Vol. 61, No. 46 November 26, 2014
Pentagram
Published For Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Soldiers Vera and Stoeckli buried at ANC By Jim Dresbach Pentagram Staff Writer U.S. Army Pvt. Miguel Vera and Spc. Kyle P. Stoeckli fought in two different theaters of battle during two separate decades but for the same cause-defending freedom. Within 24 hours, both were buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Sixty-two years after the death of Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Vera, his journey concluded in ANC’s Section 71 Nov. 20. On a breezy, sunny Thursday afternoon, Vera joined over 400 other Medal of Honor recipients buried or interned in Arlington National Cemetery. On Nov. 21 with Secretary of the Army John McHugh in attendance, Stoeckli’s remains were buried in Section 60 as close to 100 family members and friends watched as the 21-year-old Soldier received full military funeral honors from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and music and Taps were offered by The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” Operation Enduring Freedom Soldier Stoeckli was killed in Afghanistan June 1, 2013, from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device attack. Presiding Chaplain Army Capt. Joe Brankatelli spoke of Stoeckli’s selfless sacrifice and the honor of an Arlington National Cemetery burial at the graveside service. “There is no greater love for your fellow man than giving one’s life so others can live,” the chaplain said. “Remember this: No plot at Arlington National Cemetery can be purchased. It must be earned. PHOTO BY RACHEL LARUE Serving in Afghanistan, Kyle gave the Staff Sgt. Drew Fremder, The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Ceremonial Band, plays Taps during the graveside service of Army ultimate sacrifice.” Spc. Kyle P. Stoeckli, 21 in Arlington National Cemetery, Nov. 21. Stoeckli was killed in Maiwand, Afghanistan, from an improvised A native of Puerto Rico, Vera was origiexplosive device June 1, 2013, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was a native of Moseley, Va., which is located see BURIAL, page 4 just southwest of Richmond. For more images from this event, visit www.flickr.com/photos/jbm-hh.
JBM-HH DPW is ready for winter By Guv Callahan Pentagram Staff Writer The days are getting shorter and temperatures in the National Capital Region are dropping, so Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall’s Directorate of Public Works’ Operations and Maintenance division is already preparing for another harsh winter. After multiple heavy storms and snow days during the last two winter seasons, Denise Faldowski, joint base operations and maintenance chief, said she and her staff are going to play it safe this year, ordering more materials to treat roads than in previous years. Faldowski said DPW has 300 tons of salt and sand ready to be deployed on the Fort Myer and Henderson Hall portions of the joint base, and another 300 tons to be used on the Fort McNair portion. A nd just in case that’s not enough, 600 more tons are going to be back-ordered and delivered as needed, she said. According to Faldowski, DPW had just enough materials to treat
Special Thanksgiving meal at DFAC
The JBM-HH Tri-Service Dining Facility on the Fort Myer portion of the Joint Base MyerHenderson Hall will serve another Thanksgiving meal, open to retirees and DoD ID card holders, Nov. 27, and be open during the regular holiday hours. The Nov. 27 supper holiday meal will have fewer menu choices than offered at the Nov. 24 holiday meal. The Dining Facility will operate on a holiday hours schedule from Nov. 27 to Nov. 30. The brunch meal will be served from 9 a.m. to noon for $5.35, and supper will be served from 4 to 5:30 p.m. for $6.55. For more information, call 703-696-2087.
PHOTO
BY
RACHEL LARUE
Members of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Directorate of Public Works practice using snow removal equipment Nov. 20, in the parking lot across from Spates Community Club on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base. DPW is already preparing for a potentially harsh winter.
the roads during the last year’s heavy snow storms. The final storm of the season completely tapped their resources, she said.
“We’re going to play a little bit smarter and a little bit more conservative this year,” she said. see SNOW, page 4
Joint base SFL-TAP office ranked number one in career readiness standards compliance JBM-HH transition program beats out over 50 installations By Jim Dresbach Pentagram Staff Writer The Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Soldier for Life-Transition
Index Holiday hours . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . News Notes . . . . . . . . . . Chapel events . . . . . . . . Winter preparation list . . Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .
News Notes
Assistance Program (SFL-TAP) office is celebrating a major achievement. The SFL-TAP staff finished the 2014 fiscal year rated as the number one program throughout the entire Army for career readiness standards (CRS) compliance. Overall, there are over 50 domestic and foreign Army SFL-TAP offices which serve outgoing Soldiers.
Winter weather news, information
Winter weather is on the way. In the event of weather-related closures, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall personnel follow the guidance of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM determines the open or closed status for all government agencies and installations located inside the Washington, D.C., beltway. If you have a question about your duty status, contact your supervisor. Partner organization personnel should inquire within their chain of command. For OPM guidance, see www.opm.gov/status. You can also call 202-606-1900 around the clock for status. Also, see www.facebook.com/jbmhh and www.jbmhh.army.mil for the winter weather link, activated when necessary; call the commander’s information hotline at 703-696-6906, which is updated often in emergencies or inclement weather situations. See www.weather.gov for a forecast.
When the results were announced throughout the Army, the Fort Myer SFL-TAP program had earned 91.8 percent readiness compliance in assisting Soldiers exiting from active service. In explaining the percentage, SFL-TAP Transition Service Manager Carlos Rodriguez said over
At JBM-HH, filled ice melt buckets have already been placed outside facilities by public works personnel. Refill ice melt buckets by bringing empty buckets to Bldg. 325 on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base and the P Street Lot on the Fort McNair portion of the joint base between the hours of 1
see AWARD, page 4
see NEWS NOTES, page 4
Ice melt refills
When winter weather hits, stay informed! page 2 page 3 page 4 page 5 page 6 page 7
Visit the official JBM-HH social media websites to obtain pertinent news about local-area events, traffic closures and other relevant local news.
JBM-HH webpage: www.army.mil/jbmhh Facebook: www.facebook.com/jbmhh Twitter: https://twitter.com/JBMHH JBM-HH information hotline: 703-696-6906