Reunited 10,000 miles away from home

By Roni Gehlke
For the Contra Costa Times

In a country half a world away, two Brentwood brothers reunited amid a backdrop of searing heat and desert sand. The occasion was not intended to be a combat mission but rather a celebration to honor Rafael Borrayo's promotion to U.S. Army major.

The army flew Army Specialist Antonio Borrayo, who is stationed just outside of Baghdad to southern Iraq where Rafael is stationed, to not only witness the pinning ceremony of his brother, but also to participate.

"My brother and I are two opposite individuals; he chose to stay close to home and help my parents run the family business and I left at age 16 to a navy school in Florida," Rafael said. "So to see him here in Iraq and have him pin on the rank of major was just amazing."

In January of this year, Rafael was sent on a 400-day deployment to a small area near Basrah Provence in southern Iraq to serve for the third time in the Middle East. Just a few months earlier, in November, Antonio was deployed for his first time to Northern Iraq for 400 days. Both brothers will still be overseas for several months to come.

"It was awesome," Antonio said about the ceremony. "My brother has had many ceremonies before, but I haven't had the chance to attend a lot of them. But for me to have the opportunity to not only to see him get promoted, but to be the one to pin his rank on him, that was cool. Not too many people would have an opportunity to pin a family member in the military."

Antonio was the only relative at Rafael's promotion ceremony, but Rafael said he was fine with that.

"Two days after my brother left, we got hit with rockets," Rafael said. "We also get occasional small-arms fire and mortars. So I was happy my brother had left. I would never want anyone I loved to come out here. Though if it (the ceremony) was in the states, it would have been great to have the family."

While the brothers were together they got a chance to speak with their mother on the telephone.

"I know my mom has been so worried about us, well mainly Tony, because he is momma's boy and has been next to her his whole life," Rafael said. "So when we received the opportunity to call our mom, via phone, together, mom just broke down and sounded so happy to hear from us both."

The brothers' parents, Maria and Rafael Borrayo, are the owners of El Gallito, one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in Brentwood.

Since it is relatively hard to get to Rafael's location in Iraq, the brothers spend some extra time together after the ceremony. Rafael also was proud to be able to use Antonio's expertise for a mission during his stay.

"He flew in hours before my bimonthly briefing to Gen. Dragon regarding my mission out here," Rafael said. "My mission was to conduct a security assessment of a designated target location in a small city named Umm Qasr. Since my brother was an engineer, I took advantage of his skill sets and scheduled him for the mission."

Rafael said that where he is the conditions are always "red," a military code meaning weapons are loaded and round in chamber. He said it was nice to see his brother in action and he would want to have him by his side if they ran into trouble.

"The mission went well, and at the conclusion of his stay, the operations officer for my task force awarded him with a combat patch of U.S. Forces Iraq," Rafael said.

As an Army paratrooper working for Civil Affairs Special Operations Battalion, Rafael said he has to meet high physical standards. During their time together, Rafael also took Antonio to work out at the gym and on his daily four-mile run in 100-plus-degree weather.

"He did not make the run, but he pushed on like a soldier for two miles," Rafael said.
This may be the last time Rafael and Antonio get to see each other during this tour in Iraq, but Antonio is waiting for a promotion to sergeant and hoping that Rafael will be able to return the favor and attend his ceremony and pin him.

"To be 10,000 miles away and be able to see a family member out here is a little happiness. I was glad to see him. It just made this deployment better," Antonio said. "Maybe it was just for a few days, but it was time well spent with a family member. We've never been so close until I joined the Army. Now we have something in common."

Around Oakley: Freedom Band Boosters play mom to all the school's musicians

By Roni Gehlke
For the Contra Costa Times

Last weekend while football players practiced skirmishes out on the field, Freedom High School marching band and color guard students dedicated long hours to practicing their routines at its annual March-a-thon. Each year the bands get together for a weekend of workouts and practices to get ready for the fall marching band competitions, parades and home football games.

The students dedicate a lot of time in learning their instruments and choreographed routines, but behind every talented student on the field or in the parade are the booster clubs that help them get to games, raise funds and supply them with uniforms.

For the Freedom Band Boosters, that includes helping nearly 100 students in getting organized for not only this season, but also for a full year's worth of activities.

"Basically, we're a team of parent volunteers checking to make sure students are dressed, hydrated and fed," Annette Lewis, treasurer for the band boosters said. "In other words, we're a group of parents who parent the whole group."

One of the most recognizable bands in a high school is usually the marching band. This is the band you see at parades like the Oakley Almond Festival in September or the one that is out performing during football games. Along with the marching band, the Freedom High School Band Boosters also work with the concert, symphonic, jazz and orchestra bands, as well as the color guard throughout the
year.

Just like everyone else who seems to be in need this year, the band boosters work throughout the year to raise money to help offset the cost of uniform repairs, transportation costs and feeding the students when they go to away parades and activities.

"We haven't done a lot of fundraising because there are so many groups on campus that do fundraising," Lewis said.

Last weekend the group did a small fundraiser at the March-a-thon. Since they were feeding the kids anyway, which they do for free, they invited families and friends to pay a small fee and enjoy the barbecue and a little entertainment by watching the kids run through their drills.

"We don't make that much on this, but it is fun for the families and friends to see what the kids are doing," Lewis said.

During the year the group also hosts bake sales, sometimes sells items at football games and maybe holds a silent auction or two.

While fundraising is important to the group, the primary concern of the boosters is to support the kids. For Lewis, one of the most important jobs of the group is to supply water for the band members through the performances.

"Shows like the Almond Festival can be very hot, and the kids can get dehydrated quickly so we make sure they get their fill of bottled water throughout the parade," she said.

The boosters are just one support team for each Freedom band and color guard. There are also separate student councils for the band and the color guard.

For Freedom Band Booster Vice President Lisa Harvard Brizendine, being a "band groupie" for the past four years while her son Brandon has been playing trumpet in the marching band and guitar in the jazz band, has been a great experience. She is impressed with the talent and dedication of all the students.

"The Freedom High School band is a great resource in the community," Harvard Brizendine said. "The kids in band really work together to learn new songs and perfect their sections. "
Reach Roni Gehlke at ourbackyard@comcast.net.

Business Spotlight: New Oakley barber shop offers unique services

By Roni Gehlke
For the Contra Costa Times

Name of business: Mac Tyme Mobile Barber and Supply

Type of business: Barbershop

Owner: Bill McCall

Founded: June 2009

Address: 3639 Main St., Oakley

Phone number: Shop at 925-709-4247; Appointments at 510-253-6381

Hours: Sunday to Monday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Number of employees: one

Products and services: Mac Tyme offers barber services and supplies inside the store, as well as a mobile service. The business also supplies shoe shines, hairstyles like designs, lines, fades, tapers, Afros and more.

McCall also is working on offering an apprentice program to help troubled youth and adults learn a trade.

How did you get into the business: McCall said that being a barber was a childhood dream for him. It takes many hours of learning and working in an apprentice type program to become licensed, he said.

McCall worked as a barber for another shop in Pittsburg. He briefly owned another shop in Oakland before moving to Oakley last year. He knew that he had to be unique in the services offered, so he decided to add the mobile service to the shop.

"Mobile services are mainly for the elderly and homebound people who can't get to the shop," he said. McCall said that adding this service has been very helpful to those in need.

Best part about the business?: McCall likes the idea of having an old-fashioned barbershop where
people come and hang out and enjoy their time in the relaxed environment. He plays 1970s music, not rap, because it was the music he grew up with and it is calming for the customers, he said.

He also said he likes the gratification of knowing that he has done a good job.

As a recent widower, McCall also likes having a business where he can bring his young children to work with him. He hopes that by having them close by he can also interest them in the barber field and pass the business down to them when the time comes.

"I'm making something for the future and getting them involved in the business -- a place they can be proud of and they can carry on for themselves," he said.

Worst part about the business?: "I've really thought about this question and there really is no worst part. I love what I'm doing," he said.

Key to success: McCall said that it is very important to build a good reputation in the community to become a successful barber. He said it is also important to have one's life in order and to prioritize one's time.

"When I first started I worked 12 to 14 hour days," he said. "I used to sweep outside in front of the shop at 6:30 in the morning and watched traffic go by. Soon people started stopping in and talking to me."

Biggest misperception about the business: "A barber doesn't know how to do hairstyling or to do women's hair is a big misperception," he said.
McCall said that when barbers are licensed they learn how to do all kinds of hairstyling. They learn a lot of the same techniques that the hair salon stylists do.

Future plans: McCall really wants to get his apprentice program going in full swing. He's hoping the program can even go national, hoping that others will see the value of teaching troubled individuals a trade to help change their future.

"The slogan of my business is 'Changing The World One Cut At A Time'," he said. "Right now I'm starting with Oakley and then I'll move on from there."

-- Roni Gehlke

Young Brentwood midget race car driver collects lots of wins

By Roni Gehlke
For the Contra Costa Times

Many great racecar drivers started out at young ages. It's not uncommon to hear stories like Sprint Car racers, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart starting their career at age five racing quarter midget. That's the footsteps of legends that Brentwood's Blake Bower is hoping to follow as he works his way through California and the rest of the countries best quarter midget races.

Blake, 9, has been racing for the past four years. In 2009 he won 53 races, and so far this year he is winning steadily.

"We've had a lot of big wins this year," said Blake's father, Dave.

Dave Bower and his father before him also raced quarter midget when they were Blake's age.
Blake's racing is going so well this year, that the Hayward midget car manufacturer Rice Race Cars is sponsoring a car for him for the season. Bower says Blake is the only racer the company is currently fully sponsoring this year.

Blake is currently racing three different quarter midget cars in different divisions. That means that at one race he will generally race three times.

During his summer break from Garin Elementary school, Blake and his dad spent six weeks touring and competing in several races throughout the country. The main race being the second annual Battle at the Brickyard in Indiana in July for the 270 United States Auto Club Mopar Quarter Midget.

"Blake won two races at that race. The two races were the Junior Honda race and the Junior Stock race," Bower said. "There were 600 cars at this race with 65 of them in Blake's class."

Blake generally practices every weekend in all three cars. He also takes classes at LA Boxing in Brentwood four days a week, including two days of boxing and two days of jujitsu with Darcio Lira.

"Blake's been exercising with his sisters since he was 4," Bower said. "He's incredibly strong for his age and very athletic."

Bower said that racing is an expensive sport, and Blake has been working hard to win races in hopes to bring in some more major sponsors. Currently they have several good local sponsors, including Mountain Cascade in Livermore and Vornhagen Body and Paint in Brentwood, but he hopes that his high winning totals will attract sponsors who can bring in big donations.

There are several races coming up this fall that Blake is planning to attend, including the Winter National in Pahrump, Nev., which usually hosts more than 500 cars. There is also the Baylands Race in San Jose.

What has been really hard on Blake this year is that in July, he turned 9 years old, at which time he moved up from the junior to the senior level in quarter midgets. Blake isn't so worried about losing races. He'll have to work to catch up for the time he has missed on the senior level, because the junior race wins are good one-on-one, but don't count toward the accumulated senior level end goal championship.

For those interested in sponsoring Blake, e-mail his father at dbower@mountaincascade.com.