Volume 13, Issue 23 Friday, April 13, 2012

On your 

mark...

CPO triathlon tests 

Troopers’ mettle

Also in this issue:

Commissions report

JSMART: Dealing with loss

‘Ghost Rider’ sequel reviewed (blerg)
Help raise money to transform Haiti. 

Take part in the 5K on Apr. 21 at 7 a.m. 

outside Denich Gym. Register for the event 

tomorrow at the NEX Atrium. Registration 

fee is $11. 

For more information, call Larissa Pillay 

at 3252 or Joshua Conwell at 84507.

Listen to some of your favorite oldschool classics as well as new school funk 

April 20 at the Windjammer Ballroom. 

For more information, call 75503.

Reggae/hip hop artist Rayvon will perform Apri1 21 at 10 p.m. at the Windjammer 

Ballroom with Miami’s own DJ Epps. 

For more information, call 2157 or 75237.

All hands are invited to participate in 

30 minute intervals of GTMO Moves, circuit training kickboxing and yoga at Denich 

Gym. The workout runs April 25 from 5:30-

7:30 p.m. For more information, call 2113.

MWR Liberty will take Troopers and 

Guantanamo Bay residents on another history hike on May 5. This time it will be centered around Hicacal. 

Call 2010 to find out how you can help.

Want to learn the history of the North 

East Gate and the United States Marines at 

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay? Meet at the 

Marine Hill Parade Deck at 11 a.m. on the 

third Friday of every month for the North 

East Gate tour. 

For more information, call 2334.

Put on your PJs and enjoy free popcorn, 

beverages and a movie at the Marine Hill 

Liberty Center, Sunday at 8 p.m. This opportunity is available for active duty, unaccompanied personnel.

For more information, call 2010.

The Jamaica Independence Day committee invites all hands to volunteer for a 

multitude of fundraising events, to include a 

car wash, T-shirt sale, sporting events, beach 

party, multicultural cook-off, Jamaican cooking class, gospel concert, chef auction and 

much more. Jamaican Independence Day is 

Aug. 6, and all fundraising event dates are 

TBD. To volunteer, call 4822.

Watch Jones v. Evans April 21 at 9 p.m. 

on the flat screens at O’Kelly’s Irish Pub. 

For more information, call 75503.

| News from the Bay The Wire | Page 3

News from the Bay

MWR Liberty is looking for fun facilitators. Do you have your captain’s license? 

Volunteers are needed to take boats out on 

day and night fishing trips. Are you good at 

Texas Hold’em poker? Pool? What about 

ping-pong? Call MWR Liberty at 2010 and 

volunteer to teach others the your favorite 

games.

All hands are invited to a free community 

event April 28, 2-6 p.m. featuring a performance by the Dirty Sock Funtime Band. 

For more information, call 84616.

Help keep the trails of Gitmo beautiful and clean. The Trail Blazers are looking 

for volunteers to help cut grass, trim tree 

limbs, remove trash and anything else it 

takes to keep your hikes, trail runs and bike 

rides fun and easy. For more information, 

call Martin Sullivan at 8243/8242 or email 

Martin.E.Sullivan@jtfgtmo.southcom.mil.

The Community Library renovations are 

complete and normal hours have resumed! 

Revisit your favorite comfy chair, WiFi 

hotspot or finally return all the books you 

almost forgot about.

For more information, call 75237

INDEX

The Wire

April 13, 2012

Commissions report

TSP doesn’t have to be a PITA

Get set...

He’s a lumberjack and he’s ok

The grieving process

Movie review: Ghost Rider II

The WIRE is the official news magazine of Joint Task Force 

Guantanamo. It is produced by the JTF Public Affairs Office to 

inform and educate the Troopers of JTF Guantanamo through 

news, features, command guidance, sports and entertainment. 

This DoD news magazine is an authorized publication for the 

members of the Department of Defense. Contents of The 

WIRE are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed 

by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or Joint 

Task Force Guantanamo. It is printed by Defense Logistics 

Agency Document Services with a circulation of 1,300.

5

5

6

8

9

10

History hike sequel

Volunteer everywhere

Trail Blazers There’s another 

independence day

5K run/walk for Haiti North East Gate tour

Library reopened

Pajama party

UFC at O’Kelly’s

Day at the Bay

Fitness Aerobathon

Play that funky music, 

and reggae/hip hop too

This is LT’s dream library, minus the ugly 

floor lamps... actual Community Library 

renovations may vary.

Spring is in the air! Even in Guantanamo 

Bay, where the temperature rarely dips into 

the mid-60s, we have signs of spring. Trees 

are budding after taking on a dead appearance 

for several months. Brown plants are showing 

new green leaves and starting to flower. The 

iguana mating season is apparently in full 

swing. We had our first good hard rain in 

quite a while over the weekend. Even Joint 

Task Force Sailors’ uniforms will change from 

tan to green on Monday. Yes, all the signs of 

spring are showing in Guantanamo. 

Spring traditionally signals change, 

resurrection, rededication and at times 

the feeling of hope as we shed the gray 

(at Guantanamo, the brown or tan) of 

winter. I personally enjoy the trappings of 

spring (maybe not the iguana mating, but 

everything else). Change is ultimately good 

if the energy required to generate change is 

applied correctly. Change is the foundation 

of progress and I do subscribe to the notion 

that “if you are not progressing forward then 

you are destined to backslide.” Sometimes we 

get into a comfort zone where we just want 

to “hold what we’ve got” or “don’t touch 

anything.” Like flying an aircraft or driving a 

vehicle, one must make constant adjustments 

to maintain the intended elements of direction 

to get where we want to go. 

We are in the process of change and 

progress at the JTF. April 6 marked the Navy 

Expeditionary Guard Battalion (NEBG) 

turnover of the Guard Force in the third of 

three detention camps. Until recently, our 

Guard Force was about evenly split between 

Soldiers and Sailors. As our Joint Force 

demands changed with the conclusion of 

Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn 

at the end of 2011, the supply that resourced 

that demand was available to be reapportioned 

and remissioned. JTF Guantanamo was the 

beneficiary of the remissioning of available 

Military Police (MP) forces. In December, 

we embarked on the transition of the duties 

being performed by the NEGB Individual 

Augmentee Sailors, which for a number of 

years have been drawn from across the active 

and reserve Fleet, to Army MPs. Army is 

the Department of Defense executive agent 

for military detention operations; as such 

the Army Active, Reserve and National 

Guard components maintain in their ranks a 

Military Police force which is in part designed 

to perform both detention and security 

operations. We currently have active, reserve 

and guard Army MP Companies performing 

the detention and security mission at 

Guantanamo. By the end of April our Guard 

Force ratio will have changed to roughly 

85% Army and 15% Navy. The impressive 

aspect of this change is that it has progressed 

without a hitch in our professional execution 

of the unique detention mission we perform 

at JTF Guantanamo. It is a true testament to 

our Joint Force in the United States military 

that we can seamlessly transition a significant 

piece of a complex, high-visibility mission. 

Bravo Zulu, not only to the Sailors past and 

present who have stood - and stand- the watch 

so diligently, but also to the Soldiers who have 

assumed the watch in stride! 

This is but just one example of change that 

occurs routinely within our rotational force. 

My expectation for each and every one of you 

is that we don’t just do “change for change’s 

sake” but we strive to harness change-energy 

in a positive direction. Have you improved on 

what was passed on to you when you arrived 

at Guantanamo Bay? What is your plan to 

improve our command now and in the future? 

Don’t be satisfied with status quo. Let’s pull 

together to create the cultural change in this 

command that will have a lasting impact. This 

message is the same as we discussed during 

the “All Hands Calls” last month – continue 

to turn this message into action! We are 

Honor Bound to do so! 

The Wire | Page 2 Command Corner |

JTF Guantanamo

Commander

Rear Adm. David Woods

Deputy Commander

Brig. Gen. James Lettko

Command Master Chief

Cmd. Master Chief Reynaldo Tiong

Office of Public Affairs Director

Cmdr. Tamsen Reese: 9928

Deputy Director

Air Force Maj. Michelle Coghill: 9927

Operations Officer

Army Maj. Jon Powers: 3649

Senior Enlisted Leader

Sgt. 1st Class Jerome Grant: 3649

The Wire

Command Information Officer

Army 1st. Lt. Amelia Thatcher

Editorial Staff

Army Sgt. Saul Rosa

Spc. Ryan Hallock

Spc. Vanessa Davila

Pvt. Loren Cook

Photojournalists

Sgt. 1st Class Kryn Westhoven

Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Ty Bjornson

Army Staff Sgt. Lewis Hilburn

Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Keith Simmons

Mass Communication Spc. 2nd Class Kilho Park

Army Sgt. Landis Andrews

Contact us

Editor’s Desk: 3499

Commercial: 011-5399-3499

DSN: 660-3499

E-mail: thewire@jtfgtmo.southcom.mil

Online: www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil/wire/wire.html

Rear Adm. David Woods

Commander, JTF Guantanamo

Cover: Petty Officer 1st Class Erica Gardner left GTMO in the dust on the bike portion of the Chief Petty 

Officers Association Triathlon! Along with Cmdr. Tamsen Reese (swim) and civilian Katie Sutton (run), the 

team won third place overall April 7. –photo by Pvt. Loren Cook

Cc

ommand

orner

Joint Task Force

Guantanamo Safe Humane Legal Transparent l l l
 One of the most important things I have 

learned in my 18-plus years of service in the 

Army is the great need to stay physically fit.

Before beginning my career in the military, I stayed in shape because I played a lot 

of sports and that was fun for me. Because 

playing sports was my exercise it included 

a lot of running and throwing movements, 

I did not use all the muscles needed in the 

Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) programs or normal duties. 

When I started doing physical fitness 

training (PT) in Army basic training, it was 

very hard. It was not fun and it took some 

getting used to. I didn’t like to do it after basic training either. But I knew if I wanted to 

stay in the military, I had to do some of my 

PT Army-style.

Growing up in a poorer area of Chicago, 

I did not learn to look at many challenging 

things with a positive attitude. I hated to do 

things that I felt forced to do or that took a 

lot of work. So because PT was something I 

was “forced” to do, it took a while to learn to 

have a good attitude about it. 

At first, my primary motivation to PT was 

to stay in accordance Field Manual 21-20 

(physical fitness training) and Army Regulation 670-1 (wear and appearance of the 

uniform). But as I became more fighting fit 

and as I understood more about exercise, I 

began to realize how important fitness is to 

my overall life. Now I love to do PT because 

it allows me to stay healthy and strong and 

have more energy for the sports I love to 

play.

If career advancement and the benefits to 

personal activities aren’t enough, maybe you 

can be motivated by the way others see you 

and how you see yourself. Everyone wants 

to look and feel good about their appearance 

and weight, but you won’t get fit wishing for 

a better body, you have to get off your butt 

and do something about it.

I don’t know too many people who don’t 

like to eat. Without exercise, we have to eat 

less because we start putting on the pounds 

if we don’t. You’ll go from being fit, to being that tubby person in the mall the kids are 

making fun of because you got a sandwich 

in your hand you really don’t need. So if you 

like to eat, PT is a great way to be able to 

have some good food to give you energy you 

do need.

I went from hating PT to loving it, saying 

along the way “I love PT; it works for me!” I 

believe that if you find the right motivation 

and give it a chance, it will work for you too.

All branches of the military have men and 

women who love to do PT and are willing 

to help people get into a good workout routine. Seek them out, ask for help, and when it 

comes time to go to battle, you will be fighting fit.

Commissions Activity

As we all know the commissions are upon us. And because of the commissions the eyes of the 

world are going to be focused on Joint Task Force Guantanamo once again. So with that in mind 

we would like to make some friendly reminders concerning OPSEC. Remember the “need to 

know” principle. Don’t talk to individuals about work related material outside the realm of your 

work environment. Even if who you are about to talk to is in your section, leave work at work. 

You never know who else might be listening or watching. Use OPSEC!

PSEC ALERT

PROTECT YOUR INFO!

The Wire | Page 4 Trooper to Trooper |

Trooper to Trooper

Sgt. 1st Class Marrio Williams

JTF Guantanamo Engineer NCOIC

make PT work for you

FORT MEADE, Md. – A military judge 

ruled Tuesday that a defendant in the USS 

Cole bombing may meet with his defense attorneys unfettered.

Army Col. James L. Pohl deferred several 

other defense motions in the case of Abd alRahim Hussein Mohammed Abdu al-Nashiri 

at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The ruling made moot testimony from 

Nashiri on the effects he felt from his imprisonment prior to arriving at the detention 

facility in Cuba. That testimony could have 

contained classified information.

Lawyers also argued on constitutional 

motions, with the defense arguing that neither terrorism nor conspiracy is a crime 

under accepted international law. They said 

Nashiri – who is alleged to have masterminded the plot that killed 17 sailors aboard the 

USS Cole during an act of terror in Aden, 

Yemen, in 2000 – cannot be charged with 

those crimes because they don’t exist.

Pohl indicated he would rule on these 

motions later. 

Nashiri is charged with perfidy, murder in 

violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, terrorism, conspiracy, intentionally causing serious 

bodily injury, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects and hazarding a vessel.

This is a capital case.

The charges arise out of an attempted 

attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 

2000, the actual attack on the USS Cole in 

October 2000, and an attack on the motor 

vessel Limburg in October 2002.

Nashiri is a Saudi-born member of alQaida. U.S. officials allege he was under the 

personal supervision of Osama bin Laden, 

and that bin Laden personally approved the 

attacks on the U.S. Navy ships.

New York lawyer David Schultz also 

spoke to the court today, arguing that the 

peoples’ right to know trumped security 

concerns in this trial. Schultz, who represented 10 media organizations including the 

New York Times, the Washington Post, Fox 

News, NPR and the Miami Herald, based 

his argument on the 1st Amendment to the 

Constitution.

He noted that lead prosecutor Army Brig. 

Gen. Mark Martins has been explaining to 

audiences around the United States how the 

reformed military commissions system is the 

best way to advance the rule of law in these 

cases. Under U.S. law, public attendance of 

criminal prosecutions is imperative to fairness, he said.

He reached back to the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators in 1865 and 

the Nuremberg trials after World War II to 

show that military commissions also honored this idea.

He admitted the government had a right 

to not reveal classified data during a trial, but 

argued that there are ways to ensure openness while still protecting the information.

Schultz’ testimony was the first time outside lawyers have argued in front of the panel at Guantanamo.

Pohl did not disagree with Schultz. He 

maintained that the default setting in his 

court is a public hearing. He said proceedings should be closed only when the least restrictive measures cannot be imposed.

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

| Command Information The Wire | Page 5

By Sgt. 1st Class Kryn Westhoven

More motions filed in al-Nashiri case

Honor Bound

This Week in 

Guantanamo Bay History

G.J. Denich, the man

Forty-nine years ago, 

U.S. Navy Reserve Seabee 

Petty Officer 3rd Class 

George J. Denich, Jr. was 

killed while driving a bulldozer in the construction of base fortifications. 

Denich died April 10, 1963, 

when the bulldozer he was 

operating overturned on 

what would become known 

as “Denich Hill.” He and 

his fellow Seabees were 

preparing defensive positions in the tumultuous 

years after the Cuban Communist Revolution and the 

severing of diplomatic relations between the Unites 

States and Cuba.

A monument is dedicated to Denich, and is located 

at the base of the hill where 

he was killed. It is at the end 

of Kittery Beach Road, just 

before the Joint Task Force 

“Honor Bound” sign. The 

monument was dedicated 

on June 26, 1963. The 

Denich family was present, placing a plaque there 

to remind everyone of their 

loved one’s sacrifice. 

Twenty-five years ago, 

a new base gym was also 

named in Denich’s honor. 

A rededication ceremony 

occurred on March 19, 

2007, when Seabees of 

NMCB-133 unveiled a 

commemmorative plaque.

By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Shimer

Saving for retirement 

is as easy as TSP

Money Matters

With the federal tax deadline 

fast approaching, this is good 

time to start thinking about reducing your tax liability for this 

year and save for your retirement. 

For service members, both 

goals can be accomplished by 

starting or increasing contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan 

(TSP), according to Walter Barrett, personal finance specialist 

with the Fleet and Family Support Center at U.S. Naval Station 

Guantanamo Bay.

“TSP is your money you take 

when you go,” said Barrett, explaining that contributions are 

not tied to retirement from the 

military. 

The uniformed services retirement system is a defined benefit program, which means you 

need to wear the uniform a certain number of years to qualify. 

Benefits are based on rank and 

years of service. TSP is a defined 

contribution plan, so the amount 

you put in and the earnings on 

those investments will determine 

what you can redeem.

TSP contributions are made 

from pre-tax earnings, meaning

 see TSP page 9

Money really does matter, 

especially when it comes 

to building a nest egg: 

this is part one of a 

two-part series on 

managing Thrift Savings 

Program funds.
The Wire | Page 6 Feature | | Feature

It was just after dawn in the cool 

early morning hours of a beautiful 

Saturday. At Windmill Beach, a light 

breeze was blowing; just enough to 

carry the scent of saltwater to your 

nose.

At the water’s edge, a crowd of 

men and women competing in the 

Chief Petty Officers Association 

Triathlon lined up in the sand.

“Get ready!” boomed a voice 

from a bullhorn, and the line of 

people on the beach got ready.

“Get set!”

A blast from the bullhorn 

sounded, and the group surged into 

the Caribbean.

“The water was relatively calm,” 

said Navy Lt. Michael Suriano, flag 

aide and official Joint Task Force 

Easter bunny, who won third place 

for individual competitors.

Swimmers cut through the water 

with powerful strokes, heading 

toward a buoy that marked the edge 

of their course. Upon reaching 

it, they turned right and swam to 

another buoy. After reaching that 

buoy, they swam back to shore.

“I have a swimming background, 

so the hardest part was seeing the 

buoys,” Suriano added.

Speed was key, but it was also 

very important for the swimmers to 

conserve their energy. This wasn’t a 

race that would be determined only 

by swimming; swimming was merely 

the first part of the competition.

After finishing their 500-meter 

swim, participants ran to the road, 

donned protective helmets, and got 

on bicycles. Their next task was to 

cycle 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) over 

rugged, uneven terrain.

“It wasn’t as fun when the 

chaplain passed me halfway into it!” 

Suriano groaned.

Ten kilometers of cycling later, 

competitors found themselves with 

their final challenge. They took off 

their helmets, got off their bicycles, 

turned around, and began running a 

5K (3.1 miles) on the very road they 

had been cycling on moments before.

“I’d been fasting for four 

days, but I felt really good when I 

started running,” said Army Staff 

Sgt. Augusto Gonzalez, J-4’s chief 

purchasing agent. “All I could think 

about as I ran was that I didn’t want 

to let my team down.”

Joint Task Force Guantanamo 

command chaplain, Navy Capt. 

Bradley Thom, came in first with 

a time of 1 hour, 7 minutes, 47 

seconds.

“These events give me a reason to 

train and stay in shape,” Thom said.

“Coming out here is a great way to 

celebrate fitness, and it’s a great way 

to come together and meet people 

you don’t normally see,” Gonzalez 

added.

The Chief Petty Officers 

Association held the triathlon to 

raise scholarship money for a W.T. 

Sampson High School student.

In order to earn the scholarship, 

interested students submit a 

scholarship packet, including an 

essay. Packets will be reviewed by 

chief petty officers, and the winning 

student will be announced in midMay, said Senior Chief Petty Officer 

Joey Stephenson, president of the 

Guantanamo Bay chapter of the 

CPOA.

Beyond benefiting the students, 

competitors turned out to test their 

level of fitness against each other 

and embrace the spirit of the chief 

petty officer.

“These events get a lot of people 

with similar interests together, and 

help instill a feeling of fitness,” 

Stephenson said.

By Pvt. Loren Cook

Get Ready...

Guantanamo Bay civilians and Joint Task 

Force Troopers hit the water swimming at 

the start of April 7’s Chief Petty Officers 

Association Triathlon. Participants had the 

option of competing individually or in teams. 

–photos by Pvt. Loren Cook

Get Set...

GO!

Troopers triumph 

in CPO Triathlon

Winners’ Circle

Individuals – Male

1st Place – Bradley Thom – 1:07:47

2nd Place – Corey Geiger – 1:10:17

3rd Place – Michael Suriano – 1:11:16

Individuals – Female

1st Place – Karen Guerra – 1:18:06

2nd Place – Marty Bledsoe – 1:18:49

3rd Place – Elena Granina – 1:32:39

Teams

1st Place – Landis Andrews, Joseph Donnelly, 

and Augusto Gonzalez – 1:17:20

2nd Place – Ian Browder, Ike Bennett Lee, 

and Greg Lewis –1:21:37

3rd Place – Erica Gardner, Tamsen Reese, 

and Katie Sutton – 1:22:07

The Wire | Page 7
The Wire | Page 8 Trooper Focus |

trooper focus

By Army Sgt. Saul Rosa

As the Joint Task Force 

Guantanamo mission 

continues, buildings need 

maintenance and new projects 

emerge. The Trooper who 

responds to those service calls 

is Petty Officer 1st Class Mark 

Anderson of the Joint Task 

Force Engineers. 

Anderson has served in the 

Navy Reserve for 15 years and 

has worked in many of the 

traditional Seabee positions 

ranging from the one swinging 

the hammer to project 

supervisor. 

“The job I do on island is 

different than what I typically 

do as a builder in the Seabees,” 

said Anderson. “I manage the 

service calls for JTF properties 

and facilities through facility 

maintenance representatives 

throughout the command.” 

Anderson also assists in 

special projects that require 

knowledge of construction, 

such as the 107th Military 

Police Company’s piece in 

Memorial Field. 

Memorial Field is 

where outgoing units place 

monuments between the JTF 

Mini NEX and the Trooper 

Chapel. The monuments 

typically feature the unit crest, 

date of deployment and a 

motto or catchphrase.

As a reservist, Anderson 

must balance his military career 

with his civilian career back 

home. 

“I am a squad leader in 

the reserves,” said Anderson. 

“I have three fire teams and 

each fire team has three to 

four people. The last time I 

was deployed, I was prefab 

shop supervisor and we 

prefabricated seahuts and other 

building to minimize the time in 

construction.” 

When not deployed, 

Anderson constructs custom 

furniture. 

Anderson explained that he 

came into the business when a 

friend asked him to work for his 

company. As the company grew, 

Anderson began working full 

time making custom furniture. 

“We’ll make anything a 

customer requests us to make,” 

said Anderson. 

Before deploying to 

Guantanamo, Anderson and his 

friend branched out into a new 

business model.

“We teamed up 

Who would you want on your triathlon team?

“I would bring Staff Sgt. 

Chapple because he’s 

great at PT.” 

Spc. Cody Kilroy

“I would bring Lt. Guerra 

because she’s number one 

and fast. She could fill any 

role in the Triathlon.”

Builder 2nd Class 

Christopher Benton

“I would bring YN2 

Escobedo, because his 

motivation and drive 

would make him a valuable 

member.”

Yeoman 1st Class

Holly Fey

“I would bring Michael 

Jordon because he’s an all 

around great athlete.” 

Pfc. DeAngelo Beane

Boots on the Ground

Time in service: 15 years

Hobbies: Snorkeling, woodcrafting, smoking 

cigars

The boss says: “He’s a very bright Sailor who 

knows his stuff.”

Advice to junior Troopers: “When you’re not 

working, get away from the workplace and explore 

your surroundings.”

Bullet Bio:

BU1 Mark Anderson

 see FOCUS next page

There are a number of defining moments 

in the course of our lives that can completely 

change the way we perceive the world and 

go about our affairs. Some of these events 

are positive, such as the birth of a child, 

graduation, and retirement. And some of 

these events impact us negatively, such as 

the loss of a job, divorce, and the death of 

someone close. Grief and loss are inevitable 

realities that we all must regrettably face 

throughout the course of our lifetimes. 

The process of mourning and recovery 

can be a difficult and long battle. Service 

members deployed abroad, in particular, can 

experience increased obstacles in accepting 

such events. No matter where you are, you 

can overcome grief and loss by identifying 

and managing your emotions.

Very few definitions can summarize 

the meaning of grief, since it can carry 

a very different meaning individually. In 

its most simplistic definition, “grief is a 

natural response to loss” (Smith & Segal, 

2012). Though grief associated with death 

is familiar to many of us, we grieve a wide 

variety of losses throughout our lives, both 

physical and symbolic. Whereas we can 

grieve the tangible loss of a loved one, we 

also are capable of mourning the loss of 

intangible things, such as a relationship or 

financial stability. 

For the service member, 

experiencing loss can have a severe 

impact upon physical and emotional 

well-being. Deployments already 

present us with a wide range of 

different stressors. The death of a 

loved one or the loss of something 

cherished can come as a devastating 

shock and complicate an already 

stressful situation. Grieving 

individuals may exhibit such 

symptoms as frequent crying spells, 

irritability, insomnia, hypersomnia 

(sleeping too much), and difficulty 

functioning on a day to day basis. 

A large amount of clinical research has 

been conducted to identify distinct phases 

of grief. In 1969, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler Ross 

published her book, “On Death and Dying,” 

which theorized five stages of bereavement 

and mourning. The Kubler Ross model 

identifies the five stages as being denial, 

anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance 

(D.A.B.D.A). Although all five stages may not 

apply to everyone, the model has been used 

by clinicians and mental health professionals 

to assist people in getting better. However, 

the unifying factor for all the phases of 

grief is time. The path to improvement and 

accepting loss is dependent upon time. As the 

old adage goes, “time heals all wounds,” and 

so too is the emotional hurt of grief lessened 

with the passage of time. Mourning is a very 

personal experience that can take years for 

someone to recover from.

As humans, we are all equipped with a 

range of coping skills to handle the various 

obstacles of life. Though it may be difficult, 

accepting the death of a loved one or the 

loss of something dear can ultimately result 

in maturing us in a positive way. When 

confronted with death or loss, we can seek 

the comfort of company to alleviate the pain. 

Getting reassurance from family and friends 

can be beneficial in providing a different 

outlook on the situation. Should you be 

spiritually inclined, finding support from 

your religion also can make a considerable 

difference in accepting the loss. 

While professional counseling and 

strong social support can assist in reducing 

the anguish associated with grief, moving 

onward and accepting the loss is dependent 

upon the individual. Those attempting to 

offer assistance to an individual in mourning 

should understand that grief reactions will 

not dissipate overnight. Should concern arise 

regarding their behavior, such as threatening 

suicide or other destructive acts, emergency 

services must be notified immediately.

Bearing the pain of loss and grief 

doesn’t have to be a lone battle. The Joint 

Stress Mitigation and Restoration Team 

is the mental health asset available to Joint 

Task Force Guantanamo personnel. We 

are located next to the Camp America post 

office, acorss from the Trooper Chapel. We 

are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed 

weekends and federal holidays. Call us during 

duty hours at extension 2321.

| Mind, Body & Spirit The Wire | Page 9

Mind, Body & Spirit

Handling grief

and loss while 

deployed

by Hospitalman 3rd Class 

Dominique Cannon, JSMART

with another friend of ours and started ‘Tree 

of Life,’” said Anderson. “We are sourcing 

the wood for the customer. If a tree is blown 

over by a storm, we will go and harvest it.”

Anderson explained that often the trees 

that are harvested are hundreds of years 

old and would have been shredded for easy 

disposal if his company didn’t pick them 

up.

Anderson learned how to survive 

deployments from previous tours overseas 

and offers this advice to Troopers . 

“Take advantage of what is offered,” 

said Anderson. “ I see people squirreled 

away in their rooms. Even if this isn’t the 

most exciting place, it’s a lot better than 

most deployment sites.”

FOCUS cont. 

you do not pay income tax on the money 

invested. This tax deferment can work well 

for many people whose retirement income 

will be lower and could be in a lower tax 

bracket. 

TSP was started for federal civilian employees in 1986 to provide government 

workers a retirement plan similar to 401K 

plans offered in the private sector. The savings and tax benefits were extended to the 

uniform services in 2001. Three quarters 

of TSP participants ranked the program 

in their top five sources of expected retirement income in a 2011 survey.

“Look at it as a retirement vehicle, and 

leave it alone so it can compound,” added 

Barrett.

What financial specialists sometimes 

called “the miracle of compounding” can 

be shown in this example: saving $40 per 

month over a 20-year military career would 

grow to approximately $21,000. Less than 

half of the accumulation comes from the 

actual contributions.

Whether it is $40 per month, or 10 percent of your take-home pay, or the IRS limit 

of $17,000 for 2012, starting your TSP fund 

or increasing the contributions an be done 

several ways. Download the TSP Election 

form (TSP-U-1) from www.tsp.gov and 

submit it through your service pay office. 

Or, use the MyPay portal at https://mypay.

dfas.mil to start or adjust the percentages 

of pay you allocate for the savings plan. As 

long as you place one percent of basic pay 

into TSP, you then can add a percentage of 

special pay, incentive pay or bonuses you 

would like to invest.

You can turn TSP off and on without 

tax penalties, according to Barrett, who 

added that the only negative thing he had 

ever heard about the program was about an 

individual’s choice to invest too conservatively.

The perceived conservative rates of return, levels of risk versus safety and the five 

core funds of TSP will be discussed next 

week.

Besides his office at the naval station, 

Barrett is available every Thursday from 8 

a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Fleet and Family Support Center satellite office located next to 

the Camp America post office. Call 4050 or 

4141 to set up an appointment.

TSP cont. 
Oh dear. How should I start? 

I went to “Ghost Rider: Spirit 

of Vengeance” and I overheard 

people during the end credits talk 

amongst themselves. “I couldn’t 

wait to see this movie” said 

one gentleman. His colleague 

recounted with “I couldn’t wait 

for it to end.” To be fair, here’s 

another incident: I found myself 

passing an Air Force captain on 

the IOF quarterdeck on Monday. 

“Hey MC1, what movie are you 

going to review this week?” I 

told him it would be “Ghost 

Rider.” This was followed by a 

wincing face while he very softly 

said “Ooooooh!” As he shook 

his head, I knew with certainty 

this movie would be discussed in 

hushed tones by those who had 

seen it.

For the uninitiated, “Ghost 

Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” 

is the indirect sequel to 2007’s 

“Ghost Rider.” These movies 

are based on the Marvel Comics 

character of the same name with 

the same premise. Johnny Blaze 

(Nicolas Cage) is a daredevil stunt 

motorcyclist who made a pact 

with Mephistopheles (Ciaran 

Hinds, “John Carter”) to cure his 

father’s cancer in exchange for 

his soul. After a cruel twist of 

fate, Blaze got burned in the deal, 

losing his soul and becoming a 

demonic pawn of dark forces. 

He now has supernatural abilities 

and is able change at will into a 

fiery skull-headed demon known 

as “The Rider,” who has a fierce 

sense of justice. In this form, he 

is nearly indestructible and uses 

flaming chains as weapons. 

The new movie finds Blaze 

eight years after the events of the 

first picture. The cursed loner 

has left behind his normal life 

and is living a meager existence 

in Eastern Europe.

In his earthly guise of 

“Rourke,” the devil is tracking 

his own son Danny (Fergus 

Riordan, “I Want to Be a 

Soldier”) in order to inhabit 

his body. Rourke’s current 

body is dying, as the devil in 

human form weakens the host. 

To do Rourke’s bidding, the 

mercenary Ray Carrigan (Johnny 

Whitworth, “Gamer”) and his 

merry band of goons are hot on 

Danny’s trail. 

The boy and his mother 

Nadya (Violante Placido) are 

hiding within a monastery’s 

castle when it is stormed. All the 

monks are killed and the duo is 

on the run. The drunken priest 

Moreau (Idris Elba, “Thor”) 

finds and recruits Johnny Blaze 

to help protect the boy from the 

devil’s insidious plan. Blaze is 

reluctant to unleash “The Rider” 

to defend Danny and make battle 

with the dark forces pursuing 

the boy. Moreau makes Blaze an 

offer he cannot refuse: access to 

a supernatural sect that can lift 

Blaze’s curse and free him from 

his dark pact. With the prospect 

to regain his soul, how could he 

possibly say “no” to that?

A conflict with the Ghost 

Rider leaves Carrigan dead. He 

is resurrected by Rourke as the 

dreaded Blackout, complete with 

supernatural abilities to siphon 

life and to decay anything he 

touches. A great example of his 

newfound powers is handled 

somewhat amusingly: Blackout 

touches a sandwich and it decays. 

Then he touches an apple, it too 

dissolves. Nothing happens when 

he picks up a Twinkie, affirming 

that a Twinkie will last forever. In 

this case, the Twinkie can even 

withstand satanic powers. 

The Ghost Rider’s new look is 

awesome, having been modified 

from the previous picture. This 

time, the skull is charred black, 

fierce and menacing. When the 

Rider sucks the sole of a baddie 

from him, he is truly a horrific 

force to be reckoned with. 

Towers of flames spirals off the 

Rider like a geyser. The way the 

Rider’s leather jacket smolders, 

bubbles and smokes is a really 

great detail I haven’t seen in the 

movies before. 

The MTV-like camera work 

was notably atrocious. Many 

scenes are presented with 

animation and other graphics 

that happen so quickly, when 

they are over you’re not sure 

what happened. The hip, fluid, 

linear approach I am sure the 

filmmakers were going for is 

completely upstaged by an 

oversaturation of the medium. 

The effect is dizzying, unnerving 

and, quite frankly, amateur 

looking. How about the sound? I 

half wondered if I was going to 

be partially deaf for a day after 

seeing the movie, much like the 

day after a Motley Crue concert, 

due to the non-stop barrage of 

loud action sequences and earpounding music. If you want 

to replicate the effect, just put a 

metal bucket over your head and 

let a six-year old drum on it with 

a pair of mallets.

I’m sure the studio felt there 

could be no wrong in greenlighting this picture. The 2007 

original actually grossed money 

despite being panned by most 

critics. This new movie boasts 

a very impressive screenwriting 

credit: that of David S. Goyer. 

He is best known as the man 

who breathed new life into 

the Batman revision for the 

films “Batman Begins” (2005) 

and “The Dark Knight” 

(2008). Surely, he was believed 

to be able to reinvigorate 

the Ghost Rider franchise 

after its dismal 2007 start. 

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of 

Vengeance” is an un-engaging 

and un-interesting film that is an 

incoherent mess. I cannot fathom 

why anyone thought making this 

movie could possibly have been 

a good idea. It’s frantic, chaotic 

and downright ugly. There is 

no sense of awe or fun, which 

is something you would want in 

a comic book based movie. If 

someone wanted to write a thesis 

on why they should stop making 

comic book movies, look no 

further than “Ghost Rider II.” 

Though, the comic book film 

gods will be working overtime 

this summer with the anticipated 

releases of “The Avengers,” 

“The Amazing Spider-Man” and 

“The Dark Knight Rises” (costoried by Goyer). Hopefully any 

one of those films, if not all of 

them, can quell the memory of 

this disaster and save the genre 

from itself.

The Wire | Page 10 Movie Review |

By Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Ty Bjornson

G h o s t

 R i d e r Spirit of Vengeance

Om nom nom rats

Movie Review

PG-13

95 min.

| Bulletin Board The Wire | Page 11

GTMO Religious 

Services

NAVSTA 

Main Chapel

Daily Catholic Mass

Tues.-Fri. 5:30 p.m.

Vigil Mass

Saturday 5 p.m. 

Mass

Sunday 9 a.m.

General Protestant

Sunday 11 a.m. 

Gospel Service

Sunday 1 p.m.

Christian Fellowship

Sunday 6 p.m. 

 

Islamic Service

Friday 1 p.m. 

Room C

Pentecostal Gospel

Sunday 8 a.m. & 5 p.m. 

Room D

LDS Service

Sunday 10 a.m. 

Room A

Protestant Communion

Sunday 10 a.m.

Room B

Protestant Worship

Sunday 9 a.m.

Bible Study

Wednesday 6 p.m.

Intense Spiritual 

Fitness Power Lunch!

Study the Book of 

Romans with 

Chaplain Chouest

Thursday 11-11:30 a.m.

JTF Chaplain’s Office

JTF Trooper 

Chapel

For other services, contact the 

NAVSTA Chaplain’s Office at 2323.

Downtown

Lyceum

Camp 

Bulkeley

 FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU 14

Call the movie hotline at 4880 or see https://intranet/movies.html for more information.

13 15 16 17 18 19

Tyler Perry’s 

Good Deeds 

(NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Wanderlust 

(NEW)

(R) 10 p.m.

Wrath of the 

Titans (NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Ghost Rider II

(PG-13) 10 p.m.

Wrath of the 

Titans (NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Tyler Perry’s 

Good Deeds 

(NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Big Miracle 

(last showing)

(PG) 8 p.m.

Woman in 

Black (last 

showing)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Chronicle (last 

showing)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Big Miracle (last 

showing)

(PG) 8 p.m.

Woman in 

Black

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Chronicle (last 

showing)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Journey 2

(PG) 8 p.m.

Safe House

(R) 8 p.m.

Wanderlust 

(NEW)

(R) 8 p.m.

Journey 2

(PG) 8 p.m.

Downtown

Lyceum

Camp 

Bulkeley

For more information, contact the 

JTF Chaplain’s Office at 2305.

Caribbean Coffee & Cream – 77859

Mon.-Sat. 6 a.m.-10 p.m. 

Sun. 1-10 p.m.

Jerk House – 2535

Sun.-Th. 5-9 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 5-10 p.m. 

Bowling Center – 2118

Mon.-Fri. 6-11 p.m.

 Fri. 6 p.m.-12 a.m

Sat. 1 p.m.-12 a.m.

Sun. & Holidays 1-11 p.m.

KFC and A&W Express – 75653

Daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

MWR Liberty Centers – 2010 

Deer Point: Mon.-Fri. 4 p.m.-12 a.m.

Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m.-12 a.m.

Marine Hill: Mon.-Th. 11-12 a.m.

Fri. 11-2 a.m., Sun. 9-12 a.m.

Tierra Kay: Sun-Th. 7-12 a.m.

Fri. & Sat. 7-2 a.m.

Camp America - open 24 hours

Pirate’s Cove

Th.-Sat. 7 p.m.-12 a.m.

Cuban Club – 75962 (call ahead!)

Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

McDonald’s – 3797

Mon.-Th. 5 a.m.-11 p.m.

Fri-Sat. 5 a.m.-2 a.m.

Sun. 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

Pizza Hut – 77995

Mon.-Th. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sat. & Sun. 12-9 p.m.

Windjammer – 77252

Fri. & Sat. 5 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Windjammer Cafe

Mon.-Th. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sat. 5-10 p.m.

Sun. 5-9 p.m.

O’Kelly’s Irish Pub

Mon.-Th. 5-9 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 5 p.m.-2 a.m.

Sun. 5-9 p.m.

Safe Ride - 84781

Due to technical difficulties, only 

one film will be shown per night.
The Bart Walker Band played a special 

show at Marine Hill Saturday for U.S. Na-

val Station Guantanamo Bay families and 

personnel and Joint Task Force Troopers. 

The country-blues group regularly shares 

the stage with country stars, playing their 

weekly set at 

B.B. King’s Club in Nashville. 

–photo by Army Sgt. Saul Rosa

TheJTF

U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and Joint Task Force 

chaplains led Troopers and residents in song and prayer 

Easter Sunday at Windmill Beach. 

–photo by Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Ty Bjornson