Volume 15, Number 9  Published in the interest of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin community • www.irwin.army.mil                                            September 6, 2019

Back to School:
More resources, new technology
for Silver Valley School District

                                                                                                                                                                        Casey Slusser

                                                                                                                                       Fire Chief Ray Smith

                                                                                                                                       Fort Irwin Fire Chief retires
                                                                                                                                       after 30 years of service

                                                                                                                                         By Casey Slusser, Contributor

                                                                                                                                          FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Fort Irwin Fire Department Chief, Ray
                                                                                                                                       Smith, retired Aug. 30, with more than three decades of public service.
                                                                                                                                       Smith, who has been at the helm of the Fort Irwin Fire Department for
                                                                                                                                       the past ten years, upon relinquishing his post, has plans to travel the
                                                                                                                                       country in his motorhome this fall.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            See RETIRES, Page 6

                    By Janell J. Lewis Ford                                     Courtesy of the Silver Valley Unified School District  Fort Irwin community mourns,
                                                        and helping in any way they could.                                             following the El Paso shooting rampage
                     Garrison Public Affairs
   FORT IRWIN, Calif. — More than 2,100 students           There are several, new items parents and students can                                                         By Janell J. Lewis Ford
returned to classroom halls on Aug. 13, welcomed by     also look forward to this year, including a new, Facebook
250 teachers, faculty, administrators and staff of the  page under “Silver Valley Unified School District.” Up-                                                           Garrison Public Affairs
Silver Valley Unified School District.                  dates posted to the page include the Fort Irwin Middle                            FORT IRWIN, Calif. — As news came in of the El Paso, Texas shooting
   “The first day of school was awesome,” said school   School Cross Country schedule, picture day schedule                            spree that killed 22 and injured 24 people, the Fort Irwin community started
superintendent, Jesse Najera.                           for all schools, drop-off and pick-up procedures, high                         reaching out to family and friends they knew in that area. Many residents at
   He said District Office personnel were at all seven  school football games, volleyball schedules and student                        the National Training Center have passed through El Paso as a duty station
sites on the first day, welcoming parents and students  and staff awards, among others events.                                         at Fort Bliss. The shooting was at a Walmart that was only 10 minutes from
                                                                                                                                       that post, so the tragedy hit home for many at NTC.
                                                                                                          See BACK, Page 6
                                                                                                                                                                                                             See SHOOTING, Page 9

Fort Irwin community to observe 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

                     By Garrison Public Affairs                     The NationalTraining Center/Fort Irwin contains one of three                                        Garrison Public Affairs
   FORT IRWIN, Calif. — On Sept. 11, the Commanding              existing ladder trucks from Ground Zero, New York City Ladder
General, the 9/11 Memorial Foundation, the Directorate of        Truck 152, which will be on display at the Fort Irwin’s September
Emergency Services and the Religious Services Office will host   11th Ceremony. Here is the schedule of events:
a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. Attendees are invited to reflect
on the loss of 343 firefighters and emergency personnel, 60 law     10-10:20 a.m. — Participants gather at Army Field parking lot
enforcement officers, 125 Pentagon staff, 2,753 civilians and       10:28-10:45 a.m. — Participant “Walk of Remembrance” to
more than 7,000 U.S. Military personnel who died on and after    the Post Chapel (two blocks)
September 11, 2001.                                                 10:45-11:45 a.m. — Remembrance Ceremony at Post Chapel

                                                                                                                  See OBSERVE , Page 11