Friday, March 21, 2008

Belvior Briefs

AER Campaign kicks off
Army Emergency Relief kicks off its 2008 fundraising campaign March 28 in the Barden Education Center auditorium beginning at 1 p.m. Installation Commander Col. Brian Lauritzen will give the opening remarks.
The campaign is an annual event, which raises money to assist soldiers with every day expenses. The theme for this year’s campaign, which runs through May 15, is “Army Emergency Relief: Strength for Soldiers and their Families.”
For more information, please contact Vonnie Blanken at 703-805-3130.
Talent show planned
Sisters in Spirit Book Club hosts a talent show to honor its first anniversary March 29 at 8 p.m. in the Community Club Ballroom. The event is open to all. Tickets are $15 per person.
The theme of the event is “An Evening with the Stars” and features local talents showcasing musical favorites such as Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin and Monica.
For more information and tickets, call 571-322-0033 or 703-973-9343, or e-mail the club’s public relations officer at .
ROTC gala scheduled
The Washington D.C. chapter of the ROCKS, Inc. hosts its 34th Annual ROTC Scholarship and Awards Spring Gala April 5 at 6 p.m. at the Fort Belvoir Officers’ Club.
Seating is limited. Reservations must be postmarked no later than March 28.
For more Spring Gala details, call 301-669-9319 or visit the Web site at http://www.therocksdc.org.
ROCKS, Inc. is a non-profit organization comprised of active duty, reserve, retired and former commissioned officers of all U.S. Uniformed Services, and selected others. The organization provides professional development, mentoring, and social interaction to strengthen the officer corps.
Spring Safety Day set
The Fort Belvoir Installation Safety Office hosts Spring Safety Day May 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Specker Field House and the Belvoir Chapel parking lot. More than 20 vendors will be available. State, local, and private organizations will present safety demonstrations. Organizations wishing to sponsor a safety-related event or set up an information booth, call the Installation Safety Office at 703-704-0649.
Worship experience set for May
The Installation Chaplain sponsors its first Fort Belvoir Open Air Worship Experience: Honoring God, Country, Servicemembers and Families. The event is May 24 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The purpose is to provide a worship experience and social event for all military ID card holders assigned to the Military District of Washington. The event is open to all people assigned to Belvoir, their families and the general public throughout the surrounding area.
Featured artists are: Martha Munizzi, Mary Alessi, Selah, Jason Crabb, SONICFLOOd, Antonia Lawrence, Fred McKinnon, Bishop Bruce Parham and numerous local artists.
Plans are still forming. However, people with questions may call 806-5904.
Defense Attaché assignments open to active-duty Army NCOs
Active duty Army NCOs in grades E-5 through E-8 looking for a new career field might consider an assignment with the Defense Attaché System.
The DAS is recruiting qualified NCOs seeking Joint Service Staff assignments within American embassies in more than 120 worldwide locations. Selected NCOs get the opportunity to represent the U.S. Army while serving diplomatic assignments in Europe, Central and South America, Africa, the Far East and the Middle East. 
To be considered, NCOs must be active duty, qualify for or already possess a top secret security clearance, have a General Technical score of 115 or higher, a Clerical score of 120 or higher, a typing score of 42 words per minute or higher and be familiar with the latest PC word processing programs.
Soldiers must also test 100 or higher on the Defense Language Aptitude Battery. This last requirement is a discriminator when being selected, since most of the NCO billets in the DAS are language-dependent billets. In the past, this program was only offered to Soldiers in the former MOS of 71L (which is now 42A), but recently it has been opened to all other MOSs. Family members must be U.S. citizens and meet the medical standards for the country of assignment.
More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.armyreenlistment.com, http://www.dia.mil/employment/military or by contacting Sgt. 1st Class Edgar Vazquez, 202 231-7291, or e-mail: .