Pentagram
Vol. 62, No. 27 July 9, 2015
www.army.mil/jbmhh
Published For Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Great Falls off limits to swimmers, waders By Guv Callahan Pentagram Staff Writer
GRAPHIC
BY
HELEN KLEIN
Since 2001, two dozen people have lost their lives—including a Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hallbased Soldier—to the dangers of the Potomac River in the Great Falls/Potomac River Gorge area in Washington, D.C., northern Virginia and Maryland. Although there were no deaths in 2014 attributed to Great Falls’ waters, at least one person died this year, according to the National Park Service. JBM-HH officials are reminding service members that aquatic activities in certain portions of the Great Falls area are not only off limits under a Military District of Washington directive, but are also illegal.
Summer is here, and as Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall community members break out the sunscreen and bathing suits, joint base leaders are reminding service members to stay out of Potomac River waters at Great Falls Park. The section of water from the Sycamore Island area – fourtenths of a mile from the Little Falls Dam – to Chain Bridge is prohibited to all swimmers and waders. Aquatic activities in the Great Falls/Potomac River Gorge area are against Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbia law, as well as offlimits under a directive from the Military District of Washington issued in 1984. Tracie Miller, JBM-HH Directorate of Emergency Services physical security specialist, stressed the very real and deadly dangers of Potomac River waters in an interview with the Pentagram. “It’s extremely important that personnel understand … that swimming and wading are 100
Runners not deterred by rain at second JBM-HH Firecracker Twinkie Challenge By Damien Salas Pentagram Staff Writer Despite a potential rainout, the second annual Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s Firecracker 5K “Twinkie” Challenge and 1.5-Mile Walk July 2 saw nearly double the number of participants over last year’s inaugural race, according to race organizer Todd Hopkins. The race, named after the cream-filled sponge cakes competitors are required to devour during the course and held in recognition of Independence Day, saw some 112 participants—45 more than last year, said Hopkins. “The weather did not get the best of us,” said Hopkins in a post-race interview. Still, the race was delayed 10 minutes as gray clouds threatened further delay. Thunder and lightning were absent, allowing the race to continue as planned.
see TWINKIE, page 4
PHOTO
BY
DAMIEN SALAS
Participants consume Twinkies at the halfway point of the second annual Firecracker 5K “Twinkie” Challenge and 1.5-Mile Walk July 2 at the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. This year’s race, put on by Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, garnered more than 45 additional participants from the inaugural event last year; 112 people participated. Those desiring to place in the race were required to eat six Twinkies at the course’s mid-way point.
With new report, senior raters may identify just 24 percent ‘most qualified’ By C. Todd Lopez Army News Service New policy for the noncommissioned officer evaluation report, or NCOER, due out in January includes a limit on how many “most qualified” ratings can be handed out by a Soldier’s senior rater. Under the new system, a
senior rater may rate only as many as 24 percent as being most qualified. That limit applies when those being rated are in the rank of staff sergeant through sergeant major. The expectation will be to make the rating of “highly qualified” the “new norm,” said Sgt. Maj. Stephen McDermid, the evaluations branch sergeant major for the
Adjutant General Directorate, Human Resources Command. “It’s important to understand that the ‘highly qualified’ selection will be the norm and that noncommissioned officers [NCOs] will remain competitive for promotion with highlyqualified NCOERs, given they complete their required professional military education,”
McDermid said. The senior rater profile is new on the NCOER, and similar to what is already being done on officer evaluation reports. Army leaders hope that implementation of a senior rater profile will help reduce “rating inflation” within the enlisted evaluation system,
see REPORT, page 4
percent prohibited and that it is illegal no matter if you’re on the Virginia, D.C. or Maryland side,” she said. “If you’re fortunate enough to survive, you’ll receive a citation. Courts generally give fines or community service in conjunction with these citations because they want people to take this seriously.” While surface waters may seem calm to some, Miller assured community members that the river is a different beast beneath the surface. “It’s a deep and a fast-moving river with jagged, rocky bottoms, and it creates a very strong current that even strong swimmers have difficulty and issues with,” she said. “It generates a current that is much like a washing machine – it’s a circular current, and it’ll take you down to the bottom, and you can’t get back up.” For a better idea of the river’s dangers, community members need only look at the numbers. According to the National Park Service, 51 percent of all river-related accidents in the
see OFF LIMITS, page 4
News Notes Rader Clinic offers school, sports physicals
To accommodate patient needs, Andrew Rader U.S. Army Medical Clinic’s Patient Centered Home will offer Saturday appointments for school and sports physical appointments July 18, Aug. 1, Aug. 15 and Sept. 12. Additionally, weekly school and sports physical appointment availability has been increased through September, but these appointments do fill quickly. Parents are encouraged to schedule physicals before families go on vacation to avoid a last-minute rush. To schedule an appointment, call 1-855-227-6331 or visit Tricare Online at www.tricareonline.com. During the appointment, the child must be accompanied by a parent. The following items must be brought: physical form with the parent section completed; immunization records; military ID; and glasses or contacts, if applicable. The entire appointment will take no longer than 90 minutes. Physical forms may be downloaded from school and/or county websites. Those who have previously had a physical at Rader Clinic need only bring the physical form to the appointment. Completed forms can be sent via secure messaging through Relay Health or brought in person.
AAFES flower shop on reduced hours
Petals & Blooms, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service flower shop on the
see NEWS NOTES, page 4
Index
SFL-TAP events . . . . . . . . . . . . . page Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page News notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page In photos: Independence Day 2015 . . . . . . page Summer safety tips . . . . . . . . . . page Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page
Local forecast
2 3 4 5 8 9
THURS. 90 | 73
FRI.
89 | 68
SAT.
86 | 71
SUN.
88 | 76
For more weather forecasts and information, visit www.weather.gov.