USS Dallas Welcomes New Commander

By Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, Commander, Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Dallas (SSN 700) held a change of command ceremony at the Naval Submarine Base New London's chapel in Groton Feb. 23.

Cmdr. Jack Houdeshell relieved Cmdr. Rich Arnold during the time-honored ceremony.

"It's been a real honor to serve on Dallas for these last two and a half years," said Arnold. "It's a great ship with a talented and dedicated crew. This is the best crew I have ever worked with. Their dedication to the nation, the ship and each other is inspiring. They have far exceeded all of my expectations."

During Arnold's tour as commanding officer aboard Dallas from August 2009 to February 2012, he improved every aspect of his ship, instilled a warrior's mentality and improved the esprit de corps throughout his crew. During this time, Dallas conducted a six-month deployment to the Central Command area of responsibility returning to Groton in December 2011.

Arnold was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his leadership and achievements while in command.

"Commanding his ship with clear vision and enthusiastic leadership, Cmdr. Arnold completely transformed his officers and crew into a highly functional, mission-oriented team of warfighters whose performance culminated in a highly successful six-month deployment to the Central Command area of responsibility," said Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, commander, Submarine Group 2.

Arnold also received praise for the submarine's involvement with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012.

"Your support of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group during Bold Alligator 2012 was exceptional," said Vice Adm. John Richardson, commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic in a naval message praising Arnold for his achievements. "A major step forward for SSN participation in strike group certifications."

Prior to reporting as commanding officer of Dallas, Houdeshell, a native of Iowa, served on the headquarters staff of U.S. Joint Forces Command in the Intelligence Directorate from June 2009 until May 2011.

Houdeshell discussed his excitement for the way ahead for the Los Angeles-attack submarine and its crew.

"Dallas is a great ship with a great crew. I look forward to continuing where Cmdr. Arnold has left off and taking her to sea in defense of our great country," said Houdeshell.

Houdeshell reflected on his opportunity to command USS Dallas and what it takes to reach this pinnacle in someone's naval career.

"It takes a long time to get to command. Getting the opportunity to lead a great ship like Dallas just makes the time well worth the effort," said Houdeshell. "Dallas is a great ship with a great crew."

Houdeshell also thanked the submarine's namesake city for their continued support of the submarine.

"I look forward to continuing the good relations that the Dallas has maintained with its namesake, city of Dallas, Texas," said Houdeshell.

Dallas is the first United States naval ship to bear the name of the city of Dallas, Texas. Dallas is a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine of the Los Angeles-class built by Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation.

Connecticut Guard Responds to Neighbor's Call for Help

By Army Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy
Special to American Forces Press Service

Dec. 16, 2008 - Massachusetts National Guard members are getting a helping hand today as they continue to assist with recovery operations from a severe winter storm that dropped ice, freezing rain and sleet throughout the region Dec. 11. Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick has doubled the number of Guardsmen on duty with a call-up of about 700 personnel, bringing the total to nearly 1,500. He also requested assistance yesterday from the governor of Connecticut under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. He specifically asked for help in route-clearance and debris-removal operations.

The Connecticut National Guard will provide 23 personnel as well as equipment ranging from chainsaws to mobile-excavating equipment, John Whitford, the state public affairs officer, said. They are expected to arrive in the Springfield, Mass., area today.
"This request came down very fast, and they came on state active duty late last night," he said. "We had close to 40 volunteers, but only 23 were needed."

The soldiers are from the 192nd Engineering Battalion of Stratford, Conn., the 248th Engineer Company of Norwich, Conn., the 250th Engineering Company of New London, Conn., and the 246th and 256th firefighting detachments of East Lyme, Conn.

Whitford said this battalion is "unique," because it has the only authorized chainsaw operators in the state. "So they have these special skills sets to help out," he said. "They can hit the ground running when they get in state and get their taskings and immediately go to work."

Massachusetts' additional Guard personnel will assist in the recovery efforts with chainsaws, communications equipment, front-end loaders, dump trucks, armories, water and fuel transportation and generators. They also will provide security at more than 60 shelters while augmenting local police.

The National Guard was tasked with performing 160 simultaneous missions in the state, according to a Massachusetts National Guard news release. And as of 5 a.m. today, 54 of those missions were completed, while 89 missions remain ongoing.

Guard members from both states are expected to be on duty through the weekend, Guard officials said.

In New Hampshire, more than 350 soldiers from 197th Fires Brigade and 54th Troop Command are operating in the Concord and Manchester areas. They are providing shelter support, security operations, debris clearing and commodity distribution. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also has established a staging area at Pease Air National Guard Base with generators, cots and meals.

(Army Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy serves in the National Guard Bureau.)

America Supports You: States Honor Wounded With Silver Star Banner

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 20, 2008 - More than 60 years after the custom was last observed, five states have endorsed the Silver Star banner as their official symbol for honoring war-wounded veterans. The practice began in 1918, and the Silver Star banner was granted semi-official status by the Army adjutant general, said Steve Newton, founder of Silver Star Families of America. Sometime between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, he said, the practice was lost.

Silver Star Families of America has been working to get the banner granted official status since 2005, Newton said. "When Congress approved the Blue Star and the Gold Star (as official service banners), it did not designate a Silver Star banner," Newton said.

Blue Star banners designate families with a member serving in the military, while a Gold Star banner honors a family member who was killed in action.

The efforts of Newton's group to work with Congress to get the Silver Star banner designated nationally as an official service banner led to some stalling points, however. Congress wanted the Silver Star Families of America to narrow its definition of wounded, Newton said.

"We decided to ... go state by state, because we didn't want to leave out post-traumatic stress (disorder) or Agent Orange or Gulf War Syndrome or accidents that occur in the war zone that will affect somebody for the rest of their lives," Newton said. "We thought that they needed to be honored also."

In 2007, the group presented each state with a proclamation to endorse the Silver Star banner as its official service banner to honor war wounded. To date, five states -- Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana and Missouri -- have done so.

"To me it's a sign of honor," Newton said. "When a state takes an action like this, it means that they want to remember the sacrifices of the wounded."

Janie Orman, the group's president, said that while the five states agreed quickly and others are on the brink of declaring the Silver Star banner their official service banner for the wounded, some declined.

"A couple of them said, 'No, thank you,'" she said. "A couple of them felt like they had their own programs, I believe."

In 2007, 44 states honored their war wounded by proclaiming May 1 as "Silver Star Day for the Wounded," with at least two of those states working to make the proclamation permanent, Orman said. Silver Star Families of America hopes at least that many states will endorse the Silver Star banner, she added.

The Missouri-based group is a supporter of America Support You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

Soldiers Mia From Vietnam War Are Accounted For

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that group remains of five U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, will be returned to their families soon for burial with full military honors.

They are Chief Warrant Officer Dennis C. Hamilton, of Barnes City, Iowa; Chief Warrant Officer Sheldon D. Schultz, of Altoona, Pennsylvania.; Sgt. 1st Class Ernest F. Briggs Jr., of San Antonio, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class John T. Gallagher, of Hamden, Connecticut; and Sgt. 1st Class James D. Williamson, of Olympia, Washington.; all U.S. Army. The group remains of this crew will be buried on Aug. 14 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Gallagher's remains were individually identified, and his burial date is being set by his family.

Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

On Jan. 5, 1968, these men crewed a UH-1D helicopter that was inserting a patrol into Savannakhet Province, Laos. As the aircraft approached the landing zone, it was struck by enemy ground fire, causing it to nose over and crash. There were no survivors. All attempts to reach the site over the next several days were repulsed by enemy fire.

Between 1995 and 2006, numerous U.S./Lao People's Democratic Republic /Socialist Republic of Vietnam teams, all led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted more than five investigations, including interviews with Vietnamese citizens who said they witnessed the crash. Between 2002 and 2006, JPAC led three excavations of the site, recovering remains and other material evidence including identification tags for Schultz, Hamilton and Briggs.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains. For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http:// www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.