from this edition - Fort Sam Houston - U.S. Army

PAGE 4 NEWS LEADER MAY 10, 2012News Briefsfrom P3around this location are encouraged touse alternate routes.Army Emergency ReliefFund Campaign ExtendedThe 2012 Army Emergency ReliefFund Campaign, originally set toend April 30, has been extendedthrough May 15 to allow all units mayparticipate.Foster a PuppyThe Department of Defense dogbreeding program needs families tofoster puppies for three months. Potentialfoster families need time and patienceto raise a puppy age 12 weeksto six months, a stimulating and safehome environment and a desire tohelp raise a military working dog. Call671-3686 for more information.All-Day Appointmentsfor CAC/ID CardsThe 502 Air Base Wing replacedthe walk-in customer services at itsmain ID Card/CAC issuance facilitieswith an all-day appointment-only processfor all military members, retirees,dependents, civil service employeesand contractor customers. Appointmenttimes are 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday, scheduled in 20-minuteintervals. Changes to existing ID Card/CAC and DEERS services only affectthe main DEERS ID Card/CAC issuancefacilities at these locations: 502ndForce Support Squadron, Building 367,Fort Sam Houston, 221-0415; 802ndForce Support Squadron, Building5616, Lackland AFB, 671-4178; and902nd Force Support Squadron, Building399, Randolph AFB, 652-1845.Customers can schedule appointmentsat any of these facilities by visitinghttps://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil/ or call the numbers listed to setup an appointment.Change with Processing DFASPCS Travel Order VouchersAre you a civilian employee relocating?The DFAS-Columbus office nolonger processes civilian PCS vouchers.This function will now be done byDFAS-Rome. For additional details, visitthe Fort Sam Houston CPAC website athttp://www.samhouston.army.mil/cpac/or the DFAS website at http://www.dfas.mil/pcstravel/civlatestnews.html.Army South deputy commanding generalunlaces his boots after 42 yearsBy Eric R. LuceroARSOUTH Public AffairsPhotos by Eric R. Lucero(Top) Brig. Gen. Manuel Ortiz Jr. (left), the U.S. Army South deputy commandinggeneral, and Maj. Gen. Simeon G. Trombitas (right), ARSOUTH commandinggeneral, salute during the presentation of colors during Ortiz’ retirementceremony May 4. (Above) Brig. Gen. Manuel Ortiz Jr., the U.S. Army Southdeputy commanding general, speaks to attendees of his retirement ceremony.Brig. Gen. Manuel OrtizJr., the assistant adjutantgeneral-Army, TexasNational Guardand the U.S. ArmySouth deputy commandinggeneral,called an end tomore than 42 yearsof military serviceduring a retirementceremony at FortSam Houston’s Mac-Arthur Parade FieldMay 4.Ortiz served 10 years asan enlisted service member,followed by 32 years as a commissionedofficer.He received his first companycommand in Septemberof 1985 with Company A, 2ndBattalion, 142nd Infantry Regimentfollowed by a tour as thecommander of Company E,2nd Battalion, 142nd InfantryRegiment in Wellington, Texas.His third command began inSeptember of 1989 with CompanyD, 2nd Battalion, 142ndInfantry Regiment in Lubbock,Texas.After serving in several staffpositions at the battalion andbrigade level, he served asbattalion commander of 3rdBattalion, 141st Infantry Regimentin Weslaco, Texas, fromSeptember 1997 to October2000.In September 2004, followingseveral brigade-level staffpositions, Ortiz became thebrigade commander of the72nd Brigade Combat Team,36th Infantry Division.Ortiz joined Army South in2007 and was appointed thedeputy commanding generalof the command. During muchof his time at Army South, hewas also dual-hatted as the assistantadjutant general-Army,Texas National Guard.Maj. Gen. Simeon G. Trombitas,the Army South commandinggeneral, recapped Ortiz’importance to Army Southby playfully describing what hemeant to each commander.“He was the right-hand manfor three different generals,”Trombitas said. “And in thatcapacity, he not only did thosethings that we couldn’t do,but quite frankly he did thosethings we didn’t want to do.And I thank you for that,” headded motioning toward Ortizas the crowd laughed.During his time at ArmySouth, Ortiz traveled throughoutthe hemisphere to includetrips to Argentina, theDominican Republic, Ecuador,El Salvador, Guatemala,Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama andUruguay.In Trombitas’ absence duringArmy South’s 2010 missionto support the humanitarianand disaster response missionin Haiti, Ortiz remained atthe Army South headquartersto ensure that operations in31countries and 15 areas ofspecial sovereignty continuedseamlessly.In describing his years withArmy South, Ortiz showedthe crowd a circularpatch with a Spanishgalleon on it; ArmySouth’s unitpatch.“It’s alove story,”he stated.“Throughout mycareer, this patchkept crossing my path.I first saw it at FortBenning as a young officer.I would see guyswearing it … and it wouldmake me think, ‘who are theseguys?’“I then saw it again laterin my career in Bolivia andPanama and I didn’t know itat the time, but someone wasgiving me a hint that somedaythis would be significant tome,” Ortiz added. “I’m in lovewith this patch and to be ableto retire with it really means alot to me.”Despite his retirement ceremonyMay 4, Ortiz acceptedone last mission on behalf ofArmy South and traveled toChile as the command’s seniorrepresentative at the PeacekeepingOperations-Americas2012 exercise.PKO-A is a command-postexercise designed to test participants’abilities to implementand sustain United NationsSecurity Council peacekeepingstandards.Upon his return May 12, hisretirement will become officialand he will unlace his bootsfor the final time.“Manuel Ortiz is a remarkableman, who’s had a remarkablecareer, and has hada remarkable life that willcontinue after he hangs up hisuniform,” Trombitas said.“He embodies all thingsthat make our nation strongand I think as a citizen-Soldiermore so than the rest of us,he embodies our United StatesArmy.”