Pentagon Honors Secretary of Defense Environmental Award Recipients

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department is honoring nine winners with the 2018 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards for exceptional environmental achievements and innovative, cost-effective environmental practices.

The department has honored individuals, teams and installations each year since 1962 for remarkable achievements in these environmental management strategies that successfully support mission readiness, Ellen M. Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said in the memorandum announcing the recipients.

Environmental Stewardship

“The winners' achievements reflect the department's commitment to protect national security by supporting U.S. military forces through dynamic environmental stewardship that increases military readiness and enhances efficiencies,” Lord said.

By safeguarding the long-term sustainability of the nation’s vital resources, DoD is improving the military’s capabilities, according to Lord.

Each winner receives a trophy, a secretary of defense certificate of meritorious achievement, a personalized congratulatory letter, and an honorary American flag that is flown over the U.S. Capitol on Earth Day and over the Pentagon on Memorial Day.

The winners are:

Natural Resources Conservation, Small Installation: Hawaii Army National Guard, which implemented a multifaceted invasive species management program to increase acreage available for training and conserve a unique tropical ecosystem.

Natural Resources Conservation, Individual/Team: Natural Resources Conservation Team, Naval Base Ventura County, California, which established programs to support coastal resilience, conserve habitat and species and reduce costs at its three primary operating facilities.

Environmental Quality, Non-Industrial Installation: Fort Hood, Texas, which exceeded Qualified Recycling Program goals by selling 27.2 million pounds of recyclable materials and surpassed water and energy reduction goals by installing a solar photovoltaic array, wind turbines and water conservation systems.

Environmental Quality, Individual/Team: Frederick A. Javier, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida, who provided outstanding leadership by training installation staff on environmental management and engaging with the local community to promote DoD’s mission and science education.

Sustainability, Industrial Installation: Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California, which achieved reductions in electricity and water consumption while partnering with local government to gain cost savings.

Environmental Restoration, Installation: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, which completed a 10-year performance-based restoration initiative resulting in response complete or site closure for 44 environmental restoration sites ahead of schedule, and maintained accelerated or on-time closure for 55 additional sites.

Environmental Restoration, Individual/Team: Vieques Environmental Restoration Team, Puerto Rico, which implemented successful restoration projects to remove unexploded ordinance and clean up contaminants while engaging with local partners.

Cultural Resources Management, Large Installation: Camp Ripley, Minnesota Army National Guard, which completed an installation-wide record of all archaeological sites that will benefit cultural resources management and reduce impact to critical military operations.

Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition, Large Program: Combat Rescue Helicopter Program Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Team, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, which implemented programs to eliminate or reduce exposure to hazardous materials like hexavalent chromium.

Face of Defense: Airman-Poet Enjoys Community Involvement

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- When he arrived at Peterson Air Force Base here last year, Air Force Staff Sgt. Sipho Brannen searched for local opportunities to further his love for the arts.

Brannen, the 4th Space Control Squadron’s logistics flight chief and unit deployment manager, can today be found downtown with his friends, reciting poetry at a restaurant or hosting his own local poetry open mic night on evenings or weekends.

Upon his arrival here, Brannen said he was looking for an artistic venue such as the one he and his friends started in 2011 while stationed in Hampton, Virginia.

‘I Didn’t See Anything Centered on Artist Development’

“When I was looking around at the other open mics in Colorado Springs, I didn’t see anything centered on artist development that was trying to build up or celebrate artists in town,” Brannen said. “Everything was geared more toward slam poetry or more developed artists who just wanted some stage time.”

Instead, Brannen created his own monthly open mic night at a local lounge called, “The Shop Open Mic & Laboratory,” where musicians, singers or poets -- inexperienced or not -- can perform and get feedback from the audience.

About 40 people come to the monthly open mic night and about 10 perform, said Brannen, adding about 70 people are the most attendees he’s seen.

“I’ve had a few folks from my squadron come through. I haven’t pushed it to the base yet though; I’m kind of just seeing how it naturally develops,” Brannen said.

Brannen recites poetry when there is enough time for an extra performer, but he mostly facilitates his open mic night, which is held every first Thursday of the month at 8:15 p.m. When stationed in Virginia, Brannen first recited original poetry at a local restaurant with his friends.

Beginnings

“I got tired of going to the clubs and bars and stuff. I get it, we go out on the weekend and have a few drinks, but this was an unfulfilling experience. So I thought, ‘How can I get more from what’s happening? What can I do with my time?’ Someone said, ‘Hey, why don’t we start an open mic?’ I asked a few of my friends who liked poetry as well. We started an open mic and did that for three or four years.”

Spoken word poetry, photography and videography have become a few of Brannen’s passions since he first became involved with open mic nights. Spoken word is an oral performance art that focuses on word play and intonation and voice inflection

“I didn’t have many poems at first, but it was fun, I enjoyed it and kept going,” Brannen said. “My pieces started off super short; I had these five-line poems. They just got longer and longer.”

Brannen said as he became more confident he had more things he wanted to say through his art.

“Open mics can be like therapy or church group -- where you get people’s real confessionals. They go deep,” he said.

In exploring the surrounding community, Brannen said he has been recruited by groups like People Embracing All Cultures Equally at Liberty High School in Colorado Springs for a video collaboration.

“We’re working on a video project together. I’m one of the people PEACE invited in to brainstorm and come up with ideas. That’s one I’m really excited about,” said Brannen, who is also part of the Colorado Springs Black Arts Movement.

Community Involvement

Joining neighboring groups and organizations is more than just checking off a box, Brannen said.

“I think it’s important on a personal level and professional level,” he said. “When you join the Air Force, you’re still a citizen. You’re under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the life that comes with that, but you’re still a citizen at the end of the day. You still have this part of society that you exist in.”

Through his open mic night, Brannen has developed relationships with many people in the Colorado Springs community, including military members from all branches of service.

“A lot of the work I do affects a lot of people on different levels. People will pull me aside and tell me about an event that happened or an experience they had,” Brannen said. “Having those experiences where people are vulnerable with you, getting through a moment that’s really hard or sharing something that’s really difficult -- you get more of those experiences there than in a professional setting.”

Thanks to hosting his monthly event, Brannen said he has more confidence and has also published his own book.

Creative Outlets

Finding a creative outlet doesn’t have to be through poetry, Brannen said, it can be through music, rock climbing or anything.

“Look at what you’re interested in or maybe even try something new that’s outside of your comfort zone,” he said. “Just do something that’s different, because you never know what you’re going to find with experimentation and getting away from the day-to-day tasks of a military job.”

Beverly Price, 21st Force Support Squadron installation resilience operations director and community support coordinator, provides resources to anyone on Peterson AFB looking to be more involved with the arts.

“Building supportive relationships is the foundation for resilience and ties directly with our wingman philosophy of taking care of yourself and taking care of others,” Price said. “Activating social engagement through music, poetry, theater or exercise helps create those friendships -- those positive protective systems -- which we all need in times of adversity.”

Price works with different arts organizations around Colorado Springs to provide opportunities for airmen at Peterson.

“It’s bringing balance to their life,” Price said. “My whole job with resilience is making sure people balance the four quadrants of their life: social, mental, physical and spiritual. Blending a series of arts programs with our resilience modules introduces like-minded people to one another, which in turn strengthens our community and sense of connectedness.”

If an airman wants to start a group or club on base, such as a writing club that meets in the library, they can do that, said Price, adding she’s currently speaking with different organizations to bring more arts onto the base.

Department of Defense Employee Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Co-Worker on Military Base

A Department of Defense civilian employee pleaded guilty today to sexually abusing a co-worker while on a temporary duty assignment to the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, Japan in January 2016.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes for the Western District of Washington and Special Agent in Charge Ron Beltz of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s (NCIS) office in Bremerton, Washington made the announcement.

Michael S. Cerera, 36, of Port Orchard, Washington, pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Richard Creatura of the Western District of Washington. Sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 9.

In pleading guilty, Cerera admitted that on or about Jan. 23, 2016, while a civilian employee of the Department of Defense in Yokosuka, Japan, he engaged in sexual contact with a female co-worker when she was physically incapable of declining participation in, or communicating her unwillingness to engage in, that sexual contact because she was asleep.  Specifically, Cerera admitted that in the early morning, he was present in the victim’s hotel room and climbed into her bed while she was unconscious.  The victim woke to discover that, without her permission, Cerera had pushed her shirt up and was kissing or licking her right side and had placed one hand down the back of her underwear and digitally penetrated her vagina.

NCIS investigated the case.  Trial Attorney Rami S. Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Grady Leupold of the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case.