erald Union H Vol. XXIII, No. 28
Wiesbaden: Our home in Germany
www.herald-union.com
Oct. 27, 2016
AFAP gives voice to community By Jacob Corbin
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs
Manuela Moortel (left) and Kathleen Moortel perform a Panamanian tamborito dance at U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden’s Hispanic Heritage observance Oct. 15 at the Exchange.
¡Celebración!
Members of the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden community gathered recently at the Army Family Action Plan conference to elevate and work through issues impacting life here. Attendees discussed 87 different issues at the conference, out of 110 brought forth prior to the event. Issues not discussed were handled through ICE or other appropriate systems. Col. Todd J. Fish, USAG Wiesbaden commander, opened the conference by welcoming attendees and thanking them for volunteering their time to help the community.
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs
Arantxa Hackett Tuero (above) performs a flamenco dance; (above right) children line up for a chance to hit the piñata at the Hispanic Heritage observance.
Inside Spooky days ahead
For trick-or-treating, a haunted house, costume party and more, see page 11.
The Hainerberg Exchange was filled with vibrant colors, music, dancing, clapping and smiles as U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month Oct. 15. The observance was a way to celebrate the history, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, Central and South America and some parts of the Caribbean Guest speaker and journalist Rafael RodriSee ‘Heritage’ on page 6
Homecoming
Wiesbaden High School students sent in their best spirit photos, see page 16.
See ‘AFAP’ on page 3
Students get health screenings at school Story and photos by Amy L. Bugala
Story and photos by Emily Jennings
“Thank you for taking this on,” Fish said. “AFAP has done some great things. It’s a powerful tool to bring issues forward.” Fish said AFAP is important because it brings the community’s voices together, allowing issues to be raised with a collective voice. Some issues brought forward at the conference included: • Place bus monitors on all Department of Defense Education Activity school buses. • Accessibility of facilities for those with disabilities. • Making the military and fam-
Teams of Army healthcare professionals, American Red Cross and community volunteers are making rounds through U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden’s schools conducting health screening activity days during the month of October. The annual activities include basic vision, hearing and dental screenings to assess and identify any problems early and ensure the overall health and well-being of students. “Good vision is essential for learning,” said Capt. Amy
Where does apple juice come from?
Aukamm students find out firsthand, see page 12.
Combs, optometrist with Wiesbaden Army Health Clinic Optometry. “Learning problems can sometimes be a vision problem,” said Combs, emphasizing the importance of vision screenings for school-aged children. “If words are moving around on the page, or a student is not able to read quickly, or remember what they read, they are not able to learn efficiently or effectively.” Three different vision tests were conducted during the screenings at Wiesbaden Middle School, to include distance vision (nearsightedSee ‘Screenings’ on page 13