A sharpshooter who competed in the 2012 Paralympic Games also helped
develop an innovative prosthesis that has helped countless wounded
warriors. Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Olson, a member of the 2012 Paralympic
shooting team and the Army Marksmanship Unit, missed qualifying for the
finals in the mixed 10-meter air rifle prone competition at the
Paralympic Games Sept. 1. He shot 595 points in the qualification
rounds, but eight of his fellow competitors shot a perfect 600 score.
Then Sept. 4, he shot 587 in the mixed 50-meter prone rifle competition,
to earn 12th place.Read More

Get ready. Get set. Go kindergarten! Child, Youth and School Services’
Kinder Boot Camp helped 13 kindergarten-bound children get ready for
their first day of school.

Starting kindergarten is a major
developmental milestone and can create apprehension in children and
parents, according to Keith Herman, a University of Missouri expert.
Herman recommends that the parents and child visit the school and
classroom before the first day. The U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Kinder
Boot Camp takes that idea a couple of steps further.Read More

Service members facing behavioral health challenges should feel
comfortable asking for help, Defense Department leaders said this month.
Speaking during Suicide Prevention Month, senior leaders attending the
134th National Guard Association of the United States General Conference
urged a continued emphasis on a culture in which it is OK to seek help.Read More

The Army’s Master Fitness Training Course, discontinued in 2001, will
soon be back. The pilot course for the new Master Fitness Training
Course, or MFTC, which began Aug. 27, is underway at Fort Jackson, S.C.,
and the class of about 30 Soldiers will graduate Sept. 21.
Read More

The Honorable Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for
Installations, Energy and Environment, visited Stuttgart Sept. 7 as part
of a Europe-wide trip to learn about energy and cost-saving initiatives
across the theater.

During her visit, she took the opportunity
to speak to U.S. Army Africa Command staff and went on a walking tour of
Kelley Barracks with the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart director of
Public Works. Read More

Thirty-four competitors flexed with poise during the fifth annual U.S.
Army Garrison Stuttgart European Bodybuilding and Figure Championship
Aug. 25, persuasively engaging one glistening deltoid at a time for an
appreciative sold-out audience. “A lot of people really admire the
hard work, dedication and discipline these performers put in the gym and
toward their bodies,” said Marie Smith, a dedicated crossfit athlete
who brought her young sons to watch the evening show at the Patch
Fitness Center. Read More

Sept. 7 — The Possession (PG-13) 6 p.m., Magic Mike (R) 9 p.m.
Sept. 8 — Ice Age: Continental Drift (PG) 4 p.m., The Possession (PG-13) 7 p.m., Lawless (R) 10 p.m.  
Read More

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, know that you are not alone.
Experiencing
a traumatic event is common among service members who deploy to hostile
environments around the globe. Everyone reacts to traumatic experiences
differently, and some service members may face emotional or
psychological challenges such as feelings of anger, isolation, anxiety
or guilt following the event or when they return home. These reactions,
among others, can be common responses to extraordinary events.Read More

Summer campers learned how to “Go Green” during Child, Youth and School
Services’ Camp Adventure program. Children grew and harvested their own
vegetables, went on nature walks and learned to recycle, at camps held
from June 16 to Aug. 25 at the school age and youth centers on Robinson,
Kelley and Patch Barracks, and Panzer Kaserne.  Read More

The Patch Library concluded its summer reading program with reading
awards, participation prizes and an ice cream social on Aug. 7. With a
theme of “Reading is So Delicious,” the program was designed to spark
the literary appetites of young readers at 250 military installations
across the globe.
Read More

As a military community, we are continuously reminded of the threat of a
terrorist attack — on television, on the radio, in newspapers and on
the web.
We hear, see and read public service announcements about
the need to remain vigilant almost every day, and every year, we —
service members, civilians, contractors, even dependents 14 years of age
and older — are required to take Antiterrorism Awareness training. Read More