May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 3

Next Drill:

May 14-15 Sgt.’s

Time:

0600

First

Formation:

0630

Inside this

issue:

Ceremony to honor

veterans of the

Bataan Death March

on Page 2

The FRG has some

tips for Summer fun

on Page 3

How to keep the

―memorial‖ in

Memorial Day

on page 4

The leadership of the

122nd PAOC sounds

off on page 5

Check your finances

before they check

you on Page 6

122nd Soldiers Train at BK-11

Army Staff Sgt. Jason Kriess and Marine Capt. Staci Reidinger joke with a local veterinarian before an interview during a humanitarian project in Tarlac

City, Philippines April 4.

By Pvt. Ryan Scott

122 PAOC

CAMP MURRAY, Wash-

ington -- Washington Army

National Guard Soldiers

from the 122nd Public Af-

fairs Operations Center par-

ticipated in Balikatan 2011

on the Philippine island of

Luzon this month.

The soldier-journalists

played a large role in the

media coverage of the exer-

cise; not only in gathering

and preparing news stories,

photographs and media prod-

ucts for public and internal

consumption, but also in

dealing directly with media

outlets both local and inter-

national.

The Guardsmen worked

closely with their Navy, Air

Force, and Marine counter-

parts during the exercise.

―It was great to work with

fellow journalists from the

other branches of the mili-

tary,‖ said Staff Sgt. Jason

Kriess, the noncommissioned

officer in charge of the

122nd‘s broadcast section. ―I

learned a lot about the speed

at which journalists work and

how important it is to get out

timely and accurate informa-

tion.‖

As the field and command

post training exercises were

going full speed at Camp

Aquino in Tarlac and Fort

Magsaysay to help improve

the interoperability of the

U.S. and Philippine militar-

ies, military civil affairs

teams were scattered across

the countryside offering

medical aid and humanitar-

ian support to some of the

country‘s poorest residents.

The soldiers from the

122nd were there to cover

the story.

―It was refreshing to see

the humanitarian side of the

military,‖ said Kriess. ―We're

not just the men and women

who fight our nation's wars.‖

Washington‘s soldier -

journalists were on hand to

provide media coverage for

number of the medical, den-

tal, veterinary and engineer-

ing civil action projects that

took place over the course of

the two week exercise.

The humanitarian projects

were a joint effort by the

U.S. and Philippine service-

members, aimed at offering

basic essential services to

some of the poorest people

in the Northern Philippines.

U.S. military civil affairs

teams from across the Pa-

cific region gave out truck-

loads of donated clothes and

school and medical supplies

to the residents of some of

the Philippine‘s poorest

barangay‘s, or villages.

The soldier-journalists

performed a number of

other tasks during the exer-

cise, including editing and

producing the Balikatan

2011 magazine which was

distributed to the U.S. and

Philippine servicemembers

who participated in the

trainings.

Photo by Pvt. Ryan Scott

Page 2 PAOC Journal April 2011

Ceremony Honors Bataan Death March Survivors

Photo by Maj. Angela Halvorson

Lt. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, speaks with Rosario S. Baclig, a survivor of the Bataan Death March. Wiercinski was among the distinguished visitors to place a wreath at the base of Capas National Shrine,

April 10, in remembrance of the Death March.

By Staff Sgt. Karen Person

122 PAOC

TARLAC, Philippines --

Distinguished visitors, ser-

vicemembers, veterans and

members of the community

attended a wreath-laying

ceremony April 10, to re-

member the Bataan Death

March and honor World

War II veterans from the

Philippines, United States,

and allied nations.

The brutal 60-mile Death

March ended here in 1942,

where Allied prisoners of

war were incarcerated at

Camp O'Donnell. Today, a

national monument pays

tribute to the thousands of

servicemembers who gave

their lives in defense of free-

dom.

"We should not forget the

10,000 lives that were lost,"

said Vice Governor of the

Tarlac Province Pearl

Pacada.

She said we can also learn

from the surviving veterans

who moved forward after

their appalling experience. Lt. Gen. Francis J.

Wiercinski, U.S. Army Pa-

cific commander, was among

the distinguished visitors to

place a wreath at the base of

the monument. He called the

experience, "humbling."

"This is hallowed ground,"

said Wiercinski. "It was an

honor to meet the family

members of World War II

veterans."

Several Filipino World

War II veterans received

plaques to commemorate

their service. The oldest vet-

eran in attendance was 101

years old.

Czech Republic Ambassa-

dor to the Philippines Josef

Rychtar also recognized

Czech servicemembers who

were among the Allied pris-

oners of war subjected to the

horrific march.

"They were fighting along-

side, shoulder-to-shoulder,"

Rychtar said.

U.S. forces are in the Phil-

ippines taking part in Balika-

tan 2011. Balikatan, meaning

"shoulder-to-shoulder" in

Tagalog, the official lan-

guage of the Philippines, is a

joint exercise between U.S.

and Philippine armed forces.

USARPAC directs Balika-

tan side-by-side with the

Armed Forces of the Philip-

pines to develop interopera-

bility, cooperation, and the

armed forces' ability to re-

spond quickly and work to-

gether effectively to provide

relief and assistance in the

event of natural disasters and

other crises that threaten

public safety and health.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Karen Person

Filipino participants wear U.S. and Filipino-style World War II uni-

forms as part of the Bataan Death

March ceremony at Capas National Shrine, Tarlac, Philippines, April 10.

Distinguished visitors placed

wreaths at the base of the national monument.

Filipino servicemembers carry a wreath during the Bataan Death

March ceremony April 10, at Ca-

pas National Shrine, Tarlac, Phil-ippines.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Karen Person

May 2011 PAOC Journal Page 3

The FRG needs volunteers!

Co-lead to help organize and plan FRG events and activi-

ties! You'll help come up with event ideas, ways to show

our appreciation towards our soldiers, and ways to boost

morale.

Treasurer to help us keep the money organized! Respon-

sibilities include managing the FRG bank account and

tracking expenses in and out.

Volunteers to assist on the day of an event, to help us

brainstorm ideas or to volunteer to run with a

particular idea... we would love your help as part of the

FRG team.

The time commitment is very minimal. We plan two ma-

jor events each year (Summer Picnic and Holiday Dinner)

and we will brainstorm morale boosters that we can do

throughout the year.

If interested contact Becky West at (206) 913-3543 or

email her at beckywest@live.com.

Family Readiness Group Roundup By: Mrs. Becky West

122nd/141st FRG

Hi Everyone!

Here is an update on what

is going on with your FRG.

Similar to last year, we

will be having a summer

family event as well as a

winter banquet.

If you have suggestions

about event venues, activi-

ties, etc., or if you would like

to suggest additional events

that the FRG could put on,

please let me know.

COL Abbott has requested

that all FRG‘s maintain a

phone tree of the Soldiers‘

family members‘ phone

numbers.

This is in case of an emer-

gency deployment.

We had a great roster of the

Soldiers‘ information, but

with the advent of new Sol-

ders and the lack of spouse/

family contact information,

it definitely needs to be

updated.

MAJ Lepp will be coordi-

nating the gathering of this

information from everyone

during drill.

Coming Up This Month:

There will be two Armed Forces Day celebrations:

Saturday, May 21 at Cowan & Memorial Stadiums at Lewis

Main. Armed Forced Day kicks off with a run at 9 AM - Ac-

tivities, events, etc. start at 10 AM. Army vs. Air Force soccer

games at noon & 2 PM. There will also be food, carnival

rides, entertainment, military re-enactors from Roman to pre-

sent day, military heritage displays, massing of the colors &

more.

Sunday May 22 from 2 PM – 5 PM at the Greater Tacoma

Convention and Trade Center there will be a free Armed

Forced Day event for soldiers, veterans, and their families.

There will be live performances, food, and vendors.

FRG/MWR Events: 4-H Summer Camps

This summer there will be a variety of adventure camps for

Military Teens through 4-H.

These adventures are available to military youth (both active

and reserve) between the ages of 14 and 18.

The camps are being funded by the Office of the Secretary

of Defense.

There is a $25 non-refundable Reservation fee that covers

the cost of the camp shirt and water bottle.

We will work with participants to help with transportation to

and from Whidbey Island.

For more information click here or contact Kevin Powers at

kcpowers@wsu.edu or 509-667-6540.

Disney military discounts Disney is offering special discounted rates for military fami-

lies. For more information, click here.

Beachfront Cabins at American Lake Lewis-McChord Family and MWR has private beachfront

cabins at American Lake from the Northwest Adventure Cen-

ter.

Book up to 3 months in advance for holiday weekends!

They are open year-round.

For more information, please view the MWR website here.

Online Tutoring The Department of the Army now offers an online tutoring

service designed for children of Army service personell. The

tutoring is offered for kindergarten through high school stu-

dents.

For more information, click here.

Financial Readiness One-on-one counseling is available for Soldiers and their

spouses (budgeting, debt management, credit counseling, in-

vestment education, general financial planning).

Location: Waller Hall, Room 400, 2140 Liggett Avenue.

Appointment Line: 253/967-7166

Page 4 PAOC Journal April 2011

G reetings from the

Public Affairs

Training Work-

shop (PATW) in

Reno, NV, 122nd Soldier-

Journalist!

This week‘s PATW was

an event-filled educational

experience for those of us

fortunate enough to attend

(LTC Bolante/SSG Person/

SSG Kriess/SGT Mattson/

PV2 Scott). I will remind

the soldiers mentioned

above that it is your duty to

be the ―trained trainers.‖

You are expected to share

all of the information and

experiences learned this

week with the other mem-

bers of the 122nd PAOC.

I will share with you all as

much as I can about what

we learned about current PA

branch issues updates about

DINFOS. We had the

chance to network with both

National Guard Bureau –

Public Affairs staff and our

Public Affairs counterparts

from across the country.

I was proud to be part of

the 11 members of the Wash-

ington National Guard Public

Affairs professionals to par-

ticipate in the PATW. The

122nd team linked up exten-

sively with WA State PA

staff and the WA Air Guard/

Wing PA Staff.

A warm welcome home

and much congratulations to

the Balikitan 2011 ODT

Team! Those of us who did

not deploy only heard rave

reviews of your mission ac-

complishments in the Philip-

pines culminating in a per-

sonal homecoming congratu-

lations by ATAG BG Daugh-

tery. Nice work, team.

At this upcoming 14-15

May drill, we must focus on

these tasks: SRP, Weapons

Qualification and Pre-Garuda

Shield 2011 ODT team

preparation. We will also

need to focus on the Home-

land Response Force FTX

coming up in June. We will

need to begin performing

mission analysis and pre-

operational checks. CSM

Santos and I want a back-

brief on all of these priorities

by the end of drill.

Finally, congratulations to

SGT Stephen Mattson upon

his recent graduation as Dis-

tinguished Honor Graduate

at DINFOS. I expect every

new DINFOS graduate to

‗educate‘ all members of the

PAOC with updates about

policy and operational TTPS

from DINFOS upon their

return.

Drive safely to the next

IDT everyone and Tail-

winds.

Photo by Lt. Col. Anthony Bolante

Soldiers laugh as an instructor

views the student‘s video product

at the Public Affairs Training

Workshop in Reno, NV May 5.

Welcome to another week-

end for the Guard! HOOAH!

Sergeant‘s huddle will be at

0600 on Saturday morning.

Section leaders, please en-

sure you are ready to brief

your training plan for the

weekend during sergeant‘s

time.

Primary focus this weekend

will be weapons qualification

and equipment maintenance.

Those who have not yet

taken the APFT will be com-

pleting one this weekend.

This weekend starts off

early—0630 first formation.

Please come prepared for

all we need to do to get out

of the door on time Saturday

morning.

Any questions pertaining to

this weekend‘s drill, contact

your first line leader BE-

FORE the end of the week.

Congratulations to the

Balikatan team for a very

successful mission. Also, congratulations to

SGT Mattson. He graduated

top of his class at DINFOS

and was named Distin-

guished Honor Grad for his

efforts. Nicely Done!!

Be safe out there and

thanks for all you do. See

you at drill.

CSM Corner

Commander‘s

Comments

Staff Sgt. Karen Person, Sgt. Stephen Mattson and Lt. Col. Anthony Bolante, and Staff Sgt. Theanne Tangen of the South Dakota National

Guard, enjoy an afternoon hiking around Lake Tahoe May 5, 2011. The

group spent the week at the Public Affairs workshop held May 2-6 in Reno, NV.

Photos by Sgt. Stephen C. Mattson

Taking a Break From the Biggest

Little City

May 2011 PAOC Journal Page 5

MHD’s Historical Happenings By Maj. Ken West

141st Military History Det.

May is a month that is

associated with two things:

One being Mother‘s Day,

the other Memorial Day.

Due to the fact that only

5% of our population has

every served this country in

uniform and less than 1%

currently serve, most people

view Memorial Day with

the significance of a mere

three-day weekend.

If you were to ask the ma-

jority of the country‘s popu-

lation how they plan on

spending Memorial Day

weekend, the answers usu-

ally are centered on yard

cleanup and other outdoor

activities. A perfectly legiti-

mate answer, and Lord

knows I‘ll be out there cut-

ting the grass and waging

my ongoing war against the

special ―hybrid/won‘t-go-

away‖ moss that grows in

the Pacific Northwest.

But I challenge you this

year to do something differ-

ent: Remember and Reflect.

Remember that Memorial

Day is more than a day off.

It is a federal holiday ob-

served on the last Monday

of May, originally enacted

as Decoration Day in

1866, to honor the Union

troops of the Civil War.

At that time, people used

this day to remember all of

their lost, not just the ones

lost in the military.

Each of us has lost

someone we care about.

These losses impact us on

a personal level each and

every day.

In my own life, I try and

remember those I have

served with, family mem-

bers who have passed

away and all of those that

are currently in harm‘s

way.

I also try and visualize

what it must have been

like to go to war in times

past and think about the

sacrifices they made.

In the winter months of

the American Revolution,

Soldiers in Valley Forge

were beaten, unclothed

and struggled not only for

their own survival but,

also that of our nation.

In the Civil War, broth-

ers were forced to turn

their weapons on each other

in an attempt to maintain the

Union.

WWI saw extreme trench

warfare, in the worst of con-

ditions, where wool was the

only option for warmth.

And WWII, a war that was

promised to last for only one

year for the Americans,

forced the separation of

families and only allowed

for limited war-time snail

mail correspondence.

What today‘s population

doesn‘t understand is that all

veterans have sacrificed for

their rights and those sacri-

fices were numerous.

Reflect on what is impor-

tant in your life. Reflect on

where you have been, what

you have done and where

you are going. Tell those

closest to you what they

represent in your life and

truly live without regret.

Use Memorial Day to

honor those whom have

given so much of them-

selves, by living each day of

your life to the fullest.

Because of their sacrifices,

YOU CAN.

Photo source unknown

Trivia: What was Arlington National Cemetery before it

was a cemetery?

Answer: In next month‘s newsletter

Historic Dates in May:

May 5, 1961:

Astronaut Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space.

May 7, 1945:

The Nazi‘s sign an unconditional surrender to the Allies, end-

ing WWII in Europe.

May 18, 1980:

Mount St. Helen‘s erupted.

May 25, 1884:

The first telegraphed news dispatch, sent from Washington to

Baltimore appeared in the Baltimore Patriot.

Page 6 PAOC Journal April 2011

The American boy‘s daily

adventures rarely included

lessons in investing and

stock market trading.

Although the boy watched

his grandfather spend his

retired life traveling the

country in a fifth wheel,

financed by his trades in the

stock market, the boy re-

fused his grandfather‘s at-

tempts at sharing his knowl-

edge and passion.

By the time his grandfa-

ther died, he had earned

millions of dollars in the

market.

Now, Air Force Staff Sgt.

James Bolinger reminds

himself daily how regrets

not listening to his grandfa-

ther. He must learn the hard

way how to invest his

money and achieve his fi-

nancial goals.

Many people have finan-

cial goals in life. Military

service members are no ex-

ception. The hard part is

having the means to achieve

those goals.

Three ways service mem-

bers can provide the means

to reach their financial goals

is to invest in real estate, the

stock market or the Thrift

Savings Plan.

Real estate offers a variety

of strategies that service

members can employ to

gain income.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Tony

J. Spain has invested in real

estate since 1996.

―I realized early on, when I

was in high school, that real

estate was beneficial,‖ said

Spain, who joined the Army

in 2002. ―And I saw opportu-

nities there that were good.‖

The advantage to buying

real estate is that someone is

always going to need a place

to live and food to eat, said

Spain, who invests primarily

in rental and agricultural

property.

Spain said his strategy

changes with the economic

climate.

―Pretty much the decision

process is what has

changed,‖ said Spain. Inves-

tors need to look at what the

market in the area is doing.

Will the house they are look-

ing at sell, and if not, can

they rent it?

―From the late ‗90s until

the real estate bubble burst, it

was good times, and it was

easy,‖ said Spain. ―Property

values were going up so fast

a house could be bought and

sold in a month.‖

Being in the military adds

challenges to real estate in-

vesting because of the possi-

bility of transfers or deploy-

ments.

Managing property that is

in a different state is hard,

said Spain, who owns prop-

erties in Illinois and North

Carolina. Also, the market

for buying and renting is

different from one area to

another.

For service members that

do not have the time to de-

vote to real estate, the stock

market may be a more viable

option.

Bolinger began investing in

the stock market in 2010.

―I made 20 percent last

year,‖ said Bolinger. ―I had

the account before but let

somebody else manage it.

All they did was lose the

money.‖

Bolinger said that when he

took back control of the ac-

count, he made back the

original investment within a

month, and within four

months had made $1,000 on

it.

Online software allows

service members to easily

buy and sell stock, said

Bolinger. Plus there are great

books out there that explain

how to invest and what to

look for in stock.

An advantage service

members have in investing in

the stock market is that they

can invest anywhere in the

world as long as they have

internet capability.

Real Estate and the stock

market are two examples

where the investor is in con-

trol of the investment. If

service members do not

want to take the direct-

control method, they can

choose to let their invest-

ments be managed by a

third party.

Many service members

invest in the Thrift Savings

Plan, which was developed

in 1986 so uniformed ser-

vice members could set up

retirement savings and in-

vestment accounts.

―The TSP is a no-stress

investment,‖ said Bolinger.

―I put away 10 percent of

my paycheck, and they

handle all the dirty work.‖

The TSP is good for ser-

vice members who do not

have any time to invest or

any knowledge of invest-

ing, said Spain.

Service members are al-

lowed to contribute up to a

certain dollar amount of

their taxable income that is

specified annually by the

Internal Revenue Service.

Investing in real estate,

the stock market or the TSP

are not the only options

available in having the

means to achieve financial

goals. They are just a few

common ones.

It is the responsibility of

each service member to

ensure he has the means to

achieve those goals.

Once the goals are set, the

next step is to choose how

to get there.

By Sgt. Steven C. Mattson

122 PAOC Minding Your Cents

All 122nd PAOC Soldiers are required to attend the following IDT dates scheduled for FY- 2011:

DATES LOCATION

14-15 May 2011 Camp Murray, WA

4-5 June 2011 Camp Murray, WA

9-10 July 2011 Camp Murray, WA

6-7 August 2011 Camp Murray, WA

2011 Drill Schedule