FROM THE BATTALION COMMANDING OFFICER Greetings CBIRF families and friends,

1. CBIRF QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER HOTZONE Winter 2010 FROM THE BATTALION COMMANDING OFFICER Greetings CBIRF families and friends, I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season and that the New Year has been good to all of you. You may have noticed that we have undergone an organizational realignment during the holiday season and that Alpha and Bravo Company have been consolidated into a single company commanded by Captain Jim Arrasmith. This realignment has allowed us to streamline some administrative processes, improve training, and standardized operating procedures between the two response forces. Captain Casey Ward will continue to command IRF Bravo and on a daily basis act as Capt Arrasmith’s executive officer. We are about to get busy. By the time you read this we will have completed our support to the President’s State of the Union Address and many of our Marines will be supporting the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. It doesn’t slow down after that with IRF Bravo conducting a deployment for training to Camp Blanding, FL and IRF Alpha conducting a deployment for training, in conjunction with FDNY, in NYC during April. Squeezed in between these two major training events, will be an in-house Corporal’s Course for our junior NCOs in order to further their professional development. To buffer the effects of our spring time operational tempo, the battalion has a variety of resources available to assist our CBIRF family during trying times. Ramona Higgins, the unit FRO, Chaplain James, and our Military Family Life Consultants are ready to assist those dealing with the challenges of having a deployed spouse. All the Best, Col. John M. Pollock COMMANDING OFFICER Col John M. Pollock BATTALION SGTMAJ SgtMaj Christopher Harper REACT COMPANY Capt James Arrasmith 1st Sgt Kevin Anderson H&S COMPANY Capt Michael Gleeson 1st Sgt Robert Moyer UNIT CHAPLAIN Cdr Kelvin James (301) 744-2017 FAMILY READINESS OFFICER Ramona Higgins (301) 744-5025 (office) (240) 427-7812 (cell) See photos from CBIRF Fall and Winter activities inside Helpful Contact Numbers Base Housing Information………………301-744-4317 Relocation Assistance……………………..703-614-7202 Family Advocate Program..................703-693-0643 General Counseling……………..............703-614-7204 Exceptional Family Member……………703-614-7200 New Parent Support ……………………….703-614-7208 Military Life Consultants…………………703-650-8435 Military One Source………………………..800-342-9647 Send an email to cbirf.fro.fct@usmc.mil if you’d like to be a volunteer, or if you’d like to receive emails about CBIRF-related activities.

2. CBIRF’s FallInformation FairNovember 19th, 2009

3. The Marine Corps BallNovember 5th, 2009 CBIRF’s Holiday Party December 10th, 2009

4. Mark Your Calendars! L.I.N.K.S CLASS FOR CBIRF SPOUSES Friday March 26th 2010 9am to 3pm The Conference Room at the Marina on base at Indian Head Here is your opportunity to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Marine Corps in order to be more knowledgeable in all aspects of the USMC, and in order to make informative decisions in various Marine Corps situations. Free pizza and drinks will be provided! There is no cost for this class. Call (703) 693-1457 or call the FRO at (301) 744-5025 by March 18th to register. Free Virus Protection If you’re a Comcast Internet subscriber, you can access free virus protection with McAfee’s Security Suite (a $120 value). Log into your www.comcast.net account and click on “Security” In the top right hand corner. Follow the onscreen instructions for installation. If you have trouble, call McAfee and they’ll be happy to help. JOB HUNTING RESOURCES AND TIPS By Sharline Rosales-Coy Ever wonder what websites to check for jobs in our area? Below are some listings by category: Gov’t Job Websites Marine Corps Community Services http://www.usmc-mccs.org/ Commander Navy Installations Command (CNIC) http://www.cnic.navy.mil USAJobs http://usajobs.gov StudentJobs http://studentjobs.gov Local Newspaper WebsitesThe Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wl/jobs/home Southern Maryland http://classifieds.somd.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi Local County Board of Education Charles County Public Schools http://www2.ccboe.com/employment/Prince George’s County Public Schools http://www1.pgcps.org/ Area Hospitals Civista Medical Center http://www.civista.org/ Southern Maryland Hospital http://www.southernmarylandhospital.com/ Charles County Mall St. Charles Towne Center Plaza http://www.simon.com/Mall/?id=123 To begin your employment search, check the local yellow pages phone book or the yellow pages online to see what’s out there. Yahoo!’s yellow pages website is a great resource. Call the location and visit in person. Many people are competing for the same position, so getting face-time could make a difference. Plus this can help you get a feel for the atmosphere, offering you a look ‘inside’ a potential place of employment. Go onto the base and read bulletins. Job announcements are continually being posted in the fitness center, gymnasium, library, and various places on all military installations. If you are interested in working at a particular location, oftentimes you can go to the manager, owner, or an employee to ask about position openings. This can be beneficial in the event they have a need to hire, but the position has not yet been posted. Henderson Hall’s Career Resource Management Center offers career guidance and they also host a great workshop entitled 10 Steps to a Federal Government Job that will provide you with the information and tips you need to help with your government job search. They can be reached at 703-614-6828 and they will be coming to Indian Head on March 12th for another Federal Gov’t job workshop. Details are below. Happy Hunting! Marine Corps Online Support Boards Visit the following URLs for military online support and discussion forums. You’ll be surprised how many folks in your area use these links. Band of Marine Spouses: http://www.mccshh.com/MCFTB/Life_Skills.html (sponsored by Henderson Hall) USMC Message Board: http://usmc.yuku.com (sponsored by USMC Parris Island) Career Workshop coming to CBIRF 10 Steps to a Federal Government Job CBIRF Marines, sailors and spouses are encouraged to attend. Friday, March 12th from 9am to 3pm at the Marina on base. Call 703-614-6828 by orbefore March 1st to register.