Friday, January 05, 2007

National Guard Rescues People, Cattle After Severe Storms

By Sgt. Jim Greenhill, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 5, 2007 – National Guard troops in eight states rescued people and hauled hay to livestock following a severe end-of-year winter storm that stretched from America's northern to southern borders. At least 13 people in five states died in the storm. Hundreds of Guard members in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington - sometimes assisted by other states - spent their holiday season rescuing stranded motorists, carrying medical supplies and restoring power. In Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico, Guard members dropped hay from helicopters to starving cattle.

"That responsibility is one of our primary missions, and we have always responded,"
Air Force Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney, Colorado's adjutant general, told American Forces Information Service. "That's the strength of the National Guard. We are the forward-deployed forces in communities across America for the homeland defense and emergency response mission."

In Colorado, vehicles stranded by a pre-Christmas snowstorm that dumped 30 inches in the mountains and nine inches on the plains rendered Interstate 25 impassable, and Guardmembers helped state troopers clear the road. Drivers were stranded on I-25, US-52 and I-70. Hundreds of miles of interstates were closed. About 60 Colorado National Guard members rescued dozens of stranded motorists after the most powerful snowstorm in almost four years.

"They're telling me it's zero visibility," Whitney said. "They'll kind of bump into something, and it'll turn out to be a car with people in it."

The Guard conducted search-and-rescue missions, provided emergency medical transport and carried supplies to Red Cross shelters.

Citizen-soldiers and -airmen took food and water to thousands of travelers trapped at Denver International Airport, closed more than two days by the storm.

Five days after the Colorado Guard stood down from that first storm, it swung into action again before the severe blizzard conditions of Dec. 28 and 29. The Guard's joint forces headquarters issued a warning order as the second storm approached.

Colorado Guard
leaders anticipated that the new storm centered on Denver and Colorado Springs on top of previously accumulated snow could again threaten lives and further disrupt travel. Even before assistance was requested, the Colorado Guard prepared dozens of high-ground-clearance vehicles and aviation assets to aid local emergency responders. Some 166 Guard members stayed overnight at armories to be in position ahead of time.

Challenges included snowfall that varied from seven to 30 inches and was blown by 70 mph wind gusts, forming drifts up to six feet high across roads. Hundreds of motorists were stranded, including tour bus passengers rescued by the Guard on US-287 in Prowers County. Roads, including intersates, were again closed. The same storm moved down to New Mexico and then on to the Texas Panhandle.

Guard members took food, water, blankets and cots to shelters that ran low on supplies. People were trapped in their homes. Power was cut off. The domino effect of disrupted transportation corridors caused grocery stores across the Rocky Mountain states to run short of food for days. Gov. Bill Owens declared an emergency.

More than 126 Colorado Guard members patrolled on the ground and in the air to rescue stranded motorists, provided medical aid to five people and medical transport and distributed medicine, baby formula and other critical supplies to isolated areas along the state's Front Range.

"It's amazing to see how people work so well together under stressful conditions," Capt. Jason Stuchlik, 2nd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, told The Pueblo Chief. Previously, Stuchlik's unit was part of the National Guard's historic response to Hurricane Katrina.

"We are seeing another extreme, from hot to cold," he said. "The Katrina effort has made us more prepared for this situation."

Guard members rescued 134 people, recovered four emergency response vehicles and eight private vehicles.

They conducted medical resupply missions and, backed by Guard members and air assets from Oklahoma and Wyoming, dropped hundreds of bales of hay to some of an estimated 345,000 cattle stranded by 10-foot snowdrifts and facing starvation. In 1997, 30,000 cattle died in a Colorado snowstorm.

"You can tell immediately where they are," Whitney told CBS News. "You'll see a bunch of dark spots clustered together in a sea of white."

Guard helicopters also dropped Meals Ready to Eat outside remote homes.

"It's the middle of nowhere," Sgt. 1st Class Steve Segin told CBS News. "You lose the power, you might as well be in 1885. There's no cell phone, no lights, no contact."

Some 114
Army and Air National Guard members assisted at emergency shelters and provided power, supplies and transportation after 15 to 36 inches of snow stranded motorists, emergency services and medical personnel in roadside areas in western Kansas.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster area in 44 counties after the storm that brought 13-foot snowdrifts. More than 60,000 customers were without power for up to a week after about 8,000 transmission poles were downed.

Some 3.7 million head of cattle, worth $3.4 billion, are located in the affected counties, it was reported Jan. 5.

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter stood by for rescues as Guard members helped with house-to-house welfare checks. Four armories served as shelters. Accumulating snow caused a fire department building to collapse, and the Kansas National Guard provided an armory for emergency responders. A Black Hawk dropped hay to snow- and ice-bound cattle.

Kansas and Colorado agreed to support lifesaving cross-border operations. About seven Nebraska National Guard members helped utility workers restore power to about 35,000 people left without power for up to a week after the storm downed an estimated 38 major transmission lines in central Nebraska. An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and a Black Hawk helped power officials assess damage.

Western and north-central Nebraska faced freezing rain, heavy snow and strong winds. Some trees had a three-inch layer of ice. About 20 members of the New Mexico National Guard used a dozen high-wheeled vehicles and helicopters to provide emergency medical assistance and rescue stranded motorists, hunters and residents of remote areas.

The record-setting storm turned the desert white and canceled flights. This occurred after a year that had already seen New Mexico Guard members patrolling the border with Mexico as part of Operation Jump Start and providing potable water and equipment to drought-stricken communities, in addition to overseas missions and continued counter-drug activity.

A Black Hawk helicopter crew rescued a stranded heart transplant patient. Another ferried a bulldozer operator to awaiting equipment so he could help ranchers get to cattle. Guard members also rescued four hunters and pulled people from five stranded vehicles. They provided cots to citizens in three cities.

Gov. Bill Richardson ordered more National Guard Black Hawks to check on residents' welfare and drop hay.

"We're taking this extraordinary step to assist our farmers and ranchers as they struggle to save their livestock and dig out from the incredible snowfall," Richardson told the Albuquerque Journal. More than 15 inches of snow fell on Albuquerque, an arid desert city.

The New Mexico National Guard also surveyed damage and delivered infant supplies to numerous homes, the governor's office reported. An Oklahoma National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter joined a half-dozen Humvees as about 21 Guard members conducted air drops and search- and-recovery operations in Cimarron County, in the western part of the state, officials reported.

Even as it responded in its own state, the Oklahoma National Guard also sent five members to Colorado to operate a Chinook providing humanitarian and livestock supplies. A Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters from the Oregon National Guard were joined by a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Nevada National Guard in a quest to save three climbers missing on Mount Hood.

The plane was equipped with infrared and a zooming camera lens. "This is the only one in the
Air Force, so if they want this technology. It's coming from Reno," Master Sgt. Craig Madole, 152nd Intelligence Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, told the Nevada Appeal. The unit used the same technology during its response to Hurricane Katrina.

"Our hearts are going out to the families right now," Capt. Mike Brabish, Oregon National Guard, told The Seattle Times after one climber's body was found Dec. 17. The search for the other two will resume in the spring, officials said. The Texas National Guard also anticipated the inclement weather, prepositioning about a dozen members at the Amarillo Armory who supported public safety workers in the Texas panhandle.

About 17 Guard members provided generators and other logistics to care centers for elderly people, wastewater treatment plants and other facilities after December windstorms knocked out power.

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Group's Hearts Go Out to Troops

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 5, 2007 – An Illinois-based troop support group wants servicemembers to know they have America's hearts, literally. "The whole theme around the 'You Have Our Hearts' campaign is about ... showing our love and compassion for the troops overseas," Amy Oxford, founder of SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign, said. "Every year we send over thousands of homemade Valentines from school kids and churches and even families."

The nonprofit group is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.

Fresh off of its fourth "Holiday Hugs to Our Heroes" campaign, the group has launched its fourth Valentine's Day project, which it has conducted every year since its March 2003 beginning.

Oxford, her mother, Kathy, and now-6-year-old daughter, Callie, stuff boxes full of homemade heart-shaped valentines sent in from across the country and get them to troops serving overseas.

And, because Valentine's Day is a holiday associated with sweets, of course those boxes also include candy.

"We try to do the heart theme with ... the heart (shaped) suckers and the little boxes of heart chocolates and conversation hearts," Oxford said. "We put a lot of love into those packages."

This year, she started the drive for the Valentine's Day mailings the day after Christmas. She hopes that thousands of Valentines and heart-shaped candy will pour in from across the country by Jan. 22. The seemingly early deadline will allow time to get the packages to the servicemembers as close to the holiday as possible.

Oxford and her small band of cupids also are hoping to receive cash donations to offset the cost of shipping 500 to 800 flat-rate boxes of goodies overseas. That's a hefty sum at $8.10 each.

"We can definitely still use help there," she said. "There's always a standing need for postage."

Oxford said her group does this just to "let (servicemembers) know everybody back here in the good old U.S. hasn't forgotten about them, and we do love them on this Valentine's Day."

Information on how to make donations - goods or cash - can be found on the SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign Web site.

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New Governance Will Improve Military Health Care System, Official Says

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 5, 2007 – The new governance plan for the
military health care system, which is in its very early stages, will improve the care given to troops and their families in today's joint environment, the Defense Department's top health official said today. The idea behind the new governance plan is to have the separate military services work together even more closely than they do now in the area of health care. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in an interview at the Pentagon.

"Our system does work well now; we have great outcomes in battlefield medicine and in the care of our wounded - the best in history," Winkenwerder said. "But we have a vision, we have a clear set of ideas that things can work even better."

The new governance plan was approved by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England on Nov. 27, 2006. It calls for joint oversight and leadership of several key functional areas across the health system, such as education and training, medical research, and health care delivery.

Under the new plan, large local markets that serve more than one branch of the military will have a unified authority, Winkenwerder explained. This will allow for better decision making, increased cost effectiveness and shared resources, he said.

The Defense Department will consolidate medical education and training at a new center in San Antonio, and it will also consolidate medical research. Any research that is unique to a specific service will be preserved, Winkenwerder added.

"One of the things that we wanted to do was to not break anything that works well today; we don't think we're going to do that at all," he said.

DoD health care has already consolidated in one area - information technology. Winkenwerder praised the new electronic medical records system, AHLTA, the "Armed Forces Health Longitudinal
Technology Application," which is used by all services at all military treatment facilities.

"We have the chance to do that kind of thing in other areas, and that's what the new governance plan is about," he said.

The new governance plan will not create a new joint command with one surgeon general, Winkenwerder explained. The services will maintain their separate surgeons general, he said, but major changes in governance will happen across the board.

The new governance system will require a transition process, Winkenwerder said. Details of the plan still need to be worked out, and a transition team will be appointed to map the execution of the plan, which is expected to be complete by 2009.

Key goals of the new plan are to save taxpayer dollars and improve the health care given to troops and their families, Winkenwerder said. He praised the services for their cooperation and compromise in developing the plan, and expressed optimism about the success of the plan.

"Ultimately, all of this needs to be about producing a better product, producing a better result, all in the interest of our servicemembers and their families," he said. "They deserve the best that we can provide them, and that's the goal of all this."

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Gates Makes Recommendations for Filling Key Military Roles

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service


Jan. 5, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced his recommendations to President Bush for nominations to fill key
military leadership and command positions.
Gates recommended that
U.S. Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, succeed U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid as commander of the U.S. Central Command. Abizaid has commanded CENTCOM since July 7, 2003 and is due to retire this spring.

"In departing Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid will cap what has been one of the most storied
military careers in recent memory," Gates said in a press release.

Gates called Fallon the right person to take over from Abizaid.

"A naval flight officer who flew combat missions in Vietnam, Admiral Fallon combines nearly four decades of military experience with fresh perspective to the challenges America faces in the Central Command's area of operations," Gates said. "Fox Fallon is one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today and his reputation for innovation is without peer." Gates also recommended Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to succeed
Army Gen. George Casey as commander of Multinational Force Iraq.

He recommended Casey, in turn, for appointment as the new U.S. Army chief of staff, to replace Gen. Peter Schoomaker.

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called Schoomaker from retirement in 2003 to serve in the top Army post. Casey served as Schoomaker's vice chief of staff before becoming commander of ground forces in Iraq.

Petreus has served as commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since Oct. 20, 2005.

Before that, he served three critical missions in Iraq: commanding the 101th Airborne Division, the Multinational Security Transition Command and the NATO Training Mission Iraq.

Petraeus led the 101st Division in Mosul during the first year of Iraqi Freedom. In that role, he "oversaw a multifaceted program that within months established local government, restarted the local economy, and stood up local security forces," Gates noted today.

Petraeus served as the first commander of the Multinational Security Transition Command from June 2004 to September 2005 and commanded the NATO Training Mission Iraq from October 2004 through September 2005.

As he launched and led the coalition's program to train and equip Iraq's army and police, Petraeus has been leading the effort to rewrite the military's doctrine for defeating the insurgency, Gates said.

Casey, who has served as commander of Multinational Force Iraq since July 2004, is the right person to hold the top Army uniformed position, Gates said.

"There is no officer at this time better suited to be Army chief of staff than Gen. George Casey," Gates said. "General Casey knows first hand the capabilities the U.S. Army must have to succeed in the complex and unconventional campaigns of the 21st century."

Gates praised Schoomaker, who has served as the Army chief of staff since, Aug. 1, 2003.

"As a result of General Schoomaker's vision and leadership, the transformation of the Army is well on its way, to the benefit of our soldiers, their families, and the safety of our nation," Gates said. "Every American is in General Schoomaker's debt for his willingness to return to active service and embrace such a daunting assignment at a critical time in our nation's history."

Gates noted the mix of experience, skills, creativity and strategic vision that is essential in key national security positions, and said Casey, Petraeus, and Fallon possess these talents.

"We are engaged in three wars - in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against jihadist terrorism worldwide," Gates said. "As secretary of defense, and as a citizen, I firmly believe that Generals Petraeus and Casey and Admiral Fallon, as individuals and as a team, bring to the challenges that face us, the qualities necessary to be successful in war and to protect the American people."

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100 Wounded Troops, Families Walk Road to Recovery

Jan. 4, 2007 – Nearly 100 wounded servicemembers and their families recently returned home with a renewed sense of family, inspiration and hope after attending the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes third annual Road to Recovery Conference. The conference was held in mid-December at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing the ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.

The conference first began in 2004 to provide a meaningful way for individuals, corporations and others to help severely wounded and disabled veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and their families rebuild their lives. The all-expenses-paid event, which concluded Dec. 17, offered the servicemembers and their families the same support as its predecessors, according to a Coalition to Salue America's Heroes spokesperson.

Those attending enjoyed four days of much-needed rest and relaxation, as well as access to training and counseling in areas relevant to their lives after returning from combat, the spokesperson said.

Speakers included one of the country's foremost experts on post-traumatic stress disorder, a certified sex educator, and a severely Vietnam veteran who delivered an inspiring message on turning a bad experience into something good and making the most of their lives.

As a result of a servicemember's injuries, often times the spouse or loved ones must leave their jobs to become a caretaker. This loss in income, in addition to the added expenses of medication and hospital bills, is a blow to an already modest family income, the spokesperson said.

The conference offered job training and access to some of the nation's top organizations looking to hire veterans, the spokesperson said. These included the Defense Department, State Department, Merrill Lynch,
Military Severely Injured Center, Northrop Grumman, General Motors, Bank of America, and Department of Veteran Affairs.

As a result of this training and two-day job fair, the spokesperson said, nearly a dozen troops and family members got job offers.

Additionally, servicemembers and their families were given access to the top resources available from the government, veteran service organizations and the private sector. They were able to voice their thanks or concerns to the people who can make a difference in their lives by participating in a panel discussion with other severely injured servicemembers, VA TRICARE, Marines for Life,
Navy Safe Harbor, and the Wounded Warrior Program.

During these sessions the families gained a better understanding of the depth of services available to them, the spokesperson said, and the conference made readily accessible these resources easily accessible, which can easily be overlooked by veterans.

As much as the Road to Recovery is for the servicemembers, it is also for their loved ones. The conference provided group therapy sessions for the children, spouses, and caregivers on coping strategies, financial planning and relationships, sexuality and quality of life. There was also plenty of time for family-bonding and fun, the spokesperson said.

Families visited Walt Disney World, participating in family night events with performance painter Michael Isreal, face painting and special meetings with Disney characters.

The last night of the event, a special banquet and tribute was held to thank those men and women who sacrificed for their country, and to thank others who stepped up to help in their healing process. The coalition presented each attendee with a $500 gift check to buy holiday gifts.

The presentation was part of the second annual gift check program that the coalition implements to ensure wounded veterans and their families have a brighter holiday.

The Florida Chapter of The Einstein Foundation also presented each attending servicemember from Florida with a $10,000 check to show their gratitude "for defending the freedoms that we all hold so dear."

Actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band provided entertainment for the evening with a special tribute concert for the servicemembers who, with their families, danced late into the night.

Special recognition was given to those individuals, servicemembers, service organizations and corporations that stepped up in their own ways in 2006 to provide support to these wounded and disabled veterans. The coalition honored GNC, General Motors, Jackson-Hewitt, NAPE Oil and Gas, Shell Motor Oil, and KCI Research and Development with its "Home Front Hero" award for sponsoring the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute. Sinise, the
Military Severely Injured Center and Mychel Watts, a retired Marine and professional photographer, also received the award for their support of the coalition and the nation's servicemembers.

"The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is extremely honored that our corporate sponsors ... have stepped up with donations to cover the families' expenses," said Ray Clifford, vice president of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. "We are already busy planning our 2007 conference and are excited to partner with other corporations looking to show their dedication, commitment and support of those severely wounded men and women that served our country."

Perhaps as important as the knowledge and support servicemembers gained at the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute, they were allowed the chance to bond with their families and one another. Seeing that there is an enormous network of support from one another, the public and corporations was an incredible step forward in their road to recovery, the spokesperson said.

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Air Force Leaders Explore Ways to Conserve Fuel

Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 4, 2007 –
Air Force leaders are looking at ways to conserve fuel without interfering with mission readiness and ongoing military operations around the world in support of the war on terror. Leaders from all the major Air Force commands met here recently to explore how to reduce fuel consumption through simulation, aircraft training, logistics efficiencies, scheduling, acquisition and technology developments and flying operation, said Col. Anne Dunlap, Air Force Conduct Air, Space and Cyber Operations core team leader at the Pentagon.

As the Department of Defense's greatest fuel consumer, the Air Force must examine every aspect of fuel consumption while maintaining its core competencies and power-projection capabilities, she said.

" The group used Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century techniques during the event, looking at the Air Force vision for fuels efficiency, goals for air operations and barriers to success to build a game plan for how to best conserve fuel efficiently and effectively.

Dunlap said AFSO 21, which standardizes work practices to eliminate waste, works best when used continually to improve processes.

"Certainly, Air Force fuel conservation awareness must filter down to the lowest organizational level," Dunlap said, "and become part of every airman's daily activities."

All airmen are encouraged to submit their ideas for conserving fuel by email to afa35.casco@pentagon.af.mil, she said..

"The team's vision states it best:aircraft are extremely expensive to operate," Dunlap said. "Fuel is a vital national resource and the
Air Force is committed to save every ounce without degrading overall effectiveness or readiness."

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NORAD, NORTHCOM Trace Space Junk to Soviet Rocket

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 4, 2007 – That bright flash that fell from space early today over Wyoming wasn't a bird, a plane or a superhero, but a Russian SL-4 rocket body reentering the earth's atmosphere, officials at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command confirmed today. The spacecraft launch stage came back into our atmosphere over Wyoming through Colorado earlier this morning,
Air Force Capt. Elena O'Brien, a NORAD and NORTHCOM spokesperson, told American Forces Press Service.

"This is really not an unusual event; it happens all the time," O'Brien said. "What's unusual is that it happened where people can see it. Because so much of the earth is water, most of it ends up in the ocean."

The 1st Space Control Squadron at Cheyenne Mountain
Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo., tracked the reentry from a Dec. 27 launch, she said. The squadron tracks millions of items orbiting the earth every day.

NORTHCOM and NORAD are still gathering information about the number and exact size of the incoming debris, but O'Brien said it is relatively small because larger pieces usually break up during reentry.

All pieces of the rocket have now reentered the earth's atmosphere, and most of the debris is expected to have fallen in Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico, officials said.

They emphasized that no damage has been reported, and the debris is not believed to be hazardous. However, they encourage anyone who believes they may know the location of a piece from this rocket to exercise caution and inform local authorities immediately for potential recovery operations.

The biggest concern, O'Brien said, is that the debris is still hot, because the tremendous friction caused during reentry causes it to heat to thousands of degrees centigrade.

The NORAD-USNORTHCOM Command Center informed the National Guard Bureau and Department of Homeland Security so they are prepared to respond, if necessary.

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