Journal 082213

By Ryan HunterNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

Monday in the Clark Au-ditorium of Building 10 from11a.m. to 1p.m., Ryan Emery,the Naval Support Activ-ity Bethesda Transportationprogram manager will hostthe Bike Commuting Work-shop.“The biggest thing folks

often come to me about ishow do I commute from myhome to the installation anddo it safely?”said Emery, whonotes biking is rarely consid-ered, although Walter Reed

National Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC) has thefacilities to support it.“We participate in the bike

to work day every year andwe have a couple hundredbicycle slots on the installa-tion. [For] people who reallylike bicycling or live closeenough it’s a great way tocommute, especially as weget closer to fall and folksare still enjoying the outsideweather,” explained Emery.The main goal of the work-

shop is to encourage peopleof all skill levels to bike towork and to show that bicy-cling is a great recreational

way to save money, get fitand have fun.If you’re interested in cy-

cling to work but don’t owna bike Sandra Brecher, chiefof Commuter Services at theDepartment of Transpor-tation will explain detailsabout the upcoming Wiscon-sin and South bike share sta-tion at the Medical CenterMetro Station.The planned bike share,

which has already been suc-cessfully implemented indowntown Washington D.C.,“will be seamlessly integrat-ed with all the other bikeshare stations in the area,”said Brecher. This new sta-

tion will be part of an expan-sion that will cover Laurel,

By Mass CommunicationSpecialist 3rd Class

Brandon Williams-ChurchNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

He starts his work dayat 5:30 a.m. He sets up hisproduct, plates it and has itready for display in the Dai-ly Grind coffee shop by 7:00a.m. After that, he works onthe daily desserts for theWarrior Café before tacklinghis “hit list” on whateversugary creation he can comeup with next.For Executive Pastry Chef

of the Warrior Café ChrisPhillips, this is a typical day.The North Side Chicago

native and Chicago Cubsfan has been in the kitchenat the Warrior Café for morethan two years and lovesworking here just as muchas he did his first day.“I enjoy working at NSAB

(Naval Support ActivityBethesda) and I have beenimpressed with what I’veseen from the wounded war-riors and how they drive on,”

said Phillips. “I’ve alwayswanted to give somethingback to the wounded war-riors besides donating to theWounded Warrior Founda-tion. I saw this as an oppor-tunity, at least through my

work, to give something backto these guys. If I can makesomebody’s day through apiece of cake or remind themof home, it’s probably themost rewarding part of thejob. For me, this is what I

can give and I like that. Thatgratification is what gets meup in the morning and drivesme to get this done.”While producing every

single dessert product fromscratch, Phillips has his

work cut out for him. But,it’s the love of his job and hisenthusiasm for giving backthat keeps him going everyday.“He’s a good guy,” said

NSAB Morale, Welfare andRecreation Food and Bever-age Manager Jack Slattery.“He’s got a pretty good senseof humor and he’s a hardworker. When he startedworking here, the big allurefor him was coming in hereand taking care of the war-riors and doing good things.Even now, two years later,nothing has changed. A lotof times in kitchens, when-ever its last minute, peoplemight hesitate or pause. But,if anything ever comes up orit’s for a warrior, he’s all overit. I think he gets a lot of per-sonal satisfaction being ableto do this for these folks.”Phillips, the down-to-earth

chef, went to culinary schoolat Baltimore Internationalfor pastry and cooking. Afterstarting his career as a line

Vol. 25 No. 32 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ August 22, 2013

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brandon Williams-Church

Executive Pastry Chef Chris Phillips spreads the filling for a cheesecake in thekitchen of the Warrior Café.

From the White House to NSAB: This Pastry Chef Excels

See PASTRY page 7

Photo by Ryan Hunter

Bicycling Workshop Rolls out a New Way to Commute

See BICYCLE page 8

2 Thursday, August 22, 2013 The Journal

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publi-cations, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, a pri-vate firm in no way connectedwith the U.S. Navy, under ex-clusive written contract with theWalter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center, Bethesda, Md.This commercial enterprise news-paper is an authorized publication formembers of the military services. Contentsof The Journal are not necessarily the of-ficial views of, nor endorsed by, the U.S.Government, the Department of Defense,or the Department of Navy. The appearanceof advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constituteendorsement by the Department of De-fense or Comprint, Inc., of the products orservices advertised. Everything advertisedin this publication shall be made availablefor purchase, use or patronage without re-

gard to race, color, religion, sex,national origin, age, maritalstatus, physical handicap,political affiliation, or anyother non-merit factor of thepurchaser, user, or patron.Editorial content is edited,prepared and provided bythe Public Affairs Office, Naval

Support Activity Bethesda, Md.News copy should be submitted to

the Public Affairs Office, Building 11, lowerlevel, Room 41, by noon one week pre-ceding the desired publication date. Newsitems are welcomed from all installationsources. Inquiries about news copy will beanswered by calling 301-295-1803. Com-mercial advertising should be placed withthe publisher by telephoning 301-921-2800.Publisher’s advertising offices are locatedat 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md.20877. Classified ads can be placed by call-ing 301-670-1700.

Naval Support Activity (NSA) BethesdaCommanding Officer: Capt. Frederick (Fritz) KassPublic Affairs Officer NSAB: Joseph MacriPublic Affairs Office NSAB: 301-295-1803

Journal Staff

Staff Writers MC2 John HamiltonMC3BrandonWilliams-ChurchMASNApril BeazerSarah MarshallSharon Renee TaylorCat DeBinderRyan Hunter

Managing Editor MC2 Nathan Parde

WRNMMC Editor Bernard Little

Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterOffice of Media Relations 301-295-5727Fleet And Family Support Center 301-319-4087

WRNMMC OmbudsmanJulie Bondar 443-854-5167NSAB OmbudsmanJojo Lim Hector 703-901-6730Michelle Herrera 240-370-5421

SARC Hotline 301-442-2053

Visit us on Facebook:Naval Support Activity Bethesda page:https://www.facebook.com/NSABethesda

Walter Reed National Medical Center page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217111107

Uniformed Services University of the HealthSciences page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uni-formed-Services-University-of-the-Health-Sciences/96338890888?fref=ts

Women’s Equality DayWalter Reed Bethesda staff members and the

Army Band “Downrange” will perform Aug. 29from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the AmericaBuilding Atrium (piano area) in celebration ofWomen’s Equality Day.There will also be free foodavailable for sampling and everyone is invited toattend. For more information, call Sgt. 1st ClassJason Zielske at 301-400-3542 or Chief HospitalCorpsman Oluyinka Adefisan at 301-295-6482.

Sept. 11 ObservanceA Sept. 11 observance, “9/11 Remembrance:

Bringing Healing to Our Families and Nation,”will be held Sept. 11 at 7 a.m. in Building 17’sgymnasium. The guest speaker will be ChaplainBobWyatt and the New Life Youth Choir of Wyo-missing, Penn., will perform. A complimentarybreakfast is scheduled to be served and everyoneis invited to attend. For more information, callWalter Reed Bethesda’s Department of PastoralCare at 301-295-1510.

Freedom 5KThe Naval Support Activity Bethesda Free-

dom 5K will be on Sept. 11 beginning at 11 a.m.at the Navy Exchange (NEX) Bethesda. Regis-tration for the event is scheduled for Sept. 4 from4 to 6 p.m. at the MWR Fitness Center and Sept.7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Navy ExchangeBethesda. Registration can also be accomplishedat https://nsabfreedom5k.eventbrite.com/.

Warrior CaféThe Warrior Café is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The War-rior Café will continue to accept meal cards.

Alcoholics Anonymous MeetingAlcoholics Anonymous (AA) meets Mondays

(except for the first Monday of the month),Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 12:50p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 to8:30 p.m., in Building 8, Rm. 2230 (Chaplain’sConference Room). For more information, call301-503-1210.

Bethesda Notebook

Several years ago, I had the opportunityto attend anOffice PersonnelManagementleadership academy. During three weeksof intense and quality training, there wasone story in particular from our instruc-tor that made a deep impression and hasstuck with me after all of these years.

My instructor worked as a consultant inthe business world.One time he was askedto consult for a company that had one sec-tion with very low morale. As soon as hewalked into their office it was profoundlyobvious. Everything about the work envi-ronment made it clear this group did notlike their job, or each other. One of his firstquestions to the group was, “What do youdo here?”

“We order monkey food,”was their reply.Thinking perhaps this was industry jar-

gon, he asked, “What do you mean, ‘you or-der monkey food?’ What does that mean?”

After longer conversations he learnedthat this group’s entire purpose was to or-der several different kinds of monkey foodand coordinate its delivery to a warehouse.They didn’t know for whom they orderedit, and they didn’t knowwhere it ended up.

To learn more, a field trip to the ware-house where the food was delivered wasorganized. When the group arrived, theyasked to speak with the manager. Whenthe consultant explained that the individ-uals with him ordered all the monkey foodin the warehouse, the manager becameinterested and excited asking all kindsof questions, “Why do you order so muchmonkey food? What is it for?”

And so, the consultant asked where thewarehouse delivered the food. He set upa second field trip for the office and thewarehouse personnel. They arrived at alarge research laboratory and asked tospeak to the person in charge. When theywere finally able to meet with the head ofresearch, the consultant explained he hadwith him the office responsible for order-ing the food and the personnel responsiblefor storing and shipping it. The head ofresearch became overcome with emotionand insisted on shaking everybody’s hand.After he had said thank you a dozen times,

the consultant asked him what they didat the lab.

“We do AIDS research here,” he an-swered, and went on to explain why theyneeded so many different kinds of food andhow vitally important the food was to theoverall research project.

The consultant reported that a fewmonths later when he returned to theoffice that ordered the monkey food, thechanges were remarkable. The office wascheerful and the staff was engaged witheach other and their work. There was ahuge banner on the wall that said, “Wehelp people cure AIDS.”

The moral of this story, which has stuckwith me for over eight years, is that peopleneed to understand what they do and whythey do it. Not just the nuts and bolts, andthe forms and software. Not just techni-cal data and schedules. Individuals needto understand the bigger mission and howthey fit into it.

Every machine, organism and organi-zation is complex. Some parts you can seeplainly, and it is obvious what they do andwhy their contributions are important.However, it is the obscure parts, the notreadily identifiable capacities, that youeventually recognize as crucially impor-tant elements in making something work— in creating success.What at first glancemay seem mundane and inconsequentialyou find just as essential as the higher vis-ibility roles.

There is no job within that is more im-portant than any other. There are no un-necessary specialties. Every unit, individ-ual — whether officer, enlisted or civilian— in every organization has a critical roleto play.

Good leaders help their team under-stand their mission and their contribution.Good leaders make why just as importantas what and how. Good leaders don’t justlead by example, they lead by perspective.

How does your job ensure mission suc-cess?

By Jenna Fletcher39th Air Base Wing

Ordering Monkey Food

01040169

The Journal Thursday, August 22, 2013 3

By Cat DeBinderWRNMMC Journal staff writer

Protecting the eyes is important,and the Departments of Defense andVeterans Affairs are playing a lead-ing role in promoting research andefforts to prevent, diagnose and treateye injuries and diseases.The Department of Defense

(DOD)/Department of Veterans Af-fairs (VA) Vision Center of Excel-lence (VCE) opened at Walter ReedNational Military Medical Center(WRNMMC) last year with a mis-sion of leading and advocating pro-grams and initiatives to improve vi-sion health, optimize readiness andenhance quality of life for servicemembers and veterans, according toVCE officials.In 2012, improvised explosive

device (IED) blasts in Afghanistancaused 78 percent of all battlefieldinjuries. In Iraq, the same blastscaused 84 percent of all eye injuries,the VCE reports. They add, “Seriouseye trauma from Operation IraqiFreedom and Operation EnduringFreedom is the second most commoncombat injury and follows only hear-ing loss, with 16 percent of all casu-alties suffering eye damage ranging

from distorted vision to blindness,”according to the DOD’s Armed Forc-es Health Surveillance Center.

July was Eye Injury PreventionMonth, and service members aren’tthe only individuals who need to pro-

tect their eyes, which is why Augustis observed as Children’s Eye Healthand Safety Month and CataractAwareness Month and September isSports and Home Eye Safety Month.The U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services reports that in theUnited States, more than 2,000 eyeinjuries occur every day. One hundredof these result in one or more days oflost work, according to the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). The U.S. Department of Labor,Bureau of Labor Statistics, adds thatmore than 90 percent of eye injuriesare preventable with proper precau-tions and effective eye protection.Army Maj. (Dr.) Marcus Colyer, a

staff ophthalmologist at WRNMMC,said protection is the best way toprevent eye injuries, in addition toavoiding risky activities.“Wear eyeprotection and avoid high risk activi-ties that predispose you to eye injury,[such as] playing with fireworks, ham-mering metal on metal, etc.,” he said.He also said exposure to the sun’s

UV (ultraviolet) rays can cause dam-age to the eyes.“The cornea and lens of the eye

have natural UV protection, but

Observances Focus on the Importance of Eye Care

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Natalie Loucks

Army Pfc. Douglas K. Phillips a member of the 3rd Infantry Divi-sion’s Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, deployedto Durai-ya, Iraq, in May 2007, shows the damage to his face andhis eye protection from a small-arms attack. Phillips credits eyeprotection with saving his eye.

See EYE page 6

01040366


By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Journal staff writer

Saluting the “extraordinary andcompassionate” care nurses providethe nation’s heroes and their fami-lies at the largest military medi-cal center in the U.S., Walter ReedBethesda honored its nursing teamduring the quarterly DAISY AwardCeremony on Aug. 15 in the Memo-rial Auditorium.

More than 90 nursing team mem-bers were nominated for the May,June and July DAISY awards.“These individuals were nominatedby patients, family members and col-leagues for their extraordinary com-passion and care, advocacy, mentor-ship and professionalism,” said ArmyCol. Joy W. Napper, department chiefof hospital education and trainingand a nurse.

One nursing team member foreach month is selected to receive theDAISY Award, Napper explained.“The individual selected has goneabove and beyond in providing com-passionate and skilled care to pa-tients and their families during dif-ficult times.”

Hospital Corpsman Jerome White-man, Ensign Kristi Hayden-Leitner, andEnsign Sabina Do received the awardfor May, June and July respectively.

Nominated for the DAISY award

by a patient’s spouse, Whitemanworks on 5 Center. He was describedin the nomination as “attentive todetails, outstanding, hands-on, en-couraging, engaged, very profession-al and personable.

“We felt like we mattered,” saidthe family member in regards to thecare she and her husband receivedfrom the hospital corpsman. “Myhusband wasn’t just another medicalcase to be watched. Our care was ex-ceptional. [Whiteman] provided careencompassing the whole patient, notjust the physical. Our care duringthis hospital stay was outstanding,and [Whiteman] played a large partin that … with his positive attitude.His care and compassion set himapart from all others.”

Hayden-Leitner of 3 West was nom-inated for the DAISY award by thePenrod family. The parents said theiryoung son Zachary developed “quitean attachment” to the nurse duringhis nearly month-long hospital stay.“As a parent, knowing your child isexcited to see a caregiver means a lot[and] is incredibly encouraging. In ad-dition to the fact that Zachary lovedthis nurse, [she] demonstrated ex-ceptional nursing skills with our son.We felt confident Zachary was gettinggreat care. Having a child in the hos-pital is scary for any parent. Havinga child in the hospital for four weeks

is extra challenging.We appreciate allthe wonderful care Zachary receivedon 3 West.”

Do was also nominated for theDAISY award by a patient’s wife.“This nurse spent so much extra timegetting to know my husband andfamily, she made us feel as thoughwe are all family and not just peopleshe supports here,” stated a patient’swife in the nomination. “This nurseis intelligent, confident and has theperfect bedside manner.” The nomi-nation continued on to describe Doas “compassionate, committed, posi-tive, professional, enthusiastic, anda morale cheerleader.”

Nominees for the DAISY award re-ceive a pin, and each winner receivesthe “Healer’s Touch,” a serpentinestone sculpture hand-carved by artistsfrom the Shona people in Zimbabwe.“Healers are greatly respected in theeyes of the Shona people and are con-sidered treasures,” Napper explained.“The statue represents the relation-ship nurses have with their patients.”

Napper added the DAISY Foun-dation was established in 2000 bythe family of J. Patrick Barnes. “Patdied at the age of 33 from complica-tions of Idiopathic Thrombocytope-nia Purpura (ITP) [an auto-immunedisease]. In their grief, the Barnesfamily searched for a way to com-memorate Pat and turn their loss

into something positive. The Barnesfamily came up with DAISY, an acro-nym for Diseases Attacking the Im-mune System.

“Throughout Pat’s hospitalization,the family was repeatedly impressedby the clinical care Pat received, andoverwhelmed by the compassion andkindness that his nurses broughtto his bedside,” Napper continued.“They came to understand that thecommunication and attention givento Pat were a very important partof the care nurses provide. As a re-sult of their experience, the Barnesfamily believes nurses are unsungheroes of our society, and dedicatedtheir foundation to recognizing that.

“There are now over 1,500 hos-pitals internationally committed tohonoring their nurses with the DAI-SY award,” Napper said. “To date,the foundation has paid tribute toover 30,000 nurses for their extraor-dinary care.”

Army Chaplain (Capt.) SergioDaza, who provided prayers at theceremony, said the nursing staff atthe Nation’s Medical Center pro-vides “wonderful acts of kindness,compassion and care each and everyday.” He added everyone should beencouraged and inspired by patientand staff testimonies “of the greatthings our nurses are doing everyday, and for this, we rejoice.”

Nurses Honored for ‘Extraordinary’ Care at Nation’s Medical Center

01040318



chronic UV exposure can in-crease the risk of cancers ofthe ocular surface, such assquamous cell carcinoma,as well as skin growths,called pterygium,” Colyerexplained.“Macular degeneration,

the most common cause ofblindness in Americans overthe age of 65, is probably duein part to UV higher wave-length as well as genetics,”he added.For the outdoors, doctors

recommend using eyewearthat provides as close to 100percent eye protection fromUV exposure as possible. Thetint of the lens has nothingto do with the UV protectionof the lenses, they add. A

clear lens with 100 percentprotection is better for youreyes than a dark, tinted pairwithout UV protection. Infact, dark lenses without UVprotection can be even worsefor your eyes because theyallow more UV light to getinto your eyes due to yourpupils being larger. Thereare many safety glasses onthe market that protect eyesfrom UV exposure, and allMilitary Combat Eye Pro-tection, even with the clearlenses in place, block 99.9percent of all UVA and UVBlight, according to MichaelD. Pattison, OccupationalVision Optometrist at theU.S. Army Public HealthCommand.Cataract formation is an-

other condition due in partto UV exposure.According to Colyer, cata-

racts are a normal aging pro-cess in the eye. The average

age a patient might requirecataract surgery, the mostcommonly performed sur-gery in the United States,is 75. There are approxi-mately 50 cases performedat WRNMMC each month,added Coyler.“Factors that increase the

rate of cataract formationinclude genetics, environ-mental conditions and trau-ma,” he said.In addition to proper safe-

ty eyewear, early detectionand treatment of eye diseaseand other eye conditionsis essential to maintaininggood vision throughout life,Coyler explained.He said some of the signs

and symptoms of eye dam-age and disease include di-minished vision, blurrinessor distorted vision.“Blurriness of vision is

usually a sign of changingeyeglasses prescription, but

lost vision (areas of splotchyor missing vision), distort-ed vision (a doorway lookscrooked in a spot), or dark-ened vision are all signs ofpotentially serious eye dis-ease and require evalua-tion,” the doctor explained.According to the Ameri-

can Academy of Ophthal-mology‘s website, staring atyour computer screen, smartphone, video game or otherdigital devices for long peri-ods won’t cause permanenteye damage, but can causeeyestrain.“Normally, humans blink

about 18 times a minute,but studies show we blinkhalf that often while usingcomputers and other digitalscreen devices, whether forwork or play,” according toAmerican Academy of Oph-thalmology officials.They recommend sitting

about 25 inches from the

screen, reducing the monitor’sglare, and periodically shift-ing your eyes to look at anobject 20 feet away, for 20 sec-onds every 20 minutes. Theycall it the “20-20-20 Rule.”In regards to children’s

eye health, the AmericanOptometric Association rec-ommends eye examinationsfor infants and children atsix months and 3 years ofage. For school age children,eye examination is recom-mended before first gradeand every two years thereaf-ter. Infants at higher risks,for example from familyhistory, should have an ex-amination as soon as medi-cally practicable. Similarly,children with symptoms orhigher risks should also beexamined more frequently.For more information

about the DOD/VA VisionCenter of Excellence, visithttp://vce.health.mil/.

EYEContinued from 3

By Mass CommunicationSpecialist 2nd ClassJohn K. Hamilton

NSAB Public Affairsstaff writer

The Walter Reed Nation-al Military Medical Cen-ter’s (WRNMMC) PastoralCare Department has re-cently launched the UnitedThrough Reading Program(UTRP) for service memberson board the installation.In the program, service

members are videotapedreading a book or books oftheir selection to their chil-dren at home. The recordingis place on a DVD and thensent home so their familycan watch it whenever theywant. The UTRP is a toolthat service members awayfrom home and their familiesdue to deployments or dutystation assignments can useto stay connected to theirloved ones.“The benefits of this pro-

gram are that it keeps fami-lies together and connected,”said Religious Program Spe-cialist 1st Class JarzalineDubose. “It is important be-cause it lets children thatgrow up in military families,when one or both parents aredeployed or gone for any ex-tended period of time, knowthat their parents did not

abandon them.“It’s a great thing because

they can just pop it in theDVD and watch it as manytimes as they would like,”Dubose added. “Kids loveseeing their parent’s face onTV.”The program can offer de-

ployed service members achance to create bonds withtheir younger children eventhough they are away fromhome.“I think this program will

help unite families by beingable to actually see and heartheir parents,” said Dubose.“If a parent is deployed andleft behind a two month oldbaby with their spouse, thisprogram will give the de-ployed member the abilityto record his own voice andread and talk to their lovedones. With that being said,the baby as he or she getsolder, can continuously hearand see their parent’s faces,so when it comes time to re-unite, the bond will be there.”Even thought the UTRP

is in its early phases atWRNMMC, Dubose sees abright future for the pro-gram and could see it beingexpanded into TranquilityHall, the wounded warriorbarracks.“The command master

chief (Master Chief Prince)

met with my chief (ChiefReligious Program Special-ist Mullins) earlier thisyear when we were going tohave Sailors deploy on theUSNS Comfort, and thoughtit would be a good idea to[implement] the programhere,” said Dubose. “We alsohad the wounded warriors inmind, because most of themare away from their lovedones. Once this programgets up and running, we willestablish another UnitedThrough Reading in Build-ing 62, but it will be mobile.We will actually go around totheir rooms so they can re-cord.”Religious Program Spe-

cialist 1st Class Ashley Hud-

son, a geo bachelor onboardthe installation, who hasbeen away from his familyfor the past five years, de-scribes his participation inthe UTRP as a great experi-ence.“It made me feel good to be

able to read a book to my soneven though I was far awayfrom home,” said Hudson. “Iknew he’d be excited aboutit – seeing my face as I readhim a book. I didn’t call himand let him know I was go-ing to surprise him with avideo tape. So, when he gotthe tape in the mail, his momcalled me and said he was soexcited and had the biggestsmile on his face. He went toschool the next day and told

all his friends that his dadread a book to him on videoand he showed everybody inhis classroom.”Hudson said it’s real im-

portant to keep in contactwith your family and eventhough you can do thatthrough phone conversa-tions, actually seeing a per-son’s face as they read a bookto you builds lifetime memo-ries.“I think the United

Through Reading Programis a great thing to do, wheth-er you see your family ev-ery day, once a week or oncea year,” said Hudson. “It’ssomething tangible that youcan put away in storage forlater use and go back andreflect on those momentswhen you read a story toyour child. I think everybodyshould do it.”Any military member who

is going on a deploymentor any geo-bachelor who isaway from their kids maysign up by contacting Du-bose at [email protected] or by phoneat 301-295-1510. They canalso stop by the office (Build-ing 8, Room 2233) and signup there. There is usually asignup sheet left outside thedoor.

The United Through Reading Program:“A Way for Service Members to Stay Connected to their Families”

United Through Reading File Photo


cook at a restaurant in Po-tomac, he went on to work ina pastry shop in northwestWashington D.C. and that’swhere he found his calling,he said.After working for Marriot

International and WillardIntercontinental hotels, Phil-lips then stepped foot onto1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,where he was the assistantpastry chef for seven years.“I was lucky in the sense

that I showed pieces, sculp-

tures out of chocolate andout of pulled and blown sug-ar,” said Phillips. “I did thatfor over three years and asfar as I was concerned it wasthe best job on the planet …that lead to the gingerbreadhouses, which were a tradi-tion at the White House. Theexecutive pastry chef lookedat me one day and said,‘what if we did the ginger-bread White House in whitechocolate?’ I took to the ideaimmediately, figured it outand went to work. I had alot of input from differentpeople in the White House,from the carpenters to thearchitects. I was able to ac-tually walk around and see

the architectural details andbring them to life. I did thatevery year for five years.”Always friendly and en-

thusiastic about his job,Phillips seemed like theright fit at NSAB, said Slat-tery.“He has incredible tal-

ent and an incredible re-sumé. He was a person Iknew whom I could put inthe spot in this position andleave him alone. He had hisown ideas and he’s open tomy suggestions. We respecteach other’s backgroundsand what we bring to the ta-ble. One thing I truly respectabout him is that he under-stands the relationship that

we have professionally. Heunderstands what his roleis but he has no problembringing up suggestions andpushing his ideas forward.“He’s here before me every

day, he’s already got flour fly-ing all over the kitchen andhe’s always very involved inhis work. He never calls outand he’s in here every day likeclockwork. I think this place isreally lucky to have a guy likethat. When people get reallygood at something, sometimesthey get difficult to work with,but he’s not that way.”With so much ambition

and drive for his craft andfrom the words of his col-leagues, it is easy to see why

Phillips is great at what hedoes and why he continuesto perfect his craft.“I found being a pastry

chef more challenging thanworking as a line cook do-ing sauté or working on thefryer,” said Phillips. “Clean-ing fish just wasn’t my bag,so when I got into pastry, Ithought it was a little moredemanding that you had tobe exact for things to turnout properly and there wasmore room for creativity. Forthe last 16 years, I’ve beenworking with chocolate,sugar and butter, so it’s nota bad job,” he said with alaugh.

PASTRYContinued from 1

By Ryan HunterNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

On the third basementfloor of Building 62 is a stor-age room filled with electron-ics, diapers and other basicliving amenities availablefor wounded warriors at Na-val Support Activity Bethes-da (NSAB) free of charge.The room, called the Lend-

ing Closet, is a project run byLinda Rasnake, a member ofthe Warrior Transition Bri-gade (WTB). Her library ofappliances was designed tohelp wounded warriors asthey transition from in-pa-tient residence at the hospi-tal to the barracks with theirfamilies.“The apartments [on base]

are beautiful. They have potsand pans, but they’ve beenused [by previous residents],”explained Rasnake. “So someof them are in rough shapeand have to be thrown out.”The special needs of the

warriors also occasionallynecessitate specific appli-ances and living amenitiesthat aren’t typically provid-ed. “Say a wounded, ill or in-jured Soldier has a conditionwhere their jaws are wiredshut,” said Rasnake. “Theyhave to drink everything,which means they need ablender.”According to Rasnake,

health codes require livingfacilities, like those foundin Buildings 50, 60 and 61,to dispose of small extrane-ous amenities that previousresidents have left. This canput a strain on non-medicalattendants (NMAs), whoare responsible for provid-ing these necessities for thewounded warriors.

“When I packed to behere, I did not expect to behere this long. I’ve been heresince May,” said NMA NancyStanton. “I feel like I’m sup-plying two households, oneback at home and one here.”To ease the burden on

wounded warriors and theirfamilies a collection of non-profit organizations, YellowRibbon Fund, OperationHomefront, USO, and RedCross, known collectively asthe YOUR group, donates ad-ditional living amenities.“[In the past] the YOUR

group provided welcomebaskets, but they were soextravagant that most of thestuff wasn’t getting used, soit had to be thrown out,” ex-plained Rasnake.

When one of the NMA’ssuggested creating a spaceto store donated appliancesfor later re-use,WTB createdthe Lending Closet.“Now the YOUR group do-

nates to the lending closet,”said Rasnake. “We just writewhat [families] borrow andtheir room number and theysign a list. When they getready to leave, rather thanthrow good appliances away,they return what they bor-rowed. If it’s in good shape itgets used again.”The inside of the lend-

ing closet is reminiscent ofa Wal-Mart stock room. Theshelves are lined with canopeners, blenders, toasters,grills, coffee makers, plates,utensils, and various kitchen

wares. Most of these itemsare still in their originalpackaging, and all of themare in brand new to like newcondition.The WTB works to keep

the room well stocked, andencourages anyone with un-wanted electronics to consid-er donating. “I bring my own[appliances] in all the time,”said Rasnake. “The shelves[in the Lending Closet] arereally low. There are a lot ofpeople here.”NMA’s and cadre praise

the program for its success.“When we came here we

had to buy everything our-selves. There were lots ofthings we bought that myson won’t need later whenhe goes home. Now that they

have this it makes such adifference,” said NMA CarolLee Ryan, who plans to do-nate her appliances to theLending Closet when her sonleaves the base.The Lending Closet is

open to all wounded war-riors and NMAs living onbase. If you are interestedin borrowing or donatingitems to the lending closet,contact Linda Rasnake at301-400-0251 or via email [email protected]. Due to health code con-cerns, the lending closetcannot accept donations oflinens or food, only smallhousehold appliances andelectronic devices.

Lending Closet Provides for Wounded Warrior Families

Photo by Ryan Hunter

Non-medical assistant volunteer Nicole Jankowski checks inventory in the Lending Closet August 20.

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Montgomery County, Bethesda andthe Shady Grove region.

The bike share program is de-signed to allow commuters to borrowbikes and ride them from station tostation, emphasizing short trips.This makes them perfect for use intandem with other cheaper forms oftransportation like the subway orbus.

“We’re hoping this will have theeffect of helping more people get outof their single occupant vehicles andinto alternative modes, not just bik-ing,” said Brecher.

If you have doubts about yourability to ride or questions aboutwhat equipment you may need, NellePierson, the outreach coordinator forthe Washington Area Bicycling As-sociation (WABA) will be holding apanel on commute preparation.

“We are really about equippingpeople with information on how tomake bike commuting as easy aspossible,” said Pierson. “The work-shops are good for people who mayalready be biking for recreation orare interested in biking for the firsttime.”

Topics discussed in this panel willbe bike, gear and route selection,how to make your commute as com-fortable as possible and the generallogistics of bike commuting.

“Our goal is to encourage peopleto give biking a try,” said Pierson.“Once you have strong positive ex-periences on a bike it’s easy to wantto incorporate it into other aspectsof your life. As long as it’s fun peopleare going to get hooked. ”

To those who are considering com-muting via bicycle Pierson greatlyadvises it for more than just itshealth benefits. “The average personwho starts out bike commuting loses12 pounds in the first year. For me Iget my heart rate up twice a day. I’mon the bike and I can take as fast apace as I want. I can get a workoutor I can take it nice and leisurely,maybe work through some of theissues I’ve encountered throughoutthe day. I can do all this as opposedto being in a more stressful environ-ment in a car or on the Metro.”

To RSVP for the Bike CommutingWorkshop, contact Emery at 301-319-3010 or via email at [email protected]. To see the mapof future bike share locations go towww.montgomerycountymd.gov/bikeshare.

BICYCLEContinued from 1

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Documents

Journal 082213