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4 LRS beats 1stAS in IntramuralPlayoffs

9

BY BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ronald Thomas was born withglaucoma and cataracts that ren-der him legally blind. Life wasn’talways successful for the nativeWashingtonian, now the propri-etor of the Blue Wing Café onthe second floor of the William I.Jones III Building on Joint BaseAndrews. Thomas encounteredbarriers as an adolescent, but at53 his vision for success in thebusiness world has transcendedhis visual disability.Thomas’ father died when Ron

was six years old, leaving his moth-er to raise him and five siblings.Hismother worked her way up throughthe ranks to become head nurse atD.C. General Hospital.

“My mother made it to the topand served in that position formore than 20 years,” said Thom-as. “She really worked her waythrough life, all while raising allof us. And it really woke me upone day,” said Thomas, creditinghis mother’s achievement as hisinspiration. “I said ‘If she can doit, then I can do it.’”When asked how his mother

felt about his achievement as abusiness owner Thomas said, “Mymother is retired now and resid-ing in an assisted living homeand I talk with her daily. She’sreally proud of me, but I can re-member for a long time I didn’tknow which direction to go withmy life. I was frustrated.”Thomas first attended Largo

High School, enrolled in a spe-

cial education class. He knewhis math and reading skills werelacking, but the Randolph-Shep-pard Act, a federal law whichmandates a priority to blind per-sons to operate vending facilitieson federal property, afforded himthe opportunity receive his highschool diploma at the MarylandState Department of Education,Division of Rehabilitation Ser-vices in Baltimore, Md.Thomas spoke fondly about

opportunities he received at theDORS, an introductory, career-building pathway organizationwhich worked with people whohad physical and mental disabili-ties, as well as diseases includingcerebral palsy and heart disease.

Local businessman’s vision for success transcends visual disability

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Ron Thomas and his assistant manager Cynthia Apronti go over theCafé inventory. see DISABILITY, page 8

BY CHRIS BASHAMSTAFF WRITER

There’s a lot of talk these daysabout young people lacking thefocus and drive to know whatthey want to do with their lives.For some, however, adolescence isa time to learn and prepare forthe future. Prince George’s Po-lice Department District IV Of-ficer M.A. Owen leads 25 youngpeople, ages 14-20, as they learnabout law enforcement careersthrough the Law EnforcementExplorers Program. Each PGPDdistrict has its own Explorersgroup, with approximately 150students enrolled county-wide.District IV’s Explorers meet

each Wednesday evening at OxonHill High School, although notall members of the group areenrolled there. The year-roundprogram, a subsidiary of the BoyScouts of America Learning forLife career training program,teaches the skills, tactics and at-titude necessary to be a success-ful candidate for a law enforce-ment career.Many of today’s PGPD officers

participated in the Explorer pro-gram as students. The programhas been in place in the county

since the mid-1970s, and has pro-duced county police officers andagents in the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, the U.S. Park Po-lice and the U.S. Marshall Serviceas well as other law enforcementagencies over the years. Otherschoose military service or col-lege instead of enrolling in thepolice academy when they areold enough to qualify, at 20 and ahalf years old.“I just want them interested in

a law enforcement career,” saidOwen. “Of course, I’d like to seethem join the Prince George’s Po-lice Department.”Owen was an Explorer as a

teen in Philadelphia.“Thursday was almost the

only day of the week, as far asI was concerned,” Owen said ofhis love of the program. No mat-ter where it is based, the formatof Explorer programs is similareach week---students participatein physical training, drills andceremony practice, and learnhow to handle most of the basicsof police work: bomb threats, traf-fic stops, legal updates, domesticconflicts, breaking and entering,active shooter scenarios, trafficaccident investigations and whitecollar crime. Seasoned Explor-

ers who have earned the trust ofOwen and other adult advisers inthe program can participate inride-alongs with PGPD officers.The students also volunteer atweekend events, take field tripsthroughout the department, at-tend a week-long CommunityPolicing Institute course eachAugust at the county’s policeacademy and can attend a na-tional conference held in even-numbered years. The programwill add teen Community Emer-gency Response Team training inthe near future.Explorer training emphasizes

unity, discipline and cooperationamong the team.“When one messes up, they all

mess up,” Owen said. “When youhave a bad experience with me, ittarnishes all of us in uniform, sowe teach them to take their train-ing seriously.”Most students enter the pro-

gram as early as age 14, but thereare exceptions.“Carlos was bugging me like

a tick. He was extremely persis-tent,” said Program CoordinatorCpl. Conrad D’Haiti, who hasserved as an adviser with the

Youth learn about lawenforcement throughExplorer program

PHOTO/CHRIS BASHAM

Prince George’s County Police Department District IV Explorers practice investigating a breaking andentering scenario using the hallways and classrooms of Oxon Hill High School. The hands-on and smallgroup learning experiences they have as members of the Explorers give these students an edge againstother candidates for careers in law enforcement.

see EXPLORER, page 3


The Town of Morningsideheld elections for Mayor andseveral Town Council seatsMay 6. In a Morningside tra-dition, candidates gatheredoutside the Morningside TownHall, sharing a relaxed, blockparty atmosphere behind a lineof police tape intended to keepcandidates separate from theTown Hall’s main parking lot.Residents of the town came byafter voting to speak with thecandidates.Council member Todd Mul-

lins, a Morningside resident fornearly four years, said,” Peoplehave been trickling in all day, al-though I think there is a lighterturn-out than the last election.”Candidate Elizabeth Long

agreed that this year’s voterturnout seemed relatively light.“Last year I ran and got 72

votes,” Long said. “I don’t thinkthere have been that many peo-ple, this year.”

Long ran for a Town Councilseat hoping to bring attention tothe poor condition of streets andto the concerns of senior citizensin the town.“Streets and roads are im-

portant. Several streets herehaven’t even been paved.They’re sort of like dirt. So, thecouncil members are working onthat,” Long said, mainly usingfunds coming from the town’sred light cameras.“I think people are mad be-

cause they think the town’sproperty tax rate is going up,but it hasn’t. It’s the state ratethat’s been going up, and thatimpacts everything. A lot of themoney we’re getting (for roadimprovements and other proj-ects) is from red light cameras,especially along Suitland Road,”Long said.Long, who also seeks to re-

vamp the town’s communica-tions network, said, “I wantedto represent the seniors so they

Town of Morningside electsnew Mayor, councilmembers

see ELECTION, page 3


As a child, Rudy Cachuelahad the perfect combination ofexample and encouragement tohelp him find his path to a sat-isfying and significant career.“My father was a Sailor. I

was a military brat. All I everknew, growing up, was bases,”said Col. Cachuela, who servesas commander, 779th MedicalGroup. “My mom influenced meto medicine from the youngestage. As a typical ‘tiger mom,’she kept putting in my headthat I should be a doctor.”While pursuing an under-

graduate degree in bioengi-neering, Cachuela realizedthat he actually liked the med-ical side of his studies. “I re-searched how blood flows, themechanics of the human body,”he said.Cachuela understood that

the expense of medical schoolwould be a burden on his en-listed Navy family. He accept-ed a health professional schol-arship and chose the Air Forcebecause of what he’d observedabout the various militarybranches during his childhood.“I knew I didn’t want the

Army, and my dad was alwaysoff to sea. I chose the Air Forcebecause at the time my broth-er was Air Force, also. At thetime, we were not expedition-ary. We fought from bases,” Ca-chuela said. “Of course, we’ve

since changed, and I’ve lovedthe times I’ve deployed.”When Cachuela considered

his options for a medical spe-cialty, he chose orthopedics sothat he could work with fellowathletes. It turned out to be ahighly valued specialty in mili-tary medicine.“We find that for the active

duty population, orthopedics isreally one of the biggest-utilizedservices. Most injuries are or-thopedic, because it’s a relative-ly healthy population.”Col. Cachuela took command

of 779th Medical Group in Janu-ary 2010, at what he describesas “a very tumultuous timefor the 779th Medical Group.”Armed with the Surgeon Gen-eral of the Air Force’s vision forAndrews’ medical facilities, Ca-chuela came here determined to

Col. Cachuela preparesto pass the guidon

see GUIDON, page 10

PHOTO/CHRIS BASHAM

2 Friday, May 10, 2013Andrews Gazette

HOTTICKETSAround Town

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint Military Publications,9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md., a private firm in no wayconnected with the U.S. Air Force or any branch of the UnitedStates military. The appearance of advertising in these publications,including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement

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COURTESY OF THE RETIREEACTIVITIES OFFICE

Women’s roles in combatincreaseFollowing rescission of the 1994

Direct Ground Combat Definitionand Assignment Rule for Women,DoD announced plans to removegender-based barriers to service. AirForce Chief of Staff Gen. MarkWelshsaid while 99 percent of Air Force po-sitions are currently open to women,the service will pursue opening thefinal one percent. He noted that thisyear marks the 20th anniversaryof women serving as combat pilots.There are seven Air Force careerfields still closed, all associated withspecial operations. They compriseabout 3,235 positions. Women makeup approximately 15 percent, ornearly 202,400, of the U.S. military’s1.4 million active personnel. Overthe past decade, more than 280,000women have deployed in support ofoperations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

VA and TAP are changingVA is partnering to build an in-

tegrated military and veteran sup-port system. Included is a revampedTransition Assistance Program, ajoint electronic medical records sys-tem, joint acquisitions decisions,better access to mental health pro-grams and disability claims, amongother issues. The collaboration is notabout turf, but in improving serviceto veterans. VA’s support of DoD’srevamped TAP will create a “seam-less and productive program thatprovides a warm hand-off from ser-vice member to new veteran status,to ensure all who have served areprepared to transition to civilian lifeand have access to the VA benefitsand services they’ve earned,” accord-ing to a VA spokesman. Disabilityclaims will also become more stream-lined as the two departments worktogether.

Rx co-payments varyTRICARE beneficiaries should

consider the Home Delivery (mailorder) option to avoid retail phar-macy co-payments. Generic formu-lary drugs at retail pharmacies cost$5 for a 30 day supply. For brand

name formulary drugs, the cost is$12 for a 30-day supply. The cost fornon-formulary drugs is $25 in bothretail and Home Delivery. There isno co-payment for a 90-day supply ofgeneric formulary drugs purchasedthrough Home Delivery. Brand nameformulary drugs through Home De-livery cost $9 for a 90- day supply.This makes the Home Delivery op-tion the most economical for boththe government and the beneficiary.If you are still using the retail phar-macy, think about it. Call 877-363-1303, or go to www.express-scripts.com for assistance.

The Retiree Activities Office is open10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday throughFriday. Visit the office in Building1604 at California and Colorado Av-enues or call us at 301 981-2726. Oure-mail address is raoandrews.af.mil.Call the office before your visit to en-sure a volunteer is on duty. The RAOhas a website at www.andrews.af.mil,click on “Retirees” for a wealth of in-formation on retiree subjects, includ-ing past copies of “Retiree ActivitiesCorner.”

Retiree Corner

May 10-12American IdiotShowtimes varyHippodrome Theatre, 12 North Eutaw Street, France-

Merrick Performing Arts Center, Baltimore, Md.See a Broadway musical about a post-punk band. In-

trigued? For information visit http://baltimore.broadway.com/.

May 11Rome at Riversdale11 a.m. - 4 p.m.Riversdale, 4811 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park, Md.Learn about ancient Rome through battle reenactments,

catapult demonstrations, children’s activities, food, scaven-ger hunts and fun. For information call 301-864-0420.

May 11 - June 29UNREAL: sculpture, ink drawings and paintingsMondays - Fridays 10 a.m -7 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m - 4

p.m.Brentwood Arts Exchange, Gateway Arts Center, 3901

Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, Md.See surrealistic work by Allen Linder, Benedict Oddi

and Christina Osheim, and eco-friendly glass sculpture byWashington Glass School co-founder Erwin Timmers. Forinformation visit arts.pgparks.com.

May 11Healthy Trails at National Harbor 5K Run/Walk7 a.m.WoodrowWilson Bridge Trail, 98 National Harbor Bou-

levard, Oxon Hill, Md.Ages 6 and up can walk or run with the whole family;

all registered participants get an event T-shirt. For infor-mation call 301-627-7755.


Chief Master Sgt. James Codysaid it, this week, and he’s right:“This isn’t T-ball, where everyonegets a trophy.”He was talking about military ser-

vice, of course, but no matter whatyour career path or position, it’s thehome truth: life is not going to justhand out meaningless awards to ev-eryone, and it shouldn’t. For most ofus, what we do actually matters. Weneed to “act like we know,” as an oldfriend’s mother used to say back inthe day, and put in the effort it takesto get our jobs done, raise our fami-lies, lead our nation and change theworld.We’re forgetting how to do that, I

think. And maybe T-ball is the per-

fect metaphor for why that is.Growing up back in the 70s in a

rural, Maryland town, we did nothave “participation” awards. Whatwe had were young people--evenchildren--just aching for the daywhen we could be grown-ups. Wewanted to work like Mom and Dad;learn how to do all the confusing andadult stuff they did; earn the rightto say we’d done things ourselves,our way, and made a difference. Wedidn’t want to be children forever.Wewanted to be mature, capable, glam-orous and wise.I’m not sure what happened be-

tween my own childhood and mychildren’s, who definitely came intothe world in the era of T-ball and “ev-eryone gets a trophy.”Have you watched T-ball? Good

grief, it is painful. A bunch of kids

who don’t know what they’re doing,standing around because their par-ents insisted, waiting for the end ofthe season because they’ll get a sliceof pizza and a trophy which, by thetime they’re 10 years old, will be adusty embarrassment on a high,closet shelf.I’m all for getting out in the fresh

air, learning a sport if that’s yourthing, enjoying the camaraderie ofteamwork, and patting each otheron the back when credit is due, butwe are raising a generation of peoplewho think that all they need to do ischeck the box. “I was here. I did it.”They show up, they make minimaleffort, they get their trophy, shove itin the back of the closet and move onto something else just as meaning-

CommentaryThis isn’t T-ball

see COMMENTARY, page 5

3Friday, May 10, 2013 Andrews Gazette

program since 1998. “We let himin at 13 because he wouldn’t stopcalling.”That has turned out to be the

right decision for Fort Washingtonresident Carlos Garcia, now 14.This February he was named Dis-trict IV’s male Explorer of the Year.Carlos was more determined

than most young people to be ac-cepted into the program becausehe knew from an early age thathe intends to follow his mother’slead and become a police officer.He hopes to join her in the NorthLittle Rock, Ark. police depart-ment when he is old enough toenroll in the police academy.“I love this department but I’d

rather be with my Mom,” Carlossaid.The Female Explorer of the

Year for Dist. IV, 20-year-old BriaLomax of Fort Washington joinedthe Explorers program at age 16on a friend’s recommendation.“I thought I’d try it for a day

or two and it became a career forme,” said Lomax, who intends tobe in the police academy by nextyear.“Our kids do get a preference

in hiring,” said D’Haiti of Ex-plorer participants, because theyalready have a basic understand-ing of many of the lessons otherswould have to learn at the acad-emy, whether classroom informa-tion, hands-on skills training orthe bigger concepts of learning tobe a responsible adult.“In the real world, you conform

to society,” said Owen, who at 24admits he’s not much older thansome of the Explorers he leads.“If you want to be in our program,you have to join our club--the clubof the world,” which does not ac-cept dreadlocked or other long ordistracting hair styles, large “hoop”earrings, tattoos or other bodymodifications which can detractfrom an officer’s uniform appear-ance or even put him or her at risk.“Where the head goes, the

body will follow, so we don’t allowdreads and other hairstyles thatcould give someone something tograb,” Owen said. It’s a matter of

preparing for the many unexpect-ed possibilities of a not-so-typicalday on the force.“There is not an ‘always’ in po-

lice work. It’s a lot like life,” saidOwen. “You see the curve ballscoming at you and you adapt andovercome.”For many Explorers, Owen and

the other officers and civilian ad-visers in the Explorer program fillin the gaps where positive, malerole models do not exist.“Owen’s been great for these

kids. He develops some reallytight relationships with them,”said D’Haiti.

PHOTO/CHRIS BASHAM

From left, Prince George’s Police Department District IV FemaleExplorer of the year Bria Lomax, 20, of Fort Washington; OfficerM.A. Owen and PGPD Dist. IV Male Explorer of the year Carlos Gar-cia, 14, also of Fort Washington, share a relaxed moment during aWednesday night Law Enforcement Explorer meeting at Oxon HillHigh School. Lomax and Garcia each intend to pursue careers inlaw enforcement as soon as they are old enough to attend the policeacademy.

EXPLORER, from page 1

CAPTION THIS

Send your silly captions for this week’s photo to [email protected]. The funniest ones will be used in a future edition of theAndrews Gazette.

BY DANIEL J. GROSSPRINCE GEORGE’S GAZETTE

It’s been a year and a halfsince Paula Morris of Potomaclost her 22-year-old son in a fatalstabbing in Philadelphia.Shortly after the killing, she

joined a support group with theMaryland Crime Victims Re-source Center and when askedto spearhead the creation of avictims’ remembrance garden,she said she took on the taskmore out of obligation than any-thing else.“I knew nobody else in the

group could do it, so I filled thegap,” said Morris, who owns aGaithersburg-based architec-ture business with her husband,Bill, and has a network of land-scapers for such projects. “But Iended up getting so much out ofit, I can’t tell you how rewardingit was.”During an April 27 ribbon-

cutting ceremony outside thePrince George’s County Court-house in Upper Marlboro — thelocation of the new garden, whichcontains flowers, trees, bench-es and a pathway of dedicatedbricks engraved with names ofhomicide victims — Morris said

she got into her car to leave theevent when it hit her.“I saw some families stand-

ing there looking for their brick,some sitting and relaxing, somethinking and some praying,” shesaid. “It gave me such a goodfeeling that I was able to be apart of creating that for peoplewho can enjoy it now.”The Upper Marlboro-based

resource center is a crime vic-tims’ advocacy nonprofit thatleads support groups and offersresources to crime victims andvictims’ families.The garden has been in the

works for decades, said centerfounder Roberta Roper. She saidthe group hosts annual crimevictims’ remembrance ceremo-nies in Upper Marlboro, but hadnever dedicated a space thatcould be used as a gatheringplace for crime victims’ familiesto find solace and grieve.She said after the Morris fam-

ily joined her support group, shecame to them with a sketch ofher garden idea because of theirarchitecture experience.Roper said Sheila R. Tillerson

Adams, Prince George’s seventh

Courthouse garden created as spacefor crime victim remembrance

see GARDEN, page 6

could have a voice. We used tohave meetings. I want to work ongetting a network,” to send email,text of phone messages to resi-dents in case of inclement weath-er and other emergencies.Council members are elected

to two-year terms. The Mayor iselected to a three-year term. Thisyear, the position of Mayor andtwo council member seats wereup for votes.“I’ve got a lot of respect and ad-

miration for Mayor Rooker. She’sdone a lot and it’s been a blessing,”said Mullins, who recently joinedthe Town Council when anothermember stepped down, and whowas waiting for voting to confirmhis spot on the council. Outgo-

ing Mayor Karen Rooker steppeddown from her post after six yearsas mayor to be more available forfamily responsibilities, Mullinsexplained. This week’s electionsare expected to bring change tothe town, because of the changein leadership.“It’s gonna be a work in prog-

ress, a lot of learning, a lot of pa-tience from everybody,” said Mull-ins. “It’s gonna be a huge learningcurve, with a lot of new faces. Butthings are not going to changeovernight.”“Todd is right,” said Long, who

served as town clerk in 2004 and2006. “People need to work to-gether. People have very strongopinions and agendas, and youhave to work through that.”Long said that during her time

as town clerk, she was part of a

group of Morningside residentswho visited wounded warriors onJoint Base Andrews. It is a volun-teer effort she would like to seereturn to the town, to supportboth wounded service membersand the medical staff who care forthem at JBA.Mayor-Elect Kenneth “Chrys”

Wade will appoint a Vice Mayorin the coming days.“I’ve been involved with the

town for a long time. I lived herewith my parents for 10 years, andcame back myself for the pasteight. It’s a chance to give backto the town,” said Wade. “Thereare a lot of things that need tobe looked at. We’ve been makingstrides over the past few years.I just want to keep going withthem.”

ELECTION, from page 1

1038250B 1038245B


BY TIMOTHY SANDOVALPRINCE GEORGE’S GAZETTE

Prince George’s County andsome of its municipalities havebeen warned by a gun rightsgroup to change their laws regu-lating the carrying of firearms orface a possible lawsuit.A portion of the county code

— Sec. 14-140 — prohibits thepossession of loaded firearmswithin 1,000 feet of houses,schools, churches, parks, placesof assembly and playgrounds.The Second Amendment

Foundation, based in Bellevue,Wash., said the code violatesMaryland law, which only per-mits counties to regulate fire-arm possession 300 feet fromsuch areas and cannot regulategun possession near houses orplaygrounds. State laws on gunownership, sales and possessionpreempt local ordinances, theletter states.The nonprofit group advo-

cates nationally for individualgun ownership rights, said DaveWorkman, a foundation spokes-man.Scott Peterson, spokesman for

County Executive Rushern L.Baker (D), said attorneys for thecounty are reviewing the group’sletter and had no further com-ment.Workman said the group sent

similar letters to municipalitiesand counties in Virginia andWashington state last year aspart of a pilot program aimed atletting officials know that someof their gun laws conflicted withstate laws. He said the projectwas started for the group by alaw student who lived in Vir-ginia, which is why two Easternstates have received letters.He said the group has yet to

take legal action against any lo-cal government that was sent aletter.Cheverly and Laurel offi-

cials confirmed receiving letters

and Workman said letters werealso sent to Morningside, Blad-ensburg, Berwyn Heights andMount Rainier, but municipalofficials said they were unawareof them.Alan Brody, spokesman for

the Maryland State AttorneyGeneral’s Office, said officialsthere are aware of the letters,but have no legal position onthem because they have notbeen asked for advice concern-ing them. He said officials arenot aware of any conflicts be-tween municipal gun laws andstate law.Pete Piringer, Laurel’s direc-

tor of communications and pub-lic information, said officialsreviewed the letter and deter-mined the city followed federaland state law concerning firearmregulations.In Cheverly, the gun rights

group took issue with Section20-4 of the town code, which pro-hibits the carrying or wearing of“dangerous or deadly weapons ofany kind whatsoever.”Cheverly Mayor Michael Cal-

lahan said the town is ready toupdate the code if it is not incompliance with state law.“Maryland has strong gun

control laws, and if we need tobe in accordance with Marylandgun control laws, then fine,” Cal-lahan said.Former councilman Micah

Watson criticized the group fortrying to stir up a local contro-versy.“The letter seems to be off

base and raising an issue thatis not really a relevant issue ofthe people of Cheverly today,”Watson said. “This seems like anoutside group trying to create anissue within town that, frankly,I have not heard any residentraise.”

This story originally appearedin the May 6 edition of the PrinceGeorge’s Gazette.

Gun rights group firesregulation warning toPrince George’s

BY BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Participants in a seminarheld May 7-8 at the East Fit-ness Center received hands-ontraining and clinic instructionon how to run more efficiently.The topics included video gaitreviews, basics of biomechanics,run form clinic demonstrationsand practice, footwear basics,drills, strength, range of motion,running injury assessment andtreatment and training to meetAir Force physical fitness teststandards.Lt. Col. Mark Cucuzzella,

professor of Family Medicine atWest Virginia University Schoolof Medicine, helped participantsevaluate their running gait toimprove their speed by runningusing the best techniques. Cu-cuzzella has been a competitiverunner for 30 years, competingin over 80 marathons, and con-

tinues to compete as a Nationallevel Masters runner. He is atwo-time winner of the Air ForceMarathon.The two-day seminar was

sponsored by the Joint Base An-drews Health and Wellness Cen-ter.

JBA members benefit fromEfficient Running seminar

Seminar participants take notes.

Lieutenant Col. Mark Cucuzzella,Chief Medical Consultant AirForce Marathon, center, videosJoint Base Andrews member trialruns on the East Fitness Centertrack to use as a visual trainingplatform to correct running tech-niques.

Lieutenant Col. Mark Cucuzzella, Chief Medical Consultant Air ForceMarathon, plays back videos of participants’ running gaits for cliniccritique.

PHOTOS/BOBBY JONES

Seminar participants perform a running warm-up at the East FitnessCenter track.

1009813B


BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASSJOSHUA DEWBERRY

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

With budgets shrink-ing, Air Force leaders arecalling on Airmen to sharetheir best money-savingideas through the EveryDollar Counts campaign.In the wake of sequestra-

tion, the initiative marks acultural shift that empow-ers Airmen to find and rec-ommend areas for savingsthat may be used to sup-port readiness needs, saidAir Force Vice Chief of StaffGen. Larry Spencer.Beginning May 1, Air-

men can submit their cost-reducing ideas via the Air-men Powered by Innovationwebsites while at home, the

office or on their smart-phone by visiting http://everydollar.dodlive.mil/.“The old way of meeting

our fiscal demands doesn’twork anymore. Today, all ofus must look at more effi-cient ways to safely accom-plish our mission. Smallchanges to processes or pro-cedures when added togeth-er can make a big differ-ence,” said 11th Wing/JointBase Andrews CommanderCol. Bill Knight. “Throughthis type of focused innova-tion, we can leave our base,wing, and the Air Force ina better position to accom-plish our mission for yearsto come.”Both uniformed and

civilian Air Force mem-bers can participate in themonth-long open call forideas and share their cre-ative and efficient ways tosave money and time.“When things get tough,

Airmen figure out a way toget it done,” Spencer said.“We have some of the mostinnovative folks in theworld, so I know there areideas about how we can dothings better.”Spencer’s resource man-

agement and budget-relat-ed background amplifiesthe urgency to mine thoseideas.“We stopped flying 1/3

of AF active duty combat-coded fighter squadrons inApril, and we’re projectedto slow down or stop theflow of aircraft and enginesin the depots,” Spencer said.Furthermore, he said,

the Air Force must trimabout $11 billion in thelast half of fiscal year 2013.Additionally, our overseascontingency operationsfunding is almost $2 billionshort so we have to makeup that difference as well.And the challenge is

compounded by the seques-ter timeline, which official-ly began March 1.“We have to squeeze a

year’s worth of cuts intoabout six months,” Spencersaid of the Air Force budget.“So there’s a lot of money tobe taken out of our budgetin a short period of time ...I’ve never seen anythingquite like it.”Airmen at every level

should feel less encumberedby perhaps dated or unnec-essary Air Force Instruc-tions or guidelines whenbrainstorming cost-cuttingmeasures, the general said.“Airmen Powered by In-

novation means go into thatfile of good ideas that weremaybe ‘too hard to do,’ pullthem out and submit them,”Spencer declared. “If it’s agood idea and requiresan Air Force Instructionchange, then we’ll see if wecan do that.”Spencer wants Airmen to

submit their ideas regard-less of the idea’s potentialsavings.“Whether it’s $500, $1

million or $30 million, wewant to hear it becausethose dollars add up,” hesaid.“We’re taking every an-

gle we can to manage ourmoney and ‘buy’ as muchmission as we can,” he said.“In that sense, every Air-man, whether they’re at awing or headquarters canhelp.”Spencer said the Every

Dollar Counts campaigndoes not just focus on ourWings but includes thoselarge centrally managedaccounts as well.“The Centralized As-

set Management Officeat Wright Patterson AFBmanages the money wespend on flying hours, sus-taining space operationsand depot operations -- over$16 billion -- so we’re tak-ing a close review of thataccount to determine howwe can stretch those dol-lars.“This is an opportunity

to not only look at home-grown ideas, but broaderideas that affect the largerAir Force as well.”The general expressed

optimism in quickly findingsolutions through ideas.“Innovation is what

we’re all about,” Spencersaid. “This is our family andwe’re going to get throughthis because we’ve gotgreat Airmen to help see usthrough this.”

Amaani Lyle, Secretaryof the Air Force Public Af-fairs, contributed to thisstory.

‘Every Dollar Counts’ ushers innew savings culture for Air Force

MILITARY SPOUSES ENJOY“ANDREWS IN WONDERLAND” TEA

From left, Katie Green, PattyRussell, Jennifer Smith andJen Pilcher select tea sand-wiches and sweets beforesitting down for tea. In honorof the Month of the MilitarySpouse, Joint Base AndrewsMilitary and Family SupportCenter hosted an “Andrewsin Wonderland” tea party formilitary spouses May 2 at theAir National Guard ReadinessCenter, with guest speakerand fellow military spouseLt. Col. Linda Rosenmerkel.Rosenmerkel discussed theevolution of the role of mili-tary spouse over the past twodecades, as well as lessonsshe learned as a servicemember and spouse.

PHOTO/CHRIS BASHAM

Attention Team Andrews:Headquarters Air Force is implementing a new lighting

procedure to follow when entering and exiting gate barri-ers slated to begin July 1.Currently, vehicles go on flashing yellow and stop on

red.When the change begins, vehicles will proceed throughthe barriers when no lights are present and they will stopon flashing yellow. Please be mindful of this change in pro-cedure taking place in upcoming weeks.

11SFS Notice oflight barrier change

less. None of this prepares them for a life of significanceand impact and independence. I don’t see the point.And the fact is, neither do they. People haven’t changed

in their need to be significant.We’ve just forgotten to showthe next generation what significance looks like. Maybethat’s because after T-ball, Mom and Dad are slackingoff and doing things their own parents would have foundlaughably childish.It’s time for all of us to take a sober look at our lives.

Who are we? Where do we make a difference? Life isn’t T-ball. It’s a lot better than that.

COMMENTARY, from page 2

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JBA BuzzHow would you change the world?

Staff Sgt. Nata-sha Bradford,11th SecurityForce Groupanti-terrorismofficer

Sherri Weir,Booze AllenHamilton seniorconsultant

Airman 1stClass ScottAlden, 11th Se-curity ForcesSquadron out-patient EliteGate guard

Retired Tech.Sgt. JokieBeckett

“I would make it aworld where everyonewould be wealthyand nobody had tostruggle.”

“Whenever you go toa different country,people are recognizedas the naturalized citi-zen of that country. Forexample people born inJapan are recognizedas Japanese, etc. InAmerica, even thoughwe we’re born here, wedifferentiate by callingourselves whatever ourethnic background maybe. I would eliminatethe division betweenAmericans, becausewhen you’re born inAmerica we’re allAmericans no matterwhat color.”

“If I had the power tochange something inthe world, it would beto make people helpone another more,rather than step overeach other to getahead in life.”

“If I could change onething in the world Iwould remove nega-tive discrimination.Without negativediscrimination, the abil-ity to act upon naturalprejudices would beremoved. A personwould still be able toproceed with cautiontoward things they maynot understand at first.But, will never be ableto act upon any nega-tive thoughts. This tome would eventuallygive way to a betterworld because no onewould be able to act orspeak negatively uponany irrational attitudes,beliefs or opinions.”


When John Wilkes Booth shot Presi-dent Abraham Lincoln and leaped fromFord’s Theatre’s presidential box to thestage, he began a 12-day odyssey whichtook him from Washington, D.C. throughPrince George’s County, Southern Mary-land and Tidewater Virginia before hewas eventually captured and killed bylaw enforcement officers in a barn nearthe town of Port Royal, Va.Booth’s plan to fracture the Union gov-

ernment and cause chaos in the northwas only partially successful. By the timehe shot Lincoln the war was nearly over,southern armies had begun to surrenderand prisoner exchanges were already inplay. Still, journal entries Booth wrotewhile on the run and statements he madeas he lay paralyzed and dying on the frontporch of the Garrett farm indicate thathe felt that his actions were completelyjustified and necessary for the restorationof a country he felt President Lincoln wasdestroying through tyrannical acts.The assassin spent his last days hunt-

ed by the law and rejected by many of thesouthern sympathizers he’d expected tocome to his aid. His confused search forshelter, supplies, medical care and honoramong fellow Confederates led him and acompanion, David Herold, to homes andbusinesses; through thickets, swampsand rivers; to nights spent on the run, infitful rest in the homes of uneasy hosts,and days hidden in the woods, alternatelyevading capture and seeking vindicationfrom his southern compatriots.Nearly 150 years later, history buffs

from around the nation and the world re-main fascinated by the events of the Lin-coln assassination and Booth’s escape. Thedescendents of one convicted conspirator,Dr. Samuel Mudd, continue to insist uponhis innocence of the plot and work to re-habilitate the reputation of the doctor whoset Booth’s broken leg the night of Lin-coln’s shooting. Books and movies aboutLincoln, the Civil War, the assassinationand the trials that followed are guaranteedfavorites. And those of us willing to planahead can follow Booth’s escape route ona guided bus tour that starts just south ofJoint Base Andrews at the Surratt HouseMuseum in Clinton, Md.Surratt House Museum’s Surratt Soci-

ety sponsors a few select bus tours eachspring and fall, condensing Booth’s es-cape into a day-long excursion that fol-lows his route as precisely as possible, fol-lowing roads that often have not shiftedfrom the paths they took in Booth’s time.There are stops at churches and privatehomes, pauses at graveyards and taverns,and time to reflect along the banks of theriver Booth and Herold crossed in theirefforts to escape capture.The tour starts at Surratt House Mu-

seum with a quick look at the home ofMary Surratt, the first woman ever to beexecuted by the U.S. government. Sur-ratt’s parents and grandparents lived on

land which is now within the fence lineof Joint Base Andrews. Costumed docentsgive a balanced presentation of the Sur-ratt family’s participation in the assassi-nation plot, without pushing any particu-lar opinions about Mary Surratt’s convic-tion by a military court and execution inJuly 1865. Less than a year later, whenher son was tried on similar charges be-fore a civil court, he was not convicted.From there, the bus tour, led by nar-

rators Bob Allen and John Howard afterextensive research into the Lincoln assas-sination, heads into Washington, D.C., toFord’s Theatre. Ford’s has been renovat-ed over the years to create seating com-fortable enough for modern tastes whilepreserving the appearance of the stageand the presidential box as it was thenight Lincoln was shot. Visitors can lookthrough the doorway Booth used to reachLincoln, tour a museum in the buildingdedicated to Lincoln’s presidency andassassination, and see the actual single-shot Derringer pistol used in the attack,among other items.The tour then crosses the street to

the Petersen House, where Lincoln wascarried after the attack. Visitors see theroom where Lincoln died in the companyof his son, doctors and government offi-cials, much as it was that Good Fridaynight.The bus pauses outside the boarding

house Mary Surratt ran in what is nowChinatown. Booth had visited the house,which now houses the Wok & Roll Restau-rant, early on the day of the assassina-

tion. The tour also pauses to view the Na-vy Yard Bridge at the foot of 11th Street,where Herold and Booth were questionedby a provost guard before leaving the city.As the president lay dying and other

conspirators made unsuccessful attemptsto kill several men in the direct line of suc-cession to the presidency, Booth and hisaccomplice David Herold raced to SurrattHouse to hide their weapons and retrieveitems stashed there for their escape.They then continued through the vil-

lage of T.B. to Bryantown and the home ofDr. Samuel Mudd, who set Booth’s brokenleg--an injury which he sustained eitherwhile leaping from the presidential boxto the stage, or en route to Surratt House.The tour stops at Mudd House, now a

museum furnished entirely with periodpieces and items which Dr. Mudd onceowned, donated by Mudd descendents.The museum’s staff and volunteers areMudd descendents, as well, and tell avery controlled version of the story ofMudd’s involvement in the plot to assas-sinate Lincoln. Mudd House is a greatplace to envision life in Southern Mary-land during the Civil War era, and con-tains fascinating artifacts brought backfrom Mudd’s incarceration in the DryTortugas off the coast of Florida, but it’snot a place where debate is welcome onMudd’s involvement before the assassi-nation, his knowledge of Booth’s identityor the circumstances of his injury or thenature of any other assistance Mudd mayhave provided beyond basic medical care.Save those questions for when you getback on the tour bus.The bus pauses at Bryantown Tav-

ern, where Booth and Mudd met repeat-edly before the assassination, and at St.Mary’s Catholic Church, where Mudd isburied. The tour winds along ZechiahSwamp, which Bob Allen calls “a minia-ture Everglades here in Southern Mary-

land,” where Booth and Herold got lost inthe thickets on their way to the SamuelCox family plantation, Rich Hill, wherethe men rested for a few hours beforebeing sent on their way. The less-than-friendly reception Booth received at theCox home, a man he remarked he hadthought “was a man of southern feeling,”marked the beginning of Booth’s realiza-tion that his fellow southerners were notalways going to be eager to help the manwho shot the president. Cox did, however,arrange for Booth to be taken across thePotomac River into Virginia.After lunch at Captain Billy’s Crab

House, a thoroughly modern restaurantin Pope’s Creek, Md., The tour stops at aplace once known as Huckleberry, whereBooth and Herold ate and eventually wereable to cross the river, after several days’waiting and at least one unsuccessful at-tempt to cross. The Huckleberry estate isnow a Jesuit retreat center, making it theperfect place for quiet reflection along theriverbank.The tour passes outside Naval Sup-

port Facility Dahlgren, Va., where a heav-ily silted Gambo Creek is located. Boothand Herold landed at Gambo Creek af-ter crossing the river, and then rode onto the home of Mrs. Quesenberry, knownas The Cottage, where they were providedfood but turned away. They (and the tour)continue on to Cleydael, the home of Dr.Stuart who also fed the men, although herefused them lodging and medical care,leading Booth to feel so insulted that hepaid Stuart for their meal. Cleydael wasrecently purchased by Charlie and ReneeParker, who are renovating the buildingand welcome tour members to their hometo see the work in progress as well as ar-tifacts found on the property through thedecades.

Civil War buffs can follow John Wilkes Booth’s escape route

PHOTOS/CHRIS BASHAM

Renee Parker displays items she and herfamily have found on the grounds of Cley-dael, a home near Dahlgren, Va. whereJohn Wilkes Booth stopped briefly whileevading law enforcement after assassinat-ing the president.

Surratt House docent Rick Smith ushers tour participants into the tavern and post officerun by Mary Surratt’s husband before his death.

circuit court administrative judge, gaveinitial permission for the center to use thespace for the garden, which borders WaterStreet on the south entrance of the court-house.Roper said they chose the courthouse

location for the garden since that is wherevictims’ families gather for court proceed-ings of their lost loved ones’ accused of-fenders.The county’s planning department

agreed to maintain the garden as needed,Roper said.Four benches placed in the space were

made by current county inmates and do-nated by the county’s corrections depart-ment.“We’re recognizing that the inmates

wanted to try to repair some of the harm,”Roper said. “Obviously, you can’t restorelife, but you can come to terms with theconsequences of your choices, and to ben-efit our services was certainly a greatthing.”Paula Morris said the work to create

the site would have cost $75,000, but allof those involved were able to donate theireffort or charge nominal fees to bring thecost down to around $9,000.Bricks can be purchased by families

or friends of crime victims throughoutMaryland for $125 each, and proceedswill help fund the resource center, saidPauline Mandel, the center’s director oflegal services. She said the walkway con-tains nearly 5,000 bricks.Paula Morris said many of the crime

victims’ families cannot afford their owncemetery plot markers for remembrance,

so the garden space provides them with aplace to go.She purchased two bricks for their

deceased son, Evan, who was days awayfrom graduating from Drexel Universityin Pennsylvania when he was killed, shesaid.“It’s truly a place of serenity and sol-

ace,” Roper said. “People will appreciatethe serenity and beauty of the spot, andit’s fitting that it’s in that [courthouse]location. For all those reasons, I think itwill be something that lives on after mostof us are gone.”

This story originally appeared in theMay 7 edition of the Prince George’s Ga-zette.

PHOTO/DANIEL J. GROSS

A new crime victims remembrance gar-den was created by the Maryland CrimeVictims Resource Center and can befound outside the courthouse in UpperMarlboro for grieving family and friends oflost loved ones to gather.

GARDEN, from page 3

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.

see ESCAPE, page 10


LRS BEATS 1ST AS IN INTRAMURAL PLAYOFFS

PHOTOS/BOBBY JONES

Luke Muldoon, 11th Logistics Readiness Squadron teammember,left, defends against Mark Cuttler, 1st Airlift Squadron during a finalVolleyball Intramural Playoff game May 7 at the West Fitness Center.The 11 LRS won two the best two out of three games to win a seat inthe 2013 Volleyball Championship game May 8.

First Airlift Squadron teammembers, right, put up a good fight against the 11th Logistics ReadinessSquadron during a series of Volleyball Playoff games May 7 at the West Fitness Center.

BY DANIEL J. GROSSPRINCE GEORGE’S GAZETTE

By showing students the ben-efits of capturing sunlight andrainwater, an Accokeek-basedenvironmental center will sooncreate new life of a sort with theconstruction of two “Living Build-ings.”The one-story and three-story

building set will feature compost-ing toilets, rainwater collectionsystems, solar arrays and geo-thermal wells to produce enoughself-sustaining energy to operateboth while serving as a model forconservation and to become a newspace for visiting children to stayand learn about lessening theirimpact on the environment, ac-cording to project leaders.Officials at the Alice Ferguson

Foundation, an environmentaleducation foundation for area stu-dents and teachers that operatesthe Accokeek-based Hard BargainFarm, said the project has been inthe works since 2006 as a way toreplace the existing 1970s stu-dent education lodge.“I’m wildly excited. Somewhere

in the middle of the seven-yearprocess you start wondering if it’s

ever going to happen. With greatleadership and making other peo-ple believe in it, it’s happening,”said Karen Jensen Lyles, AFF’sland use and facilities director.The foundation held a ground-

breaking in late April to an-nounce the approval of buildingpermits and highlight donors whocommitted funding to the $15.7million project. Completion is setfor 2015.Funding came from Prince

George’s County’s $3 million do-nation, the state of Maryland’s$5.1 million donation and otherprivate and public investors, ac-cording to project officials.AFF executive director Lori

Arguelles said she expects futuredonors to help fund the remaining25 percent needed.She said the project calls for

two buildings — one that housessolar panels and one that collectsrainwater — that will share re-sources. In addition, both build-ings will run off the same 20 geo-thermal wells installed under-neath a rain garden to run heat-ing and cooling systems. Studentswill be able to stay in the build-ings overnight and learn aboutenergy usage and how to benefit

from natural elements.According to project coordina-

tors, the buildings will each haveinformational dashboards in themthat will monitor energy levels toserve as a challenge to studentsas they inhabit the buildings, saidBrenda Wright, AFF’s educationprogram director.“We have been doing this with

a trash-free program. When kidsvisit they have to see who can pro-duce the lowest amount of trash,”Wright said. “Now, it’s the samewith solar energy. It’s going to bea whole new extra curriculum.”Wright said the buildings are

another hands-on way to helpchildren understand energysources.“So many kids today are not

connected with the outdoors,” shesaid. “We’re trying to teach fami-lies that it’s fun to be outdoorsand that by seeing and touching,it’s so much more valuable.”Arguelles said they focus on

giving students the most hands-on, interactive and educationalexperience that can be offered inthe area.“These buildings aren’t just

buildings, they’re teaching tools,”she said.

Accokeek environmentalcenter set to come ‘alive’

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ALICE FERGUSON FOUNDATION

A digital rendering illustrates the completion of the “Moss Building,” one of Alice Ferguson Foundation’stwo entirely carbon-neutral “Living Buildings” they plan to have completed by 2015.

BY TECH. SGT. TAMMIE MOOREAIR FORCE DISTRICT OF

WASHINGTON PUBLIC AFFAIRS

While every Airman has animportant role in the Air Forcea select few have made it theirmission to care for their Wing-men, day in and day out, re-gardless of the hour.The Joint Base Andrews first

sergeants are looking for tech-nical and master sergeants in-terested in joining their ranksas additional-duty first ser-geants.To help these NCOs under-

stand what the duty entails,the first sergeants are host-ing the AFDW First SergeantSeminar, May 20-23, at the JBASmart Center. The seminar isopen to National Capital Re-gion Airmen and service mem-bers of any military branch inthe grade of E6-E7.Any NCO interested in reg-

istering for the seminar mustmeet specific prerequisites, re-gardless of their branch of ser-vice. Attendees must have com-pleted their service NCO Acad-emy or equivalent school, beable to perform physical train-ing, meet all service standards,and present a professional mili-tary image.This seminar is a chance for

NCOs to “step into the blue” tolearn tools and experience howto make a positive differencein Airmen’s lives, accordingto Senior Master Sgt. JohnnyL. Hamm, Air Force Districtof Washington first sergeant.Hamm said this seminar willteach them critical tools neededto help assist Airmen in a va-riety of situations and make a

positive difference as a leader.Attendance is not required

to become an alternate firstsergeant. However, the seminaris designed to enhance NCOs’knowledge, problem-solvingtechniques and critical-think-ing skills.“Our goal is to deliberately

develop leaders’ knowledge onsupporting agencies and ad-ministrative actions, as well asprocedures to enhance units’morale, good order and disci-pline,” said Master Sgt. Grego-ry Ramacciotti, 11th Comptrol-ler Squadron first sergeant. “Inaddition, we would like to plantthe seed for future first ser-geants to replace us and servein this position of honor.”Being a first sergeant is not

always an easy job Ramacciottisaid; however, it does come withmany rewards.“Reaching out to supporting

agencies on and off base to helpthem understand the needs ofyour enlisted force can be chal-lenging,” he said. “But know-ing I have made a difference insomeone’s life in a positive way,big or small, is something I’mproud of. A SNCO has the op-portunity to be a leader, guideand inspire, especially whentimes get tough. This seminarcould be the spark that ig-nites a fire within the heartsof NCOs to serve our enlistedforce the way they want to beserved. I hope they are up forthe challenge.”The registration deadline for

the class is May 10. For moreinformation about the first ser-geant seminar, contact yourfirst sergeant.

Wanted: Additionalduty first sergeants

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.


“It was a wonderful program. In fact,they were the ones who introduced me toso many other opportunities like takingcollege courses for the first time at theMaryland Business Enterprise Programfor the Blind,” Thomas said.Thomas took full advantage of the

program, logging hundreds of internshiphours.“I trained under people who had been

in the business world for 50 years or bet-ter,” said Thomas, who completed severalaccredited courses. “One of the most im-portant lessons they taught me was howto just do the basics. It doesn’t matter howmany computers you have, customer ser-vice is number one.”“I also learned that you should maintain

a fully stocked facility. But, you don’t (ran-domly) stock the facility; poll your custom-ers to see what type of items they like. Iwould say that 80 percent of my inventory

is based on my customer suggestions.”Thomas said that the Blue Wing Café

really belongs to his customers. “Whenthey purchase items the money is recycledback into the café and their money regen-erates products and they also pay both meand my employees’ salaries. So in essenceI’m a manager, working for the public.”Thomas also credits his success at An-

drews to his dedicated staff.“I have employees who truly understand

that their job is to please the customer andmake sure that the customers that work inthe building are well taken care of whenthey come into the café. In return, I makesure my employees are rewarded,” Thomassaid.Thomas calls Cynthia Apronti, who hasworked as assistant manager of the cafe forthe past seven years, “my right hand.”“I love working with Ron and I’ve known

him for some time and our work ethic to-gether is good,” said Apronti. “Our workingrelationship is really good because he tellswhat he wants and how sees things. Mostof the time, I’m his administrator, but I

also assist as a cashier, food prep, stock in-ventory and staff supervising. My originalbackground was some retail, but eventual-ly I worked for the Administrative Officesof the U.S. Courts. I knew nothing aboutthe food industry, but while I was workingpart-time Ron got me interested and thestaff and I took our food handling licenseand he taught me about food prep, and thatwe must make sure that all food is fresh.”Apronti noted that the staff members

learn people skills by watching Ron andApronti interact with customers.“I’m still learning so much. He’s teach-

ing me the aspect of deeper managementskills. Most importantly, if you like cus-tomer service, dealing with people, it re-ally makes a difference. Customer servicegoes a long way, because when you put outa product or serve someone you want themto be happy,” Apronti said.“The service at the Blue Wing Café is

great! I have no complaints,” said ValerieGaines, Air Force District WashingtonContracting supervisory contracting spe-cialist, and Enterprise Support Divisionchief. “Whenever they’re running out of aproduct, all you have to do is ask and theyreplenish it quick. I especially love whenRon bakes those chocolate chip or oatmealraisin cookies,” exclaimed Gaines, a regu-lar patron. “He always lets the customersknow when he’s going to be baking themfresh and that’s just something that hedoes for us.”“I also like it when he plays music. I

think that is one of the things he uses tolure us into the café, because it feels likeyou’re at home,” said Gaines. “I think he’strying to let everyone know, yes, he’s abusinessman, but he also wants to makeit feel like the café is a comfortable place,where we sit and talk.”Thomas noted that during his time at

school he wasn’t sure how his life was go-ing to turn out. “I had it in me, but didn’tknow it,” said Thomas.“Even though I was close to last in my

class, I realized that I had something thatthe others didn’t have. I knew that thiswas my only shot. But God told me that Iwas going to help and make a lot of peoplehappy. I’m not a religious man, but I’m aspiritual man,” said Thomas. “So, I haveto share what God has given me to keepmy customers happy.”

DISABILITY, from page 1

Ron assists a patron with a purchase atthe Blue Wing Café.

PHOTOS/BOBBY JONES

Ronald Thomas uses his acquired busi-ness, finance, and culinary acumen torun a successful business at Joint BaseAndrews.

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BY ANDY STEPHENS11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

For the Army Air Force in 1943, high-flying adventure came like lightning; fastand furious. On May 2, 1943, those adven-tures expanded to the new Army Air Fieldin Camp Springs, Md., with a thunderbolt,marking the start of history for the flyingbase that would become Joint Base An-drews.For Capt. Andrew W. “Dub” Salter, Jr.,

the last few weeks were intense. On April20, 1943, General Order Number One tookeffect; directing the airfield to prepare forthe arrival of the first tactical unit - train-ing pilots on P-47 Republic Thunderboltsas part of President Roosevelt’s push toempower the Army Air Force with the ar-senal of democracy.The first P-47 wouldn’t arrive for anoth-

er two weeks, but those P-47s would alsoassume air patrol duties over the NationalCapital Region, which had been performedout of Bolling Field since Dec. 7, 1941.The Thunderbolt was an impressive

fighter aircraft with eight wing-mounted50-inch machine guns and a powerful Pratt&Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine ca-pable of incredible powerdives that wouldact as the shield for the Allied soldiers onthe ground - but Thunderbolts needed longrunways, which Camp Springs Army Air-field had.Before 1943 ended, Roosevelt directed

125,000 new aircraft for the Army AirForce with 125,000 more for each yearthereafter for the duration of the war. Thenation had grown confident in the leadersof America’s flying legions, with Doolittlemaking a big impact the previous year andtales of flying aces thrilling the nation withadmiration of the New Airman.While Congress had its concerns about

budgets, they supported a nation at war ontwo fronts and military airfields were setup wherever the land was clear and roads,riverways or railways could facilitate sup-ply. Setting up Camp Springs Army AirField was the responsibility entrusted to

Salter, an Oklahoma native and expertflyer for more than a decade - and only age29.Salter had been personally chosen by

Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold to become thefirst commanding officer of the new Mary-land airfield, functioning as a sub-basecontrolled by Baltimore Army Air Base un-til June of that year. For two months, Salt-er oversaw the stand-up of the 463rd BaseHeadquarters and Air Base squadrons, amedical detachment, and the 2031st Quar-termaster Truck (Aviation) Squadron.With a much larger command structure

now in place, a higher-ranking officer incharge was needed: Col. Michael E. McHu-go.McHugo, recognizing talent, retained

Salter as the Base Operations Officer.And as his impact at making the airfieldwe know today as Joint Base Andrewsbegan with a Thunderbolt, Salter eventu-ally graduated to command lightning of

The Captain in CommandBY ANDY STEPHENS

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Frank Maxwell Andrews had to fight tobe a flyer, but when he was at the controls,his peers recognized him as a born leader.The story of how a boy fromTennessee roseto be the first head of a modern Army AirCorps isn’t often heard, but on the 70th an-niversary of his death, his contributions tothe Air Force are celebrated.Born on Feb. 3, 1884, service and diplo-

macy were instilled into Andrews by hisgrandfather, a cavalry soldier who foughtin the Civil War, and his mother, whoschooled him on manners and discipline.Andrews was described as an eloquent

speaker and an attentive listener. Theseskills worked well for him at Nashville’sMontgomery Bell Academy, where he grad-uated in 1901, and then the U.S. MilitaryAcademy at West Point, graduating 1902.During his early career, Andrews envi-

sioned a flying cavalry that could protectthe men in the trenches. In 1914, the ArmySignal Corps was using aircraft for recon-naissance, but Andrews saw aircraft as ameans to take out enemy balloons (theywere used as command posts) and to evendrop munitions on enemy trenches, likeduring the Siege of Venice in 1848.It wasn’t too long before Andrews’ vi-

sion became a reality. With American en-try into World War I, Andrews finally gothis wings, but never got the chance to servein France. Instead, he became a trainingadministrator before becoming the first airofficer assigned to the Army General StaffinWashington. After the war, he succeededBrig. Gen. Billy Mitchell as Air Officer ofthe Army of Occupation in Germany.Andrews was the first commandant of

the advanced flying school at Kelly Field,Texas, when Mitchell was court-martialedfor insubordination in 1925. Mitchell hadtold the media that Army and Navy lead-ers had shown an “almost treasonable ad-ministration of national defense” for theirneglect of the flying forces.In 1931, Andrews was the new Chief of

the Army Air Corps and won a powerfulsupporter who had also once supportedMitchell: Army Chief of Staff Gen. Doug-las MacArthur.In 1935, MacArthur and his naval

counterpart, Adm. William Pratt, nego-tiated a series of military aviation roles,including the role that all coastal air de-fense would be fulfilled by the Army. ThatMarch, MacArthur established a central-ized air command, General HeadquartersAir Force (GHQ-AF) with Andrews incommand.Andrews won recognition for the

Air Corps by recruiting not just talentbut technology for the flying forces, butgained few allies in his fight. His advo-cacy of strategic bombing almost derailedhis career; When Westover died in Sep-tember 1938, Andrews was passed overfor the position of Chief of the Air Corps.Undaunted, Andrew became a trusted

mentor to Brig. Gen. George C. Marshall,

The Rider in the Sky

Seventy years over Maryland

ARMY AIR FORCE FILE PHOTO

Capt. Andrew W. Salter, Jr., the first com-manding officer of what would becomeJoint Base Andrews, welcomes the firstflying trainees at the Maryland airfield inMay 1943. The base achieved full operat-ing capability on May 2, 1943 and becamea super-base controlling much of the East-ern seaboard’s military activities less thantwo months later.

FILE PHOTO

Maj. Gen. Frank Andrews, CommandingGeneral of GHQ Air Force in cockpit ofhis C–32 command plane in 1936.

see RIDER, page 10see COMMAND, page 10

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the new deputy Chief of Staff of the Army.With President Franklin Roosevelt call-ing for an expansion of the Air Corps inNovember 1938, Andrews hoped to finallysucceed in separating Air power from theArmy.It was Marshall who single-handedly

stepped in and saved not just Andrews’ ca-reer, but the future of the Army Air Corps.In 1939, under Marshall’s guidance, An-drews was named the Assistant Chief ofStaff for Operations, responsible for pre-paring America’s army for World War II.When the nation was brought into World

War II in December 1941, Andrews was oneof the most well-traveled and well-respect-ed generals in the military. In January1943, he was appointed commander of allU.S. military forces in the European The-ater of Operations, replacing Gen. DwightD. Eisenhower.But on May 3, 1943, a promising career

was cut short when the B-24D Liberatorcarrying Lt. Gen. Andrews crashed nearKaladarnes, Iceland. Andrews and 13 oth-ers died in the crash. News of Andrews’passing stunned the U.S. military lead-ership because so much of the CombinedBomber Offensive was dependent upon hisknowledge of strengths and weaknesses inthe battle plan.It was in honor of the vision and service

of Lt. Gen. Frank Maxwell Andrews as wellas his dedication to the spirit of an inde-pendent Air Force that Camp Springs ArmyAir Field was renamed Andrews Field onFeb. 7, 1945. The Andrews name continuesto this day in remembrance.

RIDER, from page 9

his own: leading a squadron of P-38 Light-ning fighter aircraft assigned to the 546thFighter Squadron, part of the Seattle AirDefense Wing.Salter later led a squadron of Bell P-39

Airacobras on missions in the China-Bur-ma-India theater, leading his unit in earn-ing the Decorated Unit Citation for Chinain 1944 as well as numerous campaignstreamers. Salter retired with the rankof lieutenant colonel, and passed away onMarch 2, 1997 at the age of 82. He was laidto rest in his Oklahoma hometown.Salter’s legacy, however, lives on. His

distinguished himself at Camp Springs,creating such an efficient installation thatless than 45 days after he arrived it wentfrom being a subordinate base to becominga control base for other airfields in the re-gion, a precursor to today’s Air Force Dis-trict of Washington.

COMMAND, from page 9

IslamicPrayer Room in Chapel 1 AnnexDaily Prayer Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.

- 4 p.m.Prayer Service Friday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

JewishKiddush/Sabbath dinner Friday, 6 p.m.All are welcome. To RSVP and for loca-

tion contact: Rabbi,Capt. Schechter at 240-671-2270 or sar-

[email protected] can find a complete listing of Yom

Kippur services in the National CapitalRegion through www.jewishindc.com.

ProtestantSunday ServicesChapel 2, Traditional Service 9 a.m.Base Theater, Contemporary Service 10

Gospel Service 11:30 a.m.Tuesday Family Night at Base TheaterFamily meal 5 p.m.Christian Education and AWANA Kid’s

Program 6 p.m.

Roman CatholicReconciliation by appointment, call 301-

981-2111Daily and Saturday Mass have been

temporarily suspended.Chapel 1, 1345 W. Perimeter Road.Mass Sunday, 8:30 a.m.Chapel 2, 3715 Fetchet Ave.Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

(RCIA) classes Monday, 6 p.m.For information, pastoral counseling

and religious accommodation of all faithtraditions call 301-981-2111 or visit thechapel office at 1345 W Perimeter Road.

Religious Serviceson base

After visiting Cleydael, the tour drivesthrough the towns of Port Conway andPort Royal. Port Royal still has manyoriginal Revolutionary War-era build-ings, although not all of them are in goodrepair. Booth and Herold stopped at PortRoyal, but were turned away by a pair ofsisters unwilling to offer lodging to themwithout their brother in the home.

The tour’s last stop is a surreal one---a forested median strip on Highway301. It is the location of the GarrettFarm, where Booth and Herold werecaught and where Booth was killed byfederal agents. The farm has left no vis-ible traces, but the pilgrims on the JohnWilkes Booth Escape Route Tour, manyof whom traveled across the nation orthe world to take the tour, still file out ofthe bus, walk through the quiet woods,and ponder.

To get on the waiting list (and there isalways a waiting list) for the next JohnWilkes Booth Escape Route Tour, contactSusan Proctor at the Surratt House Mu-seum at 301-868-1121. This summer, theSurratt House Museum is participatingin the Blue Star Program, which offersfree museum admission during regularmuseum hours for active duty militaryand up to five members of their familywith military ID between Memorial Dayand Labor Day.

ESCAPE, from page 6

make the most of Malcolm Grow MedicalCenter’s outpatient services, while closingthe inpatient side of the facility in keep-ing with 2005’s Base Realignment andClosure recommendations.“(779th Medical Group) is important

as a readiness platform to deploy medics,and still is a currency platform becauseof the TRICARE beneficiaries here, tokeep staff current in their skills. It’s atraining platform to train Air Force med-ics, medical students and nurses, and aPhase II training facility for lab techs,radiology and diagnostic imaging staff,and mental health, psychologists, socialworkers and psychologist nurse practi-tioners,” Cachuela said. “The SurgeonGeneral of the Air Force wanted a sig-nificant footprint, and wanted to fostercooperation with JTFCAPMED’s sisterfacilities.”Cachuela called the 779th Medical

Group’s integration into the Joint TaskForce National Capital Region MedicalCommand “uncharted waters. No onehas ever really done this, especially onthis scale. We had to build a conceptof operations, and partnerships,” inte-grating 170 medics from Malcolm GrowMedical Center into military facilitiesat Fort Belvoir,Va. and Walter ReedNational Military Medical Center inBethesda, Md. and create new partner-ships with civilian health care providerssuch as MedStar Southern MarylandHospital Center in Clinton, Md., whichprovides labor and delivery services forJoint Base Andrews-affiliated materni-ty patients, while maintaining a robuststaff at MGMC for the Southern Mary-land population, many of whom are re-tired service members and families whohave relied on the health care availableon Joint Base Andrews for decades.Malcolm Grow Medical Center and

Outpatient Surgery eliminated inpa-tient care as of Sept. 2011, but contin-ues to provide primary care for 30,000

patients, while advancing the Patient-Centered Medical Home model of inte-grated care and supporting the war di-rectly through aeromedical services forwounded, ill and injured service mem-bers arriving several times each weekfrom staging facilities in Germany.After settling in at Malcolm Grow,

Cachuela led the 779th Medical Groupthrough what he called “the year of theInspection.” The facility underwent 10major inspections in 2011, evaluatinghealth services as military medics, asproviders of safe hospital care, and ac-crediting the outpatient clinic just twodays after closing the inpatient clinics.“We had a lot going on, when I first

got here,” Cachuela said. “There wasconcern that we would lose significantcapabilities (for patient care). I’m veryproud that we closed the impatient clin-ics on time but the services we provideremain unchanged. We offer a full spec-trum of practice to take care of patientsand keep our skills up even without of-fering inpatient care here.That has been possible, Cachuela

said, because of strong partnershipswith other military branches within JT-FCAPMED.“We kept six operating rooms open, so

we had to increase the amount of ambu-latory surgery cases (at Malcolm Grow)and had to develop a partnership in theNCR. On a typical day we might havean Air Force orthopedic surgeon in oneroom, in the next room an Army surgeonfrom Bethesda, a Navy opthalmologist,and then an Army cardiologist from FortBelvoir. And our medics are at Fort Bel-voir and Walter Reed. We’ve really ac-complished a truly integrated healthcare, utilizing (all the facilities) as asystem of hospitals like in the civilianside of the house.”Though administrative practices of-

ten differ between the different servicebranches, Cachuela insists that, “patientcare is patient care, regardless of theuniform that you wear. You have to findcommon ground, and we’re doing that.

We have more road to travel, but we’remaking progress in finding that commonground.”It’s an ongoing process which Ca-

chuela says will continue as JTF-CAPMED sunsets in the coming months.“Again, it’s uncharted waters, but over

the past three and a half years we’ve laida foundation,” thanks to a strong staff at779th Medical Group. “We have a lot oftalent here. It takes a team to pull thisoff,” said Cachuela.With the groundbreaking for Malcolm

Grow Medical Center and OutpatientSurgery’s new facility slated for May22, Cachuela said that the constructionproject is part of “taking Malcolm Growto the next chapter. We’re really excitedabout that.”Col. Cachuela will not be on hand to

see the completion of the new facility. InJune, he will pass the guidon to his suc-cessor at 779th Medical Group to becomeCommand Surgeon for U.S. SouthernCommand, responsible for overseeingand planning health care engagementand health services support for the en-tire SOUTHCOM area of support, whichincludes everything south of Mexico andthe Caribbean.“I will not be engaged in day-to-day

delivery of health care, but I will be en-gaged in the medical mission, support-ing the priorities of the SOUTHCOMcommander,” Cachuela explained of hisfuture duty station. Looking back at thepast three and a half years, Cachuelahas few regrets.“Selfishly, I wish I could have seen

more patients and gotten into the ORmore, but I was not brought here to bean orthopedic surgeon. I was brought into be a commander. I’ve got great ortho-pedic surgeons at Malcolm Grow and Ineed to focus on them, and on taking779th Medical Group to that next chap-ter,” Cachuela said. “I’m excited aboutgoing back to Miami, but we have a greatmission at 779th Medical Group and I’mkind of jealous of my replacement.”

GUIDON, from page 1

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