A Year in Review
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FREE RECYCLED an edition of the Recycled material is used in the making of our ALASKA POST newsprint The Interior Military News Connection Vol. 7, No. 1 Fort Wainwright, Alaska January 8, 2016 Alaskan Soldier is a face of the Guard in his small rural community Sgt. Marisa Lindsay full-time Guardsmen in his home- served his state for 10 years as an U.S. Army National Guard town. infantryman who also performed Sallaffie’s Army story began military funeral honors and assist- More than 400 miles west of An- in 1980, when he decided to fol- ed in recruiting efforts, among oth- chorage lies Bethel, Alaska’s larg- low in his older brother’s military er duties. After separating from the est western community. Although footsteps. Following high school National Guard, Sallaffie, his wife, only accessible by air and water, graduation, he joined the active and their four children moved to approximately 6,000 residents U.S. Army as an infantry Soldier. the small village of Tuluksak to be call this city home. This includes Although he appreciated the mili- closer to family. the Alaska Army National Guard’s tary community, he separated after However, Sallaffie missed the full-time Bethel armory supply ser- his three year commitment and re- Army community. geant, Staff Sgt. Joseph Sallaffie, an turned to Bethel. “I especially missed the comrad- infantryman with Bravo Company, “Like any teenager, I didn’t re- ery and purpose behind working,” 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Air- alize what was good for me at the Sallaffie said. Staff Sgt. Joseph Sallaffie, center, an infantryman borne Regiment. time,” laughed Sallaffie as he de- In 2007, while employed as and supply sergeant with Bravo Company, 1st Bat- Sallaffie, an Alaska Native Yupik scribed his initial stint with the a maintenance worker at Tu- talion, 143rd Infantry Airborne Regiment, converses Eskimo from Bethel, has worn the Army. “But I came home to Bethel luksak School, Sallaffie met two with his commander, left, Capt. Walter Hotch-Hill, Alaska Army National Guard uni- and it gave me the opportunity to recruiters who were visiting during a reconnaissance tour of Tuluksak for the up- form, on and off, for more than meet my wife, Rachel, start a fam- students there. The recruiters coming Kuskokwim 300. Sallaffie, an Alaskan Native four decades. Over the course of his ily and become an Alaska Guards- were then Sgt. 1st Class Rodger Yupik Eskimo, initially enlisted in the U.S. Army in career, he has performed a variety man.” Morrison, who is currently Sallaf- 1980 and has had a military career that has spanned of duties, including his current role He enlisted with the Alaska four decades. (Photo by Sgt. Marisa Lindsay) as supply sergeant and one of five Army National Guard in 1986 and See RURAL on page 4 How the garrison works for you: Directorate of Plans, Train- ing, Mobilization and Security Felicia Jackson Director of DPTMS What does DPTMS really mean? It means that we are the Command and Con- trol (also known as C2) for the installation and Garrison Commander. What does this mean to you and how do we operate? Let’s begin by 2015: A Year in Review outlining areas of responsibil- Last year kicked-off with the Arctic Wolves of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team descending upon the desert that is the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. The decisive-action rotation was designed to test and validate ity within the the brigade’s full spectrum capacity to conduct a wide variety of mission sets. For more photos from 2015, see title. pages 6 and 7. (Photo by Spc. Corey Confer, 1-25 SBCT PAO) Plans – DPTMS is re- sponsible for Army needs Soldiers to get amped up for Prime Power developing the two most im- C. Todd Lopez age, especially among sergeants. installation must instead volunteer portant instal- “Based on natural attrition, we to transfer from their current MOS lation plans: the Emergency Management Some know how to replace a anticipate the MOS to have a short- into the 12P program. Plan and Anti-Terrorism Plan. These two light switch. They’re electricians. age at the entry level for sergeants,” Training for 12P lasts more plans lay out how we would respond to Others know how to wire up an Holland said. than a year, and takes place at a variety of incidents on the installation. entire basecamp. Those are 12P By the end of FY16, he expects Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The You name it, we have it, from flood, earth- “Prime Power production special- the career field to be short 12 ser- Army needs Soldiers to apply now quake, power outage, heat outage to insid- ists,” and the Army needs more of geants. For FY17, that shortage is to the career field to ensure conti- er threat. Our planning cycle is a contin- them in the training pipeline. expected to grow - to a projected nuity of noncommissioned officer, uous process. We are always reviewing, Soldiers trained in the Prime shortage of 39 sergeants. By FY18, NCO, leadership in the future. exercising and updating. Power production specialty de- he said, the career field expects a To apply for 12P, a Soldier must Training – The word training may be ploy, install, operate and maintain shortage of 45 sergeants. meet the minimum qualifications, deceiving, unlike the DPTMSs at other in- power generation and distribution “I anticipate the in call for 12P’s including Armed Services Voca- stallations within the lower 48, we do not assets in support of theater com- to remain through FY16,” Holland tional Aptitude Battery compos- have the responsibility of the ranges, Mis- manders. Inside the United States, said. ite scores of 110 on GT, 107 on sion Training Center, or Training Aid Sup- they are also part of the National Right now, the Army is accept- TECH, and 107 on ELEC. Soldiers port Center. Here at Fort Wainwright and Response Framework to provide ing applications from both special- must have also completed high down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richard- power in places where the civilian ists and sergeants for reclassifica- school-level algebra and have a 70 son, those responsibilities fall within U.S. power grid has gone down due to tion into the 12P MOS, said James percent on the Basic Math and Sci- Army Alaska G3. So training is focused natural disasters. Bragg, chief of HRC’s Retention ence Test. more on civilian training requirements The Army has authorizations and Reclassification Branch. The year-long Prime Power and education. for 288 12P Soldiers in fiscal year “Currently, Soldiers approved School is broken into three ap- Mobilization – Fort Wainwright is 2016. In fiscal year 2017, the career for reclassification into MOS 12P proximately four-month segments. not a mobilized installation, however, we field will grow to 297 authoriza- may be entitled to a Tier 5 [$3,500 First is a four-month academic do have the responsibility for supporting tions, said Lt. Col. Scott L. Holland - $11,600] bonus upon success- period. Second is an operations deployments and redeployments of any Jr., the Engineer Enlisted Branch ful completion of training,” Bragg phase, where every Soldier learns kind. We assist with agency coordination, chief with U.S. Army Human Re- said. “In addition, Soldiers in the to operate a power plant safely. pre-deployment requirements and track- sources Command, or HRC. Today, rank of specialist are eligible for For the final phase of Prime ing movements, both incoming and out- the Army has 293 Soldiers in the promotion to sergeant upon gradu- Power School, Soldiers are split going. military occupational specialty, or ation under the Special MOS Align- up into different tracks, where Security – DPTMS is responsible for MOS. ment Promotion Program.” they will earn their additional skill Personnel Security, Information Securi- While the 12P career field ap- The 12P program does not accept identifier, or ASI, for 12P. Sol- ty and Industrial Security. This includes pears to be sitting pretty for now, Soldiers out of initial entry train- diers can earn the S2 mechanical background checks, acquiring security its small size makes it susceptible ing. Instead, Soldiers who want to to fluctuations in manning percent- control all the power on a military See POWER on page 8 See DPTMS on page 8 WEEKEND WEATHER BRIEF The 1,000 mile 2016 Yukon Quest international sled dog race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Canada begins Feb. 6. This is one of those events that requires a community to make it work. If anyone is interested in volunteering to help out with what might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, visit www.yukonquest.com, send Friday Saturday Sunday an email to [email protected], or call 452-7954. As always, if Mostly clear. Highs Partly cloudy. Partly cloudy you have any other questions, call your garrison public affairs shop at 353-6700. 5 to 20 above... Highs in the Highs around 5 warmest over the teens. below hills. Lows around -15. 2 NEWS January 8, 2016 Fort Greely Army Medical Home Opens Tricare Brandy Ostanik Pharmacy MEDDAC-AK Public Affairs Copays Change Fort Greely residents cel- ebrated the official opening February 1 of the Fort Greely Army Medical Home during a rib- Tricare Public Affairs bon cutting ceremony, Dec. 15, in front of a standing Military pharmacies and room only crowd. Tricare Pharmacy Home De- The over 12,000-square- livery will remain the low- foot clinic opens as a pri- est cost pharmacy option for mary care facility offering Tricare beneficiaries when some Tricare pharmacy co- family medicine to Fort pays change in 2016.