Articles

Fort Wainwright agencies offer holiday safety training

Joint base to provide more opportunities for employees

Be cautious when accepting letters, packages

New hunting regulations take effect Jan. 1 for military members

News Briefs

Meal rates at Alaska dining facilities to increase in new year

Layfield stresses holiday safety, the need to end DUIs

Learn the rules of the roundabout road

Alaskans draw solace from the solstice

Stop silent killer by installing carbon monoxide detectors

Keep fire prevention in mind for a safe, happy holiday season

Soldiers experience training, culture at Yama Sakura

Richardson swimmers dive into intramural swim meet

Give yourself the gift of remaining healthy during the holiday season

MWR Events

Fort Wainwright Compass

Fort Richardson Compass

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DJILAS, Iraq – The Judge Advocate General of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and a group of Iraqi judges visited the Khamees Detainee Facility in Djilas, Iraq, Dec. 12 in an effort to ensure timely justice for all.

Hungry for action and results, the Arctic Wolves' JAG and Iraqi judges have spent the last three weeks deliberating the continued detainment or release of more than 500 detainees confined at Khamees.

"Baghdad put together this delegation of local Iraqi national judges, junior investigators and investigative judges," said Capt. Brian Brooker, a JAG attorney with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-25th SBCT. "They are not trying cases; they are not deciding the guilt or innocence of the detainees; they are deciding the disposition of the case."

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Several Fort Wainwright agencies combined forces Dec. 8 through 12 to offer holiday safety training to Soldiers, civilian employees and family members at the Last Frontier Community Center.

Post Safety offered winter driving safety tips; the Fort Wainwright Fire Department taught holiday decoration and cooking safety; and the Fort Wainwright Army Substance Abuse Program showed a movie depicting the graphic consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

David Lemelin, ASAP risk reduction coordinator, said the training arose from a quarterly installation safety meeting and served as the pilot for future training events.

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Ripples of nervousness have trickled through the Department of Army civilian workforce ever since Army officials announced Fort Richardson was to become Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson with Elmendorf Air Force Base, in 2010.

So what does this mean for DA civilians across post?

Because JBER is a follow-up of a 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission initiative, people may automatically think it means cutting jobs and eliminating positions.

So should everyone dust off their resume and get ready to go job hunting?

 Does a joint base mean a reduction in force?

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During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, many people may be sending and receiving cards and packages, but caution should be exercised when receiving mail from an unknown sender.

Since Dec. 8, letters containing a white, powdery substance have been sent to governors' offices in 30 states, to include Gov. Sarah Palin, said Dan Gilson, Fort Wainwright garrison antiterrorism officer.

According to Gilson, nearly a dozen suspicious packages containing media and a white, powdery substance have been left at Air National Guard facilities in recent days as well.

"In light of recent events, garrison commanders at Fort Richardson and Fort Wainwright want to increase awareness regarding suspicious mail," Gilson said. 

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Significant changes for purchasing Alaska hunting licenses and tags will take effect Jan. 1.

Until Dec. 31, military personnel and their family members who have lived in Alaska less than 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the application for a license who want  to hunt big game off military training lands have to purchase a nonresident hunting license at full price and appropriate game tags at half the nonresident rate. Those who want to hunt small game must purchase a nonresident small game hunting license.

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• Richardson MPs transfer authority to 17th CSSB

• Legal notice

• 2009 Basic Allowance for Housing rates announced

• New year brings tools to help people quit tobacco

   

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Alaska dining facility meal prices will increase as much as 11.4 percent for the breakfast meal and 10.6 percent for the lunch and dinner meals beginning Jan. 1.

"By regulation, the comptroller for the Secretary of Defense sets the rates every year for the Food Service Program," said Jim Dellwo, Garrison Food Services supervisor.

Dining facilities on forts Richardson and Wainwright will be affected.

"The new rates apply to all appropriated fund dining facilities, which include all military dining facilities in Alaska and the Military Academy dining halls," Dellwo said.

Diners qualify for either the discount or standard rate.

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The holiday season is here. It's a wonderful time of year to visit with family and friends, exchange gifts and anticipate what the new year will bring. However, it can also be a time when just a moment of inattention or poor judgment can turn this wonderful season into tragedy.

We must remain extra vigilant and apply risk reduction measures to holiday celebrations just as we do for our on-duty missions. Our primary risk is privately owned vehicle collisions — the No. 1 killer of Army personnel. Many POV collisions are caused by fatigue, excessive speed, hazardous road conditions and consuming alcohol.

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Last week, while transporting members of the Fairbanks media back to the front gate, I was especially observant when approaching the roundabout adjacent to the visitor center on Gaffney Street.

I entered the roundabout to make a left turn, but knew I probably wasn't going to be allowed to do that because of the oncoming traffic entering post driving into the roundabout. Sure enough, a brace of traffic traveling approximately 30 mph, although the speed limit entering the roundabout is 15 mph, plowed on through, ignoring the posted yield sign.

To avoid getting hit, I was forced to stop the truck in contradiction to established roundabout rules. An observant motorist, who was obviously versed in roundabout etiquette, stopped to let me through, although the motorist behind him nearly rear-ended him, stood on the horn and gave him an untoward gesture.

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 Alaska's cold, dark winters can be hard for newbies and sourdoughs alike, but the good news is longer days are just around the corner.

The December date I look forward to each year happens this Sunday, and although nobody sends me cards or gifts for it, I'd rate the winter solstice nearly as important to the Alaskan psyche as that more famous happening on the 25th.

Because, you see, the solstice is the shortest day of the year.

OK, technically it has 24 hours just like every other day. But on the winter solstice, we receive the fewest hours of daylight. While it's technically the first day of winter, it's a turning point of a different kind for Alaskans.

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It has been dubbed the silent killer.

Because carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, most people aren't aware of its presence.

That's where the danger lies, said Roger Stickney, a safety specialist with the Fort Richardson Garrison Safety Office.

"It's more of a hazard in the winter, because in colder weather people are more likely to be using heating sources to keep warm," Stickney said. 

In the winter, people are also indoors more and are usually in areas that typically have low air circulation, Stickney explained.

CO is produced when something is burned when there is not enough oxygen for complete combustion.

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With the onset of the holiday season, it is important to focus on fire safety and prevention. The celebration of the season brings with it increased usage of electric lights, decorations, candles and Christmas trees, all of which can be potential fire hazards.

Additionally, cooking fires increase during the holidays as families and friends gather to celebrate. By following general fire safety precautions, potential holiday fires, deaths and injuries can be prevented.

What is a traditional Christmas morning scene without a beautifully decorated tree?  If your household includes a natural tree in its festivities, be sure to keep the tree watered.

Christmas trees account for hundreds of fires annually. Typically, shorts in electrical lights or open flames from candles, lighters or matches start tree fires. Well-watered trees are not a problem, but a dry and neglected tree can be.

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CAMP ASAKA, Japan – More than 1,200 U.S. Soldiers and nearly 4,500 members of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force carried out exercise Yama Sakura 55 at Camp Asaka, Japan, Dec. 7 through Sunday.

Yama Sakura, which means "mountain cherry blossom," is an annual bilateral exercise designed to strengthen military operations and ties between the U.S. Army and the JGSDF.

"The yearly Yama Sakura exercise has been carried on without interruption for 27 years," said Lt. Gen. Kazushi Izumi, commander of the JGSDF Eastern Army, in a ceremony Dec. 7. "I firmly believe that this exercise holds great significance in promoting the solidarity of U.S.-Japanese relations and contributing to the stability of our region."

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Swimmers traded the single-digit outside temperatures for the balmy 85-degree humidity of the Buckner Physical Fitness Center pool Dec. 11 at Fort Richardson's second swim meet of the intramural sports season.  Final event results were:

Women's 50-yard backstroke
Catherine Brooks, Army Corps of Engineers, 32 seconds; Amara Atella, C Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, 48.18; Stephanie Keys, C/864th, 54.41.

Men's 50-yard backstroke
Zach Griffiths, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 29.06; Jeremy Truelive, U.S. Army Garrison, 39.03; Mike Jones, C/864th, 44.83.

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The holidays are approaching fast, and this is a great time to enjoy family and friends and the spirit of the season. For some, however, it is a time filled with frustration, which tends to create over-the-top stress levels. At the end of the day, most find attention to personal needs somewhere at the bottom of their holiday to-do list, leaving little room to feel the joy this season can bring.

Stress is defined as mental, emotional or physical strain caused by anxiety or overworking. It may cause symptoms such as elevated blood pressure or depression. Both are natural responses to how your body copes with different situations. Everyone reacts differently to stressors. While some may not be affected at all, others can feel overwhelmed.

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        Photo Specials:            Fort Wainwright youth learn mushing basics   |    Concert, tree lighting brighten holiday season

MWR Events | Fort Wainwright Compass| Fort Richardson Compass

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