Photo By Jose Lopez | Service members, families, and civilians participated in the quarterly newcomers...... read more read more
FORT BUCHANAN, PUERTO RICO—Service members, families, and civilians participated in the quarterly newcomers briefing Sept. 13 at the Fort Buchanan community club to facilitate their integration into the only U.S. Army installation in the Caribbean.
During the event, Col. John D. Samples addressed the participants, while different directorates provided valuable information about their services.
One of the attendees was Command Sergeant Major Kimberly D. Bergman-Gándara, who recently became the installation command sergeant major.
"This type of event is important to me personally because I am also a newcomer. I am new to the island of Puerto Rico. I am new to Fort Buchanan. There are services and so many other amenities that I am authorized to have that I don't know about. On a professional level, we are the Army's home in the Caribbean, and we want to make sure that the warfighter and their family members feel at home and have everything they need to flourish and prosper," said Bergman-Gándara.
Keshia Case, a military spouse, was also among the participants.
"The information offered at this event will help my family and me adjust to a new environment. There is a lot of information that will be very relevant to our lives for the next several years," said Case.
The newcomer's briefing is of great value to Sgt 1st Class Sergeant Jorge Restrepo, a Motor Sergeant assigned to the 475th Engineer Company.
"I believe it is important that we get all the information not only about the island but also about Fort Buchanan itself. We need to be knowledgeable of everything that goes around for newcomers like us who have never been to Puerto Rico. The staff has been putting out the information well presented," said Restrepo, who attended the event accompanied by his family.
However, the newcomer's briefing is beneficial not only to personnel arriving at the military installation but also to staff members.
"This event is very insightful and important because it allows us to actually get to know who we'll be working with and also to discover the resources we have as employees and also what can we offer to those who visit our programs," said Idalis Rios from the Army Community Service.
The newcomers briefing is part of the Relocation Readiness Program offered by the Fort Buchanan Army Community Service office, and it showcases how the installation fulfills its enduring commitment to service members and families.
For more information about this program, contact Sigfredo Perez, Relocation Readiness Program Manager, at 787-707-3682 or by email at sigfredo.perez.civ@army.mil
With an annual investment in the local economy of more than $500 million, Fort Buchanan serves a diverse military community of approximately 15,000 active-duty Reserve, National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Navy Reserve personnel. Fort Buchanan's mission is to serve as a readiness enabler platform to facilitate the deployment of military personnel anywhere, anytime.
For more news about Fort Buchanan, visit https://www.army.mil/buchanan
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2024 15:42 |
| Story ID: | 481102 |
| Location: | PR |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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