Locally Doctor Calls Illness Common This Time of Year
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Hawaii Marine Pretty but Skating for fun and life A-7 Volume 27, Number 31 August 20, 1998 poison, B-1 Viral meningitis Suppressing the enemy cases diagnosed locally Doctor calls illness common this time of year Cmdr. Jeff Yund viruses. There may be occa- Naval Bose Pearl Harbor sional outbreaks, but there is a seasonal increase in late sum- (Editor's note: Cmdr. Yund is mer and early fall each year. the Epidimeologist with Navy The virus enters the body Environmental and Preventive through the mouth and the Medicine Unit # 6 at Naval infection starts in the intestines. es ofrow..-: 41 wit cmfoueo., Base Pearl Harbor.) From there, it spreads to the lot 'OD+ meninges. Symptoms include Viral meningitis is a common fever, headache, fatigue, and illness that affects the covering stiff neck. layers of the brain and spinal There is no vaccine or med- cord called meninges ("men-in- ication to take to prevent the ill- gees"). It is much less serious ness. But there are some things than bacterial meningitis. you can do to avoid getting Recently, there have been a sick. number of cases of viral menin- One common sense measure gitis on Kauai and Oahu. Some is to avoid contact with anyone of these cases have occurred on who has the illness. Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It Minimizing direct personal is common for there to be an contact with others, even if they upturn in viral meningitis cases are not sick, helps stop the in August and September. spread of the virus. The most Viral meningitis may require effective precaution is frequent admission to the hospital, but hand washing with soap and this is partly because the early water. symptoms are very similar to Some people have been con- bacterial meningitis, which cerned about catching the virus requires intravenous antibiotics at swimming pools, but the as soon as possible. chlorine in pool water is kept at Examination of spinal fluid a high enough level to kill any helps determine whether the virus. meningitis is viral, as all the Anyone, adult or child, who MCBH cases have been, or the has a fever, headache, and stiff more serious bacterial form. neck should be seen by medical When the illness is viral, it usu- personnel promptly. If you ally resolves rapidly, and the have questions about symptoms Photo by Cpl. M.V. Trindade person is often well enough to that you think could be menin- Machine gun squads from Weapons' Plt., F Co., 2/3shower enemy positions with a deadly rain of 7.62mm rounds go home in a day or two. gitis, you can call the Health from their M240Gs providing the necessary cover fire for squads to advance and overcome their objectives. For more Viral meningitis can be Care Information Line at 1-800 - on the recent exploits of Weapons' Plt., see page A-4. caused by a number of different 611-2883. Commanding General's Base Beautification Program kicks off CpI. Barry Melton will be working with unit beautification representatives, said Combos Correspondent Bean. All units will be responsible for their areas as usual, but if there is an area of concern inside a unit's area of responsibili- The Base Inspectors Office here is currently playing "Mr. ty, the Inspectors Office will call on unit reps to help square it Clean" by leading a movement to beautify the base in accordance away. with the Commanding General's Base Beautification Program. "This has to be a cooperative venture and everybody has to The initiative, launched by BGen. Arnold Fields, the com- work together," Bean said. "This is all in the spirit of cooper- manding general of MCB Hawaii, calls for beautification of areas ation - we're not trying to put units on the spot and embar- on base that need improvement and encourages base residents to rass them." keep their yards in good maintenance, according to LtCol. Mark "We're doing everything in our power to improve our unit's Bean, the base inspector. area of responsibility," said Capt. Russell, the logistics officer It's an all-hands' effort of everybody aboard MCB Hawaii, and representative at Combat Service Support Group 3. including Camp H.M. Smith, Manana Housing Area and "We've been watering the grass and cleaning different areas to Pu'uloa Range Facility, Bean added. improve the appearance of our grounds here." "We're going around the base and identifying areas of con- One of the main areas of concern is the general appearance AL cern," said Bean. "These are things like buildings that need to of the grounds, according to Bean. Other areas of concern are Photo by Cpl. M.V. Trindade be painted, materials that need to be hauled away and empty lots places of high visibility, such as the front gate area and other One of the large projects to improve the appearance of the base's high traffic that need to be cleaned up." heavily traveled areas. Bean said these areas includes improvements to the front gate guard shack and pass house shown areas will receive top here. Cpl. Jose Victor, a military policeman, signals authorized vehicles through. After the areas have been identified, the Inspectors Office priority. MSU will begin new program 2/3 Marines attack assault course CpI. M.V. Trindade afternoons and continue into the early Cpl. M.V. Trindade "Everyone's Combat Correspondent evenings, taught simultaneously with classes Combat Correspondent cross-training Marines will be able to earn a bachelor's on West Coast bases. out here," said business administration or a master's of Eventually, scheduling may be altered to of SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Oahu LCpl. Scott business administration degree through fit students here as classes become larger, -For the Marines of F Company, 2nd Kaczor, an Mississippi State University beginning said Loretta Comett-Huff, the director of Battalion, 3d Marine Regiment, payoff armorer with Monday education programs here. for countless hours of preparation 2/3. "They've The entire degree programs will be taught "The school said if they have to be there came when they attacked the Squad even got the using a two-way interactive classrooms. The at midnight to teach us, that would be no Assault Course here Aug. 12. engineers out interactive video link, established through the problem," Cornett-Huff said, referring to the The scenario required squads to here rushing." Marine Corps Satellite Education Network, time difference between professors and stu- infiltrate into an open field, using "It was inter- will provide students with real time instruc- dents. small mounds for cover, as they shot at esting the first tion by MSU professors. For more information or enrollment, call their opposition. time I did the Classes are scheduled to start early in the 257-2158/1232. Pop-up enemy targets, which infest- course," said ed the live fire course, were massacred LCpl. Preston as the squads charged through the sim- Gladd, a rifle- Index ulated battlefield. man serving as To add to the tense environment, the the battalion Photo by Cpl M.V. Trindade A Section B Section leathernecks were supported by commander's Marines from F Co., 2/3, brave the assault course at School's in session A -2 Lifeguard B-I machine gun suppression fire, provid- driver. "It pro- Schofield Aug. 12. Archery A-2 Golf B-1 ed by Weapons Platoon's M240Gs, as vides Marines HMH-366 at CAX A-3 Poison Flowers B- I Weapons' Platoon A-4 Peewee Soccer B-2 they advanced to each new covered with a better sense of accomplishment "These Marines are motivated and New English Class A-5 All-Marine Softball B-2 position. when they overcome their objective as want to do well." Word to Pass A-6 Intramural Standings B-2 HMH-362 Sportsman A-7 Volleyball B-3 Marines of different MOSs within F a team." And training such as this has Blotter A-8 Movies B-3 Co. assaulted the course in order to "What they have to go through is allowed the squads to become better Salutes A-8 Ticket to Fun B-3 familiarize members of the company amazing," SgtMaj. Orlando Guerra, warfighting teams while weaving the 1/3 Change of Command A-8 Classifieds B-4 with everyone else's roles. the battalion sergeant major, said. new-joins in, Kaczor added. A-2 August 20,1998 Hawaii Marine Change of Command Watch out Colonel Michael E. Ennis, USMC, will assume corn- mand from Captain Richard B. Porterfield. USN, as Commander, Joint Intelligence Center Pacific at 10:00 a.m. for children on Friday at the Gazebo, Naval Station Pearl Harbor. Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, Commander in Chief United States Pacific Command, will be the guest speaker. as school In order to update its current software system to that used begins by the rest of the Marine Corps. the MCB Hawaii Kaneohe Bay Library will be closed on August 26 and 27 from 11:30 Cpl. M.V. Trindade a.m. to 5 p.m., and will open from 5 - 8 p.m. on both days. Combat Correspondent The Camp Smith Library will be closed Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and resume normal hours With school bells chiming today at Mokapu on Wednesday. For more information on either library, call Elementary School, many children will once the MCB Hawaii Base Library at 254-7624. again be visible among the streets of MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. "People will need to be aware that there will Town Hall Meeting he a lot more traffic and kids around the school's surrounding areas," said SSgt.