AAPGPublishedP in the interestG of the people of AberdeenNNEWS Proving Ground,E MarylandWS www.TeamAPG.com THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 Vol. 59, No. 8 Army takes Monitoring bald eagles By AMANDA ROMINIECKI care of APG News During the most recent its own count of Aberdeen Proving Ground bald eagles in ear- By STACY SMITH ly January, 177 were spotted APG News along the installation shore- The 2015 APG Army lines; indicating a thriving Emergency Relief (AER) eagle population on post. campaign kicks off March For nearly 30 years, APG 1 and runs through May personnel have monitored, 15 with the goal of rais- tracked and protected the live- ing $60,000 to support ly – and growing – population Soldiers and their fami- of bald eagles who call the lies in need of financial installation home. assistance. Lynda Hartzell, a Director- According to Capt. ate of Public Works Natural Nicolas Milano, APG Resources Branch employee, Garrison coordinator has served as one of APG’s and commander of the eagle gurus, formally known Headquarters and Head- as an eagle compliance man- quarters Company, APG ager, for the past six years, Soldiers and civilians during which time she says raised $55,000 for AER in the eagle population has “real- 2014, and received more ly just exploded.” than $250,000 from the While the count is slightly worldwide AER fund. lower than the five-year aver- Globally, AER staff com- age of 206, Hartzell says it pleted 55,000 cases last still indicates “a robust eagle year, resulting in $68.6 population.” million provided to Sol- On a second aerial survey diers and their families. in late January, 10 new eagle AER is a private, non- nests were identified, in addi- profit organization which tion to the 75 nests Hartzell provides emergency finan- cial assistance to active- See EAGLES, page 4 duty and retired Soldiers With countless miles of undis- and their families in times turbed shoreline, APG is an of financial distress. ideal habitat for the bald This financial assis- eagle. For nearly 30 years, tance helps a Soldier or APG personnel have moni- Soldier’s family cover the tored, tracked and protect- cost of food, rent or utili- ed the growing population ties, emergency transpor- of bald eagles who call the tation and vehicle repair, installation home. Photo by Joe Ondek See AER, page 17 inside Detecting harmful chemicals RESILIENCY Army spouses, family members develop ECBC develops, creative ways to cope with deployment stress. manufactures technology Surviving | 5 for rapid chem-bio threat detection MEDIATION Alternative Dispuste Story and photos by C. TODD LOPEZ Resolution addresses Army News Service workplace disputes. Researchers are refining a commercial technology for Army use that will allow Soldiers to accurately and rapidly detect an Mediation |7 array of chemical and biological hazards – from mustard agent to anthrax – and then transmit those results to their higher command. At the same time, the technology is smart enough to differen- tiate between those chemicals which are dangerous and those that INDUSTRY the Soldier has carried with him into the environment on his own skin, such as bug spray or hand sanitizer. APG tenants host The VOCkit system is a small electronic device developed at DCGS-A, intelligence the Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, or ECBC, program industry day. and even manufactured there, for now, on the center’s 3-D print- This colorimetric detection assay, about the size of a postage stamp, is APG | 8 printed with a grid of several dozen indicator chemicals arranged in a See DEVICE, page 18 grid of small dots. VIETNAM Veteran recalls leaving STEM education critical to the nation for ‘Nam a kid, returning home a man. RDECOM leader speaks at Vet | 11 Harford County Chamber of Commerce meeting online By DAN LAFONTAINE RDECOM www.TeamAPG. com/APGNews Encouraging young students to pursue careers in science and engineering is vital to national defense and the econo- facebook.com/ my, a U.S. Army leader told about 100 people during the APGMd Harford County Chamber of Commerce luncheon Feb. 19. Jyuji Hewitt, executive deputy to the commanding gen- twitter.com/ USAGAPG eral, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, said Aberdeen Proving Ground is a strong advo- fl ickr.com/photos/ cate of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, usagapg/ By Conrad Johnson known as STEM. Jyuji Hewitt, executive deputy to the commanding general, U.S. Army “We take STEM seriously because we know our work- ICE system Research, Development and Engineering Command, speaks during the force on Aberdeen Proving Ground needs a mechanism to http://ice.disa.mil/ Harford County Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Havre de Grace, Facebook, http://on.fb.me/HzQIow Maryland, Feb. 19. See NURTURING, page 18 Street Talk | 2 Mark Your Calender | 6 At Your Service | 8 MWR Events | 10 index APG History | 13 Crossword | 16 Did You Know? | 18 Snapshot | 19 2 APG News • February 26, 2015 Commander’s Corner Why is it important for kids to participate in STEM-related classes and activities? In today’s day and age, cyber technology is Team APG SHARP Resource Center a very market- able field, and if you’re willing to During the ‘Why We Serve’ event, we reaffirmed our offenders who commit crimes. study hard, you can do well in it. commitment to live by and uphold a set of high, ethical Located on the second floor of the Janet M. Barr Soldier standards. It is our duty and moral responsibility as trust- Center, the APG SHARP Resource Center provides com- ed professionals to rid ourselves of anything that threatens prehensive and integrated SHARP support and treatment Spc. James our values, brings discredit upon our beloved military fam- to APG military and civilian community members. The Salamone ily and breaks faith with the American people. resource center has the capability to handle restricted and MDNG Sexual offenses degrade everything the Army stands for unrestricted cases of sexual assault and sexual harassment. and is not tolerated within our ranks. This is why the Sex- In addition to providing SHARP support to our APG ual Harassment and Assault Response Program (SHARP) community, we have established partnerships with local When they’re remains a number one priority for the Army. Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, and National doing STEM, like In support of this critical undertaking, the Aberdeen Prov- Guard and Army Reserve units. Since these organizations robotics or com- ing Ground (APG) SHARP Resource Center opened Jan. 2. do not have organic SHARP professionals, our Resource puters, they’re The center is one of twelve across the nation that utilizes Center will be postured to assist their needs as well. [seeing] the a cadre of specialists including a Judge Advocate General practical appli- As trusted Army professionals, we are responsible for officer, a Criminal Investigation Command agent, a medi- and accountable to our great nation. The duty bestowed cations of the cal expert, a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, a victim upon us is to serve as a shining example for others to fol- math and sci- advocate, and the APG SHARP program manager. The cen- low. We must sustain the momentum and continue to foster ence that they’re ter will also offer SHARP leadership training programs to learning. It’s the Danny Lynn assist senior leaders in their respective organizations. a positive climate of trust and respect so every member of only way that O’Hern The mission of the resource center is to promote aware- our team will thrive and achieve their full potential. they’re brains Retired military APG Strong! are going to ness and prevention throughout the APG community; pro- latch onto it.” vide compassionate care for victims; protect the rights MAJ. GEN. BRUCE T. CRAWFORD and privacy of survivors; and maintain accountability for APG Senior Commander “All the tech- nology we have today is because of someone in the STEM field, OPINION including my son, who is a chemical engi- Pediatric dental care: neer. Math and It’s never too early science opens a Neslie wealth of oppor- Months before a child is born, expectant parents become The CDC reports that “tooth decay affects more than one- Etheridge masters of research, fretting over what type of diapers to buy, fourth of U.S. children aged 2 to 5-years-old. So what can tunities and chal- CECOM lenges students. what formula is best, or should they nurse? They make sure parents do to prevent their child from being part of that sta- they have covered all of the bases so when the big day comes tistic? Visit often, early, and most importantly be proactive. they will know just what to do in any situation. As an active duty service member I had the TRICARE But how often do they think about dental coverage? Delta Dental coverage for my family. What I was not aware “It gives them Often not. of is that even after you enroll a newborn family member a chance to What new parents often are not aware of is how impor- into your DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Report- bounce ideas tant oral health is at a very young age. The American Acade- ing System) account, they are not automatically enrolled in around, exper- my of Pediatric Dentistry published that “in order to prevent your dental plan as is the case with your medical plan. iment with dental problems, your child should see a pediatric dentist Dependents are not automatically added to your TRI- things, and when the first tooth appears, or no later than his/her first CARE Delta Dental plan until the age of four.