Fort Hood Sentinel (Fort Hood, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 26, 2017 Page: 1 of 24
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Thursday, January 26, 2017
75th Year, Issue 4
www.FortHoodSentinel.com
1ST CAVALRY DIVISION Troopers sharpen skills in Afghanistan A5
Retention bonuses of $10K
incentives added to bolster
new FY17 troop strength
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See Bonus, A6
Fort Hood’s Tax Center officially opens
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provided by
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2025 Vision at Bliss
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Photo by Staff Sgt. Logan Carlson, U.S. Air Force
See Huddle, A7
LIVING
Bl
SPORTS/LEISURE Cl
NEWS BRIEFS
INDEX
III Corps, FORSCOM
discuss Command Post
Chili Golf
Scramble
Editorial..................
Mosul.......................
Adopt-a-pet...........
Health Works.......
Traveling Soldier.
Calendar................
Across T exas........
Day of fashion
The USO will host a day of fash-
ion from 12:30-8 p.m. Saturday at
2200 West 35th St., Bldg. 8, Camp
Mabry, in Austin.
Operation That’s My Dress gives
teens from military Families the
chance to pick out a brand-new
gown or cocktail dress from several
of the most recognizable names in
fashion. There will also be a beauty
bar and fashion shows. For more
information, call 768-2770.
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B2
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B8
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Capt. Erik Thomas, Fort Hood
Tax Center officer in charge said
504th 75th
birthday
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Super Bowl watch party
The Backbone Lounge is host-
ing a Super Bowl watch party on
Feb. 5. Doors open at 5 p.m. and
the event is free for everyone 18
and up. For more information, call
532-5073.
Dinner theater
A Valentine’s Day Murder Mys-
tery Theater is set for 7 p.m. at
Club Hood, Feb. 14. Cost is $39.95
per person and includes salad,
entree, dessert and show.
The event is open to everyone
18 and up.
Reserve your spot today by call-
ing 532-5073 or 532-5329.
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1st Cav marches in Inauguration Parade
The 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment marches along Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural
parade in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. More than 5,000 military members across from all branches of the armed
forces of the United States, including Reserve and National Guard components, provided ceremonial support and
defense support of civil authorities during the inaugural period.
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BY SGT. MAJ.
DONALD SPARKS
III Corps Public Affairs
BY TODD PRUDEN
Sentinel Editor
BY HEATHER GRAHAM-ASHLEY
Sentinel News Editor
Photo by Todd Pruden, Sentinel Editor
Maj. Gen. John Uberti, III Corps deputy commander, Pfc. Mario Pulmano, a
combat engineer with the 91st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team,
1st Cavalry Division, and Capt. Erik Thomas, Fort Hood Tax Center officer in
charge, cut a ribbon, officially opening the Tax Center Monday.
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Courtesy photo
A Soldier smiles after re-enlisting. A recent Pentagon directive offers bonuses of $10,000 and more, as well as other
incentives to Soldiers willing to extend their service for 12-23 months to meet increased Army end strength.
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the force, the Command Post
2025 Vision emphasizes more
effective and survivable expedi-
tionary command posts.
FORSCOM Commanding
General Gen. Robert Abrams
took part in the summit via
teleconference from Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, and expressed
the significance of the event.
“The world we’re going to
fight in the future is not the
same as we’ve been fighting the
past 15 years,” Abrams said.
“We’ve migrated to stationary
command posts however they
are not expeditionary and that’s
not the world we’re going to be
fighting in the future.”
He also highlighted Army
command posts as being huge
signatures that needed to be
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FORT BLISS — Senior leaders
from across the Army gathered
here to discuss future com-
mand post concepts as a way to
standardize operational require-
ments across all Army echelons
and improve mission command
Jan. 18.
Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland,
commander, III Armored
Corps and Fort Hood, joined
Lt. Gen. Patrick J. Donahue
II, deputy commanding gen-
eral, U.S. Army Forces Com-
mand and other senior lead-
ers at the FORSCOM-directed
event, which builds upon the
Army’s Command Post 2025
Vision. Aimed at reducing
command post footprints across
^Rort Hood
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Soldiers whose service commit-
ment is slated to end this fiscal
year can receive a $10,000 bonus
for extending their contract from
12 to 23 months, while for others,
the bonus amount could be even
higher.
The retention bonuses and other
incentives are part of the Army’s
drive to bolster troop strength to
476,000 by the end of fiscal year
2017. That equates to an increase
of 16,000 Soldiers across the Army.
“Extension bonuses of $10,000
will be offered to the majority of
Soldiers scheduled to ETS in FY
17,” Sgt. Maj. Ronald Calhoun, III
Corps command career counselor,
said.
For III Corps career counselors,
that means retaining an additional
2,621 troops beyond their usual
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Tax season is upon us. Fort
Hood officials officially opened
the doors to the installation’s Tax
Center Thursday, marking another
year of free tax preparation for
those in need of the service on
post.
Maj. Gen. John Uberti, the III
Corps deputy commanding gen-
eral, was the guest speaker at a rib-
bon cutting, signifying the official
opening of the office for the 2017
tax season.
“One of the great things that
happens on every Army instal-
lation is all of the volunteers;
Soldiers, Family members, civil-
ians, retirees; just good folks out
in the community that rally to
man the Tax Center,” Uberti said.
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the center has 45 volunteer staff
members on site to process and
file taxes for Soldiers, dependents,
Army civilians and retirees. He
also said the volunteers are more
than qualified to do the job.
“We are under the IRS Volunteer
Income Tax Assistants (program)
and as part of that ... they actually
go through a higher level than the
standard civilian VITA program
they will encounter,” Thomas said.
“Every one of our preparers goes
through the advanced certifica-
tion; the military certification and
the cost-savings certification.”
Uberti took time to thank those
who volunteer in the office before
the ribbon was cut, officially open-
ing the Tax Center and spoke of
the savings the Fort Hood com-
munity receives for not having to
pay tax preparation fees.
“Because, this is everyone’s favorite
time of the year, right?”
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“When you think about the
sense of community and the
notion of selfless service ... our
Tax Centers really are a manifesta-
tion of that,” Uberti said.
“Because it really is folks from
within the community from all
walks of life coming together, just
like you did last year, saving our
Soldiers and Families $1.56 mil-
lion in preparation fees. I mean,
think about that, that’s no small
chunk of change.”
The Tax Center is open Monday
through Friday, from 9:30 a.m.-
5p.m., with extended hours until
7 p.m. on Thursdays. To make
an appointment, call 288-7995 or
287-3294.
Tax services are
appointment only
For more information regarding
the Tax Center, see page A4.
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Since 1942
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Pruden, Todd. Fort Hood Sentinel (Fort Hood, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 26, 2017, newspaper, January 26, 2017; Fort Hood, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1205142/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Casey Memorial Library.