By Capt. Timothy R. Hernandez16th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Military bands have long been the good will ambassadors of the armed services to communities who have part-nered with the military in achieving our national security interests. The 1st Armored Division Band carried on that tradition Thursday with a live performance at New Mexico State Univer-sity’s Atkinson Recital Hall in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The goal of the event was to bring together stu-dents, local veterans and other community mem-bers in the area to honor the service of the local veterans and celebrate the support and patriotism that the NMSU community offers the armed ser-vices.

The live music event was a collaborative effort between the 1AD Band commander, Capt. Rich-ard Winkels and the NMSU director of bands, Dr. Christopher Hughes. Winkels explained the unique relationship between NMSU and 1st Ar-mored Division Artillery, also known as DIVAR-TY.

“I think it’s great… DIVARTY has a partner in education relationship with [NMSU], and since we fall under them we are helping to strengthen that relationship,” Winkels said.

By using the NMSU venue to reach audiences in El Paso’s sister city, Las Cruces, and inviting guest performers from the NMSU staff to partici-pate in the live performance, Winkels looked to improve upon the relationship between NMSU, DIVARTY, 1st Armored Division and Team Bliss.

“It’s our way of helping to strengthen relation-

ships - by inviting musicians to be a part of the band - in that way we are inviting Dr. Hughes to conduct John Philip Sousa’s ‘The Gallant Sev-enth,’” he added.

“Music has a wonderful power to unite peo-ple,” Hughes said. “It does that as well or better than anything else in life. And so to see the com-munity come in, tapping their feet, enjoying and feeling the spirit of how great it is to be an Ameri-can, how great it is to be alive and how great it is to appreciate such wonderful music from great musicians is just a fabulous experience.”

Hughes also commented on the collaboration offered his students, specifically those who are looking to continue their careers as professional musicians outside of the teaching profession. Military bands also provide his students a way to continue performing professionally for the com-munity and the nation.

This unique venue also provided the 1st AD Band an opportunity to hone their skills as pro-fessional musicians, on pieces other than the standard classical numbers performed at ceremo-nial functions.

Sgt. Amy Mahoney, a vocalist with the 1st AD Band, performed selections from “The Sound of Music,” and enjoyed the opportunity to reach younger audiences with a more current musical performance.

“It’s a dream of every musician, really, to make a living wage and do what you love. I just consid-er myself very fortunate that I am able to perform

every day and make music every day with such a great group of Soldiers,” Mahoney said.

While Sgt. Mahoney’s performance was defi-nitely a crowd pleaser, judging by the standing ovation she received, many of the attendees said their favorite performances of the night were the patriotic themed salutes and musical numbers.

“My favorite performance of the night was ac-tually the armed forces salute. I really liked to see the people stand up,” said Kyler Burd, an NMSU student. “It really highlights the people who have served our country and that’s so important.”

With a variety of musical numbers including western music, big brass band performances, and crooning rat pack classics like “Sinatra in Love,” the band treated the audience to a full spectrum of musical entertainment with a southwestern theme.

Burd said the band surprised him by their va-riety of music and noted it was nice the military band was not strictly a marching band and had the freedom to produce and perform quality mu-sic from all kinds of genres.

Dr. Linda Matthews McCoy, a Vietnam war veteran and veteran of the 1st Armored Division, is no stranger to military band performances and considered the night’s performance to be among the best she had ever seen.

“I think they are an excellent band,” she said. “I have listened to a lot of bands and I think this is probably one of the best.”

FORT BLISS BUGLE • May 14, 2015 • 1B

COMMUNITY>>

COMMUNITY>>

Fort Bliss is El Paso andEl Paso is Fort Bliss.

Things to do ...EP Chihuahuas: The city’s AAA baseball team hosts home games at Southwest University Park on Santa Fe Street vs. the Fresno Grizzlies 7:05 p.m. Saturday, 1:05 p.m. Sunday, 6:35 p.m. Mon-day and 11:05 a.m. Tuesday. Individual tickets: $5 lawn seating; reserved seats begin at $8 in advance; $10 at the gate, plus $1.50 convenience fee. 533-BASE or EPChihua-huas.com

Art in the Park: The City Parks & Recreation Depart-ment’s semiannual arts and crafts fair is 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Me-morial Park’s Reserve area, 3100 Copper, with continu-ous entertainment, food ven-dors and a children’s area. Free. Julian Tarango, 252-9031 or elpasotexas.gov/parks.

Miller Lite Blues/Jazz Fes-tival: The two-day music fest is Saturday and Sunday at Chamizal National Memo-rial, 800 S. San Marcial. Free. Saturday is all-blues day, and Saturday is all-jazz day; both days feature two in-door workshops at 1:30 p.m. with main stage music 3:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the amphithe-ater. Saturday’s performers are 24/7 Blues Band, Aus-tin Jimmy Murphy, Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King, Mark Hummel / Charlie Baty Combo and England’s Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown. Sunday’s performers are Billy Townes and Mike Hamilton, Marty Olivas & Case Closed, Chicago’s Nick Colionne, Mexico City’s Matias Carba-jal and Los Angeles’s Jessy J. 526-0719, jrfmurphy@gmail.com or on Facebook at ep-bluesandjazz

EPSYOs Season Finale: El Paso Symphony Youth Or-chestras’ season finale con-cert is 7 p.m. Saturday at the Plaza Theatre. 525-8978 or epsyos.org

Tour of El Paso: EP Cyclists’ second annual Time Trial Cri-terium and Road Race are Saturday and Sunday. Time Trials begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at McKelligon Can-yon. Criterium events begin at 10:35 a.m. Saturday on Global Reach. Road Races of 35, 65 and 72 miles begin 8 a.m. Sunday at Cattleman’s Steakhouse in Fabens. epcy-clists.com or usacycling.org

Paramore: The alternative rock band (“Anklebiters,” “Still Into You”) presents their “Writing The Future” Tour at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Abraham Chavez Theatre, with special guest Copeland. Tickets are $42.50-$72.50 on Ticket-master.

1st AD Band performs at NMSU

Girl Scoutsdonate cookies n 2B

Military Spouse Appreciation Day n 5B

Armed Forces Dayat Biggs Park Saturday n 8B

Sgt. 1st Class Wendy Spohn and Spc. Megan Grieder, with the 1st Armored Division Band, get some last minute practice prior to a live performance at Atkinson Recital Hall, NMSU, Las Cruces, N.M., Thursday.

Photos by Capt. Timothy R. Hernandez / 16th MPAD

The 1st Armored Division Band prepares to take a bow at the close of their live performance at Atkinson Recital Hall, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M., Thursday.

Spc. Kenneth Goss, with the 1st Armored Division Band, warms up on his drum set prior to a live performance at Atkinson Recital Hall, NMSU, Las Cruces, N.M., Thursday.

FORT BLISS BUGLE • May 14, 2015 • 3B

By Capt. Sophia HildrethSpecial Victim Counsel, Fort Bliss Legal Assistance Offi ce

About two years ago, the military launched a dedicated effort to address and eliminate the issue of sexual assault among service members. As a result, Nov. 1, 2013, the Army started the Special Victim Counsel program. The SVC program is designed to provide victims of sexual assault their own independent attorney to represent the vic-tim’s interests throughout the military justice and legal administrative process.

SVCs have attorney-client confi dential-ity with their clients, meaning the client can speak openly about the case without fear that what they say will be repeated. This means sexual assault victims with unreported, or “restricted,” reports may still speak with a SVC knowing this does not automatically make the case “unrestricted” (exposing it to the chain of command and law enforce-ment offi cials for investigation and decision on further action). The SVC can answer any questions the victim may have about the military justice process, which can help the victim make an informed decision regarding whether they want to make the case unre-stricted.

SVCs are members of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. They are licensed attorneys and are specially trained and certifi ed by the Army Judge Advocate General to serve as SVCs. These attorneys provide their clients advice and representa-tion throughout the justice process, includ-ing during the investigation, trial and post-trial proceedings. SVCs accompany their clients to meetings with investigators, pros-ecutors and even defense counsel. The main goal of the SVC is to empower victims and guide them through the military justice and administrative process. SVCs help their cli-ents understand what is going on with their case, while also providing legal advice on a wide variety of issues related to the sexual assault.

One important point to note about SVCs is they are not prosecutors, and they do not

work for the government’s side of the case. Military prosecutors represent the govern-ment (not the victim), and are primarily responsible for prosecuting the crime at a court-martial. Most of the time, the interests of the government and the victim will align, but not always. There are circumstances in which the victim may desire a course of ac-tion different from the one the prosecutor recommends. For example, the victim may wish to see the case taken to trial, while the prosecutor recommends against trial due to a lack of evidence. While the decision of how to proceed ultimately rests with the com-mand, the SVC can be an instrumental ally to the victim in advocating the victim’s de-sires to the command.

Recent decisions by the U.S. Court of Ap-peals for the Armed Forces have established that victims of sexual assault have the right

to be heard through legal counsel at courts-martial on certain issues related to victim privacy rights. The most common of these issues are the admissibility of evidence un-der the military’s “rape shield” law, as well as certain evidence related to the disclosure of a victim’s mental health records.

When one of these issues comes up at a court-martial – and they routinely do – the SVC may appear before the military judge to present legal argument on behalf of their client. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2015 also creates some new rights for sexual assault victims. Victims of sexual assault who are also service members may now refuse to testify at preliminary hearings, whereas before they could not. SVCs ensure victims are aware of this, and many other rights, and have the ability to invoke them.

Any service member who has been the

victim of a sexual assault while on active duty is eligible for an SVC. SVCs are also authorized to represent a sexual assault vic-tim who is the dependent of a service mem-ber – including a child – if the accused is a service member.

Fort Bliss has two trained SVCs. As of the end of April, these attorneys have taken on more than 80 sexual assault victims as cli-ents. Sexual assault victims on Fort Bliss are encouraged to meet with an SVC at least once to get a better understanding of the pro-gram and decide whether they want a SVC. New clients – including those with unreport-ed or restricted reports – can call 726-3453 to set up a meeting. An SVC can be made available to meet with a new client within 24 hours.

SVC program provides assault victims with counsel4B • May 14, 2015 • FORT BLISS BUGLE

>> ʻJUST BECAUSEʼWendy BrownFort Bliss Bugle Editor

Kristen Herrera, also known as Giggles the Clown, places a party hat on the head of Gage Strickland, 7, after he completed Clown College during the Fort Bliss Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation ‘Just Because’ event Saturday at the Old Fort Bliss Replica and Noel Field.

FORT BLISS BUGLE • May 14, 2015 • 7B

By Chaplain (Capt.) Rich Hartenberg6-1 Cavalry Squadron, 1st Stryker Brigade, 1st Armored Division

An ancient story tells the tale of two men. The first man built a beautiful home on the beach surrounded by palm trees and an infinity pool. The second man also built a gorgeous home but decided to build on a nearby mountain upon solid rock. A great storm with hurricane strength winds and rain caused catastrophic flooding and damage. The storm devastated the first man as he lost everything. His house was gone. The second man, however, only had to make minor re-pairs. His home had weathered the storm and he was still standing strong.

The moral of this story has stood the test of time. Storms of life will come into every-body’s life. When those storms come, upon what kind of foundation will they have built their life? The answer to this question will show the level of their resiliency, which in turn lies at the heart of some challenges in our military.

People build their lives upon many unsta-ble things. Finances, relationships, personal accomplishments, self-image and even per-sonal health are subject to give way to the storms of life. The strength of our founda-tion determines the resilience from which we have something solid to launch back. In or-der to measure your resilience, ask yourself the following four questions.

Ask yourself, how am I doing physically? Physical training and a healthy diet are a good start. However, what about your sleep-ing habits? FM 6-22.5 states, “For optimal performance and effectiveness 7-8 hours of good quality sleep per 24 hours is needed.” Soldiers struggling with sleep in the midst of the nightmares may look to unhealthy sleep aids as a close alternative in order to get some rest. Regular medical checkups can help prevent problems that test and interfere with resilience.

Ask yourself, how am I doing mentally?

There is more to you than the uniform you wear. One day, you will hang up the uni-form and continue to live life. What is it that you would still want to accomplish? Do you desire to earn a degree, fulfill a child-hood dream or finish off your “bucket list?” One Soldier and his wife have someone take care of their kids every Thursday night while they enjoy some coffee and talk about their dreams, their future goals, vacations, family outings and other things they want to accom-plish. They take time out of their busy lives to do this every week. This keeps them close as they dream together about all that life has to offer.

Ask yourself, how am I doing socially? Some people like to keep to themselves away from work and just want to be alone. However, we all need to have some level of connectivity, whether it is going out to din-ner, having coffee, going to see a movie, coaching little league or helping with Boy/

Girl Scouts. With these activities, we allow people to speak into our lives keeping us ac-countable about all that truly matters in life.

Finally, how am I doing spiritually? May-be you are part of a Bible study, a prayer group or a meditation group. Maybe you have found your faith recently or you lost it during a deployment? Each individual has a spiritual aspect to his or her personal DNA. Our faith can give us strength as we rely on what we know that holds our future. Individuals who are a part of a spiritual/faith community survive moments of crisis with much greater resilience than those who are not. Faith is a crucial ingredient in having a strong foundation.

When the storms of life come, and we all know they will, what will we have left that we have built? Our level of resiliency will depend upon the foundation on which we have built our lives. Your life is worth the living, so build wisely.

By Lisa FerdinandoArmy News Service

WASHINGTON – Retired Soldier and current Department of Defense civilian Greg Cheek says the resiliency skills he learned from the military helped him overcome the biggest challenge of his life: cancer.

Diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in his head and neck, quick-ly followed by surgery, Cheek, a father of two, who works in Germany for the United States European Command, said he did not have time to absorb all that was happening.

“Two weeks later, I had my first post-treatment CAT scan/body scan and they found a lymph node in my neck that came up ‘hot’ so it looked like the cancer might be in my lymph nodes,” he said.

Resiliency was instilled in him during his years in the mili-tary, and then as a civilian, when he recently took the Master Resilience Trainer Course.

“It was amazing because I had just gone to this training and so whereas a month ago, if I got this news, who knows what would have happened,” he said.

“The Master Resilience Trainer Course and a host of other life experiences were key in my successful recovery and en-thusiastic outlook on life,” he said.

Cheek said he was a homeless teen who camped outside the Air Force recruiting office, until the service let him enlist. He was an Airman for four years, then left the Air Force and went to college and got his Reserve Officers’ Training Corps commission for the Army. He retired from the Army in 2005 as a lieutenant colonel.

The very enthusiastic Cheek said he has always had a great outlook on life, but getting the diagnosis of possibly more cancer was a shock.

“That was probably the most significant event I had in my entire life, probably more so than initially being diagnosed with cancer,” he said, noting that he then had the time to think about the magnitude of the situation.

“I’ve always been positive,” he said. “I’ve been positive and resilient and happy and proactive and all these things – but I was a little bit stunned.”

It was his medical team, he said, who said even though the statistics show how tough the diagnosis is and how tough the treatment is – which includes a stomach tube, radiation and chemotherapy – it is those who have served in the military who tend to have coping skills and resiliency needed during these health battles.

A member of the medical team said those who survive his type of diagnosis “‘are those who know how to be given a plan, stick to a plan, be resilient as you go up and down dur-ing this treatment,’” Cheek said.

The surgery took out 13 lymph nodes, he said, but every-thing turned out okay. He credits his ability to handle the stress, having gratitude, and saving his energy as ways that helped him cope.

“All I had to worry about was basically doing what I was taught in the military – and that is being healthy, being strong and being positive,” he said.

The support he received from those all around him was tremendous, Cheek said.

“I didn’t have to do anything. Everybody came to see me every night. I had somebody visiting me in treatment every day,” he said.

“They just said, when you feel well, Greg, you come back to work, until then, just take care of yourself, your job will be here waiting for you,” he said.

Cheek, who recently finished his seventh marathon, writes about being resilient in his new book, “Three Points of Con-tact.”

Location, location, location … build wisely

DOD civilian, retired Soldier says resiliency lessons helped beat cancer

www.heal thmasterspt.com