Wednesday, July 08, 2020

American Contractor Pleads Guilty to Stealing Government Equipment on U.S. Military Base in Afghanistan

An American military contractor pleaded guilty today to his role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.

Larry J. Green, 43, of Chesapeake, Virginia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States worth over $300,000; one count of theft of property of value to the United States; and one count of aiding and abetting the submission of false statements.  Sentencing is set for Nov. 19, 2020.

Green admitted that, between April 2015 and July 2015, he and others conspired to steal and did steal property of value to the United States including generators and a truck.  Green negotiated the sale of the stolen property with a third-country national middleman, who facilitated the sale of the items to unknown persons off of the military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  In order to effectuate the theft of a truck, Green admitted that he drove the truck off the military installation. 

Green also admitted that, in order to effectuate the theft of generators, he aided and abetted one of his co-conspirators, a security badging and escort pass supervisor, in creating false official documents to facilitate both the entry of unknown and unvetted Afghan nationals and their vehicles on to the military installation, and the removal of the stolen property from the installation.  The falsified documents were used to deceive security officers and gate guards and compromised the security of U.S. military and civilian personnel on the military installation.

SIGAR investigated the case with help from Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the 939th Military Police Detachment of the Indiana Army National Guard. Trial Attorneys Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Rosaleen O’Gara of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

Ohio National Guard Provides Lifeline to Assisted Living Facility

July 8, 2020 | BY AIR FORCE STAFF SGT. AMBER MULLEN

Two months after the novel coronavirus began spreading throughout Ohio, a team of 20 airmen and soldiers was activated to help in caring for residents at an assisted living facility that was being overwhelmed by the virus.

After residents and staff began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, Carlin House Assisted Living directors Mindy and Chad Bailey decided to advocate for facilitywide testing. The testing revealed that nearly 65% of the residents and 37% of the staff had contracted COVID-19.

As fears began to rise, many of the staff chose to self-quarantine. With only six nurses remaining on the team, the facility was on the brink of a crisis.

Rather than displacing residents to alternate facilities, the Baileys decided to shelter in place and reach out to the Ohio National Guard for additional support and resources. Within six hours of receiving the call, the Ohio National Guard dispatched a 20-person team with medical and ancillary staff capabilities.

An airman wearing full protective gear takes the temperature of a COVID-19 patient.

The guard’s medical staff consisted of medics and nurses who were responsible for tasks such as administering medications, assessing conditions, taking vital signs and transferring residents throughout the facility. The ancillary staff provided support through cleaning, laundry services, delivering meals and assisting trained medical personnel with resident care needs.

Once they arrived on scene, the guardsmen were oriented to the facility, situation and the residents. The members worked to cordon off wings of the facility based on which residents tested positive for COVID-19. They then created an internal protocol that included personal protective equipment for each section. The PPE protocol was instrumental in promoting safety and decreasing cross-contamination between those who had tested positive for COVID-19 and those who had not.

The guardsmen valued interacting with and learning from their civilian counterparts about the facility and residents. The assisted living facility staff provided the team with valuable input on their operations and residents' care needs. These needs varied greatly from resident to resident.

There's not enough words to express our gratitude that they are taking care of our residents how we would, and how they deserve to be taken care of.''
Chad Bailey, co-director, Carlin House Assisted Living

''They've helped me by serving my meals, with personal care and just being there for me,'' said Kathy Russell, a resident at the Carlin House Assisted Living. ''They’ve been very good to us. They stepped in and stepped up greatly to be here and to take care of us. They've done a great job, and I am thankful for them.''

While the work environment was unique to the guardsmen, who typically train to operate in a tactical and combat medicine environment, many of them were able to draw from their military and civilian experiences to provide professional care for the residents.

Army Maj. Richard Binks, a registered nurse with the Ohio Army National Guard Medical Detachment, was no stranger to working with patients who had contracted COVID-19. Binks had worked with COVID-19 patients in his civilian job as an intensive care unit nurse and for his mission assignment in April caring for inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Elkton, Ohio.

''I think [my experience there] prepared me for this because I have a better understanding of the proper PPE to use, what precautions and prevention methods to take, the overall understanding of how COVID-19 can present, knowledge of the interventions being done for patients with COVID-19 and knowledge of the treatment plans for COVID-19 positive individuals,'' Binks said.

All members of the team played an instrumental role in providing the residents with companionship and assessing their mental and emotional well-being during the quarantine. Their mental and emotional well-being is parallel in importance to their physical well-being during this crisis. Simply keeping the residents in good spirits is what the guardsmen aimed to do.

An airman wearing personal protective equipment sits and chats with a woman who is seated and holding a cat on her lap.

''I've seen their demeanor, and I've heard the compassion in their voices as they speak to and take care of our residents,'' said Chad Bailey, one of two directors of Carlin House Assisted Living. ''There's not enough words to express our gratitude that they are taking care of our residents how we would, and how they deserve to be taken care of.''

During their time at the assisted living facility, the guardsmen also experienced the unfortunate reality that the virus can be fatal. Through this experience, a services airman who was part of the ancillary staff was able to take the lead in providing mortuary affairs services for the residents who had died.

''When a resident passes, I treat them as if they were my family members,'' said Air Force Airman 1st Class Chelsea Winteringham, a services airman with the Ohio Air National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing. ''It's tough at first, but then you realize you're doing it to respect the deceased and their family members.''

Although their time together was only two weeks, the death of a resident can take a toll on the guardsmen who performed the mission. The guardsmen formed personal connections with the residents and got to know each of them on an individual level. During a daily meeting, members had the opportunity to talk to the group about how they were feeling and were able to look to one another for support.

''[The Ohio National Guardsmen were all] very caring and receptive to understanding how the residents are feeling, how the families are feeling, and how we as staff members are feeling,'' said Mindy Bailey, one of two directors of Carlin House Assisted Living. ''They are more than just responding to a crisis. They were completely engaged in the entire body, mind and soul of the entire mission.''

(Air Force Staff Sgt. Amber Mullen is assigned to the 178th Wing.)

Fighting COVID-19 by Countering Complacency

July 8, 2020 | BY Douglas Stutz , Naval Hospital Bremerton

Call it the COVID-19 complacency conundrum.

As Navy Medical Readiness and Training Command Bremerton in Washington state continues efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19, staff members remain vigilant to any potential lapses.

A sailor poses for a head-and-shoulders shot while wearing surgical scrubs, a face mask and a face shield.

"Now, more than ever, it is important to continue to practice social distancing, best hygiene practices and continue to wear our facial coverings when in public establishments or in group settings," Navy Cmdr. Robert Uniszkiewicz, the command's COVID-19 czar and public health emergency officer, stated.

Navy messaging is blunt and to the point regarding the possibility that any inaction and inadvertent action by anyone related to in-place mitigation measures can put the fleet, fighter and/or family at risk. The overarching Navy goal is to not let one sailor, civilian or family member become imperiled by complacency, especially after more than three months of restrictive measures, followed by a gradual lessening of those measures in some areas.

"We have been more fortunate than most with regard to the number of cases we have seen," Uniszkiewicz said. "But we have started to notice an increase in the number of cases since moving to Phase 2 in the local communities. This was not unexpected, but clearly shows that we must remain vigilant as COVID-19 is still in our community. People become comfortable and, often inadvertently, ease their protective measures, let down their facial covering and are lulled into a false sense of security. This would be a mistake. While it is exciting to be able to go out in town for the first time in months, enjoy the summer weather, ... we must continue the personal safety measures that have proven effective for our community."

Mike Pearson, the safety and occupational health manager at NMRTC Bremerton, said complacency on the job has always been a concern, and is even more of a concern during this time of COVID-19 in a military treatment facility.

Two sailors wearing face masks and camouflage uniforms compare notes.

"Now is not the time to be complacent by anyone," Pearson said. "Preventing COVID-19 from spreading isn't somebody else's job. It's everybody's job."

NMRTC Bremerton has proactively required all staff, especially active duty, to understand the current — and mandatory — Health Protection Guidance, or HPCON, Bravo measures in place.

HPCON Bravo requires that when people are close to others, they follow the 6 feet of physical distance requirement, and to wear cloth face coverings when with others for 15 or more minutes and when physical distancing can't be maintained.

"Those measures are how we can protect ourselves and how we can protect others," Pearson said.

HPCON Bravo also calls for practicing strict hygiene guidelines, such as frequent hand washing for at least 20 seconds, no handshaking, fist bumps, or high fives and limiting get-togethers to no more than 10 people with physical distancing in place.

"We also want everyone to avoid close contact with sick people, stay home if sick to reduce contact with others as much as possible; cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze; don't touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands to avoid spreading germs; and clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs," Pearson added.

A sailor wearing a face mask and a camouflage uniform stands with his arms folded in a medical waiting room.

For Terry Lerma, the emergency preparedness manager for NMRTC Bremerton, just being able to see the changes the command has established to streamline care for patients during COVID-19 helps maintain his awareness of the task at hand.

"Constant vigilance and preparedness is the price of safety and security for our MTF staff and beneficiaries," Lerma said. "We all get visual reminders just driving in and seeing that initial screening tent, our sailors with their cloth face masks directing traffic and even how our normal routine now has such things like plastic shield guards in place where needed. Every little bit helps."

Uniszkiewicz emphasized the role of face masks. "My cloth face covering protects you. Your cloth face covering protects me," he said.

Urban Operations

Marines perform an explosive breach without cover using a water charge during an urban operations course at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., June 26, 2020. Marines learn tactics including combat marksmanship, dynamic breaching, close quarters battle and room clearing.

Flight Formation

Aircraft from the Nimitz Carrier Strike Force follow a B-52 bomber as they conduct integrated joint air operations over the South China Sea, July 4, 2020.