January 30, 2015• VOL. 72 • NO.4• NAVY.MIL/LOCAL/GUANTANAMO • FACEBOOK.COM/NSGuantanamoBay
NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA • PSC 1005 BOX 25 • FPO, AE 09593 • 011-5399-4090
W.T. Sampson Drama Department Performance
Raja (Ahna Parker) and Honza (Nelson Arroyo) sharing a special moment at Terezin a Jewish Ghetto during the play “I never saw another butterfly,” Jan. 23. By Kelly Wirfel Public Affairs Officer
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.T. Sampson High School Drama Department presented the one-act play; I never saw another butterfly, Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay community members, Jan. 23 and 24. Based upon a true story, the play follows Raja Englanderova’s experience as a young girl living in the Jewish ghetto of Terezin during the Holocaust. During this time of despair, there is a small beacon of hope for all of the children trapped in Terezin. Her name is Irena Synkova, and she has dedicated her life to being a teacher for the children. She encourages them to creatively express their feelings through drawings and poems. Meanwhile, Raja also befriends a young man living in the ghetto, Honza. Their friendship blooms despite the danger of the Nazis discovering their relationship. Together they unite the segregated boys’ and girls’ houses, in the form of a secret newspaper. Although Raja’s story is permeated with loss and aguish, it is also infused with love and hope. “The most rewarding part of the play was watching the students grow in their abilities and in their understanding of the content of the play. They took the project very seriously and worked hard to produce a quality production,” said Ms. DeAnna Shaw-Berget, play director and W.T. Sampson teacher. “It was a serious piece and not
an easy subject matter, but the students honored the victims of the holocaust by their portrayal, and I hope they learned something meaningful about this important period of history.” According to Shaw-Berget, the students selected the play last October, worked on the play for a month before Christmas and had three intensive weeks of practice leading up to the performance. Approximately 15 students in grades 7 to 12 participated in the play. “I want to give a special thank you to the Seabees for building our set pieces, Mrs. Ellis and her art students for creating our butterflies, LS2 Kerron Predergast for co-directing the play with me, Kaitlin Rice and Jasmine Whitehouse for taking on the new roles in the last three days of the play and also the Chief Warrant Officer’s Association for donating money to the drama program,” said ShawBerget. “I also want to thank the community as a whole for coming out to support the play.” “The entire cast did exceptionally well in poetry, dramatic lines and professional acting. I was so impressed during the three weeks I spent with them preparing. The children gave 100% in both performances over the weekend and I could not be prouder of them,” said co-director, LS2 Kerron Predergast. “Although the story ended sadly it was a memorable play that left the audience in awe.”
PAGE 2• THE GUANTANAMO BAY GAZETTE
January 30, 2015• PAGE 3
New Year, New You, Put a Method to Your Behavior LCDR JoAnn MartinezGarcia, MSC, USN Head of USNH Behavioral Health
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NS Guantanamo Bay Commanding Officer, Capt. Scott Gray congratulates MASN Turner on her selection as Sailor of the Week.
■Job/Department: Security/ Harbor Patrol ■Age: 27 ■Hometown: Memphis, TN ■Goal: Level 2 Coxswain ■Favorite Musician: Yellowcard ■Heroes: My Sisters ■Favorite Movie: Practical Magic ■Favorite Sports Team: New England Patriots ■Favorite Hobbies: Cooking/Baking ■Favorite Accomplishment: Obtaining my Coxswain qualification as well as having the privilege to work alongside other great Coxswains. ■Sailor of the Week Because: MASN Turner was selected SOW for her diligence and knowledge which enabled her to author a new Harbor Security study guide currently utilized by 10 HPU Sailors working on their qualifications. This earned the trust and admiration of her superiors and subordinates. BRAVO ZULU!
MASN AMBER TURNER
VOL. 72 • NO.4
COMMANDING OFFICER EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMMAND MASTER CHIEF
Guantanamo Bay Gazette
CAPT. SCOTT GRAY CMDR. AL ROSS CMDCM (SW) Jeffery Tidwell
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER GAZETTE EDITOR
hange is difficult for many people and maintaining motivation is even more challenging. How can we make the most impact when it comes to committing ourselves to our New Year’s resolutions? Whether it’s losing weight, quitting tobacco, or checking our blood sugars more routinely, there are methods to success. B.J. Fogg, a Stanford expert on behavioral change, and the founder of Persuasive Technology lab at Stanford University, developed a model and concepts toward successful activation of an intended habit. Dr. Fogg supports that engaging in tiny successes is the key ingredient to doing so. He also emphasizes that motivation waxes and wanes so we cannot rely solely on motivation to keep us going. But there are times to make use of our motivational peaks as well as the lows. Do what is easy when motivation is low, and engage is hard or new activities when motivation is high. The behavioral method encompasses three things: (1) Get specific; (2) Make it easy; (3) And then trigger the behavior, either naturally or by design. The activation of ‘tiny habits’ is also a key to success, and consists of a very realistic and doable method that is explained by three options: Having an epiphany; changing a personal environment;, or taking baby steps toward a bigger goal. Baby steps can be as easy as starting with 3 minutes of an intended exercise like sit-ups! When we engage in daily little tiny successes, we are on our way to turning these behaviors into life-long habits. Another method people might consider trying is the implementation of S-M-A-R-T goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) which can keep us on track with the activation of our plans. One goal example: “I will perform the elliptical on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at Denich Gym for 45 minutes, as well as maintain 1,600 calories per day, which should lead to a 2-inch reduction on my waist and a loss of 10 pounds of weight in 2 months.”
Tips for accomplishing goals: — Hang the goal up where you can see it regularly to remind yourself what you are working towards. — Tell others about it and ask them to help you stay accountable and support you. — See your Internal Behavioral Health Consultant (IBHC) at U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay through a referral from your Primary Care Manager. Try the goal for two weeks. At the end of two weeks, see if it’s a goal that will work for you. If not, change it so it will work better. Once one goal is accomplished, set another SMART goal right away! Remember to pace yourself. Change will not happen all at once, but will slowly build up over time as you dedicate your New Year to a New You! Anyone wishing additional support and/or partnering, and more dedicated time to help plan out your new goals or approaches, please contact your Primary Care Manager at the USNH Primary Care Clinic, at 72110, for a referral to an IBHC. For more information on Dr. Fogg’s strategies and insights, see www. bjfogg.com/ or www.tinyhabits.com/.
Greenert Explains Value of Presence, Danger of Cuts
Amaani Lyle Defense Media Activity
NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA
KELLY WIRFEL MCC(SW/AW) KEITH BRYSKA
The Guantanamo Bay Gazette is an authorized publication for members of the military services and their families stationed at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Navy, and do not imply endorsement thereof. The editorial content is prepared, edited and provided by the Public Affairs Office of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The Guantanamo Bay Gazette is printed by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Document Services with a circulation of 670.
Presence remains the mandate of the Navy and the service must operate forward “when and where it matters,” the chief naval officer testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee here today. However, sequestration in 2013 not only whittled the Navy’s contingency response force to one third, but forced reductions in afloat and ashore operations, generated ship and aircraft maintenance backlogs, and compelled the Navy to extend unit deployments, Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert said. “Sequestration resulted in a $9 billion shortfall in 2013, below our budget submission ... degraded fleet readiness and created consequences from which we are still recovering,” the admiral said. Long Deployments Greenert also described carrier strike groups, amphibious-ready groups and destroyers experiencing eight- to 10-month, or longer, deployments. “This comes at a cost of our sailors’ and our families’ resiliency; it reduces the performance of the equipment and it will reduce the service lives of our ships,” he said. The Navy’s fleet readiness likely will not recover from the ship and aircraft maintenance backlogs until about 2018, five years after the first round of sequestration, according to Greenert. “We reduced procurement of advanced weapons and aircraft, [and] we delayed upgrades to all but the most critical shore infrastructure,” the admiral said. “The end result has been higher risk [to] those missions requiring us to deter and defeat aggression
and ... project power despite an anti-access, area-denial challenge.” Forward Presence Provides Value Still, recent events speak to the value of forward presence, Greenert asserts. “When tasked in August, the George H.W. Bush Strike Group relocated from the Arabian Sea to the North Arabian Gulf and was on station within 30 hours, ready for combat operations in Iraq and Syria,” Greenert said. Additionally, Navy and Marine Corps strike fighters from the carrier generated 20-30 combat sorties per day and for 54 days represented the only coalition strike option to project power against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the admiral said. Greenert highlighted the USS Truxtun, which arrived in the Black Sea to establish a U.S. presence and reassure allies within a week after Russia invaded Crimea. He recounted the USS George Washington Strike Group’s dozen ships that provided disaster relief to the Philippines in the wake of super typhoon Haiyan just over a year ago. Overall, he said, a return to sequestration further delays critical warfighting capabilities, further reduces contingency response force readiness and jeopardizes ship and submarine procurement. “Unless naval forces are properly sized, modernized at the right pace ... ready to deploy ... and capable to respond in the numbers and at the speed required by the combatant commanders, they won’t be able to answer the call,” Greenert said.
Memories of Guantanamo Bay By Stacey Byington
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lmost 30 years ago (Nov. 18, 1985) I reported to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay as an experienced First Class Navy Photojournalist, and assigned as the editor of the Daily Gazette. This was a very interesting time in Guantanamo Bay history, because there was a lot of new construction going on, a lot of very interesting people visiting the base, and new technology being introduced. It was a time of growth and prosperity. Let me paint a brief picture. The base population was approximately 15,000-17,000 people. The major tenant commands included Naval Station, Naval Air Station (NAS), Fleet Training Group (FTG), Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity (SIMA), Marine Corps Security Force Co. (MCSFCo), and the U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH). Each of these major commands had between 300 and 1,500 people assigned. FTG and SIMA were operating at their highest capacity since World War II. There were 5 – 15 Navy warships with their crews operating out of the base at any given time conducting refresher training or some sort of qualification training. The mix of people stationed here was a little more senior, a little older than many of the people stationed here today. They were family people with spouses and children. One of the highlights of my first tour in Guantanamo Bay was when I had the opportunity to interview RADM John D. Bulkeley, USN, Medal of Honor recipient and former base commander at the time of the water crisis in 1964. RADM Bulkeley had returned to base to participate in the ribbon-cutting of the new Fleet Training Group headquarters and instruction building, which was being named ‘Bulkeley Hall’ in his honor on Jan. 31, 1987. Tomorrow is the 28th anniversary of that interview, and of the dedication of Bulkeley Hall. The interview took place on Bulkeley Hill out near the Northeast Gate, early in the morning before the dedication, as he stood above the huge U.S. Marine Corps insignia he had constructed there by Seabees in July 1964 as a deterrent to harassment by Cuban soldiers of our Marines guarding the fenceline. “I was sent down here by President Kennedy to stop the shanghaiing of Navy Sailors while on liberty, to square up the base, and to ensure we did not yield this base to the government of Cuba, or be driven out by whatever means they chose to take,” Bulkeley said. He also talked about the events leading up to the cutting of the water pipe on Feb. 17, 1964. “Two weeks before the pipe was actually cut, I learned from a Cuban worker that Cuban soldiers had gone into the Yateras water plant and turned the valves down,” Bulkeley said. “The purpose was to drive us out.” The Yateras water plant, about 7.5 miles to the northeast, controlled the flow of water into the base by gravity. “The Cubans had no knowledge that we had prepared for this emergency very well,” Bulkeley continued. “There were two ships here that were under contract to go to Florida to pick up fresh water and return here with it. We also had another ship here (the Abatan), used in World War II, that made salt water into fresh water.” “We had barrels filled with salt water put in front of all the quarters, and people had to carry their own water to flush toilets. People also took salt water baths. We cut water consumption down to between 400 and 600 gallons per day. This went on for about two weeks. By this time the government
of Cuba saw there would be no evacuation, and accused the base (via broadcasts from Havana) of putting back- suction on our pumps and sucking water from the Yateras water plant. They figured this was the only means we could survive and stay on base without evacuating most of the population.” Bulkeley added that there were no evacuations from the base while he was the commander and training efforts and other work continued as usual. Upon hearing of the accusation (that we were stealing water from Cuba), Bulkeley got so irate, he said, “I will cut the damn pipe!” He continued with his story. “I got four Cubans, the oldest Cubans I could find and started them digging about 10 a.m., Feb. 17. By 4 p.m., they got down to the pipe. “At the same time, quite unintentionally, there were 32 newsmen on base. They just happened to be here because things were heating up. I had them all out to the pipe; the pipe came up; it was cut in two sections; and as everyone knows, it was bone dry.” Later that same morning (Jan. 31, 1987), RADM Bulkeley and RADM Thomas Emery, Commander, Training Command, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, officially cut the ribbon opening ‘Bulkeley Hall’, the new FTG academic instruction building. Mrs. Hilda Bulkeley, wife of RADM Bulkeley, assisted by CAPT Albert Johnson Jr., Commander, Fleet Training Group, unveiled the bronze plaque at the entrance of the building honoring her husband. In 1987, more than 100 ships went through underway training with FTG each year, with an average of 10 – 12 ships under its operational control at any one time. All classes of Atlantic Fleet Navy and Coast Guard ships, with the exception of submarines and those of friendly allied navies, received shakedown, refresher, and interim refresher training from FTG instructors. Periodic exercises were held in weapons and combat systems, seamanship and ship control, communications, propulsion systems and damage control. ADM Carlisle A.H. Trost, Chief of Naval Operations at that time, said in a message to RADM Emery which was read at the ceremony, “As you meet today for the dedication of this new facility, a strong Navy, which you have helped train, renders its salute, both to your own outstanding performance, and to the living example of the American hero who inspires us all.” In his praise for Bulkeley, ADM Trost said, “His outstanding vigor and uncompromising honesty, his technical insight backed by combat experience, have had a direct influence not only the material readiness of the ships he has inspected, but on the professional standards of the officers and enlisted personnel who have served in them.” In addition to the dedication of ‘Bulkeley Hall’, the auditorium for the building was dedicated as ‘Locke Auditorium’, in honor of Sgt. Charles Locke, USMC. Sgt. Locke, a member of the Marine Barracks minefield maintenance team, was killed here in February 1977 when a mine exploded during routine minefield maintenance. Locke’s wife, his two children, and an aunt, attended the ceremony. This is but one of my memories from my early days in Guantanamo Bay. There are lots of other stories to tell. Please let the staff of the Public Affairs Office know if people are interested in more base history.
PAGE 6• THE GUANTANAMO BAY GAZETTE
GTMO SHOPPER
Chaplain’s Corner
E-mail classified ad submissions to
“We are here to serve.” CDR Daniel Mode
NS Guantanamo Bay Command Chaplain
O
ur base chapel and chapel annex are popular, busy places and just not on Sunday! In the month of December over 4,300 persons came through our spaces for a variety of care and services. From religious services, bible studies, youth groups, AA meetings, and individuals coming to see a chaplain for counseling the chapel on the hill is a seven day a week buzz of activity. Throughout the weekend the chaplains and our appointed lay leaders offer 11 unique denominational services: Gospel, Contemporary Protestant, Liturgical Protestant, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, LDS, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Lord Reigns International, Islamic, Guantanamo Bay Christian Fellowship, and Seventh Day Adventist. On average, during any given week over 700 persons participate in some religious service. We have more services and more people attending a worship experience than any other base
chapel program in Region Southeast. The chapel offers more than just worship opportunities. We offer an extensive youth programs for middle and high school teenagers, a variety of small groups, and an extensive list of workshops and personal growth experiences with CREDO. Nearly 1000 people a month take advantage of these offerings. Many of our special programs are advertised on the base “roller.” Finally, we open our spaces to all groups and units who need a place to meet or train. Every week we process on average five requests to use our facilities. The bottom line—Chaplain Miller, RP1 Martinez, RP3 Wooden, Chris Bell (Club Beyond), Bobby Hinton (CREDO), Joan Salcido (Volunteer) and I are here to serve. Give us a call and see how we can serve you: 2323.
SECNAV Establishes Task Force Innovation
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ecretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus announced the establishment of Task Force Innovation (TFI) within the Department of the Navy Jan. 22. Consisting of subject matter experts from across the department, TFI has been charged with developing a comprehensive innovation agenda for the Navy and Marine Corps. Specific tasking for TFI includes the creation of the Department of the Navy’s innovation vision, the development of bold short and long-term innovation goals and metrics, oversight of coordination across the department and the removal of bureaucratic roadblocks preventing the achievement of these goals. “From non-state actors, to rising powers, today’s threats to our national security and our interests are not just becoming more numerous, they are also accelerating,” said Mabus. “Establishing Task Force Innovation will help us develop the best ways to improve our systems and ensure that we are also able to embrace our innovative ideas at a pace that keeps us ahead.” The task force, comprised of special advisors to the Secretary of the Navy as well as representatives from the offices of the Assistant Secretaries of the Navy, the Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy (Policy), the General Counsel, and the Office of Naval Research will focus its efforts on three main areas. The first, according to a memorandum signed by Mabus establishing TFI, is leveraging innovative practices to create and maintain an adaptive workforce. This area of focus will involve evaluating the Department of the Navy’s culture, policies and processes to ensure the Navy and Marine Corps are attracting, developing and retaining the best talent while creating a risk-tolerant environment that allows these men and women to anticipate and solve the services’ most demanding problems. “This isn’t about creating an innovative workforce,” said Mabus. “This is about harnessing the creative energy which our Sailors,
MOVIES
Marines and civilians already have.” TFI’s second area of focus will be ensuring the Department of the Navy is effectively viewing information as an asset. “We develop large amounts of data in the Navy and Marine Corps - everything from measuring our acquisition programs to the lessons learned from deployments and operations,” Mabus said. “We should be taking advantage of modern advances in computing power and analytical tools to ensure we are using all this information as a strategic asset.” TFI has also been charged with rethinking how the Department of the Navy values and shares information to ensure that processes within the Navy and Marine Corps allow the services to move at the speed required to perform their mission in the information age. The final area of focus for TFI will be ensuring emerging operational capabilities have a clear and expedient path to the fleet. The new concepts specifically being addressed by TFI will include adaptive force packages, unmanned systems, non-lethal weapons, directed energy weapons and additive manufacturing. “The Navy and Marine Corps need to continue to press forward with emerging capabilities and our next generation weapons and operating concepts,” said Mabus. TFI will have 60 days to provide a detailed innovation agenda clearly stating the actions required to prepare the Department of the Navy for the future. They will report directly to the Undersecretary of the Navy. “Innovation requires bringing together novel ideas and repurposing resources in order to fundamentally do things differently and to create beneficial outcomes,” said Mabus. “This involves using our greatest asset to its full potential - the intellectual capital of our remarkable workforce. I am confident that by working together, we will develop creative solutions to the most demanding challenges that lie ahead of us.”
PAO-CLASSIFIEDADS@ USNBGTMO.NAVY.MIL
If sent to any other e-mail, it may not be published. Submit your ad NLT noon Wednesdays for that week’s Gazette. Ads are removed after two weeks. Re-submit the ad to re-publish. The Gazette staff and NS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, page. The Public Affairs Office has final editorial discretion on all content. Call MCC Keith Bryska at 4520 with your questions or concerns. Please keep ads to a minimum of 5 items.
VEHICLES
Motorcycle for Sale, buy it now for $5,500 (OBO). 2008 YAMANHA FZ6 (600cc) W/ 8000 MILES, Sport/ Tour (Upright Seat Position), Dk. Blue w/minor scratches (1 dent), New Michelin Pilot 4 Rear/Front Tires Saddle Bags and Trunk Bag Included, Complete Tune Up completed in States. Added options are available. Call x79456 and leave a message.
The
Scoop
USNH An Early Developmental Intervention Screening specialist visits Guantanamo Bay semi-annually. If anyone has concerns regarding their child’s developmental progress such as speech and/ or gross or fine motor skills, please make an appointment to be seen by the pediatrician for a referral by Feb. 27. Call 72994 with any questions or to make an appointment. CHAPEL NS Guantanamo Bay’s Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operation (CREDO) is offering a SafeTALK seminar. SafeTALK is an interactive suicide awareness program that prepares the trainees on how to talk about suicide and how to take the person considering suicide to those that can help. There will be three separate classes on Feb. 20, March 18 and April 15 from 0800-1115. To sign up call the CREDO Facilitator, Bobby Hinton at 2373 BHO The Black Heritage Organiza-
tion is currently selling tickets to their annual banquet. Tickets are $40.00. The banquet is scheduled for Feb. 28 at the Windjammer Ballroom and is formal and semi-formal attire. For more information call 79449. W.T. SAMPSON W.T. Sampson School Advisory Committee will be holding a meeting Thursday, Feb. 9 from 1730 to 1830 at the W.T. Sampson H.S. Campus Media Center. All interested are invited to join. For more information call 3500.
IBC Beginning February 16 IBC will commence two flights a week off the island. The flights will be every Monday and Thursday. The Monday flight will be a prop plane and the Thursday flight will be a jet aircraft. Both flights will be to Fort Lauderdale, FL. COLA SURVEY The base is currently conducting a Living Pattern Survey that factors into the COLA equation. The survey will run for the next four weeks so please take the time and participate and have your voice heard. Only active duty service can participate in the survey. This survey plays a big part in determining whether we get COLA here in Guantanamo Bay. We have also post the link on our command Facebook page. Please spread the word so we get max participation. http://www.defensetravel. dod.mil/site/lps-cuba.cfm Base Visitors Did you know that there is no prohibition against FN family members coming to visit? You do need to allow at least 45 days to process through foreign databases. Below are the following steps you need to conduct. #1: Sponsor on island needs to have their guest complete SECNAV 5512/1 form, initial & sign as ap-
propriate (page 2), scan and email back to the sponsor. #2: Sponsor will print the form and take to either NGIS or Navy Lodge to stamp for reservation confirmation #3: Sponsor delivers the printed and stamped copy to Bldg 865. Sponsor will be asked for dates of visit at this time. #4: Access Control staff conducts foreign national background check (estimated time to completion is 45 days) #5: If cleared, Access Control will sign and contact sponsor of approval. If derogatory information is discovered that would prevent clearance, sponsor will be notified in writing of the determination.
Seabee Ball The 2015 Seabee Ball Committee will be holding a live auction on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 1830 at the Bayview. Items up for auction include; flags, coins, ceramics, hand crafted items, Valentine’s Day items and much more! For more information contact LTJG Roley at 5647.
January 30, 2015• PAGE 7
DOWNTOWN LYCEUM
FRIDAY 7 p.m.: The Gambler 9p.m.:
Jan. 30
R
Blackhat R
SATURDAY Jan. 31 7 p.m.: Strange Magic PG
9:15 p.m.: The Woman in Black 2 PG13
SUNDAY Feb. 1 3:30 p.m.: Super Bowl Tailgate Party MONDAY 7 p.m.: Top Five
Feb. 2
TUESDAY 7 p.m.: Annie
Feb. 3
WEDNESDAY 7 p.m.: Wild
Feb.4
R
PG
R
THURSDAY Feb. 5 7 p.m.: American Sniper R
CALL THE MOVIE HOTLINE @ 4880
CUBAN CLUB RESTAURANT CLOSED
Until Further Notice
2015 Muck Wars
Story by Mr. Thomas George Photos by Dan Frasco
T
ake a team of dedicated volunteers, mix in 600 pounds of top soil, add gallons of water, syrup, oil, chocolate sauce and more and you have the recipe for MUCK WARS 2. Mud, mess and merry mayhem returned to GTMO last Saturday as over 45 middle and high school students battled in Muck Wars 2. Billed as a “food-fight of epic proportions,” this year’s rendition succeeded in being messier, muckier, and merrier than last year. Many participants summed up their experience with the classic phrase, “That was AWESOME!” After the epic battle, the GTMO Fire Department showered the untidy teens with water sprayed from the top of a ladder truck and provided some fire safety tips for the evening bonfire. Muck Wars is a not-so-serious reenactment of the battle between the Brits and the Scots from the movie Braveheart, using water balloons, pudding bombs, mud, syrup, green slime and other sticky, slimy substances. A large mud pit in the middle of the battlefield served as the center-point for games like tug-o-war, pyramid building, jousting and a melon race, where muck warriors pushed watermelons through the mud with their heads. The climactic battle of Muck Wars had the two teams face off in regimental fashion, exchanging volleys of food bombs intending to soil the other team’s royalty, dressed in white and protected behind two echelons of
muck warriors. The final battle included a free-for-all that left everyone covered in gallons of goo and gunk, including referees and some spectators. Both parents and participants welcomed the GTMO Fire Department who set up what may be the world’s largest portable shower, rinsing over 50 people simultaneously. Muck Wars 2 builds on the success of last year’s “Antilles Adventure” camp. “The ultimate goal of chapel events like this is to provide a fun, positive, friendship building experience for GTMO students,” said Thomas George. “But about a dozen adult volunteer leaders are what truly makes this special. It’s all about caring; mentoring relationships, people who truly care about kids...that makes all the difference.” The festive battle also introduced Chris Bell, the new community director with Club Beyond, a youth program and ministry sponsored by the NAVSTA Chapel. Mr. Bell arrived on January 16 and “hit the ground running” according to Thomas George, the chapel’s director of religious education and youth programs. “He is here to serve the youth of GTMO full-time and will continue to improve and build the youth program at the chapel,” said George, who along with his family, will be leaving GTMO on February 6th. Prior to his arrival, Mr. Bell served on the Club Beyond team at the Air Force base in Lakenheath, England. Bravo Zulu to all the volunteers who gave freely of their time and talents!
January 30, 2015• PAGE 7