By Annette Crawford
Dec. 24, 2006 – Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England received the first Great American Patriot Award here last night at a halftime ceremony during the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium. England, a Fort Worth resident, said he was very humbled by the award.
"Also in a way it's a little bit embarrassing," he said. "There should really be 1.2 million patriot awards. Patriot awards should be for all our magnificent men and women who serve our nation, so I accept this award on behalf of all of them, because they are the true patriots who protect and defend this country every day."
England spoke of the importance of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that showcases and facilitates American support for members of the armed forces. The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is one of many events that has grown from partnering with America Supports You.
The program gives America an opportunity to support our military in their community, England said. "So often people ask me, 'What can I do to help our military?' I tell them, 'Go to AmericaSupportsYou.com.' It's a way of connecting the military with the American people, and therefore it's extraordinarily important," he said.
England said he wanted to the troops to know how much he appreciated their unwavering commitment.
"I want to thank them for their great, great service to America, and what they do every day to protect our freedom and liberties," he said. "If we did not have the United States military, Americans could not live the life they live every day.
"All our citizens owe our people in uniform. We owe them more than just a great deal. We owe them the life we live," he said.
"I also want to wish them a very merry holiday, to them and their families," England added.
After England received the award, more than 100 recruits from the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines marched onto the field and he conducted their oath of enlistment.
The award was presented by Military Alliance and Associates LLC, known as MA3 LLC, as selected by the Military Affairs Committee of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. MA3 LLC is a military recruiting firm specializing in placing former military officers and NCOs into leadership positions in the private sector.
"Secretary England has displayed remarkable leadership in serving our country in three major defense-related departments the past five years," said Tom Starr, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. "We are honored to give our first Great American Patriot Award to him."
Starr added the bowl game was all about honoring servicemembers.
"This game is for them. We can't thank them enough. Hopefully, in some small way, this game will do that," he said.
Starr said Bell Helicopter's sponsorship of the game has been extraordinary.
"Bell Helicopter stepped forward when we changed the name to the Armed Forces Bowl," Starr said. "They have made a huge difference. They have been more than a partner.
"I've been in the bowl business 30 years," Starr continued, "and I've never been so proud, seeing all these men and women in uniform. I was in Vietnam, so this touches my heart as well."
The deputy defense secretary served in a variety of positions at Lockheed and General Dynamics before taking office as the 72nd secretary of the Navy in May 2001.
He then became the first deputy secretary of Homeland Security when that department was established in January 2003, integrating 22 agencies with a common mission of protecting the American people. He returned to his post and was confirmed as the 73rd secretary of the Navy in September 2003 - only the second person in history to serve twice as chief of the Navy-Marine Corps team and the first to serve in back-to-back terms. He assumed the Pentagon's No. 2 post in an acting capacity in May 2005, and received a recess appointment to the position in January 2006. The Senate confirmed him in April 2006.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Medics Clear Rats From Saddam Hussein's Bunker
By Maj. Bobby Hart, USA
Dec. 26, 2006 – It was a scene straight from "Raiders of the Lost Ark," or maybe "Willard." American soldiers walking through a dimly lit, underground command bunker once used by a brutal dictator, now filled with hundreds of rats. Throw in a snake or two, and you have the perfect setting for a horror movie.
But it was not a movie.
Soldiers of the 3rd Medical Command, Fort Gillem, Ga., found themselves in just such an environment when they went to investigate a potential rat infestation.
Civilians on a forward operating base near Baghdad reported they had seen increasing numbers of rodents in the area surrounding what was known locally as Saddam Hussein's presidential bunker - a massive, two-level, network of tunnels and rooms estimated to be able to support upwards of 100 people for several months.
The bunker included meeting rooms, a kitchen, huge underground generators, restrooms, showers, private living quarters and rats. Lots and lots of rats.
Army Lt. Col. Van Sherwood, a 3rd MEDCOM preventive medicine specialist, said he had seen rat infestations before, but nothing compared to what he saw when he pulled open the doors and entered Saddam's bunker.
"We saw some rats around the entrance when we walked up with our lights," said Sherwood, a Gainesville, Fla., native and graduate of the University of Florida, who currently works at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C. "Once we opened the doors and walked in, it was like rat heaven."
Sherwood said American Special Forces troops had taken over the bunker and used them for operations and storage until January 2006. When they left, they left behind pallets of military food rations and water.
"I really had no preconceived idea of what to expect when I heard they had a rat problem," Sherwood said. "I've been called out on these types of cases before, and most of the time, they are pretty mundane. For most people, one or two rats can be an infestation. As soon as we opened the doors, you could see rats scurrying down the corridors and could smell the rat urine. I knew then there were a lot of rats there."
The rats had moved in to take over the bunker when the American soldiers left and the limited access hindered the entry of predators. The rats had a secure nesting area with a high-calorie, high-protein food source and water. A healthy female rat is capable of producing a brood of around a dozen offspring monthly. It didn't take long for the rat population to reach epidemic proportions.
Until Sherwood and his rat patrol arrived, about the only thing the rats had to worry about was the snakes - one which was tentatively identified as a sand boa estimated to be at least five to six feet long.
"We knew we had to get rid of the rats some way, but it wasn't as easy as it might seem," he said. "There were so many cracks and crevices that they could easily escape the bunker and go to ground level, where there were hundreds of rodent burrows that would provide them harborage."
Sherwood said the last thing he wanted to do was to take away the food supply and water or do anything that would drive the rats out of the bunker to the base camps to forage for their next meal.
The rats had devoured most of the military rations -- they ate everything but the salt and pepper and Tabasco sauce -- and shredded everything else except the spoons to use for nesting material. The cases looked intact, except for one or two small holes in each.
"I think that was the most surprising thing," Sherwood said. "The boxes looked fine, but when you picked them up they were empty except for the ones that had nests built in them."
Another surprising thing was the consistency with which the rats emptied the water bottles, which were almost all chewed through at the same height on the bottle with the holes all being very similar in size.
Sherwood decided to place poison near the now-empty pallets, which still contained ample food for the thriving rodent population, to rid the area of the problem. He said after placing the poison, his team returned and picked up dead adult rats by the hundreds and estimated many more may have died in their nests or in underground burrows.
The body count of the dead rats did lead Sherwood to believe the problem had been solved and shouldn't happen again.
"Absolutely," he said. "Once we got rid of the population and cleaned out the food and water, there was nothing down there that would make a rat want to go there."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 26, 2006 – It was a scene straight from "Raiders of the Lost Ark," or maybe "Willard." American soldiers walking through a dimly lit, underground command bunker once used by a brutal dictator, now filled with hundreds of rats. Throw in a snake or two, and you have the perfect setting for a horror movie.
But it was not a movie.
Soldiers of the 3rd Medical Command, Fort Gillem, Ga., found themselves in just such an environment when they went to investigate a potential rat infestation.
Civilians on a forward operating base near Baghdad reported they had seen increasing numbers of rodents in the area surrounding what was known locally as Saddam Hussein's presidential bunker - a massive, two-level, network of tunnels and rooms estimated to be able to support upwards of 100 people for several months.
The bunker included meeting rooms, a kitchen, huge underground generators, restrooms, showers, private living quarters and rats. Lots and lots of rats.
Army Lt. Col. Van Sherwood, a 3rd MEDCOM preventive medicine specialist, said he had seen rat infestations before, but nothing compared to what he saw when he pulled open the doors and entered Saddam's bunker.
"We saw some rats around the entrance when we walked up with our lights," said Sherwood, a Gainesville, Fla., native and graduate of the University of Florida, who currently works at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C. "Once we opened the doors and walked in, it was like rat heaven."
Sherwood said American Special Forces troops had taken over the bunker and used them for operations and storage until January 2006. When they left, they left behind pallets of military food rations and water.
"I really had no preconceived idea of what to expect when I heard they had a rat problem," Sherwood said. "I've been called out on these types of cases before, and most of the time, they are pretty mundane. For most people, one or two rats can be an infestation. As soon as we opened the doors, you could see rats scurrying down the corridors and could smell the rat urine. I knew then there were a lot of rats there."
The rats had moved in to take over the bunker when the American soldiers left and the limited access hindered the entry of predators. The rats had a secure nesting area with a high-calorie, high-protein food source and water. A healthy female rat is capable of producing a brood of around a dozen offspring monthly. It didn't take long for the rat population to reach epidemic proportions.
Until Sherwood and his rat patrol arrived, about the only thing the rats had to worry about was the snakes - one which was tentatively identified as a sand boa estimated to be at least five to six feet long.
"We knew we had to get rid of the rats some way, but it wasn't as easy as it might seem," he said. "There were so many cracks and crevices that they could easily escape the bunker and go to ground level, where there were hundreds of rodent burrows that would provide them harborage."
Sherwood said the last thing he wanted to do was to take away the food supply and water or do anything that would drive the rats out of the bunker to the base camps to forage for their next meal.
The rats had devoured most of the military rations -- they ate everything but the salt and pepper and Tabasco sauce -- and shredded everything else except the spoons to use for nesting material. The cases looked intact, except for one or two small holes in each.
"I think that was the most surprising thing," Sherwood said. "The boxes looked fine, but when you picked them up they were empty except for the ones that had nests built in them."
Another surprising thing was the consistency with which the rats emptied the water bottles, which were almost all chewed through at the same height on the bottle with the holes all being very similar in size.
Sherwood decided to place poison near the now-empty pallets, which still contained ample food for the thriving rodent population, to rid the area of the problem. He said after placing the poison, his team returned and picked up dead adult rats by the hundreds and estimated many more may have died in their nests or in underground burrows.
The body count of the dead rats did lead Sherwood to believe the problem had been solved and shouldn't happen again.
"Absolutely," he said. "Once we got rid of the population and cleaned out the food and water, there was nothing down there that would make a rat want to go there."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Pentagon Channel Documentary Focuses on Storied 'Old Guard'
By David Mays
Dec. 26, 2006 – They are the very public face of ultimate military discipline. They wow stadiums packed with football fans with complex rifle drills. They honor fallen comrades with solemn processions. They guard the Tomb of the Unknowns around the clock at Arlington National Cemetery; and on Dec. 15, they gave outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld a full-honors farewell ceremony on the Pentagon parade field. Despite their high-profile mission, many people, even those who serve in the military, have little idea what goes into becoming a member of this elite unit. That's why the Pentagon Channel is devoting its latest half-hour "Recon" documentary to the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment -- the Army's "Old Guard."
The show will debut Dec. 29 at noon Eastern Time and will be repeated throughout January. It will also be available via podcast, vodcast and video on demand.
"We're a very unique organization," said Col. Robert Pricone, the 3rd Guard's commanding officer. "We've got a very diverse mission set, and we operate in the very sensitive environment of the National Capital Region."
The unit is one of the Army's most challenging assignments to secure. "I tried three times to get in," said Pentagon Channel News anchor Staff Sgt. Jake Newman, who once served with the Old Guard as one of the unit's few broadcasters. Applicants must meet rigorous requirements. Men must be at least 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and women must be at least 5 feet, 8 inches. High scores on both general technical and physical training tests are also mandated. Once candidates are chosen for an Old Guard assignment, they must undergo a month of intensive regimental training.
"I've heard about it my whole life," said Spc. John Ball, a watchman on the Old Guard's Presidential Salute Battery. "It's a prestigious unit, and I just wanted to be part of the best."
The Pentagon Channel takes viewers inside the Old Guard's headquarters at Fort Myer, Va., adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, where the Regiment's Caisson Unit ceremoniously transports caskets of fallen servicemembers to their final resting place.
"It's just so much an honor, being the person to present that flag to that family," said Command Sgt. Maj. Craig Robertson. "Knowing that that soldier that you are laying to rest has served this country well and gave so much for this nation, and to be part of that is so much an honor."
The documentary exposes viewers to little-known facts about the Old Guard, such as that it is the only Army unit allowed to march with fixed bayonets. This Recon program also explores the regiment's specialty platoons, who perform painstakingly meticulous missions and wear unconventional uniforms such as those originally designed by Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War era.
Pentagon Channel crews also were invited to tape sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknowns after cemetery visiting hours, when rules for keeping watch are much different from those in place when tourists are there during the day. Viewers will learn fascinating details about the stunningly precise rules Old Guard soldiers must follow as they perform their various duties.
The Pentagon Channel had the rare opportunity to videotape Old Guard service members as they practiced maneuvers under the extraordinarily demanding eyes of drill masters.
"Typically, we lose more than half the soldiers coming through the training cycle," said Sgt. 1st Class Brent Thompson. "Every once in a while, you have soldiers that have the ability to pick it up pretty quickly and pick up on what we do, and some just will never get it."
Pvt. Christopher Boovier, who is training to join the Old Guard, hopes he's among that first group of soldiers. "I mean all the guys are cool, but if you can't cut it, you can't cut it," he said. "I'm hoping that I get on. ... Stuff happens sometimes, but I'm pretty confident."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 26, 2006 – They are the very public face of ultimate military discipline. They wow stadiums packed with football fans with complex rifle drills. They honor fallen comrades with solemn processions. They guard the Tomb of the Unknowns around the clock at Arlington National Cemetery; and on Dec. 15, they gave outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld a full-honors farewell ceremony on the Pentagon parade field. Despite their high-profile mission, many people, even those who serve in the military, have little idea what goes into becoming a member of this elite unit. That's why the Pentagon Channel is devoting its latest half-hour "Recon" documentary to the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment -- the Army's "Old Guard."
The show will debut Dec. 29 at noon Eastern Time and will be repeated throughout January. It will also be available via podcast, vodcast and video on demand.
"We're a very unique organization," said Col. Robert Pricone, the 3rd Guard's commanding officer. "We've got a very diverse mission set, and we operate in the very sensitive environment of the National Capital Region."
The unit is one of the Army's most challenging assignments to secure. "I tried three times to get in," said Pentagon Channel News anchor Staff Sgt. Jake Newman, who once served with the Old Guard as one of the unit's few broadcasters. Applicants must meet rigorous requirements. Men must be at least 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and women must be at least 5 feet, 8 inches. High scores on both general technical and physical training tests are also mandated. Once candidates are chosen for an Old Guard assignment, they must undergo a month of intensive regimental training.
"I've heard about it my whole life," said Spc. John Ball, a watchman on the Old Guard's Presidential Salute Battery. "It's a prestigious unit, and I just wanted to be part of the best."
The Pentagon Channel takes viewers inside the Old Guard's headquarters at Fort Myer, Va., adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, where the Regiment's Caisson Unit ceremoniously transports caskets of fallen servicemembers to their final resting place.
"It's just so much an honor, being the person to present that flag to that family," said Command Sgt. Maj. Craig Robertson. "Knowing that that soldier that you are laying to rest has served this country well and gave so much for this nation, and to be part of that is so much an honor."
The documentary exposes viewers to little-known facts about the Old Guard, such as that it is the only Army unit allowed to march with fixed bayonets. This Recon program also explores the regiment's specialty platoons, who perform painstakingly meticulous missions and wear unconventional uniforms such as those originally designed by Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War era.
Pentagon Channel crews also were invited to tape sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknowns after cemetery visiting hours, when rules for keeping watch are much different from those in place when tourists are there during the day. Viewers will learn fascinating details about the stunningly precise rules Old Guard soldiers must follow as they perform their various duties.
The Pentagon Channel had the rare opportunity to videotape Old Guard service members as they practiced maneuvers under the extraordinarily demanding eyes of drill masters.
"Typically, we lose more than half the soldiers coming through the training cycle," said Sgt. 1st Class Brent Thompson. "Every once in a while, you have soldiers that have the ability to pick it up pretty quickly and pick up on what we do, and some just will never get it."
Pvt. Christopher Boovier, who is training to join the Old Guard, hopes he's among that first group of soldiers. "I mean all the guys are cool, but if you can't cut it, you can't cut it," he said. "I'm hoping that I get on. ... Stuff happens sometimes, but I'm pretty confident."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
