Joint Base Charleston
Patriot Vol. 1, No. 8
Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, November 19, 2010
U.S. Air Force photo/James M. Bowman
Charlie on the move
- Employees from Gator Getters Consultants move Charlie the alligator from his home Nov. 17, 2010, on Joint Base Charleston-Weapons Station S.C. Charlie is being temporarily moved from his home for pond cleaning, overflow structure improvements and increased pond depth of eight feet. There will also be two dens built in the pond so Charlie and the other alligators can hibernate. See more photos, page 8.
INSIDE MAKING RANK
JB CHS Airmen selected for promotion See page 5
Toys for Tots looking for volunteers
By Eric Sesit Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
The annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program is in full swing, collecting thousands of toys for less fortunate children throughout the Charleston area. Each year, members of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children. As in years past, the outpouring of generosi-
ty from local residents is filling contribution boxes at local drop-off points, but to ensure these toys make it into the hands of hundreds of smiling faces, people are needed. "We need volunteers," said Staff Sergeant Evan Ault, USMC, the Charleston area Toys for Tots coordinator. "We receive thousands of toys which is wonderful. That means we can make Christmas merrier for a lot of kids, but we need people to get those toys out to the children on Christmas morning."
Sergeant Ault also said volunteers are needed prior to the holiday for transporting the toys from drop-off points to the warehouse, assisting in the warehouse sorting the toys, and helping with meals. If you are interested in volunteering for Toys for Tots, log at website their onto http://charleston-sc.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/localvolunteer-form.asp and complete the volunteer form.
HEALTHY LIVING What you should know about diabetes See page 6
READY FOR ACTION
JB CHS children participate in Operation Panda Drop See page 14
MEDAL OF HONOR Soldier awarded highest honor Nov. 16 See page 15
NNPTC galley receives green energy upgrade
By Staff Sgt. Daniel Bowles Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
Naval Nuclear Power Training Command on Joint Base CharlestonWeapons Station recently received a green energy upgrade which will produce nearly 65 percent of the energy needed for domestic water heating at its galley. Jeff Jones, JB CHS-WS energy manger, said the driving force behind the upgrade is Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management. The order mandates a reduction in energy consumption at the base-level by three percent each year until 2015, and the new upgrade supports that goal by diverting the task of domestic water heating for the galley to advanced solar heating panels, he said. “If you have 70 degree water, and we have to raise it up to 120 degrees, you can just imagine how much heat is required to accomplish that,” said Mr. Jones. Using solar power, the project will reduce the electrical and natural gas need-
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ed for traditional water heating for the galley by preheating the ground water. The system was contracted for installation through Johnson Controls Inc., who also provides energy management solutions for the majority of facilities across the Weapons Station. Through the Navy funded contract, Johnson Controls provided the galley with a solar heating system capable of producing up to 450 million British Thermal Units per year, depending on weather conditions. In the average home, ground water is routed through a water heating unit which stores hot water for use when needed. The previous NNPTC water heating system worked much the same way, but on a much larger scale resulting in a much higher cost. With the new solar solution, water will be diverted through the solar panel array installed in a symmetrical configuration on the roof of the NNPTC Central Energy Plant. “If through solar panels we can raise the water temperature, we can decrease conventional energy use to get up to the final 120 degrees,” Mr. Jones said. “So, anytime you don’t have to use as much energy to get your water to the final temperature it is going to be an energy savings.”
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