Nov. 6 - 19, 2015 - The Patriot (Joint Base Charleston)

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Joint Base Charleston, S.C.

Vol. 6, No. 42

Patriot Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!

Friday, November 6 - 19, 2015

Graphic by Diggle Publishing

Veterans Day is intended to honor and thank all military personnel who served the United States in all wars, particularly living veterans. It is marked by parades and church services and in many places the American flag is flown at half mast. A period of silence lasting two minutes may be held at 11 a.m. Some schools are closed on Veterans Day, while others do not close, but choose to mark the occasion with special assemblies or other activities. Veterans Day is officially observed on November 11. This day is the anniversary of the signing of the armistice, which ended the World War I hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in 1918.

VA works to expand efforts in Lowcountry

From Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs mission is to fulfill President Lincoln's promise, "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan," by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's veterans. Unfortunately, the VA has been in the news lately for not meeting their mission in some parts of the country. While veterans may have had negative experiences in the past, the VA office in Charleston is working to meet the needs of veterans throughout the Lowcountry. "We must improve the performance of healthcare now," said Robert McDonald, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "We're looking at ways to restructure and reorganize, combine functions, simplify operations, make process improvements, leverage technology and enhance efficiency and productivity." The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, opened in 1966, consists of one primary, secondary and tertiary care facility located in downtown Charleston, S.C. It serves over 67,000 veterans in 21 counties, encompassing more than 15,000 square miles. Additionally, the VA opened a Community Resource and Referral Center in North Charleston to assist veterans in a number of ways including: finding housing, clothing and job assistance, etc. To help veterans understand their benefits or to encourage them to return after a negative experience, there are people like Don Morillo who assist those in need. "I'm the director for veteran's affairs for Charleston County" said Morillo. "I'm the overseer for all of the veterans in the Lowcountry and I have found some of the older veterans don't understand the benefits or just don't know about them," said Morillo. "Some may have had a bad experience with getting their benefits and we try to bring them back and let them know how good the VA hospital is here." As part of ongoing efforts to reach out to veterans, on Oct. 30, 2015, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center partnered with Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina and Palmetto Warrior Connection to host its 16th annual Stand Down Against Veteran Homelessness. The event was held at the new CRRC. "We're holding Stand Down here at the CRRC because we wanted to really showcase this new facility that opened in June, " said Hugh Myrick, Chief of Mental health at the Charleston VAMC. "The annual Stand Down events meet a critical need for our homeless veterans but we found it wasn't enough. We needed to do more. This facility helps us meet that goal - to provide

a mini Stand Down every day. Veterans can come here anytime and get connected with those who can help them get back on their feet." A Vietnam War veteran himself, Morillo wants to do all he can to assure his veterans are well taken care of and have their needs met. "I served four years in the U.S. Air Force and spent one year in Vietnam," said Morillo. "Being a veteran myself, we care about our other veterans very much. They are family" "We try our very best to support these veterans in need," said Morillo. "There are so many benefits for the veterans in the Lowcountry," said Morillo. "The downtown VA hospital has dental and medical programs (including flu vaccinations), PTSD assistance and other programs as well." For more information on the VA in Charleston, please visit: www.charleston.va.gov Also see Stand Down Against Homelessness, Page 11

The Patriot to publish twice monthly From Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs

Starting this month, Joint Base Charleston’s newspaper, the Patriot, will begin publishing the first and third Fridays of every month. The advantages to a twice monthly paper are an increased ability to cover base activities, more lead time for announcements, additional photos and more comprehensive articles. The JB Charleston family is encouraged to continue submitting stories, articles, commentaries, photos and ideas to 628ABWPatriot@us.af.mil for inclusion in the paper, as well as the base website. The JB Public Affairs Office will continue to update the JB Charleston website (www.charleston.af.mil) with news and information daily.

Halloween 5K starts the Healthy through the Holidays campaign

Members of Joint Base Charleston participate in a costume contest prior to running the annual Halloween 5K at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base, S.C., Oct. 20, 2015. This run kicked off the annual “Healthy through the Holidays” campaign sponsored by the fitness center which runs through the months of November and December.

INSIDE

U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Thomas Charlton

Parris Island: 100 Years U.S. Marines: 240 Years

MARINE BIRTHDAYS Page 3

Marrington Elementary takes the pledge

DRUG FREE

Page 7

Joint Base Charleston Calender of Events

BRIEFS

Page 12

See more photos, Page 11

WEEKEND WEATHER UPDATE for Joint Base Charleston, SC Partly Cloudy

Friday, Nov. 6

(10% precip)

High 79º Low 68º

Sunny Saturday, Nov. 7

(10% precip)

High 80º Low 64º

Extended Forecast

Showers Sunday, Nov. 8

(50% precip)

High 65º Low 58º

Mon. - Nov. 9 - 67°/59° - Showers (60%) Tue. - Nov. 10 - 71°/58° - Mostly Cloudy (20%) Wed. - Nov. 11 - 71°/60° - Mostly Sunny (20%) Thur. - Nov. 12 - 74°/59° - Mostly Sunny (20%) Fri. - Nov. 13 - 69°/54° - Partly Cloudy (20%) Sat. - Nov. 14 - 67°/55° - Partly Cloudy (10%) Sun. - Nov. 15 - 67°/54° - Partly Cloudy (20%) Mon. - Nov. 16 - 66°/52° - Thunderstorms (30%) Tue. - Nov. 17 - 67°/54° - Sunny (0%) Wed. - Nov. 18 - 66°/55° - Mostly Sunny (10%)

See Joint Base Charleston at www.Facebook/TeamCharleston - Follow Discussions, Connect With Your Base! CYAN-AOOO

MAGENTA-OAOO

YELLOW-OOAO

BLACK 01/29/08


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