Thursday, March 13, 2008

'Why We Serve' Speakers Connect with College Students

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

March 13, 2008 - Three veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan arrived unannounced yesterday on the University of
Cincinnati campus to lead classroom discussions with about 250 students and shed light on their military lives. As students sauntered into a lecture hall early yesterday morning for what they thought would be a lesson on European history, many were surprised to find the uniformed servicemembers standing in for their familiar, tweed-coat-clad professor.

"At first I thought they were coming to try and recruit people," freshman history student Rose Barrett told American Forces Press Service.

But what followed were presentations by three of 10
military members participating in the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program, which places military speakers before audiences at venues across the United States.

"I just want to start by saying that we're not recruiters,"
Marine Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie, decked out in "dress blues," told students as he opened his remarks. "As a matter of fact," he continued, "if you ask me a question about it, I'd tell you that Iraq sucked at different times."

Winnie went on to share with students an anecdote from Nasiriyah, Iraq, where amid a particularly fierce gunfight with insurgents aboard a stolen bus, the Marine frantically worked to free a comrade's vehicle that was entangled in a metal briar patch of concertina wire.

Just as Winnie snapped through the last barbed-wired strand, he slipped and fell into a bed of slimy mud. The bolt cutters he was using fumbled from his hands and gashed his face. Meanwhile, gunfire from the busload of enemies whizzed over his head.

"So now I'm bleeding, laying on my back in the mud, and some (expletive) is shooting at me from a bus," he told the audience, drawing laughter. "Then my digital watch beeps to tell me that I'm 30 years old."

Winnie said he was at the end of his rope that night, until his gunner and driver surprised him. The battle buddies had constructed a crude birthday cake for him, made from cracker crumbs, granola and hot chocolate mix, and placed the makeshift tiding in a plastic
military-issue meal wrapper.

"They stuck a match in it and sang me 'Happy Birthday,'" said the
Marine, who hails from Everett, Wash., his voice imbued with the camaraderie that buoyed his spirits while many miles from home. "And that is the best birthday I've had, ever."

Yesterday's panel was hosted by history professor Tom Lorman, who for the second consecutive semester yielded the lectern to servicemember speakers. To maintain the presentations' spontaneity, Lorman had not promoted the speakers' appearances around campus, nor had he informed his students in advance about the visit.

The professor's pupils arrived to his regularly scheduled courses, expecting to hear lectures on the Napoleonic Era or the French Revolution. But as one bleary-eyed, coffee clutching latecomer discovered, yesterday's history lesson -- co-taught by Iraq war veteran
Marine Capt. John N. Sand -- would cover the age of howitzers and hellfire missiles, not bayonets and bastilles.

Sand, whose steely, blue-eyed gaze projects a sense of inborn
leadership, began his presentation by showing a video clip of the Battery T, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines under his command loading and firing 155 mm mortars from an M777 lightweight howitzer.

From March through October 2007, Sand served as the battery commander for his unit at Camp Fallujah, in Iraq's Anbar province. The unit was responsible for providing fire support and mounted
security patrols for Regimental Combat Team 6.

During Sand's deployment, his battery fired 1,300 artillery rounds -- which can hit a target up to 18 miles away and create a blast the size of half a football field -- and provided some 500 mounted security patrols for explosive ordnance disposal teams and
Army engineers.

But none of these, in the 38-year-old
Marine's eyes, is the most vital statistic of his seven-month deployment.

"The thing I'm proudest of is that I left the U.S. with 131 Marines, and I returned with 131 Marines," he said.

Although he returned without having suffered loss of life, limb or Corps member from his 131-
Marine unit, Sand touched on the sacrifices he did make while in Iraq.

He played a whirlwind slideshow, scored by a poignant rock tune, which showed students the everyday scenes that lay before Sand while he was deployed. A photograph of a convoy rolling along a dusty Anbar province highway dissolved into snapshots of smiling Iraqi children clamoring for the camera's attention.

From a picture of an artillery piece in action, the slideshow jumped to Sand's Marines surrounding visitor Katie Couric, CBS Evening News anchor, the armor-clad entourage standing against a backdrop of rising minarets.

Tucked into the seams of the presentation by Sand, the father of three daughters, were two photos that the Ottawa, Ill., native subtitled, "What I missed." The picture with the caption "Isabella's first soccer game," shows Sand's second-oldest daughter, dressed in shin guards and cleats, on a bright green patch of grass.

The other photo, "Ainsley's first birthday," captures his youngest daughter, her diapered rear end planted in her mother's lap, attempting to blow out a single birthday candle.

"You don't think about the faces or the number of families that are affected," said Barrett, the freshman history student. "I think the (speakers) made everyone respect them more by helping us understand what they go through in their personal experiences."

Before joining the
Air Force ROTC program, Air Force Capt. Edward Szczepanik thought his 75-mph curve ball would earn him a free ride to college. He was wrong. Szczepanik then hedged his bets on academics, hoping that decent high school grades would merit a scholarship. He was wrong again.

"I'm thinking, 'How am I going to do this? I don't want to be in debt when I graduate school,'" the engaging Szczepanik recalled to students. "'What are my options here?'"

It was then that Szczepanik's high school guidance counselor suggested
Air Force ROTC. The elderly woman, he recalled, said the only requirements for earning full tuition from the Air Force were "putting on your little costume once a week and running around."

"I said, 'I'd pretty much do anything once a week if you're going to pay me my entire scholarship,'" he said, as the audience laughed. "'I'd dress up like the school mascot and stand in the middle of the road directing traffic once a week.'"

Szczepanik continued to regard his ROTC commitment with some levity until the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks occurred during his junior year at the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio.

"I remember I was in my bedroom when I saw the two planes crash into World Trade Center, and it became very real that I wouldn't be doing four years (in the
Air Force) in a U.S. city then get out of the military. I'm probably going to be overseas," he recalled. "I thought, 'If I'm going to be overseas and I'm in the Air Force, I'm going to be flying something while I'm over there.'"

Since graduating from college, Szczepanik has completed two years of undergraduate pilot training, flown 900 hours in a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft -- 200 of which were combat hours -- and about 100 combat sorties, including dangerous missions over Afghanistan. The Columbus, Ohio, native, now 27 years old, also has traveled to more than 30 countries across the Middle East, most of Europe and parts of the South Pacific.

"The reason I got in was for financial reasons; I needed the scholarship. But the reason I stay in is for guys like this," said Szczepanik, pointing to the fellow
military speakers onstage. "And I stay in for the guys that I fly with every day, who have become my brothers."

Daniel Glenn, an adjunct professor at the University of
Cincinnati who teaches a course called War and the Modern World, said the "disconnect" between civilians and servicemembers has grown since the draft ended in the 1970s. He praised the "Why We Serve" participants for appearing before students on campus.

"I think the speakers put a face on military service," he said. "It gives the opportunity for students to ask the deeper questions you're not going to get from a 30-second commercial on what
military service means."

History student Jennifer Sturlock said she was enthusiastic when she discovered the troops would lead her course.

"I was pretty enthused about it. It's not often that you get to talk to one soldier, let alone three," she said. "I like to get all sides on an issue so I can make own decision, so I think it's important to have a mix of opinions."

Gary Staub, a graduate student of history, said he enjoyed hearing individual accounts from the first-hand observers on the frontlines.

"These guys have lived it, so they're going to have their own personal impressions," he said, "but at least you're going to hear what's really going on."

Face of Defense: Officers Recognized for Bridge-Collapse Recovery Mission

By Patti Bielling
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 12, 2008 - Two
military officers were recognized in front of their peers March 4 for assisting civil authorities during recovery operations following the I-35 West Minneapolis bridge collapse in August. Army Col. Michael Chesney and Navy Capt. Bradley Gawboy each received the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Minnesota Commendation Ribbon with Pendant during the 2008 Joint National Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer Workshop in Miami.

Chesney is assigned to U.S.
Army North as the Region 5 defense coordinating officer, and Gawboy is the Navy's emergency preparedness liaison officer in Minnesota. They were members of the federal team supporting local responders in recovering victims of the August bridge collapse that killed 13 people.

The medals were presented following a panel discussion of the recovery mission.
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, who led the response, was a member of the panel.

Stanek said that when Chesney arrived at the site of the bridge collapse, he "didn't know him from Adam and didn't know anything about the
military."

However, when Chesney and his team began work, Stanek said he had no doubt they'd be successful in their singular mission of recovering victims' remains.

Stanek said he was continually impressed with how well the joint
military team worked together throughout the operation. "I was amazed to see a Navy officer taking orders from an Army officer," he said. "Local law enforcement doesn't work that well. We strive to be like that. We'd love to have that type of organizational control and structure of a joint command."

Chesney said the knowledge and professionalism that the state and regional emergency preparedness liaison officers brought to the team were invaluable.

He said he relied on Gawboy's advice and expertise to integrate more than 20 members of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., into the recovery operations.

"The divers were the true heroes of this event; we just helped bring them in," Gawboy said. "We had such a critical and reverent mission, and everyone focused on that and responded in the most professional manner."

Gawboy said that, until this event, he and the other
Minnesota emergency preparedness liaison officers thought the only civil support experience they would get would be assisting with hurricane response in another state.

"We were very surprised to find ourselves working a civil support mission in
Minneapolis," he said. "But it's because we had trained here and elsewhere that we were prepared to do the mission."

Gawboy found being a member of the community helped him fit in quickly. He said he had attended high school with some of the local responders and was acquainted with Stanek through community and professional organizations in their town of Maple Grove, Minn.

Overall, Gawboy said, the event demonstrated the benefit of collaboration among local, state and federal responders and credited Stanek's
leadership for the mission's success.

Chesney added that the successful mission reinforced the importance of a joint
military team that includes emergency preparedness liaison officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. They are in a unique position, he said. Not only are they experts on integrating their service capabilities, they bring an understanding of the states and communities they serve.

Stanek agreed and said he emphasized to conference attendees the importance of building personal relationships before an emergency.

"Before working with them, I had never heard of an EPLO or DCO," Stanek said. "It's important that they go out and introduce themselves to the
fire chiefs and police chiefs in their communities and continue working on building or strengthening those relationships before an emergency occurs."

(Patti Bielling works for U.S.
Army North Public Affairs.)

19th Annual US Army War College Strategy Conference

19th Annual US Army War College Strategy Conference “Rebalancing the Instruments of National Power”

8-10 April 2008
Carlisle Barracks, PA

“Rebalancing the Instruments of National Power”…are they out of balance? If so, why? What are the implications? Are we as a country properly organized and equipped to conduct effective
security strategy in the 21st century? If not, what do we need to do to address any gaps and shortcomings? If we are, how do we effectively coordinate, blend, and focus the instruments so as to achieve strategic success? Is the primary issue one of structure and process or is it perhaps more related to individuals and leadership? These are just some of the larger questions we will address over the course of the US Army War College 19th Annual Strategy Conference to be held at historic Carlisle Barracks from 8-10 April.

We’ll kick things off with a reception on Tuesday evening the 8th at 6:30. On Wednesday morning at 8:30 the formal conference events will begin with a keynote address. We’re still awaiting confirmation but our goal is to have a very special speaker to help us launch this year’s conference. Starting at 10:30 that morning and concluding at 3:30 on Thursday, we will have 6 panels and 3 featured speakers helping us explore key issues and challenges related to our theme. Ambassador John Herbst, Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, will be our keynote luncheon speaker on Wednesday, Admiral (R) Dennis Blair will speak at our dinner banquet that evening, and James Locher, Executive Director of the Project on National
Security Reform, will provide the keynote address at our luncheon on Thursday. Panels organized around the historical evolution of the instruments of national power, the contemporary strategic environment, the military and non-military instruments, and the proper locus of rebalancing efforts comprise the core of our conference agenda.

Panelists from RAND, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the US Institute of Peace, the Institute for Defense Analysis, Central Command, the Council on Foreign Relations, National Defense University, Georgetown University, Dickinson College, the U.S.
military departments, the U.S. Department of State and USAID, and the Department of Commerce will help us identify the issues and stimulate what promises to be a lively discussion.

Check out our agenda on the website. Please join us for this exciting and timely event. For the most current information on speakers, panelists, agenda and online registration, visit our website
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/conf.

DoD, VA Highlight Advances in Wounded Warrior, Family Care

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

March 12, 2008 - Two officials from the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs cited a veritable laundry list of changes in wounded warrior and family care in testimony at the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday. In all, the two departments are in the process of implementing more than 400 recommendations compiled from five major studies of
military health care over the past few years, according to a joint opening statement submitted by senior officials from both departments.

Dr. Lynda Davis, deputy assistant secretary of the
Navy for military personnel, and Kristin Day, chief consultant for case management and social work for the VA, appeared before the committee. Davis is the Defense Department's lead official for the reform of wounded warrior care, specializing in case management. Davis and Day co-chair the case management reform action group, which collaborates with military family members, government agencies, veteran service organizations and private groups.

"We are pleased to report that, while much work remains to be completed, meaningful progress has been made through improved processes and greater collaboration between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs," the officials said in a statement submitted to the committee.

Central to the changes was the creation of a senior oversight committee staff made up of senior officials from both departments. Among others, it includes all service secretaries and is co-chaired by the deputy secretaries of both departments, according to the statement.

"The (committee) continues work to streamline, de-conflict, and expedite the two departments' efforts to improve support of wounded, ill, and injured service members' and veterans' recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration," officials stated in the testimony.

On top on the list has been improving the disability evaluation system, establishing a center of excellence for psychological health and traumatic brain injury, establishing a federal recovery coordination program, and improving data sharing between the DoD and VA. Developing medical facility inspection standards and improved delivery of pay and benefits are also key, the officials said.

Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, the departments have been working to identify and support a full range of needs for the service members, veterans and families.

Fundamental to many of the changes is the realization that "the creation of a truly integrated process involves inter-service, interagency, intergovernmental, public, and private collaboration in the development and application of policies, procedures, programs, and professionals that serve and support those we honor," they said in the joint statement.

The officials cited several initiatives aimed at improving integration of the departments' services, but they also said a seamless transition is often not "a straight path." Veterans and service members often move back and forth between DoD and VA facilities.

Specific steps taken include creating a joint VA and DoD federal recovery coordinator program. These coordinators are charged with managing needs of severely injured servicemembers and their families. Eight coordinators were hired in December 2007. They are working at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center here; Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio; and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. Two more coordinators are planned -- one more for Brooke and one for Naval Medical Center San Diego.

In addition, the departments are developing a joint family handbook and Web site to provide a roadmap with information on benefits and services. "The critical role family members play in the ability of a wounded, ill or injured service-member or veteran to not only heal but thrive has long been recognized by the departments and the
military services," the officials said.

The two departments also are developing a benefits Web site dubbed "My e-Benefits" that will serve as a single, all-inclusive site for benefits information.

In addition to joint programs, DoD has launched several initiatives aimed at improving care for wounded warriors and their families:

-- MilitaryHOMEFRONT serves as the official DoD web site for reliable quality-of-life information designed to help troops and their families,
leaders and service providers;

-- The DoD
Military Assistance Program provides a Web site with information and interactive resources for assisting in relocations, money management and job searches.

-- The
Military Spouse Resource Center is designed to assist spouses by providing easy access to information, resources and opportunities related to education, training and employment.

--The Military Child in Transition and Deployment program serves as the official source of education information for DoD.

--The PDHealth.mil Web site provides information and guidance for servicemembers and their families about support services available from the
military, VA and the private sector.

--The Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative enables eligible candidates to receive career advancement accounts of $3,000 for one year, and renewable a second year for an additional $3,000, to pay for expenses related to postsecondary education and training.

In addition, the National Guard and reserves were highlighted for their family programs, the officials said.

The two
leaders said they believe the greatest improvement to long-term care and support of America's wounded warriors and veterans will come from enacting provisions recommended by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. The nine-member panel co-chaired by Donna Shalala, a former secretary of health and human services, and former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, was created in March by President Bush.

"We have, thus, positioned ourselves to implement these provisions and continue our progress in providing world-class support to our warriors and veterans while allowing our two departments to focus on our respective core missions," the officials said in the joint statement. "Our dedicated, selfless servicemembers, veterans and their families deserve the very best, and we pledge to give our very best during their recovery, rehabilitation, and return to the society they defend."

China Requires Close Eye as It Expands Influence, Capability

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

March 12, 2008 - The top U.S. general in the Pacific told Congress yesterday that he's working to strengthen the U.S.-Sino relationship, but he emphasized the need to keep a close eye on China as it strives to expand its influence in the region.
Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating told the Senate Armed Services Committee he sees headway in breaking down longstanding divisions between the two countries, but remains troubled by China's lack of transparency about its military programs.

The Defense Department released its 2008 China
Military Power Report earlier this month, noting that China spent more than three times its announced defense budget last year and is developing new capabilities that could have global implications.

When he asked the Chinese directly during his visit in January why they are increasing their
military capability, Keating said, he was assured that they seek only self-protection. But when the admiral pressed for more specific information about area-denial weapons, anti-satellite tests and other military technological advances, the Chinese were far more closed-mouthed.

And Keating said they're consistently mum when he asks about China's
military spending. The China Military Power Report estimates that China spent as much as $139 billion, more than three times its announced defense budget, last year to modernize its military forces.

"The transparency that they profess is insufficient, from our view," Keating told the Senate panel. "Being able to see what they have doesn't tell us what they intend to do with that equipment."

Keating said there's still a great deal for both countries to learn so they can better understand each other's intentions.

He called his most recent trip to China a big step forward in improving dialogue. "We want a mature, constructive, cooperative relationship. We are making progress, but as I said, we have a long way to go," he said. "The breakdown of decades-old mistrust and custom is going to take a lot more effort."

While much remains unclear about China, Keating said, it's evident the Chinese want a bigger role on the world stage and are expanding their
military capabilities to secure it.

China appears to be developing more maritime capability, weapons that make it harder for other
military forces to operate near Chinese borders, and is demonstrating a capability to exercise some control in space, Keating reported.

"It is overall, I believe, a desire to improve their position strategically in the world," he said. "They view themselves as a rising
military power, and it is something that, in our view, merits close observation."

Keating described what he thinks, but isn't sure, was a tongue-in-cheek comment a senior Chinese officer made during the admiral's first visit there as PACOM commander. With a straight face, Chinese officer said, "As we develop our aircraft carriers," -- a remark Keating said he found interesting in itself -- "why don't we reach an agreement, you and I?"

Then came the Chinese proposal: "You take Hawaii east. We'll take Hawaii west. We'll share information, and we'll save you all the trouble of deploying your naval forces west of Hawaii."

Keating called the statement telling. "Even if in jest, it indicates some consideration of the strategic vision that the People's Liberation
Army, navy and air force might have," he said. "While not necessarily hegemonic, they clearly want to expand their areas of influence.

"And those
strategic goals of theirs, ... while not necessarily counter to ours, ... (are) at least of concern to us," he said.

That's among the reasons the United States continues to
stress its forward engagement, the readiness of its forces within the region, and its multilateral engagement with other Pacific nations, Keating said. Collectively, these efforts help to offset the Chinese presence in the area and the pressure it applies internationally through economic aid and investment -- so-called "checkbook diplomacy."

"So we're watching very carefully," Keating said. "We are actively engaged in activities that we think serve as an effective foil to this increased Chinese presence and pressure."

Meanwhile, Keating said, he continues pressing to improve dialogue between the U.S. and China. He told the senators he plans to send his senior noncommissioned officer advisor,
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jim Roy, to China to talk with the People's Liberation Army about the role of the NCO corps in the U.S. military. "We hope that opens the door a little bit more to the kind of dialogue we're looking to not just initiate, but sustain and enhance with the People's Republic of China," he said.

NATO Forces Make a Difference in Afghanistan, General Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

March 12, 2008 - NATO's efforts against insurgents in Afghanistan are helping the Afghan people realize a better future, and the alliance should keep the door open to admit new members, a senior U.S.
military commander told a Senate panel here today. "NATO's efforts in Afghanistan are making a difference," Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command told Senate Foreign Relations Committee members.

Craddock said the alliance's
security and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan are making progress and "improving the lives of many Afghan citizens" while "creating the conditions for a better future."

The security situation in Afghanistan remains difficult, especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country, Craddock said, noting that the NATO International
Security Assistance Force deployed to Afghanistan has achieved numerous victories against Taliban insurgents that threaten President Hamid Karzai's central government.

NATO's ISAF has 47,000 members, including about 19,000 U.S. troops.

"We are succeeding, but, indeed, not as fast as we, the international community, are capable of succeeding," Craddock said. NATO and its international partners "can and must do more" in Afghanistan, the four-star general emphasized.

The Afghan national
army continues to increase in size and capability, Craddock reported, noting it is expected to exceed the ISAF in numbers sometime this year.

Afghanistan's national
police force, too, has grown larger, Craddock pointed out. But, the capability of the country's constabulary "continues to lag significantly" behind that of the ANA, he added.

"
Police performance needs to be urgently enhanced," Craddock emphasized. "Recent pay and performance reforms will help, but corruption, criminality, and lack of qualified leadership remain the most pressing areas."

While
security gains are evident across Afghanistan, such progress "is slowed by force shortfalls in some key locations and capabilities," Craddock explained.

"We are at a critical juncture in Afghanistan, and the ISAF mission needs its
military requirements filled immediately," the general said.

In addition, conditions of deployment, known as caveats, used by some NATO members limits or restricts the utility and movement of their forces in the Afghan theater of operations, Craddock noted.

"These caveats, like (troop) shortfalls, increase the risk to every soldier, sailor, airman and
Marine deployed in theater," he emphasized.

Regarding the issue of admitting new members to NATO, Craddock pointed out that "enlargement has been an historical success, strengthening our alliance and serving as a powerful incentive to promote democratic reforms among aspiring members."

Several eastern European nations, including Croatia, Albania and Macedonia, have expressed their desire to join NATO one day.

"I believe the process of NATO enlargement is not complete," Craddock said. "NATO's door must remain open."

However, NATO candidates "must provide added value to the alliance," Craddock added.

"They must be contributors to security, not consumers of it," the general said.

Meanwhile, NATO's current obligations, including response-force needs in Afghanistan, are challenging its pool of available military manpower, Craddock pointed out. If unresolved, he said, this situation threatens to reduce the alliance's "force pool into a puddle."

"Key capability resourcing is crucial to ensuring NATO's ability to simultaneously execute its main task, respond to crises, and transform to meet future challenges," Craddock said.