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Bavarian Meddac FRG Newsletter
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of and welcomed into
our organ i zat i on ,
through our Family
Readiness Groups
(FRGs). We must en-
sure that FRG participa-
tion is not just limited
to our military mem-
bers, but is open to
every member of the
organization. Finally,
we as an organization
must demonstrate how
loyal we are to our
families, and how we
view them to be an in-
tegral part of what we
do. Mario Puzo once
wrote, "The strength of
a family, like the
strength of an army, is
in its loyalty to each
other." It is through our
FRGs that we are able
to demonstrate that
loyalty.
To Bavaria MEDDAC
Family,
As many of you
might know, I became
the commander of HHC
in February of this
year. In this short time,
I have been provided
with a better insight
into what makes Bava-
ria MEDDAC great.
Many may attribute the
success of our organi-
zation to our hardwork-
ing Soldiers and Civil-
ians, or to the long
dedicated hours that
we put in, or to our
leadership that pushes
us to achieve more
than what we believe
capable. On the sur-
face, those things are
true; however, this only
provides a small frac-
tion of what really
drives us as an organi-
zation.
While there is no
doubt that BMEDDAC
has hardworking, dedi-
cated, and driven indi-
viduals, it is our fami-
lies who are the ones
who provide the envi-
ronment in which we
thrive. Through our
spouses and significant
others, we find the
means to refocus our
efforts and become
better at what we do.
Our families frame our
lives, and work, giving
us drive to ensure that
our organization re-
mains successful.
An often-overlooked
aspect of family is the
relationships that we
have with our co-
workers. It is through
everyday encounters,
with our colleagues, we
build enduring and
close relationships
rooted in a genuine
concern for one an-
other. For those that
are far away from im-
mediate family, our as-
sociation with the peo-
ple we work with serves
as an extended family.
They provide us sup-
port in both good times
and bad.
Because of this sup-
port, it can be said that
family (both immediate
and extended) is the
cornerstone in which
the success of Bavaria
MEDDAC is built. For
this reason, we must
guarantee that our
families are taken care
HHC COMMANDER: CPT DONALD INGRIM
E U R O P E R E G I O N A L M E D I C A L C O M M A N D
1ST QUARTER
April 2013
Volume 2, Issue 1
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS
WELCOME BMEDDAC
NEW COMMANDER:
COL E. Darrin Cox
Inside this issue:
Bamberg
Grafenwoehr
2
Vilseck 3
Illesheim 4
Katterbach 5
Hohenfels 6
Coloring contest 7
HHCF 8 CPT Donald Ingrim
COMMANDER HHC
Welcome home
SPC Michael Schmolt and
LTC Nino Vidic Thank you for your sacrifice, love and
dedication to our great nation.
Because of your diligence, honor and
unwavering commitment to our
country, we are without a doubt, the land of the free and the home of
the brave. It is all because of you
and we are forever grateful to you and
your families! God Bless
GHC BMEDDAC FRG
Page 2
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS
The Bamberg Clinic
FRG continues with our
regular monthly meet-
ings and we recently
started French Classes
taught by our very own
FRG member Ashlea
Rob i n son . A sh l ea
earned her degree
teaching French for high
school students while
stationed in the United
States. Our FRG mem-
bers and clinic soldiers
have started practice
for our new softball
team. We have been
planning day trips to
Strasbourg France and
Regensburg Germany.
Our favorite weekly ex-
cursion is searching the
Franconian footprint for
culinary delicacies in
small-town villages.
We have several mem-
bers due to PCS and we
are planning a final
farewell and apprecia-
tion day.
BAMBERG
From the left: Denise Bai-
ley, Lauren LeBroke, Sabina
Bosompem and Myung Hee
Melton practicing their
French speaking skills.
GRAFENWOEHR
GHC FRG started our year on the
right foot. Wanting to work off the
holiday pounds, we had some fun
doing Zumba with Pam. After work-
ing up a sweat, we had elections for
the new leadership. Jennifer Carder
handed the leadership reigns over to
co-leader LaShonda Barnett and
Rosalynn Mitchell. New faces and a
renewed energy are two benefits to
new leadership! Richard Russell will
be staying on and remains treasure
for our group.
Valentine’s Day was a perfect
time to have a candy gram sale. On
Wednesday, 13 February, the FRG
sold “telegrams” with candy at-
tached to clinic staff. Funds raised
during this event were used to help
finance cart tokens/key chains with
the BMEDDAC logo.
In March, the FRG started work
planning and collecting donations for
welcome baskets for two Soldiers
that came back from deployment.
Local business gave generously and
we were able to offer our returning
Soldiers and nice treat. We welcome
back SPC Michael Schmolt and LTC
Nino Vidic!
BMEDDAC Cart Tokens
with key chain.
Easter is not complete without an
egg hunt. We teamed up with the Vil-
seck FRG for the Easter egg hunt the
day before Easter. Adults and children
alike enjoyed the family friendly event
and overall it was very successful
event.
For our April FRG meeting, we
treated our membership to an old
fashion ice cream social. Many people
showed up for the ice cream and
stayed for the meeting. We discussed
our next course of action for April,
which will be the bake sale on the 19th
held at the APO. Donations for this
day, monetary and baked goods, are
acceptable!
Page 3
Volume 2, Issue 1
VILSECK
We had the opportu-
nity this past Valen-
tine's Day to support
the FRG in a fundraiser
for upcoming events.
In February, Mrs. Wil-
liams arranged a flower
sale for Valentine’s day.
Pre-orders and same
day sales saw over 300
Roses and rice krispy
treats sold as gifts for
our loved ones. The les-
son learned from this
was - order more roses
next year!
We had two new ba-
bies join the family.
Congratulations to the
Williams and Parks
families!
We capped off this
quarter with an Easter
Egg Hunt with the
Grafenwoehr clinic.
Over 600 eggs were
hunted and found in a
matter of seconds.
Three Grand prize bas-
kets were handed out a
well as 10 prize goody
bags. Mrs. Valenzuela
donated her face paint-
ing talents and MAJ
Platt entertained the
kids with his balloon
making skills. Thanks to
SPC Davenport for tak-
ing on the all important
role of the Easter
Bunny!
We look forward to
welcoming LTC Konopa,
his wife Maggie and
their daughter Sophie to
the clinic team next
month!
The last few months
have been busy at the
Vilseck Health Clinic.
The Clinic FRG kicked
off the New Year in sup-
port of our families. In
January, we had our
first FRG Family Fun
Day/Chili Cook Off
when we partnered with
HHC. Thanks to SSG
Smith and his wife
Vanessa for coordinat-
ing the entertainment
of a bounce house,
seated volleyball music,
and the magician Magic
Maxx. Mrs. Williams did
a great job coordinating
for the loads of Chili
brought to compete.
SFC Juarez went home
with the grand prize
$50 gift card; we look
forward to sampling
more of his cooking!
The Easter Bunny
entertained the children
during the
Easter egg hunt
behind the
Vilseck Health Clinic.
“Over 600 eggs
were hunted and
found in a matter
of seconds.”
Vilseck Health Clinic FRG
Page 4
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS
The Illesheim Army
Health Clinic FRG
opened the first quarter
of 2013 with their first
official FRG meeting.
Major Ball offered his
gratitude to families for
their understanding
during the NCQA proc-
ess that had our Sol-
diers/Staff members
working long hours dur-
ing the holidays. The
pizza party was an op-
portunity to not only
offer families apprecia-
tion but also celebrate
the Clinic's NCQA Level
3 rating resulting from
the dedication of every-
one. Continuing with
the theme of family
support results in team
success, Major Ball ac-
knowledged David Rios
and Citlali Rios with the
first ever Commander's
"Caught Being Good"
Award. The certificates
of good behavior shine
the spotlight on our
youngest FRG members
while reinforcing posi-
tive attributes are the
foundations of success.
The attendance of
our first FRG meeting
exceeded the number of
Soldiers/Staff members
in the clinic. The out-
standing family mem-
bers continue to sup-
port our clinic events
like the Community
Health Nurse's "Go Red"
Brunch held at the
Storck Barracks Com-
munity Activity Center
raising awareness of
the importance of heart
health. The command
staff is excited about
the growing FRG and its
wonderful volunteers!
ILLESHEIM
MAJ Roger Ball presenting the Commander’s “Caught Being Good” award to David and Citlali Rios.
“The attendance of
our first FRG
meeting exceed the
number of Soldiers/
Staff in the clinic.”
Bobbie Ball
FRG Leader-Illesheim
Page 5
Volume 2, Issue 1
Dr. Edward Piepmeier,
Heidi Piepmeier, Bobbie
Ball, CPT Jess Miller, Jill
Miller, SSG Terrence
Elliott, Megume Elliott,
SSG Scott Graham, Sarah
Graham, SPC Isaac Bren-
nan, Diane Brennan, SFC
Andrew Colburn, Desma
Colburn
details of the Easter
photo shoot with slots
available for one full
day, and within 2-3
hours, all available slots
had been reserved, fa-
cilitating the arrange-
ment of a second day of
photo shooting. When
the film was in the can,
Mrs. Gariepy had shot
58 sessions, and $10 to
$20 per session and
had netted the FRG a
healthy profit for both
days setting a record
for the Katterbach FRG.
Mrs. Gariepy is no
stranger to military life;
she grew up in a mili-
tary family, and is very
familiar with and sup-
portive of the military
family lifestyle. Prior to
coming to Katterbach,
she has supported mili-
tary organizational fund
USAHC Katterbach
FRG planned and con-
ducted an Easter photo
shoot on 29 and 30
March 2013, utilizing
the professional pho-
tography skills of Mrs.
Amanda Gariepy, wife
of SPC David Gariepy,
Radiology technician. In
the relaxed and quaint
setting of the Von Steu-
ben Community Center,
utilized at no cost to the
FRG as allowed by
USAG Ansbach, Mrs.
Gariepy designed and
planned the background
and setting, and with
the help of Katterbach
clinic FRG volunteers,
conducted the photo
shoot, which included
models - live rabbits!
The FRG published an
announcement on Face-
book advertising the
raising with her unique
abilities on many occa-
sions. In their previous
duty station at FT
Lewis, Mrs. Gariepy vol-
unteered and assisted
the 1-14 CAV, the 5-20
Infantry, and the 2-3
Infantry raise funds
during multiple events
to support their military
family activities. The
Katterbach clinic is truly
blessed to have an ac-
complished professional
like Mrs. Gariepy sup-
porting the FRG and the
Soldiers and families of
the Ansbach commu-
nity!
KATTERBACH
Page 6
BMEDDAC FRG NEWS
HOHENFELS
The Hohenfels health care
community has welcomed a very
exciting and busy beginning to
2013. We have sadly bid farewell
to some of our members, but also
welcomed new personnel. Our
Hail and Farewell dinner was held
at Zum Schwan where we said
farewell to SGT Gonzalez and SGT
Wilson and welcomed SGT Jusino-
vargas, SPC Crooks, PFC Kibler,
Mr. Brito, Mr. Colgan, Mr. Bojicic,
Mrs. Tostado, and Dr. Steinberg
along with their families.
The Hohenfels Clinic FGR held
an Easter celebration. Our eve-
ning began with sugar
cookie and blown egg
decorating, displaying the
artistic talents of many,
followed by a delicious
potluck dinner and ending
with an adventurous
Easter Egg Hunt. We had
an amazing turnout and
it’s always exciting to see
our clinic family working
together.
Also, our laboratory
team coordinated a very
successful community
blood drive on April 2nd
and 3rd. Our community dis-
played enormous support by tak-
ing the time to roll up their
sleeves and give the gift of life
through donating blood.
We would like to give a sin-
cere and appreciative thank you
to everyone that supported and
participated in the blood drive.
Overall, the beginning of
2013 has been very successful
and we look forward to the
amazing opportunities the rest of
the year has to offer.
“…2013 has
been very
successful and
we look forward
to the amazing
opportunities…” Our Clinic family enjoying sugar cookie decorating and blown egg decorating.
LTC Christopher David instructing the children before the
Easter Egg hunt.
KIDS CORNER Celebrate Spring Coloring Contest
Page 7
Volume 2, Issue 1
6. Winner announced May 23.
Prize: a special treat from the
states!
HHC is sponsoring the 1Q coloring
contest for the children of BMED-
DAC FRGs. This coloring contest is
for all children ages 12 and under.
All entries will be posted on Is-
suu.com/frsabmeddac and every-
one will have the opportunity to
vote.
1. Color your entry.
2. Turn in your entry to
your FRG Leader.
3. Vote @ Issuu.com.
4. Entry due by May 8.
5. Voting May 9-22.
Madison Gariepy, 6 years old, winner
4 quarter Coloring Contest from Katterbach
with her winning picture,
prize and certificate.
PAGE 6
HHC
Day was to be an op-
portunity for people
with skills like knitting,
jewelry making, scrap
booking and other
crafts to show off some
of their talents, seek
advice on a project
from a more skilled
crafter, and possibly
teach someone how to
make something. Never
fear, crafting will pre-
vail; the Craft Day has
been rescheduled for
Saturday, April 20th.
At the end of March,
the HHC FRG organized
an Easter Egg Hunt for
its youngsters. Brightly
colored eggs and
brightly colored Easter
dresses filled the hall-
ways of building 700 as
children piled their bas-
kets with as many eggs
as they could find. The
Easter Bunny himself
made an appearance in
the afternoon and we
were very glad he could
fit in a visit despite his
schedule being jam-
packed at this time of
year.
We are looking for-
ward to a great Sum-
mer and hoping to plan
some fun events for
everyone to attend. We
would love for anyone
interested to join us in
our planning. As al-
ways, our meetings are
held the first Tuesday of
each month, so if you’d
like to help us make
this summer great, stop
by!
The HHC FRG is
having a very fun
Spring! We ended win-
ter with a Family Fun
Day in January that fea-
tured movies, a magic
show, balloon animals,
cookie and cupcake
decorating, a bouncy
house and a chili cook-
off which featured some
of the best chili we
have tasted. The Family
Fun Day was co-
sponsored by the Vil-
seck Health Clinic and
we were glad to see so
many of our friends and
family having a good
time.
We had scheduled a
Craft Day for the end of
February that was post-
poned because of a late
winter storm. The Craft
The kids had a wonderful time
in building 700 for the Easter
egg hunt!
LTC Gayla Wilson and her
daughter Emily.
PAGE 7
What can your FRSA do for you? Part 2
Generates and maintains binders that contain Appointment letters,
Op Ready FRG Guidelines, Banking/Account information, Point of Contacts, FRG
leaders, Volunteer job descriptions, etc.
Assists Family Members in contacting their respective FRG leaders.
Schedules and coordinates guest speakers for FRG meetings.
Creates, updates and maintains phone rosters.
Creates, publishes and distributes a quarterly BMEDDAC FRG newsletter.
Provide administrative assistance to FRG Leader as needed.
Helps develop, publish and distribute any announcements and flyers.
Identifies POCs and obtains information on community resources.
Provides referral to community agencies such as ACS, Chaplain, and social work
services.
Assists Commander with establishment and maintenance of the virtual FRG
(vFRG).
Directions:
CRUST
1. Preheat oven to 218 C (425F).
2. Coat pan with nonstick cooking
spray.
3. Mix potatoes and onion.
4. Press potato mixture evenly
over the bottom and sides of
the pie pan.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
FILLING
1. Spread cooked sausage evenly
over the crust.
2. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the
sausage.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs,
egg whites and spices.
4. Pour egg mixture evenly over
the cheeses.
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups grated potatoes or use
Ore Ida Hash Browns, Country
style shredded potatoes
1/2 cup onion, chopped
6 oz Shady Brook Farms Lean
Turkey Breakfast sausage,
cooked
1/3 cup Kraft 2% milk Finely
Shredded Cheddar
1/3 cup Kraft part-skim finely
shredded Mozzarella
4 eggs
6 egg whites OR All Whites
100% liquid egg whites
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
5. Lower oven to 176C (350F).
Baked for 40-45 minutes or
until the center is set and
knife inserted comes out
clean.
Serve with hugs and kisses.
Mother’s Day Breakfast Casserole
Kid friendly recipe to prepare for Mom on her special day and it’s Gluten Free.
YOUR FAMILY READINESS SUPPORT ASSISTANT
Cheryl K. Hintz
FRSA BAVARIA MEDDAC
CMR 411, UNIT 28308
APO. AE 09112
DSN 476-4788
CIV 09662-83-4788
This recipe is easy enough for the kids to
make with minimal help and
yummy for the Mummy!