District completes Nellis AFB simulator
David Salazar
District kicks off new awards program, observes Army, Corps birthdays
Brig. Gen. Charles Moore, 57th Wing commander; Pete Pupparo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resident engineer; Ray Haj, Swinerton Builders Government Division vice president; Michael Zettler, F-35 Sustainment at Lockheed Martin vice president; Randy Black, United States Air Force Warfare Center honorary commander; and Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Lofgren, USAFWC commander, cut the ribbon at the new F-35 simulator facility during a ribbon cutting ceremony May 23, 2013, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The F-35 simulator facility was built to provide realistic training that is independent of the weather, maintenance, and range availability that can challenge daily operations. The Las Vegas Resident Office at Nellis Air Force Base managed construction of the facility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman) eted. My kids are my happiness. My wife is also my happiness. The activities I enjoy after work are also my happiness. yourself and it really won’t matter what others say or feel about Reading makes me happy and so does writing. Not all things that I enjoy are the same as what my family back home or you. That doesn’t mean that jerks and their jibes won’t hurt. friends enjoy. It’s alright, though. It’s my pursuit of happiness It just means that if you are comfortable with yourself, those little hurts won’t be permanent. They’ll fade just like the fools and I know I am not harming anyone as I pursue it. Will you choose to rage against the dying of your light? who made them. Make your happiness your own. “Though wise men at their end know dark is right, I understand compromises have to be made. None of us Because their words had forked no lightning they live in a vacuum or a bubble in which our actions have no conDo not go gentle into that good night.” sequences. All of us have to deal with people on a daily basis. I know my end will come someday; but, I will fight it However, deciding to give up your own pursuit of happiness in favor of appealing to what others think is right will most likely with everything I have. I will enjoy this life while I still have lead to a sense that you have lost something. Time is probably breath with which to do it and I challenge you to do the same. What makes you happy? What looks like it might be what you are going to miss most. All of us have only a limited number of days allotted to us in this world. What we choose to fun? What adventures have you always wanted to try? July 4 is our Independence Day. Find your own independence. do with that time is totally up to us. Pursue your happiness. If you don’t, you’ll never know if you Happiness isn’t all just one thing. It can be if you’d like; can catch it or not. Just a thought… but, it doesn’t have to be that way. My happiness is multifac-
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“The Department of Defense welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision today on the Defense of Marriage Act,” Hagel said in a statement. “The department will immediately begin the process of implementing the Supreme Court’s decision in consultation with
the Department of Justice and other executive branch agencies. The Department of Defense intends to make the same benefits available to all military spouses -- regardless of sexual orientation -- as soon as possible. That is now the law and it is the right thing to do.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said at
a press conference Wednesday that despite its reputation, the military has always “done a credible job of providing as much equality as the law allows.” The Williams Institute, a think tank dedicated to issues of sexual orientation, has estimated there are 200,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees in the federal workforce.
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles District launched its newly-enacted employee recognition program in conjunction with a ceremony marking the Army’s and the Corps of Engineers’ 238th birthday at the district headquarters in downtown Los Angeles June 25. Although recognizing employees for their accomplishments is not a new occurrence for the district, the ceremony marked the expansion of the organization’s local awards program, championed by the district commander and his long standing initiative to focus on people, training, and facilities. Army Col. Mark Toy, the district commander, presented awards to more than 120 employees, including length of service awards, certificates of achievement and appreciation, and numerous awards for individual accomplishment. Toy also presented awards to the inaugural recipients of the newly developed peer- and management-nominated local awards including Outstanding Project Delivery Team Member, Helping Hand for Others, which recognizes one employee who exemplifies volunteerism and assistance to others; the Rising Star Award, which recognizes outstanding employees who have been with the district for less than three years; and the Pillar Award, which recognizes professionals in the administrative, secretarial, and clerical support fields. “You all are what truly make our organization great. What we’re about to do here is really what makes me tick as an individual,” Toy said to district employees in the filled conference room. “We’re here to present awards to deserving individuals in our district who have made our district great.” The afternoon ceremony ended with a retirement ceremony for four employees who each served more than three decades. Liddie Bay, an administrative assistant with the district’s engineering division, and Victor Renteria, a dam operator at Whittier Narrows and Fullerton flood control basins, each
The district commander, Col. Mark Toy, presents a commander’s award for civilian service medal to Sandra Wheeler, the former administrative assistant for the district’s engineering branch, to mark her retirement from the federal service after 32 years. The ceremony was part of a larger presentation of numerous awards, including six new awards that recognize the hard work of the district’s employees. (Photo by Richard Rivera) retired after 39 years of service. Sandra Wheeler, an administrative assistant with the distr