Focus 5/6: No monkey business

By SSgt Marilyn C. Holliday
HQ AIA Public Affairs
Kelly Air Force Base, Texas

Lions and tigers and bears – oh my!!

These were only some of the animals at the Wild Animal Orphanage that will benefit from volunteer efforts of Focus 5/6, a group of civilian employees, military members and their spouses from the 93rd Intelligence Squadron, Medina Regional Signals Intelligence Operations Center, Lackland Annex, Texas.

The group met at the Wild Animal Orphanage recently with rakes, shovels, and gloves in hand and began cleanup after a tour of the facilities.

The Wild Animal Orphanage is a non-profit sanctuary for unwanted, abused and non-releasable wild and exotic animals. It’s the only shelter of its kind in the United States licensed by the U.S.D.A. under the Animal Welfare Act.

In addition to lions, tigers and bears, the Orphanage is home to jaguars, cougars, bobcats, chimpanzees and monkeys. Twenty different species can be viewed up close in semi-natural surroundings.

Volunteer efforts centered around cleanup for the day. “Focus 5/6 is for senior airmen, staff sergeants and technical sergeants at the MRSOC,” said Staff Sgt. Nora Holcomb, community involvement chairman. “As military, we’re here to make a difference and community involvement is important.”

Volunteers picked up and moved rocks, hammered and nailed concrete foundation frames, cleaned and organized the facilities storage area, and fixed holes in some of the cages.

Focus 5/6 has been around the MRSOC since September 1998. The group has volunteered its services for other community projects, including Operation Homecooking (a program sponsored by Lackland AFB to invite a basic trainee home for Thanksgiving), Elf Louise during Christmas and the Heidi Search Center.

Tech. Sgt. Tom Zabel, a supply technician at the MRSOC, came to San Antonio from an assignment at Misawa Air Base, Japan. While there, he was a founding member of a Focus 5/6, and presented it as a good idea for members to start and get involved in at the MRSOC.

Those volunteering are: Staff Sgt. Kelly Gaston, Cheyenne Gaston, Lora Marshall, Senior Airmen Sara Brewer, Michael Brewer, Staff Sgt. Eric Aure, CT12 Jarin Moselle, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Brehm, Tech. Sgt. Paul Laliberte and Dawn Laliberte, Tech. Sgt. Tony LaFrenier, Sheryl LaFrenier, 1st Lt. Michael McNeill, Staff Sgt. Nora Holman, Staff Sgt. Timothy Holman, Staff Sgt. Amy Sablan, Senior Airman Jose Santiago, Heidi Redmond, Staff Sgt. Adam Redmond III, CT12 Jorge Penaherrera, CT1SA Paula Madera, Senior Airman Erica Sharp, Airman 1st Class Christy McCain and CT13 Rocia Alvarez.