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AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014 | VOL. 3 NO. 46

COMMUNITY NEWSHumor for hope at All VeteranComedy showcase, Page 3

BASE NEWSSecurity Forces Police Blotter,

Page 6

BASE NEWSVeteran’s History Day celebration,

Page 2

BY 459TH AIR REFUELINGWING OFFICE OF THE STAFF

JUDGE ADVOCATE

Department of the Air Forcepersonnel working, residing orvisiting the National CapitalRegion must be aware: The useor possession of marijuana byAir Force personnel is prohibit-ed and may result in significantadverse action, including crimi-nal prosecution as applicable.On Tuesday, Nov. 4 resi-

dents of the District of Colum-bia passed Initiative 71, theso-called “Legalization of Pos-session of Minimal Amountsof Marijuana for Personal UseAct of 2014.” This ballot initia-tive purported to make it lawfulunder District of Columbia lawfor a person 21 years of age orolder to possess marijuana forpersonal use, grow cannabisplants within a person’s princi-pal residence, transfer withoutpayment (but not sell) up to oneounce of marijuana to anotherperson 21 years of age or older,and use or sell drug parapher-nalia for the use, growing, orprocessing of marijuana or can-nabis.Air Force members must be

aware, this initiative does notauthorize Air Force personnelto use marijuana. To the con-trary, federal law and Depart-ment of Defense policy prohibitthe use or possession of mari-juana.Military personnel remain

subject to criminal prosecu-tion under Article 112a of theUniform Code of Military Jus-tice (UCMJ) for marijuana use,possession, or distribution--whether the use, possession ordistribution occurs in Districtof Columbia or anywhere elsein the world.Moreover, DoD civilian em-

ployees remain subject to theprohibitions on marijuana useor possession, outlined in a

Marijuanalegalized inD.C. stillunlawful formilitary,DoD civilians

see MARIJUANA, page 2

BY STAFF SGT.ROBERT CLOYS

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The U.S. Air Force HonorGuard, in partnership withthe Capital Area Food Bank,began collecting food Oct. 20,in an effort to bring atten-tion to the hunger that affectsmany in the National CapitalRegion.The food bank serves near-

ly 500,000 people in the re-gion struggling with hungerand distributes 45-million

pounds of food, equivalent to37.5-million meals, annually.The Capital Area Food Bankalso aims to educate, empowerand enlighten the communityabout the issues of hunger andnutrition.“We’re excited that the U.S.

Air Force Honor Guard hasbeen working with us for thepast two years,” said MariaBooker, Capital Area FoodBank Northern Virginia part-nerships manager. “When theyput on the military uniform

U.S. Honor Guard helpsin fight to solve hunger

BY LESLIE C. SMITHSTAFF WRITER

Prince George’s County De-partment of Social Servicesheld its fifth annual Veter-ans Stand Down event at thePrince George’s County WayneK. Curry Sports & LearningComplex in Landover, Md. onNov. 8.The event for homeless resi-

dents — or those at risk — fea-tured more than 80 vendors of-fering services such as healthcare, education assistance,free haircuts, food, clothes, po-diatry services, DV counseling,housing assistance, showerand laundry, legal support andmore.County Executive Rushern

L. Baker III was on hand, per-sonally thanking vendors andservice providers and inter-acting with attendees. Takingtime to really expound on theimportance of the event, Bakerremarked, “It’s very important.It’s one of my favorite eventsthat we do in the county. Assomeone who spent almost myentire young life on militarybases — I didn’t actually goto civilian schools until I wasa junior in high school — themilitary is a big part of myfamily; and it’s a big part ofPrince Georges’ County andthe state of Maryland. At anevent like this we offer all

these services so that our vetscan get services and job oppor-tunities — it is important forus … Prince George’s Countyhas the largest number ofhomeless vets in the area andso making sure that we, one,prevent homelessness but also

making sure they understandthe services that are here isimportant. I love this event;and we hope next year whenwe do this event we’re lookingto expand our Veterans Affairsoffice to put some more moneybehind it in staffing.”

The event drew on the re-sources of not only the countybut numerous private citizens.Gayla Williams, who at-

tends First Baptist of Glen Ar-den and is a member of their

Prince George’s County holdsannual Veteran Stand Down event

see FOOD, page 5

PHOTO/LESLIE C. SMITH

Gayla Williams, one of the numerous volunteers that participated in the Annual Veterans StandDown Event.

see STAND DOWN, page 4


On Nov. 7, Secretary Mc-Donald spoke before an inti-mate mixed group, includingveterans, at a lunch held atthe National Press Club inWashington, DC.McDonald spent a little

more than half an hour dis-cussing the challenges he isfacing with “fixing” the UnitedStates Department of VeteranAffairs along with his plansto implement initiatives and

strategies to tackle the prob-lems.At the end, he spent nearly

30 minutes answering toughquestions from attendees.“What we need to be about

at the VA is improving ourcustomer service and that isat the center of everything weare doing on the Road to Vet-erans Day and beyond.”“For me every single day is

Veterans Day – every singleday is Veterans Day – and

Secretary Robert McDonaldspeaks at National Press Club

see PRESS, page 5

Andrews Gazette2 Friday, November 14, 2014

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint MilitaryPublications, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,Md., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S.Air Force or any branch of the United States military.The appearance of advertising in these publications,

including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsementby the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force orthe products and services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion,sex, national origin, age,martial status, physical handicap, political af-filiation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchases, user or patron.

COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

Maxine Minar, [email protected]

John Rives, [email protected]

Deirdre Parry, page [email protected]

Leslie Smith, [email protected]

Bobby Jones, [email protected]

Football ChampionsThe Air Force Academy’s 23-

6 victory over Army earned it theCommander-in-Chief ’s Trophy fora record 19th time. Earlier, the Fal-cons beat Navy, 30-21. It was the49th meeting between the service-academy rivals. The Falcons leadthe series against Army 34-14-1and have won 16 of the last 18 inthe series. The Falcons are 31-12in Commander-in-Chief ’s Trophygames against Army dating tothe beginning of the round-robincompetition in 1972. They have aseries-best 56-30 overall recordagainst Army and Navy.

Tax Forms ReadiedThe Defense Finance and Ac-

counting Service (DFAS) will makeavailable IRS Forms 1099-R for the2014 tax year in mid-December. Re-tirees and annuitants will be ableto access their forms on myPay. Re-tirees and annuitants who have notcreated a myPay account, or rely on

hard-copy versions of the 1099-R,should not expect to receive theirforms until mid-January. A re-minder, 1099-R’s are not automati-cally issued for deceased retireesand annuitants. Those in need ofa 1099-R on the behalf of someonewho has passed away must requestthat the form be issued. For moreinformation regarding a 1099-R fora deceased retiree or annuitant,call 800-321-1080.

New Life for B-29TSgt. Geoffrey Jensen is helping

to restore one of the last two B-29sto flying condition. The Super-for-tress, named Doc after a characterfrom “Snow White,” was built inWichita, Kan., during World War IIand is parked in a Boeing hangarnear McConnell AFB. A flight linecrew chief for 18 years, SergeantJensen is a valued member of thevolunteer restoration team. Themanager is 95-year-old TJ Norman.“It’s so nice having these Air Force

guys over here. All I have to do isshow them what project we areworking on, and they know exactlywhat to do.” Jensen’s enthusiasmfor the project has spread to familymembers. His wife helps manageoperational aspects and his fatherhas also lent a hand. While Doc’srestoration began 14 years ago,the airplane has been grounded formore than 50 years. The first testflight is planned before the end ofthe year, Norman said. Jensen isaiming to become a part of Doc’s6-man aircrew after he retires inApril. “We want to try to get him inas a flight engineer,” Norman said.

The Retiree Activities Office isopen 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday. Visit the office inBuilding 1604 at California andColorado Avenues or call 301 981-2726. Call before your visit to ensurea volunteer is on duty. The RAO hasa website at www.andrews.af.mil.

Retiree Corner

Department of Defense memoran-dum dated Feb. 4, 2013. DoD civil-ian employees are subject to therestrictions governing drug usefound in DoD Instruction 1010.09,DoD Civilian Employee Drug-FreeWorkplace Program, dated June22, 2012, and other applicable De-partment of Health and HumanServices Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Admin-istration guidelines. Moreover,civilian employees and contrac-tor employees who use marijuanamay find that they are unable toobtain or maintain the securityclearances necessary to performtheir jobs.

Furthermore, it is a federalcrime for an individual to bringmarijuana onto a military instal-lation. Any person found in pos-session of marijuana on a military

installation could be barred frombase for a significant period of timeand ejected from residing in basehousing.

So be mindful of marijuana pro-hibitions. DoD will continue touse random urinalysis testing as ameans of detecting marijuana useby military and civilian personneland will continue to take appro-priate actions, including criminalprosecutions, to protect our Air-men, and our Air Force.

MARIJUANA, from page 1

BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASSJOSHUA R. M. DEWBERRY

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Veteran’s History Day was cel-ebrated at The Courses at JointBase Andrews, Md., Nov. 7. Thisevent was held to recognize theservice of military veterans, specifi-cally women service members.

Congresswoman Donna F. Ed-wards, Maryland 4th Congressio-nal District, was the guest speakerat the event, spoke about the ac-complishments and achievementsof women service members from allbranches.

“Approximately 64,000 residentsof Maryland are women veteransand they comprise a collective to-tal of 560 years of service thus far,”said Edwards.

Through on-camera interviews,31 women service members pro-vided their personal stories andexperiences in serving the UnitedStates military.

Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught (Ret.)also spoke at the event, congratu-lating women service members fortheir continued and honorable ser-vice in the U. S. military.

“Women are not recognizedenough in our military historyand I’m trying to change that,”

said Vaught. “For example, about400,000 women served in our mili-tary during the Second World War,but not everyone who studies U.S.military history is aware of thatcontribution. Women deserve allthe same recognition the men do.”

The video interviews were added

to the growing section of militaryhistory in the Library of Congress.

This event was also attendedby students from Suitland HighSchool, Richard Wright CharterSchool, Prince George Commu-nity College and the University ofMaryland.

Veteran’s History Day celebration

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS JOSHUA R. M. DEWBERRY

Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards speaks at The Courses at JointBase Andrews. Edwards attended Veteran’s History Day in celebrationof women service members history serving in the U.S. military.

November 14 and 15Air Force’s Tops in Blue6:30 p.m.U.S. Air Base Theater, JBAFree night of family entertainmentHear exciting sounds of Bruno Mars, Pharrell

Williams and Daft Punk and other artists. Thisyear’s show also showcases great country music ofartists like Jerry Reed, Florida Georgia Line, DierksBentley and the Pistol Annies. The Tops In Blueshow will also feature the great patriotic music thathonors our nation and its heroes. All combined withcostumes, lights and choreography. Visit www.top-sinblue.com.

November 148-10 p.m.All Veteran Performer Comedy Night FundraiserCrystal City Sports Pub, 529 23rd Street S, Ar-

lington, VAPresented by Operation Renewed Hope and host-

ed by Mike Brown featuring all Military Veteranperformers. Veterans attend free. Online: $10 single,$15 pair, $20 at the door.

November 15National Harbor Tree LightingNoon-7 p.m.Annual tree lighting featuring performances, dog

photos with Santa, card making for armed forcesoverseas, holiday movie and fireworks.

November 14-16Gaylord National’s ICE!A special holiday, interactive event featuring

a winter wonderland crated of 5,000 blocks of ice,hand sculpted by international artisans. This year’stheme is Frosty the Snowman. Visit www.national-harbor.com/events.

November 19A Christmas Carol10:15 a.m. and Noon6600 Kenilworth Ave. Riverdale, MD 20737Ushering in the holiday season, Charles Dickens’

classic story is presented in a musical version byTheatreWorks USA. Tickets: $8; $6/groups of 20 ormore. For more information call 301-699-2255.

November 28-January 1Festival of Lights5-9:30 p.m.Watkins Regional Park, 301 Watkins Park Drive

(Route 193), Upper Marlboro, MD 20774Don’t miss this holiday drive-through event fea-

turing more than one million twinkling lights. Thisyear’s Festival features new displays.

Hot ticketsaround town

Andrews GazetteFriday, November 14, 2014 3


Tonight folks will be enjoyingthe comedy of some of the area’smost talented comics in Arling-ton, Va. at the All Veteran Com-edy Night Fundraiser for Op-eration Renewed Hope Founda-tion (ORHF) at the Crystal CitySports Pub.

This show features all veterancomedians. The host for the eve-ning will be Mike Brown, a nine-year-veteran with the NationalGuard, who will quickly disarmyou with his charm and unas-suming manner.

Brown spent six years withthe National Guard and threeyears of active duty – two of thoseyears at Langley AFB in the Se-curity Forces. “I did a tour in Iraqduring Saddam’s trial; I was onthe base in the green zone doingPSD for the Iraqi officials.”

That was it for the straight an-swers and soon it was sore cheeksfrom grinning and uncontrolledgiggles.

At first you wonder, am Isupposed to laugh at this? Butquickly you are assured it’s OKto see the humor in young comic’squirky view and experiences inthe military by his quick, slightlymischievous grin.

“I saw a banner on the carthat said full-time benefits forpart-time work and I was like

‘that’s me’ because I’m lazy,” ex-plaining how he got to the Na-tional Guard.

“They teach you all you haveto do is fight a few storms giveout a few sand bags. Then I wentto the National Guard museumand they said a lot of people don’tknow this; there were more Na-tional Guard and Reserves inDessert Storm my face froze up… I was like uh oh my recruiterdidn’t tell me that.”

Leaving the military a yearafter returning from Iraq, Brownlooked around to figure out whatwas next.

“I had a nice little nest egg.I always wanted to be in the DCarea. I didn’t really have a plan;I just knew I wanted to be inDC. Norfolk was that town if youweren’t selling drugs, not in themilitary, not a nurse, then you’rejust not – not doing anything.”

“I was out of work for a year,doing a lot of odds and ends jobsthen I was hired at Harris IT ser-vices.

“One day sitting in my office,I always wanted to do stand up,thinking there has to be a standup school somewhere, there hasto be some training to do this. IGoogled it and I found this club– All Stars Comedy Club … DaveTullis – he passed away now– he had a school. It was a $25school; the Improv was like $300.I thought I can’t afford 300 but Ican do 25. So I show up; and I’mready to learn – got my pen mypad and everything. He asks if Iwant a drink I said sure I’d like aCoke, he said good, I’ll take a vod-ka and cranberry…Then asked‘ok, are you ready to learn?’ Ithought, ‘Ok why not?’ It was theworse, who drinks at 12 o’clock inthe afternoon?”

“Then the next day – therewas this comedian by the name ofDingbat – don’t judge that name,”Brown looks at me deadpan, Igiggle. “I said Dingbat; it’s all oneword, too.” I laugh and he laughs.

So Dingbat had a show that

Sunday and he said ‘I want you toperform,’ but I said ‘I’m not ready.’He said, ‘Well just come to theshow; see what it’s like to performat a real comedy show.’ So I getthere and he says, ‘The first co-median coming to the stage – realfunny guy – give it up for MikeBrown.’ I’m like ‘Wait a minute.’ Ihave to go up there I have all myfriends with me so I go up therethis is my first joke – and my lastjoke. I did two and a half minutes.I was just throwing out a bunchof stuff in my head – incompletesentences.

“My closing joke, which Ithought was going to be my bigbang, this is going to make me– was about how men can’t readsonograms – the old sonogramspictures … And instead of justleaving it there, I jump on thestool and hang myself upsidedown like I’m the baby but therewasn’t enough room, and oneof the legs was hanging off thestage. I fell off the stage; my headalmost hit the mic stand. So, I gotup and brushed myself off, tookthe mic and put the mic in thestand. I didn’t even say bye; justtold my friends we’re going to thecar – right now, right now we’regoing to the car.” Uncontrollablelaughter.

What made him get back upagain? “My pride, my pride saidthat cannot be the end – thegrand opening, the grand closing.”

Brown did get his nerve backup to go on stage again threeweeks later.

“I was always a big comedyfan. I watched In Living Color,Martin, Living Single I had anidea of comedy, how I wanted tobe.

“My favorite comedian grow-ing up was Gallagher. So, like alot of people were Richard Pryor,I was like yeah Gallagher. Whatyou don’t like about smashingpumpkins; you don’t like smash-ing watermelons?”

“That was the only thing Icould watch; I wasn’t allowed towatch HBO. I didn’t see Def Com-edy Jam until someone gave methe DVD set later. So I watchedComedy Central.

“So I’m looking at Gallagherhe’s his throw back to the sixties;and he’s like rolling across thestage and smashing watermel-ons and I’m like that’s cool. Buthe was doing this in these the-ater settings. People were payingtheir money to get watermelonjuice potentially on their clothes;that’s what they signed up for! Isaw that and I thought ‘that waspretty cool.’ ”

“My standup is very physicallike Martin – and a lot of acting,too. Martin is probably the big-gest influence; he showed me youcan be silly… that’s what really

Humor for hope at All Veteran Comedy showcase


Mike Brown will host the AllVeteran Comedy Night Fun-draiser at the Cyrstal City

Sports Club in Arlington, Va.

see COMEDY, page 5

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military care ministry, said “I supportedthis event last year and my heart justwent out to the community. All theagencies in our county that come outto help our veterans — I had to be apart of it. My church was a sponsor …I couldn’t lay in my bed on a Saturdaymorning knowing this was going to takeplace. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

Beyond the event, the county is in-vestigating how it can best help veter-ans in other ways.

Henry Turner, former Chairman tothe Prince George’s County Commissionfor Veterans, shared plans for a specialfeasibility study in order to best evalu-ate how to serve the veterans in thecounty and increase services, “We haveover 70,000 veterans — the largest con-centration in the area. The County Ex-ecutive is an army brat just like I was;I later joined the army and the CountyExecutive is a military vet, as well, andwe said we owe this back. I have a sonwho is a captain in the army. We wantedto make sure our veteran population inthe county is taken care of.

Turner also said the county is look-ing for ways to not only employ home-less veterans but also finding ways tofind more business opportunities forveteran-owned business small busi-nesses with the hopes that they willreach back into the community to em-ploy other veterans.

“The Stand down is just the tip ofthe iceberg of what our county execu-tive wants to do for our veterans. I’mreally proud of his initiatives and I’vebeen asked to do a feasibility study toget the ideas and the issues of our vet-eran population so he can determinehow best to open the veterans affairsoffice.

“The County Executive and I under-stand that many veteran organizationsare focused on the older generation —40 and older. So we’re reaching out tosoldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines...

trying to get to the issues and concernsof younger veterans; find out what theywant and focus on that.”

Each year the event has grown,L’Tanya Brown, Program Manager De-partment of Social Services in the Com-munity Service Division, involved in theevent since its inception five years ago,remarked of its growth. “This event al-

lows us to collaborate with the commu-nity; if we can strengthen individuals,then our community will be strength-ened.

“I’ve seen this event grow from wherewe had to beg people to do this event —they’re not getting compensated — topeople and organizations asking to par-ticipate and help. Also, I have seen theword is getting out to the communityand their not just coming by themselvesbut they are bringing other people withthem.”

“I think that it’s just a great oppor-tunity to match people with their needs,meeting them where they are and get-ting them services, access to servicesthey really need. It’s a sad situationthat a number of people in our com-munity that are less fortunate,” saidDennis Lewis, Prince George’s CountyDepartment of Social Services, Commu-nity Services Division.

“We in social services – government— do all we can to link them and pro-

vide those services. I’m very proud to bepart of that effort. I’m a social workerand so it does me a world of good when Isee that connection; when you see some-one that really has a need and you meetthat need it’s just a beautiful feeling.

“It’s a beautiful concept — you cancome here get a haircut, pick up a suit,go for an interview, and maybe walkout with a job. That’s a blessing. Also,get hooked up with your benefits, some-times people don’t have what they needto be able to get benefits so that maybethey can have eligibility or income theymay not have had so they can affordhousing. You can also come in and geta number of health screenings. Justmakes it all worthwhile,” Lewis said.

PHOTOS/LESLIE C. SMITH

Jorge Acosta; Linda Frazier, American Red Cross National Capital Region,Regional Manager for Service to Armed Forces; Bianca P. Langford

County Executive Rushern L. Baker IIIstands with veteran Raymond C. Reed,US Army, Ret., a Vietnam-era veteran,and Henry Turner.

STAND DOWN, from page 1

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every day and still volunteerafter hours by putting togethera food drive like this it makes abig impact on the community.”

Already, more than 600 bagsof non-perishable Thanksgiv-ing food items, valued at morethan $5,400, have been donat-ed by personnel at Joint BaseAnacostia-Bolling and JointBase Andrews.

To further aid in the cause,the U.S. Navy Honor Guardjoined in the effort. Nov. 8, 30ceremonial guardsmen fromboth military branches will beassembled 750 bags of donatedfood.

“It makes me proud to see12, junior sailors committed totheir jobs during the week andstill make time to serve the

community on the weekend,”said Petty Officer 2nd ClassReuben Williams, Navy cer-emonial guardsman.

The donation, estimatedto feed up to 2800 people thisThanksgiving, was collected inpreparation for the 5K “HungerAwareness” Turkey Trot slatedto take place at JBA, Nov. 20,at 7 a.m. in front of the westfitness center.

Run participants will havethe opportunity to sign thedonations and add a specialmessage upon completion ofthe 5K. Those donations willbe hand delivered by honorguardsmen the following week.

“We are still looking formore donations, and the driveends only two weeks from now,”said Staff Sgt. Lawrence Rajab,USAF Honor Guard ceremonialguardsman and lead coordina-

tor of the food drive. “Sunday,Nov. 16, is the final day of thedrive but you can make lastminute donations at the 5k. Ihope to see continued supportwith the cause, as

well as a strong turn outfor the event. Every personwill have a chance to exercise,gain insight on the strugglein the region, and contributea personal inscription to amuch needed and appreciatedThanksgiving meal.”

Those looking to contributeby donating food can visit thecommissary at both JBAB andJBA.

For volunteer opportunitieswith the Capital Area FoodBank, visit www.capitalarea-foodbank.org.

(Michelle Kuzenko contrib-uted to this story.)

FOOD, from page 1

COURTESY PHOTO/MICHELLE KUZENKO

Members of the U.S. Air Force and Navy Honor Guards pose Nov.8 for a group photo at the Capital Area Food Bank in Lorton, Va.Guardsmen from both military branches assembled 750 bags ofdonated food estimated to feed up to 2,800 people this Thanks-giving.

got me into it.” Brown also de-scribes his act as, “A big hodge-podge. I like to talk about familyand my upbringing. I become thecharacters I talk about.”

Going back to his first attempton stage, “So after I failed miser-ably in the chair I had to go backin there. I had some good peoplethat had my back and I startedwriting – and the second or thirdshow was better than the firstshow.”

Looking to the future, thiscomic looks to be the total enter-tainer. Just filmed first comedyDVD, called the Life and Times ofOl’Mike B, filmed Oct. 19 at theDC Arts center in front of a sold-out crowd, with Greg Stephenshosting it and filmed by The Tay-lor Creative. The DVD is due outJan. 2015.

Staying busy in his total en-tertainment pursuit, Brownhosts an open-format radio showfrom 2 to 4 p.m. called Open MikeRadio with all topics open for dis-cussion in only the most irrever-ent way comedians can do.

After attending the show lastyear, Brown was asked to hostthis year’s All Veteran Comedyshowcase. “And this year Kirbyasked if I wanted to host it ... butthis is how they do – ‘you know

it’s for charity so we can’t payyou.’ ” More of the mischievoussmile.

First jokes, but quickly hecomes back around to, “It’s for thetroops, I’m a vet I want to do thisfor the vets.”

Why comedy?“I wanted to tackle comedy, it’s

fun, it’s amazing. It’s the one ofthe only arts of the right now...In comedy in order for me to fig-ure out if this joke works or notI have to go to a live audience;there’s no studio. And the audi-ence lets me know if I suck; and,if I do, I say ok I’ll be back and Ifthey love it, I say thank you! Justbeing able to go to different au-diences and see how they react.Especially with my style of com-edy; I talk a lot about my family.Sometimes people will walk upto me and say, ‘I needed that.’People are able to relate, see thehuman part.

To find out more about MikeBrown or to contact him, visitwww.olmikeb.com.

The All Veteran ComedyNight Fundraiser will benefitOperation Renewed Hope Foun-dation, a 501(c)(3), which pro-vided housing and supportiveservices to Veterans experiencinghomelessness.

For more information aboutORHF, visit operationrenewed-hopefoundation.org.

COMEDY, from page 3

that’s why I love this job.”McDonald spoke about the

90-day Plan Road to Veteran’sday. McDonald stressed theimportance of first focusingon rebuilding trust. “We knowtrust has been compromisedat the VA and we know we aregoing to have to build it oneveteran at a time.”

Key in the plan of rebuild-ing trust is changing the cul-ture with employees is to haveeveryone recommit to the val-ues and mission of the organi-zation. McDonald spoke aboutthe I CARE model (and pin)that many of the employeeswear. I CARE is the acronymof Integrity, Commitment,Advocacy, Respect and Excel-lence.

Working on reshaping cul-ture and behaviors of everyemployee, McDonald said “Imade it clear very clear thatanyone in our organizationwho violates these values willbe held accountable. And I’mconvinced that we have – withthis mission, with these val-ues – the framework in placeto create the change that weneed to make.”

McDonald shared that

there were more than 40 pro-posed disciplinary actions andmore than 100 investigationsunderway within the depart-ment – lead by organizationssuch as Office of InspectorGeneral, Dept. of Justice, FBI,Office of Special Counsel, andan Accountability Team fromthe Office of AccountabilityReview, which reports direct-ly to McDonald – as well astracking 5,600 disciplinary ac-tions over the last year – ap-proximately 2,000 completed.“We are very serious of mak-ing sure that we hold peopleaccountable for their actions.”

Focused on accelerating ac-

cess to care, the second strat-egy, the VA is reaching out toveterans that have been puton a waitlist, mobile vans havebeen sent out to reach veter-ans in areas outside the rangeof the facilities, and imple-menting telehealth solutions– health care-related servicesand information digitally.

McDonald said there weremore than 1.2 million moreappointments made in thelast four months than in sameperiod last year (from June toOctober).

Decreasing homeless wasanother initiative, McDonaldsaid. An inter-agency commit-tee consisting of United StatesDepartment of Housing andUrban Development (HUD),the VA, and Department ofLabor was set up to work onveteran homelessness, whichis currently down 33 percentaccording to McDonald.“Gottatell ya, if there is one homelessveteran it’s one too many. Sowe’re not giving up we’re con-tinuing to work very hard todo that.”

“I am personally convincedthis job can be done that thesereforms can be executed, thatwe can care for veterans theway we should be caring forthem.”

PRESS, from page 1


Sec. Robert McDonaldanswers questions from theattendees of a luncheon atthe National Press Club onNov. 7.

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Upper Marboro, MD


The Security Forces Blotter isintended to keep members of theJoint Base Andrews Commu-nity informed and aware of thecrimes and offenses that occurthroughout the base each week.If you have any informationthat may help Security Forcessolve a crime or prevent a crim-inal act, please contact BDOC(Base Defense Operations Cen-ter) at 301-981-2001, CRIMESTOP LINE 981-2677 (COPS,or the investigations section at301-981-5656).

Nov. 4 at 2:40 p.m.: Whileconducting a traffic stop, Secu-rity Forces members detainedtwo individuals for failure toprovide proper credentials forbeing on base. Individualswere charged accordingly.

Nov. 5 at 1:23 p.m.: Secu-rity Forces received an anony-mous tip through the “LiveSafe”app reporting illegally parkedvehicles at the 11 FSS/Educa-tion Office. Patrols respondedand cited violators accordingly.

As a ReminderPlease ensure you are aware

of the posted speed limits, traf-fic lights and street signs. Ad-ditionally, please rememberdriving and talking/texting on acell phone is illegal in the stateof Maryland and on base. Ifyou receive a phone call or textmessage while driving, safelypull over to a safe area to uti-lize your cell phone.

For reporting any emer-gencies or non-emergencies,please feel free to utilize the

“LiveSafe” app. “LiveSafe” is ananonymous reporting app thatcan be downloaded for free onyour smart device. “LiveSafe”connects people and police in atwo-way dialogue and enablesinformation to be shared in-stantaneously; it enhances peo-ple’s ability to connect with po-lice during times of tragedy andemergency situations. “LiveS-afe” empowers the communityby giving them the option toanonymously report crimes orinform police of information to

help prevent any crime fromhappening.

Use “LiveSafe” to:• Connect With Police:

Share information and safetyconcerns with police via textwith picture, video and audioattachments, with the optionto remain anonymous. You canalso start a live chat.

• Get Fast Access To Info:Access emergency help, tele-phone numbers, and importantsafety information and resourc-es all from one place.

Security Forces Police Blotter

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1043237

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