Southern Nevadans can send messages to GIs

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001 | 8:22 a.m.

The "Give Thanks America" mobile tour will a make stop in Las Vegas Friday, allowing residents to send free streaming-video recorded messages to those in uniform.

Families of military personnel and the public can record digital video messages 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday at the tour's mobile "movie studio," at 3150 Paradise Road, outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Compaq Computer Corp. and partners Digital Island and Sorenson Media sponsor the mobile tour.

Logistical and communications support is being coordinated by the Defense Department. Digital video messages are edited and uploaded to a website (www.Give Thanks America.com) that deployed troops, fire and police personnel may access at any time. Family messages also may be sent directly by providing an e-mail address for loved ones serving in the armed forces abroad.

Starting in San Antonio on Dec. 8, the mobile tour includes El Paso and Amarillo, Texas; Tucson, Flagstaff and Phoenix, Ariz.; and Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Lawton, Okla., and Killeen, Texas, with other stops along the route.

"All Americans are, by association, victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11," Compaq CEO Michael Capellas said. "Five of our employees lost their lives. It is in their memory and in memory of all who lost their lives that we undertake this initiative.

"We realize that we can't reach everyone who wants to send a message, but we will try to accommodate as many people as possible in the 11 metropolitan areas and many rural areas in this month."

Kosovo crash victims

Eight Nevada soldiers deployed to Kosovo with Detachment 1 of the 717th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) recently responded to a train-auto accident in the city of Glavica and evacuated five victims to medical facilities. The only survivor of the accident, which involved seven people, was stabilized at Camp Bondsteel Hospital before being taken by helicopter to a medical facility in Pristina, Kosovo.

Participating in the mission were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mike Evans, Capt. Rich Ferguson, Staff Sgt. Saul Garcia, Sgt. Oscar Esquivel, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeff Ducharmes, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Todd Buzzard, Staff Sgt. Kenny Keelin and Staff Sgt. Greg Holmes, all of the Nevada National Guard.

In brief

* Army Pvt. Joanne MacGregor, the daughter of Katharyn Cowan and Richard Cowan, both of Las Vegas, recently completed unit supply specialist advanced training at Fort Lee, Va. She was trained to receive, inspect, store, inventory, issue supplies and equipment and maintain automated computer supply systems for accountability; issue and receipt of small arms and ammunition.

* Nicholas Ashley, the son of Robert Ashley of Las Vegas, recently completed basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga.

* Timothy Allgood, the son of Vegenia Lens of Las Vegas, also recently completed basic infantry training at Fort Benning. Ashley and Algood received training in drill, weapons, map reading, tactics, military justice, physical fitness, first aid and Army traditions. They developed basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics, fired weapons trained with weapons defenses available to the infantry crewman.

* David Geleszynski, Cimarron-Memorial High School class of 1999 and the son of Elizabeth Wasunda of Las Vegas, recently completed basic combat training at Fort Sill, Okla.

* Natasha Suarez, Cheyenne High School class of 2001, also completed basic combat military training at Fort Sill. She is the daughter of Darlene Moriarty of Las Vegas.