Kristine Faria
As 2016 came to a close, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) personnel came together for two activities that brought special meaning to a long-standing sports rivalry and helped out those in need this holiday season.
On Dec. 5, USAASC’s very own Lt. Col. Alex Babington took to the ice at Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center as part of an Army-Navy hockey game that featured local military players. The result of coordination between Gen. Mark Milley, U.S. Army chief of staff (COS), and the Washington Capitals professional hockey organization, the game ramped up excitement for the year’s Army-Navy football game and kicked off a week of spirited rivalry between the two services.
Lt. Col. Alex Babington, left, took to the ice on an Army hockey team coached by Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. Army defeated its Navy opponent 5-3, setting the stage for a victory on the football field a week later. (Photo by Tara Clements, USAASC)”
Playing alongside Babington were Lt. Gen. James McConville, Army deputy chief of staff, G-1, and the Honorable Patrick Murphy, undersecretary of the Army. Milley and U.S. Army Vice COS Gen. Daniel Allyn coached the Army team. Babington, a proponency officer in U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center’s (USAASC’s) Leader Development Branch, called the game a great team-building event and an opportunity to see Army senior leaders in a different environment. “To have Gen. Allyn and Gen. Milley as coaches, and to be line mates on defense with Hon. Murphy and Lt. Gen. McConville was an experience that I will never forget,” he said.
It was a hard-fought game, with Army vanquishing its opponent five goals to three. The Army victory on ice set the tone for triumph on the football field: After many seasons of disappointment, the Army Black Knights emerged victorious over the Navy Midshipmen 21-17, winning the 119th Army-Navy football game on Dec. 10 in Baltimore.
In the second of the two year-end activities, USAASC employees displayed a spirit of generosity and care as they carried out an annual tradition. “Every year, the organization tries to do something for someone in need,” said USAASC Director Craig Spisak. “This year we had the opportunity to help Soldiers in need by giving to the Fort Belvoir [Virginia] USO.”
USAASC collected more than 300 pounds of canned goods, non-perishable food and personal items for the food pantry run by the USO Warrior and Family Center. The collection was the result of a drive conducted throughout November and sponsored by the organization’s Morale and Welfare Committee. Donations included items appropriate for a Christmas or holiday feast as well as every-day staples and personal care items.
On Dec. 12, Spisak and several USAASC employees personally delivered the donations. Receiving them on behalf of the USO was Volunteer Specialist Sheila Hutchinson. “With the holidays, families are stretched thin and sometimes they need help,” she said. December can be a difficult month, she added, and the food pantry is there to help those who need assistance. Active-duty Soldiers and their families can get help from the USO without a referral.
To read more about the programs and activities of the Fort Belvoir USO Warrior and Family Center, or to find out how you can get involved in the USO’s good works, go to https://metro.uso.org/belvoir.
A handful of USAASC employees delivered more than 300 pounds of food and personal care items to the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir, with the goal of brightening the holiday season for those in need. From left are Karl Donerson (back to the camera), Cary Cooper, Lt. Col. Barry Williams and USO Volunteer Specialist Sheila Hutchinson. (Photo by Ashley Tolbert, USAASC)
