Fourteen expectant mothers joined Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center Women’s Health Center staff for the first Centering Pregnancy session since 2020 at the hospital March 22.

Designed by the Centering Healthcare Institute, a non-profit organization that provides more effective prenatal care training to hospitals such as CRDAMC, Centering Pregnancy is group prenatal care bringing women out of examination rooms and into a more comfortable group setting.

“The sessions last about two hours. The women have their normal wellness checkup with the provider, and then they meet as a group with about 8-12 women that are due around the same time,” said Molly Hunter, centering pregnancy coordinator, CRDAMC.

In the group setting, they can engage in conversations with each other as well as with a subject matter expert, allowing them to not only get quality information, but to actively interact in the learning process, she said.

The women learn the benefits of building a support network in an environment where their significant other may be deployed, or where they too as Soldiers may be deployed, she added.

Centering pregnancy started at CRDAMC in 2008, but was officially initiated by Army Medicine in 2017.

Kristyn Leftridge, certified nurse midwife, CRDAMC, confirmed that the hospital’s centering program benefits what the Centering Healthcare Institute reports that cen­ter­ing moms are bet­ter pre­pared for labor, deliv­ery, infant care, and make few­er after-hour calls and emer­gency vis­its because they bet­ter under­stand what is nor­mal dur­ing preg­nan­cy and what is cause for concern.

Leftridge adds that  the level of stress is still the same for these expectant mothers.

“The stress level has not really changed. The stressors are going to be there, but the way the stressors are managed is much healthier, much more efficient,” she explained. “The group members are reaching out to each other. Instead of coming into the clinic constantly or worrying, they’re calling a friend.”

For more information about the Centering Program, visit https://centeringhealthcare.org, or call the CRDAMC program coordinator Molly Hunter at (254) 553-1554.

The Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center hospital staff was excited to invite the community back to its eighth annual Baby Expo at the main hospital March 11.
The expo was the first since 2019 due to COVID-19 and is designed to provide health education and promotion of various perinatal topics for new and expectant parents, beneficiaries who are pregnant, post-partum or who have delivered within the past year.
“Our goals for the Baby Expo are to increase awareness and attendance of classes like prenatal breastfeeding or breastfeeding support group, and other childbirth preparedness support offered at the hospital as well as awareness of community resources offered,” said Maj. Christie Lang, clinical nurse specialist, CRDAMC. “We also wanted to highlight maternal child health patient experiences such as safe sleep and promote wellness to new parents and infants while having a successful and fun event.”
The hospital staff and Army Community Services offered over 20 education tables with information like birth experiences, birth and breastfeeding support, health and fitness, nutrition, postpartum care and car seat safety.
There was also a daddy boot camp and new parent support table geared towards new fathers. Guests also were offered the chance to tour the hospital’s labor and delivery department.
“The tour gave expectant parents a chance to ask questions about their upcoming stay, manage inpatient expectations, and to get them comfortable with the room they will deliver their baby,” Lang said.

Lessons on diaper changing and swaddling techniques were provided to dads at the daddy boot camp, giving them an opportunity to learn and/or practice and get hands-on experience in infant care.
“I was surprised at how eager individuals were when given the chance to participate,” said Staff Sgt. Candice Flowers, practical nursing specialist and noncommissioned officer-in-charge, labor and delivery.  “The dads had a lot of fun. Moms got a chance to observe dads’ techniques, and there was a little competition if the parents wanted to race each other. There was a lot of joking around, all in good fun, but definitely a great time.”
Visitors participated in baby shower games and diaper cake giveaways, while dads got to experience the added weight, about 40 pounds and the pressure on the body that mothers experience during a pregnancy by wearing the empathy pregnancy simulator.
“Dads who chose to wear our empathy belly got a better understanding of what mom is going through, and many moms were very eager for them to wear it,” said Terry Babin, registered nurse, New Parent Support Group. “Many of the dads were surprised at how it affected their movement even for simple activities such as tying their shoes.”
The program offers services such as home visitation, parenting classes and play morning.  It offers couples opportunities to register for the parenting classes like Boot Camp for New Dads, and Infant Care and Wellness, offered monthly.  Both mom and dad can participate, speak directly to the instructor, and ask questions in an informal setting.
New and expectant parents can contact the Army Community Service for more information at (254)-288-4227, or hood.armymwr.com and CRDAMC labor and delivery at (254)-288-8109, or darnall.tricare.mil.

Terry Babin, registered nurse, New Parent Support Group, Army Community Service helps a visiting father try on the empathy pregnancy simulator or empathy belly during the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center eighth annual Baby Expo at the main hospital March 11. (Photo by Frank Minnie, CRDAMC Public Affairs)

Staff Sgt. Candice Flowers, practical nursing specialist and noncommissioned officer-in-charge, labor and delivery, CRDAMC provides lessons on diaper changing and swaddling techniques to visitors during the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center eighth annual Baby Expo at the main hospital March 11. (Photo by Frank Minnie, CRDAMC Public Affairs)

The Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center hospital staff was excited to invite the community back to its eighth annual Baby Expo at the main hospital March 11.
The expo was the first since 2019 due to COVID-19 and is designed to provide health education and promotion of various perinatal topics for new and expectant parents, beneficiaries who are pregnant, post-partum or who have  delivered within the past year. (Photo by Frank Minnie, CRDAMC Public Affairs)

Story by U.S. Army Sgt. Darrell Stembridge

Tank Crews assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, conducted Table VI gunnery from Feb. 23 to March. 13 at Fort Hood, Texas.

Table VI is also classified as the “gate to live fire.” Qualifying individual crews in Table VI enables those crews to safely participate in the higher echelon live-fire exercises at the section and platoon levels. Table VI is the final table in certifying a tank crew during gunnery, but the path to table VI involves a tremendous amount of planning, training, and collective tasks in a live fire environment, in order to deploy, fight and win whenever called upon.

“Table I-IV are a foundation for crew qualification and include learning fire commands, conducting dry-fire rehearsals, weapons familiarizations, bore sighting and live-fire zeroing the main gun.” 1st Lt. Nathaniel Tucek, fire direction officer, 2nd Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment, said. “When we get to our table VI, we have external valuators so there’s no conflict of interest from having anybody in the company evaluating us.”

Mission readiness and lethality will always remain a top priority for the Army and the First Team. Qualification for gunnery happens about every six months, ensuring each battery, from the loader to the fire direction officer, is trained and ready to respond with lethal and accurate force.

“As a 19 Series, the main thing we are in charge of is our platform and when we go out there, we want to make sure we are competent, proficient and lethal on those platforms” Tucek, added.

A Tank crew consist of four positions: tank commander, gunner, loader, and driver. The table of organization determines the ranks held by each of those positions. Overall, the Troopers are preparing for long distance fights and keeping the enemy contained.

“We have to make sure we are proficient at what we do,” Sgt. Alex Ceja, fire direction specialist, 2-5 Cav, said. “As a fire mission is received, each crew member has a job, such as the driver moving up and down, the loader has to load the rounds, and the gunner has to be able to identify their targets.”

This training exercise builds trust as well as team cohesion and tests their ability to process fire missions by engaging targets in unique situations ensuring crew members of each battery are certified and mission ready for future rotations or deployments.

“When we go through our after-action review, leaders will discuss are engagement score cards” Tucek, said. “Any improvements on our overall engagements throughout the exercise advances our future for mission readiness.”

Troopers spend time studying for their next gunnery table, delving into various field manuals, advanced tactical planners, and Federal Tank Administration regulations. All crews participate in after-action reviews for each table, allowing them to evaluate the success of the scenario and provide feedback.

“Our AAR went pretty well,” Ceja, added. “We qualified 5 out of 6 engagements and most of them were in the high 90’s.”

Troopers finished the gunnery table proud and motivated as the Battalion and Brigade looks forward to a rotation at the National Training Center, this summer.

“We scored a 535 and shot 5 out of 6 engagements,” Spc. Mark Carrillo, tank loader, 2-5 Cav, said. “So far we have the highest score.”

FORT HOOD, Texas – The III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general provided an update on the circumstances surrounding the death of Pvt. Ana Basalduaruiz during a press conference March 17 at the III Armored Corps Headquarters here.

Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, commanding general, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, updated media and took questions on the death of 1st Cavalry Division Soldier Pvt. Ana Basalduaruiz, a 20-year-old combat engineer with 1st Cavalry Division who was found deceased March 13. 

“We are saddened by her death and we extend our deepest condolences to her family,” Bernabe said. “With Ana’s passing, we lost a teammate and a friend. Her fellow troopers in the 1st Cavalry Division mourn her loss, Fort Hood mourns her loss … this entire community mourns her loss.”

Fort Hood leadership has been in constant contact with Basalduaruiz’s mother and father in an effort to keep them updated on ongoing efforts.

“As we speak, a team from Fort Hood is on the ground in California with Ana’s father,” Bernabe said.

The circumstances surrounding Basalduaruiz’s death is under investigation, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is the lead investigative agency.

CID provided an update, to which Bernabe provided a portion of that statement saying, “At this point in the investigation, there are no indications of foul play, CID is not ruling anything out, and they will investigate the circumstances leading up to Ana’s death fully and completely.”

The complete CID statement delivered by a Fort Hood spokesperson is at the end of the press conference video.

The entirety of the press conference is available here:

A dedicated web page has been posted to the Fort Hood Website with all press releases and the press conference video link. Any updates will be provided to that page and on the Fort Hood Press Center. Click here for the Pvt. Ana Basalduaruiz page.

FORT HOOD, Texas – The commander of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood will host a press conference at 5:30 p.m. March 17 inside the III Armored Corps Headquarters here to update media on the latest information in the death of Pvt. Ana Basalduaruiz.

Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, commanding general, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, will provide opening remarks and take questions from the media. The complete press conference will be posted to the Fort Hood Press Center shortly after the press conference.

Media interested in attending the press conference must register here no later than 4:30 p.m. (CST). Media should meet in the southside parking lot of the Marvin Leath Visitors Welcome Center located at https://goo.gl/maps/v7NUGnmjaBAEd99V8 no later than 5 p.m. (CST).

The most up-to-date information is available at the Fort Hood Press Center at www.forthoodpresscenter.com.