MARCH 2016

FHL 75th Anniversary

U.S. ARMY GARRISON FORT HUNTER LIGGETT

Commander’s Notes 3

Feature: FHL 75th Anniversary 4

Employee Engagements 8

Operation Pilgrimage 10

Community Engagements 12

In the Spotlight - Melinda Way-Bonner 14

Garrison Highlights 15

Mission Highlights 16

Chaplain’s Message 17

Safety First 18

Employee Bulletin 19

Community Events/News 20

The Official Command Publication of

Fort Hunter Liggett

COMMAND TEAM

Col. Jan C. Norris

Garrison Commander

Mark Hamelin

Deputy to the Garrison Commander

Lt. Col. Michael Bailey

Deputy Garrison Commander

Command Sgt. Major Tracy Barlogio

Garrison Command Sergeant Major

GOLDEN GUIDON STAFF

Amy Phillips

Public Affairs Officer

Eric Jones

Public Affairs Specialist

The Golden Guidon is an authorized quarterly

publication for members of the U.S. Army

Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett. Contents of this

publication are not necessarily the official views

of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government or the

Department of the Army, or Fort Hunter Liggett.

Submissions:

The Golden Guidon welcomes your story ideas,

photographs, and other information of interest to

the FHL community. Contact: 831-386-2690.

Command information products:

The Defense Video & Imagery Distribution

System FHL PAO Page

www.liggett.army.mil

www.facebook.com/forthunterliggett

Feedback Welcomed!

Help us create a relevant and meaningful product

to meet your information needs:

Celebrating W.R. Hearst Legacy at FHL Page 4

Operation Rising Star

3rd Place Winner

Page 14

Greetings Team Hunter Liggett!

Our Chief of Staff of the Army,

General Mark Milley recently spoke

about several myths concerning the

Army and military. One myth he

spoke of is that Armies are easy to

regenerate.

“When the Army is too small for

the conflict at hand, a common myth

is that one simply needs to recruit a

large number and put them through

basic training, and presto, you have a

unit. The reality, though, is much

more challenging. Leaders take many

years to develop the competencies

and skills necessary to wage ground

combat. A platoon sergeant will take

10-15 years while a battalion com-

mander will require 15-17 years. To-

day's weapons systems likewise take

a long time to master, especially in-

volving joint and combined fires,” said

Gen. Milley.

Similarly, premier military train-

ing bases don’t evolve overnight by

simply purchasing acres of land. It

takes years to build out infrastructure,

training ranges, garrison services and

most importantly the human capital

and expertise to sustain and operate

a base.

On January 10th, 1941, after

William Randolph Hearst sold nearly

200,000 acres of land to the Govern-

ment, the Hunter Liggett Military Res-

ervation was established. Using the

existing landmark Hacienda building

as their headquarters, senior leaders

of the 4th Army immediately began

‘transforming the cattle ranch’ into a

training base for newly recruited Ar-

my Soldiers.

Over the next 75 years, Ft.

Hunter Liggett continually evolved

into a world class training center and

total force readiness enabler for mili-

tary servicemen and women who

trained here prior to fighting our na-

tions wars, to include World War II,

the Korean War, the Vietnam War,

the Invasion of Panama, the Persian

Gulf War and the Global War on Ter-

ror. What an impressive legacy in

American history.

This year we celebrate 75 years

of excellence with a series of events.

The first event on February 24 hon-

ored the pre-military Hearst ranch era

and included a guest speaker/

historian from Hearst Castle. The

second event in early May will in-

clude a historian who will lecture on

the legacy and life of Lt. Gen. Hunter

Liggett. The final event in July will

highlight the military history of the

base and include the unveiling of a

75th Commemorative Painting with

limited edition prints for sale, along

with the opening of the Ft. Hunter

Liggett Heritage Center in the Haci-

enda. We encourage you to attend

and participate in our historical cele-

brations to honor our past.

Looking forward to Spring/

Summer 2016, our installation will

surge with troops and units participat-

ing in large scale training events to

include the Army Reserve’s WAREX/

CSTX exercises, the Army National

Guard’s 79th and 29th brigade combat

team (BCT) xCTX rotations, and the

US Marine Corps’ 11th Marine Expe-

ditionary Unit (MEU) pre-deployment

training cycle. We must posture our-

selves to provide steady and flexible

garrison support to our training cus-

tomers while here.

To support the increased popu-

lation, plans are underway to stand

up a Subway eatery by early Spring.

Base operating hours will flex to ac-

commodate our peak training period.

Thanks again for all you do eve-

ry day to make FHL a better place to

train, work and live. It takes everyone

(from the gardeners to water treat-

ment plant operators to road/ground

crews to CYSS employees to range

control personnel to emergency ser-

vice members among many others)

on the team working hard to sustain

and improve our world class training

center. A training center that took 75

years to build and one that continues

to enable readiness for our military to

preserve our Nation.

Support the Fight,

Support the Soldiers,

Support the Family!

Milpitas Ranch Photo by Frank Aston from the Julia Morgan Papers Collection

Courtesy of the California Polytechnic State University Special Collections and Archives

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT 75th ANNIVERSARY

Honoring the Hearst Legacy at Fort Hunter Liggett

Source: Historical Report of FHL by

The Sanberg Group, Inc. Feb. 2010

As early as 1908, subsidiary

companies of William Randolph

Hearst’s Piedmont Land and Cattle

Company started buying up land in

the San Antonio Valley. With his im-

mense fortune seemingly well in

place, W.R. Hearst began to expand

his father’s ranch from along the

coast, south of Monterey, to over the

Santa Lucia Mountains and into the

San Antonio Valley.

Hearst bought the Milpitas Ran-

cho from James Brown Cattle Com-

pany in 1910. In 1922, he purchased

the Rancho El Piojo and Rancho San

Miguelito from the Newhall Land and

Farming Company for a total of

35,000 acres. Rancho Los Ojitos,

Rancho Pleyto and the land where

the Dutton Hotel stood were pur-

chased in the 1920s. All these land

purchases added up to 154,000 acres

in the valley.

Hearst made the existing wood-

frame house at the Milpitas Ranch his

headquarters for holdings in the San

Antonio Valley. The ranch house was

used as the home base of operations

for his ranch manager Harry Taylor

(photo next page), who also lived

there with his family until 1929 when a

wildfire burned it down.

The Milpitas Ranch raised beef

cattle and employed 40 men - cooks,

laborers, mechanics, gardeners, irri-

gators, and cowboys.

Julia Morgan, who was already

working for Hearst on his San Simeon

house, designed the new ranch house

to be the functional headquarters of a

working ranch.

Hearst was known to live a lavish

lifestyle, however, rumors of having

wild parties at the Hacienda were

blown out of proportion. He had little

tolerance of his friends having more

than one cocktail at any of his hous-

es.

Hearst’s mistress of many years,

Marion Davies, wrote only once in her

autobiography of visits to the Milpitas

Ranch: “We’d have picnics down at

the beach, about five miles up the

coast toward San Francisco, or we’d

go on camping trips over at Mel Pe-

ter’s ranch [Milpitas]. We’d go on

horses for about eight hours. If you

didn’t want to ride horseback, there

were about twelve cars and driv-

ers.” (Davies, Marion. The Times We

Had, page 51) Mr. Peters was the

San Simeon cattle ranch supervisor.

FHL Public Affairs Office story: 75

Years of Supporting Troops

William Randolph Hearst with

architect Julia Morgan at San Simeon Castle

in 1926. Photo was taken by motion picture

director Irvin Willat who was a guest at the

castle. © Photo courtesy of Marc

Wanamaker/Bison Archives

On the left is Hearst Ranches Manager Harry Taylor and his dog Bella and her pups. He worked and lived at Milpitas Ranch until 1940

when the Army bought the land from Hearst. Ranch worker Steve Avila is on the right with his dog Jacquinto.

Photo taken November 1932. Photo courtesy of © Hearst Castle ®/CA State Parks.

More photos on page 6

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT 75th ANNIVERSARY The February 24, 2016 event was one of three events this year to celebrate the history at FHL.

The second event on May 4, will focus on the Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett legacy with Army historian,

Michael Bigelow of the Intelligence Command as the guest speaker. The grand finale

on July 28, will focus on the military history at FHL with guest speaker Dr. Stephen Payne,

Command Historian at the Defense Language Institute.

Hearst historian Victoria Kastner was the guest speaker on

Feb. 24, providing an insightful presentation of William R.

Hearst and his legacy not only here at FHL but in the extended

area. Afterwards, Ms. Kastner conducted a book signing of her

book, “Hearst Ranch,” which includes the historic Hacienda

located on post. Almost 200 people from on and off-post

attended the event. A tour of the local historical building was

conducted at the end of the event. All photos by Xavier

Vazquez.

Community partners that are part of

the local history bought displays and

organization info to enhance the

event - Mission San Antonio, Friends

of the Mission, San Antonio Valley

Historical Association, and the

Nacitone Heritage Center.

All event photos can be found on

the FHL Facebook page or on the

FHL Defense Video & Image page.

From L-R: Command Sgt. Major

Tracy Barlogio, Mrs. Anissa Balson

(great-grand daughter of W.R.

Hearst), Lester Patterson represent-

ing the local community, Hearst

Castle Museum Director Mary

Levkoff, Hearst Castle Historian and

guest speaker Victoria Kastner, and

the FHL Commander Jan Norris.

Lester Patterson (wearing cowboy

hat) has worked at the FHL Public

Works Directorate since 1993 and is

part of the newly-opened Nacitone

Regional Interpretive Center which

aims to preserve the local history.

The Patterson family has lived in the

area since 1872. Many other FHL

employees are also long-time local

residents.

RELATIONSHIP RESILIENCY

On Feb. 15, the Religious Services Office

hosted their annual Valentine’s Dinner to

promote relationship resiliency. Participants

played a version of the Newlywed Game to

see exactly how well they know each other.

The RSO is hosting an 8-week program

called “6 Secrets to a Lasting Love” starting

on Mar. 9. For info: 831-386-2808. (Photo

by Chaplain (Col.) James Boggess).

WORKFORCE RESILIENCY

On Feb. 18, FMWR hosted a Black History

Month Observance. Col. Norris’s opening

remarks spoke of how the Army Reserve

remains highly capable and mission ready

by leveraging the strengths of a diverse, all-

volunteer force. The guest speaker was Dr.

Victor Holmes, a King City ophthalmologist,

Harvard graduate, and author of a best-

selling textbook called “The Wills Eye Manu-

al.” He spoke of overcoming challenges.

(Photo by Amy Phillips).

For info and resources: http://www.army.mil/readyandresilient/.

PHYSICAL RESILIENCY

On Jan. 8, FMWR hosted an amazing

Color Run to kick off their commit-

ment to the Army Resiliency program. The

program educates the military and civilian

workforce, and family members on the im-

portance of not only being physically fit but

mentally as well. FMWR also hosted a Go

Red For Women Walk to bring awareness of

heart disease being the #1 killer of women

on Feb. 5. A total of four fun run/walks is

scheduled and participants receive a quarter

of a medal after each event. Participants

that collect a completed medal will receive a

case to proudly display their commitment to

being Army Strong and Army Resilient.

(Photos by Xavier Vazquez)

Story and photos by Chaplain (Col.) James Boggess

The Fort Hunter Liggett Religious Support Office

(RSO) and the Camp Roberts Garrison Chaplain hosted a

multi-component Spiritual Resiliency event from January

11-15, 2016, for combat veterans currently serving in the

Army Reserve and Army National Guard.

Operation Pilgrimage was based on the historical prin-

ciples of religious pilgrimages, involved walking from the

Wagon Cave formation in the Los Padres National Forest

to the Mission San Miguel, a distance of over sixty miles, in

four days.

Pilgrimage has its roots in several different religious

and cultural expressions, including Christianity, Islam, Ju-

daism, Hinduism, Sikhism, African and Native American

Spiritual Resiliency ~ Healing Through Faith

cultures. Over the centuries, Soldiers have marched home

from war, often marching in silence, giving them ample

time to mentally process what they saw, heard, and did in

combat. The evening bivouacs gave them time to discuss

and put their experiences into perspective.

In mediaeval times, professional Soldiers often when

on a spiritual pilgrimage to holy sites as a means of recon-

necting with the divine. Many of the Native American

Tribes followed the “War Path,” a systematic ritual for trib-

al members to spend time with older veterans in order to

lay down the warrior and pick back up their previous

peace-time role. Many African Tribes had a similar pro-

cess in which returning warriors engaged in ritually-based

walks to transition from war to peace.

(Continued on page 11)

Participants on the “Tank Trail” on Day 3 of pilgrimage.

Modern Soldiers do not have these experiences as a

natural part of returning from combat. Operation Pilgrim-

age created a spiritual context, mixed with the discipline of

long-distance walking, to give the participants a safe envi-

ronment in which to explore the spiritual aspects of their

combat experience.

During the four-day event, participants explored reli-

gious coping skills and disciplines common to most reli-

gious expressions. These skills and disciplines included

experiencing silence, solitude, prayer, meditation, commu-

nity, submission, and forgiveness. The key element of the

pilgrimage was the marriage of physical movement, e.g.,

walking the path, with reflecting on past traumatic experi-

ences in light of a renewed understanding provided by ex-

ploring these religious coping skills and disciplines. The

cloistered nature of the pilgrimage allowed the participants

to build a sense of community and share their stories with

other combat veterans.

The outcome of the initial evaluation is very promis-

ing. Each participant was asked to complete two assess-

ments - a Spiritual Assessment and a Behavioral Health

Assessment – prior to and after the pilgrimage. The Spir-

Pilgrimage - continued from page 10 itual Assessment measured the use of positive and nega-

tive religious coping skills while the Behavioral Health As-

sessment measured post-traumatic stress indicators. Pre-

liminary evaluation of the Spiritual Assessment indicates

an overall positive trend in the use of positive religious

coping skills.

While the Spiritual Assessment indicated modest im-

provement across the participants, the Behavioral Health

Assessment indicated a marked reduction in post-

traumatic stress indicators. Before the pilgrimage, the as-

sessment indicated the group as a whole was at a moder-

ate risk for post-traumatic stress with three participants

showing a high risk for post-traumatic stress. After the pil-

grimage, all participants had lower scores, showing a

marked reduction in post-traumatic stress indicators. The

group as a whole was at a low risk for post-traumatic

stress and only one participant continued to show a high

risk for post-traumatic stress.

While further analysis in necessary, the results are

promising and leaders at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp

Roberts are looking to conduct another Operation Pilgrim-

age in the coming year. For more info on upcoming events

or support, call the RSO at (831) 386-2808.

Group discussions and reflections during Day 1.

The FHL Commander Col. Norris visited several local attractions in February to learn about the ar-

ea heritage and preservation efforts. Both community organizations had displays at the FHL 75th

Anniversary celebration on Feb. 24 and got a chance to share news with the workforce and resi-

dents. (Top left) The Mission San Antonio is in its final retrofitting/renovation phase to bring the his-

toric site to code and still needs $6 million to complete the project. The Mission Administrator

(pictured in blue) says the inside of the church still needs to be painted. (Top

right) The newly opened Nacitone Regional Interpretive Center was created

by a small group of locals (some of which work at FHL) to preserve and

teach people about the local heritage. The Nacitone Foundation President

Neil Whitty (pictured with Col. Norris) says there used to be more schools in

the area. (Photos by Amy Phillips)

Col. Norris was the

guest speaker at the

Estrella Warbird &

Woodland Auto Display on Feb. 3 where he in-

formed participants of the FHL mission and capabili-

ties, the five essential characteristics of the Army

profession, and a snapshot of his military career.

Many in the audience were veterans from WWII and

Vietnam War, including a WWII German pilot who

was shot down by Americans during the war! On

May 7, the museum hosts their popular annual

Wings & Wheels event which is free to the public.

(Photo by Amy Phillips)

www.ewarbirds.org

FHL donated more than a thousand pounds of food collected by the

military and civilian workforce to the Monterey County Veterans

Transition Center on Dec. 17, 2015. Pictured is FHL Commander,

Col. Jan C. Norris (left) and staff with the VTC Volunteer Coordina-

tor and VTC Program graduate, Parnell Strickland. That same night,

FHL attended the VTC’s Holiday Dinner and Col. Norris got a

On Dec. 4, 2015, FHL participated in the annual King City Christmas Parade with a Color Guard, a lighted float and

Army dependents rode on the official Santa float. Pictured is the float Range Control Soldiers built to provide shelter for

family members in case it rained like last year. The Commander and CSM were given the honor to ride in the parade lead

vehicle. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Jones)

chance to thank Veterans for their service. The VTC provides tran-

sitional housing to homeless veterans and their families, as well as

health care and life skills training. Visit https://www.dvidshub.net/

unit/FHL-PAO for the full story. Pictured left is Col. Norris providing

a FHL update to participants of the King City State of the City Ad-

dress on Jan. 27. (Photos by Amy Phillips)

voice coaches and choreographers. “They

were the real deal!”

Way-Bonner believes that all the expe-

riences, bad or good, we have in life make

us who we are. She was worried about how

she sounded and how she looked but “it all

came together,” said Way-Bonner.

Her best takeaway from the whole

Operation Rising Star experience is “Be

confident in who you are … use the gifts

God gave you … fulfill your own pur-

pose.”

Melinda Way-Bonner is the FHL

FMWR Special Events Coordinator and

served nine years in the Army as a correc-

tions specialist, aka, prison guard. She has

no formal singing training but enjoys singing

in church.

Click to read full story. Video footage of the

competitions and program information are

available at www.armymwr.com/recleisure/

promotions/operation_rising_star.aspx. This

program, along with the U.S. Army Soldier

Show, have been cancelled for 2016 due to

budget reductions.

By Amy Phillips, FHL Public Affairs Office

Melinda Way-Bonner, FHL employee,

veteran and Army spouse placed third in the

national 2015 Operation Rising Star (ORS)

competition held at Fort Sam Houston, Tex-

as, in December 2015.

“It was one of the most amazing expe-

riences that I’ll ever have,” said Way-Bonner,

“It was life changing.”

FHL, with a small population of about

400 competed against big installations such

as Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington,

with a 40,000 military and 15,000 civilian

population base to vote for their contestant.

No worries - FHL was out in full-force

to support Way-Bonner which resulted in her

getting the top online votes throughout the

competitions.

"Mrs. Way-Bonners’ accomplishment

was monumental in enhancing our sense of

community and it also helped put FHL on the

map for the world to see how great of a com-

munity we have here," said Rick Bosch, her

supervisor and Chief of Community Recrea-

tion & Business Operations Division Family

and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation

(FMWR).

In the Spotlight

THINGS JUST CAME TOGETHER

This was FHL's third year participating

in the Army Entertainment program but the

first time the winner of our local competition

was selected as a top 12 finalist.

“We all rooted for Melinda and voted

until the wee hours of the mornings,” said

Bosch.

“It was humbling to see so many peo-

ple vote for me. I really appreciate the Fort

Hunter Liggett community, my old friends

from Fort Sill [Oklahoma] and my little home

town [Monmouth, Illinois], especially Rick

Bosch and Ramona Tinae,” said Way-

Bonner. “There were people I hadn’t spoken

to in 10-15 years suddenly telling me they’re

voting for me.”

It all started with an innocent karaoke

performance after a spouse appreciation

event. Remembering her singing, her co-

workers strongly encouraged her to join the

ORS competition in November.

After winning the FHL ORS competi-

tion, Way-Bonner competed with performers

from 22 garrisons throughout the world for

the top 12 finalists to face-off at Fort Sam

Houston from Nov. 29 through Dec. 5.

She spent almost three weeks at Fort

Sam Houston with professional performers,

“Never, never

did I think

I’d win!” Melinda Way-Bonner

FHL civilian employee, Army spouse and veteran, Melinda Way-Bonner was recognized by the

Command Group during the December employee town hall for her outstanding achievement.

(Photo by Xavier Vazquez)

FHL GOES

GEOTHERMAL

Geothermal energy is harnessing the

heat from the earth. Four housing units

are being converted over from electric

and propane air conditioning and heating,

and hot water systems to all electric-

ground source air conditioning heat pump

units. This will cut our utility bill in half and

help us reach our Net Zero goals. Based

upon successful testing, projects are

planned to complete the remaining hous-

ing units in 2017-2018. For more info on

how geothermal energy works: Nat’l Re-

newable Energy Lab. (Photo by Greg

Vallery)

“The Army Reserve is moving forward on the path

of sustainability as a world-wide organization,” said

Sustainability Programs Chief, Paul Wirt. “A sus-

tainable Army Reserve will enable mission resili-

ence and meet the social, environmental and eco-

nomic interests of Army Reserve communities now

and into the future.”

For more info on the Army Reserve Sustainability

Programs: usarsustainability.com.

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT

INCREASED OPTEMPO

This year, two rotations of Warrior Exercises (WAREX) and Combat Support Training

Exercises (CSTX) will be conducted at FHL by two training divisions (TD): the 78th TD

exercises in Feb.-Mar. and the 91st TD exercises in Apr.-May. In addition, the National

Guard’s 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will conduct their Exportable Combat

Training Capability exercise (XCTC) in May-June.

The 4010th U.S. Army Hospital, an Army Reserve unit from New Orleans, provided medical support to the Warrior Exercise. Physician Major Shaw is seen

treating a Soldier for a sprained ankle.

(Photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Jones)

The 458th Engineer Battalion based in Johnstown,

Penn., executed real-world projects which provided

Soldiers with hands-on experience and helped im-

prove the post infrastructure and training areas.

(Photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Jones)

Please join me in welcoming Eric Jones as the new public affairs specialist who has worked

at FHL on/off for many years as a Soldier. You’ll now see him out and about as a Dept. Army

Civilian helping me accomplish the public affairs mission. He’ll continue to serve as an Army

Reserve Soldier with the Medical Command. As always, please let me know if there’s a good

story or a person deserving the spotlight for his/her exemplary service to the community.

Happy Spring! ~ Amy Phillips, Public Affairs Officer

New PA Team Member

By Chaplain (Col.) James Boggess

Spring is a time of renewal. The

winter rains will give way to blue

skies, fair temperatures, and green

grass. March at FHL will be filled with

wildflowers as the hills burst into

blooms of purple, orange, red, blue

and yellow.

Spring can also be a time of

spiritual renewal. Often, during the

shorten days of winter, we don’t feel

like getting out so we may stop going

to our place of worship. March is a

wonderful month to re-energize our

spiritual life and build new, stronger

spiritual resiliency.

For many faiths, March marks

the beginning of a new year. For the

Baha’i faith, March 1-20 is the nine-

teen day fast called “Ala” during

which time adherents fast during day-

light hours and spend extra time in

prayer as they prepare for the Baha’i

New Year. March 14th is the start of

the Sikh New Year and March 21st is

the start of the Zoroastrian New Year.

Sikhs will also celebrate “Hola Mohal-

la” a festival that displays their skills

as warriors, musicians and poets,

while on March 28th, Zoroastrians

will celebrate the birth of Zoroaster,

their founding prophet.

In the Hindu faith many will cel-

ebrate Shivaratri on March 14, a

feast that honors lord Shiva. March

is also includes the Hindu celebra-

tion of Holi or the “Festival of Color.”

Holi celebrates the arrival of spring

and adherents throw colored water

and powder on each other.

Followers of Judaism will cele-

brate Purim on March 24th. Purim is

based on the story of Ester in the

Old Testament, who used her posi-

tion as wife to king Ahasuerus to

save the Jewish people from Ham-

an, a Persian nobleman who sought

to massacre them.

For Christians, March 2016 is a

very special month. This year Holy

Week falls in March. Holy Week is

the celebration of Christ’s death and

resurrection. Holy Week begins on

Sunday, March 20th with Palm Sun-

day which celebrates Christ en-

trance into Jerusalem. Maundy

Thursday is the day Christians re-

member the Last Supper, the last

time Christ spend time with his disci-

ples before his arrest. Good Friday

is the day Christians remember the

crucifixion and burial of Christ and

March 27th is Easter, the day Chris-

tians celebrate Christ’s resurrection.

The following Holy Week

events are available:

Mar. 24

St. Luke's Church, 6p potluck, Ves-

pers and Maundy Thursday Service

7p.

Mar. 25 - Good Friday services

The Mission Catholic Mass 3p

FHL Protestant Chapel 6p

Mar. 26

The Mission 8p Mass and Easter

Vigil

Mar. 27

FHL Easter Sunrise Service/Walk to

the Cross @ 6:30a, meet at Del

Ventura Road across from the reser-

voir. 10a Breakfast at Chapel

followed by an 11:30a cookout/

potluck and noon Egg Hunt.

The Mission Easter Mass 9a.

St. Luke’s Church 10a

FHL Chapel 10a service Keep up-to-

date with our events:

www.facebook.com/fhlrso.

spread of the virus is by reducing

mosquito breeding sites and using

pesticides to kill off the pests.

Getting residents to wear protec-

tive clothing and use insect repellent,

particularly during the hours of dawn

and dusk, can also be effective, but

difficult to encourage in hot weather.

"Everybody should take precautions.

However, it is noted that some areas

seem to be at higher risk than others,

Monterey and San Luis Obispo

Counties generally don’t see many

cases but the areas surrounding us

do.

FHL INJURIES

To date, 14 injuries (7 garrison,

7 training) were reported to the

Safety Office. The major types of in-

juries for the Garrison were body

parts caught in between equipment

and improper lifting of heavy items

which resulted in two injuries requir-

WEST NILE VIRUS

The California Department of

Public Health says Californians

should expect West Nile virus to be

an annual threat and this year's El

Nino could increase the number of

cases in 2016.

A rising number of infections is

probably due to a complex set of fac-

tors that could include changes in the

climate and changes in the die-off of

birds who carry the disease. This

year's El Nino may make things

worse. More rain and higher tempera-

tures could allow mosquitoes that

spread the disease from birds to hu-

mans to better survive the winter and

breed more aggressively this spring.

Though deaths are rare and typi-

cally involve patients who are already

vulnerable, the virus can also cause

paralysis, encephalitis and meningitis.

The most effective way to prevent the

Stressed oak trees cause damage The falling oak limbs phenomenon has been known to happen during dry years. Naturalists say it's a defense mechanism oak trees use to survive when water is scarce. It is believed that in prolonged dry heat, dehydrated oaks compensate by hoarding water. This makes limbs heavier and more likely to fall. Some-times they don't just fall - they explode off the trees! For your safety, do not park your vehicle under an oak tree and re-frain from utilizing them as shade.

ing medical attention beyond first aid.

The remaining were minor strains,

exposure to poison oak, smoke, etc.

The majority of training injuries

were vehicle accident or weather re-

lated.

All of the injuries were pre-

ventable. Stay vigilante and follow

your standard operating procedures

and always use the correct unmodi-

fied tool for the job. Before going to

any field site, make sure that you

check out with Range Operations.

Always include risk assessment

in your planning process.

SAFETY WORKS,

EXCUSES DON'T

Safety Office:

831-386-2790

831-386-2105

Eligibility conditions:

You were placed in Absent-US or

separated from Federal civilian

service to perform military service

You were released from military

service on or after 08-02-1990

You were reemployed in or re-

stored to a position covered by

CSRS or FERS

To apply, submit the Employee-

Request for TSP Make-up Contribu-

tions request along with your

DD 214(s) or military orders, and your

Military Leave and Earnings State-

ments to verify your TSP contribu-

tions while on active duty. For more

info: www.tsp.gov or

www.abc.army.mil/TSP/

TSP.htm#WhatisTSPMakeUp.

TSP Make-Up (TSPM) Civilian Employees

Called to Active Duty

Military Saves, a component

of the nonprofit America Saves and a

partner in the Department of De-

fense’s Financial Readiness Cam-

paign, seeks to motivate, support,

and encourage military families to

save money, reduce debt, and build

wealth. For more info and resources:

http://www.militarysaves.org/learn-

more-about-us/what-is-military-

saves#sthash.JMnw3pkX.dpuf

The FHL Army Community Ser-

vices (831-386-2375) and the Reli-

gious Services Office offers finan-

cial training (831-386-2808).

https://actnow.army.mil

Mar. 1 annual AER Campaign

Kickoff at DFAC 11:30a.

For the past seven years, AER

has provided an average of $77M

annually in interest free loans and

grants to Soldiers, Retirees and their

Families in support of a wide range of

financial needs. These include grants

to medically retired Wounded Warri-

ors and surviving spouses. AER is accepting applications for

the Spouse and dependents schol-

arships until May 1. More than $9

million and 4,245 scholarships were

awarded last year. For more info and

application: www.aerhq.org

WELCOME HHC COMMANDER

The FHL Command Group is proud to welcome the new Garrison HHC Commander, Maj. Montigo Hawkins who hails from Chicago. His last duty assignment was the Battalion Opera-tions Officer with the 633rd Quarter-master Battalion, Ohio. Deployments include Iraq and Afghanistan. Maj. Hawkins holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management. The Garrison HHC office is located in bldg. 229.

WELCOME NEW AAFES

STORE MANAGER

Andrew Defelice comes to us from

Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Ari-

zona where he was the store Sales

Manager. He has been with AAFES

for 10 years.

Allows you to “make-up” missed

contributions to your civilian TSP

account for the period of time you

were performing active duty.

FHL Mar. 10

Resident Town Hall 5p @ Theater

Mar. 15 Employee Town Hall

2p @ Theater

Mar. 17 Women’s History Month

Noon @ Hacienda 831-386-2400

Mar. 22 March Madness

Basketball Tournament Single-elimination played

under NCAA rules. Sign-up NLT Mar. 21.

831-386-2784

Mar. 27 Easter Sunrise

Cookout & Egg Hunt 6:30a Del Venturi Rd/reservoir

831-386-2808

Mar. 31 Wine Tasting

3:30p @ Hacienda 831-386-2400

LOCKWOOD Nacitone Regional Interpretive

Center Boot Scootin’ BBQ

831-818-5265

KING CITY Mar. 5, 6

Monterey Intl Wine Competition

Salinas Valley Fairgrounds 831-385-3243

HESPERIA HALL Mar. 18 @ 5p

Apple Grafting Class/Potluck 51602 Hesperia Hall Rd

MONTEREY

American Dream U

Free business & career advice from top entrepreneurs.

Mar. 4, 9a-3p @ Naval Sup-port Activity Bldg 302

Mar. 5, 9a-1p @ Presidio of Monterey Bldg 326

Mar 18 –20 Monterey Symphony Concert

with Jennifer Johnson. Sherwood Hall, Salinas

831-646-8511

PASO ROBLES

Mar. 12 Youth Arts Foundation

FREE Visual & Performing Arts classes for kids (5-18). Registration begins @ 9a www.pryaf.org/enrollment/

3201 Spring St. 805-238-5825

Mar. 18-19 Spider-Man a Musical

by Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation drama students.

805-238-5825

SAN LUIS OBISPO

Mar. 3-6 Comedy Festival

Mission Street Theater and Steynberg Gallery

Mar. 15-20 SLO Film Fest 805-546-3456

For all community events, visit respective city websites: http://kingcitychamber.com http://www.pasorobleschamber.com http://www.seemonterey.com/events http://sanluisobispovacations.com/things-to-

DOD

Strike on ISIL Camp Protected

National Security, Pentagon Press

Secretary Says

U.S., South Korean Fighter Jets

Fly in Formation to Demonstrate

Capabilities

Carter: Premier Acquisition

Award Supports World’s Best

Fighting Force

ARMY

Zika Virus - What is it?

Researchers Mitigate Soldier

Stressors With Science

Marathon Prep Like Training

for War, Says Olympian

ARMY RESERVE

Big LOTS West:

The Army Reserve’s premier

seaport exercise

Reserve Soldier Aids Wounded

Attack Victims

Private Public Partnership

helped me, it can help you too!

IMCOM

New IMCOM Commander

Challenges Employees

to be Agile

Mentors, Mentees Seek

"Lollipop Moments"

IMCOM Employee

Helps Young Women

Realize Potential

FHL

Defense Video & Imagery