IMSOLUTIONS NEWSLETTER June 4 2019

Its Performance Review Time The time is now near for Perfor-mance Reviews!! They will begin on June 3rd. Please pay attention to the message box in ADP so you can complete your self- Evaluations once Mangers email them to you. Instructions and Milestones will be emailed detailing the process. The Performance Review period is July 1, 2018- June 30, 2019. Also, please see details in the Perfor-mance Review Milestones and In-structions for eligibility of salary in-creases and bonuses and salary pro-rations.

The “dog days of summer” refer to the weeks between July 3 and August 11 and are named after the Dog Star (Sirius) in the Canis Major constellation In the United States, over 650 million long-distance summer trips are made In the summer heat, the iron in France’s Eiffel Tower expands, making the tower grow more than 6 inches Scientists argue that summer babies are sig-nificantly more likely to suffer from mood swings than babies born in other seasons The first Olympic Games in the modern era were the 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad in Ath-ens, Greece

Did You Know ???

IMSolutions LLC 3300 Pointe Center Court Suite 200 Dumfries Virginia 22026 703-221-2685

Walk MS brings together a community of passionate people for one powerful cause: to end MS forever. And with every step we take and every dollar we raise... we're that much closer. Together, we are stronger than MS and each year, IMSolutions sets out to ensure that this awful debilitating disease is eradicated by raising money and participating in the MS Walk to raise awareness. There is no known cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatments attempt to improve function after an attack and prevent new at-tacks. Medications used to treat MS, while modestly effective, can have side effects and be poorly tolerated. Physical therapy can help with people's ability to function. Long-term outcomes are difficult to predict, and life expectancy is on average 5 to 10 years lower than that of an unaffected population.

For those IMSolutions employees who are not aware, Mrs. Belva Wells, President and CEO of IMSolutions is afflicted with MS which is why this event is so im-portant, so special to IMSolutions. Walking and working together, we can help to find a cure. This year, IMSolutions had two teams walk for MS and had many other employees register as virtual

walkers and made donations. For this year’s walk, IMSolutions pro-vided raffle prizes that were drawn from the pool of all IMSolutions employees who participated. The following prizes were awarded: Greg Smith—NOAA won a Washington National Baseball Jersey. Susan Kenny— Lambert: Norfolk won a Washington National Baseball hat and $25 gift card. Gene Hamilton—MCSC, Quantico won a $25 Gift Card. Jason Runge—NOAA, Silver Spring Md won a $75 Gift Card. Samantha Alb—NOAA, Norfolk won a $25 Gift Card. Congratulations to all of our prize winners. IMSolutions employees donated over 45,000 YouEarnedIt points and the IMS Team donated $3,465 to help find a cure for MS. Thank You to all who donated and partic-ipated. See you all again Next Year!

IMSolutions MS Walk 2019

From Human Resources

IMSolutions Albany—Welcome’s Stephen Ramsey and Family

We in Albany would like to welcome our newest Team Member Mr. Stephen Ramsey. Stephen served in the United States Army in Motor Transportation. He is a Disabled veteran due to inju-ries sustained in combat to include being paralyzed on his lower left leg, and a traumatic brain injury. We are so thankful for his time served and to have him as a part of our IMSolutions family. He is married to Amanda Ramsey and has 4 children Meridyth 12, Elizabeth 10, Colton 10, and Linlee 4. His Hobbies include hunting, fishing and serving as a guide on hunting trips for disabled vets as well as kids with disabilities i.e. cancer, leukemia, etc. Stephen is a caring and upbeat person that is always willing to lend a hand to all team members. His military experience and knowledge is welcomed and very much appreciated. Welcome to IMSolutions Stephen. You and your family are now a part of our family!

IMSolutions Employee Recognition

Each month Mrs. Wells selects IMSolutions employee’s who have demonstrated IMSolutions Core

Values, providing services above and beyond to clients and the community. Mrs. Wells awards

each selected employee 1500 You Earned It points. The winners for June/July 2019 are:

Rebekah Hovington provides exemplary administrative and operations sup-port to the legal team at Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), Office of the Counsel (OC). Rebekah has been with IMSolutions as an Operations Manager for over a year now. She has an amazing work ethic, she is reliable, dedicated and gets the job done every day with a big smile on her face.

We are thankful for everything that she does in support of the Office of the Counsel and feel extremely lucky to have such a dedicated professional as part our team. IMSolutions is pleased to honor Rebekah with this recognition.

Thank You for a job extremely well done.

Everyday Monica Boyd provides enthusiastic and high-quality support to our clients at the USAID Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs (OAPA). From her very first day we have received rave reviews about how prepared she is, how pleasant she is to work with and how much energy she brings to every-thing she does. Monica's enthusiasm encourages collaboration. Her profes-sionalism, integrity and dedication earn her respect. And if you ask her about her training and preparation to travel to OAPA's missions you will see how adaptive she really is. She is a great new member of the IMSolutions team! We are lucky to have her.

WHATS GOING ON AT

IMSOLUTIONS?

Upcoming IMSolutions Events IMSolutions Payday June 7 IMSolutions Payday June 21 Independence Day July 4 IMSolutions Payday July 7 IMSolutions Payday July 22

IMSolutions Points of Contact:

HR / Finance Yolanda Dockery 571-931-1028 ydockery@imsolutionsllc.com

Operations Manager Martin Langaigne 571-931-1027 mlangaigne@imsolutionsllc.com

IT Cornell Wells 571-931-1025 cwells2@imsolutionsllc.com

Graphics Giselle Duran 973-980-6255 gduran@imsolutionsllc.com

NEED CORPORATE ASSISTANCE?

SEEDS OF TERROR: How Drugs, Thugs, and Crime are Reshaping the Afghan War. By Gretchen Peters.

(Reviewed by Kevin Johnston—IMSolutions LLC)

“Seeds of Terror” pulls aside the curtain on the war in Afghanistan, looks past ideology and military strategy, and focuses on the opium trade, which enriches Taliban warlords and government officials alike. Rising from the periph-ery of the economy during the Soviet-Afghan War, opium’s marketability paved the way for a Taliban resurgence following initial Western successes in Operation Enduring Freedom. Author Gretchen Peters illustrates the Ameri-can unwillingness to recognize the role narcotics played in the conflict, and why past efforts to curtail the drug trade failed. In this light, the illusion that the War on Terror and the War on Drugs are separate conflicts melts away, and readers are left to face a horrible truth; these two seemingly separate conflicts are one and the same, posing a new-er security threat. The book begins with an ending. Writing about the contemporary Afghan War, Peters shows how opium financed a Taliban return to power. Helmand Province alone produces so much opium that, if it were its own country, it would produce more opium than any other country on earth.

The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that opium provides 70 percent of the Taliban’s budget. Starting in the 1980s, drugs provided the Taliban financial independence. This proved essential to the group’s resilience following the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. Following the presentation of today’s dilemma, Peters examines the start of the poppy problem during the Soviet-Afghan War. The conflict created perfect incubator conditions for a narco crop to succeed. The lack of central government focus on drugs meant that they were often ignored by Soviet military leaders. Scorched earth tactics compelled millions of Afghans to flee the war zone, leaving land available for cultivation. Though the land left was often unusable for the majority of crops, the poppy plant’s re-sistance to rot, pests and drought meant it would survive when other crops would die under similar circumstances. These factors, combined with a high market value, meant that opium flourished in the chaos surrounding the war. Unfortunately, the U.S. military did not understand how the poppy

trade benefitted the insurgency and ignored the problem as it grew. But Peters also explains that the Taliban that exists today is not the organization it was before 9/11. The group is splintered and more focused on making money than it is on launching attacks against the United States. The original leadership is now mostly dead, and the young-er generation has a different set of priorities. Although the main focus of the book deals with the Taliban, Peters rec-ognizes that this trend of terrorist groups utilizing narcotics is far from rare. She discusses FARC’s (the Revolution-ary Army of Columbia) slide into narco trafficking and uses it as a mirror to the Taliban’s own descent. She points out that organizations as diverse as the Irish Republican Army, the Tamil Tigers, and the Kurdistan Workers Party all traffic drugs. Crime finances terrorist groups, permitting them to become more deadly, and allowing them to continue conflicts that might otherwise have ended. A study conducted by Stanford University examined 128 conflicts around the world. The 17 in which insurgents used crime to finance their operations not only lasted the longest, they lasted five times longer than the rest. Peters reported Lorenzo Vidino, author of “Al Qaeda in Europe” as stating, “Crime is now the main source of cash for Islamic radicals. They do not need to get money wired from abroad like 10 years ago. They’re generating their own as criminal gangs.” The difference between drug smuggler and terrorist is blurred throughout the world. Peters succinctly captures the difference. “The classic drug smuggler is driven by greed. The terrorist raises money as a means to an end.” Kevin Johnston Author’s bio: Kevin Johnston is a contractor from IMSolutions and technical writer working for the Headquarters Marine Corps Personnel Studies and Oversight office. Prior to that, he was a Transportation Corps officer in the Army. The views expressed within this writing are his own.

Summertime Safety

Heading out for a hike, camping, or just to the neighborhood pool? There are so many ways to enjoy the great outdoors and warm weather. With schools about to let out for the summer, IMSolutions wants to make sure everyone has a fun but safe summer season. Here are some easy tips to avoid bug bites, sunburn, and other pesky problems. 1. Make Yourself Unattractive To insects that is. Scented soaps, perfumes, and hair sprays can attract mosquitoes and other biting bugs. Also, avoid areas where insects nest or gather, such as pools of still water, uncovered foods, and gardens where flowers are in bloom. Use bug spray with DEET. The chemical wards off ticks (which can carry Lyme disease) and mosquitoes (which can spread West Nile virus), Pediatricians recommend 10% to 30% DEET for children older than 2 months, but don’t use it on infants. 2. Use the 20-Minute Rule Drink water at least every 20 minutes. To prevent heat stress and heat stroke, adults and children should stay hydrated when outside on hot and humid days. During activities less than one hour, water alone is fine, but if you’re going to be outside for more than an hour, you should add a sports drink to replenish electrolytes. 3. Play It Safe At the playground, take a good look at the equipment. It should be in good shape. Rotted or worn out woods and plastic can have sharp edges and points that could scrape or cause eye injuries. Make sure the slides and other surfaces are cool enough to be comfortable. Even today’s newer materials can cause burns when they’ve been in the sun for too long. 4. Stay Street Legal Before you head out on a family bike ride, you might want to check on your local laws. For example, in some towns, it ’s illegal to ride with passengers under 1 year of age. And of course, make sure everyone straps on a helmet. 5. Scan for Bad Plants Learn to recognize poison ivy and poison oak, and steer clear. You should also know about other poisonous plants like night-shade. When hiking, carry a book with photos of these plants to refer to in cases of doubt. Yes, you could look them up on your phone. But if you’re out of range, you’ll want a paper copy to be sure. 6. Big Adventure? Brag About It Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back. Someone needs to know where you plan to be, just in case. If you’re going hiking or camping, take a first aid kit with you and make sure it has antibiotic ointment, adhesive bandag-es, anti-itch gels, an Ace bandage, and emergency hydration and electrolyte replacement drinks or packs. 7. Be a Hero, the Right Way If you see someone struggling in a pool or lake, you’ll naturally want to help them. But it may be dangerous for you to jump in. It’s more likely that the panicked victim will pull the would-be rescuer under the water with them, than it is for the rescuer to save the victim. Instead, throw a Coast Guard approved flotation device to the person in the water or use a pole to reach them. You should also use these basic water safety tips:

• Set limits based on each person’s ability.

• Stick to pools, lakes, and beaches where there are lifeguards.

• Don’t let anyone play around drains and suction fittings.

• Don’t allow your kids to have breath-holding contests underwater. 8. Go Broad Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen. That means it will screen out both UVB and UVA rays, trust me, you need it even if it’s not a blazing hot sunny day. You should also layer in other protection. Wear a hat with at least a 3-inch brim all around, and limit your sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when UV rays are the strongest.