Volume 1, Issue 1 Letters from the detainee...

Although the detainees of theU.S. war on terrorism are notconsidered prisoners of war, theyare provided here at Camp Deltawith some of the privilegesafforded POWs. One of those isto send and receive mail.

Upon arrival here, they aregiven the option to fill out a shortpostcard confirming where theyare and that they are safe.

Provided with pencils andother writing accessories, thedetainees are allowed to sendfour postcards and two letterseach month.

And Army Master Sgt. DebraTart, of the 160th Military PoliceBattalion S1 shop, might becalled their postmaster. Tart is thenoncommissioned officer incharge of the detainees’ mailoperation, and every piece of detainee mail has to gothrough her.

"My primary mission here isto handle all aspects of detaineemail operations. I must trackeach piece of incoming and

outgoing mail individually,” she said.

“I must be able to say wherein the process that mail is uponrequest," she added

But before the outgoing mailreaches Tart's shop, they have tobe screened by S2, which has themission to prevent the dissemi -nation of information that couldbe detrimental to camp function,force protection, or ongoingintelligence operations, said Spc.John B. Kane, who works for the160th MP BN S2 counter intelli-gence section.

"We read every single piece ofmail that comes in or goes out ofthis camp. We're looking forindicators: location of the camp,obviously; guard shifts, threatsto U.S. personnel or anythingelse. If there's anything of intelli-gence value, we make sure wetake care of that," he added.

Most correspondence has tobe translated first. Some of the most common languages thatdetainees use in their letters are Arabic, Farsi (Persian), Pashtu

6Published in the interest of personnel assigned to JTF-160 and COMNAV Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Friday, June 14, 2002

With Army Pfc. Eric J. Brown

Q: Who is the man behind the wheel of theshuttle bus at GTMO?

A: Pfc. Eric J. Brown, A.K.A. ‘The SecretUndercover Lover.’

Q: What kind of clearance is that, andwhere did you get it?

A: You've got to be born with it.

Q: Ever have your 15 minutes of fame?A: In my own my mind. But seriously, not

until I’m rich.

Q: Where are you from?A: I'm stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, but

I'm originally from New York City.

Q: How long have you been here?A: I've been here since February.

Q: And how's GTMO been treating you?A: Not so bad, at first I did a lot of party-

ing, but that got old. Now, just relax and playball.

Q: Basketball?A: Yeah, I love ball. I always wanted to

play in the NBA.

Q: Driving the bus, you must meet a lot ofdifferent people?

A: That's one of the bonuses to my job. I'vemet a lot of different people, people from dif-ferent branches and backgrounds.

Q: Notice any differences between the per-sonalities of the members of the services?

A: All I'll say is some branches, which Iwon’t name, never walk. They'll take the busto go down the block.

Q: Anything out of the ordinary ever takeplace on the bus?

A: Besides the occasional person throwingup, it always amazes me how lost people canbe here. They walk around looking so con-

fused. I don't get how that's possible.

Q: So, when you're not being entertainedor disgusted by your passengers, what do youdo to get you through the day?

A: I like to listen to music, mainly R&Band rap. Too bad the radio rarely plays any.

Q: What do you do when you want torelax?

A: I like going to the beach. It's reallypeaceful there.

Q: Well, you must have come up withsome interesting theories and philosophies,with all the time you've had to think. Care toshare any?

A: I think that people should pray for whatthey need and work for what they want. I thinkit's important to have faith in God.

Q: What have you been praying and work-ing for lately.

A: I've been praying for the United Statesand its troops that everything will be all right,and I've been working to make money.

Q: Trying to save any?A: Yeah, and I've been doing pretty well.

Getting a lot use out of my meal card.

Q: So what are you looking forward toupon leaving GTMO?

A: Travel! I miss being mobile. There areonly so many places to go here.

Q: Guess you would know. Thank you foryour time. Is there any thing you'd like to saybefore we wrap up?

A: I'd like to say to everyone here thatthere is a special thing on this island and if younever met me you wouldn't know about it.

Photo by Army Spc. Michelle M. Scsepko

“There is a special thing on this island and if you never met me you wouldn’t know about it.”

Army has its hoopsrevenge

Page 15

Cardboardboats hit thehigh seas

Page 8

First MPsto showget to go

Page 3

Letters from thedetainee camp

Friday, June 14, 2002Volume 1, Issue 1

Workin’ on a building, a Camp America building

Photo by Army Spc. Frank N. Pellegrini

Next week’s 15 minutes of fame could be you!

Compiled by Army Spc. Michelle M. ScsepkoThe WIre

Need a lift? Hop on board the “Love Bus”

By Army Pfc. Jean-Carl BertinThe WIre

See MAIL, page 5

A look inside...

Navy Seabees, the hammer-wielding sailors responsiblefor the construction of Camp X-Ray, throw up a new“hooch” in the ever-growing living area at Camp America.


Chaplains’ Corner

Policy Reminders

Some circumstances in your life - such asfinancial problems, marital difficulties or seri-ous illness - might leave you feeling trapped.But no matter how hopeless your situationmight seem, God can and will lead you out ofit if you trust Him. Here are some principles tokeep in mind when you feel trapped:

"Realize that God means for you to bewhere you are."

"Be more concerned for God's glory thanfor your relief."

"Acknowledge your enemy, but keep youreyes on the Lord"

"Pray!"

"Stay calm and confident, and give Godtime to work."

"When unsure, take the next logical step byfaith."

"Envision God's enveloping presence."

"Trust God to deliver in His own uniqueway."

"View your current crisis as a faith builderfor the future."

"Don't forget to praise Him."

Submitted by Navy Lt. Sharon Bush,CHC, USNR

JTF-160 CommandCommander:Brig. Gen. Rick Baccus

Deputy Commander:Navy Capt. Robert A. Buehn

Joint Information Bureau Director:

Cmdr. David Points

Public Affairs Officer:Lt. Col. Joseph A. Hoey

Online at:www.nsgtmo.navy.mil/JTF-160/index.htm

The Wire StaffPublishers:Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel PolinskiArmy Sgt. Michelle M. PessoaEditor:Army Spc.Frank N. [email protected]

Staff writers and design team:

Army Spc. Chris S. Pisano

Army Spc. Michelle M. ScsepkoArmy Spc. Joseph A. MorrisArmy Spc. Jose A. MartinezArmy Pfc. Jean-Carl Bertin

Contact us:5239 (Local) 5241 (Local fax)Joint Information Bureau / Pink Palace

The Wire is produced by the 361st Public Affairs Detach-ment (PCH) assigned to the Joint Information Bureau atJTF-160. Some content is collected from the World WideWeb and edited to fit. This publication is printed under theprovisions provided in Army Regulation 360-1 and doesnot reflect the views of the Department of Defense or thepersonnel within.

Page 15Friday, June 14, 2002

The Army had its revenge inthe final “Battle of the Branches”match-up, a pair of basketballgames June 8 at the Main Gym.

After last week's defeats to theNavy on the football field, theArmy was determined to win thebattle on the hardwood.

Game one featured the femalesin a well-played defensive firsthalf where the Navy held the lead10 to 6. Both teams came outstrong in the second half and bat-tled back and forth down thecourt. With tightly matchedoffensive and defensive play, theArmy went up by two points withunder a minute left in the game.

With only seconds left on theclock, Navy desperately tried tocome back and sink a shot, but theArmy's defense held on for a 25-23 victory.

“It was a tough defensivegame. It came down to the wire,but the Army came out on top,”said Sgt 1st Class Franklin M.Blache, coach of the Army'sfemale team.

“I am glad that we won. Myshots were not falling in the bas-ket, so I had to come inside andscore some points,” said Maj.Sharon D. Green, from JTF 160,who led the Army's team to vic-tory scoring 17 points.

In the second game the males

came out determined to put morepoints on the board. In a closefirst half, the Army held just atwo-point lead when the buzzersounded.

But the team came out andplayed, as Blache had predicted athalftime, “Army basketball -- Iguarantee the second half will noteven be close.”

And after halftime, the Armyturned up the heat and outplayedthe Navy. With solid play in thesecond half, Army came out vic-torious winning 51 to 39.

“It felt good to beat the Navyon their home court," said ArmySpc. Wascar Vizcaino, of the mil-itary police brigade who scored 9points in the victory.

“There are always strong bat-tles between the Army andNavy,” said Bishop. "The Armyoutplayed us tonight, but nexttime we'll give them a bettergame."

“It was a good game," saidStaff Sgt. Harry G. Darden, theArmy's loudest fan in the crowd.“We played basic basketball start-ing out slow and then turning it upin the second half. We were ableto win, just like we knew wewould.”

With the softball gameplanned for June 15 recently can-celed, Saturday’s game was thelast matchup of this “Battle of theBranches” season.

“This was the revenge game,”said Blanche. “And now we’llhave the last word.”

Redemption: Army sinks Navy on hardwoodBy Army Spc. Joseph A.Morris and Army Spc. JoseA. MartinezThe Wire

Photo by Army Spc. Jose A. Martinez

Spc. Wascar Vizcaino of the Army squad goes strong to the hoop in the first half.

Photo by Army Spc. Joseph A. Morris

Army comes out victorious in the season’s final “Battle of the Branches” matchup.Photo by Army Spc. Joseph A. Morris

Navy HM3 Kizzy H. Duncan tries to make her way around the Army's defense.

The use of government vehicles and gov-ernment contract vehicles during off-dutyhours will be limited to establishments provid-ing goods and services to the servicemember.

If a government vehicle or government con-tract vehicle is used to transport personnel toestablishments that serve alcohol, the driver isconsidered on duty as described in Policy Let-ter #1; Alcohol Consumption.

At no time will any JTF-160 personneloperate a vehicle while under the influence ofalcohol.

(From Policy Letter #20; JTF-160 VehicleUse Regulations.)

Remember: If you drink, don’t drive. Youwill fined, subject to UCMJ, lose your privi-leges, and your state DMV will be notified.

Visiting hours for JTF-160 personnel inBEQ, BOQ and CBQ housing, including GoldHill Towers, are as follows:

Sunday-Thursday and holidays before aduty day, 1100-2200 hours; Friday, Saturdayand the day before a legal holiday, 1000-2400hours.

As a common courtesy, permission shouldbe obtained from roommates for all visiting,particularly for group guests. Sponsors mustaccompany guests at all times.

Unescorted guests are not permitted inquarters.

(From Policy Letter #11; JTF-160 VisitingHours in Quarters.)

-- from the JTF-160 Provost Marshal's Office

Happy Birthday,U.S. Army

As we celebrate the anniversaryof the birth of the United StatesArmy, we can all reflect on why weare here. For 227 years it has beenthe citizen soldier who has beencalled upon to defend our way of life.

Our freedoms are being ques-tioned again. We have left the com-forts of home once again to show theworld that we are willing to defendwhat we have.

As I walk among our servicemembers and talk with them, I find arenewed sense of determination totake care of business and show theworld not to mess with us. Ouryoung men and women in uniformtoday are the best that America canproduce, and I am proud of the pro-fessionalism I find among you.

Each and every person at GTMOis making a contribution to the suc-cess of this mission.. Do not takewhat you do for granted, because Isurely do not.

We follow in the steps of our fore-fathers and continue to say "Don'tTread on Us."


JTF-160 CSM R.W. Funaro

Trust God to lead you out of tough circumstances


The way the people at Morale, Welfare andRecreation see it, if you're not mentally and phys-ically fit you can't do your job.

The job of MWR Athletic Director DonnellDaniel and his 13 staff members at the G. T.Denich gym here, is to give you -- the soldiers,sailors, Marines and coast guardsmen of JointTask Force 160 at Guantanamo Bay -- plenty ofopportunities to get fit for work and stay that way.

“That's our goal," said Daniel. “We are here toimprove the quality of life. Fitness is a way of life;it can change your lifestyle. We try to put togethera variety of programs that are good not only forthe JTF-160 people, but for the Guantanamo Baycommunity at large.”

Daniel says he could not do it without his staff.“The people on staff are great here, and I wouldnot trade them for any in the world. It has beenreally great working here.”

Certainly Daniel has been a lot busier sinceJanuary, with the influx of servicemembers arriv-ing as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

His goal is to continue to meet that increaseddemand with increased supply.

“When the JTF-160 personnel started comingto the base, we became more proactive with theprograms available," he said. "We want them tofeel comfortable here.”

“JTF-160 now has its own MWR representa-tive, so we can work closely together to createmore programs.”

There are three exercise facilities currentlyopen on base: the main G.J. Denich gym in town,the Body Shop gym on Marine Hill and the gymat Camp America.

All these facilities have free-weights, weight-machines and cardiovascular exercise equipment.

Denich gym has yoga, tae-kwon-do and spin-ning classes, a multi-purpose “cardio” room,indoor racquetball and basketball courts, and asauna room. Daniel tries to come up with plentyof incentives -- from mugs to jackets to Bench

Press Club t-shirts -- to use them.“We try to make things competitive,” he said.

“Competition makes the programs more fun.”MWR is also sponsoring a 5K run this Satur-

day, a Fourth of July "Liberty Run” and a com-memorative “9/11 Run” to be held July 20th.

There are also plenty of team sports -- summerleagues in basketball, softball, soccer and bowl-ing -- including the popular “Battle of theBranches” contests between Army and Navy.

But for Daniel, it's not important whetheryou’re Army or Navy, whether you hit the gym,

join a team, or work out on your own -- as long asyou're getting fit somehow.

“The quality of life is what is important,” hesaid. “We want to keep you active. An active per-son is a happy person.”

For those looking to make exercise a biggerpart of their lives, Daniel says he has a great wayto start: the MicroFit machine in the Main Gym.

“The Micro-Fit machine records the fitnesslevel of the individual," he said. “Then, after thetest, we can design a personal workout program.We will teach them flexibility and teach themhow to work out with weights.”

Soon, Daniel plans to increase the MWR staff,add another MicroFit machine, andbring more classes and organized pro-grams out to remote Camp America sothat people don’t have to ride the busesto find MWR -- he’ll bring MWR tothem.

For now, though, Daniel invites allservicemembers to come to the MainGym and set up an appointment for thefitness test -- free of charge.

“We do about 40-50 fitness tests aweek,” he said. “The process is rela-tively quick and painless -- one minuteof push-up and sit-ups, five minutesriding a bike. There is a heart monitorwe hook up on you while you do theexercises.”

“The results come in and the MWRwill set up a fitness program,” he said.

“It's as simple as that.”

Too easy: MWR staff wants you fit

Photo by Spc. Jose Martinez

Donnell Daniel, Athletic Director at MWR.

By Army Spc. Jose A. MartinezThe Wire


Daniel with the man he calls “the third hardest-workingman in the world,” MWR staffer Paul MacDonald.

Summer leagues start soon. Sign up nowthrough your chain of command to play soft-ball, soccer, basketball or bowling (feeinvolved). Leagues start at the end of themonth. Schedules run on different days so youcan sign up for more than one league. If any-one is interested in a volleyball league pass itup to JTF-160 J5 through your chain of com-mand. For more info call CPT Gormly, X5249

Today, Friday, June 14thWater aerobics, 6-7 p.m., Marine Hill poolXtreme bowling, 7-12 p.m., Bowling Center

All day social, Liberty Center, CBQ

Free Movie, downtown or Camp BuckeleyLyceum, 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 15thArmy vs. Navy 5K run, 6:30 a.m. Denich Gym

GTMO flea market, community center, MarinaPoint

104th Philippine Independence Day celebra-tion 7 pm, Windjammer ClubFree Movie, downtown or Camp BuckeleyLyceum, 8 p.m.

Northeast Gate Bus Tour, Marine Hill 7:30a.m.

Sunday, June 16thXtreme bowling, 1 to 6 p.m.

Bingo, Windjammer, 6 p.m.

Sign-up for swimming lessons x2193

Fathers Day Paintball, 1 to 6 p.m.Free Movie, downtown or Camp BuckeleyLyceum 8 p.m.

Monday, June 17thWater aerobics, 6-7 p.m., Marine Hill poolTae kwon do, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Marine Hill gym

Free Movie, 7 p.m. CBQ

Free Movie, downtown or Camp BuckeleyLyceum 8 p.m.

Tuesday, June 18thBingo, Windjammer, 6 p.m.

Tae kwon do, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Marine Hill gym


Wednesday, June 19thWater aerobics, 6-7 p.m., Marine Hill pool

Dart tournament, 7p.m., Liberty Center, CBQTae kwon do, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Marine Hill gym


Thursday, June 20thFinal sports league rosters are due to J5 bynoon.




Before the first detainee arrived, beforeCamp X-Ray was even a camp, before theyeven knew exactly what their part in Opera-tion Enduring Freedom would be, the soldiersof the 401st Military Police Company -- motto“Always First” -- were here. And now they'regoing home.

“When we got here January 6, we didn'tknow what to expect,” said 2nd Lt. Roscoe E.Woods. “There was nothing here for us. X-Ray wasn’t finished being built yet. It cer-tainly wasn’t a typical deployment in terms ofwhat we’ve been trained for. But the soldiersand NCOs adjusted well, and did what neededto be done."

For the first few weeks, that meant a life inGuantanamo Bay that, while better perhapsthan normal field conditions, was one that fewarrivals here since have known: twelve-hourshifts, dirt floors, no running water.

The rest of Guantanamo Bay was rightdown the road -- the movie theater, the NEX,the McDonald’s. But if the troops weren’tworking, they were sleeping. And if they were

awake, and had thetime, the company’sround-the-clockshifts often freedsoldiers long afterthe shops of GTMOhad closed theirdoors.

And then therewas the matter ofthe mission. Nor-mally, the skills ofthe 401st center onlaw enforcement ina war zone: battle-field circulationcontrol, checkpointsand encampmentsecurity.

But at Camp X-Ray, and later atCamp Delta, therewas no war. Therewere only the leftovers of one -- the detaineesthat began arriving only days after the 401stdid -- and suddenly this unit of militarypolicemen found itself having to retrain on theground and learn the business of corrections.

“The Marines gave us some additional cor-rections training,” said Staff Sgt. Corey J. Cor-win, a squad leader in the company. “We’d

had some previoustraining for maintain-ing security in a pris-oner of war campduring wartime, butthat wasn’t too applica-ble either. It was a verydifferent challenge.”

But the company’scommander, Capt. LuisR. Hernandez, said thatthrough it all -- gettingcalled up on a Fridayand going “wheels up”on a Sunday, startingoff with little in the wayof preparation and lessin the way of accom-modations, and landingin the middle of a mis-sion they hadn’t reallybeen previously trainedto do -- his soldierscame through.

“It was pretty roughfor a while. It was hardto adjust,” he said. “ButI never heard a com-plaint out of them.They’ve been great.”

Tuesday, the sol-diers of the 401st cele-brated a mission welldone with a barbecue atWindmill Beach. With1st Sgt. Ronnie E.

Phillips on grill and filling bellies with ham-burgers paid for by MWR -- whose variedsports program Phillips credited with keepinghis soldiers healthy and sane for six months --everyone had a chance to sit amid the sun andsand and look back on their time here.

“People say this job is easy, that any soldieror sailor could do it,” said Corwin. “And interms of what the actual day-to-day tasks are,the corrections work, maybe that’s true. But innormal corrections-type work there isn't alarge international political influence, and allthe pressures that come with it.”

“In addition to that, there’s the nature ofwho the detainees are, why they’re here,” hesaid. “You have to be so careful because of allthe personal feelings that are involved in this.

“You’ve got to remain professional at alltimes, and keeping up that professionalismevery day for six months is tough,” he said.“But we all did it. I'm proud.”

It was also time for the 401st to look for-ward -- to going home.

“They call GTMO ‘the least worst place,’”said Hernandez. “Fort Hood, where we’refrom -- we call that ‘the great place to be.’We’re looking forward to rediscovering thedifference.”

“How do we feel? We're all very -- how canI say it? -- happy to get home and see ourwives,” said Corwin.

Spc. Mark Schaffer, a driver with the com-pany, was due to get out of the military May20; the mission here -- and the Army stop-losspolicy that came with it -- prevented that.

His hair at regulation-stretching length inhis final days, Shaffer said he was lookingforward to getting on with a planned career incorrections in the civilian world. But, he said,he didn't mind the extra month if it meantbeing a part of this mission.

“After all,” he said, “it ought to help me onmy resume.”

Changing of the guards: 401st leaves

By Army Spc. Frank N. PellegriniThe Wire


Capt. Luis R. Hernandez and 1st Sgt. Ronnie E. Phillips man the grill.


From left to right: Pvt. Brandon T. Schaefer, Pvt. Sara M. Felix, and Pvt. Gary D.Fish, detainee guards with the 401st, reminisce at the company’s farewell barbecue.

First MP company onground heads home

Friday, June 14, 2002 Page 13Friday, June 14, 2002

Across

3. Physical exercise6. Quadriceps (plural)7. Burly9. Slow running12. Beat of heart per minute14. Hoisting weights15. Front leaning rest16. With oxygen17. Chin lifts

Down

1. A bodily excretion2. “Side straddle hop”4. Robust5. Supple8. Physical training10. “Bench ____.”11. Bring weights to chest13. Lifting weights repeatedly

Work It Out!

Outgoing “Wire” editor getsinaugural Commander’s Coinfor a JTF job well done

Army Commanding Gen. Rick Baccuspresents the first JTF-160 Commander'sCoin of Excellence to Army Spc. JamesStrine, June 7, 2002.

Strine, FORSCOM Journalist of theYear for 2001, designed the coin himselfwhile serving as editor of the weekly JTF-160 field newspaper The Wire from Janu-ary to June.

"It meant a lot to me to receive the firstawarded coin, because it took me a lot oftime to develop it," said Strine.

Strine thanked the JTF-160 staff for thecoin and said he was glad he was able tosee it before he and the rest of the 27thPublic Affairs Detachment left Guan-tanamo Bay to return to the 10th MountainDivision at Fort Drum, New York.


Man on the street

This week’squestion:

What keeps youmotivated?

Army Staff Sgt.Robert Lofton114th MP Co.

Physical training andgood Army chowmotivate me. I’m 21years in, so thisdeployment is adrop in the bucket.

Navy YNSN Chrystal HuffMEPS, Dallas

Loving my job,which is processingclearances. Com-petitive sports andbeating the Armymotivates me.

Army Sgt. RogerRettkowski339th MP Co.

Keeping busy in thismilitary life motivatesme. Reuniting withmy family keeps medriving on.

Army 1st Lt.Cedric Sherard418th Trans. Co.

My soldiers. If I’mnot motivated,they’re not. Now, 17days and a wake-uphas my motivationhigh.

Coast Guard AMT2Jake ProeschCG Air Station

Representing theCoast Guard. Get-ting the job donewhile having a goodtime motivates me.

Compiled by Army Spc. Chris S. Pisano and Army Spc. Joseph A. Morris

Friday, June 148 P.M. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (G)10 P.M. Scorpion King (PG-13)

Saturday, June 158 P.M. The Rookie (G)10 P.M. Van Wilder (PG-13)

Sunday, June 168 P.M. Murder By Numbers (R)

Monday, June 178 P.M. Enough (PG-13)

Tuesday, June 188 P.M. Star Wars Episode II (PG-13)

Wednesday, June 198 P.M. Monster’s Ball (R)

Thursday, June 208 P.M. The Sweetest Thing (R)


Meeting the PressArmy Commanding Gen. Rick Baccus fields reporters’ questions at the JTF-160 weekly press brief-ing. What’s it like being on the other side of the table? “Covering the operations here has its ups anddowns,” said Matt Dolan, a full-time military reporter for The Virginian-Pilot in Virginia Beach, Va.“Phrases like ‘operational security’ can drive us crazy sometimes.” But working for a paper so nearthe huge naval base in Norfolk, Va., gives Dolan some relief when it comes to finding an angle. “Somany of our readers have been stationed here, so there’s a story just in how life at GTMO hasbeen changed by the detainee operation.” The short answer: quite a bit.

and Hindi.If the language or regional dialect used

is not easily recognizable, the translatorsput their resources together to interpret thecontent of the text before it is sent to JTF-160 J2 or to the Defense Language Insti-tute, Monterey, California, said Capt.Quinn Henderson, the officer in charge ofthe S2 shop of 160th MPBN out of Talla-hassee, Fl., now attached to JTF-160.

The more educated detainees simplifythe process by writing their own correspon-dence in English, said Master Sgt. Pat Tet-rick, who is also from the S2 shop.

After the outgoing mail has beenscreened by S2, Tart then lists them on arecord sheet and forwards them to the postoffice for delivery.

Handling mail is not her primary mili-tary occupational specialty, but she takesher job seriously. She works six days aweek and comes to work for a seventh dayif there is a lot of mail that needs to beprocessed.

She said she tried her best to ensure thatmail flows in and out without long delays.

"Mail has to be sent in a specified time,"she added. "I can't stress enough the impor-tance of a detainee's mail. As a person, it'simportant for me to get my mail," she saidas she was going through a stack ofdetainees' outgoing mail.

In addition to outgoing mail, Tart is alsoinvolved in the detainees’ incoming mail.

The incoming mail process is somewhatsimilar to the outgoing process.

Tart’s S1 shop receives mail from eitherthe post office or the International Commit-tee of the Red Cross.

But before the letters or postcards reachthe detainees, Tart has to sort each one ofthem and sends them to the S2 shop forscreening and interpretation.

At this stage, the workload increases forthe S2 shop.

Kane, who is heavily involved in theoperation, said that mail becomes thebiggest part of his day.

Getting mail to the detainees is not aneasy process, especially when there is a lotof mail that has to go through all the estab-lished channels.

It takes about five working days for theincoming and outgoing mail to be thor-oughly processed.

In the past two weeks, more than 100pieces of mail have been processed.

But the people who participate in thedaily detainees' mail operations strive everyday to respect and preserve the detainees'right to communicate.

Tart, who is on her first overseas deploy-ment, has been an Army reservist since1979. She doesn’t complain about her jobat GTMO Camp Delta. Before she camehere, she used to work as a social workerfor the public defender's office in Tallahas-see.

When asked about her present job withthe military, she said, "I don't get much sun,but I like my job here. It's very detailed,and it keeps me busy."

From screening mail to watching

detainees, Kane is busy too. But like Tart,he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love my job,” he said. “This kind ofoperation is the best for a CI agent. It's notevery day that a reservist gets to do an intel-ligence mission of this magnitude.”

“Every day, if I pick up just one piece ofintelligence, I feel like I'm adding to thelarger mission.”


MAIL, from page 1

Page 12 Friday, June 14, 2002

Rumsfeld PraisesIndia for Steps

ForwardISLAMABAD -- Defense Secretary Don-

ald Rumsfeld wrapped up his visit to Indiaearlier today by praising Indian leaders fortheir concern and interest in resolving theKashmir dispute with Pakistan "in anappropriate way."

A senior defense official who was in themeetings said an overriding tone through-out was the desire to get beyond the cur-rent crisis with Pakistan and to furtherdevelop U.S.- Indian ties.

Intelligence FirstPriority With PadillaNEW DELHI -- The United States is

more interested in extracting intelligenceinformation than in prosecuting JosePadilla, said Defense Secretary DonaldRumsfeld.

Padilla, a U.S. citizen also known asAbdullah al Mujahir, was captured May 8when he flew into Chicago's O'Hare Inter-national Airport from Pakistan. The JusticeDepartment transferred him June 10 toDoD custody. He's being held in a Navybrig in Charleston, S.C.

"Our interest, really, in this case, is notlaw enforcement. It is not punishment,"Rumsfeld said. "Because he was a terroristor working with the terrorists, our interest atthe moment is to try to find out everythinghe knows so hopefully we can stop otherterrorist acts."

Designs Sought forPentagon Memorial

WASHINGTON -- DoD officialsannounced a competition today to choosea design for a memorial to honor thosekilled in the Pentagon terror attack of Sept.11. The competition is open to anyone.

Rules will be on the Web at http://pen-tagonmemorial.nab.usace.army.mil.

Entrants can also receive the rules bywriting: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bal-timore District, Public Affairs Office, P.O.Box 1715, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Deadline for submission is Sept. 11,2002, at 5 p.m. EDT. The jury will consistof six sculptors, architects and landscapearchitects; a representative from the vic-tims' families; and two prominent citizensfrom the Washington, D.C., area.

WASHINGTON -- New perspectives,new ideas and new energy are needed tocombat global terrorism, National SecurityAdviser Condoleezza Rice said hereWednesday during commencement cere-monies at the National Defense University.

“Today, our nation and the cause of free-dom need all that you have to offer -- yourideas, your learning and your dedication,”Rice told the graduating class of nearly 500students. “Wars are decided as much by thesupremacy of the mind as by the supremacyof the military technology that we often thinkof as winning wars. And, of course, wars arewon by people.”

Vice Adm. Paul G. Gaffney II, NDU pres-ident, presented Rice with an honorary doc-torate in national security affairs. “AsPresident Bush's national security adviser,she stands at his right hand during one of ournation's most stressful periods,” he said.

Rice noted that NDU takes the best andthe brightest from the armed forces, the exec-utive branch and allied nations.

“You have operated here in an open, cre-ative environment where intellectual fermentis supported and diversity of thought isrewarded,” she said. “You have understoodthat shifts in strategic paradigms requireboldness in thought as well as in action.

"When you leave this place, try not to losethat spirit,” she said. “It will not be easy.”

Wolfowitz: Dirty Bomb PlotHighlights WMD Dangers

W A S H I N G T O N - -Deputy Defense SecretaryPaul Wolfowitz said todaythe capture of an al Qaeda ter-rorist highlights the dangersposed by the whole range ofweapons of mass destruction.

Speaking on the CBSEarly Show and NBC TodayShow, Wolfowitz said lawenforcement officials cap-tured Abdullah al Muhajir,also known as Jose Padilla, inthe early stages of plotting toplant a radiological “dirtybomb” in an American city.

A dirty bomb is conven-tional explosives surroundedby radioactive material.When the bomb explodes, itspews that material over awide area in smoke and otherparticulate matter. The

bomb's destructive powerdepends on the amount, typeand size of conventionalexplosives and radioactivematerial used.

Wolfowitz said the admin-istration has said many timesthat the greatest danger fac-ing the United States is“countries that have weaponsof mass destruction whowork with terrorists.” TheState Department lists sevensuch countries: Cuba, Iran,Iraq, Libya, North Korea,Syria and Sudan.

Al Qaeda leader Osamabin Laden has said that theacquisition of weapons ofmass destruction by hisorganization is a religiousduty.

U.S. and coalition troopsin Afghanistan found evi-dence that al Qaeda wasaggressively pursuing chemi-

cal, biological, radiologicaland nuclear information andmaterial.

Defense Secretary DonaldH. Rumsfeld has said manytimes that if terror groups getthese types of material andlaunch an attack, the casualtytoll would dwarf Sept. 11’s.

Wolfowitz said Muhajirstarted out in Brooklyn andChicago as a petty criminal."Somewhere along the wayhe got converted to beingsomething else.”

“And out in Pakistan andAfghanistan he was workingon plots to do the most hor-rendous kinds of things inthis country,” he said.

Wolfowitz said the terror-ist has been classified as an“enemy combatant.”

The military can hold him“until the end of the con-flict,” he said.

By Jim GarramoneAmerican Forces Press Service

Photo by Linda D. Kozryn

Vice Adm. Paul G. Gaffney II, president of theNational Defense University in Washington,presents National Security Adviser CondoleezzaRice with honorary doctorate in national security.

By Linda D. KozarynAmerican Forces Press Service

Photo by Army Sgt. Michelle M. Pessoa

Army Master Sgt. Debra Tart sorts and logs the detainees' mail as Sgt. 1st Class Digna Rosario takesa phone message.

Photo by Army Pfc. Jean-Carl Bertin

Capt. Quinn Henderson, reviewing the status ofthe mail translation process.

POSTAL PRICEINCREASE

NOTICEEffective June 30, 2002, the rate

for a single piece of First ClassMail will increase from $0.34 to$0.37. The single–piece card ratewill increase from $0.21 to $0.23.

Rice Calls on Military Gradsto Energize National Security

When Army reservist Jacque-line Gordon learned late last yearthat she was being called to duty,the divorced mother of two had toquickly decide what to do with herchildren, Augustus, 10, and Kerri-anne, 13.

“In the end, I sent them to twodifferent friends,” said Gordon, 37,a guidance counselor at the West-ern Suffolk BOCES in Dix Hillsand Copiague resident now serv-ing as an operations officer at theU.S. naval base in GuantanamoBay, Cuba, where nearly 400detainees from Afghanistan arebeing held for interrogation.

It was not an ideal situation butGordon thought her problemswere solved. Yet after she startedactive duty in January, more trou-ble surfaced.

She had returned her leased carbefore activation, but the paper-work went awry, causing her tocontinue receiving monthly bills,then a repossession notice and,finally, a warning that her creditrecord would be marred if she did-n’t pay.

“The situation would have beenresolved if I could handle it per-sonally,” Gordon, a major, said in arecent phone interview from Cuba.

“But that's impossible fromhere.”

Housing issues also burdenedFrank DiDomenico, a New YorkCity police officer and Air Forcereservist who has been on activeduty since Sept. 23 at McGuire AirForce Base in New Jersey.

The trouble began in March,when DiDomenico's wife of 18months, Tyra, received a noticeinforming her that the year-longlease on their one-bedroom Coramapartment -- also home, by then, to7-month-old Juliet -- would not berenewed after its May 31 expira-tion because the property was to berenovated, upgraded and sold.

“So here we are, about to loseour apartment, while my wife hasto care for our child and I'm stuckin New Jersey on active duty,”DiDomenico, 29, said last weekbefore heading to the Middle East,

where, as a sergeant, he will super-base.

“There is no way we can lookfor another place.”

More than 83,000 militaryreservists and national guardtroops -- approximately 20,000 ofthem from New York State -- wereactivated for varying durations by

federal authorities after the Sept.11 attacks on the World TradeCenter and Pentagon. Like hun-dreds of their counterparts fromabout two dozen units on LongIsland, Gordon and DiDomenicoknew they might have to servetheir country in a time of peril.

Nevertheless, as the tworeservists have learned, such serv-ice often carries a personal price.

“My earnings have dropped,but the bills haven't,” said MarineCorps reservist Anthony Dixon,who said his $36,000 annual salaryas a corporal is about half of whathe made as a self-employed potatochips salesman.

A West Islip resident and newfather, Dixon, 30, was activated inDecember and sent to Camp Leje-une in North Carolina, where he is

one of 65 Long Islanders with theSecond Battalion, 225th Marines.ments, credit card payments andcar and truck payments,” he said.“And other basic costs, like elec-tricity and water, haven't gonedown because I'm away.”

Although Nassau and Suffolkcounties pay civil servants onactive duty the difference betweentheir military and civilian salaries,only a handful of personnel --mostly law enforcement officers --qualify. Moreover, federal laws,

which guarantee returningreservists a job with undiminishedpay and benefits, often do notsoften financial hardships theyface while in uniform.

A small number of privateemployers, usually prosperouscorporations spurred by a mix ofpatriotism and public relations,give activated employeesextended salaries and benefits. Butfor many reservists, military dutybrings some measure of personalhardship.

“Sure, I'm losing money,” saidJohn Schulz, 36, a Sayville resi-dent whose approximately$100,000 annual income as a co-pilot for American Airlines wastrimmed to more than $84,000 inFebruary when he was activatedwith the Air National Guard's106th Rescue Wing in Westhamp-ton Beach.

“But I'm not going intopoverty,” added Schulz, who wasto go to Turkey this week as com-mander of a rescue helicopter sup-porting U.S. Air Force patrols inIraq. “The main thing is the loss oftime spent with my wife and twochildren. You can't put a price onthat.”

However, activation does notalways bring trouble. Bill Clinerelishes the responsibility of head-ing JDOG (an acronym for JointDetention Operations Group),which was established earlier thisyear at the Guantanamo base.

“This job means the world tome,” said Cline, 52, a longtimeBayport resident who, in civilianlife, is a deputy Suffolk Countysheriff.

“I feel I'm not only helping mycountry, but myself as well,” hesaid.

Such feelings spurred Cline,who fought in Vietnam as aMarine and subsequently becamean Army reservist, to volunteer forduty in Bosnia, where with therank of major he oversaw safetyconditions for U.S. peacekeepersin 1999.

As a lieutenant-colonel incharge of about 700 American sol-diers and 400 detainees, Clinedoubled his $50,000 sheriff'ssalary. Nevertheless, he stressedthat “doing meaningful work, notmaking money, is what motivatesme.”

Gordon's savior was Eric Out-calt, finance director for Ami-tyville Toyota. After being toldabout the reservist's car troubles,Outcalt tracked the errant paper-work, called the parent corporationand corrected the problem.

“She did nothing wrong, andshe's serving her country,” he said.“I'm delighted to help her.”

Also helpful was Jules Reich,managing partner of Coram IsleLLC, owner of apartments rentedby DiDomenico and several hun-dred other tenants.

When told of the airman's hous-ing problem, Reich called the ser-geant and offered to give him anidentical apartment in the samecomplex, at the same rent, foranother year.

“It's the least we can do forsomeone in your situation,” theexecutive said.

Serving their country without reserve

By Arnold Williams


Proudly serving in a Navy of one

The Army-led detainee operations inGuantanamo Bay, Cuba has a Navy Heli-copter Pilot as second in command of theJoint Detention Operations Group.

The JDOG staff is comprised of theArmy 455th MP Brigade Liaison Detach-ment. The BLD oversees one battalionstaff, several MP Companies and oneMechanized Infantry unit.

Lt. Cmdr. Paul LeBrasseur is the onlyNavy officer attached to the JDOG. As theexecutive officer of the JDOG staff,

LeBrasseur has the responsibility of over-seeing the physical care, feeding, housingand security, inside and outside the deten-tion camp.

The XO billet for JDOG was originallyintended for an Army officer; and wasmanned by an Army officer for one monthbefore LeBrasseur assumed the responsi-bility.

Back in his hometown of Lakeville,MN, LeBrasseur is a Federal Agent/Depor-tation Officer for the Department of Jus-tice-Immigration and NaturalizationServices (INS). He tracks down, arrests,then deports the criminals, fugitives and

illegal aliens to their home countries. LeBrasseur has been in on high-profile

operations before -- he was involved in thedetention of Zacarias Moussaoui, who issuspected of being involved in the plan-ning of the 11 Sept attack on the WorldTrade Center in New York City. His effortssupported the FBI's investigation by keep-ing Moussaoui in INS custody on immi-gration violations until the FBI couldformally charge Moussaoui.

Because of LeBrasseur's civilian record,his active and reserve history and his atten-tion to detail in his previous position as theFuture Plans Officer for operations inGTMO, he was recommended for the XOposition by the commanding officer ofdetainee operations for Operation Endur-ing Freedom here.

Recognizing the experience and qualifi-cations of LeBrasseur, the Army extendedthe executive officer’s position to him.

“I have complete confidence and trust inhis abilities. He is loyal beyond reproach. Ihave no concerns,” said Lt. Col. Cline,commander of JDOG. The Army contin-gent at GTMO has been more than recep-tive in having him as their second incommand.

“If I was sent here to be XO, it mighthave been different,” said LeBrasseur.“But being asked by the CO to fill thisposition is the biggest compliment I couldhave had, and I think they respect that.”

The arrival of new MP Companiesrecently here at GTMO has presented anew challenge; LeBrassuer must gothrough the normal adjustment period withthe new soldiers.

“Prior to the new MP Companies arrivaleveryone knew me. It's different now,” hesaid. “For me, adjusting to new faces. Forthem it's adjusting to a Navy LCDR.”

“He gets along with everyone. He's fairregardless of what service or rank,” saidCline.

When Paul left Lakeville he left behindhis family, friends and his 17-year-oldMiniature Pinscher. Even though he missesthem beyond measure, he has no regrets.

LeBrasseur said he is proud to serve hiscountry in this capacity. He not only hasthe responsibility of overseeing thedetainees, but he has the occasional duty ofescorting VIPs through Camp Delta toobserve detainee operations.

“As I walk through the camp with gen-erals and VIPs, we have to talk over theyelling, heckling and chatter of thedetainees. I can see in their eyes the hateand disdain that they have for Americans.

It makes him think about what Al-Qaedahas done--and potentially will do.

By Navy Petty Officer 1st ClassChristopher SherwoodSpecial to The Wire

Photo by Army Pfc. Jean -Carl Bertin

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Paul LeBrasseur, the sole Navy servicemember on the Joint Detention Operations Groupstaff, poses in front of his favorite flag.


(Newsday Photo / Nelson Ching)

Air Force reservist Frank DiDomenico and his wife, Tyra, were notified that thelease on their apartment would not be renewed. They later received an offer ofanother apartment.

When duty called, these part-timers gavetheir all, despite the personal cost

“I have the same mortgage pay-vise the guarding of planes at an air

Friday, June 14, 2002 Friday, June 14, 2002

Get quick, quality care at Aid StationTroops at Guantanamo Bay have little fear

of falling casualty to bullets and bombs. It’sthe smaller things that can put a soldier out ofcommission and impede mission capabilitieshere.

That’s where the Aid Station comes in.“The good guys on the troops’ side,” saidCoast Guard Health Services Senior ChiefMark H. O'Neal.

Set up as a triage to treat all sick call but

capable of savingservicemembers’lives, it’s equippedwith the life-pack12, which enablesthe staff to resus-citate patients ifnecessary.

However, mostpatients who walkup to the little redmedical cross atthe MWR build-ing on WindwardLoop and enterthe Aid Station aresimply in need offast, efficientmedical assistanceto get their bodiesback to full mission capability. “The majority of patientscome in for treatment of common cold symp-toms -- the sniffles and stomach aches. Latelya lot of people have come in complaining ofheadaches,” said O'Neal.

The aid station is responsible for treating allsick-call patients from Windward Loop, EastCaravella, and Villamar. Their hours of opera-tion are 0700-1630 Monday through Friday.Patients having any emergencies after thosehours must call 911 and will be taken to thehospital.

In comparison to the hospital, the aid sta-tion is much smaller in size and manpower.However, their efficient work and skill enablethem to treat an average of 15-20 patientsdaily. More than 1,385 patients have been

cared for since January.“During our time here, we are evolving. We

are taking advantages of lessons learned andimproving the quality for troops,” said Hospi-tal Coreman 2 Greg Redgate.

The Aid Station, primarily composed ofCoast Guard servicemembers, also benefitsfrom the joint task environment on GTMO byhaving servicemembers of all stripes workingwith them side by side.

“This was a great mission. Working withNavy and Army has made this the mostdiverse situation I've taken part in my last 25years of my service,” said O'Neal.

So if you need aid, don't be afraid. Justcome on down to the Aid Station at the bottomof the loop.


Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin P. Wiles checks the blood pressure ofCoast Petty Officer 3rd Class Gary N. Paxson.

Surrounded by an extensive array ofsecurity measures by land, sea and air, 34suspected terrorists arrived here Wednes-day. They represent the latest of 84detainees who have arrived here for in pro-cessing and detention at Camp Delta in thepast week.

Camp Delta now has 468 detainees.“Our primary mission here is to receive

and hold detainees in support of the War onTerrorism. Today was a good day for us.

We helped get 34 suspected terrorists off thebattlefield and out of the fight,” said ArmyLt. Col. Joe Hoey, a military spokesman forJoint Task Force 160, the multi-servicecommand in charge of detention operationshere.

“As long as we've got these suspectedterrorists here, we'll treat them humanely,because we're a nation of laws, but you canalso rest assured they won't be planning orparticipating in the murder of thousands of

innocent victims,” said Hoey.After arriving at the 612-unit facility, the

detainees were in-processed and screenedby medical personnel. In-processingincludes showers; issuance of comfort itemssuch as a Koran and toiletries; and writingan optional letter that will be mailed towhomever they choose.

Camp Delta was first occupied on April28 when 300 detainees, first held at CampX-Ray, were moved to the newer facility.

Photo by Army Spc. Michelle M. Scepko

Wiles continues his medical checkup with a quicklook into Paxson’s ears.

WASHINGTON -- If the Pentagon was aperson, it might just be smiling right now as itwears a spanking new coat of bright limestoneacross its western wall.

A terrorist-hijacked airliner slammed intothat wall nine months ago, killing 184 people.Today, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wol-fowitz participated in a Pentagon ceremony toinstall a special dedication capsule into thatonce ruined west wall.

Wolfowitz said local commuters passingby the Pentagon have “witnessed a trulyremarkable transformation” since the terroristattack.

“Today, we'll finish one important part ofthat remarkable transformation," he contin-ued, "We will restore to its rightful place ablock of Indiana limestone that builders firstplaced here six decades ago.”

A discolored block of stone taken from theruins of the west wall after the attack was usedto cap the niche where the dedication capsulewould be placed. The stone is inscribed withthe date of the attack. Pentagon renovationprogram manager Walker Lee Evey, withWolfowitz at his side, placed the capsule intothe niche. Then, with the help of constructionworkers, the capstone was inserted into theopening.

The capsule contains items such as a signedphotograph of President Bush with Secretaryof Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld standing out-side the Pentagon, handmade cards and lettersof condolences from school children, medal-lions from Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen.Richard B. Myers, chairman of the jointChiefs of Staff, Arlington County firefighterand police patches, a Defense Protective Ser-vices patch, a plaque listing the 184 victims,and more.

Items to be placed inside the capsule weredisplayed to the news media yesterday at aPentagon briefing hosted by Charles S. Abell,assistant secretary of defense for force man-agement policy.

The dedication capsule, Abell said, “is ourway of remembering and memorializing thevictims and the events of Sept. 11 and to rec-ognize the good works of the many dedicatedpeople on the construction crews who'vehelped us reconstruct the Pentagon so quicklyand so well.”

The capsule isn't meant to be opened like atime capsule, he said. “We don't intend to digthis out at any specific date in the future andhave it available for historians and the curi-ous,” he added. “We just expect it to be thereto commemorate the victims and the rebuild-ing effort and the war on terrorism.”

Wolfowitz then read aloud a letter from aCalifornia schoolgirl named Amanda:

“‘Dear Pentagon, I believe we can all pulltogether and show what America means. Tome, following the attacks last September,America means wisdom, strength, enduranceand freedom.’”

“Amanda, you've got it exactly right,” Wol-fowitz said to the audience, noting that thequalities outlined in the girl's letter “do defineAmerica.”

He praised the construction workers, noting

they have worked hard “armed with hammersand saws” to reconstruct the damaged Penta-gon.

“With your hearts and hands you haverebuilt this symbol of American values andstrength, stone by stone and we thank you,” headded.

Wolfowitz noted that the Pentagon recon-struction crew, in adopting the battle cry,“Let's Roll,” honors Sept. 11 hero ToddBeamer. A passenger aboard United AirlinesFlight 93 on Sept. 11, Beamer said to fellowpassengers, “Let's roll!” before rushing theirhijackers. The plane crashed in a Pennsylvaniafield, killing all aboard. Beamer and his fellowpassengers have been credited with sacrificingthemselves to save countless others.

The 184 men and women who died at thePentagon were patriots, he noted, representingvalues alien to the terrorists.

Quoting Defense Secretary Rumsfeld,Wolfowitz said: “‘Those Americans diedbecause of how they lived, as free men andwomen, proud of their freedom, proud of theircountry, and proud of their country's cause, thecause of human freedom.’”

34 detainees enter Camp Delta

Photo by Gerry J. Gilmore

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz speaks at the June 11, 2002, ceremony marking the installation ofthe last limestone block in the repaired outer wall of the Pentagon damaged by terrorists on September 11.

Pentagon wears new face at dedicationBy Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service

Let’s go surfing...sooner or later

Three would-be wave-catcherswait on shore for some peaks ona sunny Tuesday afternoon atWindmill Beach.

By Army Spc. Michelle M. ScsepkoThe Wire



Cardboard boats hit blue seas to keep morale above waterIt’s amazing what you can do with a little duct tape, card-

board, paint and some motivation.Good times set sail last Saturday at the Sailing Center

here when the second annual MWR’s Great CardboardBoat Regatta was held.

A fleet of creatively designed boats arrived with stylishnames in tow like “The Tiki Barge,” “The Blitz Crew,” “M& T Express,” “Rub-a-dub dub in a Gitmo Tub,” “USSJason,” “2 Sweet” and “It’s on the Barge.”

The rules were simple: All boats had to be constructed ofrecycled cardboard – painted, of course — with no cellular,fiberglass, plastic, wood or flotation materials allowed inthe construction. The boats, to be propelled only by oars,paddles or parts of the body, had to race out to a turningpoint marked by a red buoy around 200 ft. and then returnto dock.

When the contest began, “2 Sweet” took off like a light-ening bolt from Mt. Olympus, with the majestic “TikiBarge” in a very close second. “It’s on the Barge” had atough time on the high seas, while “Rub-a-dub dub it’s aGitmo Tub,” way out of course, zigzagged its way where nocardboard boat has gone before.

The waves of excitement were high just before the turn-ing point, when the harsh wind of poor luck blew in on“The Blitz Crew,” which floundering from the start, dra-matically sank. However, the crew was quickly rescued bylife guards, and their ravaged vessel brought back to shore.

As the race came to a close, the unassuming “2 Sweet,”driven by Nolan Butler and Nick Basel, took a sweet andvictorious first place. Right behind it, was “The Tiki Barge”at second place. “Rub-a-dub dub in a Gitmo Tub,” afterobtaining some fast determination, zigzagged its way backon course to seal a well earned third place.

Coming in last was the patriotic “USS Jason,” captainedby elementary school student Meagan Heitman, who madea show for herself as she epically struggled to make it in.With a life guard at the ready, the near sunken vesselreturned to port, and Meagan was greeted by a thunderouscrowd.

After everyone settled down from the excitement, CraigBasel, the MWR director, announced the winners and gaveout the awards. In the Youth category, “Rub-a-dub dub in aGitmo Tub” took first place, with “M & T Express” comingin second and USS Jason taking third. For the Open cate-gory, “2 Sweet” took first, “The Tiki Barge” took second,and “It’s on the Barge” placed third.

Then there were special categories. For Best Boat Name,“Rub-a-dub dub in a Gitmo Tub,” for Best Theme, “USSJason,” for Best “Titantic” sinking, “The Blitz Crew,” andfor Best Looking, “The Tiki Barge.”

“The Tiki Barge,” constructed from a myriad amount ofbeer boxes and manned by a five-person crew from the115th Military Police Battalion, by far raised the bar in card-board boat construction.

The man who designed it, Army Sgt. Robert Kaiser, saidthey were too many beer boxes floating around WindwardLoop and thought they could be put to better use. Amechanical engineer specializing in nautical engineering,Kaiser designed the pirate ship-like vessel to hold 1000 lbs.of crew, and if it sprung a leak, it could hold an additional

1000 lbs. of water. It took him and his team a month tobuild.

Such effort paid off, and the event overall was a grandsuccess.

“It went really great. This is the second year we havedone it, and it’s just a lot of fun,” said Basel, who organizedthe event. “They put a lot of work into those boats, and theypaddle their butts off. It really brings the communitytogether. It wasn’t about being competitive, just having fun.”

By Army Spc. Chris S.PisanoThe Wire


Victory won’t be delivered this day as “It’s on the Barge” struggles to bring itsvaliant cargo back to shore.

Photo by Army Spc. Chris S. Pisano

Hard work pays off as Meagan basks in the adoration of the crowd.


Unsure if her boat, the “USS Jason,” will stay afloat, Meagan Heitman drives on.

Photo by Army Spc. Joeseph A. Morris

The crew of the “Tiki Barge” races to shore, where cold ones are on ice awaiting their arrival.


With his hand on the award for “Best Looking” boat and hismind on those beers, “Tiki Barge” designer Sgt. Robert Kaiser,115th Military Police Battalion, proudly accepts his prize.


The race is on and the boats are gone as “2 Sweet” takes an early lead, with “The Tiki Barge” in a close second. “Rub-a-dub dub in a Gitmo Tub” takes the wrong tack, leaving the crowd wondering if itscrew would ever come back.


Get quick, quality care at Aid StationTroops at Guantanamo Bay have little fear

of falling casualty to bullets and bombs. It’sthe smaller things that can put a soldier out ofcommission and impede mission capabilitieshere.

That’s where the Aid Station comes in.“The good guys on the troops’ side,” saidCoast Guard Health Services Senior ChiefMark H. O'Neal.

Set up as a triage to treat all sick call but

capable of savingservicemembers’lives, it’s equippedwith the life-pack12, which enablesthe staff to resus-citate patients ifnecessary.

However, mostpatients who walkup to the little redmedical cross atthe MWR build-ing on WindwardLoop and enterthe Aid Station aresimply in need offast, efficientmedical assistanceto get their bodiesback to full mission capability. “The majority of patientscome in for treatment of common cold symp-toms -- the sniffles and stomach aches. Latelya lot of people have come in complaining ofheadaches,” said O'Neal.

The aid station is responsible for treating allsick-call patients from Windward Loop, EastCaravella, and Villamar. Their hours of opera-tion are 0700-1630 Monday through Friday.Patients having any emergencies after thosehours must call 911 and will be taken to thehospital.

In comparison to the hospital, the aid sta-tion is much smaller in size and manpower.However, their efficient work and skill enablethem to treat an average of 15-20 patientsdaily. More than 1,385 patients have been

cared for since January.“During our time here, we are evolving. We

are taking advantages of lessons learned andimproving the quality for troops,” said Hospi-tal Coreman 2 Greg Redgate.

The Aid Station, primarily composed ofCoast Guard servicemembers, also benefitsfrom the joint task environment on GTMO byhaving servicemembers of all stripes workingwith them side by side.

“This was a great mission. Working withNavy and Army has made this the mostdiverse situation I've taken part in my last 25years of my service,” said O'Neal.

So if you need aid, don't be afraid. Justcome on down to the Aid Station at the bottomof the loop.


Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin P. Wiles checks the blood pressure ofCoast Petty Officer 3rd Class Gary N. Paxson.

Surrounded by an extensive array ofsecurity measures by land, sea and air, 34suspected terrorists arrived here Wednes-day. They represent the latest of 84detainees who have arrived here for in pro-cessing and detention at Camp Delta in thepast week.

Camp Delta now has 468 detainees.“Our primary mission here is to receive

and hold detainees in support of the War onTerrorism. Today was a good day for us.

We helped get 34 suspected terrorists off thebattlefield and out of the fight,” said ArmyLt. Col. Joe Hoey, a military spokesman forJoint Task Force 160, the multi-servicecommand in charge of detention operationshere.

“As long as we've got these suspectedterrorists here, we'll treat them humanely,because we're a nation of laws, but you canalso rest assured they won't be planning orparticipating in the murder of thousands of

innocent victims,” said Hoey.After arriving at the 612-unit facility, the

detainees were in-processed and screenedby medical personnel. In-processingincludes showers; issuance of comfort itemssuch as a Koran and toiletries; and writingan optional letter that will be mailed towhomever they choose.

Camp Delta was first occupied on April28 when 300 detainees, first held at CampX-Ray, were moved to the newer facility.

Photo by Army Spc. Michelle M. Scepko

Wiles continues his medical checkup with a quicklook into Paxson’s ears.

WASHINGTON -- If the Pentagon was aperson, it might just be smiling right now as itwears a spanking new coat of bright limestoneacross its western wall.

A terrorist-hijacked airliner slammed intothat wall nine months ago, killing 184 people.Today, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wol-fowitz participated in a Pentagon ceremony toinstall a special dedication capsule into thatonce ruined west wall.

Wolfowitz said local commuters passingby the Pentagon have “witnessed a trulyremarkable transformation” since the terroristattack.

“Today, we'll finish one important part ofthat remarkable transformation," he contin-ued, "We will restore to its rightful place ablock of Indiana limestone that builders firstplaced here six decades ago.”

A discolored block of stone taken from theruins of the west wall after the attack was usedto cap the niche where the dedication capsulewould be placed. The stone is inscribed withthe date of the attack. Pentagon renovationprogram manager Walker Lee Evey, withWolfowitz at his side, placed the capsule intothe niche. Then, with the help of constructionworkers, the capstone was inserted into theopening.

The capsule contains items such as a signedphotograph of President Bush with Secretaryof Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld standing out-side the Pentagon, handmade cards and lettersof condolences from school children, medal-lions from Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen.Richard B. Myers, chairman of the jointChiefs of Staff, Arlington County firefighterand police patches, a Defense Protective Ser-vices patch, a plaque listing the 184 victims,and more.

Items to be placed inside the capsule weredisplayed to the news media yesterday at aPentagon briefing hosted by Charles S. Abell,assistant secretary of defense for force man-agement policy.

The dedication capsule, Abell said, “is ourway of remembering and memorializing thevictims and the events of Sept. 11 and to rec-ognize the good works of the many dedicatedpeople on the construction crews who'vehelped us reconstruct the Pentagon so quicklyand so well.”

The capsule isn't meant to be opened like atime capsule, he said. “We don't intend to digthis out at any specific date in the future andhave it available for historians and the curi-ous,” he added. “We just expect it to be thereto commemorate the victims and the rebuild-ing effort and the war on terrorism.”

Wolfowitz then read aloud a letter from aCalifornia schoolgirl named Amanda:

“‘Dear Pentagon, I believe we can all pulltogether and show what America means. Tome, following the attacks last September,America means wisdom, strength, enduranceand freedom.’”

“Amanda, you've got it exactly right,” Wol-fowitz said to the audience, noting that thequalities outlined in the girl's letter “do defineAmerica.”

He praised the construction workers, noting

they have worked hard “armed with hammersand saws” to reconstruct the damaged Penta-gon.

“With your hearts and hands you haverebuilt this symbol of American values andstrength, stone by stone and we thank you,” headded.

Wolfowitz noted that the Pentagon recon-struction crew, in adopting the battle cry,“Let's Roll,” honors Sept. 11 hero ToddBeamer. A passenger aboard United AirlinesFlight 93 on Sept. 11, Beamer said to fellowpassengers, “Let's roll!” before rushing theirhijackers. The plane crashed in a Pennsylvaniafield, killing all aboard. Beamer and his fellowpassengers have been credited with sacrificingthemselves to save countless others.

The 184 men and women who died at thePentagon were patriots, he noted, representingvalues alien to the terrorists.

Quoting Defense Secretary Rumsfeld,Wolfowitz said: “‘Those Americans diedbecause of how they lived, as free men andwomen, proud of their freedom, proud of theircountry, and proud of their country's cause, thecause of human freedom.’”

34 detainees enter Camp Delta

Photo by Gerry J. Gilmore

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz speaks at the June 11, 2002, ceremony marking the installation ofthe last limestone block in the repaired outer wall of the Pentagon damaged by terrorists on September 11.

Pentagon wears new face at dedicationBy Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service

Let’s go surfing...sooner or later

Three would-be wave-catcherswait on shore for some peaks ona sunny Tuesday afternoon atWindmill Beach.

By Army Spc. Michelle M. ScsepkoThe Wire


When Army reservist Jacque-line Gordon learned late last yearthat she was being called to duty,the divorced mother of two had toquickly decide what to do with herchildren, Augustus, 10, and Kerri-anne, 13.

“In the end, I sent them to twodifferent friends,” said Gordon, 37,a guidance counselor at the West-ern Suffolk BOCES in Dix Hillsand Copiague resident now serv-ing as an operations officer at theU.S. naval base in GuantanamoBay, Cuba, where nearly 400detainees from Afghanistan arebeing held for interrogation.

It was not an ideal situation butGordon thought her problemswere solved. Yet after she startedactive duty in January, more trou-ble surfaced.

She had returned her leased carbefore activation, but the paper-work went awry, causing her tocontinue receiving monthly bills,then a repossession notice and,finally, a warning that her creditrecord would be marred if she did-n’t pay.

“The situation would have beenresolved if I could handle it per-sonally,” Gordon, a major, said in arecent phone interview from Cuba.

“But that's impossible fromhere.”

Housing issues also burdenedFrank DiDomenico, a New YorkCity police officer and Air Forcereservist who has been on activeduty since Sept. 23 at McGuire AirForce Base in New Jersey.

The trouble began in March,when DiDomenico's wife of 18months, Tyra, received a noticeinforming her that the year-longlease on their one-bedroom Coramapartment -- also home, by then, to7-month-old Juliet -- would not berenewed after its May 31 expira-tion because the property was to berenovated, upgraded and sold.

“So here we are, about to loseour apartment, while my wife hasto care for our child and I'm stuckin New Jersey on active duty,”DiDomenico, 29, said last weekbefore heading to the Middle East,

where, as a sergeant, he will super-base.

“There is no way we can lookfor another place.”

More than 83,000 militaryreservists and national guardtroops -- approximately 20,000 ofthem from New York State -- wereactivated for varying durations by

federal authorities after the Sept.11 attacks on the World TradeCenter and Pentagon. Like hun-dreds of their counterparts fromabout two dozen units on LongIsland, Gordon and DiDomenicoknew they might have to servetheir country in a time of peril.

Nevertheless, as the tworeservists have learned, such serv-ice often carries a personal price.

“My earnings have dropped,but the bills haven't,” said MarineCorps reservist Anthony Dixon,who said his $36,000 annual salaryas a corporal is about half of whathe made as a self-employed potatochips salesman.

A West Islip resident and newfather, Dixon, 30, was activated inDecember and sent to Camp Leje-une in North Carolina, where he is

one of 65 Long Islanders with theSecond Battalion, 225th Marines.ments, credit card payments andcar and truck payments,” he said.“And other basic costs, like elec-tricity and water, haven't gonedown because I'm away.”

Although Nassau and Suffolkcounties pay civil servants onactive duty the difference betweentheir military and civilian salaries,only a handful of personnel --mostly law enforcement officers --qualify. Moreover, federal laws,

which guarantee returningreservists a job with undiminishedpay and benefits, often do notsoften financial hardships theyface while in uniform.

A small number of privateemployers, usually prosperouscorporations spurred by a mix ofpatriotism and public relations,give activated employeesextended salaries and benefits. Butfor many reservists, military dutybrings some measure of personalhardship.

“Sure, I'm losing money,” saidJohn Schulz, 36, a Sayville resi-dent whose approximately$100,000 annual income as a co-pilot for American Airlines wastrimmed to more than $84,000 inFebruary when he was activatedwith the Air National Guard's106th Rescue Wing in Westhamp-ton Beach.

“But I'm not going intopoverty,” added Schulz, who wasto go to Turkey this week as com-mander of a rescue helicopter sup-porting U.S. Air Force patrols inIraq. “The main thing is the loss oftime spent with my wife and twochildren. You can't put a price onthat.”

However, activation does notalways bring trouble. Bill Clinerelishes the responsibility of head-ing JDOG (an acronym for JointDetention Operations Group),which was established earlier thisyear at the Guantanamo base.

“This job means the world tome,” said Cline, 52, a longtimeBayport resident who, in civilianlife, is a deputy Suffolk Countysheriff.

“I feel I'm not only helping mycountry, but myself as well,” hesaid.

Such feelings spurred Cline,who fought in Vietnam as aMarine and subsequently becamean Army reservist, to volunteer forduty in Bosnia, where with therank of major he oversaw safetyconditions for U.S. peacekeepersin 1999.

As a lieutenant-colonel incharge of about 700 American sol-diers and 400 detainees, Clinedoubled his $50,000 sheriff'ssalary. Nevertheless, he stressedthat “doing meaningful work, notmaking money, is what motivatesme.”

Gordon's savior was Eric Out-calt, finance director for Ami-tyville Toyota. After being toldabout the reservist's car troubles,Outcalt tracked the errant paper-work, called the parent corporationand corrected the problem.

“She did nothing wrong, andshe's serving her country,” he said.“I'm delighted to help her.”

Also helpful was Jules Reich,managing partner of Coram IsleLLC, owner of apartments rentedby DiDomenico and several hun-dred other tenants.

When told of the airman's hous-ing problem, Reich called the ser-geant and offered to give him anidentical apartment in the samecomplex, at the same rent, foranother year.

“It's the least we can do forsomeone in your situation,” theexecutive said.

Serving their country without reserve

By Arnold Williams

Page 6 Friday, June 14, 2002

Proudly serving in a Navy of one

The Army-led detainee operations inGuantanamo Bay, Cuba has a Navy Heli-copter Pilot as second in command of theJoint Detention Operations Group.

The JDOG staff is comprised of theArmy 455th MP Brigade Liaison Detach-ment. The BLD oversees one battalionstaff, several MP Companies and oneMechanized Infantry unit.

Lt. Cmdr. Paul LeBrasseur is the onlyNavy officer attached to the JDOG. As theexecutive officer of the JDOG staff,

LeBrasseur has the responsibility of over-seeing the physical care, feeding, housingand security, inside and outside the deten-tion camp.

The XO billet for JDOG was originallyintended for an Army officer; and wasmanned by an Army officer for one monthbefore LeBrasseur assumed the responsi-bility.

Back in his hometown of Lakeville,MN, LeBrasseur is a Federal Agent/Depor-tation Officer for the Department of Jus-tice-Immigration and NaturalizationServices (INS). He tracks down, arrests,then deports the criminals, fugitives and

illegal aliens to their home countries. LeBrasseur has been in on high-profile

operations before -- he was involved in thedetention of Zacarias Moussaoui, who issuspected of being involved in the plan-ning of the 11 Sept attack on the WorldTrade Center in New York City. His effortssupported the FBI's investigation by keep-ing Moussaoui in INS custody on immi-gration violations until the FBI couldformally charge Moussaoui.

Because of LeBrasseur's civilian record,his active and reserve history and his atten-tion to detail in his previous position as theFuture Plans Officer for operations inGTMO, he was recommended for the XOposition by the commanding officer ofdetainee operations for Operation Endur-ing Freedom here.

Recognizing the experience and qualifi-cations of LeBrasseur, the Army extendedthe executive officer’s position to him.

“I have complete confidence and trust inhis abilities. He is loyal beyond reproach. Ihave no concerns,” said Lt. Col. Cline,commander of JDOG. The Army contin-gent at GTMO has been more than recep-tive in having him as their second incommand.

“If I was sent here to be XO, it mighthave been different,” said LeBrasseur.“But being asked by the CO to fill thisposition is the biggest compliment I couldhave had, and I think they respect that.”

The arrival of new MP Companiesrecently here at GTMO has presented anew challenge; LeBrassuer must gothrough the normal adjustment period withthe new soldiers.

“Prior to the new MP Companies arrivaleveryone knew me. It's different now,” hesaid. “For me, adjusting to new faces. Forthem it's adjusting to a Navy LCDR.”

“He gets along with everyone. He's fairregardless of what service or rank,” saidCline.

When Paul left Lakeville he left behindhis family, friends and his 17-year-oldMiniature Pinscher. Even though he missesthem beyond measure, he has no regrets.

LeBrasseur said he is proud to serve hiscountry in this capacity. He not only hasthe responsibility of overseeing thedetainees, but he has the occasional duty ofescorting VIPs through Camp Delta toobserve detainee operations.

“As I walk through the camp with gen-erals and VIPs, we have to talk over theyelling, heckling and chatter of thedetainees. I can see in their eyes the hateand disdain that they have for Americans.

It makes him think about what Al-Qaedahas done--and potentially will do.

By Navy Petty Officer 1st ClassChristopher SherwoodSpecial to The Wire

Photo by Army Pfc. Jean -Carl Bertin

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Paul LeBrasseur, the sole Navy servicemember on the Joint Detention Operations Groupstaff, poses in front of his favorite flag.


(Newsday Photo / Nelson Ching)

Air Force reservist Frank DiDomenico and his wife, Tyra, were notified that thelease on their apartment would not be renewed. They later received an offer ofanother apartment.

When duty called, these part-timers gavetheir all, despite the personal cost

“I have the same mortgage pay-vise the guarding of planes at an air

and Hindi.If the language or regional dialect used

is not easily recognizable, the translatorsput their resources together to interpret thecontent of the text before it is sent to JTF-160 J2 or to the Defense Language Insti-tute, Monterey, California, said Capt.Quinn Henderson, the officer in charge ofthe S2 shop of 160th MPBN out of Talla-hassee, Fl., now attached to JTF-160.

The more educated detainees simplifythe process by writing their own correspon-dence in English, said Master Sgt. Pat Tet-rick, who is also from the S2 shop.

After the outgoing mail has beenscreened by S2, Tart then lists them on arecord sheet and forwards them to the postoffice for delivery.

Handling mail is not her primary mili-tary occupational specialty, but she takesher job seriously. She works six days aweek and comes to work for a seventh dayif there is a lot of mail that needs to beprocessed.

She said she tried her best to ensure thatmail flows in and out without long delays.

"Mail has to be sent in a specified time,"she added. "I can't stress enough the impor-tance of a detainee's mail. As a person, it'simportant for me to get my mail," she saidas she was going through a stack ofdetainees' outgoing mail.

In addition to outgoing mail, Tart is alsoinvolved in the detainees’ incoming mail.

The incoming mail process is somewhatsimilar to the outgoing process.

Tart’s S1 shop receives mail from eitherthe post office or the International Commit-tee of the Red Cross.

But before the letters or postcards reachthe detainees, Tart has to sort each one ofthem and sends them to the S2 shop forscreening and interpretation.

At this stage, the workload increases forthe S2 shop.

Kane, who is heavily involved in theoperation, said that mail becomes thebiggest part of his day.

Getting mail to the detainees is not aneasy process, especially when there is a lotof mail that has to go through all the estab-lished channels.

It takes about five working days for theincoming and outgoing mail to be thor-oughly processed.

In the past two weeks, more than 100pieces of mail have been processed.

But the people who participate in thedaily detainees' mail operations strive everyday to respect and preserve the detainees'right to communicate.

Tart, who is on her first overseas deploy-ment, has been an Army reservist since1979. She doesn’t complain about her jobat GTMO Camp Delta. Before she camehere, she used to work as a social workerfor the public defender's office in Tallahas-see.

When asked about her present job withthe military, she said, "I don't get much sun,but I like my job here. It's very detailed,and it keeps me busy."

From screening mail to watching

detainees, Kane is busy too. But like Tart,he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love my job,” he said. “This kind ofoperation is the best for a CI agent. It's notevery day that a reservist gets to do an intel-ligence mission of this magnitude.”

“Every day, if I pick up just one piece ofintelligence, I feel like I'm adding to thelarger mission.”


MAIL, from page 1


Rumsfeld PraisesIndia for Steps

ForwardISLAMABAD -- Defense Secretary Don-

ald Rumsfeld wrapped up his visit to Indiaearlier today by praising Indian leaders fortheir concern and interest in resolving theKashmir dispute with Pakistan "in anappropriate way."

A senior defense official who was in themeetings said an overriding tone through-out was the desire to get beyond the cur-rent crisis with Pakistan and to furtherdevelop U.S.- Indian ties.

Intelligence FirstPriority With PadillaNEW DELHI -- The United States is

more interested in extracting intelligenceinformation than in prosecuting JosePadilla, said Defense Secretary DonaldRumsfeld.

Padilla, a U.S. citizen also known asAbdullah al Mujahir, was captured May 8when he flew into Chicago's O'Hare Inter-national Airport from Pakistan. The JusticeDepartment transferred him June 10 toDoD custody. He's being held in a Navybrig in Charleston, S.C.

"Our interest, really, in this case, is notlaw enforcement. It is not punishment,"Rumsfeld said. "Because he was a terroristor working with the terrorists, our interest atthe moment is to try to find out everythinghe knows so hopefully we can stop otherterrorist acts."

Designs Sought forPentagon Memorial

WASHINGTON -- DoD officialsannounced a competition today to choosea design for a memorial to honor thosekilled in the Pentagon terror attack of Sept.11. The competition is open to anyone.

Rules will be on the Web at http://pen-tagonmemorial.nab.usace.army.mil.

Entrants can also receive the rules bywriting: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bal-timore District, Public Affairs Office, P.O.Box 1715, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Deadline for submission is Sept. 11,2002, at 5 p.m. EDT. The jury will consistof six sculptors, architects and landscapearchitects; a representative from the vic-tims' families; and two prominent citizensfrom the Washington, D.C., area.

WASHINGTON -- New perspectives,new ideas and new energy are needed tocombat global terrorism, National SecurityAdviser Condoleezza Rice said hereWednesday during commencement cere-monies at the National Defense University.

“Today, our nation and the cause of free-dom need all that you have to offer -- yourideas, your learning and your dedication,”Rice told the graduating class of nearly 500students. “Wars are decided as much by thesupremacy of the mind as by the supremacyof the military technology that we often thinkof as winning wars. And, of course, wars arewon by people.”

Vice Adm. Paul G. Gaffney II, NDU pres-ident, presented Rice with an honorary doc-torate in national security affairs. “AsPresident Bush's national security adviser,she stands at his right hand during one of ournation's most stressful periods,” he said.

Rice noted that NDU takes the best andthe brightest from the armed forces, the exec-utive branch and allied nations.

“You have operated here in an open, cre-ative environment where intellectual fermentis supported and diversity of thought isrewarded,” she said. “You have understoodthat shifts in strategic paradigms requireboldness in thought as well as in action.

"When you leave this place, try not to losethat spirit,” she said. “It will not be easy.”

Wolfowitz: Dirty Bomb PlotHighlights WMD Dangers

W A S H I N G T O N - -Deputy Defense SecretaryPaul Wolfowitz said todaythe capture of an al Qaeda ter-rorist highlights the dangersposed by the whole range ofweapons of mass destruction.

Speaking on the CBSEarly Show and NBC TodayShow, Wolfowitz said lawenforcement officials cap-tured Abdullah al Muhajir,also known as Jose Padilla, inthe early stages of plotting toplant a radiological “dirtybomb” in an American city.

A dirty bomb is conven-tional explosives surroundedby radioactive material.When the bomb explodes, itspews that material over awide area in smoke and otherparticulate matter. The

bomb's destructive powerdepends on the amount, typeand size of conventionalexplosives and radioactivematerial used.

Wolfowitz said the admin-istration has said many timesthat the greatest danger fac-ing the United States is“countries that have weaponsof mass destruction whowork with terrorists.” TheState Department lists sevensuch countries: Cuba, Iran,Iraq, Libya, North Korea,Syria and Sudan.

Al Qaeda leader Osamabin Laden has said that theacquisition of weapons ofmass destruction by hisorganization is a religiousduty.

U.S. and coalition troopsin Afghanistan found evi-dence that al Qaeda wasaggressively pursuing chemi-

cal, biological, radiologicaland nuclear information andmaterial.

Defense Secretary DonaldH. Rumsfeld has said manytimes that if terror groups getthese types of material andlaunch an attack, the casualtytoll would dwarf Sept. 11’s.

Wolfowitz said Muhajirstarted out in Brooklyn andChicago as a petty criminal."Somewhere along the wayhe got converted to beingsomething else.”

“And out in Pakistan andAfghanistan he was workingon plots to do the most hor-rendous kinds of things inthis country,” he said.

Wolfowitz said the terror-ist has been classified as an“enemy combatant.”

The military can hold him“until the end of the con-flict,” he said.

By Jim GarramoneAmerican Forces Press Service

Photo by Linda D. Kozryn

Vice Adm. Paul G. Gaffney II, president of theNational Defense University in Washington,presents National Security Adviser CondoleezzaRice with honorary doctorate in national security.

By Linda D. KozarynAmerican Forces Press Service

Photo by Army Sgt. Michelle M. Pessoa

Army Master Sgt. Debra Tart sorts and logs the detainees' mail as Sgt. 1st Class Digna Rosario takesa phone message.

Photo by Army Pfc. Jean-Carl Bertin

Capt. Quinn Henderson, reviewing the status ofthe mail translation process.

POSTAL PRICEINCREASE

NOTICEEffective June 30, 2002, the rate

for a single piece of First ClassMail will increase from $0.34 to$0.37. The single–piece card ratewill increase from $0.21 to $0.23.

Rice Calls on Military Gradsto Energize National Security


Across

3. Physical exercise6. Quadriceps (plural)7. Burly9. Slow running12. Beat of heart per minute14. Hoisting weights15. Front leaning rest16. With oxygen17. Chin lifts

Down

1. A bodily excretion2. “Side straddle hop”4. Robust5. Supple8. Physical training10. “Bench ____.”11. Bring weights to chest13. Lifting weights repeatedly

Work It Out!

Outgoing “Wire” editor getsinaugural Commander’s Coinfor a JTF job well done

Army Commanding Gen. Rick Baccuspresents the first JTF-160 Commander'sCoin of Excellence to Army Spc. JamesStrine, June 7, 2002.

Strine, FORSCOM Journalist of theYear for 2001, designed the coin himselfwhile serving as editor of the weekly JTF-160 field newspaper The Wire from Janu-ary to June.

"It meant a lot to me to receive the firstawarded coin, because it took me a lot oftime to develop it," said Strine.

Strine thanked the JTF-160 staff for thecoin and said he was glad he was able tosee it before he and the rest of the 27thPublic Affairs Detachment left Guan-tanamo Bay to return to the 10th MountainDivision at Fort Drum, New York.


Man on the street

This week’squestion:

What keeps youmotivated?

Army Staff Sgt.Robert Lofton114th MP Co.

Physical training andgood Army chowmotivate me. I’m 21years in, so thisdeployment is adrop in the bucket.

Navy YNSN Chrystal HuffMEPS, Dallas

Loving my job,which is processingclearances. Com-petitive sports andbeating the Armymotivates me.

Army Sgt. RogerRettkowski339th MP Co.

Keeping busy in thismilitary life motivatesme. Reuniting withmy family keeps medriving on.

Army 1st Lt.Cedric Sherard418th Trans. Co.

My soldiers. If I’mnot motivated,they’re not. Now, 17days and a wake-uphas my motivationhigh.

Coast Guard AMT2Jake ProeschCG Air Station

Representing theCoast Guard. Get-ting the job donewhile having a goodtime motivates me.

Compiled by Army Spc. Chris S. Pisano and Army Spc. Joseph A. Morris

Friday, June 148 P.M. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (G)10 P.M. Scorpion King (PG-13)

Saturday, June 158 P.M. The Rookie (G)10 P.M. Van Wilder (PG-13)

Sunday, June 168 P.M. Murder By Numbers (R)

Monday, June 178 P.M. Enough (PG-13)

Tuesday, June 188 P.M. Star Wars Episode II (PG-13)

Wednesday, June 198 P.M. Monster’s Ball (R)

Thursday, June 208 P.M. The Sweetest Thing (R)


Meeting the PressArmy Commanding Gen. Rick Baccus fields reporters’ questions at the JTF-160 weekly press brief-ing. What’s it like being on the other side of the table? “Covering the operations here has its ups anddowns,” said Matt Dolan, a full-time military reporter for The Virginian-Pilot in Virginia Beach, Va.“Phrases like ‘operational security’ can drive us crazy sometimes.” But working for a paper so nearthe huge naval base in Norfolk, Va., gives Dolan some relief when it comes to finding an angle. “Somany of our readers have been stationed here, so there’s a story just in how life at GTMO hasbeen changed by the detainee operation.” The short answer: quite a bit.


The way the people at Morale, Welfare andRecreation see it, if you're not mentally and phys-ically fit you can't do your job.

The job of MWR Athletic Director DonnellDaniel and his 13 staff members at the G. T.Denich gym here, is to give you -- the soldiers,sailors, Marines and coast guardsmen of JointTask Force 160 at Guantanamo Bay -- plenty ofopportunities to get fit for work and stay that way.

“That's our goal," said Daniel. “We are here toimprove the quality of life. Fitness is a way of life;it can change your lifestyle. We try to put togethera variety of programs that are good not only forthe JTF-160 people, but for the Guantanamo Baycommunity at large.”

Daniel says he could not do it without his staff.“The people on staff are great here, and I wouldnot trade them for any in the world. It has beenreally great working here.”

Certainly Daniel has been a lot busier sinceJanuary, with the influx of servicemembers arriv-ing as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

His goal is to continue to meet that increaseddemand with increased supply.

“When the JTF-160 personnel started comingto the base, we became more proactive with theprograms available," he said. "We want them tofeel comfortable here.”

“JTF-160 now has its own MWR representa-tive, so we can work closely together to createmore programs.”

There are three exercise facilities currentlyopen on base: the main G.J. Denich gym in town,the Body Shop gym on Marine Hill and the gymat Camp America.

All these facilities have free-weights, weight-machines and cardiovascular exercise equipment.

Denich gym has yoga, tae-kwon-do and spin-ning classes, a multi-purpose “cardio” room,indoor racquetball and basketball courts, and asauna room. Daniel tries to come up with plentyof incentives -- from mugs to jackets to Bench

Press Club t-shirts -- to use them.“We try to make things competitive,” he said.

“Competition makes the programs more fun.”MWR is also sponsoring a 5K run this Satur-

day, a Fourth of July "Liberty Run” and a com-memorative “9/11 Run” to be held July 20th.

There are also plenty of team sports -- summerleagues in basketball, softball, soccer and bowl-ing -- including the popular “Battle of theBranches” contests between Army and Navy.

But for Daniel, it's not important whetheryou’re Army or Navy, whether you hit the gym,

join a team, or work out on your own -- as long asyou're getting fit somehow.

“The quality of life is what is important,” hesaid. “We want to keep you active. An active per-son is a happy person.”

For those looking to make exercise a biggerpart of their lives, Daniel says he has a great wayto start: the MicroFit machine in the Main Gym.

“The Micro-Fit machine records the fitnesslevel of the individual," he said. “Then, after thetest, we can design a personal workout program.We will teach them flexibility and teach themhow to work out with weights.”

Soon, Daniel plans to increase the MWR staff,add another MicroFit machine, andbring more classes and organized pro-grams out to remote Camp America sothat people don’t have to ride the busesto find MWR -- he’ll bring MWR tothem.

For now, though, Daniel invites allservicemembers to come to the MainGym and set up an appointment for thefitness test -- free of charge.

“We do about 40-50 fitness tests aweek,” he said. “The process is rela-tively quick and painless -- one minuteof push-up and sit-ups, five minutesriding a bike. There is a heart monitorwe hook up on you while you do theexercises.”

“The results come in and the MWRwill set up a fitness program,” he said.

“It's as simple as that.”

Too easy: MWR staff wants you fit

Photo by Spc. Jose Martinez

Donnell Daniel, Athletic Director at MWR.

By Army Spc. Jose A. MartinezThe Wire


Daniel with the man he calls “the third hardest-workingman in the world,” MWR staffer Paul MacDonald.

Summer leagues start soon. Sign up nowthrough your chain of command to play soft-ball, soccer, basketball or bowling (feeinvolved). Leagues start at the end of themonth. Schedules run on different days so youcan sign up for more than one league. If any-one is interested in a volleyball league pass itup to JTF-160 J5 through your chain of com-mand. For more info call CPT Gormly, X5249

Today, Friday, June 14thWater aerobics, 6-7 p.m., Marine Hill poolXtreme bowling, 7-12 p.m., Bowling Center

All day social, Liberty Center, CBQ


Saturday, June 15thArmy vs. Navy 5K run, 6:30 a.m. Denich Gym

GTMO flea market, community center, MarinaPoint

104th Philippine Independence Day celebra-tion 7 pm, Windjammer ClubFree Movie, downtown or Camp BuckeleyLyceum, 8 p.m.

Northeast Gate Bus Tour, Marine Hill 7:30a.m.

Sunday, June 16thXtreme bowling, 1 to 6 p.m.

Bingo, Windjammer, 6 p.m.

Sign-up for swimming lessons x2193

Fathers Day Paintball, 1 to 6 p.m.Free Movie, downtown or Camp BuckeleyLyceum 8 p.m.

Monday, June 17thWater aerobics, 6-7 p.m., Marine Hill poolTae kwon do, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Marine Hill gym

Free Movie, 7 p.m. CBQ

Free Movie, downtown or Camp BuckeleyLyceum 8 p.m.

Tuesday, June 18thBingo, Windjammer, 6 p.m.



Wednesday, June 19thWater aerobics, 6-7 p.m., Marine Hill pool

Dart tournament, 7p.m., Liberty Center, CBQTae kwon do, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Marine Hill gym


Thursday, June 20thFinal sports league rosters are due to J5 bynoon.




Before the first detainee arrived, beforeCamp X-Ray was even a camp, before theyeven knew exactly what their part in Opera-tion Enduring Freedom would be, the soldiersof the 401st Military Police Company -- motto“Always First” -- were here. And now they'regoing home.

“When we got here January 6, we didn'tknow what to expect,” said 2nd Lt. Roscoe E.Woods. “There was nothing here for us. X-Ray wasn’t finished being built yet. It cer-tainly wasn’t a typical deployment in terms ofwhat we’ve been trained for. But the soldiersand NCOs adjusted well, and did what neededto be done."

For the first few weeks, that meant a life inGuantanamo Bay that, while better perhapsthan normal field conditions, was one that fewarrivals here since have known: twelve-hourshifts, dirt floors, no running water.

The rest of Guantanamo Bay was rightdown the road -- the movie theater, the NEX,the McDonald’s. But if the troops weren’tworking, they were sleeping. And if they were

awake, and had thetime, the company’sround-the-clockshifts often freedsoldiers long afterthe shops of GTMOhad closed theirdoors.

And then therewas the matter ofthe mission. Nor-mally, the skills ofthe 401st center onlaw enforcement ina war zone: battle-field circulationcontrol, checkpointsand encampmentsecurity.

But at Camp X-Ray, and later atCamp Delta, therewas no war. Therewere only the leftovers of one -- the detaineesthat began arriving only days after the 401stdid -- and suddenly this unit of militarypolicemen found itself having to retrain on theground and learn the business of corrections.

“The Marines gave us some additional cor-rections training,” said Staff Sgt. Corey J. Cor-win, a squad leader in the company. “We’d

had some previoustraining for maintain-ing security in a pris-oner of war campduring wartime, butthat wasn’t too applica-ble either. It was a verydifferent challenge.”

But the company’scommander, Capt. LuisR. Hernandez, said thatthrough it all -- gettingcalled up on a Fridayand going “wheels up”on a Sunday, startingoff with little in the wayof preparation and lessin the way of accom-modations, and landingin the middle of a mis-sion they hadn’t reallybeen previously trainedto do -- his soldierscame through.

“It was pretty roughfor a while. It was hardto adjust,” he said. “ButI never heard a com-plaint out of them.They’ve been great.”

Tuesday, the sol-diers of the 401st cele-brated a mission welldone with a barbecue atWindmill Beach. With1st Sgt. Ronnie E.

Phillips on grill and filling bellies with ham-burgers paid for by MWR -- whose variedsports program Phillips credited with keepinghis soldiers healthy and sane for six months --everyone had a chance to sit amid the sun andsand and look back on their time here.

“People say this job is easy, that any soldieror sailor could do it,” said Corwin. “And interms of what the actual day-to-day tasks are,the corrections work, maybe that’s true. But innormal corrections-type work there isn't alarge international political influence, and allthe pressures that come with it.”

“In addition to that, there’s the nature ofwho the detainees are, why they’re here,” hesaid. “You have to be so careful because of allthe personal feelings that are involved in this.

“You’ve got to remain professional at alltimes, and keeping up that professionalismevery day for six months is tough,” he said.“But we all did it. I'm proud.”

It was also time for the 401st to look for-ward -- to going home.

“They call GTMO ‘the least worst place,’”said Hernandez. “Fort Hood, where we’refrom -- we call that ‘the great place to be.’We’re looking forward to rediscovering thedifference.”

“How do we feel? We're all very -- how canI say it? -- happy to get home and see ourwives,” said Corwin.

Spc. Mark Schaffer, a driver with the com-pany, was due to get out of the military May20; the mission here -- and the Army stop-losspolicy that came with it -- prevented that.

His hair at regulation-stretching length inhis final days, Shaffer said he was lookingforward to getting on with a planned career incorrections in the civilian world. But, he said,he didn't mind the extra month if it meantbeing a part of this mission.

“After all,” he said, “it ought to help me onmy resume.”

Changing of the guards: 401st leaves

By Army Spc. Frank N. PellegriniThe Wire


Capt. Luis R. Hernandez and 1st Sgt. Ronnie E. Phillips man the grill.


From left to right: Pvt. Brandon T. Schaefer, Pvt. Sara M. Felix, and Pvt. Gary D.Fish, detainee guards with the 401st, reminisce at the company’s farewell barbecue.

First MP company onground heads home


Chaplains’ Corner

Policy Reminders

Some circumstances in your life - such asfinancial problems, marital difficulties or seri-ous illness - might leave you feeling trapped.But no matter how hopeless your situationmight seem, God can and will lead you out ofit if you trust Him. Here are some principles tokeep in mind when you feel trapped:

"Realize that God means for you to bewhere you are."

"Be more concerned for God's glory thanfor your relief."

"Acknowledge your enemy, but keep youreyes on the Lord"

"Pray!"

"Stay calm and confident, and give Godtime to work."

"When unsure, take the next logical step byfaith."

"Envision God's enveloping presence."

"Trust God to deliver in His own uniqueway."

"View your current crisis as a faith builderfor the future."

"Don't forget to praise Him."

Submitted by Navy Lt. Sharon Bush,CHC, USNR

JTF-160 CommandCommander:Brig. Gen. Rick Baccus

Deputy Commander:Navy Capt. Robert A. Buehn

Joint Information Bureau Director:

Cmdr. David Points

Public Affairs Officer:Lt. Col. Joseph A. Hoey

Online at:www.nsgtmo.navy.mil/JTF-160/index.htm

The Wire StaffPublishers:Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel PolinskiArmy Sgt. Michelle M. PessoaEditor:Army Spc.Frank N. [email protected]

Staff writers and design team:

Army Spc. Chris S. Pisano

Army Spc. Michelle M. ScsepkoArmy Spc. Joseph A. MorrisArmy Spc. Jose A. MartinezArmy Pfc. Jean-Carl Bertin

Contact us:5239 (Local) 5241 (Local fax)Joint Information Bureau / Pink Palace

The Wire is produced by the 361st Public Affairs Detach-ment (PCH) assigned to the Joint Information Bureau atJTF-160. Some content is collected from the World WideWeb and edited to fit. This publication is printed under theprovisions provided in Army Regulation 360-1 and doesnot reflect the views of the Department of Defense or thepersonnel within.


The Army had its revenge inthe final “Battle of the Branches”match-up, a pair of basketballgames June 8 at the Main Gym.

After last week's defeats to theNavy on the football field, theArmy was determined to win thebattle on the hardwood.

Game one featured the femalesin a well-played defensive firsthalf where the Navy held the lead10 to 6. Both teams came outstrong in the second half and bat-tled back and forth down thecourt. With tightly matchedoffensive and defensive play, theArmy went up by two points withunder a minute left in the game.

With only seconds left on theclock, Navy desperately tried tocome back and sink a shot, but theArmy's defense held on for a 25-23 victory.

“It was a tough defensivegame. It came down to the wire,but the Army came out on top,”said Sgt 1st Class Franklin M.Blache, coach of the Army'sfemale team.

“I am glad that we won. Myshots were not falling in the bas-ket, so I had to come inside andscore some points,” said Maj.Sharon D. Green, from JTF 160,who led the Army's team to vic-tory scoring 17 points.

In the second game the males

came out determined to put morepoints on the board. In a closefirst half, the Army held just atwo-point lead when the buzzersounded.

But the team came out andplayed, as Blache had predicted athalftime, “Army basketball -- Iguarantee the second half will noteven be close.”

And after halftime, the Armyturned up the heat and outplayedthe Navy. With solid play in thesecond half, Army came out vic-torious winning 51 to 39.

“It felt good to beat the Navyon their home court," said ArmySpc. Wascar Vizcaino, of the mil-itary police brigade who scored 9points in the victory.

“There are always strong bat-tles between the Army andNavy,” said Bishop. "The Armyoutplayed us tonight, but nexttime we'll give them a bettergame."

“It was a good game," saidStaff Sgt. Harry G. Darden, theArmy's loudest fan in the crowd.“We played basic basketball start-ing out slow and then turning it upin the second half. We were ableto win, just like we knew wewould.”

With the softball gameplanned for June 15 recently can-celed, Saturday’s game was thelast matchup of this “Battle of theBranches” season.

“This was the revenge game,”said Blanche. “And now we’llhave the last word.”

Redemption: Army sinks Navy on hardwoodBy Army Spc. Joseph A.Morris and Army Spc. JoseA. MartinezThe Wire


Spc. Wascar Vizcaino of the Army squad goes strong to the hoop in the first half.


Army comes out victorious in the season’s final “Battle of the Branches” matchup.Photo by Army Spc. Joseph A. Morris

Navy HM3 Kizzy H. Duncan tries to make her way around the Army's defense.

The use of government vehicles and gov-ernment contract vehicles during off-dutyhours will be limited to establishments provid-ing goods and services to the servicemember.

If a government vehicle or government con-tract vehicle is used to transport personnel toestablishments that serve alcohol, the driver isconsidered on duty as described in Policy Let-ter #1; Alcohol Consumption.

At no time will any JTF-160 personneloperate a vehicle while under the influence ofalcohol.

(From Policy Letter #20; JTF-160 VehicleUse Regulations.)

Remember: If you drink, don’t drive. Youwill fined, subject to UCMJ, lose your privi-leges, and your state DMV will be notified.

Visiting hours for JTF-160 personnel inBEQ, BOQ and CBQ housing, including GoldHill Towers, are as follows:

Sunday-Thursday and holidays before aduty day, 1100-2200 hours; Friday, Saturdayand the day before a legal holiday, 1000-2400hours.

As a common courtesy, permission shouldbe obtained from roommates for all visiting,particularly for group guests. Sponsors mustaccompany guests at all times.

Unescorted guests are not permitted inquarters.

(From Policy Letter #11; JTF-160 VisitingHours in Quarters.)

-- from the JTF-160 Provost Marshal's Office

Happy Birthday,U.S. Army

As we celebrate the anniversaryof the birth of the United StatesArmy, we can all reflect on why weare here. For 227 years it has beenthe citizen soldier who has beencalled upon to defend our way of life.

Our freedoms are being ques-tioned again. We have left the com-forts of home once again to show theworld that we are willing to defendwhat we have.

As I walk among our servicemembers and talk with them, I find arenewed sense of determination totake care of business and show theworld not to mess with us. Ouryoung men and women in uniformtoday are the best that America canproduce, and I am proud of the pro-fessionalism I find among you.

Each and every person at GTMOis making a contribution to the suc-cess of this mission.. Do not takewhat you do for granted, because Isurely do not.

We follow in the steps of our fore-fathers and continue to say "Don'tTread on Us."


JTF-160 CSM R.W. Funaro

Trust God to lead you out of tough circumstances

Although the detainees of theU.S. war on terrorism are notconsidered prisoners of war, theyare provided here at Camp Deltawith some of the privilegesafforded POWs. One of those isto send and receive mail.

Upon arrival here, they aregiven the option to fill out a shortpostcard confirming where theyare and that they are safe.

Provided with pencils andother writing accessories, thedetainees are allowed to sendfour postcards and two letterseach month.

And Army Master Sgt. DebraTart, of the 160th Military PoliceBattalion S1 shop, might becalled their postmaster. Tart is thenoncommissioned officer incharge of the detainees’ mailoperation, and every piece of detainee mail has to gothrough her.

"My primary mission here isto handle all aspects of detaineemail operations. I must trackeach piece of incoming and

outgoing mail individually,” she said.

“I must be able to say wherein the process that mail is uponrequest," she added

But before the outgoing mailreaches Tart's shop, they have tobe screened by S2, which has themission to prevent the dissemi -nation of information that couldbe detrimental to camp function,force protection, or ongoingintelligence operations, said Spc.John B. Kane, who works for the160th MP BN S2 counter intelli-gence section.

"We read every single piece ofmail that comes in or goes out ofthis camp. We're looking forindicators: location of the camp,obviously; guard shifts, threatsto U.S. personnel or anythingelse. If there's anything of intelli-gence value, we make sure wetake care of that," he added.

Most correspondence has tobe translated first. Some of the most common languages thatdetainees use in their letters are Arabic, Farsi (Persian), Pashtu

Published in the interest of personnel assigned to JTF-160 and COMNAV Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.


With Army Pfc. Eric J. Brown

Q: Who is the man behind the wheel of theshuttle bus at GTMO?

A: Pfc. Eric J. Brown, A.K.A. ‘The SecretUndercover Lover.’

Q: What kind of clearance is that, andwhere did you get it?

A: You've got to be born with it.

Q: Ever have your 15 minutes of fame?A: In my own my mind. But seriously, not

until I’m rich.

Q: Where are you from?A: I'm stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, but

I'm originally from New York City.

Q: How long have you been here?A: I've been here since February.

Q: And how's GTMO been treating you?A: Not so bad, at first I did a lot of party-

ing, but that got old. Now, just relax and playball.

Q: Basketball?A: Yeah, I love ball. I always wanted to

play in the NBA.

Q: Driving the bus, you must meet a lot ofdifferent people?

A: That's one of the bonuses to my job. I'vemet a lot of different people, people from dif-ferent branches and backgrounds.

Q: Notice any differences between the per-sonalities of the members of the services?

A: All I'll say is some branches, which Iwon’t name, never walk. They'll take the busto go down the block.

Q: Anything out of the ordinary ever takeplace on the bus?

A: Besides the occasional person throwingup, it always amazes me how lost people canbe here. They walk around looking so con-

fused. I don't get how that's possible.

Q: So, when you're not being entertainedor disgusted by your passengers, what do youdo to get you through the day?

A: I like to listen to music, mainly R&Band rap. Too bad the radio rarely plays any.

Q: What do you do when you want torelax?

A: I like going to the beach. It's reallypeaceful there.

Q: Well, you must have come up withsome interesting theories and philosophies,with all the time you've had to think. Care toshare any?

A: I think that people should pray for whatthey need and work for what they want. I thinkit's important to have faith in God.

Q: What have you been praying and work-ing for lately.

A: I've been praying for the United Statesand its troops that everything will be all right,and I've been working to make money.

Q: Trying to save any?A: Yeah, and I've been doing pretty well.

Getting a lot use out of my meal card.

Q: So what are you looking forward toupon leaving GTMO?

A: Travel! I miss being mobile. There areonly so many places to go here.

Q: Guess you would know. Thank you foryour time. Is there any thing you'd like to saybefore we wrap up?

A: I'd like to say to everyone here thatthere is a special thing on this island and if younever met me you wouldn't know about it.


“There is a special thing on this island and if you never met me you wouldn’t know about it.”

Army has its hoopsrevenge

Page 15

Cardboardboats hit thehigh seas

Page 8

First MPsto showget to go

Page 3

Letters from thedetainee camp

Friday, June 14, 2002Volume 1, Issue 1

Workin’ on a building, a Camp America building


Next week’s 15 minutes of fame could be you!

Compiled by Army Spc. Michelle M. ScsepkoThe WIre

Need a lift? Hop on board the “Love Bus”

By Army Pfc. Jean-Carl BertinThe WIre

See MAIL, page 5

A look inside...

Navy Seabees, the hammer-wielding sailors responsiblefor the construction of Camp X-Ray, throw up a new“hooch” in the ever-growing living area at Camp America.

Volume 1, Issue 1 Letters from the detainee...

Documents

Transcript of Volume 1, Issue 1 Letters from the detainee...