Page 15 - Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior, Nov. 2, 2018

www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin
Midterm Election:
High Desert Warrior 15 November 2, 2018
Voting
Steps for soldiers, spouses to vote this year
Tuesday, Nov. 26-Dec. 14 is an important date—Midterm Elections—and many military members and spouses have ques- tions about how to register to vote and where to get out and vote.
There are a number of resources available to you. Every instal- lation or unit is required to appoint a voting assistance officer (VAO). This person is responsible for providing information and for helping service members and their families get any materials they need to file an absentee ballot in state and federal elections. More information on Fort Irwin’s services are below.
Another source is the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), which was established to try to make the voting process as easy as possible for service members. The program’s Web site, www.fvap.gov, explains residency requirements, vot- ing instructions, and deadlines for each state, whether you are voting within the U.S. or from another country. You can call the national number for the FVAP at 703-588-1584.
Each state has different requirements for establishing resi- dency. Thirty days is the maximum length of time that a state can require you to live there before you can register to vote in
that state. Some states have no time requirement.
To “establish residency” means that you take steps that indicate your intent to live in the state. If you’ve paid local taxes, registered a car, received a driver’s license, or voted in a state, you’ve probably proved that you’ve been physically present in that state and that you intend to return.
Secretary of State Election Results and registration informa- tion:
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/ general-election-november-6-2018/
Ballot information: https://ballotpedia.org/California_elections,_2018 Installation Voting Assistance Office
Bldg 106, RM 114 Fort Irwin, CA 92310 (0800-1630) Phone: (760) 380-3498 DSN: 470-3498
Alt. Phone: 760-380-3093
Fax: 760-380-5589
E-mail:E-mail Click Here
Alt. E-mail Click Here
• The Installation Voting Assistance Office serves as a Voter
Registration Agency under the National Voter Registration Act and provides the following services:
• Provides information on voter registration and the absentee ballot procedures
• Provides material on the voting process, requesting absentee ballot and mailing the completed forms
• Assists all Uniformed Service Members and their eligible Family members
• Registration assistance to Civilians who have access to the Voting Assistance Office
• Assists Unit Voting Assistance Officers
BSEP Instructor helps soldiers reach
for the Stars by Janell J. Lewis Ford
It’s a step that could take you to the next level in your military career and in Fort Irwin, there’s only one way to get there....and that’s through a man described as someone who is “rough” and takes “no mess.”
Mr. Allen Norton has been teaching the Basic Skills Education Program (BSEP) for the last seven years on post and he’s earned quite a reputation.
“He’s tough and a lot of people say they don’t like him at first,” said CSM David Sweeney, “but in the end, you’ll be thankful for him.”
He may initially be greeted with the grunts and harsh remarks but this Barstow Community College professor’s success rate speaks for itself—at least 95% of students in each of his courses raise their GT score by 20 points or higher.
“I know that’s what I’m known as around the base to begin with because I’m requiring some- thing far greater than most instructors would require,” Norton said.
Many soldiers remember the BSEP program by its previous name—FAST (Functional Aca- demic Skills Training), which could help soldiers advance their career. After this course, students can re-take the General Technical (GT) test and hope to score at least a 110. Norton has had students with GT scores as low as 60 and as high as 109 take his course to try to improve.
Norton is excited about the career opportunities for the soldiers, that come along with a higher score.
“It’s more exciting to me to see what doors open for them because some have come in and said with this score, I got three contacts within the first week. I’ve had people go to the White House, go all over to whatever they want to do.”
Sgt. Roderick Fields is a former student of Norton’s who raised his GT score significantly after taking the BSEP course. Sgt. Fields said students should be prepared for one of the toughest challenges of their career and come ready to work.
“He actually makes you work for your grade,” Sgt. Fields said. “He makes it (the class) so hard that when you actually take the test it’s easy.”
Allen Norton has been teaching the Basic Skills Education Program (BSEP) class for the last seven years and believes in individual attention and homework on the weekends. Nearly all of his students have raised their GT score by 20 points or higher.
Each month, Norton’s group of students is diverse, with different ethnicities, ages, jobs and skill levels. He has everyone from first grade to high school graduate skill level in one class and he’s even had soldiers from different branches, like the Marines, request to take his course because it was recommended as a top site.
What does he say his trick is to raising scores by more than 20 points?
“Individual attention is key. You really have to find out where a soldier is at mentally; what are they going through, what’s in their unit that’s affecting them, what’s in their family that’s affecting them because everybody is at a different grade level when they start this class.”
Norton simply wants to make a difference and help soldiers break through their perceived limits.
“If you don’t try to improve who you are, you’re gonna be the same person 20 years from now. I would like to see people want to improve who they are, rather than just exist, and that’s my passion.” The BSEP course lasts three weeks and current session on Fort Irwin wraps up on November 16th. The schedule is on the Fort Irwin Education Center’s Facebook site and here is a list of the
course dates available through the end of the year: • Nov. 26-Dec. 14
For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil