Good Morning GTMO

This is what I get to see at 7 am. One can hardly complain but some do and call this a terrible place to live. I assure you, if you can appreciate nature, the easy pace, warm and friendly people you will think otherwise.

Two Cats need a NEW GTMO home

Good Day soon-to-be GTMO Families,

We are preparing to move in a couple of months and would like to find a home or homes for the two kittens we've been boarding.  They are 3 years old born and raised in GTMO.  Their names are Mittens and Shadow.

They will be up to date on all shots and will come with all they need to get you started for at least two months- tags, litter box, litter, food and food bowls...etc.

They are great at keeping critters at bay (the occasional roach or mice), they love to play with lights, shadows, feathers, string, and anything that crinkles, like plastic bags.

We have to rent our next home and it is extremely difficult to find a rental just in general but one that accepts pets, particularly cats, impossible.  I took them in to keep them from going on death row in hopes someone would want to keep them while on island.  I contacted the vet and her hands are tied...if they don't find a home...well, you know what can happen :-(

Email me and let me know if you're interested in a visit, more pictures, and/or adoption or fostering while on island.

Thank You.  

~ Terie

Smar Fair, Talent show, Prom, Graduation, moving -- never a dull moment in GTMO

We have been BUSY here in GTMOland!

First, the SMART fair. FUN. This is an event where students display their best visual and performance talent.  So many kids with so many great ideas.  For example, the 2nd grade class was tasked with reusing items front he trash to make something useful, bottles were turned into flower pots or pencil holders, egg cartons were turned into jewelry boxes and bead holders; other kids presented their creations with paint, clay, rocks, shells, beads and more.  It was entertaining and educational.  I left there with my favorite message in mind... "Unless..." (think Dr. Seuss' The Lorax).  My daughter Emm displayed a few of her art pieces, seen below.  So talented.... My next house will be decked with her artwork.

The Prom was next.  The event of the year for the class of 2012, all 9 of them.  OK so it's a small class but a great group of kids.  They have worked hard, they can't hide in a crowd of hundreds, they really have to put forth best effort, best attitude, best behavior because everyone knows who they are.  On the bright side, everyone knows who they are and everyone does what they can to help them and support them.  This year the prom was held at the Admiral's house.  How many kids can say that?  Well just nine kids can say that.  The event was amazing.  They were taken on boat rides from the Admiral's dock, returned to find great food and a beautiful cake, then the coronation of king, queen, princesses and courts. For our family this was the best part because our little Emm was the prom queen.  That is a once in a lifetime honor.

The talent show.... wow another fun filled event.  The show was great, better then I expected. These kids are so brave to get up on that stage and perform anything, it was great.

Coming soon, graduation.  Emm is graduating June 8th.  How I feel about her leaving will be in another post.  Suffice it to say that I am excited for her, happy that she's happy about going to college and looking forward to starting a new chapter with only 2 kids in the house.

Finally, the big move, yet again.  That's right, we are moving from GTMO.  I'm going to miss this place and this will also be in a new post. GTMO is such a unique place, it's not reality, by far. But it's unique, special and right now, hot, hot, hot!

I will have to post the list of questions I usually get  and my outgoing messages from orders, to pack-out, to the final farewell.  Ugh.. not looking forward to any of that but I am looking forward to other adventures.

Until next time,
Terie

Guantanamo Saves a Manatee- Amazing rescue story!

Some stories just have to be shared.... this is one I love! I wish I had been there to take more pictures.

By Terence R. Peck, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Public Affairs GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- An orphaned baby manatee was rescued by Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, (NS GTMO) personnel at the installation's marina, May 3. The 3-day-old, 77-pound manatee is a West Indian endangered species found sporadically throughout Florida, the Greater Antilles, Central America, and South America. Army Capt. Miriam Lovell, the officer-in-charge of GTMO's Veterinary Treatment Facility, along with Army Staff Sgt. Jamie Jackson and Army Sgt. Jody Gaudrault, both veterinarian technicians, immediately went to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation's marina when they received a phone call from the Port Operations department about the manatee. "Manatees usually don't go into the marina, so we went down there to try and find its mom," said Jackson. Tim Baugh, of MWR Outdoor Recreation, ensured that a boom was placed in the area where the manatee was located and that boaters were notified of the animal's presence. Tiana Armstrong, of Red Cross Disaster and Mississippi Animal Response Team, also worked with the team to ensure that the environment was undisturbed in the hopes that its mother would return. Masters-at-Arms 2nd Class Travis Rader and Masters-at-Arms 3rd Class Sara Tusa were called to assist with the rescue efforts. Rader and Tusa, both with the Naval Station Security department, are in training to become the installation's game wardens. The Naval Station's Natural Resources Manager Jose Montalvo was also on scene to assist with the rescue. As the rescue went on, the team decided to name the manatee "Manny." Jackson and the others entered the water to put the manatee on a stretcher and into a boat. They then went near pier 33, where it was reported that an adult manatee was sighted. "We went out and a manatee was seen, but we didn't know if it was the mom or not. When we released the baby manatee in the same area, the adult manatee swam away and did not try to connect with the baby at all," said Gaudrault. Returning with Manny to the Marina, the team searched for the manatee's mother, while coordination by others was ongoing. Lt. Cmdr. Scott Armstrong, Air Operations officer, NS GTMO was contacted by Lovell to discuss different courses of actions that could be taken to transport the animal. "After collecting input from her and manatee experts stateside, I presented these to Cmdr. David Hughes at Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (N32) and Mr. Jene Nissen of Fleet Forces Command Environmental Services," said Armstrong. "Shortly thereafter, I was contacted by Dr. Frank Stone from the Chief of Naval Operation's Energy and Environmental Readiness Division (N45) who spearheaded the coordination at the Federal level with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS)." After several unsuccessful attempts to find the calf's mother, it was decided that the weakening manatee had to be transported from the Naval Station to preserve its life. "During the day Dr. Stone and I agreed the best course of action was to transport the manatee on the Station C-12, due to the time critical nature of the problem, as well as the specialized care and monitoring required to protect the manatee wherever it was," he said. "Members of the Manatee Rescue department of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in Jacksonville, Fla. coordinated with facilities in Florida and Puerto Rico including the Manatee Conservation Center in Bayamón Puerto Rico. Dr. Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni of the Center secured agreements and authority from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to request we transfer the manatee to their care for the purpose of saving its life." Before putting the manatee on the aircraft, they had to ensure that the transport would be done safely. "Naval Aircrewman 1st Class Samuel Arias and I constructed a "Manatee Playpen" by strapping down a foam pad to protect the manatee's body underneath, over which we secured a waterproof tarp to prevent any water intrusion to the aircraft," Armstrong said. "On top of that we put in an inflatable "Kiddie Pool" lined with wet towels which we covered 'Manny' with, and secured a small bucket of water to keep him moist." The manatee was placed on the Naval Station's C-12 and with Gaudrault by its side, transported on a two-hour flight to Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The manatee was then taken to the Manatee Conservation Center located at Interamerican University in Bayamón. Nine members of the Center met the aircraft and immediately provided electrolytes to the slightly dehydrated calf. The caregivers named the calf "Guamá," in honor to a Taino Chief of the eastern province of Cuba, which is recognized as a figure of historic importance for Cuba. The center reported back that the calf is doing well and that it is adjusting comfortably to its new environs. It is expected that it will take approximately two years before the manatee can be transported back to Cuba and released with a satellite transmitter, according to Montalvo. Saving the manatee's life was the right thing to do, Armstrong said. "The Chief of Naval Operations instruction 5090.1C has several passages exhorting Commanding Officers to not jeopardize the continued existence, protect, or not endanger species," he said. "It is Navy policy to comply with applicable laws for the protection and management of wildlife resources and directs the Navy to consult with National Fish and Wildlife Services with any actions they may take regarding endangered species." According to Armstrong, coordination among Naval Station personnel and outside agencies helped to save the manatee's life. "GTMO's strength is its pool of talent and inherent flexibility from the diverse missions we are called upon daily to execute, all of which we marshaled to a successful end," said Armstrong. "Where coordination between the highest levels of government was required, oft lamented inertia was nowhere to be seen, and the inherent drive to get the right things done for the right reasons shone particularly brightly."

Rain, rain ...

...come our way!

Spring is here, yet everything remains the same

One of the great details about GTMO is the climate. You either love it or hate it. It's warm during the winter months, sometimes hitting the 90s mid day and warmer in the summer months. I'd like to say we have a tropical climate but to call it tropical we'd have to experience rain once in a while. It has been at least five months since the last true rainfall. It is so dry that Public Works has suspended the few lawn watering days we had to no watering at all. The crazy thing is that if you look at the distant mountain range that surrounds us you can see the rain and the clouds building up, it just doesn't quite make it to this side.

March 21st was the first day of spring and it rained for about three seconds. Everything remains the same. It's windy but the temp is pretty steady year round, changing throughout the day. On the bright side, no rain means no mosquitoes and I'm ok with that for a while. It's nice to sit outside and enjoy a nice afternoon without the use of mosquitoe repellant.

At night there's a comforting breeze that sometimes forces me to wear a light jacket...feels great. In the early morning hours we have perfect running, walking, biking weather or sit out back with your coffee weather. Here you won't find the changing seasons, instead a very predictable climate which you quickly learn to embrace.

What happens in GTMO.....

What goes on here in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? 

Well, we have fun, that's what.  

Believe it or not, I have been to more concerts and have met more entertainers since living in GTMO than I have my entire life.  Well, I was sort of sheltered growing up so the numbers aren't necessarily high.  

ANY--WAY.... what I'm saying is that our MWR department, that's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation continues to impress me with their selection of entertainers and events for the entire family.

We have 2 outdoor movie theaters here and yes, we do get current movies.  They don't always arrive when they first come out but it's OK because we do not pay to see the movies or the live entertainment.  It's one of those benefits we appreciate.  Don't get me wrong, the events aren't free, just free to the community.

This coming weekend we will be wowed by rhythm EXTREME.  I've been looking forward to seeing this show.  I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Styled after the worldwide theatrical success "Stomp," Rhythm Extreme takes the popular appeal of percussion performances one step further to create a truly innovative theatrical event.


Just a few weeks ago "Something Distant" was here, again, ushering the runners of the Rock and Roll half marathon to the finish line.  Then we had a Polynesian event with amazing dancers and good food.  I have seen comedians like Chelsea Handler, acrobats such as those in Cirque Odyssey, and so many others.

Every week, just about, there's some type of entertainment going on here and when all else fails we have the movies or girl's night at the Marina, can't beat that!


Coming to GTMO? Want to know more about our MWR sponsored activities? Click here and keep up with us.