 Living
To make room for the Iraqi National Police, many of the support facilities had to be relocated. During this time of transition, finance Soldiers have been participating in R&R Leave. This has certainly put some strain on the operation. However, Loyalty Finance was still able to achieve record numbers despite being understaffed. The post-exchange has occupied what used to be the old theater. This theater was hit by a mortar attack in early 2008. The move into the remodeled building took only two weeks. With the help of Soldiers and civilians, the transition was quite smooth. The Chaplain's office and the chapel have followed the PX to the old theater. The Loyalty Finance Office has also joined forces with the Postal Office and now occupies what used to be the postal supply room. The new office is more spacious than the old one and easier to clean. Thanks to the new office being either an old bathroom or a kitchen, no one is certain which, the floors and walls are all tile, and very easy to wipe down. A credit to the finance Soldiers is that the entire office was broken down, moved, and reassembled in one day. Business was closed during the move. As during all deployments, Soldiers are very excited about going on R&R leave, like so many other units the Soldiers here at Loyalty are also heading out. This puts strain on the rest of the office to make sure their jobs are covered. Our first Soldier to go on leave was Spc. Don Lipscomb, our cashier and MilPay Technician from South Boston, Va. He spent his time in Las Vegas and went to see a few shows and had a great time. In his absence, Pvt. Darnell Medlock, our other cashier, a MilPay Technician, and a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., came to support us. Medlock has proven to be among the best cashiers to operate out of Loyalty. He processed more customers in one day than any other cashier in the detachment. Staff Sgt. Gerardo Celestra, our MilPay noncommissioned officer in-charge from the Philippines, was the second Soldier to go on R&R leave. He went to see his family in the Philippines and should be returning any day now. In his absence, Cpl. Charles Walker, our TASO and MilPay Technician from Linwood, Wash., has covered the entire Military Pay section on his own. His efforts have not gone unnoticed; he received a battalion coin from the 5-73rd Cavalry Regiment Retention NCO for all of his hard work in resolving bonus issues. Walker also found time in his busy schedule as acting Military Pay NCOIC and TASO to study for the board and participate in continuing civilian education. As JSS Loyalty has been in a constant state of transition, so too has the finance office. With Soldiers coming and going on leave and the office changing locations, it has been difficult to keep up our level of customer support. However, because of the unwavering dedication of the finance Soldiers, JSS Loyalty can rest assured that they will be supported. ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
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