FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood Commander Col. Jeff Paine hosted a town hall for garrison employees today at the Main Post Chapel.
To open the quarterly forum, Paine highlighted Fort Leonard Wood’s Casualty Assistance Center staff — including Joshua Bowen, Eric Cooper, Shena Flick, Timothy Mace, Cherl Miller, Johnny Tejeda and Joe Johnson — who have received recognition from the Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division for being a top performer out of the 32 CACs across the Army in the first two quarters of fiscal year 2022, and for excellence in management of the Casualty Assistance Report — placing the Fort Leonard Wood CAC in the top five percent of performers.
Additionally, the 62nd Adjutant General of the Army recognized the team for their support to 446 families of fallen Soldiers, and the arrangement of more than 4,400 military funeral honors with zero missed services.
Paine also presented the following individuals with two-star notes for various acts of excellence:
Bob Dattilo, from the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; Felesia Herron-Bryant, from the Directorate of Human Resources; and Marti Yoshida, from DPTMS.
Farrah Overman, a garrison human resources coordinator and workforce development specialist, listed some upcoming civilian training opportunities, including the Supervisor Course, the Foundational Leadership Course and the New Employee Onboarding Class. Email Overman for more information on these and other opportunities here.
With warmer, more humid summer weather here, John Lackey, from the Garrison Safety Office, spoke on some of the signs of and methods to treat heat-related illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
“We’re out doing yard work — maybe trying to do too much — and the older you get, these symptoms impact you even more,” he said.
Heat cramp symptoms include heavy sweating during intense exercise and muscle pain or spasms.
Heat exhaustion symptoms include heavy sweating; cold, pale and clammy skin; fast, weak pulse; nausea or vomiting; muscle cramps; tiredness or weakness; dizziness; headache; and fainting.
Heat stroke is potentially a fatal heat-related illness and symptoms include high body temperature above 103 degrees; red, hot skin with no sweat; headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and losing consciousness. If encountered, call 911 or seek immediate medical attention.
Lackey said early preparation, such as hydrating prior to outdoor activities can prevent someone from becoming a victim of heat-related illnesses. Other prevention tips include staying inside an air-conditioned area to keep cool; pacing oneself during training routines; wearing lightweight, loose and light-colored clothing to reflect sunlight; and always staying hydrated.
As this was Paine’s final garrison employee town hall — the garrison change-of-command ceremony is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. June 28 on the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Plaza — he took time to thank the garrison employees for performing the “near miraculous” during his time in command.
“We can never say COVID did not have an impact on everything we did over the last two years, but we did not allow it to hamper the mission,” he said. “What we do on a day-to-day basis — and what you do excellently on a day-to-day basis — still happened. We still trained 80,000 service members in 2020; we still trained 80,000 service members in 2021. COVID had an impact, and you fought through it. I want to say thank you for welcoming me and my family here two years ago — for making us feel like we belonged. I could not be prouder to be associated with each of you and to have been part of the garrison — part of your team — for the last two years.”
The next garrison employee town hall is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 14.
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