Bahrain Desert Times (513) - January 2024

BAHRAINI STUDENTS VISIT NSA BAHRAIN

By Ameera Al-Kooheji, NSA Bahrain Public Affairs

Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain and U.S. Embassy Manama, welcomed Bahraini students from the English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) to NSA Bahrain, Jan.16.

The visit was coordinated as part of the NSA Bahrain community relations (COMREL) program, focused on giving back to the local community through coordinated events and activities, celebrating and strengthening the longstanding partnership between the U.S. Navy and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The event allowed Bahraini students the opportunity to interact with Sailors in a casual setting and increase communication skills and mutual understanding between the two communities.

“It was an opportunity for them to immerse themselves in an all-English environment,” said Ms. Kim Chilmonik, Regional English Language Officer, U.S. Embassy Manama. “The Access students learned about the different jobs, roles and responsibilities of the Sailors, received training on fire safety at the fire station, and even practiced their skills at the bowling alley."

The Access program is a free two-year scholarship program offered by the U.S.

Embassy that provides a foundation to empower students with English language, life and leadership skills. The program offers enriching personal development experiences and community service activities in their home countries.

Students engaged one-on-one with Sailors on a broad spectrum of topics and key points about the Navy and American culture, stimulating conversational English

and enhancing their communication skills while creating new friendships.

"I liked it today, met new people, and discovered new information and new things,” said Fatima Rashed, one of the Bahraini students from the Access program.

“I practiced my English today, learned some new words and some new vocabulary, and I got to practice my accent and that was nice.”

Yeoman 2nd Class Robin White embraced the rare opportunity to meet Bahraini students while forging new bonds with the local community.

”It was a very humbling and grounding experience to meet the kids,” said White. “We talked about games, music and movies - reminding me of my own childhood and what a day like this would have meant to me when I was younger.”

Capt. Zachariah Aperauch, commanding officer, NSA Bahrain, met with the students and was proud to show what the NSA Bahrain team does on a daily basis.

"Having the students onboard NSA Bahrain allowed us to show our Bahraini brothers and sisters what we do. And in turn, we got to learn more about them as well. Our partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain has endured for more than 50 years and this is one of many opportunities we enjoy that strengthen that relationship.”

NSA Bahrain’s mission is to support U.S. and coalition maritime operations throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations by providing security for ships, aircraft and tenants on board NSA Bahrain and assigned detachments. NSA Bahrain provides efficient and effective shore services to sustain the fleet, enable the fighter and support the family with honor, courage and commitment.

Ecuador Joins Combined Maritime Forces in Middle East as 40th Member

Sailor in the Spotlight

2 - Canada Assumes Command of Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 150

3 - Medal of Honor

Monday: Marine Corps Sgt. Richard Binder

6 - Cinema

Photos by MC2 Macadam Weissman

Illegal Drugs Seized by CMF French-led Combined Task Force 150 in Arabian Sea

By NAVCENT Public Affairs

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter operating under the French-led Combined Task Force 150 of the Combined Maritime Forces seized about $8.1 million worth of illegal drugs from a vessel in the Arabian Sea, Jan. 16.

The Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) seized 173 kilograms of methamphetamines following a search. The Coast Guardsmen properly disposed of the drugs and released the vessel.

This is the second interdiction by CTF 150 of the year and marks the 14th time they have seized illegal narcotics at sea since France took command in July 2023. During their tenure, more than 16 tons of illegal narcotics with a street value of over $600 million were seized and disposed of, preventing criminal and terrorist organizations generating

income from drug smuggling. The seizure came one day before France turned over command of the task force to the Royal Canadian Navy.

The mission of Combined Task Force 150 is to disrupt the ability of non-state actors to move weapons or drugs, or engage in other illicit activities, in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

CTF 150 is one of five task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest multinational naval partnership, and focuses on maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

The 39-nation naval partnership upholds the international rules-based order by promoting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Canada Assumes Command of Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 150

By NAVCENT Public Affairs

The Royal Canadian Navy assumed command of a multinational maritime task force during a change-of-command ceremony Jan. 17.

French Navy Capt. Yannick Bossu turned over command of Combined Task Force 150 to Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Colin Matthews. CTF 150 was established in February 2002, and is one of five operational task forces under Combined Maritime Forces. CTF 150 conducts maritime security operations outside the Arabian Gulf against threats from nonstate actors. The core staff of CTF 150 consisted of French, British, New Zealanders, Australians and Bahrainis.

Since France took command of CTF 150 in July 2023, ships working in support of the task force carried out 14 successful boardings, in which more than 16 tons of illegal narcotics with a street value of over $600 million were seized. These seizures prevent criminal and terrorist organizations generating income from drug-smuggling.

While Commander of CTF 150, Bossu also spread CMF’s message through key partner engagements with countries including Seychelles, Mozambique and India. These engagements help strengthen ties between CMF nations and provides an opportunity to discuss the work of CMF with countries not yet members.

“Today marks the end of the French Navy’s successful 12th

command of CTF 150. I would like to express my thanks to all those who have continually supported us during our tenure, including Vice Admiral Cooper, Commodore Anderson, Commodore Dennis and Rear Admiral Al bin Ali,” Bossu said. “Integral to CTF 150’s achievements over the past six months are, of course, the French, British, American, Indian, and Pakistani ships that have been working in support and my team made up of staff from a range of nations. We are pleased to welcome the Royal Canadian Navy to Combined Task Force 150; it

has been a pleasure to meet your team. To everyone, keep on enjoying and serving in Combined Maritime Forces.”

Matthews joins CTF 150 following a tour as Director of Naval Information Warfare. Over the years, he has participated in numerous overseas deployments to the Arabian Gulf and Arabian Sea regions in support of counterterrorism operations.

“It is an honor to take command of Combined Task Force 150 and a privilege to lead this team of dedicated personnel from Canada, Bahrain, Australia, and

New Zealand for the next six months,” Matthews said. “We are eager to build on the achievements of Capt. Bossu and his team. The success of this operation lies with our ability to work with likeminded nations toward the same goals, ensuring that legitimate commercial shipping can transit the region free from non-state threats and we are ready to face this task.”

Combined Maritime Forces, headquartered in Bahrain with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, is the largest multinational naval partnership in

the world, with 39 nations committed to upholding the international rules-based order at sea. It promotes security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

CMF’s other task forces include CTF 151, which leads regional counter-piracy efforts; CTF 152, dedicated to maritime security in the Arabian Gulf; CTF 153, providing maritime security in the Red Sea; and CTF 154, which delivers maritime training.

Ecuador Joins Combined Maritime Forces in Middle East as 40th Member

By NAVCENT Public Affairs

On Jan. 11, the Combined Maritime Forces welcomed Ecuador as the 40th member of the world’s largest maritime security partnership.

“Ecuador joining CMF only makes us stronger,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, CMF commander. “This growing international naval coalition benefits mightily from having Ecuadorians standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other CMF nations, dedicated to maritime security and stability in the Middle East region, and protecting some of the world’s most important waterways. I

look forward to being ‘Ready Together’ with such maritime professionals.”

CMF is comprised of a headquarters staff and five combined task forces focusing on defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and promoting a safe maritime environment. The naval partnership upholds the international rules-based order by supporting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Sgt. Richard Binder

By Katie Lange, DOD News

Like many men born in the mid-1800s, Marine Corps Sgt. Richard Binder immigrated to America to find better opportunities. By the time the Civil War came around, the U.S. was his adopted home, and he was ready to fight for it. Binder earned his stripes on ships throughout the war, and his actions earned him a Medal of Honor.

Binder was born on July 26, 1839, in Würtemmberg, Germany. According to a 2014 article in the Hidden City Daily, a Philadelphia historical online publication, Binder moved to New York in 1854 when he was 15 before settling in Philadelphia. The publication said he worked with another German immigrant as a barber. In 1860, he applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship.

Just ahead of his 22nd birthday, Binder enlisted in the Marine Corps on July 11, 1861, about three months after the Civil War broke out. Binder first served on a ship that sank during the Battle of Port Royal, South Carolina, in early November 1861. He moved on to other ships and was involved in various naval battles before being sent to serve on the USS Ticonderoga, a propeller-driven warship, in 1864.

By Christmas Day in December 1864, Union forces were carrying out their first assault on Fort Fisher near Wilmington, North Carolina. The fort was the last major coastal stronghold for the Confederates, as it still managed to get supplies through the Union blockade. Union troops weren't successful in this skirmish, so three weeks later, they tried again.

Binder was aboard the USS Ticonderoga during the second Battle of Fort Fisher, and this time, Union troops were better prepared. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, about 40 ships on the front lines took aim at the fort using more than 600 guns. "The 50 cannons aboard the frigate Colorado alone were more

than the number of guns guarding the walls of Fort Fisher," naval historians wrote.

On Jan. 13, the Navy began its bombardment. The Confederates responded with their own heavy return fire. At some point, a 100-pound Parrott rifle exploded on one of the Union ships, killing eight sailors and wounding at least a dozen more.

Throughout those first two days of battle, Binder, who was the captain of a gun, "performed his duties with skill and courage," according to his Medal of Honor citation. His actions remained steady as he continually took aim at Confederate batteries onshore, helping to lessen enemy fire as the assault went on.

By Jan. 15, naval forces landed on the shores of Fort Fisher. While many of them were repulsed, causing many Union casualties, their actions successfully distracted the fort's garrison from the Union Army's attack on the land side of the installation. Those soldiers eventually breached the walls of the fort and took over, staking a claim over one of the strongest fortifications possessed by the Confederates and severing the South's transatlantic supply routes.

According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, the fall of Fort Fisher led to the occupation of Wilmington, which directly contributed to the Confederate surrender in April 1865.

After the war, Binder was honorably discharged. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 22, 1865, although a ceremony for the award wasn't held until the 1890s, according to Hidden City Daily. Nine other men from the Ticonderoga also earned Medals of Honor for their actions at Fort Fisher.

In 1868, Binder married a woman named Frederika, who had also emigrated from the same town in Germany years prior. They had a daughter, Laura, and a son, Richard Jr.

Binder eventually returned to cutting hair. By 1890, he'd become an astute businessman with four shops set up across Philadelphia. He was well-known in the industry and even expanded his business into tonics and toupees, Hidden City Daily reported.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Binder loved to collect canes and had about 600 of them, including one once used by President Abraham Lincoln.

Binder died Feb. 26, 1912, from heart disease, according to his Inquirer obituary. He is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia.

439-4520

www.cnic.navy.mil/bahrain

Commanding Officer

Naval Support Activity Bahrain

Capt. Zachariah Aperauch

NSA Bahrain Executive Officer

Cmdr. Jimmy Harmon

Host

Mass Communication Specialist

SEEDS TODAY, FRUIT TOMORROW

The message I want to convey is simple—tomorrow happens after today. Mind blowing, I know, but hear me out. If we accept the premise “today is yesterday’s tomorrow” then we can also agree that much of our current life situation is a result of choices and decisions we made yesterday (sometimes many “yesterdays” ago, years in fact). So, let me ask you to pause a moment to do a quick survey of your life circumstances. Of where do you now find yourself comes from your own doing? I am within the bounds of reason and logic to say, “A lot.” I’ll say it this way—seeds planted in your life yesterday bear fruit that you experience today. This means (stated pithily), “The seeds you plant today will bear fruit in your life tomorrow.”

What do you want most in life? As Chaplain Young and I have delivered the Treasures of the Nation (TON) seminar to hundreds of Sailors at this point, here are the most common answers we get to the previous question: a rich and fulfilling marriage with my spouse, to be a good father (or mother), to buy a house, to get a college degree, to start a business, to advance in rank, a deep relationship with God. Without exception, what people want most in life is really hard to get and takes a long time. What does this mean? It means that if you want the fruit of a great marriage, a high-achievement career, a bank account that supports buying a home, and so on you must begin with intentional choices (seeds) and consistency over time towards your goal (cultivating those seeds) so that can reach the goal (fruit).

January 24, 2024, marks twenty years of marriage to the best person I know— Jennifer Baker. Statistics on marriage do not favor our success. I have twenty-two active-duty years with eight deployments (so I have been gone a lot) and I come from a family of divorce (children from such families have elevated risk of divorce). Those variables aside, about one in three US marriages end in divorce, according to numerous studies. Yet here we are.

So, how did I get to twenty years of happily ever after with my bride? First, a decision (a seed) on January 24, 2004, to start a life journey with a carefully chosen person of whom God brought into my life. Next, thousands of choices—some significant, others seemingly insignificant—continually supporting my original choice (cultivating the seed). Part and parcel of growth has been protecting the marriage from all kinds of “weeds” that seek to sap the life from it or outright destroy it. Collectively, the effort has allowed me to happily report today that there is wonderful fruit on the other side of the years long labor of love.

The moral of the story is this—the seeds you plant today will bear fruit in your life tomorrow. Tomorrow happens after today. So, remember you make your choices, and your choices make you.

Ch. D. Anthony “Bake” Baker III

New MOVIES at the MWR Cinema

Migration (PG) – 1h 23m

A family of ducks try to convince their overprotective father to go on the vacation of a lifetime. | Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Danny DeVito

The Boys in the Boat (PG-13) – 2h 4m

A 1930s-set story centered on the University of Washington's rowing team, from their Depression-era beginnings to winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

| Cast: Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Peter Guinness

Silent Night (R) – 1h 44m

On Christmas Eve, a man witnesses the death of his young son when the boy gets caught in crossfire between warring gangs. Recovering from a wound that cost him his voice, he soon embarks on a bloody and grueling quest to punish those responsible. | Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kid Cudi, Harold Torres

Mean Girls (PG-13) – 1h 52m

New student Cady Heron gets welcomed into the top of the social food chain by an elite group of popular girls called the Plastics, ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina's ex-boyfriend, she soon finds herself caught in their crosshairs. | Cast: Reneé Rapp, Avantika Vandanapu, Angourie Rice, Christopher Briney

EXPLORING THE GULF

Top Destinations for an Unforgettable Experience

The Gulf region, also known as the Persian Gulf, is a beautiful and fascinating part of the world. It is located in the Middle East and is surrounded by several countries. Each country has something unique to offer, making the Gulf region an ideal destination for travellers looking to experience culture, history and natural beauty.

Whether you seek the glitz and glamour of Dubai, the cultural richness of Oman, modern sophistication in Doha, the historical treasures of Bahrain or the natural beauty of Salalah, the Gulf region has something for every traveler. The combination of ancient traditions and futuristic cities creates a unique and unforgettable experience. So, pack your bags and embark on a journey to the Gulf, where you not only get to experience the city life and learn about the history of the countries, but also embrace the beautiful culture and the welcoming atmosphere that the Gulf is well known for.

Saudi Arabia

Bahrain

The ‘Pearl of the Gulf,’ Bahrain, is a location with a rich cultural history. At the UNESCO World Heritage Site Qal’at al-Bahrain, visitors can learn about the ancient Dilmun culture, or they can visit the Bahrain National Museum. Water activities and opulent resorts like Jumeirah Resort and Spa are available at the spotless Zallaq beaches. Adhari Park is a magnificent recreation area in Zinj. The Al’ali pottery farm and The Lost Paradise of Dilmun are open to visitors throughout the summer. People looking for a blend of traditional and urban life frequently travel to Bahrain because of its balance of both.

Saudi Arabia is a country with a storied history and culture, offering a variety of remarkable destinations. In recent years it has become quite the attraction for people to visit since Saudi Arabia’s football association brought in the world famous Cristiano Ronaldo as a player for Al Nassr Club, followed by many more influential football players. We begin with the capital city of Riyadh which is a must-see, offering modernity and traditional charm. The King Abdulaziz Historical Centre is a stunning architectural masterpiece. Mecca, which the holiest city in Islam, is home to the Kaaba, a sacred site. The Abraj Al Bait Towers offer stunning views and luxury hotels. Don’t miss out on the blissfulness of Al’Ula which is an archaeological treasure trove in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Let’s not forget the hidden gem of a city, Abha, which is home to the underrated Abu Kheyal Park that blooms with purple flowers all over the park making it an absolute beauty.

To read more visit womanthismonth.com/exploring-the-gulf-top-destinations-for-an-unforgettable-experience