Community Ledger, Dec. 18

Action Line

An Action Line has been established to allow Fort Lewis community members to express their concerns and ideas directly to the commanding general. Your issues will be addressed by the commander and his staff.

The Action Line number is 967-0093.

Operation Give a Hug

Operation Give a Hug is a nonprofit organization that donates dolls with photo sleeves displaying the image of a parent. The organization has generously donated dolls to the Fort Lewis Army Community Service Mobilization and Deployment Program to disseminate to the children of deployed and deploying Soldiers.

Recently, some off-post media have run articles about a commercial operation that sells a similar product. This news coverage confused the two organizations and implied the dolls for sale had a connection with ACS and Army Child Youth and School Services’ programs.

The Operation Give a Hug national coordinator is Susan Agustin. She started the program in 2004, while stationed at Fort Lewis. She and her husband PCSed in 2005. Since then, the program has grown dramatically, and now serves military families nationwide.

This is an all-volunteer nonprofit program sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Tacoma Foundation. Since its inception, Operation Give a Hug has given out more than 170,000 dolls to children who have parents serving our nation — Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard — through family readiness groups, family liaison officers, and casualty assistance officers. The dolls are also used by pediatric psychologists and school counselors to help children cope with parents’ deployment. Since 2008, Operation Give a Hug has worked with Department of the Army CYSS. The dolls provided through the partnership are Army-specific with ACU fabric, the photo-sleeve face and a hang tag listing tips, resources to help parents help their children cope with deployment and the Army Family Covenant. The partnership illustrates the Army’s commitment to providing support to families.

For more information on how to obtain a doll in the Fort Lewis area, contact the ACS Mobilization and Deployment Program at 967-6579.

State of the post

Colonel Thomas Brittain, the garrison commander, will make the annual “State of the Post” presentation to garrison employees and personnel on Monday in Carey Theater. There are two sessions to choose from: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Those from every part of the garrison will be able to learn what took place in other directorates during the past year. The coming year will bring significant challenges and opportunities; this is the time to learn how Fort Lewis will approach them. All available personnel should attend one of the sessions.

Care team training

Care teams are ACS-trained volunteers who support and assist the primary next of kin of fallen warriors, filling the gap between notification and arrival of their own personal support system. Volunteers are needed for this important service.

Care team training will take place Jan. 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the ACS Annex, Building 2166 (Liggett and S. 12th streets). To register, e-mail pamela.j.allen@conus.army.mil or call 967-8430. Child care is available with prior reservations by calling Clarkmoor Hourly Care at 966-2490. Children must be registered with CYS Services.

Reunion workshop

Is your Soldier coming home soon? ACS has a workshop to walk you through the reunion process Jan. 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the ACS Annex (at 12th and Liggett). Discussions cover how to prepare for reunion day; what to do to help the transition; and possible expectations. Register by calling Pamela Allen at 967-8430 or e-mail pamela.j.allen@us.army.mil. You can also schedule unit or FRG reunion workshops.

Free child care is available with prior reservations by calling Clarkmoor Hourly Care at 966-2490. Children must be registered with CYS Services.

Book signing

Darrell Griffin Sr. will sign copies of his unique book at noon, Saturday, at the Fort Lewis Post Exchange.

Griffin co-authored the book, “Last Journey: A Father and Son in Wartime,” with his son, Darrell Jr., a staff sergeant squad leader in Charger Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, who was killed in action in Sadr City, Iraq, March 21, 2007.

Father and son, nicknamed Skip, had planned to write a book together upon the younger Griffin’s return from his second Iraq deployment. After his son’s death, Darrell Sr. was granted permission from the State Department to travel to Baghdad to meet his son’s battle buddies and see where he lost his life. Griffin returned home to California to write a very different book than the one the two had envisioned. Without physical input from his Skip, Griffin gathered his journals and e-mails along with 22 pages his son had written to begin the project. His own contribution details his family’s “Dustbowl Lineage,” his son’s youthful indiscretions and his path to active duty in the Army with 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

“Last Journey” was published June 29 by Atlas & Company Publishers, New York. The book has received glowing reviews from Anthony Swofford, author of “Jarhead,” Arizona senator John McCain and the New York Times. It was selected by the editors of Barnes and Noble as one of the 10 best non-fiction books for 2009.

Winter reading program

Book Patch Library is holding its Winter Reading Program, “Reading is Sweet,” through Dec. 31. Come pick up your bookmark and reading log between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. When you are finished reading, bring your reading log to Book Patch to collect a door prize.

Recycling changes

Fort Lewis recycling is “Mixing It Up!” In an effort to make recycling easier, the section is converting to single-stream recycling. Residents can now mix paper with their plastic bottles (No. 1 to 7), aluminum cans, tin cans, and milk and juice cartons. Continue to put cardboard in the blue, grated bins. LeMay, Inc., is in the process of delivering new, gray containers throughout the installation to replace the existing two-can system. Glass products are, unfortunately, out of the mix, but these items can be taken to the recycling center for recovery. More glass drop-off locations will be coming soon. For these locations, call 967-3803.

Holiday gift wrapping

Enlisted Spouses Club annual gift wrapping at the Main PX is ongoing, so come on out and support your local community. The gift wrapping continues until Thursday, daily. Help the ESC by coming out and getting your gifts wrapped; the cost is whatever you choose to donate. The funds raised go back out to the community.

The ESC stll needs volunteers to help wrap gifts.

To volunteer call or e-mail the ESC, 967-5849 or ftlewisesc@yahoo.com.

Communication for relationships

If you would like to know more about healthy ways to communicate within your marriage, sign up for a relationships communication class. Brought to you by the Family Advocacy Program and the Family Life Center, the next six-class session begins Jan. 5 in Building 9120, Four Chaplains Memorial Chapel, from 9 to 11 a.m. and continues each Tuesday, Jan. 12, 19, 26 and Feb. 2 and 9. For more information call 967-5901.

CYSS cross country

Registration for Child, Youth and School Services cross country (ages 9-15) begins Dec. 28 and continues through Jan. 22. Training begins Jan. 25 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. There is a $25 registration fee. Train for the following FMWR races: the St. Patrick’s Day 5K and 10K, the Airfield Challenge, the 5K and 7K Mud Runs and the Army Half-Marathon. For more information call 967-2405.

Red Cross lifeguard certification

Lifeguards are in demand, and you can learn lifesaving skills to help keep people safe, in, on and around the water. American Red Cross certification is Dec. 28 to 31 at Fort Lewis swimming pools for those at least 15 years old. The cost for course materials is $51.50. For prerequisites and more information, call Ashley Allen at Soldiers Field House at 967-5390.

WLC inprocessing

The Henry H. Lind NCO Academy Warrior Leader Course, Class 004-10, will inprocess on Jan. 6. Students must report to Building 3114 at 5 a.m. Sponsors must report to Building 5996 at 5 a.m. For more information, call 967-7294.

West Point vs. Portland

Fans of the Black Knights won’t want to miss the chance to root their team on, at the only U.S. Military Academy basketball game scheduled in the Northwest this season. West Point will take on the University of Portland Pilots at Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus, Jan. 2, with the tipoff at 8:10 p.m. For information about tickets, contact Maj. Joe Lontai at lontai@up.edu or call (503) 880-3299.

Stress management

The Fort Lewis Family Advocacy Program offers a weekly stress-management class, from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays in the FAP Conference Room, Building 2013B. Get a better understanding of stress and its effects on health and readiness. Identify physical and emotional reactions to stress.

Learn about stress-management tools and how to use them effectively. Call 967-5901 to schedule a class for your unit or family readiness group.

Team Lewis Night

Join BOSS today at the Cascade Community Center for Team Lewis Night from 3 to 6 p.m. Enjoy complimentary gourmet pizza from Garlic Jim’s, fun games and great prizes. You must be at least 18 to attend and 21 to purchase or consume alcohol. For more information call the BOSS team at 967-5636.

Latin New Year’s Eve

Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Latin Sensations (inside Madigan Café) from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Cost is $30 per person or $50 per couple and includes a champagne toast and breakfast. Call 964-4054 for more information.

Martin Luther King

The Reverend Samuel McKinney will be the guest speaker, discussing the life and lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on Jan. 13, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Carey Theater. For more information, contact Staff Sgt. Julie Williams or Pfc. Shawn Caskin, 966-0297.

Christmas Eve at Bowl Arena Lanes

Need the family out of the house for the last-minute cooking, shopping or present wrapping? Bring your family to Bowl Arena Lanes on Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Games and shoe rentals are $1. For more information, call 967-4661.

Healthy living

Learn about the great fitness programs offered at your local fitness centers. Call 966-3757 and ask for a tour. Talk to the experts and learn proper exercise techniques for the best results and to avoid injury. Arrange a free appointment with a personal trainer and ask about a free MicroFit and Wellness assessment. Did you know that Jensen Family Health and Fitness Center has free child care? What are you waiting for? Call 966-3757 today. Come alone, bring a friend or bring the whole family and get started on a new, healthy lifestyle together. For more information about the Healthy Living series, call Army Public Health Nursing at 968-4382.

Got Health? The choice is yours.

Couples needed

Doctors John and Julie Gottman, psychologists who teach research-based skills to help marriages succeed, have been appointed by the Army to create a program to help support Soldiers’ and their families’ struggles with communication, trust, jealousy and faithfulness, which can lead to unhappiness, depression and, in the worst cases, suicide. The program will be delivered in an interactive online format. Four modules will be created that center on the most common challenges faced by couples as they experience the deployment cycle.

The doctors are seeking Army couples to take part in this program.

Couples will be interviewed as a group in a one-day talk show format. They must have at least one family member serving in the Army. Ages may be from 18 to the mid-30s. Couples may be married or unmarried, but must be in committed relationships. They should be willing to disclose personal experiences. Couples who have experienced at least one cycle of deployment are preferred. Couples may still be in the throes of relationship challenges or they may have navigated past them.

To apply, send an e-mail by Monday to militarycouples @gottman.com. Write “CSF Couples Project” in the subject line and provide the following information for yourself and your spouse/partner: full names, ages, ethnicity, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and best times to reach you and your partner; how long you’ve been married or together, whether or not you or your partner have been married before and how many times you or your partner have been deployed.

Filming will take place in Seattle on Jan. 15. Three couples at a time will engage in a conversation centering on some aspect of their relationship.

Topics may include how to sustain trust, how to manage conflict, how to recover from past conflicts, etc. There may also be conversation about infidelity and moving beyond it with renewed trust.

Couples will receive $500 at the end of the day of filming.

ACS holiday assistance

Army Community Service traditionally offers commanders a holiday dinner program to assist Army families in need during the holidays.

ACS will provide commanders with cash vouchers for identified Soldiers. Vouchers are redeemable at the Fort Lewis Commissary for food purchases only. Commanders determine which Soldiers within their commands will receive assistance.

Basic guidelines for establishing need will be provided to command sergeants major.

Fort Lewis does not have a program to connect Soldiers and families with people off-post.

Those who want to support Soldiers and their families during the holidays can make donations to the Army Community Service Holiday Assistance Program by calling (253) 967-9917.

Calendar

The following holidays and days of no scheduled activities are planned:

● Thursday, DONSA

● Dec. 25, Christmas

● Dec. 31, DONSA

● Jan. 1, New Year’s Day

● Jan. 15, DONSA

● Jan. 18, MLK Day

● Feb. 12, DONSA

● Feb. 15, Presidents Day

● March 12, DONSA

● April 9, DONSA

● May 28, DONSA

● May 31, Memorial Day

● June 11, DONSA

● July 2, DONSA

● July 5, Independence Day Holiday

● Aug. 13, DONSA

● Sept. 3, DONSA

● Sept. 6, Labor Day

FCC amnesty

To decrease the risk of child abuse and neglect in unauthorized care, the Family Child Care Program has initiated an amnesty program allowing individuals who are not certified FCC providers, but are regularly caring for children in on-post housing, an opportunity to register with Child, Youth and School Services without penalty.

If you are currently providing unauthorized child care in your home, call the FCC Program at 967-3039 for information on how you can become certified, or pick up an application in Building 2013B on Pendleton at 3rd Avenue.

FCC provides free training, as well as free child care while you become certified. Any training and credit gained through the FCC program are transferable to working in a child-development center.

Gate hours and locations

Fort Lewis gate hours and locations:

● Liberty (Main), 24 hours, 7 days a week, I-5 Exit 120 to Main Post;

● 41st Division (North Fort), 24 hours, 7 days a week, I-5 Exit 120 to North Fort;

● Logistics Center, 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday (closed on federal holidays), I-5 Exit 123 — Thorne Lane;

● Madigan, 24 hours, 7 days a week, I-5 Exit 122 — Berkeley Street;

● East Gate, 24 hours, 7 days a week, East Gate Road and 4th Division Drive (connects to SR 507);

● DuPont Gate, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., 7 days a week, I-5 Exit 119;

● D Street (POV), 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., 7 days a week, access to North Fort from DuPont-Steilacoom Road;

● D Street (CVIP), 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday (closed on federal holidays), same as D Street (POV);

● Scouts Out, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 7 days a week (closed on federal holidays), 2nd Division Range Road;

● Transmission Line (ASP), 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday (closed on federal holidays), Transmission Line Road;

● Center Drive (outbound only), 4 to 6 p.m., Monday to Thursday, 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday (closed on federal holidays), adjacent to the Regional Confinement Facility;

● I Street Gate (North Fort) (inbound only), 5 to 9 a.m., Monday to Friday (closed on federal holidays), 1 1⁄2 miles north of DuPont Exit 119, just off DuPont-Steilacoom Road;

● Lincoln-Rainier Gate, 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., 7 days a week, from off post — access via Perimeter Road/150th Street; from on post — access via Rainier Drive and Lincoln Street on the Logistics Center.

McChord gate hours and locations:

● Main Gate, 24 hours, 7 days a week, I-5 Exit 125 (Bridgeport Way);

● Barnes Gate, 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., 7 days a week, Perimeter Road, approximately 1/2 mile from the Lincoln Boulevard Gate exit of Fort Lewis;

● Commercial Vehicle Inspection Point, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday (closed on federal holidays), Perimeter Road approximately 1⁄4 mile from the Lincoln Boulevard Gate exit of Fort Lewis;

● Woodbrook Housing Gate, 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, I-5 Exit 124 — Gravelly Lake.

Attention

Event announcements must be received no later than the Friday before publication. They can be e-mailed to nwgeditor@nwguardian.com. Announcements can be viewed online at NWGuardian.com. The Northwest Guardian office is located in the basement of Building 2026-B.

For more information, call 967-0173.