In the past, energy has been a side conversation for the Army. It tended to be an area of concern for some experts and specialists, but for a lot of us, whether Soldiers and civilians in the workplace or family members in the community, we did not give it much thought. Maybe we paid attention to the public service announcements reminding us to turn off lights, but that was about it.
However, with changing security concerns and increased demands on finite financial and natural resources, energy has become an issue we all have to pay attention to. We must proactively address today’s energy challenges for the sake of ourselves, our mission and our nation as well as for future generations.  So I intend to keep the issue front and center. I intend to keep the dialogue focused on what we in the Installation Management community must do, can do and are doing to increase the Army’s energy efficiency and security.

From the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army’s report on suicide, in fiscal year 2010, we had 160 active-duty suicide deaths, with 239 across the total Army. Additionally, there were 146 active-duty deaths related to high risk behavior including 74 drug overdoses.
Successful suicide attempts are only the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps even more worrying is the fact the Army had 1,713 known attempted suicides in the same period. The difference between these suicide attempts and another Soldier death often was measured only by the timeliness of life-saving leader/buddy and medical interventions.
Suicide prevention isn’t just a month-long campaign, it’s a lifestyle that we, as military leaders, service members, civilians and families have to include into our everyday lives. We must educate ourselves about the warning signs of suicide. We must have the courage to stand up to the resistance we will face in getting help for those who are at risk of committing suicide. We must stand shoulder-to-shoulder to prevent suicide.

During this past summer break, I was worried about their summer care during their off school season. Since I have never experienced School-Age Services on post, I was a little nervous as to what to expect for my 7-year-old daughter.

The Fort Leavenworth Lamp featured an article, “Experts say foot shape shouldn’t influence running shoes,” July 29, discussing the selection of running shoes and its relationship to lower-extremity injuries. According to this article, recent research found that the type of running shoe an individual wore did not have a direct relationship to injury rates. This article also stated that of the approximately 1 million lower-extremity injuries reported each year, the majority were caused by running. If improper running shoe selection is not a factor in injury rates, what is? I believe that the primary culprit is improper running form.

Having never been to Fort Leavenworth before, if you had asked me or my family six months ago how we felt about relocating from Atlanta to here, you would have probably heard some harsh words uttered. It wouldn’t have been anything about the people, but about the location and the weather. Even with the wealth of information available to us on the Internet, our minds were made up that Kansas was in the middle of nowhere and was synonymous with the terms “tornado” and “snow storm.

These are difficult times for my nation. Over the last several weeks, most of our country has been pounded by an unprecedented amount of monsoon rains. As a result, floods that initially devastated mainly northeastern districts have swept through vast swathes of central and southern provinces. No amount of preparation could be enough to deal with a calamity of this scale and magnitude.

Labor Day weekend is a time to celebrate the contributions that American workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Many of us will celebrate this joyous occasion with family and friends. Holiday celebrations mean more travel and increased recreational activities. Unfortunately, holiday weekends also represent a time of increased risk. Leaders have a responsibility to mitigate this risk and help prevent accidents through the use of the composite risk management process and associated risk assessment tools.

With the nice weather, there are many motor vehicles and motorcycles on the roadways.
Drivers need to take a second look for motorcycle riders and share the road by ensuring motorcyclists have their space. Debris, potholes, gravel, sand and other obstructions that a motor vehicle operator may ignore or not notice can be devastating for a motorcyclist.
Practice SEE to heighten awareness:

- Search for factors in the area
- Evaluate the potential risks and options
- Execute with control and precision

Buckle up, turn off the cell phone and drive the speed limit — doing these three simple things will make Fort Leavenworth a happier, safer place.
According to Maj. Macy Molina, director of Emergency Services, these are the top three reasons the military police write citations.
Unlike some towns that seem to meet their municipal budget needs through speeding tickets and other fines, any fines or court fees paid for citations written on post do not fill the Garrison’s coffers. Instead, the money goes to the U.S. Treasury.
The fines and fees for violations can add up quite quickly. Fines for on-post traffic violations are aligned with those set by the state of Kansas.

Over the last two months, an officer exchange program between the U.S. Army and the British Army occurred at Fort Leavenworth and the U.K. Defence Academy, Swindon, England.
Many in the community may not realize it, but this exchange was the resumption of an exchange program with roots that stretch back decades. The exchange between the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the British Intermediate Command and Staff Course - Land seeks to educate respective majors in the operations of the reciprocal forces. It is critical that we understand the inner workings of each of our militaries as the British are an essential ally in the War on Terror.

When you see an event called “Spouses Newcomer Orientation” the first thing that comes to mind is another boring PowerPoint presentation, but the orientation on Aug. 5 was anything but that. Mixed in with the informational slides were anecdotes of fishing on post, family outings and new hobbies perfected while living here.
Fort Leavenworth Garrison Commander Col. Wayne Green and presenters from the Garrison and its partners provided both entertainment and information for more than 300 spouses of Command and General Staff College and permanent-party Soldiers who participated in the orientation and the question-and-answer period. 

Dear Editor:

Personally, I like all the numerous events and activities there are to do in the Fort Leavenworth and Kansas City area. There are lots of family friendly activities to capitalize on.
But you might want to caution your readers about attending Kansas City Wizards soccer games.
I’m a soccer fan, and the recent game against Toronto was a good game, entertaining to watch, and the kids enjoyed it. That is until The Cauldron crowd started spouting profanities.
I’m not here to beat up on the cheering section because I think it’s a good idea and makes the game a little livelier. But at game’s end I counted two f-bombs, two rounds of bull---- chants and a “nice shot a------!”
It’s amazing to me that the Wizards and Major League Soccer — both organizations that depend on the enthusiasm generated in youth soccer — would allow this to go on knowing the stands are filled with families.
So families, be aware of your seating proximity to The Cauldron when taking young ears to the see the Wizards.
Thank you,

Maj. James Embry
Fort Leavenworth

Since opening for business in February 2009, the Ruby Slippers Shoppe has been a real success story for the Fort Leavenworth Spouses’ Club. Located on the corner of Organ Avenue and E. Warehouse Road, this delightful shop boasts an exciting array of original gift ideas, including jewelry, military and branch insignia products, plus many unique handcrafted items.
As well as year-round favorites like Hooah pins, Armed Expressions merchandise and handmade scented soaps, there are lots of distinctive seasonal items that are also popular with customers.

Upon graduation from college, I carried around a little extra weight, both in my midsection and my credit card balance. Like most of my peers, I spent money freely on things I did not need to survive. The problem was that I barely made enough to survive. I did not think anyone whom I knew had a plan to get out of credit card debt. I certainly did not. After all, debt is how adults achieve an acceptable lifestyle, right?
One particularly lean month shortly after entering active duty, I racked up nearly $1,000 of taxation on my stupidity in the form of an insurance deductible and new refrigerator. I could barely make the minimum payments on my card and now my bill was even higher. I wished that I did not know how to calculate the amortization, or loan repayment schedule, on my debt because doing so told me that I basically needed to eat an elephant.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, traveled to New Orleans Aug. 2 to address some of the challenges confronting our military families.
Speaking to the National Guard Family Program Volunteer Workshop, Mullen stressed the need to close a gap for military families, particularly for those in the Guard and Reserve.
Guard and Reserve families often live far from the support of a military installation, he said, recalling when a National Guard woman traveled six hours to speak to his wife, Deborah.
The military needs to find ways to deal with this type of isolation, he said.

Having the family together again and enjoying the return of a deployed father or mother can be a time of great joy, but is also a major transition that can have its difficulties for all those involved — returning Soldier, spouse, children and other family members. Managing the change that deployments bring about can help everyone to develop resiliency, especially children.
Even a few months is a long time in the life of a child, whether the child is an infant, toddler, pre-teen or teenager. Children go through periods of rapid development and change, and this impacts their view of the world around them. They grow physically and emotionally — from crawling to walking, from home to school, from elementary to high school.

For anyone who has served in the U.S. military, whether in uniform or as a family member, the concept of sharing lessons learned is a familiar one. A new Defense Department blog that launched Aug. 2 seeks to bring those lessons to an accessible online platform.
Titled “In Their Own Words: Lessons Learned in Today’s Military,” the blog aims to provide a platform for service members, veterans and families to share their thoughts and experiences on a variety of topics. Each month, the blog will feature a different topic ranging from lessons from multiple deployments to lessons from the military family.

As Intermediate Level Education class 2011-01 begins, the Command and General Staff College bicycle racks are slowly filling. A recent informal count on a warm summer morning revealed only 37 bikes in the 27 convenient racks provided by the college. So, I applaud the 37 individuals who chose to pedal rather than drive to class.
As for the drivers, I offer three reasons to hang up your car keys and dust off your bike: Bicycle commuting improves your health, saves money and does not damage the environment.

Our recent permanent change of station move gave me more trouble than usual. Of course, moving with two children under the age of 3 years is challenging; a deployed husband makes it harder, too — but it’s nothing that scores of military families haven’t done before, right?
Then what was so hard about it? Trying to keep up with the inventory and checking off box numbers while keeping my active boys from getting steamrolled by movers? Nope.  Navigating the sea of household goods and boxes and packing paper like a minefield? Nope. Finding a place to put all our precious possessions yet again? Nope.
The most frustrating part of this move came three weeks after the movers left, a week after my beloved husband came home (thankfully) from deployment and three days after the inevitable trip to the local Best Buy store. Since we didn’t want to store it, we sold our television before the deployment and I agreed to let my husband get a ridiculously large new one when he came home. What I didn’t realize was that along with the super-fancy flat screen you need — according to the salesperson and my husband — the Blu-ray player, HDMI cables, wireless internet TV connection, etc. And since my degree is only in nursing, and not in computer science/networking — we had to get the Geek Squad to come set everything up.

Our Soldiers have been steadfast in their service to the nation during the past nine years of conflict. Their families have been just as constant in their own dedicated service, providing the strength and support that enables Soldiers to do their jobs. Our Soldiers and families persevere in their service to the nation in the face of repeated deployments and even greater challenges.
It is heartening to know that we are not in this alone — our fellow citizens want to understand what we are experiencing and share a deep desire to support us however they can.  Sometimes they simply do not know where to begin or how to make the connection to channel their appreciation and support into action. That is why reaching out to the communities around us is so vitally important.