Soldier's Mother, Coworkers Send Cheer to Troops

By Master Sgt. Doug Sample, USA

Dec. 12, 2006 – Soldiers with the 277th Aviation Support Battalion will have a brighter Christmas, thanks to one soldier's mother and the generosity of her co-workers. Nancy Ward, the mother of Sgt. 1st Class James Foley, recently organized a gift drive at her work, the Reston, Va., office of Texas-based Electronic Data Systems Corporation. Ward and her coworkers donated hundreds of dollars for small gifts that were later stuffed into gift bags and shipped to soldiers serving here.

"My mother is extremely patriotic and is always asking me if she can do anything to help the Soldiers," Foley explained. "And the fact that she works with a government contractor means that most of (her coworkers) are prior military or military affiliated."

Ward said the idea of providing gifts to the troops originated after she decided to send a few personal items to her son serving in Afghanistan. "I wanted to send him some supplies, such as deodorant, eye drops, shampoo, candy, books, etc.," she explained. "And at one point, he asked me to help him get some small gifts for his soldiers so they could have a nice Christmas."

Ward took her son's request a step further, mentioning the idea to fellow EDS employees. Soon, contributions came pouring in from employees at the company's Atlanta office as well. "I mentioned what I was doing for my son to a couple of my friends at work, and they said they wanted to help out," she said. "At EDS, our employees actively engage in community-service projects around the world. We are proud of our U.S. servicemen and women, and many of my co-workers were looking for ways to help out the troops and to show our support for them."

What started out with just Ward and a few friends quickly grew into a team of more than 100 EDS employees who stepped up to contribute gifts and personal supplies for troops stationed here.

"Any cash received was used for postage, packaging and mailing expenses," Ward said. She added that knowing she and fellow employees are helping make the holidays special for a few deployed troops is a great feeling.

"I did this for love -- for my son," she explained. "But I'm the 'mom' for every soldier serving our country everywhere. I am happy that my son could help to distribute some small gifts to the troops, and I'm proud to work for a company like EDS where people are always ready to pitch in to help others. The teamwork really makes a difference.

"I am proud of everyone - the soldiers, my EDS co-workers and the U.S.A. for caring enough to help around the world," Ward added.

Meanwhile, Foley has his hands full handing out the gift bags packed with toiletries, small games, candy and other edibles.

"I was very proud of my mother when she told me what she did, and a little bit surprised when I found out the amount of presents she collected; she sent 17 cases in all," he said. "Even now, we are still packing gifts for the soldiers."

Foley said most bags will go to soldiers stationed at the unit's remote forward operating bases, located in some of the most hazardous parts of the country.

"Those are the soldiers who we want to help bring the spirit of Christmas to and who will benefit the most," he said.

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PGA Tour Honored For Supporting Troops

By Gerry J. Gilmore

Dec. 12, 2006 – The Defense Department today honored the PGA Tour organization and its network of affiliated golf clubs for their exemplary support of U.S. servicemembers. PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem accepted a special framed plaque signed by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld from Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison.

Barber said before the presentation that Finchem's organization was the first corporate sponsor of the America Supports You program, a nationwide DoD program that recognizes citizens' support for military men and women deployed worldwide in the global war on terrorism.

"You have become a model program for the America Supports You program," Barber told Finchem, noting 34 corporations are now ASY partners thanks to his organization's efforts.

The PGA Tour-America Supports You partnership provided a new platform to tell even more people about how they can help support U.S. servicemembers, she said. "That gave us an opportunity to reach out to corporate America to say: 'You have a role to play. You can help,'" Barber said

ASY also boasts 238 grassroots groups nationwide, she said.

ASY is a most worthy cause, Finchem said, noting his organization raised $1.2 million this year for U.S. servicemembers and their families. "Our people feel privileged to be involved with America Supports You," Finchem said. "They get a tremendous, positive feeling being able to help a little bit.

"It creates an excitement that they're doing something to help these guys and the women who are putting their lives on the line."

Barber told the audience about Marine Cpl. Joshua C. Watkins, who recently died at age 25 during his second tour in Iraq. Barber then introduced Watkins' mother, Amy Vazquez, who received deafening applause from the 700-plus people in attendance.

Amy, a 51-year-old Jacksonville, Fla., mortgage broker, shared her feelings about the loss of her only son, who died Oct. 21, after being shot by a sniper near Fallujah. "He was a hero," Vazquez said of her son.

She urged Americans to be patient about the war against terrorism. "This is not a war that is going to won quickly," she said. "Terrorism is as big a threat as the threat of nuclear weaponry in the wrong hands."

Vazquez said another terrorist attack on the United States could occur if global terrorism isn't confronted and defeated. "Do you want another 9/11? Because that's what's going to happen if we don't stop them," she said.

Vazquez proudly wears her son's Purple Heart Medal daily. She received $10,000 from the PGA Tour organization to be used for a military scholarship program that's named after her son and administered by the University of North Florida.

"I'm totally excited about what America Supports You is doing for the troops," Vazquez said.

She also praised David A. Pillsbury, president of the PGA Tour golf course properties, who had approached Vazquez to offer the scholarship donation.

Pillsbury said he'd met Vazquez at a recent mortgage brokers' conference in Jacksonville, where she talked about the death of her son. After Vazquez stepped down from the podium, Pillsbury said, he approached her and offered his condolences, as well as a $10,000 donation on behalf of the PGA Tour for the scholarship fund.

"We're so honored and so proud to support Amy in her efforts to create a legacy for her son that will help other men and women in uniform who want to continue their educations," Pillsbury said.

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Active-Duty Components Make Recruiting Goals

By Jim Garamone

Dec. 12, 2006 – All active-duty components made their recruiting goals in November, Defense Department officials said today. The Army made 105 percent of goal, the Navy 100 percent, the Marine Corps 104 percent, and the Air Force 100 percent.

In raw numbers, the Army goal was 6,150 in November, but the service recruited 6,485 new soldiers. The Navy recruited exactly 2,887; the Marine recruited 2,095 vice a goal of 2,012; and the Air Force recruited exactly 1,877 airmen in November.

The services also are retaining a good number of people. "The active-duty services all started off well, exceeding their overall retention missions right now," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. "The Navy's overall numbers are below their monthly goal, but they still predict they will meet their goal for the fiscal year."

In the reserves, four of the six components met or exceeded their recruiting goals in November. The Army National Guard had a goal of 4,517 recruits for November. The Guard recruited 5,094 for 113 percent of goal. The Marine Reserve's goal was 535, but the component recruited 547, for 102 percent. The Air Guard hit 115 percent - 655 goal, 752 recruited; and the Air Force Reserve hit just over 100 percent, 434 goal and 436 recruited.

The Army Reserve only made 79 percent of its goal, recruiting 1,888 out of a goal of 2,376; and the Navy Reserve hit 91 percent -- 687 out of a goal of 755.

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Canada, Australia, U.K. Sign Joint Strike Fighter Agreements

By Jim Garamone

Dec. 12, 2006 – With the first flight of the Joint Strike Fighter set for this week, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia have "re-enlisted" for the program. Canada signed on for the project's production, sustainment and follow-on development phase during a Pentagon ceremony here yesterday. Australia signed on today as part of the U.S.-Australia ministerial meetings at the State Department, and the United Kingdom signed at a Pentagon ceremony today.

The Joint Strike Fighter is the Defense Department's program for a "multi-role" stealth air-to-ground strike aircraft. The Navy, Air Force, Marines and allies are developing the system together.

Canadian Deputy Defense Minister Ward Elcock and U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England signed a memorandum of understanding that calls on Canada to pledge $150 million toward production of the Joint Strike Fighter. Canada already has contributed $150 million to the system-development and demonstration portion of the program.

"This is a very special event, because it is a very special partnership," England said during the ceremony. "The United States and Canada share the strongest possible bonds of friendship, family and fundamental values, as well as a common border."

"The Joint Strike Fighter program represents a revolutionary approach to both aircraft development and international armaments cooperation," Elcock said. "It brings together expertise from many different countries and is, as a result, the single largest fighter aircraft program in the world."

The United Kingdom has been involved with the Joint Strike Fighter program since its inception 10 years ago and is in to the program to the tune of $2 billion. United Kingdom Minister for Defense Procurement Lord Peter Drayson signed a memorandum of understanding early today in the Pentagon.

The deputy defense secretary thanked his British counterpart and praised the way American and British forces work together. "We've had this relationship for a long, long time," England said. "Our forces are engaged today. As we sign this, there's people out there defending freedom together. They do it every day, shoulder to shoulder, and it's the same way our nations are shoulder to shoulder. I'm just delighted that we have brought this to a conclusion today. We look forward to a long relationship with the Joint Strike Fighter program."

The British plan for a total buy of up to 150 short-take-off-and-vertical-landing versions of the aircraft for use on two future aircraft carriers.

Canada also is making a substantial investment in the Joint Strike Fighter program. The Canadians plan to buy 80 F-35 conventional-take-off-and-landing aircraft to replace its CF-18 aircraft. The program, led by Lockheed-Martin, will build three variants of the fighter: a conventional model, a carrier model, and a vertical-take-off-and-landing model. The United States has dubbed the aircraft the F-35 Lightning 2. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps will use the three aircraft variants. The F-35 will replace the Air Force's F-16 Falcon, the Navy's and Marine Corps' F/A-18 Hornet, and the Marines' AV-8B Harrier.

Elcock stressed that the program demonstrates how well the United States and Canada can work together. "The program will allow the United States and Canada to continue to benefit from each others' wealth of technology and expertise," he said.

Canada expects to retire its CF-18 fleet sometime after 2017, Elcock said. "Canada needs to explore what it needs from the next generation of fighter aircraft," he said. "Our continued involvement in this project will help us determine our future fighter requirements for the Canadian Forces. Certainly, one capability we know we want to have is interoperability with the United States and our allies."

Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson signed the memorandum during a ceremony at the U.S. State Department today. "It is an extremely important day for Australia and our air-defense capability," Nelson said. "The Joint Strike Fighter is most certainly the correct aircraft for Australia in terms of air-to-air combat and its strike capabilities.

"It will see Australia through the next 30 to 40 years. It is a state-of-the-art aircraft, and we look forward very much to the imminent first flight."

Other international partners participating in the program are: the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Denmark and Norway. Other nations, including Singapore and Israel, have expressed interest in the program.

Officials say plans call for building more than 2,400 F-35 aircraft by 2027.

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New Evaluation Brigade to Test Emerging Warfighter Technologies

By Donna Miles

Dec. 12, 2006 – A new brigade here will test some of the most revolutionary concepts and systems being developed for future warfighters, report how they operate under field conditions, and ultimately speed their fielding to troops on the battlefield. The new Evaluation Brigade Combat Team being stood up here will test 18 major systems being developed for the Army's Future Combat Systems program, explained Col. Michael Wadsworth, chief of training and leader development for the Future Force Integration Directorate here.

"This is the most ambitious and far-reaching modernization the Army has had since World War II," he said.

The program's goal, Wadsworth explained, is to tap into the most advanced technologies possible "to enable soldiers and leaders to see the enemy first and understand his intentions.

"And once we understand what the enemy is going to do," he added, "we can act first and finish decisively, which is the whole notion of the Future Combat System."

The FCS will offer soldiers detailed battlefield information, provided through an advanced data and communications network to give them the upper hand in combat. By knowing what the enemy is up to, FCS-equipped brigade combat teams will be able "to act first on their own initiative to defeat the enemy on terms favorable to us," Wadsworth said.

The Future Force Integration Directorate is establishing a blueprint for that future force as it stands up the new Evaluation Brigade Combat Team and uses it as an operational test bed for new systems. Within the next six months, the brigade team is expected to reach its full strength of just under 1,000 troops.

"Basically, we're standing up an organization to inform the Army if (the FCS program) is doing what we think it will do," Wadsworth said.

As the evaluation brigade, the Future Force Integration Directorate is developing the doctrine, organizational structure, training programs, and tactics, techniques and procedures it will need to operate. Like the systems the brigade is testing, this groundwork will be tweaked along the way to ensure it's on target, Wadsworth said.

"We'll hand the brigade the concepts, get feedback and move forward," he said. "The beauty of this is that we'll have actual soldiers on the ground with the equipment, and these soldiers will advise us as we move this concept forward."

The Evaluation BCT will use a mixture of live training, experimentation and simulation to test systems ranging from sensors to automated systems to manned vehicles over the next 10 to 12 years. Testing will be conducted, both here and at neighboring White Sands Missile Range, N.M., through four "spinouts" that will enable the Army to build the new technology over time, Wadsworth said.

During Spinout 1, in fiscal 2008, the evaluation brigade will evaluate five new systems. These include the Intelligent Munitions System; the Tactical Unmanned Ground Sensor, which detects and reports on ground movement; the Urban Unmanned Ground Sensor, which detects motion inside a building; the Non-Line-of-Sight Launch System, nicknamed "rockets in a box"; and a battle command surrogate.

The second spinout, in 2010, will test a series of unmanned aerial vehicles. Spinout 3 will test six varieties of unmanned ground vehicles. The final spinout will evaluate eight kinds of manned ground vehicles that operate from a common platform, as well as the network.

The network is evolving incrementally, with additional sensors added to it with each spinout, Wadsworth explained. The goal is a fully capable, fully equipped Future Combat System brigade combat team supported by a state-of-the-art network in 2014.

But the Army doesn't intend to wait until then to get some of the best new technologies being developed to warfighters in the field, Wadsworth said. Some, including unmanned aerial vehicles that can be carried in a backpack and small unmanned ground vehicles that can carry sensors into buildings, caves and other dangerous spots, are already in limited use in the combat theater.

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, emphasized the importance of the Future Combat System, and of getting its capabilities into the operational force as quickly as possible, in October during his keynote address at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington.

"The goal is to enable the soldiers to see first, understand first, act first and finish decisively," Schoomaker said. "I want there to be no doubt that we are totally committed to fielding the future force, enabled by the FCS."

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Department of Defense and United Kingdom Sign Next Stage Joint Strike Fighter Agreement

Today, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England and United Kingdom Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Drayson signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin future cooperation in the production, sustainment, and follow-on development (PSFD) phase of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.

The United Kingdom joins Canada, the Netherlands and the United States as the fourth nation to sign the JSF PSFD MOU. Australia also signed on Dec. 12 in a separate ceremony. Denmark, Italy, Norway, and Turkey are scheduled to sign in the near future. This new MOU will expand cooperation among the nine JSF partner nations beyond the ongoing JSF system development and demonstration phase, providing a framework for future JSF Program efforts in production and beyond.

The United Kingdom was the first JSF partner, and is committing over $2 billion dollars to the development phase of the overall JSF program. The U.K. plans to acquire up to 150 short take-off and vertical landing versions of the JSF, and will participate with the U.S. in the JSF aircraft's operational test and evaluation prior to achievement of initial operational capability early in the next decade.

The United Kingdom's signature of the PSFD MOU will continue to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, not only in terms of providing air dominance, but also interoperability, defense transformation, modernization, cost reduction, acquisition excellence, and best possible use of the nations' respective industrial bases.

Joint Strike Fighter, as the largest ever U.S. DoD acquisition program, continues to set new standards in development of manufacturing technologies, acquisition and business practices, technology transfer, and export licensing. The first test aircraft is on-track for first flight this week. The JSF Program is providing great opportunities for partner industries through the best value model - selecting manufacturers and maintainers based on a combination of quality, price, and timeliness.

Once the JSF PSFD MOU signing process is completed, the partners will cooperatively develop, produce, test, train and operate a Lightning II JSF Air System that will enhance the interoperability, survivability, and affordability of our future forces. Continued U.K. participation reinforces the longstanding and close relationship between the U.S. and U.K. Armed Forces, providing a solid foundation for future air operations with other allied and friendly nations in a joint and coalition environment.

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Web Site Celebrates National Guard Birthday, History

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA

Dec. 12, 2006 – The National Guard turns 370 years old tomorrow, and the National Guard Bureau is celebrating with a Web site dedicated to the organization and its history. The site, www.ngb.army.mil/features/birthday/index.html, chronicles the Guard's history, starting in 1636 when the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which functioned as the colony's legislature, ordered existing militia companies from the towns surrounding Boston to form into three regiments: North, South and East.

"These first Minutemen answered the call, banding together for the common defense, an effort which grew nationwide to protect towns, states, and ultimately the nation from all enemies, civil, natural and foreign," Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, wrote in a letter on the site.

The American colonies adopted the English militia system, which obligated all males to possess arms and participate in the defense of the community, according to the site. The need for a colonial militia was ratified in the Constitution, and since then, Congress has enacted several militia and defense acts to strengthen the National Guard.

"Today, more than 50,000 citizen-soldiers and airmen are serving overseas as part of the global war on terror," Blum wrote in his letter. "Over 9,000 are serving here at home in domestic missions such as supporting our nation's efforts to secure our borders, guarding critical infrastructure, and providing emergency response to our governors.

"Not unlike those Minutemen 370 years ago, today's Guard members are citizens who believe that an organized militia is essential to the common defense. With centuries of courage, commitment and tradition behind them, the National Guard proudly remains always ready, always there."

In a letter commemorating the birthday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked the members of the National Guard for serving valiantly in times of war and peace. "We simply could not sustain current operations without the National Guard," Pace wrote. "The courage and sacrifice of every Guard member are truly inspiring. Your outstanding service as citizen-soldiers comforts those in need and protects our homeland."

The National Guard has made up a significant portion of the forces deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. At one point in 2005, half of the combat brigades in Iraq were Army National Guard, according to information on the Web site. The Guard is playing a more active role than ever before, integrating with active forces in combat, humanitarian and peacekeeping missions, information on the site says.

The Web site lists information from each period in the National Guard's history and details on some state-sponsored events commemorating the 370th birthday.

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Silver Star Approved for Soldier Who Sacrificed Himself for Crew

Dec. 12, 2006 – Army Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis packed only 136 pounds into his 6-foot frame, but few have ever matched his inner strength. McGinnis sacrificed himself in an act of supreme bravery on Dec. 4, belying his status as the youngest soldier in Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

The 19-year-old amateur mechanic from Knox, Pa., who enjoyed poker and loud music, likely saved the lives of four soldiers riding with him on a mission in Baghdad.

McGinnis was manning the gunner's hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. It flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio. His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas of Longview, Texas, recalled what happened next.

"Pfc. McGinnis yelled 'Grenade! ... It's in the truck,'" Thomas said. "I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down." McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped. "He had time to jump out of the truck," Thomas said. "He chose not to."

Thomas remembered McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. McGinnis said then he didn't know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered. "He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant," Thomas said. "He's a hero. He's a professional. He was just an awesome guy."

Three of the soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany.

For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star. His unit comrades paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11.

McGinnis was born June 14, 1987, and joined the Army right after graduating from high school in 2005. He had been in the Army 18 months and made his mark even before his heroic deed.

"He was a good kid," said C Company's senior enlisted soldier, 1st Sgt. Kenneth J. Hendrix. "He had just gotten approved for a waiver to be promoted to specialist." He also appeared on the Nov. 30 cover of Stars & Stripes, manning his turret.

Besides his military accomplishments, McGinnis leaves his friends and family with memories of a fun-loving, loyal man.

Pfc. Brennan Beck, a 1-26 infantryman from Lodi, Calif., said McGinnis made others feel better. "He would go into a room and when he left, everyone was laughing," Beck said. "He did impersonations of others in the company. He was quick-witted, just hilarious. He loved making people laugh. He was a comedian through and through."

While having a witty side, McGinnis took his job seriously.

"He was not a garrison soldier. He hated it back in garrison," Beck said. "He loved it here in Iraq. He loved being a gunner. It was a thrill; he loved everything about it. He was one our best soldiers. He did a great job."

Beck has memories of talking all night with McGinnis about where they wanted their lives to go, and said McGinnis always remembered his friends. "When I had my appendix removed, he was the only one who visited me in the hospital," Beck said. "That meant a lot."

Another 1-26 infantryman, Pfc. Michael Blair of Klamath Falls, Ore., recalled that McGinnis helped him when he arrived at Ledward Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany.

"When I first came to the unit, ... he was there and took me in and showed me around," Blair said. "He was real easy to talk to. You could tell him anything. He was a funny guy. He was always making somebody laugh."

McGinnis' final heroic act came as no surprise to Blair. "He was that kind of person," Blair said. "He would rather take it himself than have his buddies go down."

The brigade's senior noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. William Johnson, also had high praise for McGinnis. "Any time when you get a soldier to do something like that - to give his life to protect his fellow soldiers - that's what heroes are made of," Johnson said.

It also demonstrates, Johnson continued, that the 'MySpace Generation' has what it takes to carry on the Army's proud traditions.

"Some think soldiers who come in today are all about themselves," Johnson said. "I see it differently."

The Silver Star Medal has been approved for McGinnis's actions Dec. 4, and will be awarded posthumously.

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Video E-mail Launches for Deployed Soldiers, Families

By Margaret McBride

Dec. 12, 2006 – Soldiers and families can now communicate by video e-mail through the Army Knowledge Online intranet portal. On the first day, more than 3,500 video e-mails were transmitted. "Thank you, that's all I can say," Pvt. Brenden Teetsell of the 44th Signal Battalion e-mailed on Dec. 6. "Thank you for allowing me to see my family. Your technology helps boost not only my morale, but thousands of soldiers a day."

AKO video messaging allows all deployed active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers to create video messages on a computer with a Web cam. The message is then stored on a server and sent to the recipient via a link. Upon opening an e-mail, the user clicks on the link to get streaming video and sound. The video-streaming software allows a soldier to hear and view video e-mail even in limited bandwidth environments, but the link can be accessed any time from anywhere.
Instructions are on a link on their AKO home page. Soldiers must follow the same Defense Department security measures used for standard e-mail and are not allowed to use Web cams in secure areas.

Families with an AKO account can send video e-mails from home with a personal computer and a Web cam. They can also use Web cams in many of the yellow-ribbon rooms on military bases. Military bases in deployed locations typically have Web cams available at cyber cafes, officials said.

"Families no longer need to coordinate times to ensure everyone is available to see each other," said Gary L. Winkler, director for governance, acquisition and knowledge in the Army Chief Information Office, who initiated the project.

"This will help geographically separated families stay closer during deployment, and we also expect other benefits from this capability as users become more familiar and comfortable with it," he said.

In the future, Army video e-mail applications could also be used for distance learning and training, recruiting and telemedicine, officials said.

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Artists Paint Portraits for Families of Fallen Soldiers

By Rachael Tolliver

Dec. 12, 2006 – Kaziah Hancock, an artist and patriot in Manti, Utah, has put her professional life on hold as a result of channel-surfing on the radio. Now, she devotes most of her time to honoring American soldiers who have died in Middle East combat zones. "I came across a talk show, and they were talking about the accomplishments and the life of James W. Kelly, of Salt Lake (City, Utah). It hit me. ... I became a basket case," she explained in a phone interview with the Fort Knox newspaper. "He was a serviceman who had been killed in Iraq."

At that moment, Hancock decided she wanted to paint a memorial portrait of each U.S. servicemember killed in the line of duty.

"At the time, we had only been in Iraq for a short while, and we had lost 80 people," she said. "We were still expecting a short war."

Hancock called a friend who owns an art gallery that regularly features her work and who had several "connections."

"I told her I wanted to do a portrait for the families of the soldiers killed, and my friend said, 'Those from Utah?' I thought for about 15 seconds," she recalled. "And I said, 'No.' Is the one from Texas any less important to me? Or the one from New York? I told her I wanted to do them all. I wanted to paint the portraits for free, and ship ... all of them."

Hancock's portraits normally range in price from $3,000 to $5,000. After the American Legion did a story about her special project for its magazine, 18 more requests came in. Hancock, whose career as an artist is on hold because she has devoted all her time to this one mission, said she had $5,000 in the bank, and found herself kneeling in prayer and asking God for help.

"Then, I just kept going," she said.

"After (painting) 33 of them, I got the idea to form a non-profit (organization) and people could express their patriotism, donate to this cause, and even get a tax deduction. It's mostly the average person who has contributed to the memory of our service people."

The organization she founded is called Project Compassion, Hancock said.

Other artists contributing to the memorial effort include Ann Marie Oborn, JoAnn Musser, Lane Bradey and Clancy DaVries, all of whom volunteer their time and talent and work only for the cost of their materials.

Although she is always looking for artists who want to help, Hancock screens applicants to make sure that they will fit in as "one of the family."

DeVries is a veteran of the Korean War, where he served in the Navy. "I read about Kaziah in an issue of the American Legion magazine," he recalled. "I called her and told her I would like to try some portraits. She said she had six artists who wanted to participate and she had not heard from anyone. I told her she would hear from me."

"(Painting the portraits) is rewarding because of the people," he said. "I familiarize myself with the soldier, go on the Web, read letters and other correspondence, so I know (the soldier) fairly well. The hardest part is letting go and sending the portrait off."

When a family accepts the organization's offer, they are asked to send a large selection of photographs and correspondence from the soldier so the artists can familiarize themselves with the soldier.

DeVries is working on his 95th portrait.

The Detimples, of Morrisville, Pa., are among the hundreds of families that have received portraits.

Their son, Army Pfc. Nathaniel Detimple, was an infantryman with the 28th Infantry Division, of the Pennsylvania National Guard. He was one of three soldiers killed Aug. 9, 2005, when the Humvee in which they were riding ran over an improvised explosive device.

"About six months later, February or so, we got a letter from Ms. Hancock explaining the portrait and what to do if we wanted one," said Kim Detimple, Nathaniel's mother. "Our Nat was 19. He joined the National Guard while he was still in high school. Staten (Nat's younger brother) did the same thing and joined in his junior year of high school. We just came back from Fort Knox where Staten just graduated from school. He is in the cavalry."

Kim said, and Glen, Nat's father, agreed, that Hancock's portrait, "caught him. She captured him -- his smile and his facial expressions."

"The most important thing (in the portrait) is that she captured my son," Kim continued. "She is a humble person, and that is what struck me. She remembers all of the families, not just our Nat, but all our sons."

Hancock said she thinks of these paintings as hugs. When she dies, she said, there will be pieces of her heart spread out all across the globe. "That says Kaziah cared about these soldiers," she said.

"I think about all I have lost (and how I felt), and I think of those mothers who have lost their sons and daughters," she said. "We have sent the best blood we have in our name. If art is good, it should do some good."

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