Page 3 - Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior, Nov. 3 2017

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High Desert Warrior 3 November 3, 2017
Local
A relay for Old Glory, A Team for Life
Fort Irwin’s Team Red, White & Blue builds fitness and family in the High Desert.
By Codi Kozacek
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — By midmorning on Sept. 30, traffic was already thick along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Sgt. 1st Class Ric Chavez stood on the sidewalk and peered through a haze of sea mist to where the road disappeared in a horizon of rolling, rocky coastline. He was looking for a flag – Old Glory, to be precise – which he and his teammates from the Fort Irwin chapter of Team Red, White & Blue would carry more than 30 miles to Oceanside as part of the national Old Glory Relay.
The relay is Team RWB’s most celebrated event, a massive undertaking involving more than 70 teams that collectively walk, run and bike the flag over a 4,600-mile, cross-country journey that begins in Seattle on Sept. 11 and finishes in Tampa, Fla. on Veterans Day. It represents the essence of the national organization’s mission: bringing together Soldiers, their family members, and their communities to enrich the lives of veterans. A year ago, the fledgling Fort Irwin team was in no position to take part in the annual relay. But this year, with membership growing to more than 200, participation was never a question.
“We really made a drive for four hours to get down here,” said Chavez. “That’s how dedicated this team is.”
The devotion of the team’s members, both to the organization and to each other, is the key ingre- dient fueling its meteoric growth at Fort Irwin. Its appeal was on full display at the Old Glory Relay as teammates piled out of vans, their conversation light and familiar while they stretched and waited for the flag to arrive. They were mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors. The night before they had camped near the beach, hanging out around the barbecue. At its core, the team has created a true community, something that isn’t always easy to find, said Staff Sgt. Marcus Walker, who joined nine months ago with his wife, Sgt. Marvy Walker.
“In most senses, people think just because you live together, you have a community,” he said. “If you don’t interact with your neighbors, with people you would never talk to in any other case, then you don’t really have a community, you just have a neighborhood.”
It took many hours, and many hands, to build Fort Irwin’s “Eagle” community, as Team RWB members are known. But the team can trace its roots to Chavez. Stationed at Fort Irwin in 2014, Chavez felt that he was missing a sense of connection, and he self-identified depression. At the urg- ing of a mentor, he joined the Inland Empire chapter of Team RWB. They, in turn, encouraged him to start a local chapter at Fort Irwin, and he began posting invitations on social media to run at the Blue Track. It didn’t start out so well.
“The first two or three times, nobody showed up. I was just out there all sad and lonely by myself,” Chavez said. “And then one time my run was over, and some lady came running up to me saying ‘Hey! I was going to run with you.’ She became one of the leaders, then she brought somebody else and they became a leader, and they brought somebody else and they became a leader.”
News of the team spread, and so did the popularity of their telltale red Eagle t-shirts. While they started out running, members soon expanded the group’s activities to biking, swimming, hiking, and community service. They now organize trash pick-ups and visit the veteran’s home in Barstow, and participate in national Team RWB events like the Old Glory Relay and Waves of Valor, a program that teaches veterans to surf. Families meet up for coffee and ice cream socials, and some members
Codi Kozacek
On the south side of Laguna Beach, runners hand off the flag to the second group of team members from Fort Irwin’s Team Red, White & Blue chapter during the national Old Glory Relay. Fort Irwin’s leg of the relay included runners, walkers and cyclists, who carried the flag more than 30 miles from Laguna Beach to Oceanside.
have even started a triathlon training program. In fact, there is usually at least one team activity every day of the week, said Maggie Chavez, who serves as the Fort Irwin chapter captain. And when team members travel to other military posts or visit cities across the country, they are often welcomed by local Eagles who are happy to go for a jog, grab a bite to eat, or lend a helping hand.
“It’s a family,” Maggie said.
Her husband, Ric, agreed.
“Our lives and schedules have adjusted so we can hang out with our friends more,” he said. “This
has nothing to do about rank, or position, or where you work, or who your boss is. It’s really just making that connection with somebody and networking with people.”
Joining a team like RWB was never something he saw himself doing, Ric Chavez said, but it has given him a sense of accountability and camaraderie. Anyone is welcome to come check out Fort Irwin’s Team RWB events, posted on their Facebook page, and stop by to talk with mem- bers, he added. Or, those interested in joining can learn more about the team on the national organization’s website, teamrwb.org.
“You don’t have to join RWB, you can come say hi and leave,” he said. “But the point is you made an effort to come say hi to somebody, and that somebody might be your next battle buddy, that might be your networking guy, that might be your next best friend.”
Fort Irwin prepares for earthquakes with Great California ShakeOut Drill
By Codi Kozacek
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — As part of the Great California ShakeOut drill, emergency services personnel at Fort Irwin reminded the community to practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in the event of a major earthquake. The drill took place on Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m. and involved millions of participants around the world.
Fort Irwin has never experienced a major earthquake, but it is nonetheless important for the community to be prepared, said David Pitts, emergency management specialist at Fort Irwin’s Directorate of Emergency Services.
“Never say never, and prepare for the worst,” he said. “We’re still in California.”
The Great California ShakeOut is an annual event coordinated by the Earthquake Coun- try Alliance, a statewide public-partnership that aims to improve earthquake preparedness, mitigation and resiliency. This year, more than 55 million people participated worldwide to learn how to protect themselves when an earthquake strikes, whether they are at home, at work, or traveling.
The drill emphasized the “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” method to survive. By dropping onto their hands and knees, individuals reduce the risk of falling or being knocked down and allow themselves the opportunity to crawl to shelter. The second step is to cover your head and neck
with one arm and hand, and crawl underneath a form of cover, such as a sturdy table or desk. If there is no cover available, the method recommends crawling next to an interior wall away from windows, staying on your knees, and bending over to protect vital organs. Finally, the third step instructs individuals to hold onto their shelter in case it moves, or, if there is no shelter, to hold onto their head and neck with both arms and hands.
Preparing your home and your family before an earthquake hits is equally important, according to the ECA. The organization recommends moving bookcases and other heavy furniture away from beds and seating areas, and securing heavy objects that could fall and injure people during an earthquake. It also recommends identifying safe spaces and creating an emergency plan to make sure all members of the household know what to do and how to communicate when an earthquake strikes. Finally, it suggests organizing disaster supply kits and creating a “grab-and- go” bag with copies of important documents if an evacuation is necessary.
Earthquakes can cause extensive structural damage and injuries, as well as interrupt services like electricity and water. Fort Irwin’s emergency services have a plan to both respond to and recover from an earthquake, and last year held the first earthquake response and recovery exercise for U.S. Army Installation Management Command.
More information about earthquake preparation and survival techniques can be found at the Great California ShakeOut website https://www.shakeout.org/california/.
For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil