Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 Volume 9, Issue 35 Published for members of the SHAPE/Chièvres, Brussels and Schinnen communities Benelux news briefs FEGLI open season starts today Open season for the Federal Employees' Group Life Insur- ance Program will be held from Sept. 1 to 30. Employees don’t need to be currently enrolled in FEGLI to elect coverage during open season. Open-season elec- tions have no medical exam required and no health ques- tions to answer. Coverage elected in the Sep- tember 2016 open season will be effective on the first day of the first full pay period on or after Oct. 1, 2017, as long as the employee meets pay and duty-status requirements. For details, visit the Office of Personnel Management website at https://www.opm. gov/life or talk to your human resources representative. JFC theater has job opening JFC Brunssum/Base Support Group, or BSG, Family Support, Morale and Welfare, is trying to fill the position of Alliance Theatre assistant in Brunssum. For additional informa- tion, call civilian +31 (0) 45- 5263188. Table of Contents News.............................1-5 US WWII veteran honored on former battlefield Frenglish page.................6 Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Kenneth "Rock" Merritt, 82nd Airborne Division, salutes during a Inside the gate.................7-8 ceremony at the monument in Rencheux (Vielsalm), Belgium, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. The event honored Merritt who served 35 years with the U.S. Army and fought in combat in the Vielsalm area Outside the gate...........9-12 during World War II. See story in next week's Gazette. (U.S. Army photo by Kristin Ellis) Sept. 1, 2016 In Memoriam A Dutch former employee of USAG Benelux-Schinnen died Aug. 25 in the United States. René Giesberts succumbed to Be prepared for power outages cancer in Virginia. Born in Geleen, the Nether- September is National Preparedness well as extreme temperatures can oc- lands, he Month. cur. A home emergency-preparedness Courtesy photo was 59. Ready Army officials recommend that kit may already offer many items that In 1984, Army employees and their families pre- will also be useful during power out- Giesberts pare themselves and maintain a basic ages, such as flashlights, batteries and began his level of preparedness for all potential a hand-crank radio. career on hazards, such as the possibility of power For guidance on how to make a kit and the Ameri- outages. a printer-friendly emergency-kit check- can base in Ready Army is the Department of list, visit http://www.acsim.army.mil/ the Dutch the Army's emergency-preparedness readyarmy/ra_get_a_kit.htm. René Giesberts town of campaign. In the event of a power outage, re- Schinnen, then known as Allied Every employee should always be member to: Forces Central Support Activity, or prepared to manage without power for • Use flashlights instead of candles AFCENT SUPACT (US), in the Hous- an extended period of time because to minimize the risk of fire. ing Division. the electricity can go out for various • Turn off the electrical equipment Giesberts started out as quar- reasons, said John Hopper, the USAG being used when the power went out. ters inspector and later worked as Benelux-Schinnen emergency manager. • Try not to open the freezer or refrig- housing-referral officer. During a power outage, your family’s erator frequently. A full freezer should Giesberts immigrated to the Unit- emergency preparedness kit can be safely keep food for 48 hours. ed States in 2000 and settled in critical to your comfort and survival. • Pack dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, Woodbridge, Virginia. He worked An unexpected outage can have unfore- refrigerated medicines and other items until the end as a managing broker seen consequences. Without electricity, that can quickly spoil in a cooler sur- at a real-estate business. shortages of food and clean water as rounded by ice to extend their usability. A drummer at heart, Giesberts played in several bands, first in the Netherlands and later in the United States. Americans can vote. He is survived by his wife, Anna, and his son, Toine. Wherever they are. A get-together to remember the life of Giesberts is planned for Sat- DSN 361-5973 or urday at 11 a.m. at Hubertushuis civilian 068-275973 at Jan Willenstraat 1 in Geleen, the Netherlands. To submit or subscribe, email [email protected] The Gazette is an unofficial publication published under the provisions of AR 360-1 for members of the Commander..................... Col. Kurt Connell Department of Defense. Contents of The Gazette are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of the Army or the USAG Benelux. The Gazette is a free weekly publication Public Affairs Officer...... Marie-Lise Baneton distributed via email every Thursday, except when that day is an American, Belgian or Dutch Holiday, then The Gazette is published on Wednesday. The editorial content of this publication is prepared, edited, provided, Editor.............................. Andrea Wales approved and published by the USAG Benelux Public Affairs Office, Unit 21419, APO AE 09708. Telephone (0032) 068-275419/DSN 361-5419. Everything advertised in this publication will be made available for purchase, Staff Writers.................... Donovan Abrassart use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, Kristin Ellis political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. If a violation or rejection of this Rita Hoefnagels equal opportunity policy by an advertiser is confirmed, the publisher will refuse to print advertising from that Cis Spook source until the violation is corrected. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement of the products or services advertised by the U.S. Army. Submit content or story ideas to [email protected] by Monday at 3 p.m. [2] Sept. 1, 2016 Suicide Stand-down will strengthen resiliency skills, reduce stress September is Suicide Pre- Employee Assistance Program vention Month. (for civilian employees), Risk The USAG Benelux Army Reduction, Prevention and Substance Abuse Program Drug Testing. The Brussels is spearheading the Suicide community is invited and Stand-down for USAG Bene- coming to participate in the lux employees at SHAPE Sept. SHAPE activities. 15 from 8 a.m. to noon at The garrison is planning a the SHAPE Main Gym. Tenant different resiliency-building units are also invited. activity for Chièvres Air Base Attendees will be divided and Caserne Daumerie. into groups for Resiliency The Schinnen/Brunssum Olympics, then rotate through Suicide Stand-down is ten- different game/learning sta- tatively scheduled for Sept. tions, according to Leah Ellis, 30 from noon to 4 p.m. at the ASAP coordinator for the Brunssum Fitness Center. Women’s Equality Day: Job still not done Story and photo by Andrea Wales USAG Benelux Public Affairs Office On almost a daily basis, you can watch 26, 1920, after a struggle of more than the news and see stories that underscore 70 years. the fact that women's status in society "Since 1848, women in the U.S. have is still in question, said the speaker at publicly spoken out. We’ve marched, the Women's Equality Day breakfast at protested, engaged in various forms the SHAPE Club Monday. of passive and active resistance,” Col- "The glass ceiling has yet to be broken, lins said, “and, when words of peaceful and women are not always viewed on protest seemed to fall on deaf ears, the same level as men," Tashina "Shina" we’ve chosen civil disobedience in an Collins said. effort to be seen, heard, understood As the program director for the Uni- and respected." versity of Oklahoma at SHAPE, Collins While obviously propelled forward with helps each community member who asks the 19th Amendment, women's equality to pursue a degree that could possibly still has far to go, she said. lead to a promotion, a change in career "Equality between the sexes must be path or the completion of a long-held viewed as a long-term goal," she said, personal dream, she said. "and, for each individual woman, the Women's Equality Day celebrates the drive for equality is a means of self- Tashina "Shina" Collins addresses the audience at ratification of the 19th Amendment, actualization, personal development the Women's Equality Day breakfast on SHAPE, guaranteeing the vote to women, Aug. and character-building." Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. SHAPE/Chièvres and Brussels: +32 (0) 476-762264 Victim Advocate Schinnen: +31 (0) 651-919119 Hotlines DOD Safe Helpline: +49 (0) 611-143-537-SAFE (7233) [3] Sept. 1, 2016 Some USAG Benelux facilities closed for Labor Day Labor Day will be celebrated Sept. 5 Brussels Cashier Cage only will be open building activity. so you should be aware of the closures Friday regular hours; Military Pay will •SHAPE and Chièvres post offices will and operating hours of several offices be closed Friday. The Brunssum office be closed Sept. 5 to celebrate Labor Day. and retail spaces in the Benelux. will be open regular hours Friday. •SHAPE Healthcare Facility will oper- All communities SHAPE ate with reduced staffing Sept. 5. Acute •The Benelux Disbursing Offices •The U.S. Community Services Center Care Walk-In Clinic will operate with will be closed Monday. In addition, in Building 253 on SHAPE will be closed Medical Officer of the Day, or MOD, the SHAPE office will be open holiday Sept. 5. The USCSC will also be closed coverage only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All hours tomorrow from 9 a.m.