Thursday, August 02, 2007

Acro to Supply 300 Peroxide Explosive Testers (ACRO-P.E.T.) to US Army

August 1, 2007 – Acro, Inc. (OTC BB:ACRI), a developer of explosive detection solutions, today announced that it has received a first order from the US Army for 300 of its ACRO-P.E.T. peroxide explosive testers. The order was received by Quality Performance, Inc., an Acro distributor in the United States.

Acro's revolutionary patented peroxide explosive tester – ACRO-P.E.T. – is an innovative, pen-like tester that can identify peroxide-based explosives, such as Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which may appear in a variety of shapes and forms, including liquid explosives. Peroxide-based explosives are almost impossible to identify, since they do not contain nitro groups and are colorless.

Improvised explosive devices based on materials containing peroxide have increasingly been used in recent years by various terrorist organizations. The main reason is that such peroxide-based explosives can be easily “home-made” using inexpensive, readily available starting materials that can be purchased in most hardware and paint stores, even in bulk quantities.

"We are excited to receive this order, which is a major milestone for Acro," said Acro Chairman and CEO Gadi Aner. "ACRO-P.E.T. is a critical tool in the never-ending battle against
terror. When every second counts, fast-acting ACRO-P.E.T. can provide life-saving protection against malicious terrorist attempts."

ACRO-P.E.T. has been designed for rapid, on-site detection of peroxide-based explosives using three chemical solutions, through direct contact with the suspicious substance. Its main advantages include high sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response, simple operation, small size and cost effectiveness. For example, ACRO-P.E.T. can detect less than 50 micrograms (0.00005 gram) of TATP.

About Acro, Inc.
Acro, Inc. develops explosives detection technologies. The company has developed a unique patented
technology for identifying peroxide-based explosives, such as TATP. Acro’s Advisory Board includes Prof. K. Barry Sharpless, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Prof. Richard A. Lerner, President and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, considered one of the world’s most influential scientific institutes. For more information about Acro, visit www.acrosec.com.

Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning our marketing and operations plans. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, risks related to the evolving homeland security market, our ability to successfully market and sell our "TATP" Explosive Tester product worldwide, and the ability to successfully demonstrate to governmental national security agencies and national
police forces solutions, and additional orders from the U.S. Military, general economic conditions and other risk factors. Acro does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made herein.

Acro to Supply 300 Peroxide Explosive Testers (ACRO-P.E.T.) to US Army

August 1, 2007 – Acro, Inc. (OTC BB:ACRI), a developer of explosive detection solutions, today announced that it has received a first order from the US Army for 300 of its ACRO-P.E.T. peroxide explosive testers. The order was received by Quality Performance, Inc., an Acro distributor in the United States.

Acro's revolutionary patented peroxide explosive tester – ACRO-P.E.T. – is an innovative, pen-like tester that can identify peroxide-based explosives, such as Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which may appear in a variety of shapes and forms, including liquid explosives. Peroxide-based explosives are almost impossible to identify, since they do not contain nitro groups and are colorless.

Improvised explosive devices based on materials containing peroxide have increasingly been used in recent years by various terrorist organizations. The main reason is that such peroxide-based explosives can be easily “home-made” using inexpensive, readily available starting materials that can be purchased in most hardware and paint stores, even in bulk quantities.

"We are excited to receive this order, which is a major milestone for Acro," said Acro Chairman and CEO Gadi Aner. "ACRO-P.E.T. is a critical tool in the never-ending battle against
terror. When every second counts, fast-acting ACRO-P.E.T. can provide life-saving protection against malicious terrorist attempts."

ACRO-P.E.T. has been designed for rapid, on-site detection of peroxide-based explosives using three chemical solutions, through direct contact with the suspicious substance. Its main advantages include high sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response, simple operation, small size and cost effectiveness. For example, ACRO-P.E.T. can detect less than 50 micrograms (0.00005 gram) of TATP.

About Acro, Inc.
Acro, Inc. develops explosives detection technologies. The company has developed a unique patented
technology for identifying peroxide-based explosives, such as TATP. Acro’s Advisory Board includes Prof. K. Barry Sharpless, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Prof. Richard A. Lerner, President and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, considered one of the world’s most influential scientific institutes. For more information about Acro, visit www.acrosec.com.

Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning our marketing and operations plans. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, risks related to the evolving homeland security market, our ability to successfully market and sell our "TATP" Explosive Tester product worldwide, and the ability to successfully demonstrate to governmental national security agencies and national
police forces solutions, and additional orders from the U.S. Military, general economic conditions and other risk factors. Acro does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made herein.

Future NCOs Welcome Top Sergeant Major to Italy

By Petty Officer 1st Class Derrick Ingle, USN
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 1, 2007 - With a South Carolina accent, words of wisdom and a little physical fitness, the
U.S. military's most senior enlisted member captured the hearts of some of the Army and Air Force's most promising leaders of tomorrow. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, yesterday visited with 40 Airman Leadership School graduates at this northeastern Italy base.

The school prepares
Air Force senior airmen and Army specialists and below to be noncommissioned officers. While the six-week course gets young soldiers and airmen ready for the next pay grade, the most senior NCO in the Defense Department used only 60 minutes to do his bit to prepare them for life.

"Most of you don't know me, do you?" Gainey asked. "You heard some old sergeant major was coming to visit and said, 'OK, what's the big deal?'

"All I care about is that you know who your first-line supervisor is, because guess what? One day that's going to be you. Don't worry about who I am," Gainey said. "Worry about your young soldiers and airmen when you become an NCO. You have to listen to your people. This is my motto: I put my God first, my family second and my job or service third. As long as you prioritize in this order, the rest will fall into place, I promise you."

From motivational mottos to metaphoric examples of how each branch of service makes up the "apple pie" called the Defense Department, the 32-year Army veteran used parables -- and about 600 push-ups -- to relate to the
military's next generation.

Gainey had several volunteers come to the stage for a physical challenge. "He said he'd add up all the push-ups we can do and do one more,"
Air Force Staff Sgt. Odell Straughter said.

"He did just that, too. Out of nine of us, we did around 600. He counted it up, dropped down and did one more," Straughter continued with a laugh. "It was a listening tool. He said, as future NCOs, we have to listen to exactly what our people are saying, not what we think they're saying."

The "push-up challenge" not only served as a wake-up call for some to open their ears, but as also enlightenment reminder to maintain physical readiness.

"I do 100 push-ups every morning. If you don't embrace physical fitness, how can you carry a wounded lad out in the field?" Gainey asked. "If you're not in shape enough to be there for your troops, shame on you."

With Gainey's stern, yet welcoming, on-stage presence, the young troops where quick to take heed of his advice.

"He's such a dynamic speaker,"
Air Force Senior Airman Bradley Von Hawgg said. "He knows how to draw you in. Everything he was saying was right on. He was talking to us and not at us. He's able to talk to the chairman at the Pentagon on one level and then come to Italy and still relate to non-NCOs. How does he do it? Last week I was thinking about leaving the Air Force, yet after meeting the SEAC, I'm not so sure."

Those who know Gainey best say he was a contagious motivational
leader long before becoming the top NCO in the Defense Department. From the sands of the Middle East to the halls of the Pentagon, this South Carolina native has always been referred to as "a soldier's soldier."

"I've served with him before his appointment to Washington, D.C.," Army Command Sgt. Maj. Earl Rice, of the Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, Italy, said. Gainey also visited Vicenza during his trip to Italy.

"The secret of his success is he didn't forget where he came from. He remembers what it's like to be a young private, a young sergeant, and an NCO. He's using that same mentality at DoD's headquarters that he had out in the field. It's an honor to have him come out a visit us."

(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Derrick Ingle is asigned to the Joint Staff.)

'eKnowledge' Prepares Servicemembers, Family Members for Academic Rigors

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 1, 2007 - A company that makes test-preparation products for students gearing up for college entrance exams is offering free materials to servicemembers and their families, sacrificing a chunk of its bottom line for those on the front lines. eKnowledge is an online- and CD-ROM-based learning program that teaches test-taking techniques for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, and American College Test, or ACT, among others. The company plans to expand its coverage soon by offering complimentary programs to Junior ROTC members.

Charlie Beall, eKnowledge chief executive officer and a former Marine, fought in Vietnam as infantry officer. He said he has sympathy for servicemembers whose income might be strained by $300 or $400 price tags attached to premium test-prep products.

"A sergeant in the
Air Force stationed in Singapore who's got a couple of teenage kids that are getting ready to go to college can't afford $400 or $500 apiece for these test-preparation products," Beall said. "A lot of these folks have children in the JROTC program, so they're going to have help with tuition because they're going to go to school on ROTC scholarships.

"But that doesn't help them financially with their ACT and SAT test preparation, which ultimately is going to have an influence on which schools they can go to," he added.

SAT and ACT exam scores often weigh heavily in college admission judgments and can tip the scales toward an applicant's acceptance or rejection. Beall estimates students improve their scores 30 to 40 percent when they prepare with eKnowledge products, compared to those who don't use a premium-prep program.

A group of National Football League players last year heard through their agency, Victory Sports Group, about eKnowledge's plan to donate study materials to boost troops' and their family members' chances at gaining admission to choice schools.

The seven NFL players -- Mark Anderson of the Chicago Bears, Jon Bradley of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Garrick Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, Corey Williams of the Green Bay Packers, Jason Radar of the Miami Dolphins, Ahmaad Galloway of the San Diego Chargers, and Scott Young of the Philadelphia Eagles -- jumped at the chance to support servicemembers and their families.

With the football players' help, eKnowledge donated $6.9 million worth of multimedia SAT/ACT preparation materials.

Young said he was inspired to team with eKnowledge because of Jake Johnson, Young's best friend since high school. As a Marine, Johnson spent four years serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"When people are willing to put their lives on hold to serve and protect the U.S., our freedoms (and) everything we know as a country, it's the least we can do to help these people in the military come home and get back to a civilian lifestyle, to get back and get that little jumpstart into education," Young said.

"I think it is owed by the civilian population to help out people who are fighting for us and risking their lives and the families (who) are right there with them," he said.

eKnowledge and NFL participants have donated more than 48,000 test preparation CDs and DVDs, and received roughly 20,000 thank you notes from satisfied troops. One note was even postmarked from Africa, where a servicemember was stationed.

"As a military parent residing in Kenya," Air Force Maj. Douglas McClain wrote, "I truly appreciate the opportunity to obtain these products for my daughter who attends the international school here.

"This program will guarantee that she has current material to prepare for the SAT and ACT," the note said. "Thanks from an
Air Force major who is trying to serve his country and also take care of his family."

Servicemembers interested in receiving free eKnowledge products can complete an online request form at www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil by following the link to "Donation: VSG/NFL Players." Requests can also be made by calling eKnowledge at 951-256-4076 or via e-mail at
support@eknowledge.com.

Saudi Arabia Pledges to Support Iraq, Promote Regional Stability

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 1, 2007 - Saudi Arabia promised today to continue working with its Gulf neighbors to support Iraq's new government and promote stability in the region. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faysal made the pledge here during a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The news conference followed the secretaries' meeting last night with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and other top Saudi officials to explore ways to build closer ties between the two countries and encourage greater support for Iraq. That session and today's meeting between Rice and the foreign minister covered the watershed, the leaders told reporters.

Gates described "excellent conversations" at last night's dinner at the king's opulent summer palace "on a range of security issues and challenges in the region, particularly in the Persian Gulf." Lebanon and other issues also topped the agenda.

"We explored the possibility for further, closer partnerships and security," Gates said, indicating that more conversations would follow this morning and in the future.

Much of the conversations focused on Iraq, which the Saudi leaders pledged to support. "Saudi Arabia is a member of a group of the neighbors that have agreed on a course of action in supporting a unified and stable and democratic Iraq," Rice said. "And we all have our obligations to carry out, and we are in the process of carrying them out."

Asked if Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government is ensuring enough protection for all Iraqi groups, including Sunnis, Saud declined to comment. "It is up to the Iraqi people to decide," he said.

The foreign minister said Saudi Arabia, which has a predominantly Sunni Muslim population, perceives all Iraqis the same. "And we cooperate with anybody who is working for unity and the territorial integrity of Iraq," he said.

In response to a reporter's question, Gates acknowledged that four years of war has been challenging to the United States, and he shared Rice's assertion that Iraqis need to move forward with political reconciliation.

"We have suffered just over 3,000 American soldiers killed in battle, several tens of thousands wounded," he said. "This is very painful for the American people."

However, he said, there's "an appreciation that the United States must not take any action as we look forward that is destabilizing here in this region." He said he's confident that President Bush will consider the long-term stability of the region as he makes decisions regarding Iraq.

Saudi Arabia is beginning political discourse with Iraq, and recently hosted a mission from Iraq to discuss security issues, the foreign minister told reporters.

He described plans to send a Saudi mission to Iraq soon to lay groundwork for setting up an embassy there, a move Rice welcomed as a big step forward for Iraq. "This is something we have encouraged," she said. "We believe it is an important step, because normal relations between Iraq and its neighbors is extremely important in affirming its identify in this part of the world."

The foreign minister expressed particular concern about dealing with terrorist activity, and said it is working closely with the Iraqi and U.S. governments to help prevent cross-border
terrorist movement.

He said Saudi Arabia continues work to protect its border with Iraq, but that "what is needed for action is on the other side."

"The traffic of
terrorists, I can assure you, is more on this side coming to us from Iraq than going from us to Iraq," he said.

The Saudi foreign minister said the Iraqis "have promised to cooperate with us in this regard."

Rice said the United States and Saudi Arabia intend to build on their long history and help ensure stability in Iraq and the entire region. But six decades of friendship and alliance between the two countries "doesn't mean there won't be disagreements about policy (or)
tactics from time to time," she said.

"The fact is, this is a relationship that allows us to discuss the most difficult and most sensitive issues in a way that is respectful and friendly," she said.

If differences arise, she added, "we talk about them."

Gates and Rice's trip here follows meetings yesterday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Egyptian and Jordanian leaders. That session, like those here in Saudi Arabia, was part of the two leaders' sweep through the Middle East to bolster support for Iraq and reassure its neighbors of U.S. interest in their security.

A senior defense official told reporters Gates is doing more listening than talking as he explores ways to expand on existing security relationships in the region and build new ones. "He's very much looking for their ideas," she said.

Gates Meets With Kuwaiti Leaders, U.S. Troops During Middle East Swing

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 1, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here today for his first visit as defense secretary to thank Kuwaiti leaders for their support in the war on terror and to encourage greater cooperation in helping neighboring Iraq stand up its government. Gates met at the Bayan Palace with Crown Prince Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, Prime Minister Nasir Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah and Foreign Affairs Minister Muhammad al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah.

After the meeting, the secretary took a helicopter tour of the area to see vast
U.S. military operations here, primarily supporting the war in Iraq.

Army Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, commander of 3rd U.S. Army, accompanied Gates during the tour. Their flight crossed over the Shuaiba seaport, where military equipment arrives by ship, then into the desert to Camp Arifan, a huge logistical hub that supplies troops in Iraq with food, water, equipment-maintenance facilities and other critical support.

Kuwait is a major transit area for troops deploying in and out of Iraq. "We move 700,000 a year, which is the population of Alaska or Baltimore," Whitcomb said. Between September and December 2006 alone, the operation here moved 240,000 troops, he said.

In addition to keeping warfighters supplied, troops, civilian government employees and contractors based in Kuwait provide deployed forces about to move into Iraq with last-minute training in critical combat skills. Much of that
training takes place at Kuwait's Udairi Range.

"They do some training here for a couple of weeks, then as the schedule requires them to be up north, we fly them up in C-130s," he said.

Before leaving for the tour, Whitcomb acknowledged to reporters that Gates was able to see "stuff that's not glitzy or glamorous," but essential to the mission in Iraq. U.S. efforts in Kuwait "aren't the centerpiece of this fight," he said, but they're "an important piece" of it.

Gates' visit here is his third stop in a four-day swing through the Middle East to bolster support for Iraq among its Arab neighbors and reassure them that the United States will keep their interests at heart when making decisions about Iraq.

Gates has emphasized that the trip also is aimed toward strengthening U.S. security ties with the region and promoting new ones.

The first two stops on the trip, Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were joint visits with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. They met with
leaders from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt during a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Sharm el-Sheik.

Last night and earlier today, the secretaries met with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faysal and other Saudi
leaders.

Project Aims to Help Vets Rebuild Connections

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 1, 2007 - Deployment to a war zone can exact a unique toll on not only those in imminent danger but also their loved ones back home. One group, however, is working to lessen these effects. "We build a safe space, a community for veterans and their families to come together and share their stories, struggles and accomplishments," said Dr. Joseph Bobrow, director of the "Coming Home Project." "Our programs address the mental, emotional, spiritual and relationship challenges faced by veterans and families before, during and after deployment."

The San Francisco organization, which is devoted to providing compassionate care and support for veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, is made up of veterans, psychotherapists, and interfaith leaders, he said. These individuals offer workshops and retreats as well as psychological counseling by licensed therapists for veterans and family members. The group also offers
training and advice for caregivers.

All programs are free and confidential, Bobrow said.

"The intention of the Coming Home Project is to serve veterans and families and contribute to their well-being and healing," he said. "We are creating new ways of thinking about and new models for helping transform the invisible injuries of war.

"Our retreats really do create a safe, welcoming, unconditionally supportive space for veterans and families to offer and receive support, share resources and open up the process of transforming the invisible wounds of service," Bobrow added.

Besides reaching out to veterans and families, the organization also is reaching out to groups in other areas that share its goals. Two such groups are the North County San Diego Marriage and Family Therapists Association and Operation Homefront's Wounded Warrior Wives. Both groups have invited the organization to provide
training for their members.

The project also works directly with veterans centers on referrals and is exploring offering retreats for family members in conjunction with
Navy and Marine Corps chaplaincy services.

Both the Coming Home Project and Operation Homefront are supporters of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with
military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

Bobrow said he hopes his organization's relationship with the Defense Department program will afford it exposure in the military community and networking opportunities beyond what it already has experienced with Operation Homefront.

"Letting our (servicemembers) and their families know about what we offer is important," Bobrow said. "Letting related organizations and individuals know is also important as we develop strategic partnerships and collaborations that can benefit our efforts to serve our veterans."

When Ordered, Iraq Withdrawal Should be 'Methodical,' General Says

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 1, 2007 - The way the United States ultimately leaves Iraq will send a strong message to America's friends and enemies alike, the general who would oversee the logistical exodus told reporters traveling here with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "Just as we are very deliberate and methodical going to war -- and the United States does that very well -- we also need to be very deliberate and methodical coming out,"
Army Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, commander of 3rd U.S. Army, said today.

Whitcomb said the way the United States redeploys its troops and equipment will send "a strategic message, not only to our friends here in the region, but to our adversaries or potential adversaries (who will) watch very carefully."

"So we can't just come down helter-skelter," he said. "It is the strategic communications aspect of not just driving things down and parking it here for three or four months. (That) is not the way to do it. We need to be deliberate, and we have that capacity to be deliberate."

A tank battalion commander during Operation Desert Storm, Whitcomb is no stranger to mass troop and equipment movements. He and his 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor, 1st Armored Division, troops got word that, "Hey, we have 72 hours to get from Kuwait the same way you came into Saudi Arabia," he recalled today.

"And it's pretty tough to do," he said.

Back in Kuwait again, this time commanding the massive logistical operation that supports Operation Iraqi Freedom, Whitcomb said he's not expecting that same breakneck type of departure.

"I don't think the decision is going to be the California Gold Rush," he said.

When the decision is made, there will be no need to come up with a plan. "We've got our plan, and it's a plan we've already executed previously," Whitcomb said. "We have a plan that we have executed for the past four years."

That plan has covered four major troop rotations through here to deploy troops into Iraq and redeploy others home. "We move 700,000 a year, which is the population of Alaska or Baltimore," Whitcomb said. Between September and December 2006 alone, the operation here moved 240,000 troops, he said.

Those movements refer to soldiers moving into Iraq, those transiting through here for mid-deployment trips home and those returning to Iraq, he explained. "So you're moving them with a rucksack," he said.

What's not included, he said, are the tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and other equipment that typically remains in Iraq for incoming troops to use.

But even with equipment included, Whitcomb said, the operation here could handle more than the "brigade-a-month" estimation some officials have voiced. "I don't know how much more," he said.

Moving heavy equipment complicates things considerably, he explained. "We have about 60,000 things from a tank to a Humvee trailer that rolls on wheels that we will eventually take out," he said. Drivers will bring some here. Others will need to be trucked.

Once they get here, vehicles will go through a detailed cleanup and inspection process that typically takes 10 days to two weeks.

First somebody goes through it to remove "everything from the M&M chocolate-covered peanut wrappers, the secret map that has the overlay on it," to ammunition that needs to be downloaded, Whitcomb said.

Next it goes to a wash rack and gets the heavy-duty cleaning needed to reach U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. "And they are quite tough," he said.

Cleaning a tank takes up to four days. A standard Humvee takes about four hours. Washers "get into every crevice so you don't have some critter who's been living there for a couple of years go back to the states," Whitcomb said.

Finally, before equipment is loaded into containers or loaded onto ships, U.S. Customs Service officials inspect it. From there, like the U.S. troops who relied on it in combat, it will begin its long journey home.

Army's Medical Hotline Continues to Help Soldiers, Families

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 1, 2007 - The
Army's four-month-old "Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline" continues to find answers to soldiers' and families' medical questions, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. The hotline provides a more direct way for wounded soldiers and their families to obtain information for medical issues that couldn't be resolved though local channels, Army Col. Edward Mason, the hotline's director, told online journalists and "bloggers."

"The intent of the Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline is to ensure that soldiers and their families have access to every resource the Army has to offer," Mason explained.

Senior Army
leaders established the hotline March 19 in the wake of a series of news reports in February that spotlighted shortcomings in patient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

Top Army
leaders receive regular reports and briefings on hotline operations, the colonel pointed out.

The hotline wasn't created to bypass the chain of command, Mason emphasized, noting that it was established to address and resolve soldier and family medical issues as expeditiously as possible.

The hotline is managed and operated by
U.S. Army Human Resources Command, in Alexandria, Va. Since inception, the hotline has fielded more than 5,000 calls, involving more than 1,300 issues, Mason said.

Callers' issues are staffed to subject-matter experts for resolution, Mason explained. The hotline staff later contacts callers to ensure they've been helped. "Most of the time callers are very happy someone listened to them and that we were able to provide the information that they needed," he said.

Military veterans have raised about 28 percent of hotline issues, Mason said. Veterans have been gratified to receive replies from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officials, he said.

The hotline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Mason said. It is staffed by 50 soldiers and 50 contractors. The contractors are former soldiers or military family members. "They believe in the mission and have a passion for helping soldiers and families," Mason said of the hotline's staff.

The
Army's Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline can be accessed at 1-800-984-8523. Overseas customers can call the hotline via the Defense Switched Network, or DSN, at 312-328-0002.

Undercover Angels, Garlic and Fort Defiance

Editor's Note: One of the authors is former USAF.

July 31, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three police officers: Lisa Lockwood; David Hunter; and, James W. Smith.

Lisa Lockwood is a former Chicago Police Department police officer. During her law enforcement career she worked as a police officer, undercover detective and SWAT team member. She is also a former member of the United States Air Force. Lisa Lockwood is the author of Undercover Angel.

According to the book description, “
Lisa Lockwood endured childhood poverty and an abusive marriage to become a soldier in Desert Storm, a police officer, undercover narcotics detective and the first female SWAT team member. A former beauty pageant contestant, Lisa Lockwood had to suppress her obvious femininity in order to conquer the "Boys Club" of law enforcement, but her beguiling beauty would become her best asset as an undercover narcotics detective. It was in the gritty world of drug rings, Mafia members and child molesters that she rediscovered the power of her femininity and learned to use her disarming sexuality as a professional asset in ensnaring criminals.”

David Hunter joined the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in 1979. He attained the rank of sergeant and served on the force until his medical retirement in 1993. David Hunter is the author of fifteen books. His fiction books are: Things to Do in Knoxville When You're Dead: And Other Stories; The Jigsaw Man; Homicide Game; The Dancing Savior; A Whiff of Garlic; and, A Sonnet for Shasta. His non-fiction books include: The Moon is Always Full; Black Friday Coming Down; There Was Blood on the Snow; The Night Is Mine; The Man with Turquoise Eyes and Other True Stories of a Private Eye's Search for Missing Persons; Trailer Trash from Tennessee; The Archangel Caper: Tales of a Country Cop; and, When Puppy Love Became a Howling Dog.

On reader/review of The Night is Mine wrote, “Hunter's stories were humorous and knowledgeable. I felt as if I was there. He truly wrote how it is in this novel. I read it straight through because I truly enjoyed Hunter's tales.”

James W. Smith, sometimes publishing under the name Jim Smith, worked as a Memphis Police Department police officer for 8 years during the 1960’s while earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Memphis. Although he left the full-time employment of the Memphis Police Department for a career in medical sales, he remained a reserve officer, serving an additional 17 years. During his career with the Memphis Police Department he was assigned the Narcotics Squad, Vice Squad, Organized Crime Unit, and General Investigations.

After retiring from the
Memphis Police Department he was appointed a Criminal Investigator with the District Attorney’s Office in 1990, assigned to Grand Jury investigations where he investigated fatal shootings by law enforcement officers and misconduct by police officers. He also served on an FBI Crime Task Force and was deputized as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal. He is the author of Operation Sorespot; From the Internet with Love; and Fort Defiance.

According to the book description of Fort Defiance, “A routine murder investigation leads District Attorney Investigator Jake Shannon neck deep into a life-and-death struggle. The body of a young teenage boy is found dumped in City Park in Bartlett, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis. Jake is called in to assist in the investigation. He is deeply shaken when he discovers the young boy is a close personal friend.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 686
police officers (representing 308 police departments) and their 1478 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.

No Cover-up in Tillman Fratricide, Former Pentagon Officials Say

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other former top Pentagon officials today said facts about
Army Cpl. Patrick D. Tillman's friendly-fire death were mishandled, but not covered up to make it seem he died from enemy fire. In his first visit to Capitol Hill since stepping down as defense secretary, Rumsfeld appeared with three Army generals before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to answers questions about the controversial case and to deny allegations that evidence was intentionally distorted.

Seven investigations into Tillman's case revealed the Defense Department and
Army responses to the fratricide were "badly handled, and errors were made," Rumsfeld admitted.

"But in no instance has any evidence of a cover-up ... been presented or put forward," he said. "I know of nothing that suggests that."

Joining Rumsfeld were retired
Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, former commander of U.S. Central Command; and Army Gen. Bryan D. Brown, former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. The four offered condolences to the Tillman family and unanimously denied that a cover-up occurred.

Tillman, a former National Football League player, died when fellow soldiers accidentally shot and killed him near the Afghan-Pakistani border April 22, 2004. Initial reports, however, incorrectly stated the soldier was killed by enemy fire.

One week after Tillman's death,
Army Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then the Joint Staff's vice director for operations, sent a memo suggesting the soldier was not killed by insurgents. The memo went to Myers, Abizaid and Army Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, who commanded U.S. Army Special Operations Command at the time. McChrystal even recommended the generals inform President Bush the friendly-fire scenario was "highly possible."

Tillman's family did not learn that the soldier's death was being investigated as a possible fratricide until the Defense Department announced five weeks later that Tillman died at the hands of fellow soldiers. According to
Army policy, families are to be informed when there's a possibility their loved one died from friendly-fire.

"(The Army) should have talked about the possibility of that as soon as they knew it," Myers said.

Lawmakers today probed Rumsfeld and the generals on why the Defense Department failed to announce to Tillman's family and the public the facts surrounding the former football star's death until May 29, 2004, after the soldier had been awarded a posthumous Silver Star for "gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States."

"We're focused on Pat Tillman's case because the misinformation was so profound and because it persisted so long," committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman said. "And if that can happen to the most famous soldier serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, it leaves many families and many of us questioning the accuracy of information from many other casualties."

The
Army imposed sanctions on six officers yesterday, Waxman said, but congressional hearings are designed to answer important questions that remain unanswered.

At a Pentagon news conference yesterday, Army Secretary Pete Geren said a "perfect storm" of events initially obfuscated the case's facts.

After reading a review of previous Tillman investigations performed by Army Gen. William S. Wallace, commander of U.S. Training and Doctrine Command, Geren said he decided to issue a letter of censure to Kensinger.

"I believe the buck stops with General Kensinger," Geren said. "He was the senior leader in the chain of command for administrative control for the 75th Ranger Regiment."

If the general "had performed his duty, we wouldn't be standing here today," Geren said.

Kensinger, who was invited to appear at today's committee hearing, did not attend. A
military panel will decide if Kensinger will lose a star and be demoted to major general.