Eagle BELVOIR
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March 2, 2017
Up Front RustBuster Home Run Derby
Fort Belvoir Sports and Fitness crowns its first Home Run Derby King or Queen at the inaugural RustBuster Home Run Derby, Friday at 6 p.m., at Graves Softball Field, 2116 Abbott Road. The derby is open to all active duty, retirees, DoD civilian employees, and contractors. Visit Graves Fitness Center or call 703-806-5093 to register and pay in advance; $20 buys 10 swings and there is no limit on purchasing attempts, available only in increments of 10.
Army Warrant Officers
Photo by Paul Lara
Fort Belvoir DFMWR Director Berry Patrick, left, is surprised by Stephen Brooks, U. S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir Deputy Commander, his command team and staff; with an award of the Order of the White Plume, Feb. 16 at the Fort Belvoir Officers’ Club.
Belvoir director receives top MWR award By Adrienne Anderson Staff writer Berry Patrick, Fort Belvoir’s MWR director, recalled the phone call from his staff about a broken pipe at the Officers’ Club. Patrick was informed people needed to be evacuated from the building. With a building as old as the Officers’ Club, he said he wasn’t surprised. “When I got the call that there was a problem – it was believable,” he said. However, when he got to the club, he was taken aback by the people still in the building. He was so focused on locating the pipe issue that he didn’t suspect the real reason he was called to the club. He was even more surprised to find his wife there. Still confused by the situation, Patrick said she insisted he sit down. Then, he was informed there would be a presentation. Patrick was presented with the prestigious Order of the White Plume, the top Army MWR award. “We’re so lucky to have Berry Patrick here at Fort Belvoir as our director,” said Stephen Brooks, deputy to the garrison commander. “He has made such a difference in nearly every job he’s ever had.”
Patrick started his career with MWR in the late-1970s as a young, enlisted Soldier. In 1975, while living on Fort Gordon, he said he lived across from the recreation center. He wanted to do something productive and was encouraged to volunteer with MWR, which was called Special Services back then. He volunteered at the recreation and youth centers at Fort Gordon, volunteered as a youth sports coach and ran a summer camp. It was these opportunities that got him hooked on working within MWR. “I made it a career goal to go into MWR,” he said. Since beginning his career, Patrick said he’s had four tours as MWR director. Having worked from the very bottom and working his way up led him to have a number of experiences that made him skilled. “Over time, with all of those different experiences, he started building up a broad technical expertise,” Brooks said. “In addition to that, he’s a very talented person, and he’s a great leader because he has such great ethics.” Brooks said Patrick “walks the talk” when it comes to leadership and has excellent business acumen. “He would never ask a subor-
dinate to do something that he wouldn’t do himself,” Brooks said. Patrick’s skills were tested when he worked was as MWR director at U.S. Army Garrison BadenWurttemberg in Germany. There were four communities, with 1,200 people in the garrison. They had to close two of the four communities, with tasks including redistributing property and equipment; helping people find jobs; and continuing to run MWR services until the last people left. Such a large task was difficult, he said. At Fort Belvoir, Brooks said Patrick and his team have made the installation’s programs one of the best in the Army. For example, three years ago, the golf course almost closed, but MWR was able to revamp the course by cutting costs and having an effective marketing plan. “We went from being at risk of closing the only Army golf course in the National Capital Region, to being the best run golf course in the entire Army,” Brooks said. These, and other achievements, couldn’t be accomplished without help, Patrick said. “I received the award, but you don’t receive that kind of award without having a really good team and staff that does the hard work every day,” he said.
In lieu of the March chapter meeting, the Lord Fairfax Silver Chapter, U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association has a warrant officer buffet lunch in the Belvoir O Club’s Jefferson Room. The lunch is March 7 at 11:30 a.m. Chief Warrant Officer 5 Russ Smith, CCWO of the Army Reserve, is guest speaker. Tickets are $15 and are available through the Eventbrite website, browse events, seminar, as event type. POC is Chief Warrant Officer 4 John Scott, chapter president, 703-806-0408.
Trailblazing women
Belvoir’s Women’s History Month observance is March 15 at 11:30 a.m. at the Community Center. Retired Col. Patty Collins, a team member of the U.S.’s Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro last year, is guest speaker. This year’s theme is: Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business. The event is open to everyone. Info is available from sergeants first class Jeremy Fernandes or Newuna Gandy, 703-805-2288 or 5390.
Legal hour changes
Due to limited staff and resources, the Fort Belvoir Legal Assistance Office is open from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on regular duty days. Additionally, on Fridays, power of attorney and notary services are available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. only. Call 703-805-2856 for more information or questions.