Students get up close with sea turtles — page 6 Roi Chili Cook-Off a hit — pages 4-5 (R.J. Sieja plays in the water slide at the Roi Chili Cook-Off) (Photo by Kerry Young) Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 The Kwajalein Hourglass www.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/Hourglass/hourglass.html Letters to the Editor The following letter is a response they could respond, it exposes the com- Reader questions from Maj. David Coffey, Chief, pany to further liability. It is not too late to Host Nation office. fix this problem before someone pays the C-badge work I do not disagree with Helmer at all. consequence. The unfortunate reality is Helmer is a great employee and I regret that many people die from a heart attack any inconvenience to him because of before ever reaching the hospital. Think hours the new access changes. Unfortunately about it, lives and liability or is it fuel that Yokwe- I hope this letter will shed a USAKA has to follow the same regula- we are really worried about? little light on the matter of C-badge work tions as the rest of the Army and USAKA hours in Friday HG Sept 24, ‘04 Issue. needs to address the epidemic of alcohol — Claire Wittschiebe What I am about to say might offend abuse that is now occurring. I have a let- Range Support some people, and I apologize for that. ter of termination on my desk that I must I’m 99.9 percent agreed with most of deliver to a long-time RMI employee. By The following letter is a response what Maj. Coffey clarifies on the new all accounts he has performed admirably from Les Jones, USAKA/RTS access procedure program, except the on the job, but his after-work activities deputy commander. rule of “1 & 3 hours before & after during have resulted in a one-year bar and his COL Beverly Stipe, USAKA/RTS work days.” office cannot wait that long for him to commander, directed KRS to imple- If you recall the meeting all the come back. I have delivered too many of ment a policy in which on-duty fire- Marshallese employees had with Col. these letters recently and I am concerned fighters leave their mobile fire-fighting Wrenn over at MonLaMike and one of about the economic impact to USAKA apparatus and ambulance at the fire the major concerns was trespasses and the social and economic impact to station when going to the dining facility. issue. Not all the reasons were due to the families on Ebeye. Alcohol abuse As a result, a schedule was designed alcoholic problems. One example is the has steadily increased since the one- that ensures the highest possible levels people who do the odds job like running hour pad was increased to three hours of service are maintained within that the power plant; construction; FOM in 2001 and we are hoping that reverting mandate. people who do all the clean up and need to the one-hour pad and the other poli- The plan actually results in minimizing to freshen up after work and these do cies we are implementing will arrest the the number of firefighters away from the not include laundry…and so forth! Can problem and send the message that we fire station at any one time during meal you imagine what will happen if 1000+ care about our RMI employees. periods. peoples are gathered on the other side By limiting the number of firefighters of the fence after 4:30 quitting time? 5 at the dining facility to only one crew at and 6 o’clock ferries will be fun…I could Concern over a time, a full crew is always available to be wrong but maybe not, speaking sta- respond directly from the station, for both tistically! firefighter structural fire and aircraft emergencies. — Helmer Emos With more firefighters in the firehouse, response times from the station are kept The Kwajalein Hourglass readiness more consistent. I have noticed the firemen no longer By rotating crews, someone is as- Commanding Officer...COL Beverly Stipe drive their fire truck to the Café Pacific. signed to the ambulance in the station Public Affairs Officer...LuAnne Fantasia The firemen are our first responders at all times. Therefore, in the event of a Editor...............................Nell Drumheller medical emergency, the ambulance will Assistant Editor......................Mig Owens to serious problems. Having their truck Graphics Designer....................Dan Adler close by has given me assurance that respond from the firehouse; much like it Reporter................................ Jan Waddell their response time in an emergency situ- does during most of the day. Circulation....................... Will O’Connell ation is minimal. Does the van they drive The policy does not stop KRS from now in place of the fire truck carry all the meeting its contractual obligations as The Hourglass is named for the insignia required personal protective equipment required by Army Regulations or De- of the U.S. Army 7th Infantry Division, which required so they can respond effectively partment of Defense instructions. liberated the island from the forces of Imperial to help the community and our temporary No infringement of emergency re- Japan on Feb 4, 1944. duty guests? Do they have emergency sponse times allowable within standards The Kwajalein Hourglass is an authorized care equipment onboard? How about will occur as a result of this policy. publication for military personnel, federal blood pressure cuff, oxygen equipment The USAKA community can rest employees, contractor workers and their and masks, and a portable defibrillator? assured that we’ll continue to benefit families assigned to USAKA. Contents of the I asked and they don’t. People are very from emergency response capabili- Hourglass are not necessarily official views ties that are maintained above those of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, critical of response time. When they find Department of Defense, Department of the out the firemen were on a meal break and available at other Army installations or Army or USAKA. It is published Tuesdays and they had to go back to the station before similar stateside communities. Fridays in accordance with Army Regulation 360-1 and using a network printer by Marshallese Word of the Day Kwajalein Range Services editorial staff, P.O. Box 23, APO AP 96555. Phone: Autovon 254-3539; local 53539. eeo - fishing line Printed circulation: 2,000 The Kwajalein Hourglass 2 Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 The Kwajalein Hourglass Polynesian entertainers light up Emon Beach with energy By Mig Owens Polynesia” and current name means “life of the land.” Assistant Editor According to their literature, the group’s goal is to perpetuate the spirit of their ancestors through enua ote Ora, a professional company of the sharing of their cultures and dances. FPolynesian entertainers, opened with “We jump at any opportunity to dance,” a bang Sunday night at Emon Beach per- Lama Kihoi, entertainer, said. Kihoi is forming a Tahitian otea, or drum num- one of two flight attendants in the ber for a crowd of more than 800. group. Other members include a Dancers and musicians wowed full-time musician, secretary, re- the crowd with a taste of Tahitian, tail worker and student. Hawaiian and Samoan cultures “We love Polynesian dance through hula, slap, warrior and and want to bring that to others fire knife dances. New Zealand was – that’s what makes it worth- also represented through poi ball while for us,” Barros said. She dances called maori. explained that all have been Though new to the audience as a dancing since they were young group, three of Fenua ote Ora’s 10 and simply grew up with it. Kihoi members were part of Tamarii Pori- is actually one of Barros’ former netia, a group that visited Kwajalein students. for the 2002 New Year’s Eve celebra- Based out of Honolulu, the tion. group is on a 17-day Armed Forces “We’ve grown,” said Kaipolani Barros, Entertainment tour that will take director, who explained that the group’s them from Kwajalein to Guam, Sin- former Tahitian name meant “children of gapore and on to Diego Garcia. The Kwajalein Hourglass Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 (PhotosFriday, by Robert Oct. Gray)1, 2004 The Kwajalein Hourglass (Page design by Dan Adler) Entertainment included local keki hula, dances from New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. Let‛s get cooking! Twenty-one contestants vie for cook-off crown By Nell M. Drumheller Editor he sun wasn’t the only thing provid- While chili was the theme for the day, there ing heat on Roi-Namur Sunday. There were also booths with artwork, T-shirts and were 21 containers of bubbling, spicy souvenirs for sale as well as a booth where T temporary Henna tattoos were artfully drawn chili that upped the temperatures a notch or two for the 55 judges in the 5th Annual Roi- on customers’ skin. The Boy Scout Troop 314 Namur Chili Cook-Off. spent the weekend on Roi and assisted in the The cook-off and activities brought in $9,689 for cook-off by dishing up the chili. The Scouts the Ennubirr Children’s Christmas Fund. go camping about once a month, accord- John Tompkins, a two-time cook- ing to Capt. Mike Russell, assistant off entrant took top honors in the troop leader. heated chefs’ battle. Floyd Corder Big money was brought in by came in second and Bob DeJoie the pie-in-the-face raffle. Would- was third. be throwers combined financial Joe Coleman, Ennubirr Chil- resources to up the ante. In the dren’s Christmas Fund president, past individuals bid against one was the man in charge on Sun- another, but this year it wasn’t so day.