at SVUSD, summed it up best when she said the dedication of military families “continues to show a strong positive bond between this community and our school.”

Cactus Corner Child Development Center hosted a “CYSS Art Show” which was open to the public on Jan. 31.

All CDC teachers were challenged to have their children create works of art to display for the art show. Some of the criteria included three-dimensional art, most creative use of supplies, and best display of children’s art work. Several CYSS management judged the display with Room 143 Full Day Strong Beginnings winning first place, Room 136 Kindergarten coming in second, and Room 116 Infants taking third place. The top three winners earned credit toward their classroom wish lists; first prize was $150; second prize was $100, and; third prize was $75.

The “Cactus Corner” CDC is a 25,000 square foot single story building on an approximately five acres. This facility has a 232 child capacity for children ages 6 weeks through 5 years. The CDC houses 16 classrooms, full administrative areas with staff lounge and training room, a commercial kitchen, outdoor playgrounds and activity areas for infants, toddlers, pre-K and kindergarten aged children. (Source: http://fortirwinfmwr.com/)