‘We can!’

Troopers run 

5K for Haiti

Girl Scout 

cookies: a 

sometimes 

food and an 

all-day event

SCSI, how

does it work?

TSP 

investment 

advice

Volume 13, Issue 25 Friday, April 27, 2012
As we close out the month of April and 

welcome the month of May, we have 

much to look forward to. May 2012 will be 

a very busy month here at Joint Task Force 

Guantanamo on many different fronts.

This month we can say thank you for a 

job well done to our Coast Guard Maritime 

Security and Safety Team 91109 – San Diego, 

most of our Joint Medical 

Group, and a rotation from 

our Naval Expeditionary 

Guard Battalion, as well 

as numerous individuals. 

Thanks for serving as key 

members of our Joint Task 

Force. Contributions from 

all the services allow the JTF 

to accomplish our no-fail 

mission every day, 24 hours 

a day.

As you prepare to depart 

JTF Guantanamo, make 

the effort to ensure your 

turnover to your successor is better than 

what you received. You have gained the 

experience and understand the mission. 

Chances are, your successor does not – yet! 

Take the time and ensure your right-seat leftseat ride opportunity is maximized. If you 

are a leader, look within your organization 

to ensure the transition of your Troopers is 

well-synchronized and in-depth. Your ability 

to provide a quality transition is paramount 

to the ongoing success of the JTF.

That said, welcome to our new units and 

Troopers! You are now part of a unique 

Joint Task Force whose mission is not like 

any other mission in the military. Take the 

time to learn from your predecessor and ask 

many questions. Before you know it, you 

will be carrying the torch and will quickly 

integrate into our JTF as a key member. Take 

the time to learn the JTF standard operating 

procedures and policies, as well as U.S. 

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay rules and 

regulations.

Next weekend we will once again be in 

the international media spotlight supporting 

the military commissions. 

The Office of Military 

Commissions will begin the 

proceedings of the five coconspirators who are accused 

of planning the attacks of 

Sept. 11, 2001.

Each of us has a key role 

in ensuring these proceedings 

get started without incident. 

There will be numerous 

training events leading up to 

the actual event. Many will be 

tasked as escorts or to serve 

in other positions other than 

your normal job. Do your best to ensure you 

understand your role in this important event 

and to understand the training that you will 

receive to support this event. Your superior 

performance and professionalism is expected 

and the entire JTF is counting on you. 

The key to our success remains the 

professionalism and “can do” attitude of our 

team. Your attention to detail, commitment 

to the mission and your fellow Troopers, 

and leadership is what enables the JTF 

to continually perform. Whether you are 

departing after serving your tour here, or just 

arriving, take pride in the fact that you are 

part of a one of a kind Joint Task Force that 

has a no-fail mission and continues to excel 

in our mission.

Cc

ommand

orner

Brig. Gen. James Lettko

Deputy Commander, JTF Guantanamo

Joint Task Force

Guantanamo Safe Humane Legal Transparent l l l

Cover: U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay personnel and Joint Task Force Troopers raised more than $2,000 for 

ongoing Haiti relief efforts April 21 by participating in the 170th Military Police Company-sponsored 5K run.

–photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kryn Westhoven

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

Navy Capt. Robert Durand: 9928

Deputy Director

Air Force Maj. Michelle Coghill: 9927

Operations Officer

Army Maj. Jon Powers: 3649

Senior Enlisted Leader

Sgt. 1st Class Jerome Grant: 8141

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. 2nd Class Kilho Park

Webmaster

Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Keith Simmons

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

Contributions 

from all the 

services allow 

Joint Task Force 

Guantanamo to 

accomplish our 

no-fail mission 

every day, 24 

hours a day. 

 The Wire | Page 2 Command Corner

All hands are invited to Ferry Landing 

Beach for a free community event April 

28, 2-6 p.m. featuring a performance by the 

Dirty Sock Funtime Band. 

For more information, call 84616.

The Marine Corps Security Forces Company is hosting a Moonlight Run May 11. 

Runners will depart Marine Hill at 6:30 p.m., 

and the route will be from the Northeast 

Gate to Kittery Beach.

Register at the Marine Hill Whitehouse 

Monday or Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 

p.m. Registration costs $25. 

All proceeds will benefit the 237th Marine Corps Birthday Ball. For more information, call Staff Sgt. Tucker at 2643.

The Jamaican Independence Day Committee is holding a car wash Saturday from 

9 a.m.- 2 p.m. at the Downtown Lyceum car 

wash. Auto detailing services are also available.

Busy? If you email or call before 8 a.m., 

you can arrange pickup and delivery of your 

vehicle without leaving your quarters.

Donations are always welcome, and all 

proceeds go to funding the Jamaican Independence Day celebration this August.

For more information, call 2459 or email 

jicgtmo@yahoo.com.

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.

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 America Red Cross-Guantanamo 

Bay office will be closed from April 27 to 

May 6. If you have an emergency during this 

time, call 1-877-272-7337.

MWR Liberty is holding an adult tee ball 

tournament May 5 at Softball Field 2.

Registration is free and open to anyone 

16 years and older. Register by 7 p.m. today 

at Denich Gym.

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.

The recompression chamber will be 

down for maintenance May 7-11. There will 

be no civilian and recreational diving during 

this period.

For more information, contact the Command Diving Officer at 4444.

Military personnel stationed at Guantanamo Bay are encouraged to exercise their 

right to vote using absentee ballots.

For more information, call Lt. Cmdr. 

Smith at 6157, Lt. Jg. Ricker at 72871, or 

Petty Officer 1st Class Robles at 4721.

An 18-hole golf tournament will be held 

May 5-6, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Lateral Hazard Golf Course. 

Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 

place finishers.

Register at the golf course by May 1. Registration costs $30 and includes two rounds 

of golf and cart rental for both days.

For more information, call 77288.

Day at the Bay

Fore!

Trail Blazers

Volunteer everywhere

Red Cross office 

closed

History Hike II: 

Hike Harder

Car wash & detailing

Your vote counts

News from the Bay The Wire | Page 3

INDEX

The Wire

April 27, 2012

TSP articles forever!

What SCSI really stands for

Sexual assault awareness

I Ran (So Far Away)

Nom nom nom cookies

MBS: The Dude abides

Movie Review: Gone

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.

7

8

9

10

12

17

18

Moonlight Run

Forget about Tebow! 

It’s time for tee ball!

No pressure, man!
Every day we are conducting our mission Safely, Humanely, Legally and in a 

Transparent manner, because of the dedication to duty and selfless service each of our 

Troopers makes on behalf of our great nation. The reasons that each of these Troopers has decided to serve in uniform or out of 

uniform vary from person to person, however there is one thing that stays the same. 

Every service member at Joint Task Force 

Guantanamo has an unsung hero supporting 

them in one way or another. Those heroes I 

am talking about are family, friends, and significant others that we are separated from. If 

it were not for the trust, confidence and support of these unsung heroes, our personnel 

would not be able to conduct their duties as 

proficiently as they do. Our friends and family do not ask nor do they expect our thanks 

for the support they give us each and every 

day. 

I make it a point that anytime I am 

thanked for my service to our great nation 

that I thank them in return for their support 

as well. Each service has a set of values that 

their members are expected to live up to. I 

will use the Army as an example. The Army 

values are: Leadership, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal 

Courage. When you really think about it, 

these values (or any of the service specific 

values) are already instilled as you grew up. 

Your friends and family members are the 

ones who have made you the person you are 

today. 

Growing up, we are taught it is our duty 

to defend our family, treat others as you 

want to be treated, place the needs of others above your own, be honorable in word 

and deed, do not lie, and do not be afraid 

to stand up for what is right. This translates 

perfectly into military service. Our families 

and friends have molded and mentored us 

just as we were molded and mentored by our 

seniors, just as we mold and mentor those 

who will follow us once we are gone. Our 

family and friends are the ones who are 

running our households, taking the kids to 

the park, and saying prayers with our children each night before they go to bed. But 

how often do they get the thank you for 

the service they are providing parallel to 

our own? 

Next time you are about to say, you 

do not understand the stress or pressure 

I am dealing with, think about the stress 

and pressure they are dealing with, without you. I challenge everyone the next 

time you have a chance, thank your unsung 

hero, they too are making sacrifices that allow the JTF team to be successful. 

Trooper to Trooper

unsung heroes

Master Sgt. Phillip Dietz

525th MP BN Operations Sergeant Major

 The Wire | Page 4 Trooper to Trooper

PSEC ALERT

PROTECT YOUR INFO!

Casual conversation can cause chaos!

Have you ever told someone that information was “off the record”? While you are here at Joint Task Force Guantanamo, 

there is no such thing as “off the record.” You are a JTF Trooper 100 percent of the time, in or out of uniform, around 

family, friends, media or other base visitors. Perhaps you said, “You didn’t hear this from me...”and then gave out 

information that you were told not to share. This type of casual conversation is a serious violation of OPSEC and can 

compromise an operation. If you divulge sensitive information you can be held responsible for your actions and will 

certainly put your career in serious jeopardy. Ensure sensitive information you’ve been entrusted with STAYS off the 

record. Practice rock solid OPSEC! 

G and F before C, S or I if you are older... it sounds like a grammar rule, but 

unlike I before E except after... there are no 

rules to choosing Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) 

funds, only facts to help guide you towards a 

financially secure retirement.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment 

Board made it even easier for successful 

investing in 2005 by creating Lifecycle or the 

L series funds. But before you can put your 

retirement savings on autopilot, an outline of 

the five funds will give the investor knowledge 

to make smart choices.

The G fund is made up of government 

securities. It is the fund where all TSP 

contributions are placed until the investor 

reallocates the money. The G fund has low 

risk of loss as the fund is invested solely in 

U.S. Treasury securities specially issued for 

the TSP. The federal government guarantees 

the principal and interest, making for no 

credit risk, with inflation outpacing the rate 

of return as the leading concern. In 2011, the 

G fund averaged 2.45 percent growth. Over a 

decade from 1999 to 2008, the rate of return 

averages 4.92 percent.

The next low or moderate risk fund is F, a 

bond index fund that purchases government, 

corporate and mortgage backed securities. 

Due to lower rates of return the inflation risk 

is still there, adding risk from market price 

changes in the share and possible prepayment 

of the bonds. During periods of declining 

interest rates the F fund return on investment 

increases, a 5.99 percent average in 2009 to 

increasing to an average 7.89 percent last year.

These are what many financial experts 

consider as safe investments. 

“I use the word safe...but that doesn’t 

mean that fund cannot be a negative,” 

according to Walter Barrett, personal finance 

specialist with the Fleet and Family Support 

Center at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.

“Anytime you put the word safe with an 

investment it means you are going to get low 

growth,” added Barrett, who looks at the CSI 

funds as an opportunity. “You’re a player; you 

are in the stock market.”

The C or Common Stock Index fund 

started back in 1988 to invest in stocks of 

medium- to large-sized U.S. companies 

represented in the Standard and Poor’s 500 

index, which looks at the stock prices of 500 

American business. The broadly diversified 

fund is designed for long-term growth. But 

as with all investments that might not always 

be the case. In 2008 the C Fund lost nearly 

37 percent of its value, gaining back 26.68 

percent the following year.

Barrett said it is difficult for investors to 

follow the mantra buy low, sell high.

“When people run scare they do the 

reverse,” he said. Big drops in share values 

effect investor psyche, the start of the recent 

recession deeply affected stock prices here 

and abroad. 

In 2008, the S fund dropped 38.32 percent

that’s classified

Click through the Joint Task Force Guantanamo 

SharePoint page with the Classified Ads tab and 

see what your buddies have for sale! 

Big surprise – there’s more dive gear available!

To place an ad, email webmaster@jtfgtmo.southcom.mil

JTF stuff!

Risk vs. reward

Invest TSP funds wisely

Command Information The Wire | Page 5

 see TSP page 7

Money Matters

Money really does matter, 

especially when it comes to building 

a nest egg: this is the conclusion 

of a three-part series on managing 

Thrift Savings Program funds.

WASHINGTON – The Department of 

Defense announced April 19 the transfer 

of two Uighur detainees from the detention facility at Naval Station Guantanamo 

Bay to the Government of El Salvador. 

These detainees were subject to release 

from Guantanamo as a result of a court 

order issued on October 7, 2008 by the 

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and are voluntarily resettling in El 

Salvador. 

As directed by President Barack 

Obama’s January 22, 2009 executive order, 

the interagency Guantanamo Review Task 

Force conducted a comprehensive review 

of these cases. As a result of that review, 

which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these individuals 

were designated for transfer by unanimous 

consent among all six agencies on the task 

force. In accordance with statutory reporting requirements, the administration 

informed Congress of its intent to transfer 

these individuals. 

The United States coordinated with 

the government of El Salvador to ensure 

the transfer took place in accordance with 

appropriate security and humane treatment measures. 

Today, 169 detainees remain at the detention center in Guantanamo.

Two Uighur

detainees 

transferred to 

El Salvador

Department of Defense Press Release

Honor Bound

By Sgt. 1st Class Kryn Westhoven
 The Wire | Page 6 Trooper Focus

What’s your favorite kind of cookie?

“Chocolate chip. They 

remind me of my 

grandma.”

Construction Electrician 

Constructionman 

Nicholas Decker

“Girl Scout Samoas. 

They’re delicious, 

delectable, chewy 

delights.”

Capt. Albert Roberts

“Chocolate chip. For me, 

the simple cookies are the 

best.”

Senior Airman 

Deonte Turrentine

“Oreos. They’re just the 

best. Period!”

USMC Sgt. 

Anthony Olivares

Boots on the Ground

There are an abundance of junior enlisted service 

members at Joint Task Force 

Guantanamo, and each and 

every one has an important role 

to play. Pfc. Christopher Parr 

has become an integral part 

of the 525th Military Police 

Battalion’s S-3 (operations 

and training) shop in the nine 

months he’s been here. 

“The sergeant major goes to 

him for many things,” said Sgt. 

Brittany Heizer, Parr’s team 

leader. “He just knows that he 

can go to Pfc. Parr, ask once, 

and Parr will get it done.”

Parr is an S-3 representative 

for the 525th MP Bn. One 

of his most important 

assignments is helping with 

pre-service classes, the 2-week 

training classes which prepare 

new personnel for the mission. 

These new Soldiers often 

outrank him, but Parr is known 

for his composure. He is firm 

when he needs to be, and he 

always does it with tact.

“He’s aware of his 

surroundings,” said Heizer. 

“He’s very respectful and he 

doesn’t get complacent.”

For a young man with 

so many accomplishments, 

Parr is humble. He finds 

it difficult talking about 

himself but enjoys talking 

about his father, a police 

officer, who he says is his 

hero. Parr plans to follow 

in his footsteps.

“Growing up I was 

always good at helping 

people and making sure 

people were ok,” said Parr. 

I was a firefighter for three 

years. I did an internship 

at my local sheriff ’s office. 

Just being around that 

environment it seems like 

that’s what I was born to 

do.”

Parr will leave 

Guantanamo later this 

summer and head to his 

next duty station in Kansas. 

He is looking forward to 

being closer to his family 

and friends.

trooper focus

By Spc. Vanessa Davila

Time in service: 1 year

Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, sports, dirt 

bikes, music

The boss says: “You don’t have to tell 

him more than once to do something. 

We know that if we need to get 

something important done we can 

go to Pfc. Parr.”

Advice to junior Troopers: “Enjoy 

your time here. Go out and have fun, 

and be smart at the same time.”

Bullet Bio:

PFC Christopher Parr

News The Wire | Page 7

Super

Troopers

(and NAVSTA Sailors!)

Congratulations to the Guantanamo 

personnel who recently received 

Joint Task Force commander’s coins! 

LS3 Austin

LCDR Brunson

LT Byron

SGT Diaz

SCPO Hanson

MCC Mangum

CS3 Nieves

OS2 Pointer

MCPO Roberts

CS3 Shifflett

SH1 Sutton

CSC Valdez

CS2 Washington

YN3 Woolette

An ounce of 

prevention 

is worth a 

pound of cure

J

oint Task Force Guantanamo 

Troopers have a great health 

resource at their convenience, 

and if you live in the Tierra Kay 

housing, it’s quite literally in your 

backyard.

“The Joint Troop Clinic is 

open for all types of ailments,” 

said JTC officer-in-charge Army 

Capt. Jerry Braverman. “Unless 

it’s a true emergency, this should 

be your first stop.”

The JTC is equipped to deal 

with a wide variety of Trooper 

issues. No appointment is 

required for sick call, which is 

available to Troopers on a firstcome, first-serve basis daily from 

7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“If an issue is outside our 

scope, we will consult with (U.S. 

Naval Hospital Guantanamo 

Bay) or specialty providers,” 

Braverman said. “Seventy 

percent of people we see are for 

ortho-related injuries.”

Braverman recommended 

that Troopers practice preventive 

self-care, such as warm-up and 

cool-down exercises, in order to 

avoid strains, sprains, and other 

sports injuries.

Twisting an ankle isn’t the only 

avoidable problem a Trooper 

can have. The hospital (USNH 

GTMO) also recently issued 

a report urging Guantanamo 

residents to prevent staph 

infections of the skin.

“Staph germs are present 

everywhere in any climate. 

However, the active lifestyle and 

warm climate of Guantanamo 

means short sleeves and 

more opportunities for skin 

infections,” said Cmdr. Bruce 

Deschere, director of medical/

health services at USNH 

GTMO. “This can lead to staph 

infections. Clean any injury with 

soap and water as quickly as 

possible.”

For specialized issues, 

Troopers have a few weeks 

left to consult with a selection 

of specialists. A cardiologist, 

radiologist, urologist, 

dermatologist, and podiatrist will 

be on island through May. 

For more information, or to 

schedule an appointment for a 

referral, call 3394. 

By Army 1st Lt. Amelia Thatcher

and the I fund was down 42.43 percent. 

However, like the C fund, they show healthy 

gains in 2009 and 2010. 

“Stay the course; as the price goes down 

you are buying more shares, getting ready for 

the upturn,” added Barrett.

The S fund shares the interest in the stocks 

of medium to large size U.S. companies, 

but unlike the C fund it follows businesses 

outside the Standard and Poor’s 500 index. 

The S fund follows the Dow Jones Wilshire 

4500 Completion Index. The risk is moderate 

to high and is historically more volatile than 

the C fund.

The volatility is the same for I or 

International Stock Index fund, a stockbased, global fund invested in companies 

located in 21 developed countries. The 

Morgan Stanley EAFE index is the model for 

the I fund, investing in businesses in Europe, 

Australasia and Far East. 

The latest TSP investment vehicle is the 

Lifecycle or L funds, a group of five distinct 

mixtures the G,F,C,S, and I funds designed 

to specific investment goals. These funds

still have the same risk of loss, but 

diversification lessens the total risk. An 

added benefit: the TSP contributor doesn’t 

need to figure allocations or how and when 

to rebalance, and just has to pick a future 

timeframe of retirement.

A Trooper in their early 20s could choose 

the L 2050 fund, where pulling funds out 

of the TSP would occur after the year 2045. 

The money would be aggressively invested 

in the early years, with interest, earnings 

and dividends being piled back in as the 

contributions compound. 

As you age, so do your investments, which 

change gradually to reflect the need for less 

risk. Finally, your money will morph into 

the L Income Fund. The L fund focuses on 

capital preservation, with 80 percent invested 

in the G and F funds and little exposure to 

the ups and downs of the stock-based funds. 

For more information, visit www.tsp.gov.

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. 
Sexual assault can affect everyone in our ranks

As April draws to a close, so does Sexual Assault Awareness Month. However, 

that doesn’t mean sexual assault awareness 

isn’t important all year long.

“Sexual assault awareness is a year-round 

process, and it should be treated as one,” said 

Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Vazquez, an 

intelligence specialist with J-2. “What we’re 

trying to do is make sure everyone knows 

about the programs we have in place to help 

them.”

Department of Defense policies on 

sexual assault seek to establish a climate in 

which: Education and training create an environment in which sexual assault and the attitudes that promote it are not tolerated:

 –Victims of sexual assault receive the 

care and support they need 

– Offenders are held accountable for their 

actions.

– DoD policies educate the victim about 

his or her options; the offender about the 

punishment 

– Bystanders about what they can do to 

help prevent a sexual assault.

Here at Guantanamo Bay, Troopers can 

rely on the support of Ms. Karen Perez, 

the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator 

(SARC). The SARC is the single point of 

contact to coordinate sexual assault victim 

care. The SARC number is 4141.

A SARC can help a victim decide whether 

to file a restricted or unrestricted report. With 

an unrestricted report, the victim receives 

advocacy, counseling, medical treatment, and 

an official investigation into the incident. 

Victims filing restricted reports receive the 

same care as those filing unrestricted, but no 

investigation is launched. Those who file restricted reports can choose to change them 

to unrestricted reports at any time; there is 

no time limit.

The SARC is assisted in her duties by victim advocates (VA). Victim advocates provide essential care to the victim, as well as 

non-clinical information on available options 

and resources to assist the victim in making 

informed decisions as they progress through 

resolution and healing. The VA maintains 

communications and contact with the victim 

as needed for continuing support.

Guantanamo Bay currently has 49 victim 

advocates. If you would like to become a VA, 

a victim advocate training course will be held 

May 7-10 at the Fleet and Family Support 

Center.

Victims can also utilize the DoD Safe 

Helpline to receive anonymous information and support. The Safe Helpline can 

be reached by dialing (877) 995-5247, or at 

www.safehelpline.org.

Sexual assault is a crime that affects everyone in our ranks. If it hurts one, it affects all.

By Pvt. Loren Cook 

Feature The Wire | Page 9

–DoD photo 

So you’re sitting in your room on Skype, shooting e-mails home or looking up 

some videos on YouTube when suddenly the 

SCSI log-in page fires across your browser 

window. Aggravated, you type in your information and reminisce about the blazing internet speeds back home. 

Most Joint Task Force Guantanamo 

Troopers are used to the luxury of highspeed fiber optic Internet connections, but 

when you’re more than 90 miles from the 

mainland such luxuries can be difficult to 

replicate. The company which stepped up to 

the challenge is the Satellite Communication 

Systems, Inc. (SCSI) 

“We’ve been here since 2005,” said SCSI 

manager Mario Flores. “We’ve been through 

the rebid process and are starting a new contract. This is a competitive contract where 

multiple companies bid, and the government 

selects the best provider.”

SCSI provides communication connections to Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay 

through satellite, but is most known for its 

Internet service.

SCSI has set up ways to allow equal use 

of the Fair Access DSL internet bandwidth, 

such as requiring users to log back in every 

four hours. This prevents users who are not 

active from draining valuable resources. 

“It’s a shared environment, so everyone 

is in the pool of bandwidth,” said Flores. 

“Heavy users can affect other 

users. Usually, 5% of your users can affect 

50% of your bandwidth.” 

However, SCSI is more than willing to 

work with customers to meet their individual 

needs. 

“If a user needs to do something that is 

beyond four hours, we can open it up for 

them on a case-by-case basis,” said Flores. 

“It’s a tool so that everyone can surf freely.” 

To understand the process of satellite 

communication, just envision a colossal 

game of tennis between two satellite dishes. 

One satellite dish serves the ball, or data, to 

another dish through a geostationary satellite 

and vice versa. 

Flores explained the process for SCSI to 

transfer data via satellite involves the transformation of data through precise pieces of 

equipment. First, analog message signals and 

digital data enter a multiplexer and are combined into one circuit.

This circuit is fed into the modem that 

converts it into a 70 megahertz frequency. 

The modem then sends the frequency to an 

up converter that boosts it up to 7 to 9 gigahertz. The frequency then goes into amplifiers that can then send the signal into space 

to the satellite. 

The satellite then sends the signal to the 

receiving antenna, where the process is reversed.

“It goes through the reverse of the transmission,” said Flores. “The first component 

the signal is going to hit is the low-noise amplifier. It goes up strong but comes down 

very weak, so the low noise amplifier is trying to amplify that signal with as little noise 

as possible.” 

The received frequency is then sent to 

a down converter and then to the modem, 

where it demodulates it back into an analog 

message signals and digital data circuit. The 

circuit is then separated by the de-multiplexer and sent to the devices they need to go. 

The process of bouncing signals through 

the atmosphere to satellite dishes hundreds 

of miles away tends to be a more expensive 

process then the preferred method of running fiber optic cables. However, on a selfsufficient base such as Guantanamo Bay it’s 

the only reasonable option. 

“We have to rely on getting everything 

from the satellite,” said Flores. “I would 

compare it to taking the Ferry to the Leeward side. You can’t drive there, although it 

would be the cheapest and the quickest way 

to get there, so you have to rely on the ferry. 

We have to rely on the satellite to get our signal here.”

For Troopers deployed away from home 

the ability to stay in contact with friends and 

loved ones is a fair trade for limited Internet 

speeds. 

“I just could not imagine going to my 

room everyday and not having that added 

luxury,” said JTF command chaplain assistant Spc. James Johnson. “I think having 

the opportunity to purchase Internet in our 

rooms is a blessing.” 

By Army Sgt. Saul Rosa

How does 

it work:

Satellite 

communications

 The Wire | Page 8 Feature
More than 80 participants 

turned out Saturday 

to lend their support to the 

country of Haiti by joining in 

a five kilometer run that raised 

more than $2,000 for the small 

Caribbean nation which was 

rocked by a 7.0 earthquake a 

little over two years ago.

Taking their cue from a 

number of MWR events they 

had participated in, Sgt. 1st 

Class Joshua Conwell and 

Sgt. Larissa Pillay of the Joint 

Task Force Guantanamo Joint 

Detention Group decided to 

put together their own fund 

raiser to help out the people 

of Haiti who are still suffering 

from the massive earthquake 

that devastated the country 

and left more than 300,000 

dead.

“One day Sgt. 1st Class 

Conwell and I were talking 

and we recognized how people 

love to run here and collect the 

amazing T-shirts during the 

5k runs that the MWR puts 

together monthly, said Pillay. 

“We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be 

awesome to have a 5K run for 

a great cause? We could raise 

money from the run and give 

it to people in need.’”

Pillay and Conwell 

reached out to several nonprofit agencies, and Giant 

Global, which sponsors a 

Haiti recovery initiative, 

responded. After meeting 

with representatives of the 

non-governmental 501(c)3 

non-profit organization, the 

two then reached out to Jen 

Norton, the MWR Fitness 

Director.

“She told us that because 

it was a fundraiser that MWR 

could not have any part in it,” 

according to Pillay. “However, 

Jen advised Sgt. 1st. Class 

Conwell and myself on all the 

things that we needed to do to 

make this event flawless.”

Pillay and Conwell then 

coordinated with the Staff 

Judge Advocate, Base Security, 

the hospital, and the 170th 

and 525th Military Police 

Battalions. The two are from 

the 170th MP Battalion and 

their unit supported this event 

from the beginning to end.

“We had many volunteers 

from the 170th, 525 and 

even W.T. Sampson middle 

school and High School,” said 

Pillay. “The volunteers were 

awesome. They were up at 5:30 

that morning cutting oranges, 

setting up tents, setting up 

tables, arranging T-shirts and 

motivating others. 

As with the MWR runs, 

T-shirts were handed 

out to the first 100 

to register, but 

these shirts were 

designed by Pillay 

and Conwell and 

donated by Lalini 

Pillay.

Although they had hoped 

to raise about $1,000, the 145 

people who signed up for the 

run ensured that they would 

double their estimate.

“After hosting this run, 

I have learned that people 

love to help others in need 

and will help others if they 

can,” noted Pillay. “With 

just a little effort to get 

things started you get an 

amazing outcome. The 

GTMO community is 

awesome!”

By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Stephenson

GTMO runs to raise funds

Haiti 5K

MALES

1st – Brandon Pacheco 20:31

2nd – Ryan Hallock 20:48

3rd – David Pointras 22:40

WINNING 

RUN TIMES

FEMALES

1st – Katie Sutton 19:28

2nd – Debbie Remele 24:40

3rd – Brittany Musleve 25:45

Top left: Brandon Pacheco was the first-place male finisher in the 5K run/walk for Haiti April 21.

Bottom right: Runners displayed the Haitian flag before the event, which raised about $2,000 for a Haiti recovery initiative.

–photos by Sgt. 1st Class Kryn Westhoven

Bottom left: Runners bring it home across the finish line. The 5K started and finished adjacent to G.J. Denich Gym. 

–photo courtesy of Army Sgt. Larissa Pillay

 The Wire | Page 10 Feature Feature The Wire | Page 11
Feature The Wire | Page 13

Troopers attached to Joint Task Force Guantanamo unloaded more than 

10,000 pounds of Girl Scout cookies at 

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Monday.

This is the fourth year in a row cookies 

were donated as part of the Girl Scouts of a 

Gulfcoast Florida program called “Mints for 

the Military.” This program gives customers 

the option to purchase a box and donate it 

to military service members serving around 

the world.

The cookies were unloaded from an MD80 jet airliner, loaded onto waiting trucks, and 

taken to W.T. Sampson Elementary School, 

where they will be stored for distribution to 

JTF units and staff sections.

Army Maj. Tom Tuttle, a Trooper assigned 

to JTF and the cookie project manager for 

Guantanamo Bay, has coordinated with the 

Girl Scouts in previous years and is excited 

to see this year’s cookie drive be another 

success.

“My wife has been active in Girl Scouts 

for about 35 years as an adult leader, and 

she’s one of the people responsible for the 

cookie program at the Girl Scout council in 

Florida,” Tuttle said.

Tuttle praised the spirit of volunteerism 

displayed by JTF Troopers.

“Everyone in this is a volunteer,” Tuttle 

said. “We had to coordinate everything: 

from the bakers who bake the cookies, to 

the shipping companies who get the cookies 

over to Andrews Air Force Base, and the 

Troopers here who volunteer to unload the 

cookies. It’s really a cast of hundreds.”

Pfc. Tyler Ewert, of the 189th Military 

Police Company, learned about the 

opportunity to help out by reading a list 

of volunteer opportunities posted by his 

operations sergeant. Ewert came in and 

volunteered on his day off.

“I like volunteering. It’s a good way 

to come out, enjoy the weather, and do 

something to help out, instead of sitting 

around my quarters,” Ewert said. “I like 

cookies, and now I’m helping everyone else 

get some too.”

Trooper volunteers unloaded 1,244 cases 

for a total of 14,928 boxes of cookies: a 

sweet reward for their hard work.

“It’s a little piece of home,” said Pfc. Neal 

Borba of the 189th MP Co. “Down here, 

you can’t go out and get all the things you 

had back home, so getting something like a 

box of Girl Scout cookies just makes your 

day better.”

Above: Pfc. Neal Borba unloaded cookies in support 

of Operation “Mints for the Military” Monday. 

–photo by Pvt. Loren Cook

By Pvt. Loren Cook

 The Wire | Page 12 Feature

The Gulfcoast Florida Girl 

Scouts-sponsored program 

“Mints for the Military” donated 

thousands of boxes of cookies 

to Guantanamo Bay, which Joint 

Task Force Troopers helped 

unload Monday.

– photos by Pvt. Loren Cook

Operation 

‘Mints for the 

Military’ Lands 

in GTMO
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – As the hot sun 

began to rise above the horizon on the first 

day of April, a 10-mile road race was about 

to begin. At that same moment, on the other 

side of base, a lone runner pushed herself 

harder and faster around this desert outpost 

to finish her 24-hour quest – 100 miles in remembrance of fellow North Carolinians who 

have died during the war on terror.

 That lone runner was Army Sgt. 1st Class 

Rita Rice, a Soldier stationed in Kuwait with 

the North Carolina Army National Guard’s 

113th Sustainment Brigade.

During those 100 miles, Rice carried her 

own water; traffic was not stopped for her; 

no t-shirts or medals were handed out; and 

the only cheers and recognition along the way 

were a few high fives and pats on the back 

from other Soldiers who took turns running 

with her.

 A former member of the 82nd Airborne 

Division, Rice joined the North Carolina 

Army National Guard in 2009, and every runner that ran a lap or two with Rice said they 

felt honored to share the road with her.

“It’s awesome,” said Army Sgt 1st Class 

Lee Klimala. “Her superhuman ability and 

can-do attitude is contagious.”

Rice is an ultra runner and trains for and 

participates in endurance races more than 

26.2 miles long – the length of a marathon. 

Most or her races these days are between 50 

and 100 miles long, but it took many years for 

her to become the runner she is today.

 In 2006 she began to slowly pound the 

pavement and shady wooded trails of North 

Carolina to keep up with her twin daughters, 

who had started running track at school. “It 

was a good excuse for me to get back in shape 

and to be with my girls and bond,” Rice said. 

“It was hard at first, but well worth it.

 “I had not run seriously for almost fourteen years since my days in the 82nd, but my 

family and friends kept me motivated.”

Over the following months, Rice was able 

to complete a two-mile run, then four miles, 

and a 10-miler. Before long, in 2007, she was 

able to complete her first marathon. 

Rice said the major change in her attitude towards running and her desire not to 

quit came when a close neighborhood friend, 

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Scott Dyer, was 

killed in Afghanistan in late 2006.

After the news of her friend’s death, Rice 

wanted to honor his service, and decided that 

running was a healthy and challenging way to 

do it. Rice said she was lucky to have a running mentor, Army Lt. Col. Mike McNeill. A 

special forces officer, McNeill motivated Rice 

and helped her get past the mental challenges 

of running long distances. He also taught her 

how to enjoy the experience of running

 Rice, now a veteran runner, has completed 

five marathons, multiple endurance races, and 

other fun runs that challenge a person mentally and physically.

Army Col. David Jones, commander of 

the 113th Sustainment Brigade, said, “Rice is 

the definition of a 113th Sustainment Brigade 

‘Steel Soldier,’ whose determination to succeed inspires others and makes the whole unit 

twice as strong.

“But above all else, she’s proud to be an 

American Soldier, serving her country, and 

honoring our fallen heroes,” he said.

at t h e ready

At Your Service The Wire | Page 15

NC Guardsman dedicates 100-

mile run to fallen comrades

By Army Maj. Matthew Devivo

North Carolina National Guard

Left: Army Staff Sgt. Samuel Joyce of the 113th 

Sustainment Brigade runs a few laps with Sgt. 1st 

Class Rita Rice during her 100-mile run around Camp 

Arifjan, Kuwait. Each lap around the base was approximately seven miles, and Rice dedicated every lap 

of her race to fallen comrades from North Carolina. 

–photo by Sgt. 1st Class Keith Warzon

friends on the road, but their supporters 

are increasing by the minute, as witnessed 

by their growing fan base on their Facebook 

page. Bate believes social media is a strong 

way to gain new followers and keep in contact with the MCG enthusiasts the team’s 

already met. On the unit’s Facebook page, 

more 1,500 fans track the activities of the 

MCG and many want to continue following 

the unit on their travels across the nation.

“It’s incredible to see how well of a job 

Bate has done with them. He certainly took 

them and made them a nationally recognized 

military unit. I’m proud of him for what he’s 

been able to do,” added McConnell.

Bate leaves the MCG in May, returning 

to Camp Pendleton’s 1st Marine Division 

but not before departing Barstow with a 

message to the Marines he’s worked with 

aboard the base and on the road.

“Remember, your image to the public is important at all times,” Bate stressed. 

“You’re always representing the Corps.”

HORSES cont. 

‘Partnering 

for a Greener 

Future’

WASHINGTON – Navy and Marine Corps 

commands around the globe participated in 

Earth Day activities throughout the month 

of April. 

“The Navy carries out numerous programs that protect the Earth year-round as 

we perform our national defense mission,” 

said John Quinn, acting director of the 

Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division. “Earth Day 

celebrations give us the chance to connect 

with local communities and inform people 

about those programs.”

This year’s theme, “Partnering for a 

Greener Future,” highlighted the Department’s many successful partnerships with 

sister military services, government agencies, 

local schools, non-governmental organizations, and the public. Some examples include:

– Commander Navy Region Southeast 

is the federal co-lead for both the Gulf of 

Mexico and the South Atlantic Regional 

Planning Bodies of the National Ocean 

Council, which was established under the 

National Ocean Policy (NOP). At the national level, the NOP provides a high level 

interagency forum where policy issues can 

be discussed. At the regional level, the NOP 

provides the Navy and Marine Corps an avenue for proactively engaging in marine spatial planning with our federal, state, local, and 

tribal partners. 

– As part of its long-term environmental 

planning efforts, the Navy has been working 

with the National Marine Fisheries Service 

to assess and mitigate potential significant 

environmental impacts of military training 

and testing activities conducted in operational areas throughout the Atlantic and Pacific. 

– The Navy continues to fund millions 

in research and collaborate with academic 

institutions to study the ecology of marine 

mammals and to minimize the potential effects of Navy training and testing activities 

on the marine ecosystem. 

– The Navy is working with government 

agencies, industry, and local communities to 

determine how to support renewable energy 

projects, such as wind projects, while minimizing training impacts.

 The Wire | Page 14 At Your Service

on t h e DE C K

From Chief of Naval Operations Energy and 

Environmental Readiness Division Public Affairs

In t h e figh t

No horsing around at 

Barstow Marine base

BARSTOW, Calif. – Coming from an urban background and having never dealt 

with horses before, one Marine accepted 

the daily responsibilities of training, caring 

for, and showcasing steeds and raised the 

bar while doing so.

Gunnery Sgt. Mike Bate, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of Marine 

Corps Logistics Base Barstow’s Mounted 

Color Guard, will soon be leaving the 

equestrian unit to continue his duties as a 

leader elsewhere; but not before taking his 

small unit of five Marines from a small-city 

color guard to a nationally recognized image of the Corps.

Bate came to the MCG after he deployed 

to Iraq three times as an infantry unit leader 

with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine 

Division. 

Following his last deployment with the 

unit, Bate received orders to MCLB Barstow’s MCG as a cool-down tour. The orders caught Bate by surprise. The first, being sent to a nondeployable unit, and the 

second, working with horses?

But the Marine gunnery sergeant didn’t 

look back or think twice.

“I was really surprised when I found 

out I was going to Barstow to be with the 

Mounted Color Guard. I grew up in a city 

and never rode horses before; it was kind 

of shocking,” said Bate, a native of Philadelphia. “I honestly didn’t even know the 

Marine Corps had a mounted color guard,” 

he added.

Bate’s lack of experience with horses 

didn’t hinder his plans and intentions with 

the MCG. After spending some time with 

the base’s Headquarters Battalion as the 

company gunnery sergeant, Bate went to 

work, training with his predecessor. What 

he lacked in experience, Bate made up for 

with enthusiasm.

“Gunny Bate came in with a lot of plans 

for the Mounted Color Guard. He’s a people person and was looking to use that to 

his advantage,” explained Pete McConnell, 

a retired Marine gunnery sergeant and the 

former SNCOIC of the MCG. “He wanted 

to take the Mounted Color Guard to ‘the 

next level’,” he added.

The next level is exactly where Bate took 

the MCG. With approval from the base 

commander, Bate utilized this “western” or 

“rustic” to showcase his Marines and horses to the public. To do this, Bate took the 

MCG on the road for more than half the 

year he was in charge of them, promoting 

the unit and the Marine Corps as a whole, 

by participating in dozens of equestrianbased events throughout the country.

“I told Gunny Bate he had free reign to 

do what he felt was needed to get the Marine Corps’ image out there to the public 

as long as he was on the road,” explained 

Col. Daniel P. Ermer, commanding officer 

of MCLB Barstow. If Bate wasn’t on the 

road, he was getting the horses and Marines 

ready to be on the road again, Ermer added.

Not only has Bate traveled the country 

to exhibit his Marines-on-horseback but 

he’s also helped by diversifying the unit itself.

“When I came here, the Mounted Color 

Guard was for infantrymen who were to 

go on cool down tours after their deployments,” he explained. “I wanted to bring 

Marines from a broader spectrum. Right 

now we have Marines who’ve worked in 

corrections, communications, and music, 

along with an infantryman.”

Bate’s work to supplement the MCG 

didn’t stop with new faces though. He also 

urged outstanding Marines stationed at 

MCLB Barstow to take up reins as well.

“I’ve been working to get Marines at 

base who are enthusiastic about riding with 

us to join in for a few events,” he explained. 

“I think it works well as an incentive program; it’s a good way to reward Marines 

who have done well,” he added.

His work with the MCG has been noticed by many, both on and off the base. The

commanding officer of the base continues 

to be impressed by Bate’s work ethic as he 

continues to promote the Marine Corps’ 

only mounted color guard.

“It’s incredible how he’s handled the job 

since he’s come on board as the SNCOIC 

of the Mounted Color Guard,” said Ermer. 

“He’s planned so many trips, traveled across 

the country numerous times, and all with 

horses and never had any problems.”

Not only has the MCG been making

By Cpl. Thomas Bricker

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

 see HORSES next page
 The Wire | Page 16 Around the World

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. – Defense Finance and Accounting Service recently released a statement warning of email 

scams targeting military members, military 

retirees, and civilian employees.

According to the statement, the most 

recent email scam indicates that individuals 

who are receiving disability compensation 

from the Department of Veterans Affairs 

may be able to obtain additional funds from 

the Internal Revenue Service, but only if they 

send copies of their income tax information. 

Scammers have even gone so far as to 

“spoof ” DFAS email addresses so that the 

recipients would think it was actually coming 

from DFAS personnel. In a spoofing email, 

the scammer makes it appear that the message is coming from a legitimate source. This 

is to try to lure the reader into believing it’s 

genuine.

 “(Scammers) manage to find a way to 

appear legitimate when they’re not,” said 

Edward Peace, the senior cyberwarfare instructor for the 39th Information Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla. “In 

some cases, it looks like it’s from a legitimate 

source.”

To fool people, Peace said, the scam artist 

may create a server so that the URL is close 

to that of a legitimate site, for example using 

.mic instead of .mil at the end of the Web 

address. People can avoid these scams by 

closely reading the address from which the 

email was sent.

Though these scam artists have found 

ways to spoof the DFAS email address, this 

does not mean that customer accounts were 

compromised.

“We have not had an incident that has 

threatened our security or the accounts of 

our customers,” said Steve Burghardt, a 

DFAS media relations officer. “We are always on the lookout. And we’re taking steps 

to (educate) folks.

To that end, DFAS officials are developing pages on their website to highlight their 

official email policy, examples of scam emails 

and law enforcement agencies that can initiate an investigation. 

DFAS officials are also trying to make 

this information readily available via myPay, 

Burghardt said. 

“That’s our biggest concern,” he said. 

“As long as you keep your login credentials 

private and to yourself, then your account is 

pretty much assured a fairly decent amount 

of security. But if you give that away or give 

out that information that people can use to 

get new credentials ... I can always impersonate you and say, ‘I lost my login credentials, 

get me a new one.’”

Besides getting their personal information stolen, people can also fall victim to 

computer attacks by even opening these 

emails.

For example, if there are HTML attachments or links in the email, they can drop 

malware on the computer, usually a Trojan 

horse, Peace said. If this happens, the Trojan 

will call out to wherever they want it to and 

start to do series of different things, such as 

loading more malware on the computer or 

turn the computer into part of a botnet. In 

the latter scenario, one’s computer is taken 

over by a hacker, made part of a larger network and used mostly for nefarious purposes. 

In order to avoid falling victim to these 

computer viruses and malware, people using 

commercial email accounts should immediately erase these scam emails, Peace said. 

Service members who receive these types of 

email on their .mil accounts should immediately notify their network administrator. 

By Tech Sgt. Benjamin Rojek

Defense Media Activity

DFAS warns service members of scam emails

LOS ANGELES – Fashion experts in the 

United States say a growing number of 

American consumers want domesticallymade clothing. Some designers are trying to 

meet the demand by bringing much of their 

manufacturing back to the United States. In 

Los Angeles, clothing manufacturing is one 

of the largest industries in the region.

For decades, U.S. companies, including 

many in the textile industry, moved production of their products overseas, where labor 

and other manufacturing costs were lower. 

It became commonplace to see labels indicating a finished product was made outside 

the United States. But that trend appears to 

be changing. 

In southern California, more than 

150,000 people work in one of the largest 

clothing manufacturing hubs in the United 

States. Ilse Metchek is president of the 

California Fashion Association. She says 

Americans are demanding more U.S.-made 

apparel, in part because of the perception 

that some foreign nations engage in poor 

labor or trade practices. 

“All that stuff going on about China 

not adhering to the labor laws, China manipulating its currency. People are very, very 

conscious; they may not know the details, 

they hear the noise,” she said. 

Another factor driving demand is the 

U.S. recession and the high rate of unemployment. Kathleen Hudak, a local shopper, 

says she hopes buying domestically made 

products will help put Americans back to 

work.

“Especially with the state of our economy and the state of unemployment. I would 

like to see my money going towards helping 

workers in our country,” she said. 

A report by the California Fashion Association says Chinese wages are rising due 

to a shrinking workforce caused by China’s 

“One Child” policy. Apparel workers are 

also going into other Chinese industries that 

offer better wages, hours and working conditions. 

Lonnie Kane, president of the Karen 

Kane brand, agrees that economic factors 

in China are having an effect.

“China as its living standards are moving 

up, its wages are moving up,” he said. 

That, plus increased shipping costs and 

problems with quality, prompted Kane to 

make more of his garments in the United 

States. 

Many designers and retailers agree that 

making products domestically makes doing 

business easier. Frank Doroff is vice chairman of Bloomingdale’s, an upscale retail 

chain. 

“I look for products that are made in 

the U.S.A. because of the relationship I can 

develop with the manufacturer and again 

the speed I can get it into the stores and 

then the reassurance that he’s right here, the 

quality will be there,” he said. 

But the California Fashion Association 

says the United States will never again be 

one of the leaders in manufacturing apparel, in part because too much machinery and 

skilled labor was lost when the industry left 

decades ago.

So if China gets too expensive, manufacturing will simply move to lower cost countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia.

U.S. clothing designers 

seek to satisfy demand 

for American-made

By Elizabeth Lee

Voice of America News

Only at GTMO by Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Keith Simmons

Mind, Body & Spirit The Wire | Page 17

Find your Eden

EDEN

“So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter, 

now what does that say about me?” Lyrics 

from “Montezuma” by the Seattle folk band 

Fleet Foxes bring the heaviness of reality back 

into the foreground of life. Time seems to 

slip between the cracks of our daily routines, 

vanishing as we pay our monthly bills. One day 

we wake up and wonder if this time and place 

is right for us. Did the last years culminate in 

something productive, not just adding zeros 

to our savings account, but also fulfilling the 

human spirit? 

The stresses of deployment can be sifted 

from your body by finding your happy place 

like Happy Gilmore was able to do. Happy 

place. This happy place is your Eden. It’s a 

place where the mere thought relaxes your 

entire body, kills Monday-morning butterflies, 

and allows you to realize that things you’re 

worrying about are far from life-threatening. 

Find your Eden, which will possibly become 

something unimaginably real one day. Or 

maybe it will stay a place in your mind; a 

daydream that can combat any stressful 

situation throughout what may be your 

indefinite daily routine.

ALASKA

Alaska is part of the United States and 

is my Eden. I will travel there by any means 

necessary to exist and potentially coexist. 

I will grow my hair and my beard, naturally 

for Greek enlightenment and realistically to 

combat the Artic conditions. To completely 

engage in this existential slumber, you’ll need to 

explore different avenues of metamorphosis.

Why Alaska? What am I in search of? 

Have the pressures and stresses of our daily 

routines become so heavy on our minds, 

bodies, and spirits that we need to retreat to 

a reservation of peace? Maybe it has nothing 

to do with being overwhelmed and totally due 

to a lifelong dream of exploring the openness 

of our planet. 

Arctic Alaska is a white beach where Charlie 

don’t surf. William H. Seward purchased it in 

1867. Most look to American expansion for 

reasoning but maybe he wanted to drain his 

bank account and retire to the wilderness. He 

was 66 years old. Moving past speculation, 

the Alaskan tundra provides a serene sense 

of solitude. It would be nice for our minds to 

dwell there instead of on any shortcomings 

that get put under a magnifying glass only to 

murkify the source of the original, miniscule 

problem.

It’s not my desire to wait until retirement 

only to go through the motions of essentially 

entering hibernation. No, moving to Alaska 

is not about becoming stagnant and allowing 

time to become obsolete when there is still 

much life to be lived. Life is about putting 

your best foot forward without worrying 

about the consequences of failing. It’s about 

living with the same attitude the Dude from 

“The Big Lebowski” lived with: Just take it 

easy.

I woke up one morning and realized 

happiness is about chopping wood. It’s about 

cutting down trees. It’s about leaving work 

near the back of the pack in a race toward 

serenity now. There’s something completely 

blissful about being able to zone out while 

successfully completing a job, and I think 

chopping down trees is everything I need: 

A workout, a source of income, and plenty 

of time to enjoy the outdoors and daydream 

about love.

Looking at a map, Alaska is at the top of 

our country. I want to climb the stairway to 

the top of our country and when I get there 

I want to look down at life. I want to get high 

enough where life’s problems seem like grains 

of sand in a land of rare shells with their sand 

crab inhabitants each giving you a high five 

for arriving at your Eden. 

DUDE

One day this beautiful military chapter in 

our lives will transition into the next. Maybe 

your Eden will stay the same. Maybe it will 

bounce back between the Arctic tundra of 

Alaska and the remote plains of Africa. 

Keep a tight hold of wherever your Eden 

is and go there when life begins to become 

redundant. Always know that there is a place 

out there for you. It could quite possibly be 

that Guantanamo Bay is your Eden. If you 

have the opportunity, try to extend! Wherever 

your Eden is, be sure to visit it often and 

don’t concern yourself with bringing back 

souvenirs. Just relax, forget about stress and 

let’s go bowling.

Mind, Body & Spirit

By Spc. Ryan Hallock
| Bulletin Board The Wire | Page 19

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. 

Pentecostal Gospel

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

Room D

Protestant Communion

Sunday 10 a.m.

Room B

LDS Service

Sunday 10 a.m. 

Room A

Islamic Service

Friday 1 p.m. 

Room C

Protestant Worship

Sunday 9 a.m.

Bible Study

Wednesday 6 p.m.

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 28

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

27 29 30 1 2 3

The Vow 

(NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Gone

(PG-13) 10 p.m.

The Lucky One 

(NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Wrath of the 

Titans

(PG-13) 10 p.m.

The Lucky 

One (NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

The Vow 

(NEW)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

This Means War 

(last showing)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Ghost Rider

(last showing)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Ghost Rider

(last showing)

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

This Means War 

(last showing)

(PG) 8 p.m.

The Lorax

(PG) 8 p.m.

Act of Valor

(R) 8 p.m.

Act of Valor

(R) 8 p.m.

Wrath of the 

Titans

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Wanderlust

(R) 8 p.m.

Gone

(PG-13) 8 p.m.

Downtown

Lyceum

Camp 

Bulkeley

For more information, 

contact the JTF 

Chaplain’s Office 

at 2305.

GTMO Quick 

Reference

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

Amanda Seyfried seems likable enough. She’s a talented young actress who’s been in 

supporting roles and is now crossing over into 

headlining territory. She’s got the smarts, acting 

chops and the good looks to be an engaging 

actress in the years to come. In my opinion, to a 

degree, she resembles a young Michelle Pfeiffer. 

Having noted these things, I’m still trying to 

understand what Seyfried was doing in “Gone.” 

No doubt, this film was designed as a vehicle 

for Ms. Seyfried. I’m sure there will be other 

roles for her to shine in, but in “Gone” she is 

wallowing in the mire.

The film opens with the lovely Jill Conway 

scouring a forest outside of Portland, Oregon. 

She alleges she was abducted a year earlier by 

a lunatic who brought her to the woods and 

placed her in a hole in the ground with human 

remains: dead women, to be exact. After all this 

time, she believes this woman-killer is still on the 

loose. Her deepest fear is he will come looking 

for her to finish the job he started with her. Jill’s 

sister Molly (Emily Wickersham, “I am Number 

Four”) has moved into Jill’s house to keep an 

eye on Jill. Their relationship is a symbiotic one. 

Jill has a mounting paranoia about a supposed 

loony on the prowl and Molly is a recovered 

alcoholic. Together, they keep each other in 

check.

After waitressing late one night, Jill returns 

home to discover her sister has vanished. Molly’s 

disappearance does not jive as she was studying 

for a test and all her clothes are accounted 

for except for the night-time garments she 

was wearing when Jill last saw her. Frantic, 

Jill searches for her sister. In Jill’s mind, there 

is only one possibility for what happened to 

Molly: the man who kidnapped Jill a year earlier 

has returned. Jill believes he kidnapped Molly 

with the intent of killing her as revenge for Jill 

escaping from him. Now, I realize the movies 

are generally tall tales to begin with, but for the 

lunatic to plan over a year to get back at Jill, the 

one girl to have gotten away, seems an overly 

ludicrous conclusion for Jill to arrive at. But I 

digress. 

There are the obvious questions about this 

film’s set-up. Why wasn’t the killer ever brought 

in? Why wasn’t the hole in the woods with the 

human remains ever discovered? Why haven’t 

the police found anything to support Jill’s claims? 

What is Jill’s next move? The partial answer to 

these questions is somewhat “Hitchcockian”: 

Jill previously spent some time in a psyche ward. 

Oh. This hinders Jill’s credibility as the victim 

of a madman. The police doubt he was real at 

all. What about the hole in ground? What hole 

in the ground? The police were never able to 

find it. Oh.

“Gone” works on the premise that all cops 

are stupid, unbelieving and inept at doing their 

jobs. We are introduced to three of them: Lt. 

Bozeman (Michael Pare, “Leverage”) who is 

authoritative and easily agitated (sounds like 

my high school study hall teacher) ; Detective 

Lonsdale (Katherine Moenning, “The L Word”) 

who looks about as bored as this movie’s audience 

(at least she looks sharp in her leather coat and 

messy straw-like hair) ; and the sympathetic 

Detective Peter Hood (Wes Bentley, “The 

Hunger Games”) who looks like he belongs in 

a “creepy guy” edition of GQ. Given Jill’s past, 

the police all believe she is crazy. Jill came in on a 

Friday with her complaint, but as far as they are 

concerned it can keep until Monday. Feeling that 

nobody can be trusted, Jill sets out to find her 

sister and confront the crazed stalker for once 

and for all. Hmmm...

If it wasn’t for Amanda Seyfried’s charm and 

good looks, I could not imagine how anybody 

could make it through this movie. The dialog is 

horrendous, the situation is preposterous and 

there are a lot of wasted opportunities with the 

story. Here’s an example of a wasted opportunity: 

We know why the police don’t believe Jill’s story. 

Wouldn’t it have been interesting if Jill herself 

had doubt on her own story? What if she 

questioned if the events of the previous year 

had happened at all or if the events only took 

place in her head? The filmmakers don’t even 

go there. Here is a chance to keep the audience 

guessing if the threat is even real or imagined. 

This is just one of many ideas totally blown.

If you’re concerned about spoilers, read no 

further . . .

How about the killer? I couldn’t help but 

wonder about this guy. What motivates him to 

do what he does? Why didn’t the police ever 

find any physical evidence on this guy? Didn’t 

anyone else in Portland think it was just a little 

weird that all these women disappeared? Was 

anybody looking for them? Surely you can’t 

have a pile of decaying women in a hole in the 

woods without someone asking questions about 

their whereabouts. I also found it hard to believe 

the killer would be a homeless guy who did his 

handiwork out in the woodland. How could he 

have had any income to buy materials for his 

crimes and rent vehicles? The movie doesn’t 

tell you. This guy has no other purpose than to 

drive the story. There is absolutely no depth to 

him and there is no real sense of danger either. 

Heck, just to have said he was the boogeyman 

would have been at least something.

“Gone” is completely devoid of any real 

emotion, plausibility and suspense which are the 

keystones to any effective thriller. If you were to 

fall asleep under the stars at either Lyceum and 

miss a movie completely, this would be the one 

to sleep through.

 The Wire | Page 18 Movie Review

PG-13

94 min. By Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Ty Bjornson

Movie Review
Rayvon

Background and right: Rayvon, a reggae artist who collaborates 

frequently with Shaggy, posed outside of the Windjammer after 

sharing the Guantanamo Bay stage with DJ Epps April 21. The 

artists jumped at the opportunity to perform for the troops, 

something they love to do. –photos by Spc. Ryan Hallock 

Right: Sgt. Joe Martinez and Cpl. Tim Fowler of the 525th 

Military Police Battalion worked the grill at the motor pool 

April 23 during a fundraiser for the upcoming June 30 Army 

ball. –photo by Spc. Ryan Hallock