Friday, Feb. 8, 2008 Vol. 65 No. 06 Leary family sends holiday wishes Leary family sends holiday wishes Leary family sends holiday wishes Leary family sends holiday wishes Leary family sends holiday wishes Read the CO's Holiday Message, Page 2 NAVSTAselects2007SailoroftheYear Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class (AW/SW) Matthew J. Murcin, serves currently as the NAVSTA 3M/Calibration coordinator and is the LPO of Operations Department.. A viation Electronics Technician 1st Class (AW/SW) Matthew J. Murcin was born July 18, 1971 in Buffalo, N.Y. He graduated from West Seneca West Senior High in 1989 and attended Buffalo State College until 1992. Murcin enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1994. After completing recruit training in Great Lakes he at- tended Aviation Electronics Technician “A” school at NATTC Millington, Tenn. and then completed GCAMS cali- bration 'C' school at NAMTRAGRUDET, Norfolk. In July 1995, Murcin re- ported to the calibration labo- ratory at AIMD NAS Oceana, Va. He was part of the regionalization from an AIMD calibration lab to the Mid-At- lantic Regional Calibration Laboratory. During this tour, he was advanced to petty officer third class. His next command was AIMD NAS Keflavik, Iceland. En route he successfully graduated from Advanced Cali- bration “C” school at Kessler AFB in Biloxi, Miss. and re- ported on board February 1998. While in Iceland, Murcin was advanced to petty officer second class and took over as the calibration lab work center supervisor. Soon after, he transferred to the USS John F. Kennedy (CV- 67) in August 2000. He as- sumed duties as production supervisor and eventually be- came the only second class petty officer assigned to the quality assurance division. While on board, Murcin earned both his Enlisted Aviation War- fare Specialist and Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist des- ignations. In September 2002 Murcin transferred to the Southeast Regional Calibration Center at NAS Jacksonville. Here he was advanced to petty officer first class and was designated the onsite calibration leading petty officer (LPO). Additionally, during this tour, he successfully completed 2M micro/miniature repair “C” school. In 2004, Murcin applied for a special program billet at Na- val Station (NAVSTA) Guan- tanamo Bay, Cuba. After com- pleting Ships 3-M system co- ordinator school at FTC Nor- folk, Va., he reported to NAVSTA in February 2005. Murcin serves currently as the NAVSTA 3M/Calibration coordinator and is the LPO of operations department. In ad- dition to various unit citations and ribbons, he has received the Navy Achievement Medal (five awards) and the Good Conduct Medal (four awards). He is accompanied in GTMO by his wife Christina and two children: Caleb and Selena. Photo by MC2 Kim Williams "There are so many outstand- ing first class petty officers on the base. It is a great honor [for me to have been] se- lected as the SOY." AT1 (AW/SW) Matthew Murcin
Transcript
Friday, Feb. 8, 2008Vol. 65 No. 06
Leary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishes
Read the CO's Holiday Message, Page 2
NAVSTA selects 2007 Sailor of the Year
Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class (AW/SW)Matthew J. Murcin, serves currently as the NAVSTA3M/Calibration coordinator and is the LPO ofOperations Department..
Aviation ElectronicsTechnician 1st Class(AW/SW) Matthew
J. Murcin was born July 18,1971 in Buffalo, N.Y.
He graduated from WestSeneca West Senior High in1989 and attended BuffaloState College until 1992.
Murcin enlisted in the U.S.Navy in 1994.
After completing recruittraining in Great Lakes he at-tended Aviation ElectronicsTechnician “A” school atNATTC Millington, Tenn. andthen completed GCAMS cali-bration 'C' school atNAMTRAGRUDET, Norfolk.
In July 1995, Murcin re-ported to the calibration labo-ratory at AIMD NAS Oceana,Va. He was part of theregionalization from an AIMDcalibration lab to the Mid-At-lantic Regional CalibrationLaboratory. During this tour, hewas advanced to petty officerthird class.
His next command wasAIMD NAS Keflavik, Iceland.En route he successfullygraduated from Advanced Cali-bration “C” school at KesslerAFB in Biloxi, Miss. and re-ported on board February1998.
While in Iceland, Murcinwas advanced to petty officersecond class and took over asthe calibration lab work centersupervisor.
Soon after, he transferred tothe USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) in August 2000. He as-sumed duties as production
supervisor and eventually be-came the only second classpetty officer assigned to thequality assurance division.While on board, Murcin earnedboth his Enlisted Aviation War-fare Specialist and Enlisted
Surface Warfare Specialist des-ignations.
In September 2002 Murcintransferred to the SoutheastRegional Calibration Center atNAS Jacksonville. Here he wasadvanced to petty officer first
class and was designated theonsite calibration leading pettyofficer (LPO).
Additionally, during this tour,he successfully completed 2Mmicro/miniature repair “C”school.
In 2004, Murcin applied fora special program billet at Na-val Station (NAVSTA) Guan-tanamo Bay, Cuba. After com-pleting Ships 3-M system co-ordinator school at FTC Nor-folk, Va., he reported toNAVSTA in February 2005.
Murcin serves currently asthe NAVSTA 3M/Calibrationcoordinator and is the LPO ofoperations department. In ad-dition to various unit citationsand ribbons, he has receivedthe Navy Achievement Medal(five awards) and the GoodConduct Medal (four awards).
He is accompanied inGTMO by his wife Christinaand two children: Caleb andSelena.
Photo by MC2 Kim Williams
"There are somany outstand-ing first class pettyofficers on thebase. It is a greathonor [for me tohave been] se-lected as theSOY."
AT1 (AW/SW) MatthewMurcin
Friday, Feb. 8, 20082
Commanding Officer.....................................................................................Capt. Mark M. LearyExecutive Officer..........................................................................................Cmdr. Sylvester MooreCommand Master Chief...............................................................CMDCM(SW/AW) Keith CarlsonPublic Affairs Officer......................................................................................................Bruce LloydMass Communication Specialist/LPO...........................................................MC1 Robert lambMass Communication Specialist/Editor.................................................MC2 Kimberly Williams
The Guantanamo Bay Gazette is an authorized publication for members ofthe military services and their families stationed at U.S. Naval StationGuantanamo Bay. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official viewsof the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Navy,and do not imply endorsement thereof. The editorial content is prepared,edited and provided by the Public Affairs Office of U.S. Naval StationGuantanamo Bay. Questions or comments can be directed to the PAO. TheGazette staff can be reached by phone at ext. 4502; fax 4819; by email [email protected]. Get the Gazette online at www.cnic.navy.mil/guantanamo
GGGGGazeazeazeazeazetttttteteteteteGuantanamo Bay
Vol. 65 No. 06
Adm. William James Crowe Jr.
President of the United States George W. Bush
What's the one thing youcan't live without and why?
"Jesus, because I can't doanything without him."
YN3 Clifford NoblesNAVSTA Admin
"My wife and kids, justbecause."
MA2 Aaron MooreNAVSTA CMAA
"A sense of humor,because it puts a smileon your face andmakes the day better."
Steve DohertyNAVSTA ComptrollerDept.
"My family, because theykeep me going!"
Lt. Cmdr. BrendanBurkeRLSO SE Det
News From the Fleet
Fiscal Year 2009 DoDBudget ReleasedFrom the Department of Defense
WASHINGTON (NNS) —President George W. Bush sentto Congress his Defense bud-get for fiscal year (FY) 2009on 4 Feb.
The budget provides $515.4billion in discretionary author-ity for the Department of De-fense, a $35.9 billion or 7.5percent increase over the en-acted level for FY 2008.
The FY 2009 budget reflectsthe president’s priorities andsustains his commitment toprevail in the war on terrorism;increase ground combat capa-bilities; improve force readi-ness; develop the combat ca-pabilities needed to meet futurethreats; and improve the qual-ity of life for service membersand their families.
Defense Secretary RobertM. Gates said, “The president’sbudget for FY 2009 providesthe resources necessary tomaintain an agile, highly trained,and lethal fighting force, in-crease Army and Marine Corpsend strength, and sustain theUnited States’ technologicaladvantage over current and
potential enemies."Specifically,the Depart-
ment’s request: Maintains ahighly trained fighting force of2.2 million soldiers, sailors, air-men, and Marines; Recruits,trains and equips 65,000 addi-tional active duty soldiers and27,000 additional Marines overfive years; Provides pay in-creases of 3.4 percent for mili-tary members, improves ben-efits for the all-volunteer force,and increases pay 2.9 percentfor the civilian workforce; Pro-vides world-class health carefor 9.2 million eligible Servicemembers, families, and retirees;Procures and maintains an ar-senal of the world’s most ad-vanced weapon systems; Im-proves warfighting capabilitiesand invests in science and tech-nology to maintain U.S. advan-tage over the nation’s enemies;Maintains 545,000 facilities at5,300 sites in the U.S. andaround the globe; and Main-tains vital intelligence capabili-ties. The FY 2009 budget isposted at www.budget.mil .
CatholicDaily Catholic Mass Mon. - Fri. 5:30 p.m. (Main Chapel)Vigil Mass, Sat. 5 p.m. (Main Chapel)Sun. Mass, 7:30 a.m. (JTF-Troopers Chapel)Sun. 9 a.m. Mass (Main Chapel)Protestant (GTMO Chapel)Sat. 11 a.m. Seventh Day Adventist Service (Room B)Sun. 7 p.m. Filipino Christian Fellowship (Room A)8 a.m. Pentecostal Gospel Temple (Room D)9 a.m. LDS Service (Room A)10 a.m. Liturgical Service (Room B)11 a.m. General Prot. Service11 a.m. United Jamaican Fellowship (Bldg 1036)1 p.m. Gospel Service7 p.m. Iglesia Ni Cristo (Fellowship Hall)Friday Religious Services1:15 p.m. Islamic Service (Room C)7 p.m. Jewish Service (FMI call 2628)
Religious Services/JTF Troopers Chapel
Catholic ServicesWed. 11 a.m. Spanish Mass (New)Sat. 6:30 p.m. Vigil Mass (PPI Chapel)Sun. 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass (New)Protestant (GTMO Chapel)Sat. 11 a.m. Seventh Day Adventist Service (Room B)Sun. 5:30 Filipino Christian Fellowship (Room A)8 a.m. Pentecostal Gospel Temple (Room D)9 a.m. LDS Service (Room A)10 a.m. Liturgical Service (Room B011 a.m. General Prot. Service11 a.m. United Jamaican Fellowship (Bldg 1036)1 p.m. Gospel service8 p.m. Iglesia Ni Cristo (Room B)
Religious Services/Base Chapel
On Feb. 1, personal financial manager PaulWalker received his well deserved Letter of
Appreciation from NAVSTA Commanding OfficerCapt Leary in a ceremony held at FFSC. TheWalker family have been residents of GTMO foreight years.Paul, an avid fisherman and professional financialeducator, will be missed by all. While assigned tothe FFSC, Paul assisted thousands ofservicemembers and their families through variousaspects of financial counseling. Walker has alsobeen commended for his work with JTF and hasinstructed classes on home buying, automobilepurchasing and the Military Thrift Savings Plan.Some other duties assigned to Walker during hisstint with FFSC include the Transition AssistanceProgram, Family Employment Readiness Programand ensuring the center was able to pass itsaccreditation inspection in 2005.Walker’s co-workers and friends wish Paul and hisfamily a safe journey home. We all will miss you andappreciate the services you provided during your stayat Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Photo by MC1 Robert Lamb
By Patricia Williams, FFSC
Outstanding Service
GAAA Update:R&B Group MintCondition will not appear at the 2008Guantanamo African-American AssociationGala due to unforeseen circumstances.The GAAA apologizes for anyinconvenience.The rest of event will go on as scheduled.
4 Friday, Feb. 8, 2008
Photo by MC1 Robert Lamb
Feature
Sailors soundoff about parenthood in the NavyStory, photo by MC2 Kim WilliamsNAVSTA PAO
It’s 3 a.m. and you’ve just managedto lay down on your bed in attemptto get some much needed sleep. Your
body is exhausted from the lack of rest andabundance of activity it has been subjected tofor the past six weeks. You roll over with oneeye slightly open and peek at your clock indespair knowing that in three short hours anew day begins and you get to do it all overagain.
Given all of these seemingly negative things,you’re ok with your current state of beingbecause you’re a parent and it comes with theterritory.
Many Sailors deal with the responsibility ofbeing servicemembers and parents. Some aremarried and have the support of a spouse,some are geographical bachelors and are awayfrom their entire family and some are singleparents and go at it alone. They all share onething in common-the unconditional love andresponsibility they have to provide to their fami-lies.
So how does a Sailor handle being a mem-ber of the world’s greatest navy and being theworld’s greatest mom or dad? Not as differ-ently as many think.
Many parents explain that they use friendsand family members as a support system tohelp out when they are called to deploy, worklate or perform military duties outside ofdaycare hours of operation.
Some parents believe though that remote,overseas locations such as GTMO should ad-just the rules for allowing family members ornannies to provide live-in childcare.
“We [parents] should be authorized to bringa nanny or a family member to lighten the loadthat childcare issues bring,” said Master atArms 2nd Class Desiree Rivers, separatedmother of a two and nine-year old. "My momis here visiting for a month and if I could bringher down [to GTMO] to live with me full timeas my nanny, I would never run into anotherchildcare issue again. That would be heaven,”said Rivers.
“I think [the Navy] should come up withsome kind of homestead program/policy forthose who have children in high school. It isvery difficult for children and parents to move
when they are established in their communityand school,” said married father of two teen-agers and geographic bachelor Chief Masterat Arms (SW) Eric Bollar. "Children need theirparents available to them throughout their highschool career. The entire burden of raisingchildren should not be placed on the [civilian]spouse’s shoulders when dealing with parent-hood because it is a 50/50 agreement,” saidBollar.
Homesteading or staying in one location forthe duration of your career is a common de-sire that many Sailors believe the Navy shouldadopt as policy.
Another common concern among manyparents is the time away from their childrenlost when they are temporarily assigned to adifferent location than their home, or deployedfor longer periods of time, like an unaccom-
panied PCS.“Being away from them [children] is the
hardest part for me. I love watching mydaughter grow and when I have to miss some-thing it really affects me,” said Master at Arms3rd Class Symboline Spann, single parent ofone daughter. "I have missed out [on so manyof my daughter’s milestones] being in the mili-tary, but it gives me a better way to be able tosupport my daughter,” said Spann.
"“I’ve been blessed when you look at it fromthe perspective of what other military parentshave had to go through, but that being said, theextra hours [that we have to put in] when regu-lar child care isn’t available make it extremelydifficult to be [a parent] in the military,” saidUtilitiesman 2nd Class Rachael Thompson, single
mother of a four-year old. “I’m TAD and don’thave to stand duty for two months and that firstSaturday morning that I didn’t have to wake up,put on the uniform, get her [my daughter] upand dressed, take her to a sitter and go muster at7:30 a.m. or arrange for someone to pick her upfrom the CDC because they are closing andI’m still standing watch. This made a hugedifference in our relationship that I didn’t realizeuntil now,” said Thompson.
While there are hardships associated withbeing in the military, parents do have advice asto how to cope with these obstacles.
"Being attached to a deployable unit is verychallenging. The Military is very unforgivingin today’s Optempo, but if you are fortunateenough to be attached to non-deployable unitsit can be a lot easier," said Electronics Techni-cian 1st Class Jerry Ramm, single father ofthree. "Nevertheless, meeting duty and shiftwork necessities requires logistical flexibility,but it is the life the family becomes accus-tomed to and they don’t know any differentkind of life. It is their norm and they don’tperceive it the least bit odd," said Ramm.
“I stay active and try to participate in asmany activities as possible with mydaughter,” said Aviation Mechanic 2nd
Class (AW) Tinashe Chigumira, marriedmother of one daughter. "I take timefor myself to clear my mind by going tothe gym to relieve everyday stress. Ourfamily makes a lot of expensive phonecalls back to the states to talk to familymembers and to get advice about how tocope with being away from the ones welove,” said Chigumira.
Talking to the chaplain, a therapist ora friend can also be a source of solacefor many weary parents.
To make things easier during unfore-seen situations, the Navy requires Sail-ors to provide a family care plan, whichaids them in planning the care ofdependants.
The Navy recently released guidanceto ease some of the headaches that comewith being a new parent in the military,including longer times of rest prior to go-ing on deployment for new mothers. Thisinformation can be found in the NavyGuidelines Concerning Pregnancy andParenthood at www.npc.navy.mil.
One year old Keith Hannan, youngestson of MA2 Jennifer Hannan, plays inthe bouncer during the 2007 NationalKids Day. Hannan is a MA in theNAVSTA security department.
5Friday, Feb. 8, 2008
Local News
McCarthy's kick up heels at O'Kelly'sMcCarthy's kick up heels at O'Kelly'sMcCarthy's kick up heels at O'Kelly'sMcCarthy's kick up heels at O'Kelly'sMcCarthy's kick up heels at O'Kelly'sStory by MC1 Robert Lamb
NAVSTA PAO
proud of our children,” the McCarthypatriarch said.
Eryn, who’s a W.T. Sampson HighSchool senior and an accomplished IrishStep Dancer, had all the Irish eyes uponher as she danced to the traditional mu-sic.
“Audiences are usually never quite surewhat to do when I start dancing; mostpeople have never ever heard of IrishDancing, but after a step or two, they geta little more comfortable, and really seemto enjoy it,” said Eryn.
Eryn has been dancing since she was11 years old and choreographed thedances herself for this occasion. Herdream is to become a champion in the artof Irish Step Dancing.
“One very special thing about the open-ing night was that I didn't dance by my-self, my brothers were also up there withme,” she added.
Not to be outdone by the lasses andalso to make it a family affair, the boys(Patrick, Aidan and Seamus) learned astep or two from their sister and also sangalong with their mom and dad during the
See O'Kelly's, page 8
'Off the Boat' regularly praisedthe troops and the United StatesArmed Services from the stage.They could not stop talking abouthow great the base residents were.
Photo by Harriot Johnston
Garland has been a resident of GTMO from 2000-2002, 2004 to the present.
Photo by MC1 Robert Lamb
Whether you wore a kilt or just a smileat the grand opening of O'Kelly's Irish Pubyou had to be impressed with the trans-formation of that part of the Windjammer.O’Kelly’s opened Saturday night, Feb. 2,to a packed crowd of locals and wellwishers, all of whom were greeted by atraditional “bagpiper” and music fromvarious genres on the entire island of Ire-land.
The totally remodeled Acey DeuceyClub was designed to look like an old fash-ioned Irish Public House(Pub). The nameO’Kelly’s was in honor of long timeGuantanamo Bay (GTMO) resident andregular bartender, Kelly Garland, who alsoworks at the W.T. Sampson High School.Garland was extremely impressed with thelarge turnout of support that he and thepub received that night.
“I’m honored that my fellow co-work-ers from MWR would name a bar afterme,” said Garland. “Or it just means Ihave been in GTMO way too long! I wasvery pleased that many of my closest
friends were able to come that night. Ihope to see them in the pub more often inthe future,” he added.
Speaking of an extremely impressiveevening, what about the McCarthy clan,who wore their Irish heritage on theirsleeves, or their shoulders, and gave usall a night to remember. The clan con-sists of Mr. and Mrs. Capt. PatrickMcCarthy, Dee Dee, Eryn, Patrick Jr.Aidan and Seamus. They all had a part inthe opening night festivities. They wereaccompanied by a band out of the An-napolis, Md. area, called ‘Off The Boat’with James Gallagher as the lead vocalist.
Eldest child, Dee Dee, who’s an experton Irish history, was trying her best allnight long to teach the crowd a little abouther proud heritage. Her familiarity andknowledge of traditional Irish songs wasa great help to those who wished to singalong. The crowd sang and clapped theirway through some of the most traditionalIrish dirges that GTMO has ever heard.
“My wife Dee and I are extremely
Friday, Feb. 8, 20086
Feature
Photo by MC1 Igo Wordu
At some point in our lives we all get a chanceto give back to our community or our country,but at what expense do we give? Some peopledonate financially and some people donate theirlives to a worthwhile cause. One GuantanamoBay (GTMO) resident donated a great portion ofhis time here to researching the history of GTMO.
Mr. Pete Becola used his interest in history tooccupy his free time by educating others andsearching out the facts about GTMO. On anygiven weekend, with command authorization,Pete could be seen taking visitors to places ev-eryday individuals are restricted from seeing, suchas the Cuzco Well Battle site.
“During the roughly year and a half of visita-tions I (Pete) estimate around 150 total personnelhave visited the hilltop where the machine gunemplacement was during the Battle of CuzcoWell," Becola said.
This was the area of the very first victori-ous battle for the Americans back in 1898,during the Spanish-American War. Accordingto Naval Historical Center, two companies of U.S.Marines (about 160 men) under Capt. G. F. Elliot,with 50 Cubans under Colonel Thomas, ap-proached Cuzco along the cliffs by the sea, whilea smaller Marine force advanced by an inlandvalley, holding a picket line for the main force,with men in reserve to go to its assistance ifnecessary.
The importance of this area was that CuzcoWell, located about six miles southeast of CampMcCalla and near the coast, was the only watersupply for the Spanish forces in the vicinity.Getting up to this site is not as easy as one maythink.
Searching the site of the nearly 110 yearold battle was also not easy.
“The physical demands of climbing the steephills out at Cuzco and working in the heat with-out overhead cover or shade were most demand-ing," said Becola. “To overcome this, I limited allvisitations to three hours. Although I would drinkup to a gallon of fluids during this time frame Iwould still lose between three and five pounds inwater weight.”
GTMO can be a very difficult place to re-trieve or uncover historical facts or events. Of-ficial records may have been misplaced or actualaccounts of times and places may have beenhanded down from generation to generation and
Story, photo by MC1 Robert LambNAVSTA PAO
History 'buff' says good-bye to GTMO
Pete Becola could be found climbing through the brush and searchingout areas that normal GTMO residents don’t normally travel.
may not be accurate. Some of the historicalfacts that Becola has found may in fact be incor-rect in some published accounts of GTMO.
“The main discovery is that we have placedthe Spanish forces in a different location thanwas previously thought by historical writers.Stephen Crane (American novelist), who waswith American forces during the Spanish Ameri-can War, wrote two differing accounts of thebattle”, said Becola. “In the first account, hewrote that there was a mad dash for the hill bythe Marines and the Spanish forces, but the Ma-rines reached the top and drove the Spanish backdown the hill. A couple of years later Crane wrotea differing account in which he said that all heckbroke out and that Spanish bullets were falling allaround the Marines. I believe both accountsCrane wrote were believed by him to be accu-rate at the time. My hypothesis is that Cranewas not aware that the forces had changed di-rections and had changed course. I believe thatafter his first account was published; one or moreMarines contacted Crane and reported his initialerror, so Crane wrote a new, more accurate,account.”
These findings may seem slight and trivial tosome people, but finding accurate accounts of
small battles and the whereabouts of troops canlead to bigger and more significant findings lateron. Mr. Becola hasn’t sent off his finding to anyhistorical center, he preferredd to collect as muchas he could and then send it off at a later time.
Pete Becola has left GTMO recently. He’stransferring back to the states and all the researchhe has collected will be handed over to the NavalStation Environmental Department and the Na-val Station Public Affairs Office.
“Since my research began, I’ve been able torelate more to GTMO and have become morefascinated with the historical background here.“I also wanted to give people a better apprecia-tion for what GTMO stands for, because it’smore than just a detention center,” said Becola.
“Staff Sgt. Marshall Morey, U.S. MarineCorps Security Force Company, has expressedthe desire to continue the research work nowthat I’ve left our paradise. MA1 Andrew Duncan,who has been of the greatest assistance to meduring our ventures and research, would alsolike to continue the work. I also want to thankeveryone for the support given to the project dur-ing my tenure here. It was a true pleasure work-ing with each and every one of you. God Blessall of you and your families.
Friday, Feb. 8, 2008
Local News
Environmental Quality Team recognizedBy MC1 Robert LambNAVSTA PAO
7
Glass beach, one of GTMO's pearls, is kept in pristinecondition for all to enjoy thanks to the EnvironmentalDepartment and base residents.
photo by MC2 Kim Williams
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay(GTMO) was recently awardedthe Chief of Naval Operations(CNO) Environmental Award forthe second time in the last threeyears.
The award recognizes indi-viduals, teams, ships and installa-tions for their exceptional envi-ronmental stewardship. In the cat-egory of Environmental Individualor Team Award: GTMO’s Envi-ronmental Quality Team cameout ahead.
Fred Burns, who was theNAVSTA Environmental Directorat the time, remarked that GTMOas a community played a part inthis award.
“There has been a general im-provement in the awareness ofthe environment by all residentstaking pride in their temporaryhome in GTMO. After 2005, weraised our environmental stan-dards well above the minimumrequired at GTMO because it wasthe right thing to do and it tookabout a year to meet our new ex-pectations,” said Burns.
Throughout the years, the en-vironmental department staff hasbeen visited by geologists, pale-ontologists and many other envi-ronmentally educated and con-scious visitors.
Researchers from here andback in the states have done manystudies that have included coralreef surveys, reptile research andeven avian bird flu studies.
“Our regular Cuban Boa andreptile visitor Dr. Peter Tolson,who will be coming back toGTMO in Feb., has always beena great source of knowledge toGTMO,” said Burns.
By removing debris, such as
old tires, GTMO has made a hugeimpact on the ecosystem here.Tires piled up at the landfill attractmosquitoes, which may carrydengue fever. In 2007 the Envi-ronmental Department removedmore than 20,000 tires from thelocal landfill.
Cleaning up the base on a regu-lar basis helps, but having a betterrecycling program helps not onlyin the short term, but the longterm as well. The recycling pro-gram here exceeds, in the typeand quantity, that of many com-munities back in the states.
“We started a demonstrationproject to produce very smallbatches of biodiesel. This willnow be part of our local school’sscience curriculum. Manythanks go out to personnel at theNAVSTA Brig, the GTMO FireDepartment and others for all thevolunteering they do,” Burnssaid. “As the former environ-mental director, the award reallybelongs to the ENV staff for do-ing more than the minimum andmaking my job easier. They con-tinually came up with improve-ments from recycling to hazard-ous waste management, I just hadto figure out where to get thefunding,”
“I would especially like tothank Shawn Lewis and NoelGrey for making this happen.And to thank our leadership fortheir support of our projects andprogram, the contractors andresidents for their recycling ef-forts, and especially our volun-teers.” said Chris Creighton, En-vironmental Compliance Pro-gram Manager. “What it saysabout GTMO and its environ-ment is that we are all fortunate
to live in a pristine paradise andit's obvious by the collective ef-fort of every individual here thatit is appreciated.”
Chief of Naval Operations(CNO) Environmental ReadinessDivision Director, Rear Adm. LarryRice, called Environmental De-partment personnel ‘Superstars’.
“Your environmental steward-ship is an integral part of ourNavy’s operations and is criticalin preserving our ability to en-sure our operating forces aretrained and ready to perform theirmissions. This is the opportunityto show off your programs,” re-marked Rice.
Bringing GTMO into the 21st
Century takes the cooperationof residents, contractors andvisitors. The achievements thathave been made can go evenfurther.
Wind, solar and evenbiodiesel power, which is beingused already here on a smallscale, can put money in the
pockets of our government andall citizens.
All CNO winners will ad-vance to the Secretary of theNavy (SECNAV) Environmen-tal Awards competition.SECNAV winners will advanceto the Secretary of Defense(SECDEF) competition in allcategories except the Environ-mental Quality-Large Ship cat-egory which has no equivalentat the SECDEF competitionlevel.
A ceremony honoring theCNO Environmental Award win-ners will be held June 3, 2008at 9:00 a.m., at the U.S. NavyMemorial & Naval Heritage Cen-ter in Washington, D.C., and willbe followed at 11:00 a.m., bythe SECNAV EnvironmentalAwards ceremony.
The SECDEF ceremony willbe held June 4, 2008 at 11 a.m.,in the Pentagon Auditorium.
Friday, Feb. 8, 20088
Local News
Tax filing woes eased for GTMO residentsStory by NAVSTA Public Affairs
'O'Kelly's from page 5
bands performances.“I really enjoy it when other people join
in, it adds to the energy to the dance,”said Eryn.
Any event that combines music, danc-ing, good conversation among family andfriends has to be a hit. And having a placethat reminds you of home will always bea good place to be.
During the evening when people wereasked about the new look of the place theone continuous response was that it madepeople feel that they were back in thestates.
“I would like to thank Capt. Leary andCraig Basel for having the foresight toenvision this concept. It really shows whatthe facilities in GTMO can look like. Whata team they make! O’Kelly’s is a tremen-dous addition to the variety of entertain-ment in Guantanamo,” McCarthy said.
“Saturday night made me feel like I wasat home. It was fantastic to bring thesounds of Ireland to GTMO, and evenmore fantastic to see the residents of theNaval Station, whether JTF, NAVBASE,Hospital, contractor, civilian employee, or
dependent, react so positively to the en-tire experience.
There is no doubt that O’Kelly’s willbe a mainstay here for years to come.”
Navy Legal Services(NLSO) can now help ease theinherent hassles of tax filingwith their free Tax Center ser-vices.
“We handle all tax servicessuch as filing 1040EZ (nor-mally single filers), 1040A(those with dependants), and1040’s, those which are morespecific because of itemizeddeductions,” said Legalman1st Class ReAnn Myers,NLSO.
As with anyone who is fil-ing their tax return, prepara-tion is a necessity for a quickand efficient return. Just be-cause someone else is prepar-ing the taxes doesn’t mean thetax filer doesn’t need to be pre-pared as well.
“The hardest part for peopleis getting all their documentsin order,” added Myers. “Theimportant thing is to bring theproper paperwork along witha base or military ID card. I
know people really want to gettheir taxes done quickly, but ifyou don’t have the proper in-formation it’s just going to holdthe process up.”
The proper collection ofdocuments is also imperativefor those who are itemizing.
“If you are itemizing, haveyour paperwork in order,”says Myers. “Come in with acomprehensive list of yourdeductions. Don’t try to comeup with figures off the top ofyour head. It will only hurt ataxpayer in the end.”
Myers reminds filers that it’stheir job to verify the informa-tion they provide once thepreparer has completed thepaperwork.
“Make sure the social secu-rity numbers of your familymembers are correct,” contin-ued Myers. “And don’t assumewe typed in all your informa-tion correctly. Check and makesure the numbers and informa-
tion are correct because onelittle number can cause your taxreturn to be kicked back.”
Myers believes in the ben-efits these tax services provideGTMO residents.
“Our services are free andeveryone here is trained by theIRS,” said Myers. “Back in thestates, you would have to pay.Since the returns are E-filed,it’s quick and fast. You nor-mally have your return withina week.”
Filing for a spouse if theyaren’t on-island is another is-sue filers need to take into con-sideration.
“If you are filing jointly andyour spouse is off-island, youmust have an original power ofattorney stating you are al-lowed to file their taxes forthem. Additionally, you are notconsidered head of household,unless your spouse is a non-resident alien.”
Myers also wants to remind
junior servicemembers to takeadvantage of these services.
“We really offer these ser-vices to meet the needs of ourjunior personnel,” says Myers.“Most of them don’t have a lotof experience with tax filing,and even though they fall in aneasier filing category, it's goodfor them to understand how thewhole process works.”
Tax services are available atthe NLSO office Bldg. 760,which started on Feb. 4. Ap-pointments are available onMondays, Wednesdays andFridays between 9 a.m. 3:30p.m. Services are offered byappointment only and thephone to make an appointmentis 4314.
The Joint Task Force TaxCenter is also open Mondaythrough Friday, also by ap-pointment only.
They can be reached at8134, located in Bldg. A6208,behind the Trooper’s Chapel.
The McCarthy's clan consists of Mr. and Mrs. Capt. Patrick McCarthy,Dee Dee, Eryn, Patrick Jr. Aidan and Seamus.
Photo by Harriot Johnston
Friday, Feb. 8, 2008 9
Per NAVSTAGTMO 11200.1, the security department can only hold vehicles for 120 days. The cars listed below areapproaching or past this deadline. Unclaimed vehicles will be turned over to Bremcor per NAVBASEGTMO 4500.3F.Only the registered owner or his agent may claim a vehicle. These are not for sale. For more information, contactChief Craig Thomas at 4325, Monday — Friday, 7:30 a.m. — 4 p.m. or email [email protected].
GTMO unclaimed vehicle listing
Photo Op
THANK YOU —"Packing out is verystressful without anyadditional complicationsto make it worse. Withthe repaving that istaking place in ourneighborhood ours couldhave been a real mess,but instead left usfeeling very positive.We would like to say,“Thank you” to KNIKand Art Paquette forgoing above and beyondto make sure that ourpack out went assmoothly as possible.Good Bye GTMO!The Lasseters
Saturday, Feb. 9The Golden Compass7 p.m., PG, 100 min.Charlie Wilsons War9 p.m., R, 97 min.
Sunday, Feb. 10The Mist7 p.m., R, 127 min.
Monday, Feb. 11Hitman7 p.m., R, 93 min.
Tuesday, Feb. 12National Treasure7 p.m., PG, 135 min.
Wednesday, Feb. 13Cloverfield7 p.m., PG13, 84 min.
Thursday, Feb. 14The Golden Compass7 p.m., PG13, 100 min.
LIBERTY JANUARY EVENTS
Feb 9th Barracks Beach Bash 1400 atWindmill Beach. Feb 11th Halo3
Tournament 1900 at Marine Hill Ctr. Feb13th Liberty at the Lanes 1800 at the
Bowling Ctr.. Feb 15th Free Paintball 1900at the Paintball Range. FMI Call 2010
MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION
Feb 9, 6 p.m. at the Bayview. Cost: $15.50
Muffaletta Sandwiches, Gumbo Ya Ya, CreoleShrimp, Louisiana Pork Ribs, Southern
Collard Greens,
Red Beans & Rice, King Cake. Paradefollowing dinner. FMI Call75604
GTMOs 1st MARDI GRAS PARADE
Feb 9 at 8 p.m. Parade route - Bayviewparking lot to O'Kelly’s Irish Pub back to the
Bayview
Wear your best Mardi Gras costume Mask,Crown, Beads. FMI Call 75604
SINGLES TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. At the Deer Point TennisCourts
Sign up at the Gym by Feb. 7 FMI CallAudrey at 75576
VALENTINES DAY HEALING HEART 5K
Feb 9 at 6:30 a.m. Sign up at Denich Gym byFeb 8 Run begins and ends at Denich Gym.Prizes for Best Heart and Healthy Heart
Costumes. FMI Call Audrey at 75576
2 SAILS ON THE QUEEN AROUND THEBAY
Feb 14th, 1st Cruise is 5pm to 7pm, 2ndCruise is 8pm to 10pm
Four Course Dinner will be served along withchocolate, double dipped strawberries andChampagne. $100 per couple. Purchasetickets at the Bayview. FMI call 75604
VALENTINES DAY DINNER AT THEBAYIVEW
Feb 14th at 1800. Appetizer, Soup or Salad,Choice of Entree, Dessert, Double Dipped
Strawberries & Champagne. $75 per couple.$40 singles. Purchase tickets at the Bayview.
FMI call 75604.
Cloverfield: PG13, 84 min.The action begins with a view ofCentral Park at dawn from a ColumbusCircle apartment taken via a hand-heldcamera point of view. The timestamp isApril 27, 6:41am. Rob Hawkins(Michael Stahl-David) describes thescene and then goes into the bedroomwhere he talks to Beth (OdetteYustman). They plan a trip to ConeyIsland.
Hitman, R, 127 min.The film opens with a montage
shows a group of bald, blue-eyedboys receiving tattoos of bar codesand then shows them being in-structed in the use of firearms andmartial arts. Interpol agent MikeWhittier discovers Agent 47 in hisstudy, where the two talk briefly.The scene flashes back 3 months,as 47 is completing a hit in St. Pe-tersburg, Russia.
For Sale(2) Wooden bunkbed withmattresses, excellent condition;$275 OBO. Female 21 speed bycicle,rides great, but has a little rust onthe handle bars. $50 OBO. FMI5027 and ask for SSgt. Fellows.Calls welcome 24 hrs a day.(2) Several palm trees, pineappleplants, banana palms, pottedplants, ground cover, and more atNH14A. Several terracotta pots.Will provide contact numbers fortransplant assistance. All itemsmust be removed by 8 Feb. FMI call75599, 4843, 84916.(2) Two used 80 scuba tanks, 5years left on hydro $95.00 each;One Like new 20 inch Sylvania TV$60. FMI 5027.(2) Whirlpool Washer and Dryer,five years old. $75 for both. FMIcall 79599.(1) laptop, system toshibamicrosoft windows xpproffessional version 5.1.2600physical memory 959.91mb hard-drive 111gb $700 OBO callThompson at 3441 or 75643.(1) Maytag washer & dryer both for$150.00. Call 4519-W or 78690-H(1) GE Washer and Dryer, goodcondition, both for $100, Call 77134.(1) Kids solid pine wood bedroomset that includes, bunk bed, 5 drawerchest, night table, toy chest, andcomputer desk with hutch - $800,Female mountain bike in greatcondition - $100, Kids semi-automaticpaintball gun – $100, Adult paintballgun, brand new and only used 2times - $500, Glow in the dark XBOXwith lots of games - $150, SonyPlaystation 2 - $50,FMI 75811 or84050.(1) SCSI DSL Modem, $40. FMIcall 77224.
(2) REDUCED to 3700 OBO: 1993Geo Tracker LSI convertible. 160 Kmiles. 5 speed, AC, extra clean,IPOD port, two tops (Hard andsoft). Excellent beach car. Available9 Feb. Call Drew or Sandy at H-75599, W-4843, or C-84916.(2) 1996 Ford Ranger XLT. 110Kmiles and in excellent condition. 5speed, cold AC, very clean. Asking4900 OBO. Available Feb 9. CallDrew at 75599, 4843, or 84916.(2) 2005, Piaggio Typhoo. Red/black. 2512mls. w/Small helmet,glasses, gloves $2000 Call:77988 or
9798.(2) 1994 GMC C1500 pick-up truck65K miles , good condition, runsvery well $1900 OBO. FMI 75676,after 6 p.m.(2) 2004 Bajaj Cheetak Scooter. 150cc, manula transmission. Excellentrunning condition. Comews withhelmet, goggles, spare tire and toolkit. $2,000. FMI call 77911 or 5195.(2) 2002 EZ-GO Golf Cart. Goodcondition. 4 new batteries, new seatcovers, recently painted. $900. FMIcall 79599.(1) 1998 Olds Silhouette V-6 Van with70,000 miles, green. Fully loaded,power everything, grey leatherinterior, second row captain chairs,third row folding 50/50 spit bench,dual airconditioners, alumimumwheels, very clean, not a GTMOspecial, well maintained. Asking$5500. Available April 1st. Daytime76230 ask for Craig, evenings 79485.(1) 2003 Ford Taurus SE, V6, 49 Kmile, excellent condition, asking$9,900 or best offer, call 77134.(1) 1992 Ford Ranger 65,000 Miles,$2,000 OBO FMI call OmarAfghanzada 78742 leave amessage.(1) 2000 Hyundai Sonata New paintjob! Great AC! AutomaticTransmission! AM/FM/CD,Power Windows & Doors.Runs very well. $4,500 OBOCall Sheila at 79170 after 4 p.m.(1) 2004 Ford Expedition EddieBauer Great Condition $20,500OBO. FMI call 77271.(1) 1992 Geo Tracker. $3500 OBO.Call 4700 or 77707.
(2) Moving to Norfolk? Super nice,new, 2 story townhome in brandnew development just .02 milesaway from NAB Little Creek, 10minute drive to NOB, easy commuteto NAS Oceana, for rent. 1700 sq.ft., 3bed/2.5bath, all appliances, paidsecurity/lawn SVCS, too many
Feb. 8Red & White Party
Feb. 9Open Rec.
Feb. 15Deal or no Deal
Feb. 16Pool Party
Feb. 22GTMO u can
dance
Feb. 23PaintballChallenge
Feb. 29GTMO Queen
FMI call 2096
TeenCenterEvents
wonderful features to list! wellbehaved/clean/bug free/small petsconsidered w/pet dep, $1550/month. For GTMO transfers only$1550 sec.dep. FMI Dawn-77419after 1 p.m.(1) The W.T. Sampson High SchoolOdyssey of the Mind team wouldlike to extend their gratefulappreciation to the GTMOcommunity for their overwhelmingsupport. Our Money Tree fundraising activity at the NEX lastSaturday was a tremendous successdue to the extreme generosity of“Team GTMO”. We will proudlyrepresent this communityduring the World Finals at theUniversity of Maryland in May!Thank you for bringing us so muchcloser to our goal!(1) The Jamaica Independence DayCommittee 2008 is seekingcommittee members andvolunteers to be part of ourplanning for this year's celebration.FMI call Beneford Taylor DWH at75041/74547 and AWH at 77576.
(2) Wanted: Wheelbarrell and “A”frame ladder; Loan of a 50cc motorscooter for the upcomingmotorcycle safety course. FMIcall Travis DWH 4901 or AWH77022.(2) Need to borrow the DVD movie“Fletch” for my Columbia Collegeclass. I will return it in a month. FMI-4870.(1) Lost: Wedding ring, thin silverband with tiny sparkles on top. Lostat pool. Great sentimental value!Please return to Irene at 75725.(1) Wanted: Feb. 9 - Camp Justiceat McCalla Air Field, 8 a.m. –noon. Look for signs.Feb. 9 - Granadillo Point 5B, 7 a.m.- noon.
Ask the Chief — Seventeen U.S. Navy Chiefs from various GTMOcommands/detachments pose withNAVSTA Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Leary and their two LTC instructors upon completion of theleading chief petty officer course. The Navy Leadership Continuum is a career-long leadership developmentsystem, fromrecruitment to retirement, comprised of Leadership Development Programs for enlistedpersonnel.
Photo by MC2 Kim Williams
PROMOTION– U.S. Navy Lt.Emmerich Langham is congratulated byLt. Jimmy Compton, NAVSTA Security/Force Protection Officer, after beingpromoted to his present rank byNAVSTA Commanding Officer, Capt.Mark Leary. The promotion ceremonytook place Feb. 1, in the CommandingOfficers conference room in BulkeleyHall.
"Don’t tell people how todo things, tell them what
to do and let them surpriseyou with their results."
