The Windsock April 10, 2014

Page 1

Vol. 72, No. 15

April 10, 2014

www.cherrypoint.marines.mil

‘Ace in the hole,’ VMR-1 supports contingency operations NMCRS fund drive going strong

LANCE CPL. VICTOR A. ARRIAGA MCAS CHERRY POINT

bility to include non-combatant evacuation, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and support to U.S. embassies, and other operations as directed by national and command leadership. “Most people do not realize that one of the station’s aircraft has gone forward in

The Navy Marine Corps Relief Society’s 2014 active duty fund drive runs throughout the months of March and April across the naval services, educating Marines and Sailors about the society, and raising essential working capital for its operations through donations. Since the fund drive started, it has raised more than $3.5 million society wide and more than $30,000 on Cherry Point, according to Vicki Wilson, the director of Cherry Point’s NMCRS. “The fund drive is going great society wide and on base,” said Wilson. “The key personnel are doing a super job getting the word out and letting Marines and Sailors on base know that we are here.” The NMCRS is a nonprofit organization established to help active duty service members, retirees and family members by offering financial assistance. In an emergency, the society can provide assistance for funeral expenses, disaster relief assistance or medical co-pays. Additionally, the society offers budget counseling, financial management and loans. Volunteers also play a key role in the society’s mission by donating their time to help Marines, Sailors and their families by offering lactation consultants and financial classes. “This week is volunteer appreciation week and I can’t even convey just how much the volunteers contribute to our society,” said Wilson. “Without our volunteers or donations, the society would not be able to exist.”

See VMR1 page A7

See NMCRS page A7

LANCE CPL. JOSHUA R. HEINS

A C-9B Skytrain launches down a Cherry Point runway April 8. The C-9 is a Marine Transport Squadron 1 asset and is used for the transportation of essential personnel.

LANCE CPL. ANDREA CLEOPATRA DICKERSON MCAS CHERRY POINT

Marines with Marine Transport Squadron 1 departed Cherry Point Tuesday in one of the squadron’s C-9B Skytrains in support of II Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit has committed a UC-35D Citation in support of Special-Purpose

Marine Air Ground Task Force Crisis Response, said Lt. Col. Brain D. Bernth, VMR-1 commanding officer. SP-MAGTF Crisis Response is a rotational force of Marines and Sailors temporarily stationed at Moron Air Base, Spain. The unit was stood up to a provide a broad range of military capabilities to respond to crises in its area of responsi-

Facilities Maintenance plans smooth transition to Public Works Department LANCE CPL. ANDREA CLEOPATRA DICKERSON MCAS CHERRY POINT

Cherry Point service members and station residents who count on Facilities Maintenance will see a change in how their services are provided over the next few months due to a restructuring of the Facilities Department. The changes, which will appear small to the customer, are designed to improve the processing and handling of maintenance requests, allowing the process to run more efficiently and effectively, said Cmdr. Paul Flood, the officer-in-charge of facilities maintenance. During the next few months, facilities maintenance, engineering, support contractors and the resident officerin-charge of construction, are planning a seamless grouping of efforts and transition to form a new Public Works Department. The new PWD will be divided into four divisions but will still provide the same services that facilities maintenance did, but in a more comprehensive manner, according to Flood. The change comes on the heels of a recent reorganization of Navy and Marine Corps facilities and installation maintenance structures. The changes will streamline maintenance processes and standardize repair protocols across the naval service’s installations. On May 23, in conjunction with American Public Works Week, Cherry Point will unveil the revamped PWD for service members and residents of the air station. Service members and station residents should expect to receive the same critical maintenance and utility services, said Flood. Anyone who needs to put in a maintenance request should route requests through the correct depart-

ment. Those with military housing related issues: Contact Atlantic Marine Corps Communities directly at 466-4794 (E-6 – E9 and officers) or 466-3602 (E-1 – E-5). Visit http://www.atlanticmcc.com/ for more information. For those with emergency requests related to imminent mission failure, immediate danger to life or hazards to the

SGT. JUSTIN M. BOLING Marine Corps leadership issued Corpswide guidance for personal firearm storage aboard installations April 4. The release of Marine Administrative Message 176/14 (MARADMIN) creates standard policy and enforcement measures Corpswide. “We decided to reemphasize, across the Marine Corps, regulations we have on the books at several installations and make sure our Marines understand them,” Maj. Gen. Juan G. Ayala,

News Briefs

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SMP Dinner

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VMA-542

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Menus

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Corps News

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Announcements

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See FACILITIES page A7

LANCE CPL. JOSHUA R. HIENS

Employees with the Public Works Department at Cherry Point refurbish part of 5th Avenue here March 11.

Marines reaffirm responsibility of personal firearm ownership HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS

environment: Contact the help desk at 466–4362. Service members with barracks related requests should contact the barracks duty who will enter the information into an electronic work order system. For general installation maintenance issues: Report

Commander Marine Corps Installations Command, said. “We also wanted to make certain our installations remain safe for our Marines, Sailors and their dependents – I like to use the term safe havens.” Marine Corps Installation Command (MCICOM) serves as a higher headquarters for 24 Marine Corps installations nationwide. MCICOM provides leadership and direction to equip, train and provide all necessary support for operating See FIREARMS page A7

News can also be found online All stories and photos can be found at: • www.cherrypoint.marines.mil • www.dvidshub.net/unit/MCAS-CP Read the Windsock online at: • www.issuu.com/mcascherrypoint Like us on Facebook: • www.facebook.com/mcascherrypoint • www.facebook.com/TheAirShow Follow us on Twitter: • www.twitter.com/mcascherrypoint More photos can be found on Flickr: • www.flickr.com/photos/mcas_cherry_point


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