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Kappa Epsilon Psi ‘H.U.M.s’ the song of sisterhood
Friday, October 2, 2015 | Vol. 4 No. 1
First all-female honor flight gets hero’s welcome in Washington By Lisa Ferdinando
By Leslie C. Smith
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
Under the three-pronged guiding core principles of HUM: Honoring the Past, Uniting current service members and Mentoring future leadership, Kappa Epsilon Psi looks to offer military women a place to belong. Kappa Epsilon Psi was founded by Shica Hill and Moneka Smith-Daley in 2011. Membership is open to all DoD branches, active duty, separated and retired who served honorably, as well as college-level cadets in the ROTC. Kappa Epsilon Psi chapters can be found in Hawaii, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia (Northern and Southern) with members to be found throughout the country and the world, including Germany, Japan and Korea. “We all face challenged in life and it’s good to have a sisterhood where we have common ground,”
Female veterans, trailblazers who served in the military decades ago, received a hero’s welcome Sept. 22 after arriving in the nation’s capital on the first all-female honor flight. “Best day of my life” is how retired Army Sgt. Maj. Sue Williams described the visit, which included stops at Arlington National Cemetery and the World War II Memorial. Williams, who retired in 1995 after nearly three decades of service, helped lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. “I could have died and gone to heaven right then,” she said. The women, from wars
Staff writer
photo/Leslie C. Smith
Military Sorority Kappa Epsilon Psi was on hand to help with the festivities of VA Medical Center Ladies’ Night Feb. 27.
said Monisha Barnes, a member of Kappa Epsilon Psi. “We come from a plethora of backgrounds – officers and enlisted – different parts of the world. We come to together to continue to serve,” Barnes added. Kappa Epsilon Psi is dedicated to participating in events not
only that service veterans but also events that serve their local communities. Recently the organization held a school backpack drive, challenging each local chapter, as a way to give to each local schools and
see SISTERHOOD, page 3
District 8 sponsors 4th Annual Health Fair By Bobby Jones
Staff Photojournalist
Prince George’s County Council Member Obie Patterson (D) hosted the Fourth District 8 Community Health Fair in conjunction with Kappa Foundation of Fort Washington, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning and Prince George’s County Health Department at the Southern Regional Technology Complex in Fort Washington Sept. 26. Placing focus on community health and wellness issues, the event’s theme was “Fitness is a Family Affair.” Patterson noted the importance of seniors getting early screenings. “We wanted our seniors to come down and
Photo/Bobby Jones
Dwayne Saunders, 2, left, and brother, Deon, 3, try their hands at saving a life on miniature CPR manikins.
get these various free health screenings for a better quality of life,” said Patterson. “This is our fourth year sponsoring this event. We started at Harmo-
ny Hall Regional Center, which soon became too small to handle the amount of people, so we moved here to this site,” said Patterson. “This year in particu-
lar, we made an effort to reach out to the youth as well. Some of them are getting their community service requirements in. We think it’s important for them to get started early in life with taking care of their health and we’re delighted our youth could be with us today,” said Patterson. “And we’re having a great number of seniors turning out for this event.” Hundreds of Prince Georgians took advantage of free medical, dental and vision screenings, flu shots, family-friendly physical fitness activities, giveaways and door prizes. Several healthcare professionals, including
see district, page 4
including World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, traveled with Honor Flight Tri-State, which covers southern Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana. They arrived to a hero’s welcome for the day-long trip, receiving applause, handshakes and greetings of “thank you for your service” at all the sites they visited. “It’s a dream come true,” said Sara Abrams, who served in the Army from 1963 to 1964. She said she never imagined a day like this would happen. She was thrilled, she said, by the warm welcome from service members and the public. People were everywhere
see HONOR, page 6
Emergency services keep 2015 Air Show safe By Airman 1st Class J.D. Maidens 11th Wing Public Affairs
The 2015 Joint Base Andrews Air Show was supported by the 779th Medical Group, the 11th Security Forces Squadron and elements of Naval Operations Support Center. Emergency services, medical support and security measures were put in place to ensure public safety during the show. “We’re always ready for whatever happens,” said Staff Sgt. Chiniti Jiles, 779th MDG Flight Operation medical technician. “We hope for the best and prepare for the
worst. The medical tea m is here to support and promote public safety and health.” The 779th MDG set up a First Aid Station that had supplies to deal with dehydration, cuts and scrapes and sun burns, as well as distributable resources like sunscreen, ear plugs, medication and bandages. Additionally, they were able to transport critically injured patrons to civilian or military medical facilities. To respond to emergencies on the flight line, medical staff in golf
see AIR SHOW page 5