During the month of April, the 79th Sustainment Support Command will celebrate the Army Reserve’s 108th anniversary, which falls on Saturday, April 23.
Maj. Gen. Mark Palzer, Commanding General of the 79th Sustainment Support Command wishes to say thank you to the Soldiers, civilians, families, friends, employers and communities for their support to the Army Reserve, and happy birthday to the Army Reserve.
The more than 19,000 “Citizen-Soldiers” from the 79th SSC provide a significant portion of the Army’s overall logistics capability for the modern battlefield at fraction of the DOD’s budget.
Army Reserve Soldiers and units from the 79th SSC are currently supporting all military branches across the globe, including the Middle-East, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Army Reserve missions include the fight against ISIS, humanitarian aid support, and many more to meet national security objectives.
They deliver depth and versatility to the total force by providing organizational management, petroleum pipeline and distribution management, water purification and distribution, food service support, vehicle maintenance, long haul, rail transportation and transportation management, water terminal and harbor operations, human resources, as well as postal, finance, religious and legal services.
The Army Reserve has been a vital part of our national military strategy during peacetime and war since its founding in 1908. Since 2001, more than 300,000 Army Reserve Soldiers mobilized and routinely deployed to 30 countries, including every major combat zone.  We remain active and ready for what comes next.
These Citizen-Soldiers are a new generation of volunteers and leaders who grew up with technology at their fingertips.  They are experienced professionals, leveraging their technical and leadership skills at their civilian jobs as well as in uniform.
They combine the skills they have developed in and out of uniform to strengthen the nation on the battlefield and here at home.
In fact, 75 percent of the doctorate degrees and half of the master’s degrees in the Total Army are held by members of the Army Reserve. This is why their motto is “Twice the Citizen!”

So far only three completed applications have been submitted for Los Al’s Weekend of Art on April 29 to May 1.
That number stands as of March 29 for the new art event according to a city staff report to be presented today at Los Al’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Commission meeting at 7 p.m.
Despite the small number of applications, many phone calls and emails have been made to the city inquiring about the event as well as the dispersement of hundreds of fliers, reads a Los Al City Staff report.
The art event was given the go-ahead earlier this year after Los Al’s City Council appropriated $5,000 to the Recreation and Community Services Department to hold the event.
Applications can be accessed by visiting the city’s website at www.cityoflosalamitos.org. Weekend of Art will be a three-day visual art exhibition that will take place at Los Al’s Community Center.
A Mayor’s award, Curator’s Award, Commissioner’s Award and Art Educator’s award will be given to work in the following mediums: sculpture, pottery, ceramics, jewelry, photography, painting, drawing, fiber arts, woodworking and print.
According to the staff report, the city is working on arranging skilled artists to speak about their craft every 30 minutes throughout the event. Later this month a schedule of all events at the exhibition will be finalized.
The awards reception will take place on Sunday May 1 at 3 p.m.
The show is open to any artists in the area. There is no charge to submit a work but each contestant is allowed to submit one work of art. Artist will be able to sell their work at the event but the work of art must stay in the exhibition for the entirety of the event.

This year’s Race on the Base event, which took place in February, saw 4,082 registrants participate. That number is down from last year’s figure of 4,444.
Today, Los Al’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Commission will be updated with this and other information about Race on the Base during its regular commission meeting at 7 p.m.
The dip in registration comes after consecutive years of increased participation in 2014 and 2015. A Los Al City staff report cites the reason for the dip is likely due to industry-wide decrease in race registration and market oversaturation of racing events.
Los Al city staff sent out a post-event survey to participants on March 1. Over half of those that responded said they previously participated in the race. That number is up nine percent from last year.
Sponsorship for the race also saw a slight fall. $81,500 in total was raised through sponsors, which is down from last year’s total of $89,000.
Due to the decrease in registration and revenue, city staff lowered the revenue projections for next year’s race, reads a city staff report. A total of $90,078 was raised in revenue from the race. Expenditures totaled $203,463.23.
Charity Campaign
Honoring Our Fallen and Rock for Vets raised money for their causes at the race. About $10,000 was raised for Honoring Our Fallen and about $4,000 was raised by Rock for Vets. Next year, Honoring Our Fallen is looking to get even more involved and has scheduled a meeting with Los Al city staff to find avenues to do so, reads a city staff report.
Race on the Base city council and commission participation challenge
Park, Recreation and Cultural Arts Commission member Josh Wilson challenged the City Council to face the commission in terms of participating in the race. All five of the city council members participated in the race, which means they won the challenge. On April 18, a plaque will be awarded to the city council recognizing this accomplishment.

Students from A.E. Arnold School in Cypress recently competed in the Math Olympiads Tournament held in Culver City. Over 150 “mathletes” from 28 schools from the Los Angeles and Orange County area competed.
Arnold students earned third place in the team competition. Individual student winners from Arnold included Shreyas Koppula (second place) and Peter Park (third place). Arnold School is extremely proud of these students and the entire math team.
Under the direction of teachers Katie Pham and Jan Wright, they have worked countless hours afterschool in preparation for this event. Arnold’s math team’s next competition will be the Orange County Math Field Day on May 14. Arnold will be looking to repeat its success last year and claim the 2016 Rubik’s Cube title.

Timothy Heffern of Los Alamitos was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
Heffern was initiated at California State University, Fullerton.
Heffern is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine and headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society.