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Outlook 
The
May 7, 2009U.S. Army Garrisons Vicenza & Livornowww.USAG.Vicenza.Army.MilVol. 42, Issue 18
 What’s Inside
Garrison newspages 2 & 3
Patterns of SuccessSpeak Out: What No. 1tip would you give to amilitary spouse?Find out the rules for transferring GI Bill tofamily membersSummer biking greatexercise, stress relief 
Big Fish
author visitsinstallation, offers freeworkshop, reading
Community eventspages 4 & 5
Photo page givesreaders a snapshot of garrison goings-on
Community newspages 6 & 7
OUT & ABOUT: A listingof concerts, festivals,markets, and events inthe local areaMovie ScheduleBRIEFS: Dont’ miss theMay 13 deadline for your soggiorno
Sportspage 8
Vicenza High SchoolCougars defeatdivision rival Sigonella,bested by Naples
MilitarySpouses
WeWeWeWeWe
lovelovelovelovelove
our our our our our 
THE BACKBONE OF THE ARMY FAMILY:
 
Since 1984, the Armed Forces have set aside a special dayto acknowledge the significant contributions of our spouses. This year, May 8 has been designated MilitarySpouse Appreciation Day. Our spouses continue to meet the unique challenges of military life with grace andstrength. At Caserma Ederle, we will honor these men and women with a luncheon, cooking demonstration,vendor shopping opportunities, and a special gift from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Arena. The Outlook asked localmilitary spouses key questions on what keeps them ticking. SEE THEIR ANSWERS ON PAGE 3.
Story and photo bySAMANTHA SMITH
Contributing writer 
Sgt. Sean Hooker and his wife Talyadidn’t expect to win any awards for their energy conservation at home, in fact theyweren’t even aware they were doing it.“We were surprised” said Sean Hooker,of when their family of five was notifiedthat they were the lowest energy consumerson Villaggio for November-December 2008.The Hookers were just doing what theyhave always done.“I’ve grown up with the idea that whenyou leave a room, you turn off the lights,”said Talya. “If it’s chilly, put on a sweater 
Villaggio’s energy-frugal family winsbackyard solar lamp for cutting costs
Five more awardsslated for local cost-conscious families
See LOCAL Page 5
BACK TO THE BASICS:
by RICK SCAVETTA
U.S. Army Africa
When evading capture in the South African bush, grassy juice from an impala’s stomachquenches thirst. Noisy hippos mean water isnearby, as does sighting an African fish eagle.These are a few tips Staff Sgt. John Otfinoski,a squad leader with Company C, 2nd Battalion,503rd Infantry Regiment, learned recently insurvival school taught by the South AfricanSpecial Forces.Otfinoski, 27, of Middletown, Conn., was oneof three U.S. Army noncommissioned officersto complete the three-week course in April,which focused on how to live off the land,tracking and evading capture.“They strip you bare and teach you how tosurvive in the bush,” Otfinoski said. “It wasdifferent than anything else I’ve ever experienced.”Master Sgt. Robert Seifert, of SpecialOperations Command—Africa, and Sgt. 1st
See 173rd Page 5Staff Sgt. John Otfinoski, a squad leader with Co.C, 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf. Regt., carries an impala onhis back during a survival course taught by theSouth African Special Forces. Three Army NCOsattended the three-week course, coordinated byU.S. Army Africa, in April.
173rd Soldier learns survivalin the South African bush
Military spouse and Villaggio resident Talya Hooker hangs laundry in her backyard with her daughters. The post environmental division awarded the Hooker family a solar lamp for itsenergy savings.
(Courtesy photo)
Laurren DawseyApril CarrollKyra JenkinsTiffany Ingledue
 
May 7, 2009
Garrison news
2
THE
 
Outlook
S
peak 
O
ut 
What No. 1 tip would you give to a military spouse?
-By Laura Kreider USAG Vicenza Public Affairs
Penny Bills
Family member 
“Help each other more. Look for a welcome packet in a new location.”
Maria Mecham
FRG leader 
“Be patient and  supportive,understanding that mission comes first.”
Elisabetta Galliand
Family member 
“Learn to adjust tomany different things,and ask many questionsof other spouses.”
Patricia Brown
FRG leader 
“Have patience.”
Tiara Miranda
Family member 
“Always stay in contact with their loved one during deployment. They miss youas much as you miss them.”
By RICK SCAVETTA
U.S. Army Africa
T
his week the Vicenza militarycommunity will join theDepartment of Defense inhonoring military spouses.More than a half-million spousescurrently support our Army in variety of ways; from directly caring for our warriors to maintaining our communitieson the home front.First celebrated in 1984, MilitarySpouse Appreciation Day is held eachMay on the Friday prior to Mother’s Day.On May 11 at the Arena an event for spouses will feature cookingdemonstrations, lunch and shopping.From the American War of 
Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander of U.S. Army Africa, chats with militaryspouses Mindy Butler and Tiffany Ingledue whose husbands serve in the 2nd Battalion,503rd Infantry Regiment May 1 at a volunteer recognition ceremony.
Photo by Maj. Ryan Dillon
Caserma Ederle salutes its volunteers, military spouses
Independence to now, military spouseshave supported our Soldiers and our missions – especially those who volunteer their time, said Maj. Gen. William B.Garrett III, commander of U.S. ArmyAfrica, during a May 1 ceremony, whichrecognized community volunteers – manyof whom are military spouses.“They serve and sacrifice in their ownway,” Garrett said. “So it’s important thatwe recognize their vital role in our community - not just once a year. Militaryspouses make positive differences everyday, a fact we recognize and honor thisweek.”
 See Page 5 for a list of volunteer nominees and to find out who wasnamed the 2008 volunteer of the year.
CG recognizes installation
volunteers, military spouses
New to the Army? Garrison spouses sharetips to help
you 
weather the storms
Kyra Jenkins:
1.
How long have you been a militaryspouse?
Almost 5 years.
2.
Have you gone through a deployment?
Yes.
3.
What difficult situations have you hadto overcome as a military spouse andhow?
Transitions. Whether it be leaving,coming home or adjusting to being home.Moving around and adjusting to newlocations is also hard.
4.
What makes a good military spouse?
Being supportive and flexible. Your husband (or wife) has no control of thedates and your nagging only makes thesituation more stressful.
5.
What training and support have youreceived from the military community tohelp you succeed as a military spouse?
The other wives are amazing. You soonfind out you are all in the same situationand
 
must stick together.
Tiffany Ingledue
1.
How long have you been a militaryspouse?
3 years.
2.
Have you gone through a deployment?
Yes.
3.
What difficult situations have you hadto overcome as a military spouse andhow?
Transitioning into a new communityoverseas, having my husband leave for deployment, come home from deploymentand adjusting to him and his schedule.
4.
What makes a good military spouse?
Being flexible and supportive to your husband (or wife). Know that times anddates will change with him having nocontrol.
5.
What training and support have youreceived from the military community tohelp you succeed as a military spouse?
Ihave had support from my command andsurrounding community. I have receivedtreasurer, Family Readiness Group leader,key caller training, among many others frommobilization/deployment - all training whichhas been and will be very useful.
Laurren Dawsey
1.
How long have you been a militaryspouse?
1 year.
2.
Have you gone through a deployment?
No.
3.
What difficult situations have you hadto overcome as a military spouse andhow?
Adjusting to military life and livingoverseas by taking advantage of servicesprovided on post.
4.
What makes a good military spouse?
Being supportive of my husband.
5.
What training and support have youreceived from the military community tohelp you succeed as a military spouse?
FRG leader training as well as financialreadiness meeting and support from theunit FRG and chain of command.
April Carroll
1.
How long have you been a militaryspouse?
8 years, divided between twobranches.
2.
Have you gone through a deployment?
Yes.
3.
What difficult situations have you hadto overcome as a military spouse andhow?
Adjusting to living in Italy was a littlebit difficult for me,but ACS had classes andinformation that really helped.
4.
What makes a good military spouse?
Someone who is flexible, understanding andisn’t afraid to ask for help.
5.
What training and support have youreceived from the military community tohelp you succeed as a military spouse?
FRG leader training as well as financialreadiness meeting and support from theunit FRG and chain of command.
 
Art teacher credits bike as key to sanity
Library hooks ‘Big Fish’ author
May 7, 2009THE
 
Outlook
3
Garrison news
Installation Security
 
SETAF-U.S. Army Africa Commander 
Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III
USAG Vicenza Commander and Publisher 
Col.Erik Daiga
USAG VicenzaPublic Affairs Officer 
Jon Fleshman
Editor 
Adriane Foss
Photojournalist
Laura Kreider 
The Outlook 
is an unofficialpublication authorized and provided byAR 360-1.All editorial content of 
The Outlook 
is prepared, edited, provided andapproved by the U.S. Army GarrisonVicenza Public Affairs Office in building3, room 101, on Caserma Ederle inVicenza, Italy. Telephone DSN 634-7000,
 The Outlook 
 
April 30, 2009 Vol. 42, Issue 17
off post at 0444-71-7000 or e-mail:
DLUSAG Vicenza Outlook Editor 
The Outlook 
is published weekly bythe USAG Vicenza PAO, Unit 31401, Box10, APO AE 09630. It is printed by CentroStampa Editoriale SRL, Grisignano (VI)0444-414-303.Editorial publication is an authorizedsection for members of the U.S. Armyoverseas. Contents of 
The Outlook 
 
arenot necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government,Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Installation ManagementCommand-Europe, U.S. Army GarrisonVicenza or the U.S. Army SouthernEuropean Task Force.
Submissions:
Send all submissionsfor publication to
DL USAG VicenzaOutlook Editor.
Submissions should bemade via e-mail and must be received byMonday at noon for that week’s publication.The editor reserves the right to edit allsubmissions for style, brevity and clarity.Circulation is 2,500 per week.
Peg Clevenger
is the security manager for theDirectorate of Plans, Training Mobilization and Security.“I am responsible for managing all of the securityneeds for Garrison Vicenza to include informationsecurity, operations security, personnel and communityfingerprints,” said Clevenger.Clevenger’s support to the garrison includesconducting security surveys, comprehensiveassessments, inspections and inventories to ensurecompliance with information security directives.She also ensures all garrison security officers receivetraining on a quarterly basis.For assistance, call 634-8498/8998 or e-mail
 peg.clevenger@eur.army.mil 
or 
 john.h.davis1@eur.army.mil.
 At your service
By MICHAEL McNULTY
 European Regional Library Support 
USAG Vicenza has hooked quite acatch. The garrison will host DanielWallace, the author of the 1998 novel
 Big  Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions
at the post library May 12.Wallace’s free writing workshop for the garrison will begin at 5:30 p.m. and isopen to service members and their families. After a short break at 6:30 p.m.,a reading and discussion will begin at 7 p.m.“Aspiring writers or anyone interestedin learning more about the craft of writingare encouraged to attend the writingworkshops,” said Christina Kruger, alibrarian at the European RegionalLibrary Support Center in Heidelberg,.The author’s visit is part of ArmyEurope Libraries’ “Conversations”literary discussion series.Wallace, whose book is also the basisfor Tim Burton’s 2003 film “Big Fish,”will visit seven other garrison librariesacross the region, offering creative-writing workshops, along with literarydiscussions andreadings of his work.In addition towriting a screenplayfor Universal Pictures,called
Timeless
,Wallace has publishedmore than three dozenshort stories in venuessuch as
The Yale Review
,
TheMassachusetts Review
,
Shenandoah
,
 New Stories from theSouth
, and
The Best  American Short Stories
, and his work has been translated into 18 languages.Wallace has also published twoillustrated children’s books,
 Elynora
and
O Great Rosenfeld 
. And, Kruger noted,Wallace is a gifted illustrator whosedrawings have appeared, among other  places, in the
 L.A. Times
and
 ItalianVanity Fair.
A native of Birmingham, Ala., Wallacenow teaches creative writing at theUniversity of North Carolina at ChapelHill.Author Fannie Flagg called Wallace“one of the most imaginative and originalwriters of our times,” while Publisher’sWeekly Magazine wrote that Wallace’s“humor and appreciation of ordinary people, demonstrates [an] extraordinaryoriginality, craftsmanship and charm.”Visit www.library.eur.army.mil/conversations for the times, dates andlocations of events at each garrison.For more information on Wallace, visit
www.danielwallace.org.
For more information about theConversations series, contact Kruger atDSN 370-6678 or commercial 06221-57-6678.
Called “one of the most ima-ginative and original writersof our times.” 
Daniel Wallace
Story and photo bySAMANTHA SMITH
Contributing writer 
The short bike ride to and from work “keeps me sane” said Toni Augustine, anart teacher at Vicenza ElementarySchool.“I ride my bike whenever it’s not wet,freezing or snowy,” said Augustine.She lives near the soccer stadium and by making use of the pedestrianunderpass, it takes her about 20 minutesto get to post. She usually arrives by 7:30a.m. to avoid the traffic at the housinggate and leaves by 4 p.m.“I feel more connected to life ingeneral when I ride my bike,” saidAugustine. It also allows her “quiet alonetime, to decompress before dealing withfamily,” she said.
 American Forces Press Service
With the Department of VeteransAffairs ready to begin accepting sign-upsfor the Post-9/11 GI Bill in May, theDefense Department is working to getword out on its proposed policy regardingthe bill’s transferability provisions to helpservice members decide if the new benefit is right for them.In addition to providing broader educational benefits, the Post-9/11 GI Billthat takes effect Aug. 1 includes a provision that enables enrollees totransfer their benefits to immediate familymembers.More details about the Post-9/11 GIBill are posted on the DefenseDepartment and Department of VeteransAffairs Web sites, and the Pentagon’s proposed transferability policy is on theDefense Department site:
 
http://www.gibill.va.gov/ 
 
http://www.defenselink.mil/home/  features/2009/0409_gibill/ 
Find out how totransfer unusedPost-9/11 GI Billbenefits to family
Visit the Army’s Web site dedicatedto the Year of the NCO at
www.army.mil/Year of the NCO
.
Staff Sgt. Joshua Miller 
Unit:
K-9 Platoon, 464th MilitaryPolice
Current Position:
PatrolExplosive Detector Dog Handler 
Age:
29
Hometown:
Phoenix, Ariz.
 Years in service:
11
What would surprise peopleabout you:
The Army pays meto play with dogs every day.
Biggest mentor and why:
Sgt.1st Class Dalton because he hada wealth of knowledge, both dogworld and general Armyknowledge.
 Your definition of an NCO:
Someone who has a genuineconcern for his or her Soldiers.Someone who has “been thereand done that,” and is not afraidto ask questions if he doesn’tknow the answers.
List of major assignments/deployments:
Korea (2), FortBliss, Texas, Honduras, Italy,Saudi Arabia and Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
 Your advice?
Be early toformations and do as you’re told.
 Your defining moment as anNCO:
At Lackland when I wouldsee the working dogs I trainedbeing shipped to support theGWOT.
Life’s ambition:
Retire from themilitary and be a great husbandand father.
Motto:
PAX ARMISACQUIRITUR
–
Peace isacquired by arms.
The Noncommissioned Officer 
PATTERNS OF SUCCESS
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