Friday, Dec.21, 2007Vol. 64 No. 49

Leary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishesLeary family sends holiday wishes

NAVSTA skipper sends holiday wishes

Read the CO's Holiday Message, Page 2

Friday, Dec. 21, 20072

Commanding Officer.....................................................................................Capt. Mark M. LearyExecutive Officer..........................................................................................Cmdr. Sylvester MooreCommand Master Chief...............................................................CMDCM(SW/AW) Keith CarlsonPublic Affairs Officer......................................................................................................Bruce LloydMass Communication Specialist/LPO...........................................................MC1 Robert lambMass Communication Specialist/Editor.................................................MC2 Kimberly Williams

The Guantanamo Bay Gazette is an authorized publication for members ofthe military services and their families stationed at U.S. Naval StationGuantanamo Bay. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official viewsof the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Navy,and do not imply endorsement thereof. The editorial content is prepared,edited and provided by the Public Affairs Office of U.S. Naval StationGuantanamo Bay. Questions or comments can be directed to the PAO. TheGazette staff can be reached by phone at ext. 4502; fax 4819; by email atpao@usnbgtmo.navy.mil. Get the Gazette online at www.cnic.navy.mil/guantanamo

GGGGGazeazeazeazeazetttttteteteteteGuantanamo Bay

Vol. 64 No. 49

Adm. William James Crowe Jr.

President of the United States George W. Bush

From theCaptain:

2007holidaymessageThis is the third Christmas

for our family in GuantanamoBay. As many of you know,every Christmas, the childrenof W. T. Sampson schoolshave made the Christmas or-naments for our tree.

Thanks to the loving guid-ance of our wonderful artteachers, Heather Schwartzand Sonja Lee Pollino, our treehas always been unique andlovely.

Though the past twoChristmas trees were truly adelight, this year’s tree is ab-solutely extraordinary!

Our family brought homea huge, fresh, 16-foot tall tree,and with the help of our son,Tom, stood it up, straight andproud, in the foyer of our his-toric home.

It rises grandly up throughthe stairwell and can be gazedupon from many different per-spectives.

Pollino’s students chose apatriotic theme this year. They

made fabulous red, white, andblue pinwheels, and stars ofmany shapes and sizes.

My wife Paula added gar-land of Old Glory ribbon andthe whole thing came togethersplendidly.

The tree is topped with agrand pinwheel and stream-ers and everything sparklesand shines.

It is a delight to behold andit means the world to us thatour talented teachers and stu-dents have filled our Christ-mas season this year, and ev-ery year we have been here,with this glorious gift of joy.

We will always rememberChristmas in GuantanamoBay because of the thought-fulness and enthusiasm of somany wonderful students atW.T. Sampson School.

Happy Holidays and mayyour New Year be bright andfull of wonder!

Captain and Mrs. MarkLeary and family.

On January 8, 2008 theCustomer Service desk lo-cated at the entrance of theMain NEX will be removed.

All services that wereprovided at this desk includ-ing recycling refunds, re-turns, refunds, atrium res-ervations, and school lunchtickets will provided at thecustomer service center lo-cated in the back of thes tore near the spor t inggoods department.

Refunds and returns cannow also be conducted atany register.

We request that all jew-elry and Watch returns take

place at the jewelry counter.We also request that all

electronics department re-turns be taken to that de-partment.

Check cashing is avail-able in the customer servicedepartment and express lineregister number one.

In addition, we no longerrequi re tha t cus tomerscheck their bags at thefront counter.

The area that the counterwas will now highlight storesales events and promo-tions.

FMI contact 74497

GTMO NEX customer notice:Store to remove front customer service desk

First practice at theBayview

Monday, Jan. 7 at 6:30p.m.

This is the last call foranyone interested in

participating.FMI call Marlene at 75605

or Terrill at 3664

GTMO CotillionGTMO CotillionGTMO CotillionGTMO CotillionGTMO Cotillion

NAVY BALL 2008 PRESENTSChristmas Bake Sale and

Fun with Santaat the Miniature golf and skate rink

Dec. 23, 6-8 p.m.

$1 for 2 minutes of golf per person-Create teams up to 5 and throw dodge balls at

Santa!FMI call 4721 or 78519

Friday, Dec. 21, 2007 3

CatholicDaily Catholic Mass Mon. - Fri.5:30 p.m. (Main Chapel)Vigil Mass, Sat. 5 p.m. (MainChapel)Sun. Mass, 7:30 a.m. (JTF-TroopersChapel)Sun. 9 a.m. Mass (Main Chapel)Protestant (GTMO Chapel)Sat. 11 a.m. Seventh Day AdventistService (Room B)Sun. 7 p.m. Filipino ChristianFellowship (Room A)8 a.m. Pentecostal Gospel Temple(Room D)9 a.m. LDS Service (Room A)10 a.m. Liturgical Service (Room B)11 a.m. General Prot. Service11 a.m. United JamaicanFellowship (Bldg 1036)1 p.m. Gospel Service7 p.m. Iglesia Ni Cristo (FellowshipHall)Friday Religious Services1:15 p.m. Islamic Service (Room C)7 p.m. Jewish Service (FMI call2628)

Religious Services/JTF Troopers Chapel

Catholic ServicesWed. 11 a.m. Spanish Mass (New)Sat. 6:30 p.m. Vigil Mass (PPIChapel)Sun. 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass (New)Protestant (GTMO Chapel)Sat. 11 a.m. Seventh Day AdventistService (Room B)Sun. 5:30 Filipino ChristianFellowship (Room A)8 a.m. Pentecostal Gospel Temple(Room D)9 a.m. LDS Service (Room A)10 a.m. Liturgical Service (Room B011 a.m. General Prot. Service11 a.m. United Jamaican Fellowship(Bldg 1036)1 p.m. Gospel service8 p.m. Iglesia Ni Cristo (Room B)

Religious Services/Base Chapel

A NAVADMIN re-leased Dec. 13, pro-vides guidance for ad-ministering Navy-wide advancementexams to Sailors whoare deploying, de-ployed to or return-ing from operations inIraq, Afghanistan orthe Horn of Africa.

“These changesare made as we learnhow to best supportour Sailors fightingthe Global War onTerrorism,” said Vice

Adm. John C.Harvey, Chief of Na-val Personnel.

NAVADMIN 336/07 supersedes a pre-vious messageNAVADMIN 139/07which also affectedSailors’ ability to takeadvancement examswhile in these regions.

Some of the guid-ance listed in the newmessage includes:

All Chief and Lim-ited Duty Officer can-didates who are eli-

gible, meet the re-quirements of thenew message, andhave the command-ing officer’s approvalare waived from theadvancement exami-nation. NAVADMIN139/07 did not in-clude candidates go-ing up for board fortheir first time.

Sailors who arewithin 60 days of apending deploymentto these regions mayrequest an early ex-

Advancement exams waived for select GWOT SailorsBy MCSN Ken Ingram

Navy announces ratingmergers decisionsBy MC2 Trevor Andersen, Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs

amination if eligible.An early exam for E-4 to E-6 may be re-quested and adminis-tered if the deploy-ment date falls withina three-calendarmonth window priorto the month of examadministration.

“Sailors taking theexam up to E-6 arerecommended to takethe exam before theyare deployed to theseareas,” said JimHawthorne, head of

exam administrationdivision at Naval Edu-cation and Training,Professional Devel-opment and Technol-ogy Center. “Youwon’t be able to takeit during training, andyou may not get totake it while you areon deployment.”

The NAVADMINalso provides detailedinstructions for E-4 toE-6 candidates in the-ater who are unableto participate in an

advancement exam.It should be read in itsentirety due to thespecifics.

“The flexibility pro-vided in theNAVADMIN is in noway intended to dis-advantage any Sailor.Every effort shall bemade to provide Sail-ors the best opportu-nity to perform wellon their exam,” ac-cording to Harvey.

The Navy announced inNAVADMIN 319/07 on Nov. 30that the merger of eight engineeringratings into three has been post-poned until 2010 when the proposalwill be reevaluated. Two other rat-ing mergers have been disapproved.

The larger merger of eight rat-ings included combining the hullmaintenance technician, damagecontrolman and machinery repair-man ratings into one rating, theelectrician’s mate and gas turbinesystem technician-electrical ratingsinto a second and the machinist’smate, engineman and gas turbinesystem technician-mechanical rat-ing into a third.

”I believe an engineering ratingmerger makes sense, but when wedo it, we’ll do it right. It’s not aneasy process; there are training anddistribution issues that need to becarefully planned, so that when wedo execute, we can be certain we’ve

set our Sailors up for success,” saidVice Adm. John Harvey, Chief ofNaval Personnel (CNP).

The proposal to merge interiorcommunications electrician (IC)with electronics technician (ET)was disapproved.

”The bottom line is ICs and ETsare just too unique to merge. Theyhave unique skills, and the equip-ment they operate and repair requiresindividualized training. Things areworking well now and it makessense to keep them that way,” Harveysaid.

The operations specialist (OS)and quartermaster (QM) mergerwas also disapproved.

”In-depth analysis determinedthat while OS and QM rating sharesome common skill sets, we foundas Sailors become more senior, eachrating focuses on different opera-tional and warfare priorities. Addi-tionally, during the course of the rat-

ing merger study, senior enlisted lead-ers revealed a strong belief that thequartermaster, as one of the oldestratings in the Navy, is deeply rootedin the culture of our nautical heri-tage. These factors, combined withthe fundamental role of positionalaccuracy in safe navigation, led tothe decision to maintain the unique-ness of these two ratings,” said FleetMaster Chief Manpower, Person-nel, Training, Education Office ofthe CNP, Mike McCalip.

With the release of theNAVADMIN, the CNP made it clearthat the Navy considers rating merg-ers seriously.

”This is not a process that wetake lightly; every proposal is care-fully analyzed. Where it makessense, rating mergers will occur.Where it does not make sense, we’renot afraid to pull back or cancel thoseproposals,” said Harvey.

4 Friday, Dec. 21, 2007

Photo by MC1 Robert Lamb

The GREAT debate: officer or enlisted?Story by MC2 Kim Williams,

NAVSTA Public Affairs

It’s a debate thathas touchedmany Sailors at

one time or another.While there are perks

to going officer, manyenlisted members donot understand the pro-cess of joining thehigher ranks.

Officers enjoy betterpay and more responsi-bility, but this duty is notfor everyone.

By contrast, the en-listed community alsoenjoys a sense of pride,distinction and a wealthof knowledge thatmany officers who havenot been a part of thatcommunity would notunderstand.

With so many oppor-tunities in both commu-nities, which is the rightplace for you?

While joining the Navyas an enlisted Sailor is assimple as having good mo-rale character, being medi-cally fit and passing theArmed Services VocationalBattery (ASVAB), thereare several communitieswithin the enlisted ranksthat require a screeningprocess similar to that ofany officer program.Navy Sea, Air and LandForces

The Navy’s Sea, Air,Land (SEAL) forces arethe elite Special Operationsforces of the US Navy.The SEAL teams are oneof the most respectedcommando forces in the

world -they are often citedas the most elite, flexibleand highly trained Com-mando force. If you wantto become a SEAL, theU.S. Navy Special War-fare Community has achallenge for you. TheSEAL program consists ofmore than 12 months ofinitial training — followedby an additional 18 monthsof pre-deployment training— and intensive special-ized training designed topush you to your physicaland mental limits — againand again. By law, only menare allowed to join theSEAL program.

Applicants must meetspecific eyesight require-ments, ASVAB score, be28 years old or younger,be a U.S. citizen, pass a div-ing physical and completea physical screening test.Applicants must also passa Basic UnderwaterDemolition/SEALS (BUD/S) physical fitness screen-ing test in Boot Camp andin the Delayed Entry Pro-gram (DEP) in order toqualify for a SEAL con-tract.Navy Linguists

The enlisted side of thehouse has openings for afew good Sailors who havespecial language skills.Cryptologic TechnicianInterpretive (CTI) are Sail-ors that have learned a for-eign language to a high de-gree of proficiency.

The Defense ForeignLanguage Program is open

to anyone in the Navy whowishes to establish theirproficiency in this area.Sailors can contact theireducational services of-ficer and make arrange-ments to take the test forfree. There are differentdegrees of foreign profi-ciency, from basic to ad-vanced.

Immediate opportuni-ties exist for Sailors inranks E-2 through E-5who are native or near na-tive speakers of the follow-ing languages: French, Ara-bic, Persian-Farsi, Chinese(Mandarin), Korean, Viet-namese, Serbian, Croatian,and Russian. Sailorsshould contact a careercounselor for more infor-mation.Navy Nuclear Program

The Navy’s NuclearField program offers ex-ceptional technical trainingin nuclear energy andnuclear propulsion to thosewho qualify.

The training, some ofthe broadest and mostcomprehensive availableanywhere, prepares peopleto become experiencedprofessionals in a high-techfield.

All candidates for rat-ings in the nuclear fieldprogram must meet testscore criteria [no waivers]and other criteria set forthin NAVMILPERSCOMINST1306.11. All candidatesmust be high schoolgraduates [GED not ac-ceptable], and have com-

pleted at least one year ofalgebra with a minimumgrade of ‘C’. Transcriptsor certified a copy must befiled in service record whenenlisted.Officer Programs

There are several dif-ferent pipelines a Sailor canchoose to apply for theseprograms and if he is a ‘fit’as deemed by the decisionmaking board for the pro-gram in question.Seaman to Admiral-21

The Seaman to Admi-ral-21 (STA-21) programstreamlines the applicationprocess by consolidatingeight of 14 commissioningpaths by using a single ap-plication.

There is one applicationdeadline and one selectionboard.

Under STA-21, Sailorsremain in an active-dutystatus while participating;they draw full pay, allow-ances, and benefits, andreceive an educationvoucher valued at up to$10,000 per year for tu-ition, fees, and book costs.

Participants in the pro-gram attend Naval Re-serve Officers TrainingCorps affiliated colleges oruniversities after gainingadmission.

Several officer pro-grams have age require-ments, so pay close atten-tion to OPNAVINST1420.1A for details.

The STA-21 program isnot for Sailors who alreadypossess a baccalaureate

degree, but instead theseSailors have a few otheroptions to join the officercommunity.Officer Candidate School

Officer CandidateSchool (OCS), LimitedDuty Officer (LDO) andChief Warrant Officer(CWO) commissioningprograms select Sailorswith bachelor degrees oreight years or more expe-rience in the Navy.

The OCS option annu-ally selects Sailors with aBachelor of Arts or Sci-ence degree from an ac-credited college/university.Deadlines for submissionvary depending on the des-ignator in which the Sailoris applying for.

Applicants must alsotake portions of the Avia-tion Selection Test Battery(ASTB) based on their in-dividual program’s require-ments.

The ASTB is primarilyan aptitude test that as-sesses math skills and ap-titude, the ability to extractmeaning from written ma-terial, familiarity with me-chanical concepts andsimple machines, and theability to perform mentalrotations to determine theorientation of aircraft in 3-dimensional space.

There is no minimumscore required to apply toofficer programs requiringthe ASTB, according tochapter four ofOPNAVINST 1420.1A .See FLEET, page 5

5Friday, Dec. 21, 2007

For those Sailors who want to forego tak-ing a test that have proven on the job and Navyexperience of eight years or more, the LimitedDuty Officer (LDO) or Chief Warrant Officer(CWO) programs may be for them.

LDO/CWOThe LDO and CWO communities, affec-

tionately known as ‘The Mustang’ community,is one of the Navy’s officer commissioningprograms offered to enlisted Sailors. While thisprogram is the only officer commissioning pro-gram that does not require its applicants to pos-ses a college degree, it requires career experi-ence – which many consider invaluable practi-cal knowledge.

Enlisted candidates who are first class pettyofficers, with at least one-year time in rate, or

chief to master chief petty officers can apply tothe LDO program upon fulfilling minimum pro-gram eligibility requirements. All applicants arerequired to have completed eight years of active-duty service before applying to the program.

CWO applicants must be a chief petty officer(E-7 through E-9), including E-6 personnel, whennotification has been received by the command-ing officer that the applicant is a selectee forchief petty officer and must have completedat least 12, but not more than 24 years ofactive naval service.

According to OPNAVINST 1420.1A, TheLDO program is comprised of technically ori-ented officers who perform duties limited tospecific occupational fields. These officers comefrom almost every enlisted rating with a few

exceptions. CWOs are technical specialists whoperform duties requiring extensive knowledgeand skills of a specific occupational field at alevel beyond what is normally expected of amaster chief petty officer.

Selectees must remain flexible, worldwideassignable and ready for anything. Applicantsdo not have to apply for the same designator[field] in which you are currently rated.

The best way to determine which routewhether officer or enlisted is right for you isresearch. OPNAVINST 1420.1A is the guide-line for all officer programs and Navy careercounselors, recruiters and mentors can also as-sist. Explore these avenues today and determineyour future in the Navy.

FLEET,from page 4

OmbudsmanCorner

Steve Doherty (RetiredSteve)

NAVSTA OmbudsmanPh: 77239 or 84882

gtmoombudsman@aol.com

Jennifer AmaioUS Naval Hospital

OmbudsmanPager 72090 #493

Jennifer.Amaio@med.navy.mil

Machele FriendNavy Expeditionary

Guard BattalionOmbudsman

State-side Liaisonladysgotshuz@cox.net

Cuban AmericanFriendship Day

event will take place

Jan. 25, 2008

Tickets are on sale at the NEXAtrium every Sat. & Sun.

10 a.m.-2 p.m.

FMI Call Bev at 75490 or 74119

are needed for youth basketball ages 4-14There will be a coach's meeting Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m.

FMI contact Lori at 2113 or lori.wills@usnbgtmo.navy.mil

COACHES & ASSISTANTS

Have you been naughty or nice? — Forty one children tookthe time to write letters to Santa Claus and drop them off at the NavyExchange. On Dec. 15, Santa returned the favor and handed out 30 gifts tochildren who showed up to see if their letters were drawn out of his sack.The presents were a gift from Naval Station Port Services Department toSanta Claus. BM2 Rachel Saspe collected donations from her departmentand with some help from the NEX, gave back to her community via SantaClaus. Port Services wishes everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.

Friday, Dec. 21, 20076

I’m dreaming of a ‘green’ GTMOStory, photos by MC1 Bob Lamb,

NAVSTA Public Affairs

See, TREES, page 7

After digging, watering and labeling the spots where the trees were plantedeveryone involved posed for a group picture with the Naval StationCommanding Officer Capt. Mark Leary. The Cub Scouts version of the WorldConservation Award can be earned by Wolf, Bear, or WEBLOS Scouts. This isconsidered a ‘temporary patch’ and should be displayed centered on the rightpocket. It can be sewn on or displayed in a plastic patch holder hung from thepocket button.

Two scouts carefully write their names on theirparticular plant. Each year the scouts do a treeplanting project. Last year they planted papaya trees.

Normally during this time ofyear trees are being cut down inorder to celebrate Christmas, butnot in Guantanamo Bay (GTMO).

Besides lacking the traditionalSpruce, Afghan Pine or Douglasfir trees—at least without a trip tothe NEX—GTMO residents areextremely sensitive and passion-ate about the environment.

Reflecting that, on Dec. 15Naval Station Environmental De-partment spearheaded a projectcalled ‘GTMO ReLeaf’.

“With the help of a number offorces here on base, a section ofsidewalk leading from the NavyLodge area to the downtown Ly-ceum and Base Library has treesplanted alongside it,” said MeghanByrne of the NAVSTA GTMOEnvironmental Department. “JTFengineering and NAVSTA publicworks helped in the planning pro-cess and NAVSTA Public WorksDepartment (PWD) donated thetrees.

“The GTMO Cub Scoutsplanted the trees and will maintainthem in the future, and the GTMOFire Department will be wateringthe trees for their first few

months”, she added.Living trees are a precious com-

modity; they contribute oxygen tothe air we breathe, shade in the

summer and provide shelter andnesting places for birds as well asabsorbing carbon dioxide.

The trees are a native speciescalled Yellow Poinciana.

“There’s a similar species herethat many people may have seencalled the Red Flamboyant tree.However, the type planted has yel-low flowers and keeps its foliageyear round. It is an ideal shade treeused in urban areas,” said Byrne.

Yellow Poinciana is an upright,semi-evergreen tree that has arounded canopy and is capable ofreaching 50 feet in height with a35 to 50-foot crown. From Maythrough September, the entiretree’s canopy is smothered with ayellow blanket of flowers.

The two individuals instrumen-tal in making this project happenwere Army Lt. Col. Manuel

Medina, JTF Engineer, who cameup with the idea and Amelia Smith,who runs the PWD Nursery.

“He [Medina] noticed familiesstanding in the hot sun at CooperField watching their kids playsports. He suggested the idea toplant trees and I took it and ranwith it. Amelia Smith has beenwonderful and helped us pick outthe ideal tree for the location. Shenot only donated her time but herexpertise,” said Byrne.

Naval Station CommandingOfficer Capt. Mark Leary, thoughtthe idea was fantastic.

“This project showed a genu-ine commitment from the Guan-tanamo community to protect andenhance the environment forfuture generations,” Leary said.

Friday, Dec. 21, 2007 7

TREES,from page 6

In MemoriamVivian Jackson

(Boisey)

Ratcliff Construction, Inc.is deeply saddened by the

passing of employeeVivian Jackson (Boisey).

Persons interested in giving adonation or attending his

funeral may contact Nicole at74181 or 79184.

There will be a memorialservice for Vivian Jackson

(Boisey) Dec. 20, 6 p.m. at theBase Chapel.

All residents areinvited to attend.

FMI call David at 74181or 77580.

The Fire Department carefully waters the saplings just moments afterthey were planted. The Fire Department will continue to water thetrees every few days for the first few weeks.

“Anyone who has spent the summermonths in GTMO knows shade is a veryvaluable commodity in this corner of theCaribbean. The project has already been asuccess. We aren’t trying to reforest thewhole base, but given that we live in a fairlyarid desert ecosystem of Cuba, we’re justhoping to replant some native species inareas used often, creating shade and mak-ing the place more aesthetically pleasing,along with helping with erosion control,”Leary added.

During the ceremony the fire departmentwas on hand to lend their support and theirhoses

.“We were asked to be there for the wa-tering portion of the ceremony. We’re go-ing to water the trees every few days forthe first few weeks,” said Carl W. Davis,assistant fire chief.

This collaboration by many GTMO of-ficials and numerous current residents isintended to make this Naval facility as cleanand as environmentally friendly as possible.

Most people live here for only a fewyears and realize that what happens duringtheir rotation is a reflection on them.

How residents leave this community is adirect reflection on how much they appre-ciate the environment and the future of thisbase.

“I had a chance with the assistance ofPublic Works and the GTMO Boy Scouts/WEBLOS/Cub Scouts to plant a tree andhopefully see it grow, at least a few inchesin my remaining time here.

I hope that I will be able to pass my treeon to the future commanding officer andthat the Boy Scouts will be able to pass theirtrees on to future generations of GTMOscouts,” Capt. Leary said.

The Cub Scouts have been particularlyinvolved in maintenance of the trees plantedby the older Boy Scouts, according toCmdr. Eileen D’Andrea, Naval Station Pub-lic Works Department resident officer incharge of construction.

“Each year the [Boy] Scouts do a treeplanting project. Last year we planted pa-paya trees. Our plan is to continue work-ing with the environmental department infuture tree planting projects. Thanks to theirhelp and initiative, it made the activity much

more fun.”The Cub Scouts will use this activity to

help them earn their World ConservationAward. This award provides an opportu-nity for individual Cub Scouts to ‘think glo-bally’ and ‘act locally’ to preserve and im-prove our environment.

This program is designed to make youthaware that all nations are closely relatedthrough natural resources and that we areinterdependent with our world environment.

“This was a great way of providing theGTMO community with yet another wayof working together for a common goal,”Byrne said.

“Planting is the easy part. We need toinsure that the commitment is there for thelong term to nurture these seedlings intoactual trees.”

“I believe if we can demonstrate thatcommitment to our public areas, the desireto do more for our GTMO environment willalso grow. I know that Family Housingresidents already practice leaving their yardsa better place than they found them and Iam reminded of this regularly during Yardof the Quarters presentations. But it is timeto move beyond housing to bring that samecare to our common, high traffic areaswhere this effort can benefit the larger

Guantanamo community”, said Capt. Leary.

Friday, Dec. 21, 20078

School lunch programs maybe common in most U.S.schools, but in GuantanamoBay (GTMO) the DoDEA W.T.Sampson Elementary/HighSchool doesn’t have one.

Students mainly go to theGold Hill Galley, the Windjam-mer or stopped by one of thefast food restaurants to grabsomething for lunch beforetheir next class starts. Butsince the beginning of thisschool year, things havechanged a little.

Tucked behind the art classat the high school is a smallkitchen area where ‘mini’meals can be made, sur-rounded by an eating area justlarge enough for about 20 stu-dents to relax and enjoy theirfood while catching up onsome schoolwork. The idea,approved by Principal KathyEinhorn, was that of Kelly Gar-land, Sampson’s Registrar. Hevolunteered to forego his lunchhour five days a week in orderto organize a small lunch menuso students wouldn’t have toleave the school grounds.

“This has been approved bymedical and is a non-profitventure. All the money goesback into the school,” saidGarland. "The lunch menu hasgrown since the beginning ofthe school year. Some days,more than 40 people come infor lunch."

“It started out with only afew people coming in, now wehave a lot of kids coming in,said Hali Hearn. “We evenhave deliveries. If a teachersends a request, then we candeliver to the teacher’s room.Students can pick up their

Food for thought

meals and take them to theschool courtyard to eat. Wehave trash receptacles and thestudents keep the groundsaround school very clean. Weare actually very good at clean-ing up around here,” she added.

Some of the seniors startedhelping Garland in the begin-ning and then other studentsexpressed an interest in help-ing their fellow students.

“At this point I just super-vise; some kids come and staya few minutes, while othersvolunteer their time every day,”said Garland.

According to regular volun-teer Joshua Blood, many stu-dents enjoy helping out.

“Everyone has a job, someserve, some cook and somejust clean-up. We get prettybusy. We do pizza, sloppy joes,grilled cheese, what everseems to work. It works outgreat for the kids. They cangrab something to eat and haveplenty of time to prepare forthe next class. It gives them alittle extra time to do home-work or whatever they needto do.”

After supplies and food arepurchased, the rest of themoney goes to the student gov-ernment, senior and juniorclass and other groups withinthe school.

On Dec. 13, barbecuechicken and macaroni andcheese were chosen as the spe-cial meal in order to donate tothe ‘Odyssey of the Mind,’ aninternational educational pro-gram in which W.T. Sampsonparticipates every year. Teach-ers, students, the Naval Sta-tion Human Resources Office

and the base chapel personnelall came by to support the stu-dents and the ‘Odyssey of theMind.’

The Odyssey program pro-vides creative problem-solvingopportunities for students fromkindergarten through college.Kids apply their creativity toproblems which might be re-solved by building mechanicaldevices or presenting theirown interpretation of literaryclassics. They then bring theirsolutions to competitions on

the local, state, and world level.Thousands of teams fromthroughout the U.S. and fromabout 25 other countries par-ticipate in the program. “Wewill participate in a competi-tion in Baltimore this year andthe profits will really help outwith lodging and food”, saidArt Teacher Sonja-Lee Pollino.

On just this one day, the stu-dents raised $310, which willall go to the ‘Odyssey of theMind’ program.

Story, photos by MC1 Bob Lamb,

NAVSTA Public Affairs

Josh Blood (forward) and Hali Hearn (back) serveup barbecue chicken and macaroni & cheese duringa special meal designed to raise money for theOdyssey of the Mind student program Dec. 13.

Christmas package slips will be available for pick upat the NAVSTA admin official mail room for personnel

with mail box numbers 1, 25, and 35 only

Dec. 24, 9:30 a.m. - noon.

The NAVSTA admin official mail room is located inBulkeley Hall (bldg 2144)/room 218.

The post office will be open from 9 a.m. - noon topick up packages.

You will need your package slips in order to get yourpackages from the post office.

NAVSTA ChristmasNAVSTA ChristmasNAVSTA ChristmasNAVSTA ChristmasNAVSTA ChristmasPackage PickupPackage PickupPackage PickupPackage PickupPackage Pickup

Friday, Dec. 21, 2007 9

Creature Feature: Creature Feature: Creature Feature: Creature Feature: Creature Feature: Yellowfin TunaYellowfin TunaYellowfin TunaYellowfin TunaYellowfin TunaStory, photo provided by José B. Montalvo, Natural Resources Manager, Environmental Department

GTMO unclaimed vehicle listingPer NAVSTAGTMO 11200.1, the security department can only hold vehicles for 120 days. The cars listed below are

approaching or past this deadline. Unclaimed vehicles will be turned over to Bremcor per NAVBASEGTMO 4500.3F.Only the registered owner or his agent may claim a vehicle. These are not for sale. For more information, contactChief Craig Thomas at 4325, Monday — Friday, 7:30 a.m. — 4 p.m. or email thomascs@usnbgtmo.navy.mil.

The yellowfin tuna (Thunnusalbacores) is a large fishassociated with open waters.It is a highly migratoryspecies and is foundworldwide in tropical andsubtropical waters.

Yellowfin tend to schoolwith same size fish and oftenschool with other species oftuna.

Larger adult yellowfin in theeastern Pacific often schoolwith various species of themarine mammal dolphin andthis association in the past hasresulted in the incidental by-catch (and death) of hundredsof thousands of dolphin bycommercial fishing interests.

You may recall thecontroversy of the early to mid80’s that resulted in consumerboycotts of tuna and theeventual implementation ofregulatory requirements on thecommercial fishing industry

for ‘dolphin friendly’ tuna.Yellowfins are also usually

associated with some sort ofshade and are frequently foundunder trash lines, weed lines,or other floating objects whichprovide shade and foraginghabitat for bait fish.

Yellowfins have metallicgreenish to black or blue backswith white bellies and sides.

There is a gold band runningdown the length of the fish andthe fins are yellow, hence theircommon name.

Their bodies are spindleshaped tapering from themiddle to the front and rear.They have two dorsal fins andthe second dorsal fin, alongwith the anal fin, are very largein adults. No other tuna have

these extended dorsal and analfins.

Yellowfins are predators atthe upper end of the foodchain. They are fast andefficient predators able toreach sustained speeds ofover 2 feet per second withbursts of speed up toapproximately 67 feet persecond. They eat fishprimarily but will also prey onsquid, octopus, shrimp,lobster, crab, othercrustaceans, and many otherfood items including smalleryellowfin tuna.

These fish are visualpredators and generally feed atthe surface during the dayalthough they are known tooccasionally feed at night.

They do fall prey to largerpredatory species includingsharks, other fish, and marinemammals.

Friday Dec. 21, 200710

MWRHappenings

DoDoDoDoDowntowntowntowntowntown Lwn Lwn Lwn Lwn LyyyyyceumceumceumceumceumFriday, Dec. 21Alvin & The Chipmunks7 p.m., PG, 88 min.American Gangster9 p.m., R, 157 min.

Saturday, Dec. 22Martian Child7 p.m., PG, 108 min.The Golden Compass9 p.m., PG-13, 100 min.

Sunday, Dec. 23Michael Clayton7 p.m., R, 120 min.

Monday, Dec. 24American Gangster7 p.m., R, 157 min.

Tuesday, Dec. 25Gone Baby Gone7 p.m., R, 114 min.

Wednesday, Dec. 26Alvin & The Chipmunks7 p.m., PG, 88 min.

Thursday, Dec. 27The Golden Compass7 p.m., PG-13, 110 min.

American Gangster

Alvin &The Chipmunks

Comedy, kids. 88 min.

Cast: Jason LeeThree chipmunk brothers, Alvin, Simon,and Theodore are adopted by a mannamed Dave

Comedy, Drama, thriller, crime/gangster andbiopic. 157 min

Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell CroweBased on the life of drug-kingpin-turned-informant, Frank Lucas, who became aheroin kingpin by traveling to Asia’s GoldenTriangle to make connections, shippingheroin back to the US in the coffins of sol-diers killed in Vietnam.

REDNECK CHRISTMAS PARTY

Dec. 25

2 p.m. at Denich Gym

Free food, prizes and the very firstever

REDNECK OLYMPICS

FMI Call 2010/84780

LIBERTY DECEMBER EVENTS

Dec 21 Free Paintball 1900 at thePaintball Range

Dec 22 Liberty Pier Party 1300Water Taxi from the Marina

Dec 26 Liberty at the Lanes 1800 atthe Bowling Center

Dec 27 Last Buck Party 1900 AllLiberty Centers

Dec 29 Wakeboarding/Skiing 1 p.m.at the Marina

Dec. 30 Day Fishing 8 a.m. at theMarina

FMI Call 2010

YOUTH BASKETBALL 2008

Sign up by Jan 11

Clinic will be held Jan 12

Sign up sheets available at the BaseGym

FMI Contact Karissa Sandstrom atsandstromka@usnbgtmo.navymil or

karissa241974@yahoo.com

wk:77262, cel:84008 or Lori at 2113

A NIGHT IN PARIS FASHIONS H O W

Jan. 12

7 - 9 p.m.

at the Youth Center

Adults $10 - Children $5

FMI Call 74658

11Friday, Dec. 21, 2007

GTMO ShopperGTMO ShopperGTMO ShopperGTMO ShopperGTMO ShopperFor Sale

Lost/Found

(2) Ice machine for sale. 300lbsCornelius. Fits under the counter, $300.FMI call 77580/74181.(2)Gazelle large BCD w/16 lbs of weight;complete shorewood regulator setconsole w/compass; titanium dive knifew/leg sheath; dive light; 80 CFM tanksmares 100 pneumatic spear gun; menslarge dive suit; split fins w/mask andcarry case; BCD hanger and plasticholding case; misc. other items. Preferto sell as set, $1,200. FMI call 5021.(2) 55 gallon saltwater tank with filtrationsystem and stand, $400; scuba tank63cu, $70; Minnkota Endura 30 electrictrolling motor, $90; Gazelle exercisemachine, $100; baby bouncer, $25;baby swing set, $50. All items arenegotiable. FMI call 3661/77788.(1) EDGE Model 426 MagneticRecumbent Bike, LIKE NEW, withinstruction booklet, $100. FMI call75816.(1) GE Washer & Dryer for sale, verygood condition $ 150.00 for both. FMI77123.(1) SLR film Canon EOS Rebel K2with lens, $200. FMI 8153/77689.(1) Nice hammock for sale. $200, obo.FMI call 2198 or 75823.(1)Washer/Dryer,$100; microwave,$35. FMI 77116.(1) Professional DJ System for sale. Toinclude (2) DN-S5000 Scratch CDPlayers, (1) Behringer DJX700 5-Channel Pro DJ Mixer with DigitalEffects, Portable Carrying Case,Headphones and Stand. $2,200 OBO.FMI call 84262.(1) Recliners $20, Seats $10, Love seat$40, Outdoor chairs $2, Barbecue grill$15, Cassette / CD players $25, Pressurecooker $15, Vacuum cleaner $20,Blender $10, Large plants $15, Smallplants $5, Electronic organizer $5 ,Magazines Maxim and P. B. $1.50 each,DVD $5 each, Dishes, Glasses, Plates,Kitchen Utensils, and more. FMI call78456 or 3292.(1) Dining room table-wooden butcherblock w/five chairs $100, set of lady’sgolf clubs almost new $100, blender$15, Bissell vacuum cleaner $40, outdoorglass top table w/five chairs and twoumbrellas $100, glass top computertable $30, microwave $25, wrought irontorchere floor lamp $40, rattan sidetables and console $100, New Fat Tirebike $50 All items OBO FMI 77398 or3632.(1) Heavy Duty washer & dryer $300;men’s 18 speed mountain bike w/helmet$75; Tae Kwon Do uniforms, men’s

size M, $15-20 ea; FMI 9794/77806.(1) 8ft. surfbaord no leash $100.00.Body board $10.00. call 2345/79448.

(2) Desk clerk for Navy Lodge, Flexiblehours. FMI call 3103.

(2) 1995 Volkswagen Jetta, automatictransmission. Runs well, needs minorwork, new tires. $2000 OBO. FMI72156, please leave message.(2) 2001 Ford Taurus. V6, automatic,cold AC, runs very well, very goodcondition. $8,000 OBO FMI 77082.(2) 1995 Volkswagon Jetta, automatictransmission. Runs well, needs minorwork, new tires. $2,000 OBO. FMI 72156.(2) 2001 Ford Taurus, V6, automatic,cold AC, runs well, $8,000 OBO. FMIcall 77082.(2) 1989 Chevy Celebrity, very reliable,$800 OBO. FMI call 75546/77262.(2) 14ft fiberglass boat w/2005 Mercuryoutboard engine. Great bay boat forinshore fishing and diving. $3,400 OBO.FMI call 3661/77788.(2) Fiberglass center console boatcustom built for fishing, fully-loaded,turnkey w/2006 Yamaha 40 hpOB. $7,000OBO. FMI call 84040.(2) Yamaha Wave Runner III Jet Skiwith Shorelander Trailer. Runs greatand in very good condition. $3,000.

All Hands Call, December 22, 10:30 -11:45, Windjammer Ballroom for all Navy

personnel and DON governmentemployees on board the Naval Station.

For military personnel with a NavalStation UIC, your attendance

is mandatory.Family Town Hall meeting, December 22,

2:30 - 3 p.m., Bulkeley Hall auditorium.This meeting is open to military and U.S.

civiliansbase-wide families.

NOTE: For military members: Uniform ofthe Day is required for both events.

Chief of NavalOperations to visit

GTMO!

FMI call 3661 or 77788.(2)2004 Toyota Camry, fully loaded,leather, sunroof, CD, etc. Excellentcondition, 47K miles, comes withtransferrable bumper to bumper 100Kmile warranty. $15K OBO. FMI call78063.(2) 1998 Ford Windstar van. Very goodcondition. FMI call 79561/2254.(2) LT 1998 4WD, 4-door, powereverything, green exterior, grey interior,$4,200; clubcar with trailer, $500. FMIcall 77580/74181.(1) Buick 1994 automatic, 117,000 miles,power windows and locks$2,800 OBO. FMI call 78476 or 78465.(1) 1993 Isuzu Amigo, new AC, CDplayer, clutch, brakes, battery and paint.Will offer discounted price in return forkeeping the vehicle until the end of thismonth. $4,000. FMI call 78456 or 3292(1) 1997 GMC Sierra P/U, 101K Miles, V-6, 5-Speed, AC, PS, PB, AM / FM / CD,Great Shape, $4,000 O.B.O. Call 77351.(1) 12 ft vhull boat. 40hp. Runs good.$1500.00 call Jaron 2345/79448

(2) Looking for a fancy cake decorator.FMI call 74909.(1) Piano teacher wanted. Flexible hoursrequired: student work schedule variesbetween days and nights. Call 78234for Jerrod or emailionescorhino@yahoo.com.

(1)Lost: White pick up, Ford F250(Plate number c-0184, 2003 model) Lastseen at Windjammer parking lot Nov.21, 2007. Reward of $200 will be givento anyone who could tell itswhereabouts. FMI, call 2404 and askfor Paul Reed.

Dec. 22, 7 - 10 a.m., 18B, Nob Hill.Dec. 23, 8 a.m.-10 a.m., Caravella Point20A.Dec. 23, 8 - 9:30 a.m., Caribbean Circle31B (girl's clothing infant to 2T only).Dec. 30, 10 a.m., Granadillo Point 3A.

Vehicles/Boats

Employment

Wanted

Yard Sales

Lost

FamilyTown Hall

MeetingGTMOGTMOGTMOGTMOGTMO

servicemembersservicemembersservicemembersservicemembersservicemembersand theirand theirand theirand theirand their

spouses arespouses arespouses arespouses arespouses arestrstrstrstrstrongongongongonglylylylyly

encouraged toencouraged toencouraged toencouraged toencouraged toattend thisattend thisattend thisattend thisattend this

event!event!event!event!event!

This meetingThis meetingThis meetingThis meetingThis meetingis open tois open tois open tois open tois open to

military andmilitary andmilitary andmilitary andmilitary andUUUUU.S.S.S.S.S. civilians. civilians. civilians. civilians. civilians

base-widebase-widebase-widebase-widebase-widefffffamiliesamiliesamiliesamiliesamilies. F. F. F. F. Fororororor

militarymilitarymilitarymilitarymilitarymembers:members:members:members:members:

Uniform of theUniform of theUniform of theUniform of theUniform of theday isday isday isday isday is

required.required.required.required.required.

The Gazette willnot be published

Dec. 28 andthere will be a'Year in Review

Issue Jan. 4

Editor's note:

Jolly Saint Nick — Santa Claus was probably one of thebiggest hits at Winter wonderland Skating & Craft Fair whenhe arrived with a huge bag of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Themoney raised will be going to the Navy Ball Committee..

Crafty ideas — Martie Nunez’s(right) table at the craft fair wassurrounded by potential buyers of heramazing photographic artwork. Shealong with many other creativeartists sold their handcrafted orunique gifts ideas to residents for theupcoming holiday season.Photographs, seashells, calendarsand many other special gifts onlyfound in Guantanamo Bay weresnatched up just in time to deliverback to loved ones back home

Roller Derby Queen — DallasPalmer enjoyed her time skatingaround the in-line skating rink asholiday music played in thebackground Dec.14. GTMO residentstook in many events that Morale,Welfare and Recreation had to offer,such as the Go-cart track, Putt-PuttGolf and plenty of food and drinks.

Photos by MC1 Robert Lamb

Winter wonderland Happenings