Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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STAFF bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Janice Burton Joy Crowe stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com Marybeth@upandcomingweekly.com Julie Donahue Charlie@upandcomingweekly.com OFFICE MANAGER Laurel Handforth officemanager@ upandcomingweekly.com ACCOUNTING Mary Catherine Thompson accounting@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Mar tin, Pitt Dick ey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Jhana Lewis, Erinn Crider, Karen Poppele, Heath- er Griffi ths, Beth Solzsmon-Carpenter–––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a “Quality of Life” publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what’s happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per per- son. Subscriptions can be purchased for $30 for six months or $60 for 12 months, delivered weekly by first class mail. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Julie@upandcomingweekly.com Charlie Rogers MARKETING/SALES Mary Beth Leiby STAFF WRITER Stephanie Crider PUBLISHER Bill Bowman INSIDE PUBLISHER’S PEN by JANICE BURTON If you happened to be in downtown Fayetteville on Friday, July 15, you may have wondered what was going on with all of the guys in Hawaiian shirts. It might surprise you to know that they were attending the promotion ceremony of Fort Bragg’s newest general, Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Irizarry. Just like the dress code for his promotion — Aloha Crisp — Irizarry, the deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, broke from tradition and opted to have his promotion ceremony downtown at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum instead of at Fort Bragg’s JFK Plaza. His intent was to honor the community that he maintains and that has helped take care of his family during his frequent deployments. In another break from tradition, Irizarry sought out the youngest soldier in his command who was up for promotion and, as his fi rst act as a general offi cer, promoted a young private to PV2 during his ceremony. The intent? To show the link between the general offi cer and his most junior soldier. For Irizarry, it was a commitment to all of the men and women who serve under him — and their families — that he will always put the care of his soldiers fi rst, as they are the ones who bear the brunt of the decisions he will make. To the standing room only crowd at the ceremony, those two Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Irizarry and PV2 Brandon Bottiggi historic event. Civil Affairs soldiers are in the business of winning hearts and minds. They are a tactically profi cient force, but their job isn’t so much to tear things down or blow things up, but rather to build communities and care for people. I can think of no one better than Irizarry to represent that force. Because Irizarry is, at heart, a real people person. His commitment to care for his soldiers isn’t some talking point, it’s something he does every day. It’s who he is. Working at the Special Warfare Center and School, I see him interact with a lot of different people. The amazing thing is that he treats them all the same. It doesn’t matter if he is dealing with a higher ranking offi cer, a young private or one of the many civilians on staff, he always acts as if the person he is talking to is the most important person in the world. His promotion ceremony wasn’t so much about him, rather it was about the people in attendance. He talked about the heroes in his life — his dad, his brothers and sisters, his wife, Karen, and their two children. He messages resonated. For the cynics of the world, the ceremony and its messages might seem like nothing more than a good media opportunity. But for those who know Irizarry and who have served with him, they know that it was much more than that. Irizarry, a fi rst generation American raised in the Bronx, is an affable man. He is well liked by his peers and his staff. He is passionate about life. He is a man who loves and honors his family. He is smart, and what he doesn’t know, he takes the time to fi nd out. He has never met a stranger, a trait which serves him well as a Civil Affairs offi cer. At this point, it is probably important to note that Irizarry is the fi rst active-duty Civil Affairs general, so his promotion was also a Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Thursday July 21 Friday July 22 Saturday July 23 talked about the staff at the Special Warfare Center and School and their dedication to serving the Soldiers. He talked about his best friend from childhood (who was in attendance) and the offi cers who have mentored him. And, he talked about the soldiers who put their lives on the line every day, noting that people who live in this community are surrounded by Titans. The one person he talked little about was himself. Because in his eyes, the ceremony wasn’t about him. His promotion was just a reason for the celebration. The celebration was actually about the people who surround him. And that speaks to the kind of man he is. As we prepared to leave downtown, the sky was overcast. But I still saw one star shining brightly, it wasn’t in the sky, but rather on the shoulders of a man who stood in the embrace of friends and family. The star looked just right. He wears it well. JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher, Up & Coming Weekly, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com CalCall 910.354.1679l 910.354.1679 Sunday July 24 Monday July 25 Tuesday July 26 Best of Fayetteville Ballot .................. 7 Calendar ........................................... 14 Concert Connection ........................ 18 TV ..................................................... 20 Movie Review .................................. 21 Free Wheelin’ Feelin’ ....................... 22 News of the Weird ........................... 23 Horoscopes/Advice Goddess ......... 23 Classifieds ........................................ 24 Games .............................................. 26 The Stars Shone Bright in Fayetteville High 98° Low 80° Isolated Thunderstorms 4 UCW JULY 20-26, 2011 High 99° Low 80° Isolated Thunderstorms High 99° Low 79° Scattered Thunderstorms Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 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