Thursday, May 31, 2007

Navy to Lead Gulf of Guinea Maritime Security Initiative

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

May 31, 2007 – This fall, a
U.S. Navy ship will embark on a six-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea region, part of a multinational maritime security and safety initiative that partners with several west- and central-African nations, a senior U.S. Navy officer said here today. The yet-to-be designated amphibious ship will carry 200 to 300 sailors and U.S. Coast Guard members who will man training teams that will work with eleven Gulf of Guinea nations, helping them to build their maritime security capabilities, Navy Adm. Henry G. Ulrich III, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe -- based in Naples, Italy -- told reporters today at a news conference held at Fort Lesley J. McNair here.

The news conference followed a meeting of African, American, French, Portuguese and other military and diplomatic representatives. The meeting was hosted by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, which falls under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, an element of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's policy directorate.

At a ministerial conference in Cotonou, Benin, in November, ministers and representatives of Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Togo committed themselves to improve their nations' maritime security and safety systems.

Piracy, illegal fishing, unlawful immigration and smuggling plague several Gulf of Guinea countries, Ulrich said, noting such unlawful activities can attract other undesirable elements, including terrorists.

"Security means that there's governance," Ulrich explained. "And, where there's security and governance is not where people who we describe as terrorists like to go.

"We're trying to eliminate voids (of law and order)," the admiral continued, noting Gulf of Guinea nations also are interested in establishing their own
Coast Guards.

Ulrich said he was very pleased by participant African nations' reaction to the planned six-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea, a version of the Navy's Global Fleet Station concept. The pilot GFS deployment began April 25 when High Speed Vessel 2 Swift and Task Group 40.9 departed Naval Station Mayport, Fla., for Central South American ports-of-call.

"I'm really, really optimistic that this is going to be the tipping point for us and move this whole initiative of maritime safety and security ahead," Ulrich said.

It's paramount for the United States to follow through with the Gulf of Guinea initiative, retired U.S. Ambassador Peter R. Chaveas, director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, emphasized at the news conference.

"One aspect of Africans' experience with the United States going back decades is that the United States has shown a great tendency to start some great initiatives and too often the experience is that we're not there five years later, we don't follow through on it." Chaveas explained. "And so, Africans look at these things skeptically with that in mind. So, it's very, very important as has been going on in this particular context, to keep at this.

"We have to keep communicating with them, consulting with them, making the case that we're in this with them for the longer term," Chaveas said.

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Gates Says Asia Remains Critical to U.S. Security Interests

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

May 31, 2007 – The United States has "no intention of neglecting Asia" as it focuses on fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the
global war on terror, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke with reporters after meeting with Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, to discuss U.S.-Pacific security issues.

The secretary stopped here while en route to Singapore to attend the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Asia Security Conference. Defense and military
leaders from 25 nations are slated to attend this year's conference, the sixth since 2002.

Gates praised the "critical role" many Asian and Pacific nations are playing in the
war on terror, noting that many have experienced terrorism within their own borders. These countries have been "strong allies in pursuing al Qaeda" and other terrorist organizations, he said.

Australia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Fiji, Mongolia, Tonga and New Zealand are making or have made significant contributions to the efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gates is expected to recognize those contributions in his keynote speech June 2 at the Asia Security Conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. The annual three-day conference will be the secretary's first, and he has a full schedule of bilateral meetings and other sessions planned.

Gates said he will summarize the variety of activities and initiatives the United States is participating in in the region during his address. Pacific Command is "deeply engaged and actively engaged," he said.

Today he cited cooperation in maritime security and counter-proliferation, as well as a robust exercise program that includes humanitarian relief exercises to prepare for another tsunami or other natural disaster in the region. "So there is just a lot going on," he said.

Gates noted that USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship homeported in San Diego, will soon travel through the region providing medical care.

In addition to highlighting these efforts, the secretary is also expected to touch on China's military expansion program during his keynote address in Singapore. He told reporters today it's evident that China is bolstering its capacity. "Our concern is their intent," he said.

The last time Gates was here, in late March, was for Keating's ceremony as he took the helm of Pacific Command. The largest U.S. combatant command, it includes 43 countries, more than half the Earth's surface and nearly 60 percent of its population.

During testimony last month before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Keating pointed to events like the Shangri-La Dialogue as the key to enhancing U.S. relationships in the region.

"Meaningful and frequent engagement with the nations in the Asia-Pacific - characterized by the transparent expression of views and intent - contributed to considerable progress across a broad range of security issues this past year," he told the committee.

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Tiger Woods to Honor Servicemembers

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

May 30, 2007 – Thirty thousand active-duty servicemembers and guests will be able to attend the inaugural AT&T National invitational golf tournament July 3-8, professional golfer Tiger Woods announced here yesterday. Woods, who's hosting the event at Congressional Country Club here, made the announcement from the storied venue's clubhouse. He said he understands what it means to be part of a
military family and that he wants to acknowledge the sacrifices the nation's servicemembers are making.

"I grew up in that household," Woods, whose late father was a Vietnam veteran, said. "I have friends who are in the
military as well, so I know the level of commitment that it takes for them and the things that they do."

It's no coincidence that the tournament incorporates the Fourth of July holiday.

"It's our nation's birthday," he added. "I don't think it could be any better than to have it (then) in D.C. and have all the servicemen and women come out and have it on this golf course."

The newest PGA Tour tournament is working with the military's Pentagon-based Morale, Welfare, and Recreation office to distribute the tickets, 5,000 for each day of the tournament, Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation, said.

"Our intent is to honor and really thank the people that protect us," he said.

As part of that effort, servicemembers attending the tournament will have their own VIP entrance near the 16th green that will lead to a special seating gallery. Their valid
military identification card also will garner them discounts on concessions, McLaughlin said.

"We've got about 10 items in cooperation with the PGA Tour and the Pentagon that we've been working on," he added. "These details will come out later this week and in the weeks leading up to the tournament."

The tournament, which has a $6 million purse, will consist of 72 holes of regulation play. Participation is open to 120 players by invitation only. Though many pro golfers set their schedules before the beginning of the year, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Davis Love III and Darren Clarke have joined the field in the quest for the winner's $1.08 million prize.

While Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els won't hit the Congressional links, Vijay Singh is "up in the air," Woods said.

Woods, who's ranked No. 1 in the world, said he's intending to play, though Mother Nature may have other plans. His wife, Elin, is expecting the couple's first child and could give birth during the tournament.

That fact gave way to a hypothetical question that drew a good laugh from the crowd gathered for the news conference. A reporter asked what Woods would do if he were on the 18th green, holding a one-stroke lead, and got a call saying Elin had just gone into labor.

"Well, I'll have to play real quick, won't I?" Woods said, breaking into a wide smile as the room burst into laughter. "A (birdie) will win, won't it?"

No matter which player claims the tournament title, the real winners will be the children reached through the programs offered by the Tiger Woods Foundation, one of the tournament's beneficiaries. Other D.C.-based charities also will benefit.

Woods and his father, Earl, established the foundation in 1996 with the mission of empowering young people to dream big and set goals to achieve those dreams through community-based programs, according to the foundation's Web site. An estimated 10 million children have benefited to date.

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Navy Pilot Missing From Vietnam War Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Lt. Michael T. Newell, U.S. Navy, of Ellenville, N.Y. He will be buried today in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

On Dec. 14, 1966, Newell was flying an F-8E Crusader aircraft as wingman in a flight of two on a combat air patrol over North Vietnam. During the mission, the flight
leader saw a surface-to-air missile explode between the two aircraft. Although Newell initially reported that he had survived the blast, his aircraft gradually lost power and crashed near the border between Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces in south central North Vietnam. The flight leader did not see a parachute nor did he hear an emergency beacon signal. He stayed in the area and determined that Newell did not escape from the aircraft prior to the crash.

Between 1993 and 2002, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), visited the area of the incident five times to conduct investigations and survey the crash site. They found pilot-related artifacts and aircraft wreckage consistent to an F-8 Crusader.

In 2004, a joint U.S./S.R.V. team began excavating the crash site. The team was unable to complete the recovery and subsequent teams re-visited the site two more times before the recovery was completed in 2006. As a result, the teams found human remains and additional pilot-related items.

Among other
forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at
http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

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Defense Secretary Calls AF Academy Graduates to Higher Standard

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

May 30, 2007 – Today's brand-new
Air Force officers need to live up to a higher standard, even though doing so may take them along "a difficult and lonely road," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. nder blue skies at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Gates spoke to the 976-member graduating class during its commencement ceremony in a packed Falcon Stadium.

Gates told the class that relying on elements of personal virtue will leave the graduates above reproach as
leaders.

"There is only one way to conduct yourself in this world, only one way to remain always above reproach," he said. "For a real leader, the elements of personal virtue -- self-reliance, self-control, honor, truthfulness, morality -- are absolute."

Gates noted that this class, the academy's 49th, is one of the first whose candidates began their application process after the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And, despite an uncertain future, the candidates chose a military career.

"You knew the dangers of the world you were entering, but you still chose to step forward," the secretary said.

The world is more complicated now than when Gates was commissioned as an Air Force second lieutenant in 1966, he said, adding that the challenges the graduates face will test their "spirit and resolve." But, he said, it is now time for the graduates to put into practice the principles of
leadership taught at the academy.

"The time for words has now passed. From this day forward, you will have to demonstrate that you can live up to the standards you were taught," Gates said.

He said the U.S. military is unique in the world in terms of how heavily it relies on the judgment and integrity of its junior officers. The secretary warned the newly commissioned officers that their path as
leaders will "rarely, if ever, be easy" and called on them to do the right thing, even if it means personal sacrifice.

Failures of leadership, even in the military, are typically not because of
leaders' capabilities, Gates said. Instead, they happen because leaders chose personal gain over the long-term interests of the service.

In a light moment, Gates joked about seeing "dancing cadet" Jeffrey Pelehac's Internet video. Pelehac gained dubious renown when he was a sophmore in 2005 after his roommate placed a candid video of him dancing on the Internet. "Yes, I've seen the video. Don't give up your day job," Gates quipped.

Later in his speech, Gates addressed the same technology that made Pelehac infamous, saying it could work against the graduates as leaders and make the decisions they face even more difficult.

"We live in an age where friends and enemies alike will seek out and focus on any and all mistakes made under great stress, where the irregular battlefield will present life-and-death decisions, often with no good choices," Gates said, "where the slightest error in judgment or even the perception of an error can be magnified many times over the Internet and on TV and circulated around the globe in seconds."

Gates warned the graduates that even their supporters will scrutinize their actions and that expectations are high.

"You can never be content to be merely good citizens," he said. "In everything you do, you must always make sure that you are living up to the highest personal and professional standards of duty, service and sacrifice.

"And when you are called to lead, when you are called to stand in defense of your country in faraway lands, you must hold your values and your honor close to your heart," Gates said. "You must remember that the true measure of
leadership is not how you react in times of peace or times without peril.

"The true measure of
leadership is how you react when the wind leaves your sails, when the tide turns against you," Gates continued. "If at those times you hold true to your standard, then you will always succeed, if only in knowing you stayed true and honorable."

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Health Study Uses Data from Global War on Terrorism

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2007 – When a landmark Defense Department-sponsored health study was launched six years ago, one of its goals was to evaluate the impact of future deployments on long-term health. The investigators did not know how timely the project would be. Today, the Millennium Cohort Study has enrolled tens of thousands of participants who have deployed in support of the
global war on terrorism, said Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Margaret Ryan, the study's principal investigator and director of the Defense Department Center for Deployment Health Research, part of the Naval Health Research Center, in San Diego.

The study was designed in the late 1990s "in the wake of the first Gulf War to answer some of the most difficult questions that couldn't really be answered retrospectively after that conflict," Ryan said.

The joint-service study was established to evaluate the health risks of
military deployments, occupational exposures, and general military service, Ryan explained, noting that about 108,000 servicemembers have signed up to take part since program enrollment began in July 2001.

Participants' health is evaluated over a 21-year period, Ryan said, noting the size of the cohort -- the group participating in the study - likely will total more than 147,000 people.

"About 40 percent of our cohort has deployed to one of the more recent operations, either in Iraq or Afghanistan or surrounding regions, in support of the
global war on terrorism," Ryan said.

Involvement in the study is voluntary, and participants are selected randomly, Ryan said. All information is secure and safeguarded, she added.

Participants report their health status every three years and can fill out either paper or online surveys, Ryan said.

"We do strongly encourage people to use the online option," Ryan said. "It's a very secure way to transmit information."

Dr. Tyler C. Smith will replace Ryan as the study's principal investigator later this year, as the
Navy physician is slated to take a new duty assignment at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The study is providing valuable data that will help
military epidemiologists understand possible cause-and-effect relationships between combat-zone deployments and problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, Smith said

"We have the ability to look at a large group of individuals who were deployed and not deployed," Smith said. "And we can see what factors predict new-onset PTSD, and how PTSD evolves over time. That's what we've been focusing on."

Evaluating the incidence of PTSD among servicemembers wasn't possible until recently, "simply because we didn't have a cohort in place like this that's large and population-based," Smith explained.

"So we're learning things that we really haven't been able to investigate in the past," he said.

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Department Readies Pandemic Flu Guidebook for Civilians

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2007 – The Defense Department is preparing a pandemic flu guide for civilian managers and rank-and-file employees, a senior official said. The Defense Department released its Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan in April, Patricia S. Bradshaw, deputy undersecretary of defense for civilian personnel policy, said May 25 in an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

The department's plan is part of the president's initiative to prepare the nation for a potential mass outbreak of deadly flu virus.

"And now, we're going to top that off with a DoD civilian human resources guide with a target audience of managers and employees," Bradshaw said.

She said the guide will outline specific things that managers, supervisors and employees need to do to prepare themselves for a possible flu pandemic or any other type of crisis. It's to be issued within the next four to six weeks, she said, and will be available on the Defense Department's pandemic flu Web site, fhp.osd.mil/aiWatchboard.

Pandemic flu is a fast-spreading human flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness that could sicken or kill hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people, according to the U.S. government's pandemic flu Web site. For example, the 1918 flu epidemic killed more than half a million Americans.

Any challenges inherent in preparing the department's roughly 600,000 civilian employees for a possible flu epidemic or other crisis aren't dissimilar to those faced by the private-sector work force, Bradshaw noted.

"I think the challenges are not unlike any (other) work force," Bradshaw explained. "If we have a crisis such as a pandemic, the real challenge here is maximizing social distancing as the preferred technique to employ, because it's a contagious disease."
Increased shift work, phone usage, teleconferencing and working from home are among the options DoD could employ to continue operations in the event a flu pandemic reaches the United States, Bradshaw said.

"You're trying to figure out how to keep people safe and well and, at the same time continue the operations of the department," Bradshaw said. "And so, we'll really be looking at ways to do that."

Federal government guidance to state and local authorities has recommended the launch of pandemic flu preparedness exercises, she said.

"You can test to see where your gaps are and (where) your potential problems would be," Bradshaw explained, noting the federal government and the
military already have conducted some exercises with civilian authorities.

The Defense Department plans to continue to provide work and pay to its civilian employees during a potential pandemic flu crisis, Bradshaw said. Again, the focus will be on employing social distancing to minimize potential devastating effects during a pandemic, she said.

"We're going to tell you, 'Please, don't come to work,'" Bradshaw said. Such a practice, she said, minimizes the spread of disease during a pandemic.

Additionally, Defense Department civilian managers need to determine how they'll continue performing their organization's core functions during a pandemic, Bradshaw said.

"What are the mission-essential functions that absolutely need to be done?" Bradshaw asked, especially tasks that can be accomplished online from home.

"The managers really need to think through what kind of work can be done away from the work site," she said. "Our goal is to ensure that our employees, to the maximum extent possible, can continue to work during such a pandemic."

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Navy Secretary Names New Combat Logistics Ship

Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter has announced his decision to name the Navy's newest underway replenishment vessel, the USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE 6). The name honors Amelia Mary Earhart for her courage, vision, and groundbreaking achievements, both in aviation and for women.

Amelia Earhart's name became a household word in 1932 when she became the first woman--and second person--to fly solo across the Atlantic, on the fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's feat, flying a Lockheed Vega from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Ireland. That year, she received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French government, and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Herbert Hoover.

In January 1935 Earhart became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif. Later that year she soloed from Los Angeles to Mexico City and back to Newark, N.J. In July 1936 she took delivery of a Lockheed 10E "Electra," financed by Purdue University, and started planning her round-the-world flight.


The primary goal of the T-AKE program is to provide effective fleet underway replenishment capability at the lowest life cycle cost. To meet that goal, the ship will be designed and constructed to commercial specifications and standards and certified/classed by the American Bureau of Shipping,
U.S. Coast Guard, and other regulatory bodies. All of the new ships will be operated by the Military Sealift Command. They are being built in San Diego by General Dynamics NASSCO.

For more biographical information on Amelia Earhart please click on the following link,
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq3-1.htm.

Additional information about this class of ship is available by clicking on the following link, the
http://www.news.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4400&tid=500&ct=4.

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Navy to Christen Guided Missile Destroyer Truxtun


The
Navy will christen the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Truxtun, Saturday, June 2, 2007, during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Pascagoula, Miss.

Designated hull number DDG 103, the new destroyer honors Commodore Thomas Truxtun (1755-1822) who embarked upon a seafaring career at age 12. When the U.S.
Navy was organized, he was selected as one of its first six captains on June 4, 1798. He was assigned command of the USS Constellation, one of the new frigates, and he put to sea to prosecute the undeclared naval war with revolutionary France. On Feb. 9, 1799, Truxtun scored the first of his two most famous victories. After an hour's fight, Constellation battered the French warship L'Insurgente into submission in one of the most illustrious battles of the quasi-war with France. Truxtun retired from the Navy as a commodore and has had five previous ships carry his name: a brig launched in 1842, a destroyer with the hull number DD 14, a destroyer with the hull number DD 229, a high speed transport with the hull number APD 98 (initially designated a destroyer escort with the hull number DE 282), and a nuclear-powered frigate (DLGN) later re-designated a cruiser with the hull number CGN 35.

Rep. Gene Taylor of Mississippi will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Carol Leigh Roelker and Susan Scott Martin, descendants of the ship's namesake, will serve as sponsors of the ship. In accordance with
Navy tradition, they will break a bottle of champagne across the ship's bow and christen the ship in the name of Truxtun.

Truxtun is the 53rd of 62 Arleigh Burke class destroyers. This multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of the National Military Strategy. Truxtun will be capable of fighting air, surface, and subsurface battles simultaneously and contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

Cdr. Timothy R. Weber, a native of Decatur, Ga., will become the first commanding officer of the ship and will lead the crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Truxtun is being built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Ingalls Operations, Pascagoula, Miss. The ship is 510 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

For more information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers, visit
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4.

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U.S. Ambassador: Iran's Actions Must Match Words

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2007 – Iranian delegates advocated a peaceful and secure Iraq during a weekend meeting, but Iran's actions on the ground aren't in synch with its stated policies and principles, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told reporters yesterday. Crocker said Iraq, Iran and the United States all expressed a common goal for Iraq during yesterday's meeting in Baghdad, hosted by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

"There was pretty good congruence right down the line -- support for a secure, stable, democratic, federal Iraq, in control of its own security (and) at peace with its neighbors," Crocker said.

All three delegations also expressed support for Maliki and his government, he said.

But Crocker said Iran's actions -- the fact that it supports anti-Iraqi militias and insurgents and provides them arms and explosives -- are "at cross-purposes" with its words. He said the United States has solid evidence linking these Iranian-supplied weapons to attacks that have killed Iraqi and coalition troops, as well as innocent Iraqi civilians.

Crocker said the Iranians didn't respond directly to these challenges, instead reiterating their broad statement of support for the Iraqi government. They also called for a "trilateral mechanism" for the three countries to work through to coordinate on security matters.

While not dismissing the trilateral concept outright, Crocker said he made it clear that yesterday's meeting was aimed at concrete concerns and actions, not more meetings.

"We ... made it clear from the American point of view that this is about actions, not just principles, and I laid out before the Iranians a number of our direct specific concerns about their behavior in Iraq," Crocker said. "What we need to see is Iranian actions on the ground come into harmony with their stated principles."

During the talks, Iranian officials called the coalition an occupying force in Iraq and said it has not done enough to train and equip Iraqi security forces.

"We, of course, responded on both points, making clear that the coalition forces are here at the Iraqi government's invitation and under Security Council authorities, and that we have put literally billions of dollars into
training and equipping an increasingly capable set of Iraqi security forces," Crocker said.

Crocker described the four-hour meeting as "business-like."

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Supporting Troops Never Gets Stale for Girl Scouts

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2007 – Girl Scouts in southern Nevada are preparing to ship more than 11,000 boxes of Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, Tagalongs and other Girl Scout cookies to servicemembers overseas. The Scouts' donation was made possible through the generosity of the Girls Scouts of Frontier Council, which donated the cookies. The Nevada Benefits Foundation offered its assistance by coordinating the effort and covering the cost to ship the cookies to servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Community service is a long-standing tradition in Girl Scouting, allowing girls to learn the value of helping others," Toni Carey, product sales director for the Girl Scouts Frontier Council, said. "Their service and generosity significantly contributes to the quality of life for our servicemen and women."

Through the same collaboration in 2006, troops serving overseas received 4,700 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. They were most welcome, Phil Randazzo, president of Nevada Benefits and its foundation, said, adding he has received several requests for the cookies this year.

Nevada Benefits Foundation is a non-profit organization originally created to support U.S. troops and their families who fight in the war on terror. To date, the foundation has raised more than $942,000 through its rallies, "Defending Freedom" wristbands fundraising, and its Web site.

"They just crave a little taste from home," Randazzo said. "Toni Carey at the Girl Scouts came through again this year, doubling this shipment of Girl Scout cookies, and they should really be proud!"

Randazzo also offered kudos to the Palm Casino Resort, in Las Vegas, for helping to make the shipment possible.

Note: To find out about more individuals, groups and organizations that are helping support the troops, visit
www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. The Defense Department's America Supports You program directly connects military members to the support of the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their quest to find meaningful ways to support the military community.

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Air Force General: Academy Served as 'Leadership Laboratory'


By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2007 – When 17-year-old John Corley joined the
U.S. Air Force Academy's Class of 1973, his father had already given him some valuable life lessons to tuck under his belt. The Vietnam War was still raging -- along with anti-war sentiment -- when Corley, now a four-star general serving as Air Force vice chief of staff, entered the academy. But he said he never once considered not following in the footsteps laid by Don Corley, his Army Air Corps pilot father.

"It's not just that my dad was an airman," Corley said. "It's that my dad was an airman and had an exquisite set of
leadership qualities that were based on character."

Anyone who spent time at the Corley home was bound to hear Don Corley's life philosophy, encapsulated in a series of slogans: "Good, better, best, never let them rest;" or "A job ain't worth doing if it ain't worth doing right."

"I lived a lifetime of quips from my father," the junior Corley said. "I could sit here and recite 10,000 of those phrases from my father over and over again."

Corley said he started to understand the principles behind his father's ditties when he arrived at the
Air Force Academy.

"What they speak to is character (and) character development," he said. "They speak to how you treat other people. They talk about inclusiveness and not exclusiveness. They talk about always doing the right thing at the right time."

In short, his father's sayings extolled the same tenets Corley said he learned at the Air Force Academy and on which he's built a successful 34-year Air Force career.

Corley called the academy "a
leadership laboratory" where the cadre exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."

"They also provided challenges," he said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."

Serving in various
leadership positions at the academy -- from guidon bearer to first sergeant to squadron commander -- Corley said he got the opportunity to hone his leadership style.

He said he realized that
leadership basically boils down to two basic principles: "One, you have to have a vision of where you want the organization to go, because if you don't know where you want to go, any path will do," he said.

"And the next thing is, you need to build consensus and convince ... the people of an organization to go where it is you want them to go -- and arrive thinking that it was their idea," he said.

Corey said he also learned the importance of being able to make a decision and stick to it, a critical skill he said he's drawn on throughout his career.

As he developed his
leadership, Corley said, he came to understand the difference between simply being in command and being a true leader. "People can be issued authority. They can be given a piece of paper that gives them authority. They can command, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are good leaders," he said.

"True
leaders recognize that leadership is based on character," he said. "It's not about self. It's about selflessness. It's about service to the nation."

Corley said the Air Force Academy reinforced this lesson, which his father first instilled, and laid a foundation that's served him throughout his career. "I can't count the number of times that the lessons in character that I learned at the academy have applied throughout my life," he said.

"To be a
leader, you have to have this thirst, this unquenchable sense of 'How do I make it better, personally and professionally?'" he said. "It all comes down to character, those enduring values of service and integrity and excellence."

Without character, Corley said,
leadership falls apart.

"People can have an exquisite data string, a perfect methodology and arrive at a decision, but if it is not founded on the proper values and it isn't underpinned with character, it may not be a decision that any of us would ever want to live with," he said.

"And if we miss that one, it doesn't matter how many informed decisions we make."

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Pace, NASCAR Honor Troops During Race in Charlotte

By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2007 – Memorial Day is a time when troops remember the oath they took for their country and rededicate themselves to those who have gone before, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told servicemembers, drivers and fans here at NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 yesterday. "Thank you for what you have done and what you are about to do for your country,"
Marine Gen. Peter Pace told 6,000 soldiers and families from Fort Bragg, N.C., and Fort Campbell, Ky., before the race. "We simply couldn't be doing this without you."

Pace thanked the troops' families for the sacrifices they also make for the country. He said that they are the ones who love the troops and stay behind praying for them while they are in harm's way.

"We know that our families - spouses, kids, moms and dads - are the real strength behind our armed forces," he said. "Families serve this nation as well as any of us in uniform."

The general served as the race's grand marshal and spoke to the crowd of 180,000 at Lowe's Motor Speedway before making a ceremonial lap in the pace car to kick off the event.

"NASCAR has done a wonderful thing this weekend to reach out to the American public and to say thanks to the men and women of the armed forces," Pace said. "It makes a huge difference to American servicemembers to know the American people value our service," Pace said.

The teamwork is similar between NASCAR and the military, Pace said.

"I think that's why there is such an affinity between NASCAR and the armed forces," he noted.

"No one in the armed forces is successful without the men and women to their right and left," he said. "It's that way with NASCAR as well - drivers and crew members have to pull together to be successful."

NASCAR and speedway officials dedicated the weekend's races to the men and women of the armed forces by painting
military logos and messages of support for the troops on eight Nextel Cup and two Busch series cars.

For yesterday's race, many of the drivers took the opportunity to show their support for the troops. Dale Earnhardt Jr. covered his car with a
military uniform's desert camouflage pattern. Mark Martin drove a yellow and black Army car. Denny Hamlin represented the Marines. Bill Elliott paid tribute to the Air Force. Jimmie Johnson drove the "Power of Pride" Chevrolet. Race winner Casey Mears drove the National Guard/American Heroes car, and Jeff Gordon's car had the Defense Department seal on the hood of his car.

Members of the 82nd Airborne Division Chorus, the
U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team and the U.S. Army Drill Team performed for cheering crowds. Army helicopters, including Apaches, Blackhawks and Kiowa Warriors, and Air Force F-22s performed flyovers brought the speedway to its feet.

"We have a largely patriotic fan base," said Larry Deas, who is the Dupont racing team manager. "It is a natural fit for NASCAR to salute the military this weekend."

Deas said that the crowd's patriotism is evident when seeing the reverence shown during the playing of the National Anthem and the way race fans display the American flag on their cars, tents and clothing.

During the pre-race driver's meeting, David Hoots, the managing event director for NASCAR, encouraged the drivers to emphasize the importance of the meaning behind the race to their crews.

"When you're on the track with your team before the start of the race, remind your crew that we are here to honor those men and women who've made the ultimate sacrifice," Hoots said. "It's important to show the nation how much we appreciate these folks."
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Bush Honors Fallen Heroes on Memorial Day at Arlington

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2007 – Evoking the memories of citizens who died defending America throughout history and urging a new generation to safeguard freedoms for which previous generations made sacrifices, President Bush commemorated Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery here today. "Today we honor the warriors who fought our nation's enemies, defended the cause of liberty, and gave their lives in the cause of freedom," Bush said to a crowd of more than 5,000 people after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. "We offer our love and our heartfelt compassion to the families who mourn them. We pray that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they made."

Bush was joined by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, members of Congress and military leaders in paying tribute to the nation's fallen. This year was the 139th observance of Memorial Day at Arlington. Military veterans, servicemembers, families and other citizens gathered for the ceremony, which was precluded by a performance from the U.S. Marine Corps Band.

In welcoming the crowd to the ceremony, Pace called today a time to reflect on the "incredible heroes" who have served the nation, and also on the families they left behind. He also pledged that those in uniform today will stay dedicated to defending freedom.

"We will not let down those who have gone before us," he said. Bush noted that Arlington is home to the remains of many well-known American heroes, as well as hundreds of thousands who served in the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and other places. Now, the cemetery is receiving a new generation of heroes in the servicemembers who have died in the war on terror.

"Like those who came before them, they did not want war -- but they answered the call when it came," Bush said of the troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. "They believed in something larger than themselves. They fought for our country, and our country unites to mourn them as one."

These troops gave their lives at a time when America is under attack and underestimated, Bush said. However, the sacrifices they made have ensured that America is still a bastion of freedom, and is still producing citizens who are willing to answer the call to duty.

"The greatest memorial to our fallen troops cannot be found in the words we say or the places we gather. The more lasting tribute is all around us -- a country where citizens have the right to worship as they want, to march for what they believe, and to say what they think," Bush said. "These freedoms came at great costs -- and they will survive only as long as there are those willing to step forward to defend them against determined enemies."

The
war on terrorism will end one day, as all wars do, Bush acknowledged. The duty of this generation is to ensure that the war's outcome justifies the sacrifices of those who have fought and died, he said.

"From their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants and terrorists are frustrated and foiled -- where our nation is more secure from attack, and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have never known it," he said.

It is America's destiny to pursue this future of freedom and liberty, Bush said, and though the journey may be rough, it is the bravery of the men and women in uniform that keeps the country going.

"On this day of memory, we mourn brave citizens who laid their lives down for our freedom," he said. "They lived and died as Americans. May we always honor them. May we always embrace them. And may we always be faithful to who they were and what they fought for."

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Memorial Day Ceremony Celebrates Women's Military Service

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2007 – Women in uniform have performed illustrious service in the
U.S. military in the past and they continue to serve with distinction to the present day, a senior Coast Guard officer said here today. “On this Memorial Day, as we remember the men and women who gallantly gave up their lives for this nation, let us also celebrate their legacy," Vice Adm. Vivien S. Crea, vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, told about 160 attendees at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial's annual Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

"Through their ultimate sacrifice they have inspired the very best in those they were with and in generations of those who follow in their lead," said Crea, the ceremony's keynote speaker.

About 15 percent of today's active-duty
military members are women, Crea said, noting one in every seven U.S. servicemembers deployed in Iraq today is a woman.

Today's "courageous and selfless military women in all the armed forces serve with distinction alongside their male counterparts throughout this country and around the world in virtually every specialty and theater of operations," she said.

Women's military service "symbolizes the pride, strength, realism and idealism of this great nation," Crea said. "You are our next greatest generation and I thank you on behalf of every man and women in the United States of America."

The WIMSA foundation's president, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wilma L. Vaught, was on hand to greet attendees, noting the women's memorial will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall.

It's a WIMSA tradition, Vaught noted, to have servicewomen or veterans speak at the organization's annual Memorial Day observance.

"This memorial pays tribute, individually and collectively, to all of the women who have served," Vaught said. "And, who better to speak for them than one of them." Another tradition is the tossing of rose petals into the Women's Memorial reflecting pool, she said.

One former and four present-day women servicemembers spoke during the event: former
Army Spc. Antoinette V. Scott, Marine Cpl. Ashley A. Mohr, Navy Chief Petty Officer Diane Paddock, Air Force Master Sgt. Lisa D. Crawford, and Coast Guard Lt. Eva J. Van Camp.

Scott, 37, is an Iraq war veteran who was medically retired because of wounds she'd received in November 2003 when an improvised explosive device detonated as she was driving her five-ton truck in Baghdad.

"We are here to honor Memorial Day because we have served in one of the U.S. armed forces or we know someone who has served," Scott, a Washington, D.C., resident, said.

Scott urged her fellow veterans to "look deeper into ourselves, pay tribute to all who have fallen, and most of all make your story the way you definitely want to be remembered."

"I am very proud of all the women I've heard today. I thought they spoke very well," said 92-year-old World War II veteran Ruthanna Maxwell Weber, a Chevy Chase, Md., resident, who attended the event in her dark blue Navy lieutenant's uniform.

WIMSA's Memorial Day observance is "a great opportunity for us to show that women are really there" and contributing throughout today's
military, while also honoring their past accomplishments, Weber said.

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Veteran's Pay Tribute on Vietnam Wall's 25th Anniversary

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2007 – About 2,000 veterans, former and current
military personnel, families and other spectators marked the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here today during the annual Memorial Day Observance. For a quarter of a century, family members, friends and cohorts have solemnly filed past the memorial commonly known as "The Wall," seeking their loved ones among the 58,000 names of the fallen etched on the black granite panels.

"I think this is place where people feel very comfortable and they really become a part of the memorial by getting closer to it," said Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and today's master of ceremonies.

"It's a good place for events that are patriotic and thoughtful in nature, and I think the spirits of the soldiers on the wall are probably always there for everybody," he said.

Three names were added to the wall recently, he noted, bringing the total to 58,256. Family members read the names of
Navy Fireman Apprentice Joseph Gerald Krywicki of Holton, Mich.; Army Sgt. Richard Monroe Pruett of San Diego, Calif.; and Army Spc. Wesley Alvin Stiverson of Monticello, Ill.

"The past is part of the present and part of the future as well," he said, "so when it comes to military service, remembering those who have gone before is a part of honoring those who are serving us today."

Scruggs paid tribute to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who attended the ceremony to honor their brothers in arms who fought before them. Several young men stood at attention, and family members of
Army Sgt. Samuel Floberg lifted him from his wheelchair while the crowd applauded with fervor.

Floberg, a member of the North Dakota National Guard, was wounded in Afghanistan Nov. 23, 2006 during an ambush on his patrol vehicle.

"The fourth (rocket-propelled grenade) went through the door of the Humvee and took out my leg and took out the driver, Cpl. Nathan Goodiron," said Floberg, whose right leg was amputated above his knee.

"The Wall heals," Floberg said, watching Vietnam veterans studying the engraved names on the glassy granite wall. "It's a place that people can come back and just reflect on their heroes, their brothers and sisters."

Veterans groups, including Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, The American Legion, Gold Star Wives, American Gold Star Mothers, Sons and Daughters in Touch, Jewish War Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Rolling Thunder, Inc. participated in the ceremony.

One of the Vietnam veterans among the hundreds of thousands of bikers riding in yesterday's Rolling Thunder, said it took a long time for him to visit the wall.

Retired
Navy field hospital corpsman Jim Enos, president of the Wilmington, N.C., Rolling Thunder chapter, said he has rumbled to the nation's capital every year since 1996 for Vietnam veterans' motorcycle rally on the National Mall here.

But it took him 10 years, he said, to face familiar names on the memorial wall.

"I did not visit The Wall until last year," Enos said. "There are a lot of names on The Wall that I know, and it took me all those years."

"First time I went to it last year, I had a good cry," he said. "Now I can go to the Wall and I can just - I can handle it."

Joseph M. Lawler, national capital regional director for the National Park Service, co-host of the ceremony along with the Vietnam Memorial Fund, told the audience that few visitors are untouched by the memorial's symbolism.

"It's somewhat ironic how often the mention of walls invokes the immediate thought of separation or barrier," he said. "However, in this case the wall is a connector, a welcomed device, an instrument of unity."

Retired
Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, this year's keynote speaker, told the audience "there is no single Vietnam war experience." He implored veterans to think back on their unique reflections.

"As we remember all these experiences - and a lot of them are pretty darn positive, and we shouldn't forget that - friendship, trust, courage, intense humor; shared misery done so easily by youth," he said. "But a lot of that's clouded by those of us who could not come home, whose lives were ended so completely in combat."

"The pain is sharp ... there's a sense of permanent loss," he said. "That's why we're here to remember, to pay honor to those memories, to learn and take comfort in their sacrifice."

Teaching the lessons of fallen veterans' example is the most important aspect of preserving their memory, the general said.

"There will be a final day of reckoning," he said. "All of us here will again be reunited with these brave soldiers who we remember. The last time we saw them they were alive, frozen in time with their youth, their optimism."

Alluding to surviving veterans' mortality, including his own, McCaffrey said that everyone who fought in Vietnam will have a final homecoming.

"Then we'll be able to say, 'We have all come home together,'" he said. "God bless all of our 58,000 friends here. God bless you all."

Maj. Gen. Gale S. Pollock, acting
Army surgeon general and commander for U.S. Army Medical Command, told audience members it was a privilege to join them in reaffirming a commitment to the men and women in uniform, and to the unknown number of civilians who served during Vietnam and other conflicts.

The U.S. is implementing ways to provide all veterans with the emotional and physical care and support they have earned, Pollock said. "Let us not forget the importance of talking about these invisible wounds so they can heal and not permanently scar and interfere with our lives," she said.

"As I look out on the crowd," she said, "I smile because I can only imagine how proud our fallen heroes would be to see all of you here today showing your appreciation for their selfless service for our incredible nation and simply saying 'Thanks,' to them for going the distance."

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National Memorial Day Parade Honors Wounded Warriors

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2007 – Seven months ago, on Veterans Day,
Army Spc. Jace Badia was carried off the battlefield in Ramadi after an insurgent bomb left him nearly dead -- his left leg gone, his right leg shattered and his right arm and back broken. A testament to the will of today's warriors and the miracles of 21st century combat medicine, Badia today joined a handful of other wounded soldiers being carried down historic Constitution Avenue, just blocks from the nation's Capitol, on the Grand Marshal's float in the National Memorial Day Parade.

With thousands of onlookers cheering, Badia joined eight other wounded warriors and Hollywood star Gary Sinise to lead the parade. Five rode in the lead float and two followed in a Hummer.

"I never in a million years thought I'd even be in a parade," said Badia. "I'm really glad I can be out here and able to show the people that, even though I'm injured, I'm still fighting in spirit."

As his red-white-and-blue float, sporting a golden American eagle, rolled down the 10-block route, Badia said he had one person specifically in mind - his friend and fellow infantryman, Cpl. Eric Palaciosrivera, who was killed by insurgent sniper fire three days after Badia was injured.

"I think about him every day. He was just a really good guy," Badia said.

Badia also said he thinks about "every single serviceman who has served and died for our country."

His message to those still serving is simple.

"Keep fighting. It's for a good cause - freedom," he said.

In its second year, the parade drew more than 150,000 spectators. This year's official estimates are not yet released. The parade included 160 elements, including 20 bands, youth groups, and veterans groups from every conflict since World War I. It is sponsored by the American Veterans Center, in association with the White House Commission on Remembrance.

Badia was joined on the float by Leslie Smith, a former Army National Guard captain. She developed a blood clot while deployed and lost her left leg and sight in her left eye.

Now Smith is trained as a peer visitor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and is active in encouraging wounded soldiers to get involved in sports programs.

Since losing her leg, Smith has completed four marathons, is a tri-athlete and enjoys kayaking and scuba diving. Most are sports that she didn't turn to until after her injuries, she said.

"It just really turns your life around and makes you want to get out there and do more and challenge yourself," Smith said.

Now, Smith is temporarily assigned to the president's commission on care for America's returning wounded warriors. She said being able to lead the parade is an honor for her and the others.

"It makes you feel very proud of yourself and service," Smith said.

But, she said, it is still the personal demonstrations of gratitude that mean the most for the servicemembers.

"It means the world for the soldiers coming back for anyone on the street ... if they stop and give you a personal thank you," Smith said. "That really seems to touch our hearts because we know that we are fighting for America and America's freedom, and we just hope that everybody knows that we're doing it 100 percent."

Leading the efforts to recruit volunteers to ride in the parade was fellow wounded warrior
Army Cpt. D.J. Skelton. He lost his left eye and suffered other injuries while serving as a platoon leader in the second battle for Fallujah in 2004.

Skelton serves as a military advisor to the Deputy Defense Secretary and is helping rewrite policy on how the
military manages its wounded servicemembers.

"The ultimate sacrifice is to give one's life. Right under that is this population," he said. "Their life is forever changed. For the rest of their life they will forever be reminded -- every time they look into a mirror -- of the sacrifice they made for their country.

"They truly need truly America's support," Skelton said. "When you look at them, you are forced to be reminded of this amazing group ... who allows us to live in a safe democracy.

Skelton said the appreciation shown to the soldiers demonstrates that their sacrifices were not in vain.

"It means a lot to know that America is still engaged and still cares and still recognizes that we sacrificed for something -- the greater good," Skelton said.

The soldiers serving as Grand Marshal's of the parade were:
Army Cpts. D.J. Skelton and (retired) Leslie Smith, Staff Sgt. John Borders, Sgt. Ron Hawthorne, Cpl. John Callahan and Spcs. Jace Badia, Luke Markham and Robert Schubert.

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Monday, May 28, 2007

Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia

Editor's Note: One of the police writers is former United States Air Force.

Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Four police officers from Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia was added to the website:
Bryan Muth; Frank Gillette; Cory Harris; and, Harold Goldhagen.

Bryan Muth was a police officer for the Phoenix Police Department (Arizona). After his retirement in 2005, he began working as a private investigator in the Phoenix area. Bryan Muth is the author of Judging the Police. According to the book description, “the post Rodney King era police officer is more tenuous fearful of citizen complaint or prosecution than ever before in history. The "L" word (liability) is fast becoming the first concern of a cop not public safety. Officers are being reviewed through citizen groups, ADHOC committees, or civil juries whose members only yesterday told a police officer "I wouldn't do your job for a million bucks". Offenders as young as ten years old are trying to intimidate an officer from doing his job by demanding to talk to the officer's supervisor. Unfortunately, it is working! You are not as safe from crime as you would think or that police administrators and politicians would like you to believe.”

Bryan Muth is currently working on his second book, How Near Anarchy. A portion of the proceeds from his second book are slated to go a law enforcement legal defense fund based in Washington, DC, that defends police officers from unwarranted prosecution.

Frank V. Gillette retired from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. He is the author of two books, A Cop’s Diary and Pleasant Valley. In addition to his writing, he apparently stayed alert and involved. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety monthly newsletter, in August 1984, Frank Gillette was gathering firewood west of Young Airport when he saw a large aircraft making its final approach. Frank Gillette also noted unusual activity on nearby roads. He called a narcotics officer and reported the activity, leading to one of the largest cocaine seizures in Arizona history; over 1,370 pounds with a street value of $148 million.

Cory B. Harris has over 13 years of military and law enforcement experience. He has served with The United States Air Force, Little Rock Police Department (Arkansas), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Marshal Service. He has law enforcement training and experience in field training, crime prevention, investigations, operations, apprehension, and protection. He is also a recipient of the Little Rock Police Department’s Medal of Merit. Moreover, he is the first law enforcement official from the state of Arkansas to be added to the website.

Cory B. Harris is the author of Zipper Le Series One: Outlook on Leadership And Liability Issues in the Criminal Justice System. According to the book description, Cory B. Harris’ book, “takes you behind the badge to examine tough issues in the criminal justice system. It tackles civil liability, race, and leadership issues to name a few from the outlook of the author. The author gives examples using his own experiences that are simple and easy to understand to give the reader unique insight. The book contains many case studies, and stories that are interesting yet they have a simple meaning. The book explores how different groups of people look at these issues in different ways, as well as how important it is for criminal justice officials to stay mentally fit.”

Harold Goldhagen is a retired captain from the Atlanta Police Department. He is also the author of Signal 63: Officer Needs Help. According to the book description, “As the Civil Rights Movement changed everything, Atlanta, Georgia could be any city. Cops are cops; people are people; crime is crime. Serving in the police is tough, and Officer Harold's circumstances were anything but ordinary.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 557 police officers (representing 231 police departments) and their 1174 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

May 27, 2007 – People across the country will take a moment from their afternoons tomorrow to pause and honor the sacrifices of America's
military. Major League Baseball stadiums, NASCAR tracks, train stations, grocery stores, and even the astronauts on the International Space Station will be participating in the "Moment of Remembrance," which is observed every Memorial Day at 3 p.m.

"The national Moment of Remembrance is a time for Americans to contemplate those things that bind us together by remembering the legacy of those who died to better our country," Carmella LaSpada, executive director of the White House Commission on Remembrance, said in a news release. "We encourage all Americans, no matter where they are and what they are doing, at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to stop and give thanks."

The Moment of Remembrance is an initiative of the White House Commission on Remembrance, which was established by Congress and made into public law in 2000. The commission encourages Americans to remember the sacrifices of fallen
military members, as well as the families they leave behind. According to its mission statement, the commission "promotes acts of remembrance throughout the year and asks Americans to pay our debt of gratitude in memory of our fallen by giving something back to the nation."

The Moment of Remembrance, which lasts one minute, is being observed at the Liberty Bell and National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the Empire State Building and Port Authority of New York, the USS New Jersey, USS Arizona and Greyhound stations. Additionally, volunteer buglers across the country will play "Taps" during the moment.

In his Memorial Day proclamation, President Bush will call on the citizens of the United States to participate in the Moment of Remembrance, according to the news release. Citizens can participate by observing a moment of silence, or doing something symbolic, like ringing a bell.

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Indy 500 Helps Build Homes For Disabled Veterans

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

May 27, 2007 – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is helping make adaptive homes available to disabled veterans through support for a group called Homes for Our Troops. The group builds or adapts homes to meet the needs of servicemembers severely injured while serving in the
global war on terrorism. The group has completed 17 homes to date, and it will receive the proceeds of T-shirt and dog tag sales in the weeks leading up to today's Indy 500 race.

Though the total amount of funds raised has not been calculated yet, the racetrack estimated that they will have raised at least $16,000 to help the group.

That money will certainly help, said John Gonsalves, founder of Homes for Our Troops. The funds will go toward the 21 houses on which Homes for Our Troops is currently working. But it's perhaps not the best thing to come out of the speedway's support.

"We always need to raise money," he said, adding that "raising awareness is equally, if not a little bit more, important."

Homes for Our Troops is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with
military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

It's that program which brought the speedway and the home-front group together, said Gina Friedholdt, the speedway's licensing coordinator. The speedway is a corporate member of America Supports You.

"It really stems from us supporting the America Supports You program run by Allison Barber," she said. "We thought it would be a good initiative to try to support some of the programs that were falling under America Supports You."

In fact, the speedway actually found Homes for Our Troops on the America Supports You Web site. Friedholdt said the speedway looked on the site for universally appealing troop-support groups that would be supported by race fans, who are a diverse crowd. And it seems they were successful. Many race fans expressed great support for the troops.

"I think it's something that needs to be done and I think they're doing a really good job," said Daniel Moore, of Mitchell, Ind. "We need to do something for them. They went over and risked everything they can, their lives, and ... everybody can help in some way. This is the least I can do."

Moore, who was at the track working as a safety official, understands the sacrifices servicemembers make. His father and uncle both served in the Korean War.

For Robert Watson, who came to Indiana from Crosby, Texas, for the race, the reason to purchase one of the shirts to help Homes For Our Troops was a very simple way to show great appreciation.

"They're our troops. They're over there protecting us," he said. "I never was in the war, but I know what they're doing and I appreciate it."

The T-shirts, which went on sale May 11, were on pace to sell out just before the race began as they have in the past. The shirts were sponsored by Homes for Our Troops corporate sponsor, Simonton Windows, and specially designed for today's race. They sell for $20 and come with a free dog tag, Friedholdt said. Fans also can buy the dog tags for $5 each, Gina Friedholdt.

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TAPS Helps Families Cope With Loss of Loved Ones

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

May 25, 2007 – Families members who have lost loved ones serving in the
military are gathered here this Memorial Day weekend for a survivors' national support group seminar. Five hundred older family members and 300 young people are attending this year's survivors' seminars and associated events, said Bonnie Carroll, chairman of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).

Established in 1994, TAPS is a nonprofit organization that helps survivors cope and heal after their loss through a variety of programs that include a national peer-support network, crisis intervention care, grief and trauma resources, and a 24-hour hotline.

Over the Memorial Day weekend the young TAPS members will visit national monuments and "spend time around Washington learning how America honors their families," Carroll said. "Their loss is part of the legacy of this nation."

Marine Gen. John F. Sattler, director for strategic plans and policy with the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed the family members today during the TAPS' 13th Annual National Good Grief Camp for Young Survivors in Arlington, Va.

"It's extremely important that we have groups (like TAPS) where you can open up and share and discuss and talk," he said. Talking over grief issues, he noted, "is not a sign of weakness, it's actually a sign of strength, and I applaud you for your strength.

"We constantly tell the warriors, 'You have got to talk these things through,' Sattler said. "Men and women with shared experiences have the opportunity to talk to others and I would please encourage you to do that."

Sattler told the young people America's military members "cannot do their jobs without strong family support."

Singing star Pat Boone also addressed a group of older TAPS members.

Wearing a red, white and blue shirt patterned like a U.S. flag, Boone told a group of older TAPS members that he was in the nation's capital to participate in Memorial Day observance events. Boone also is in town to unveil "For My Country," an anthem and documentary dedicated to America's National Guard.

"I had not known about TAPS until just recently," the 73-year-old Boone said. "When I heard about this (meeting) I was delighted to be invited just to come."

Army Maj. Gen. Guy C. Swan III, commanding general of the Military District of Washington, also was on hand to address the older TAPS members.

"There is nothing nobler than what your loved ones have done and we're just privileged to be here and to be part of this," Swan said.

TAPS members Stella Maynard, 53, and Randy Beard, 49, both lost soldier-sons who'd died two weeks apart during separate operations in Ramadi, Iraq, in October 2004.

Maynard said her son, 30-year-old
Army Spc. Stephen Paul Downing II, and Beard's son, 22-year-old Army Spc. Bradley S. Beard, both served with Service Battery, 217th Field Artillery, attached to the 2nd Infantry Division.

Maynard, of Burkesville, Ky., is intensely proud of her son's and others' military service and sacrifices.

"None of them die in vain. Anyone that thinks that ... I would probably have words with," she said, noting that U.S. servicemembers are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan to preserve freedom for all Americans.

Yet, memories of Stephen can unexpectedly leap into her thoughts, causing a sharp flow of tears, Maynard said. "All of a sudden it's there, but you go through it and it is gone," she said.

"We're not going to recover our sons; we're going to learn to readjust and go on without them," said Beard, a resident of Chapel Hill, N.C. TAPS "can empathize" with the survivors, he noted, and assist members in moving forward.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my son, but you just learn how to go on," Beard said.

Letitia Imel, a 17-year-old teenager from Rochester, Ind., was among the group of young people attending the seminar. Imel's uncle, Jeff McLochlin, was an
Army National Guardsman who was killed in Afghanistan on July 5, 2006. Imel said her uncle had essentially taken over the duties of her real father, who had died four years previously.

"This is my first day, but it's really good so far," Imel said of the TAPS program.

Ashley McLain, 31, is a volunteer mentor who is helping Imel with her loss.

"It's humbling to be around individuals who have lost a loved one," said McLain, a resident of Berryville, Va. "It's difficult and challenging, but it is also very rewarding to help someone else out in their time of grief.

TAPS is among the more than 250 businesses and organizations nationwide that participate in the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which recognizes citizens' support for
military men and women and communicates that support to members of the U.S. armed forces here and abroad.

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