Tuesday, November 13, 2007

President Thanks Veterans for Service to Country

By Melinda L. Larson
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 10, 2007 - President Bush thanked America's veterans and wished the
Marine Corps a happy 232nd birthday during his weekly radio address today. "Young Marines are serving on the front lines in the war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world," Bush said from his ranch near Crawford, Texas. "As the Marines celebrate their birthday, we join them in recognizing what their sacrifice and service has meant for our freedom."

Veterans Day is observed the day after the
Marine Corps birthday, and the president not only thanked Marines, but all veterans.

"America owes a debt of gratitude to all those who have served in our armed forces," the nation's commander in chief said. "On Veterans Day, we remember those who have served in previous wars, those who are serving today, and those who did not live to become veterans."

Bush added that the United States is responsible for taking care of those who have served their country.

"Under my administration, federal spending for our veterans has increased by more than two-thirds. We have extended medical treatment to a million additional veterans, including hundreds of thousands returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, and we have expanded grants to help homeless veterans across the country."

Bush reminded Americans to thank veterans across the nation who, while from diverse backgrounds, are united by their mission to keep America free.

"On this Veterans Day, I urge every American to take time to thank one of our nation's 24 million veterans. They come from different generations and different backgrounds, but they are united by a commitment to honor, duty and love of country that has kept America free. They continue to strengthen and inspire our nation, and we will never forget what we owe them."

JCOC: Civilian Conference Celebrates Marine Birthday With Marine Training

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 11, 2007 - Participants in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference celebrated the 232nd
Marine Corps Birthday yesterday with Marines training at this Okinawa base. The group landed here Nov. 9 on the fifth day of a week-long tour of military forces in the U.S. Pacific Command.

They dined with Marines in the mess hall, cut a ceremonial birthday cake and sang the Marine song.

To top it off, the group flew to Iwo Jima and toured the island. Very few tours are allowed on the island, and the group viewed the monuments on top of Mount Suribachi, the site of the famous photograph of the
Marines raising the American flag. The picture became the iconic image of the battle. They also walked on the beach that was the site of the American invasion there.

The JCOC is a defense secretary sponsored program for U.S. civic and business leaders who want to broaden their knowledge of the
military and national defense.

The Special Operations Training Group here, part of 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, led participants through military
firearms training, both live and simulated, and taught the basics of rappelling -- a first for many in the group, including Afredo Mesa, vice president of a government affairs company in Miami.

Mesa had never rappelled before and was obviously nervous about his potentially rapid and uncontrolled decent down the 65-foot tower. Nevertheless, after some encouragement from his
Marine trainer, Mesa made it smoothly down the wall and was back on the top of the tower in minutes for another go.

"Ooh wee, ... hooah," Mesa said and laughed, marking his mix of nervousness with an excitement for having rappelled for the first time.

He said the first step backwards off of the wall was the hardest.

"It's the first few steps that are the trickiest. The initial leaning back (is scary), and you just kind of look at him (the Marine), get that final nod and you know you're alright. At that point, it's was just about having fun," Mesa said. "I had a split second of thinking twice before going down. It was definitely overwhelming. And fun. And dangerous."

Mesa said the training gave him an additional appreciation for Marines and the training and fighting they do daily.

"With every activity, your appreciation for these guys grows exponentially because this is their job. I did it for fun. This is their job, and they're getting shot at. For them it's not fun; it's work, and it's safety, and it's survival," he said.

Dave Paladino, president of Landmark Group, in Omaha, Neb., is scared of heights but he still went down the "hell hole," short for helicopter hole, or the type of rappelling required from a helicopter.

"It's awesome. I can't believe how fun this is. I can't believe guys get paid for this," he said. Still, he conceded, there's that moment when "you don't know."

Paladino said he wished more civilians could participate in this type of conference. He will be able to do a better job communicating to those back home about what the
military is doing, he said.

"I hope to really spread it to my circle of influence, how important the job the U.S. military does. I think that a lot of people know that, but not intuitively know that. I think I'll help them," he said.

The live-fire range was also hugely popular with the group. There they fired .45-caliber pistols and M-4 machine guns. One of the top shooters, surprisingly, was a grandmotherly participant from Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Pamela Iles -- or California Superior Court Judge Iles -- impressed both the Marines and the JCOC group with her skills. "I'm going to back and tell everyone not to mess with the judge. She can shoot," laughed one participant, leading to applause all around.

The judge later confided that she learned to shoot years earlier because of death threats on her life. "I loved the firing range. I was all excited when I found out we were going to be able to do that. When we got there, the young Marines were so helpful and supportive and I hit the target every time," she said.

The judge called the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference the "biggest thing that has ever happened to me in all my life."

"It was a phenomenal experience," she said, adding that the best part was getting to talk to servicemembers.

"It gave us an on-site view of our
military working people from the inside out, something we never get. I think that the value of JCOC is to give us the ability to go back to the community and express to people, whose information might be limited by national press and a lack of experience of the military, that these are rally smart, intelligent, devoted people who mentor each other and protect our country 24 hours a day," she said.

What impressed her most was the professionalism and the commitment of even the youngest servicemembers, Iles said.

"There's no way you can get around it. These young
military people in all of the services are wonderful, and their commitment to their job and their country and each other takes my breath away. There's no way to put that into words," the judge said.

One instance, in particular, left a marked impression, she said, recalling a young sailor she met in the torpedo room of the USS Buffalo nuclear attack submarine.

"I was way behind in the crowd, and I couldn't quite hear what he was saying to them, and so when they all passed by I walked up to him and I asked him his name and his age and I said 'What do you do here?' And he said 'Ma'am I make this boat a warship to protect this country,'" Iles said.

"And he said it with such clarity. It wasn't boasting. It was a commitment to his job and his ship and his shipmates," she said.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Encourages Civic Leaders to Support Veterans

By Melinda L. Larson
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 10, 2007 - On the eve of Veterans Day weekend, the nation's senior
military commander told civic leaders here they can make a difference in the lives of men and women who serve their country. "As leaders, we must look in every possible direction to broadly capture the spirit of America in ensuring that (veterans') service is recognized by providing opportunities for them, providing the kind of health care for them, the kind of support for them and their families that truly will make a difference in their lives for the rest of their lives," Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday evening during a speech to the University Club of Washington D.C.

Noting there are innumerable organizations throughout the country that want to help the nation's warriors, Mullen said he hopes to ensure servicemembers who make sacrifices for their country know how to access valuable resources in their communities.

"What they sacrifice means so much to all of us," said Mullen, who was sworn in as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1. "You represent a significant number of people in America tonight who can reach out and make a difference in their lives."

Not only was the chairman supportive of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who serve the nation, he also praised their families.

"The support that our families have given those who have served since 9/11 has jumped off the page to me in ways that I had not previously recognized before," Mullen said. "Without them we could not possibly carry out the missions we have. We should never forget the sacrifices, the service of their families who make it possible for all of us who serve on active duty and who have served in the past to make a difference."

In honor of the weekend dedicated to the nation's veterans, Mullen spoke for all who serve in the military today by thanking the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have served in the United States
military.

"All of us who wear the cloth of our nation are indebted to you, and we think about your service all the time. We want to make sure that we honor that service in our service. We will never forget that service," he concluded.

Japanese-U.S. Alliance in Best Shape in Decades, Gates Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 10, 2007 - Far from stagnating, the Japanese-American defense alliance is in its best shape in decades, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday. Gates spoke to reporters aboard an E-4B aircraft headed back to Washington following a six-day visit to China, Korea and Japan.

"One of the most significant changes in the international environment on my return to government after 15 years, was the dramatic improvement in U.S.-Japanese relations," the secretary said. "When I think of all the disputes and the problems and the ill-will that were part of the relationship in the 1970s and 1980s and, to a lesser extent, in the 1990s, I think the relationship is as healthy and as strong as it's ever been."

Gates met with Japanese
leaders in the wake of Japan cancelling a refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Japanese oilers refueled coalition vessels participating in maritime interdiction missions in the region. The Japanese had to end the mission, when the Diet, the country's their parliament, refused to extend the legislation.

While participating in the mission is up to the Japanese government, Gates noted that it is in Japan's international interests to participate. "It's important for people to remember that Japan's involvement in this activity is not a bilateral matter between the United States and Japan, but rather Japan's participation in a very broad international coalition that is trying to defend freedom in Afghanistan," Gates said.

Naval vessels from 10 to 12 nations benefit from Japan's refueling effort, Gates said, and that also "directly or indirectly" benefits the 40 nations involved in the Operation Enduring Freedom coalition. "It's a major Japanese contribution to a very broad international effort," he said.

During Gates' visit, Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke of a government initiative that could ease Japanese participation in such activities. "I was intrigued by the defense minister's proposal last night ... to seek a general law so that every time a decision needed to be made on Japanese participation in some kind of an international cooperative effort, it did not require an individual authorization," Gates said. "He seemed quite enthusiastic about it. It would certainly appear to facilitate Japan's participation in a number of these activities."

Gates told reporters that he talked about Japanese host-nation support in each session with Japanese
leaders. "I talked about the importance of rolling it over and keeping it at the same level," he said. "This alliance provides many benefits for both sides, but it provides some very significant benefits for Japan. And as the second-wealthiest country in the world, it wasn't just the money but the symbolism it represented in terms of the health of the alliance and the fact that Japan attached real importance to the continuation of the alliance."

He also said that while every country has to make its own decisions, "it seems to me that it's a challenge for Japan to meet its own defense obligations as well as the obligations of the defense alliance with the defense budget capped at 1 percent."

The U.S.-Japan defense pact is undergoing a transition. The secretary said he would like to see the roadmap for realignment implemented just as it was negotiated. "It was a complex but coherent set or arrangements," Gates said. "We think that all arrangements should be implemented just as they were negotiated and we would like to see the implementation proceed as quickly as possible."

The secretary also spoke of Pakistan and what the crisis caused by President Pervez Musharraf implementing a state of emergency means to the fight against
terrorism. "The concern I have is that the longer the internal problems continue, the more distracted the Pakistani army and security services will be in terms of the internal situation rather than focusing on the terrorist threat in the frontier area," he said.

"We said from the very beginning it's important to move back to constitutional processes as quickly as possible," Gates said. "I think that there is building pressure for him to take off his uniform if he continues as president. But I think that setting the date for the elections was certainly an important first step."