By Spc. Micah E. Clare, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 24, 2008 - Heroes are made, not born. And a hero like Army Spc. Monica Brown, 19, is no different. Brown, recognized for her gallant actions during combat in Afghanistan in 2007, is the second woman soldier since World War II to be awarded a Silver Star. She received the medal from Vice President Richard B. Cheney during a ceremony here March 20.
It was dusk on April 25, 2007, when Brown, a medic from the 82nd Airborne Division's 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, was on a routine security patrol along the rolling, rocky plains of the isolated Jani Khail district in Afghanistan's Paktika province when insurgents attacked her convoy.
"We'd been out on the mission for a couple of days," said Brown, who at the time was attached to the brigade's 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment's Troop C. "We had just turned into a wadi (empty river bed) when our gunner yelled at us that the vehicle behind us had hit an (improvised explosive device)."
The soldiers looked out of their windows in time to see one of the struck vehicle's tires flying through the field next to them. Brown had just opened her door to see what was going on when the attack began.
"I only saw the smoke from the vehicle when suddenly we started taking small-arms fire from all around us," she said. "Our gunner starting firing back, and my platoon sergeant yelled, 'Doc! Let's go.'"
Brown and her platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. Jose Santos, exited their vehicle, and while under fire, ran the few hundred meters to the site of the downed Humvee.
"Everyone was already out of the burning vehicle," she said. "But even before I got there, I could tell that two of them were injured very seriously."
In fact, all five of the passengers who had stumbled out were burned and cut. Two soldiers, Spcs. Stanson Smith and Larry Spray, suffered life-threatening injuries.
With help from two less-injured vehicle crewmen, Sgt. Zachary Tellier and Spc. Jack Bodani, Brown moved the immobile soldiers to a relatively safe distance from the burning Humvee.
"There was pretty heavy incoming fire at this point," she said.
"Rounds were literally missing her by inches," said Bodani, who provided suppressive fire as Brown aided the casualties while injured. "We needed to get away from there."
Attempting to provide proper medical care under the heavy fire became impossible, especially when the attackers stepped up efforts to kill the soldiers.
"Another vehicle had just maneuvered to our position to shield us from the rounds now exploding in the fire from the Humvee behind us," Brown said. "Somewhere in the mix, we started taking mortar rounds. It became a huge commotion, but all I could let myself think about were my patients."
With the other vehicles spread out in a crescent formation, Brown and her casualties were stuck with nowhere to go. Suddenly, Santos arrived with one of the unit's vehicles and backed it up to their position, and Brown began loading the wounded soldiers inside.
"We took off to a more secure location several hundred meters away, where we were able to call in the (medical evacuation mission)," Brown said.
She then directed other combat-life-saver-qualified soldiers to help by holding intravenous bags and assisting her in preparing the casualties for evacuation.
After what seemed like an eternity, Brown said, the attackers finally began retreating, and she was able to perform more thorough aid procedures before the helicopter finally arrived to transport the casualties to safety.
Two hours after the initial attack, everything was over.
In the darkness, Brown recalled standing in a field, knee-deep in grass, her only source of light coming from her red head-light, trying to piece together the events that had just taken place.
"Looking back, it was just a blur of noise and movement," the Lake Jackson, Texas, native said. "What just happened? Did I do everything right? It was a hard thing to think about."
Before joining the Army at the age of 17, the bright-eyed young woman said she never pictured herself being in a situation like this. Originally wanting to be an X-ray technician, she changed her mind when she realized that by becoming a medic, she'd be in the best place to help people.
"At first, I didn't think I could do it," she said. "I was actually afraid of blood. When I saw my first airway-opening operation, I threw up."
She quickly adjusted to her job and received additional training both before and during her deployment to Afghanistan.
"I realized that everything I had done during the attack was just rote memory," she said. "Kudos to my chain of command for that. I know with training, like I was given, any medic would have done the same in my position."
"To say she handled herself well would be an understatement," said Bodani, who quickly recovered from his injuries and immediately returned to work. "It was amazing to see her keep completely calm and take care of our guys with all that going on around her. Of all the medics we've had with us throughout the year, she was the one I trusted the most."
Earning trust with a combat unit is not something easily earned, said Army Capt. Todd Book, Troop C's commander at the time of the attack, but it was something Brown had taken upon herself to prove long before the Jani Khail ambush.
"Our regular medic was on leave at the time," Book said. "We had other medics to choose from, but Brown had shown us that she was more technically proficient than any of her peers."
Having people call her "Doc" means a lot to Brown because of the trust it engenders.
"When people I've treated come back to me later and tell me the difference I was able to make in their life is the best part of this job," she said.
During her rest and recuperation leave in May, Brown visited Spray in the hospital and met his mother.
"I almost cried," Brown said. "Spray's mother was so thankful, and she hugged me. That was the moment that made me feel the best about what I did."
Even though she felt proud when she was informed that she was going to receive a Silver Star, she considers her actions to be the result of effort put into her by everyone she's worked for.
"While I'm not scared to get my hands dirty, I have to say that I never fully became a medic until I came over here and did it first-hand," she said. "I just reacted when the time came."
Due to her quick and selfless actions, both Smith and Spray survived their injuries.
(Army Spc. Micah E. Clare serves with the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Eastman, U.S. Army Air Forces, of East Orange, N.J. He will be buried in September in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with Eastman's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On Aug. 18, 1944, Eastman departed the airdrome at Finschhafen, New Guinea, on a test flight of his F-5E-2 aircraft, but never returned. Subsequent searches failed to locate Eastman or his aircraft.
In 2003, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) found documents in the Australian National Archives about an earlier site visit believed to be associated with an F-5E crash. According to the archives, an Australian official had visited the crash site in 1950 in Morobe province near Koilil Village, but there was no subsequent recovery.
In 2004, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) investigated the crash site in the mountains of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The team found aircraft wreckage and recommended the site be excavated.
In February-March 2007, a JPAC team excavated the crash site and recovered human remains, pilot-related items and other personal effects, including Eastman's military identification tag.
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
Editor's Note: One of the authors is a former servicemember.
March 23, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added police officers from Alhambra (California), San Francisco (California) and Australia.
David Savage is a former member of the Australian Federal Police, having served for 19 years in a range of areas including General Policing, Criminal Investigations, Close Personal Protection, and as a member of the police Special Operations Team. He has also served as a Civilian Police Officer on United Nations missions in Mozambique, East Timor twice and as a Truce/Peace Monitor in Bougainville. He currently works for the United Nations. David Savage is the author of Dancing with the Devil: A Personal Account of Policing the East Timor Vote for Independence. According to the book description, “Dancing with the Devil is a UN police officer memoir of the independence ballot in East Timor. With compassion and humor, David Savage tells the simple truth about the horrific events he witnessed, and the triumph of a quiet, resilient people.”
Chief of Police William Palmini’s thirty-four year law enforcement career was spent mostly with the Albany Police Department (California). Chief William Palmini is currently the chief of police for the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Department of Safety and Security. He holds a masters degree in Public Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Chief William Palmini is a past recipient of the J. Stannard Baker Award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the author of Murder on the Rails.
Publisher’s Weekly wrote about Murder on the Rails, “Retired California police detective Palmini's account of the career murderer Robert Silveria Jr., dubbed the Boxcar Serial Killer, is long on splatter and short on insight. Palmini himself is like a figure from a David Lynch movie—a veteran cop who received a government grant to "do Elvis impersonations to promote traffic safety among California teens and their families" through a group called Elvis and the Lawmen. After a Vietnam vet is brutally slaughtered in a transient camp near Albany, Calif., Palmini's investigation leads him to the vicious underworld community of the Freight Train Riders of America, a little-known national criminal association.”
Alvin Vaughan was a member of the U.S. Navy during WWII. Surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor we went on to served on the USS. New Orleans, the USS Lexington and the USS Enterprise. Alvin Vaughan joined the Alhambra Police Department (California) in the late 1940s and served 18 years until medically retired. Alvin Vaughan is the author of Tales from Alvin’s Place, Sharon’s Loves and Elcor. According to the book description of Sharon’s Loves, “Sharon a California girl has a life filled with difficulty through three marriages. She exhibits strength of character beyond her years and is an example and role model for her two sisters.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 887 police officers (representing 387 police departments) and their 1853 police books in 32 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.
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
March 24, 2008 - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today presented seven top "Check It" campaign awards to agencies from across the department for their process-improvement and quality-assurance efforts. In a ceremony here, England presented four Honorable Mention awards for the most improved processes in the first round of the second phase of the campaign. He also presented awards to three fiscal 2007 Statement of Assurance Scorecard Winners.
The deputy secretary launched the campaign in 2006 to raise awareness of internal controls. This second phase started in October.
"It's important to the department. It's important to the warfighter, and therefore it's important to the nation," England said at the ceremony. "I thank you."
Defense Department Comptroller Tina W. Jonas was on hand for the event. In her role, Jonas said, she is always concerned about using government dollars wisely. There are two parts to the program, she said -- improving internal controls, but also delivering products and services to the warfighter in a way that is effective and efficient.
"Our bottom line is not shareholders. Our bottom line is really the warfighter," Jonas said.
Those receiving the Honorable Mentions were:
-- Financial management improvement program, accounts receivable tracking and reporting, Defense Finance and Accounting Service. The office's improvements cleared $80 million in old accounts payable and $90 million in old undelivered orders. They reduced delinquent accounts receivable by $2.6 billion, according to award documents.
-- Executive management system, Office of the Defense Research and Engineering, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. The office's improvements automated financial performance data, resulting in a 97 percent reduction in cycle time, according to award documents.
-- Disbursing and cash management, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command. The office improved disbursing and cash management, resulting in no losses or overages and 100 percent accountability for nearly $10 million, according to award documents.
-- The amphibious assault vehicle depot production line, Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. The program improved the amphibious vehicle production line, reducing cycle time by 25 percent and decreased overtime by 50 percent, while improving quality checks, according to award documents.
Marine Capt. Mike Nolan, who served as the amphibious vehicle program director at the Barstow logistics base, said the process improvements started at the lowest level.
"We built from the bottom up the cultural change to ensure they can make the process better and produce the vehicles of better quality and less cost," he said after the ceremony. "That saves the Marine Corps money, and the warfighters get a better product."
Nolan said the Barstow team focused on the assembly line process because that was taking the longest and costing the most. The group developed process-improvement teams and looked at every step of the process. Overall improvement delivered $6 million in savings, and more inspections inherent in the new processes yielded a better product, he said.
In the same category, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq was awarded first place honors in a ceremony in Iraq last week. Since June, the command reviewed some 950 contracts and freed up $831 million in funds, according to a news release. There were no other placings for the award.
The three scorecard winners are the Joint Staff, the Defense Commissary Agency and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. As required by the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act, the statement of assurance addresses the management controls of the department and makes required disclosures.
Richard Page, acting director of the Defense Commissary Agency, said accountability starts in the back rooms of the 259 commissaries and 10 distribution centers around the world when receiving, pricing and accounting for all products correctly.
"We do check it, and we do check it twice," he said.
This is the second straight year the agency has received the award.
"It's a top-down and bottom-up approach to how we do business," Page said. "When you start looking at ... who we serve and who we support, it is critical that we are doing everything as well as it can be done."
AIR FORCE
Affordable Engineering Services, LLC of Totowa, N.J.; Defense Support Services, LLC of Mount Laurel, N.J.; J.K. Hill and Associates, Inc. of Virginia Beach, Va.; L-3 Communication Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss.; MI Support Services, LP of Denton, Texas; and MacAulay-Brown, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, are being awarded a contract for $98,000,000. This action will provide multiple awards. The Depot Onsite Contract Augmentee Team program provides depot onsite contract augmentee teams to perform maintenance and related tasks at Ogden Air Logistics Center Utah and Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Tucson Arizona. At this time $30,000 has been obligated. HAFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8224-08-D-0003-0001, FA8224-08-D-0005-0001, FA8224-08-D-0006-0001, FA8224-08-D-0009-0001, FA8224-08-D-0003-0010, FA8224-08-D-0011-0001).
NAVY
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, R.I., is being awarded $15,825,522 for delivery order #5005 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-06-G-011F) for procurement of initial and wholesale spares requirements for various weapons replacement assemblies used in the development and deployment of the airborne low frequency sonar system for the MH-60R helicopter. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, R.I., and work is expected to be completed by October 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, R.I., is being awarded $8,113,705 for delivery order #5004 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-06-G-011F) for procurement of initial and wholesale spares requirements for various weapons replacement assemblies used in the development and deployment of the airborne low frequency sonar system for the MH-60R helicopter. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, R.I., and work is expected to be completed by October 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
ITT Industries, Inc. Clifton, N.J., is being awarded a $7,851,563 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to develop and demonstrate a prototype decoy payload with an electronic countermeasure capability. This system shall be capable of recognizing friendly emitters and limiting the response for those emitters. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the value of the contract to $21,083,937. Work will be performed in Clifton, N.J., and work is expected to be completed November 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $3,685,335 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under Broad Agency Announcement # 57-07-08. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-08-C-2025).
Compass Systems, Inc., Lexington Park, Md., is being awarded an $8,959,518 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for specific engineering and technical expertise in the design, development, manufacture and repair of Navy special projects avionics, electro-optic sensors and field equipment. Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Md., and is expected to be completed in March 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-08-C-0147).
KTU+A, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $7,500,000 (base and options - with a guaranteed minimum of $5,000) firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for preparation of Navy and Marine Corps military construction projects planning documentation in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to California (87 percent); Arizona (5 percent), Nevada (5 percent), Colorado (1 percent), New Mexico (1 percent) and Utah (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed March 2009 (March 2013 with exercised options). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website,with seven offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8623).
BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $6,774,379 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-01-C-0077) to exercise an option for technical and engineering support services for the development, procurement, integration, testing, installation and certification of shipboard communication systems; the development and integration of like systems at shore sites associated with the deployment of, or fleet support to, surface combatants; and the development, testing and integration of mobile and airborne communication systems designed to interface with the command, control, communication, computers and intelligence architecture of surface combatants. The estimated level of effort for this option is 195,000 man-hours. Work will be performed in California, Md. (80 percent); St. Inigoes, Md. (10 percent); Bath, Maine (5 percent); and Pascagoula, Miss. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., is the contracting activity.
Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $6,355,030 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N00019-05-C-0050) to exercise an option for the FY 2008 production of 137 each RT-1556B AN/ARC-210 Receiver-Transmitter Radios and 81 each C-11898A Radio Control Sets for the U.S. Air Force Unmanned Air Vehicle Predator aircraft. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in May 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2008 - What began in 1919 as simple lodging for servicemembers returning from World War I has since become a "jewel in the heart of Manhattan," with an expanding mission that includes supporting deployed troops.
"The main effort of the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard & Airmen's Club is to provide reasonably priced accommodations to servicemen and women, as well as any members of the (New York Police Department and New York Fire Department) in order to express our gratitude for all of their efforts," said Connie Morinello, one of the organization's committee members.
In addition, the organization founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, Gen. John J. Pershing and Cornelia Barnes Rodgers, who served with American forces in France as an ambulance driver, now offers veterans a variety of services.
"We also work with wounded warriors at events such as the NYC marathon and the Veterans Day parade," Morinello said. "(We) organize fundraisers, social gatherings and send out care packages and correspondence to troops deployed overseas and at bases nationwide."
The club recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
Morinello said the club hopes this affiliation will increase its visibility among those who wish to support its efforts as well as those eligible to use the facility.
"We hope to be able to reach out to an increasing number of individuals and organizations around the country, making them aware of what we do and how we support our heroes," she said.
Editor's Note: One of the author is former servicemember
March 20, 2008 (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 from three different New York State law enforcement agencies.
Peter S. Griffin enlisted in the U.S. Army on 13 March 1964 and was honorably discharged on 10 March 1967. After discharge Peter Griffin attended the Police Academy at Syracuse, New York and served as a Police Officer for the Oswego Police Department (New York) for over ten years. Peter Griffin is the author of When You Hear The Bugle Call: Battling PTSD and the Unraveling of the American Conscience.
According to the book description of When You Hear The Bugle Call: Battling PTSD and the Unraveling of the American Conscience, it “is a compelling, poignant and straightforward presentation of sickness and healing, righteousness opposing wrong doing, and the eventual triumph of the human spirit despite overwhelming obstacles and barriers. This very personal account of war and its aftermath was written to benefit combat veterans agonized by severe and chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), composed by one who is living the nightmare, one of their own, a fellow warrior. In the broader scope, this account is meant to help them, and their friends and loved ones to better understand this overwhelming psychological, involuntary, and innate response to continual, life threatening situations.”
Inspector Norman Denny, New York State Police (ret.), is the author of Manual for Police of New York State. According to the book description, “The most complete, accurate and timely information available for law enforcement in New York State. A compilation of a broad range of information sources vital to success.”
William Tolhurst began his law enforcement career in 1962 and quickly became a leader in the field of training and dog handling. He served as president of the North American Search Dog Network, and previously served three terms as the president of the National Police Bloodhound Association. Throughout his long career as a special deputy with the Niagara County Sheriff's Department, William Tolhurst has met every challenge. His expertise has been used throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Every trail backed by his bloodhound testimony has resulted in conviction.
William Tolhurst is the author of Manhunters!: Hounds of the Big T and The Police Textbook for Dog Handlers.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 879 police officers (representing 385 police departments) and their 1843 police books in 32 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.
A recent reader review of Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style:
“Raymond Foster has demonstrated his knowledge of leadership very thoroughly in this book. Coming from the LAPD, he draws upon his experience as a mid-level manager by using humor and anecdotes so aspiring supervisors and managers can develop their individual skills. I am a retired police captin from Newark, NJ and wish I had the book during the promotional testing process. Now, I am using the book in my consulting practice--very relevant, very practical and an easy read!”
About the book
Using poker as analogy for leadership, Captain Andrew Harvey, CPD (ret.), Ed.D. and Lieutenant Raymond Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA found the right mix of practical experience and academic credentials to write a definitive book for leaders. Working together, Harvey and Foster have written Leadership: Texas Hold em Style. Most often leaders find they are given a set of resources people, equipment, funds, experience and a mission. As Foster noted, "You're dealt a certain hand. How you play that hand as a leader determines your success."
More than a book: A fun and entertaining journey through leadership that includes an interactive website to supplement knowledge gained from the book.
Proven and Tested: Not an academic approach to leadership, but rather a road-tested guide that has been developed through 50-years of author experience.
High Impact: Through the use of perspective, reflection, and knowledge, provides information that turns leadership potential into leadership practice.
Ease of Application: Theory is reinforced with real-life experience, which results in accessible and practical tools leaders can put to use immediately.
High Road Approach: Personal character and ethical beliefs are woven into each leadership approach, so leaders do the right thing for the right reasons.
Uses Game of Poker: Rather than a dry approach that is all fact and no flavor, the game of poker is used as a lens through which to view leadership concepts.
More Information
www.pokerleadership.com
NAVY
Absher Construction Company, Puyallup, Wash., is being awarded a $40,980,000 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N44255-08-C-6002) for design and construction of a bachelor enlisted quarters and parking garage at Naval Base Kitsap. The work to be performed provides for all labor, materials, and equipment for the design and construction of market style apartments and a parking structure. Related work includes utility infrastructure design and replacement of existing utilities. This modification provides incremental funds for fiscal year 2008, bringing the cumulative value of the contract to $70,900,000. Work will be performed in Bremerton, Wash., and is expected to be completed by November 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity.
McDonnell Douglas, St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded $24,135,158 for firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity delivery order #7037 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-06-D-004H) for procurement of newly manufactured spares in support of the F/A-18 C/D Flight Surfaces System. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and work is expected to be completed by May 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $15,484,128 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for United Kingdom technical services in support of the TRIDENT Strategic Weapon System. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif. (74.47 percent); Cape Canaveral, Fla. (17,37 percent); St. Mary's, Ga. (1.35 percent); Silverdale, Wash. (.73 percent); Jenkintown, Pa. (.34 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (.05 percent); Broomfield, Col. (.03 percent) ; Herndon, Va. (.02 percent); other U.S. locations to be determined (.32 percent); locations to be determined in the United Kingdom and Italy (5.32 percent), and work is expected to be completed March 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured. Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (N00030-08-C-0019).
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2008 - After completing four semesters at the University of Alabama, 19-year-old Daniel K. Winnie felt his life lacked discipline and direction. "I was sitting around enjoying college life, which was good, but I wasn't doing much of anything else," he recalled. At that point, about halfway through his college career, Winnie made a bold decision.
"I thought the military maybe would get me out of the rut that I was in," he said, "and give me some other opportunities that I certainly didn't have doing what I was doing."
Winnie, a native of Everett, Wash., enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1993, turning 20 years old during basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
Now a chief warrant officer and 15-year veteran of the Corps, Winnie is one of 10 servicemembers selected to tell the military's story to the American public. As a participant in the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program, Gregg shares his tale of service at community and business events, veterans' organizations and other gatherings.
Winnie's first deployment to Iraq in 2003 truly opened his eyes, he said. For some, the raging battle between coalition forces and insurgents brought out the worst, he recalled, but for others it brought out the best.
Winnie, a communication electronics platoon commander, remembers being with his unit near Nasiriyah, Iraq, in what he described as a "free fire" zone -- a designated area in which weapons may be fired with minimal restrictions.
"There was a goat herder who had gotten lost, and lost his entire herd, and was headed into (the free fire zone). Of course, he didn't really know what was going on," he said.
Compounding the herder's trouble was the fact that his donkey, which he used to corral his flock, had wandered onto the deadly tract of land. Then, one of Winnie's fellow Marines intervened in a display of compassion for the Iraqi man.
"A guy that was working for me went out there in the open, got this guy, and personally walked him over to get his donkey," Winnie recalled with some laughter. "The grown man got back on and rode this donkey -- which wasn't a whole lot bigger than a German shepherd -- and got his sheep back."
Instead of ignoring the herder, Winnie's fellow Marine was willing to help him recover his "scraggly, scrawny donkey" and sheep, the chief warrant officer said. "That was wonderful," said Winnie, noting that the herder's two young sons and daughter observed as the Marine helped their father regain his cherished possessions.
On his second deployment, Winnie witnessed a larger-scale transformation occur during his nine months in Iraq's Anbar province.
Upon his unit's arrival in the war-torn province in January, insurgents regularly engaged the Marines with indirect fire, he recalled. But by mid-April, a strange phenomenon occurred: the firing stopped.
Winnie attributed the security improvement to several factors stemming the new strategy implemented by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force in Iraq. In addition, he said, U.S. operators began to solidify their relationships with Iraqi government officials and local tribal sheiks, as Iraqis themselves tired of the radical insurgency.
The subsequent progress was later dubbed the "Anbar Awakening," a societal purging of extremism by Anbaris that ushered in a level of stability unprecedented since U.S. operations in Iraq began.
"It was like a light switch had been turned on," Winnie said of the sudden security improvements in the province. "2007 will go down as the turning point in this entire story, and I was there for it."
Winnie said despite receiving some tough questions during Why We Serve events, he enjoys getting the chance to address an audience that is unaccustomed to hearing an unfiltered story from a U.S. servicemember.
"Every experience I've had has been wonderful," he said. "The people that are hearing it are hungry for (firsthand) information."
By Spc. Emily J. Wilsoncroft, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2008 - When Army Chief Warrant Officer Fred White sits down at the controls of a Black Hawk helicopter, he looks just like any other pilot in his battalion. He wears the same flight suit, the same helmet and the same air of confidence – the only difference is that at the end of the day, his wrist might be a bit sore. White suffered injuries that led to the loss of the first two fingers on his right hand in a 2003 roadside bomb attack in Iraq.
Now an aviator and communications officer with the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, White was not always a pilot. He enlisted in the Army in 2001 as a cavalry scout.
"I always wanted to be in the Army," he said. "Cav scout seemed like a cool job. I knew I didn't want to be infantry, but I did want to be in combat arms."
During the second year of his enlistment, White's unit became attached to 3rd Infantry Division for the initial push up to Baghdad from Kuwait in the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"There was a lot of fear and uncertainty when we originally crossed the berm," he said, "but after that, it became more of a daily routine."
The routine included route clearance, convoy security, vehicle security, observation post setup and maintenance – "pretty much anything that needed to be done in Sadr City," as White put it.
On Sept. 5, 2003, the routine was disrupted.
"We were pulling security for the engineers that day," White recalled. "We were on our way to the site, going down Highway 5."
As the convoy passed under an overpass, it was hit by a remotely detonated 120 mm mortar round.
"It blew up my truck," he said. "I was the gunner, and the blast threw me against the back of the turret. ... My driver took shrapnel in the side of his neck; the (vehicle commander) lost his left thumb and his right eye."
White -- who was hit by shrapnel in his hands, legs, face and buttocks -- lost his fingers as a result of the attack.
For many soldiers, that would have been the end of the road as far as a military career was concerned. But White, who fully recovered from his injuries after less than a year, decided he wanted to be a pilot.
White said that although the doctor had cleared him medically, the ROTC medic said he wasn't fit for the Army. "So I (turned in) my warrant officer packet and was picked up for flight school."
Although there were some who tried to tell White he wouldn't make it through flight training, he said, his injury didn't hold him back at all.
"Flying is more of a mental thing," he said. "You have to be physically coordinated, but a lot of it's in your mind. You have to think three-dimensionally to maintain control."
One of the controls in the helicopter resembles a joystick, he explained, on the front of which is a radio control that functions through a trigger-type mechanism.
"I just sewed up the first two fingers on my glove and changed my hand position," White said, demonstrating how he wraps his wrist around the control. "I was set on proving the people who doubted me wrong, and I adapted so I could succeed."
White's battalion commander, Army Lt. Col. Alex Covert, was quick to note the young warrant officer's success.
"Fred is an above-average UH-60L Black Hawk pilot," Covert said. "He has flown over 150 hours in combat under the harshest conditions flawlessly."
Aside from White's skill as a pilot, Covert also lauded his perseverance and devotion to his military career.
"I cannot describe in words what it takes for a young soldier, ... wounded in combat, to not only continue to serve his country, but to take the initiative, become a warrant officer, an outstanding Army aviator and serve as a (battalion communications officer) in combat," he said. "His selfless service is clearly an example for others to follow."
White plans to stay in 2-3rd Aviation Regiment, based at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., for at least the near future.
"All the experiences I've had in the Army have led me to where I am right now," he said. "I have no regrets, no resentments. I know I'm lucky to still be here, and I appreciate that."
(Army Spc. Emily J. Wilsoncroft serves with the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office.)
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2008 - The "economic lifeblood of the developed world" flows through U.S. Central Command, a region beset by "vast instability," the CENTCOM commander said here last night. Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon said the command's efforts, which include operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, aim to provide stability and security, restore hope in the region and allow future generations the chance to live peaceably.
"There are a lot of challenges, but we're succeeding, and we're going to succeed because we have (the) best people in the world working with us," he said. "And we have the great power and spirit of the American people, and many others in this world are behind us."
In one of his last public appearances in military uniform, Fallon spoke at the Navy League's Sea, Air, Space Expo on the fifth anniversary of U.S. operations in Iraq.
The commander's remarks came a week after he submitted his resignation amid news reports suggesting he had fundamental disagreements with the White House on key elements of U.S. foreign policy in the Central Command region.
"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," Fallon said in a statement released by Central Command March 11.
Revisiting the issue last night -- which he dubbed "the elephant in the room" -- Fallon dismissed as "pure bunk" the speculation over a reported disconnect between his own views and those of the Bush administration.
"The sad part is that this kind of inside-the-beltway drama is really obscuring what's really important to me, and that is the effort of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and these other troubled places in the Middle East and Southwest Asia," he told the 1,250-member audience.
The commander's civilian boss, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, accepted Fallon's resignation "with reluctance and regret."
"I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are, in fact, significant differences between his views and administration policy," Gates told reporters March 11 during a Pentagon news conference.
Fallon's deputy, Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, will take over as acting commander of Central Command on March 31 until a permanent replacement is nominated and confirmed.
Some of the misperceptions about Fallon's relationship with the Bush administration involved perceived differences over U.S. policies regarding Iran. The admiral briefly discussed the majority-Shiite country last night, saying that Iran poses a challenge to the United States and exhibits behavior that is "not good."
"They are a real problem, killing and maiming our troops in Iraq; they're meddling in Afghanistan," he said. "They don't really present a very nice face to their neighbors."
On regional security issues, Fallon described Iraq as his main focus over the past year and expressed guarded optimism over dramatic improvements to the country's security.
"It seems as I look back on the year that's gone by very quickly, and recognize the changes that have occurred, it's remarkable, to say the least," he added, while acknowledging that "tough pieces of turf" still exist in northern Iraq.
The commander portrayed some Iraqi provinces as transforming so rapidly that those who haven't been there for months, or even weeks, are "behind the times." He attributed the stability in part to coalition forces' increased cooperation with Iraqis at the local level, adjustments in detainee rehabilitation, improved services and economic progress.
"It hasn't happened with some magic wand," he said. "It's because of the hard work by our people in setting the conditions that enable the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police to step up, and (allow) people to begin to go about living the kind of lives they want."
Unlike resource-rich Iraq, Fallon said, progress in Afghanistan is hampered by problems stemming from the country's isolation and poverty. "Most (Afghans) are illiterate," he said. "Jobs are pretty scarce, and there's a pretty long history (there) of butting heads with everybody."
Fallon expressed optimism that the country is "turning around" under the direction of strong leadership, and with assistance from the military-civilian hybrid groups known as provincial reconstruction teams, which are helping to revitalize the country's basic services and infrastructure.
"The things they need in Afghanistan are roads, electric power, water management, a little bit of agricultural development, and they'll be rolling like big wheels," he said.
Fallon said efforts in the Horn of Africa, Central Asia and across Central Command are succeeding due to support from American citizens and U.S. allies.
"It seems to me that we in this country have a responsibility, because we are blessed above all others, to share what we have and to do what we can to make things better and to give people opportunities," he said. "That's what our people do for us every day."
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2008 - Wounded warriors in need in San Antonio now have a place to call home as they transition from military to civilian life. The new facility is Operation Homefront's first of four planned transitional housing facilities across the United States.
Jody Brothers from the PGA Tour and representatives from local Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores were on hand to cut the ribbons on the apartments the Wal-Mart Foundation sponsored.
"Thanks to these and other sponsors, wounded warriors and their families can live at Operation Homefront Village rent-free so they can rebuild their financial foundation as they rebuild their health," said Amy Palmer, Operation Homefront's vice president of operations.
Medal of Honor recipients Jack Jacobs and Mike Thornton, for whom the two buildings are named, also participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
All of the 20 two- and three-bedroom units in the complex are spoken for, and a waiting list has been established.
Designed for wounded warriors recuperating at nearby military medical facilities and their families, the units are fully furnished, including computer and Internet access courtesy of CDW-G, which offers technology products and services, and Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor.
The facility also includes a central recreation and community center housing a food pantry, baby furniture, extra beds and a video library. Additionally, the center hosts various Operation Homefront programs. Some of those programs include Wounded Warrior Wives support group, presentations and meetings with career counselors, college education specialists, and other experts whom Operation Homefront has partnered with to help recovering servicemembers move on with their lives.
Most active duty wounded warriors receiving treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center are housed in the barracks, base housing or the Fisher House. However, in its daily collaboration with the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program and other Army case workers, Operation Homefront quickly realized that there is almost no temporary housing in America for wounded warriors who have retired or separated from the military.
"Many of these families have nowhere to live and no money until they receive their disability benefits from (Veterans Affairs)," Palmer said. "Thanks to some unique programs being tested jointly by the Army and the VA, we believe we are seeing the waiting period for VA benefits decrease. In the meantime, however, many wounded warriors need a place to live right now. Operation Homefront is here to help."
Planned Operation Homefront Villages will accommodate needs at Walter Reed Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego, and Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash.
Operation Homefront is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
(From an Operation Homefront news release.)
By Jamie Findlater
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2008 - Military personnel serving in combat zones are eligible for an economic stimulus payment, an Internal Revenue Service spokesman said today during an "America Supports You Live" interview on BlogTalkRadio. While combat pay generally is nontaxable, servicemembers are permitted to count this pay on their 2007 or 2008 income tax returns if it helps their eligibility, Clay Sanford explained.
"A military person who would not normally file a 2007 tax return because the 2007 income is not taxable, can file a 1040A with the IRS and receive the stimulus payment," he said. Servicemembers should report their nontaxable combat pay on Line 40b of the Form 1040A to show at least $3,000 in qualifying income, he added.
Starting in May, as part of the economic stimulus plan, the IRS will issue payments of up to $600 -- $1,200 for married couples -- plus a $300 payment for each qualifying child younger than 17. The payments are based on 2007 income tax returns. The payments for individuals begin to phase out starting at $75,000 in adjusted gross income for single taxpayers, and at $150,000 for married couples.
People must have at least $3,000 in qualifying income to get a payment. Qualifying income is defined as any combination of earned income (such as wages or taxable income from self-employment), nontaxable combat pay and certain benefits from Social Security, Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement.
Sanford encouraged qualifying servicemembers to submit early. While military servicemembers who are serving in a combat zone are granted an extension of 180 days after leaving combat, spouses or others with a power of attorneys can prepare and file a 2007 income tax return on their behalf so that the stimulus payment is received this year. The return must be filed by Oct. 15.
Sanford offered additional tax advice to servicemembers during the interview, especially those who are just starting out and filing taxes for the first time.
"Keep receipts and copies of your tax returns," he cautioned. It's a good idea to keep receipts for six years and the tax returns indefinitely, he advised.
"You are responsible for your own tax return, regardless of whether you do it yourself or rely on a tax preparer," he said.
For help, Sanford listed a number of helpful documents that can provide clarification. By going to the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov and typing in "Publication 3," he explained, servicemembers will find a great resource for active duty people and reservists. He also recommended Publication 17 for learning more about general filing of individual income tax, and Publication 525, aimed at veterans and those with pensions. He also noted that many military members qualify for free electronic tax filing.
"Additionally, on most military installations, the legal office is there to provide you with information," he said, and he also noted that the military is one of the IRS's leading partners in its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, in which provides on-site help to taxpayers, courtesy of volunteers in their organizations.
In today's digital age, irs.gov is a great resource for young servicemembers, Sanford went on to say. Sanford encouraged servicemembers to visit the site for detailed educational guides on filing, helpful tips and tools, and to learn more about the special deductions that may not be intuitive for military members.
Those without easy access to the Internet can call 1-800-TAX-1040 toll free for information and answers to any specific questions, he said.
(Jamie Findlater works in the New Media branch at American Forces Information Service.)
NAVY
General Dynamics, Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $324,937,789 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-03-C-2101) for long lead time material associated with the FY 09 Va., Class Submarine (SSN 784) and the FY 11 Va., Class Submarine (SSN 787). This contract provides long lead time material for steam and electric plant components; the main propulsion unit and ship service turbine generator set; components that are critical to maintaining the submarine component industrial base; and miscellaneous Hull, Mechanical and Electrical system components to support ship construction of SSN 784 and SSN 787. Work will be performed in Groton, Conn.,/Quonset Point, R.I., (7 percent); Newport News, Va., (7 percent); Sunnyvale and South El Monte, Calif., (50 percent); Coatesville, York and Cheswick, Penn. (5 percent); Linden, Philipsburg, and Florence, N.J. (5 percent); and at various sites throughout the United States (26 percent), and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Integrated Systems, Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $13,500,258 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-02-C-6324) for a cost growth and new requirements related to development of the Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS). RAMICS is a non-towed airborne mine neutralization system that is deployed from the MH-60S helicopter and provides a rapid response clearance capability against floating and near-surface moored sea mines that have been detected, classified and localized by the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) or other mine hunting systems. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by Sep. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity.
The Engineering Partners, Inc.*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $7,500,000 (base and options - with a guaranteed minimum of $5000) firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for electrical engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed includes electrical engineering studies and reports; site investigations reports; preparation of Requests for Proposals for design-build projects; preparation of fully designed plans and specifications for Invitation for Bid projects; cost estimates, evaluations and construction support services. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installations within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to Calif., (87 percent); Ariz., (5 percent), Nev., (5 percent), Colo., (1 percent), N.M. (1 percent) and Utah (1 percent), and work is expected to be competed Mar. 2009 (Mar. 2013 with options exercised). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured as an eight (a) set-aside, with eight offers solicited via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website,with nine proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8622).
RBF Consulting, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $7,500,000 (base year and options - with a guaranteed minimum of $5,000) firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity architect/engineering contract for Civil Engineering Services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed includes engineering studies and site investigations to support new development on raw land, or re-development of existing developed sites; preparation of Requests for Proposals for design-build projects; preparation of fully designed plans and specifications for Invitation for Bid projects; other civil engineering studies, reports, cost estimates, and evaluations; and construction support services including surveying, geotechnical, and environmental engineering services. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installations within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to Calif., (87 percent); Ariz., (5 percent), Nev., (5 percent), Colo. (1 percent), N.M. (1 percent) and Utah (1 percent). The term of this contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of Mar. 2009 (Mar. 2013 with options exercised). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 22 proposals solicited via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website,with 14 offers received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest is the contracting activity. The Contract number is N62473-08-D-8601.
AIR FORCE
Harris Corp., of Rochester, N.Y., is being awarded a contract for $10,204,063. This action will provide the deployment of the total system of interim single channel handheld (SCHH) radios that are an integral part of the Air Force Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) acquisition requires the acquisition of ancillary items. At this time $10,204,063 has been obligated. Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the contracting activity (GS35-F-0163N; FA8726-08-F-0002).
DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY
Tyson Fresh Meats, Incorporated, 800 Stevens Port Drive, Dakota Dunes, SD 57049, is being awarded an indefinite delivery, requirements type contract on Mar. 20, 2008, to provide as needed, case ready, primal and sub-primal pork products for resale to the commissary stores located in the DeCA East and West Regions, including AK., and Hawaii. The estimated award amount is $308,640,542.70. The contract is for a two year base period with performance starting May 4, 2008 through May 3, 2010. Three one-year option periods are available. If all option periods are exercised, the contract will be completed May 3, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Sixty-five firms were solicited and five offers were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Commissary Agency, Resale Contracting Division, Produce Support Branch, 1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, Va. 23801-1800. (HDEC02-08-D-0005)
Lakeside Foods Inc. 7 East 13th Street Ste 322 Anniston, AL 36201-1083 is being awarded an indefinite delivery, requirements type contract on Mar. 19, 2008, to provide fresh shell protected eggs for resale at multiple delivery locations throughout DeCA's East Region commissaries to include the following states: S.C., Ga., and Fla. The estimated award amount is $9,347,826.12. Contractor will deliver fresh shell protected eggs to the store locations as needed. The contract is for a two year base period beginning Apr. 6, 2008, through Apr. 3, 2010. Three one-year option periods are available. If all three option periods are exercised, the contract will be completed Apr. 6, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Forty-five firms were solicited and six offers were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Commissary Agency, Resale Contracting Division, Resale Commodities Branch, 1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, Va. 23801-1800. (HDEC02-08-D-0003)
Hillandale Farms East Inc. P.O. Box 217 Codorus, Pa., 17311-0217 is being awarded an indefinite delivery, requirements type contract on Mar. 19, 2008, to provide fresh shell protected eggs for resale at multiple delivery locations throughout DeCA's East Region commissaries to include the following states: Va., Maine, N.Y., Vt., N.H., Mass., Conn., N.J., Pa., and Md. The estimated award amount is $16,153,893.04. Contractor will deliver fresh shell protected eggs to the store locations as needed. The contract is for a two year base period beginning Apr. 6, 2008 through Apr. 3, 2010. Three one-year option periods are available. If all three option periods are exercised, the contract will be completed Apr. 6, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Forty-five firms were solicited and six offers were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Commissary Agency, Resale Contracting Division, Resale Commodities Branch, 1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, Va. 23801-1800. (HDEC02-08-D-0002)
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2008 - To recognize his continuous support and recognition of sailors, Marines and their families throughout his 17 years on television, the Navy presented its Superior Public Service Award to Montel Williams yesterday in New York during the taping of his long-running program's final show. Navy Capt. Kenneth J. Braithwaite II, a rear admiral selectee and director of Joint Public Affairs Support Element Reserve, presented the award to Williams on behalf of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead. The Superior Public Service Award is the second-highest award presented to civilians by the Department of the Navy.
"Thank you, thank you," said Williams after he was surprised with the award presentation once the show began rolling. "I've tried in the industry to recognize (military servicemembers) and really bring to the forefront what is being sacrificed. I want to thank you, all of you, for what you do." Williams continued to wear the award throughout the finale show.
A video message from Roughhead, thanking Williams for his dedication and support to all sailors and Marines, will air in a special segment during the final week of "The Montel Williams Show" before it goes off the air in May.
"It was an honor to be able to award a true patriot like Mr. Williams," Braithwaite said. "This award signifies his genuine gratitude for military service. He has a definite understanding and appreciation of what sailors and Marines sacrifice, something he knows well from his own military experience."
Williams enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974, and in 1975 he was selected as the first black Marine to attend the Navy Prep School. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980 and was commissioned as an intelligence officer, specializing in cryptology.
During annual holiday shows in his television program's long run, Williams has reunited deployed sailors with their families. In 2006, he and a production crew flew to the Navy Central Command/5th Fleet area of responsibility to tour Iraqi oil platforms and meet with deployed sailors aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
His program frequently has featured guests from nonprofit organizations that support servicemembers to highlight their efforts. Throughout his 17 years on televisions, Williams continuously shared with audience members and viewers the importance of supporting the military and recognized sailors' personal sacrifices in service to their country.
Williams' mother and relatives were in the audience for the series finale. To his staff, some of whom had been with the show since the first day, Williams declared that it would be a fun show celebrating their 17 years on television.
"It is very bittersweet today. Everybody has worked so hard," said Kwame White, production assistant. "He is a great man. Every day, while at work, I meet someone amazing here who has overcome something, and it has given me such an appreciation for what I have."
Navy Band Northeast, stationed in Newport, R.I., opened the show by playing the program's theme song.
"It was pretty intense and it was fun. There was a lot of energy in that studio," Petty Officer 3rd Class Marc Heskett, who was featured on the saxophone, said. "Our performances are not normally televised."
Lt. Carl Gerhard, Navy Band Northeast director, said he was happy to be part of the event. "It feels great to be a part of this day," said. "This is a very special day for Mr. Williams, and it is nice to be here to play not only to celebrate his long run on television, but to play a tribute to his service as well."
The final episode of "The Montel Williams Show," featuring the Superior Public Service Award presentation, is scheduled to air May 16.
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2008 - The Defense Department honored Army Col. Valerie Ratliff last night for her efforts to break down barriers for future generations of women. But Ratliff hopes the recognition, conferred on her and dozens of others here during the department's 2008 Women's History Month Outreach and Observance Reception, will soon be made obsolete by virtue of future women's continued success.
"This is just the beginning of the trailblazer recognition," she told American Forces Press Service today. "And it will be a good thing when we won't have to recognize it in the same manner.
"The history books will be written, the 'firsts' will be done," she continued. "The doors have been opened."
The Defense Department honored Ratliff and 12 other women with "Female Trailblazers" awards. In addition, 14 women received the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Role Model Award for excellence in those fields.
Ratliff, an Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, is the first African-American woman in Army history -- and the second woman in the branch's history -- to command a battalion of the elite 82nd Airborne Division.
In July 2002, she led her troops to Afghanistan, and because of her outstanding leadership, was asked to lead a second element of her command to Iraq. As a result, five years ago from yesterday -- which marked the fifth anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom -- Ratliff found herself leading U.S. force toward Baghdad.
In addition to attaining the rank of Army colonel and earning credentials as a "jumpmaster," Ratliff said the award recognizing her work in paving the way for women in the military ranks high on the list of accomplishments and honors she's accrued during her career.
Ratliff, who also served as the evening's master of ceremonies, said the award was especially significant because it put her in the company of other great women.
"I had already read the great accomplishments by the other award recipients, so just to be in the midst of the company of fighter pilots and first women to command ships was a major accomplishment," said Ratliff, who currently works in the Defense Department's Personnel and Readiness office.
The colonel dismisses the idea that women's career arcs are limited by barriers specific to their gender, a prejudice sometimes referred to as the "glass ceiling."
"I believe that that glass ceiling is no longer there. I don't think it was (extra) difficult (for me)," she said. "I believe that the military in many regards has been started with men, and then women were incorporated into it, but with the leaders that we have now across the board, I believe that there is no glass ceiling and that women can go as far as they want to."
Ratliff said the reward was special because it cemented her path with those of other women who are currently breaking down gender barriers.
"What makes it unique is that I was recognized along with several other women who (followed) similar paths as I have," she said. "To be recognized for it and in the setting that it was for is what brought me the greatest honor."
The event, which comprised an audience spanning everyone from high-ranking officers to junior noncommissioned officers, allowed women to share in each other's success, Ratliff said.
"As each person's small accomplishment was recognized, we each had a sense that we were part of it," she said. "We were a part of what was being said about them; we were a part of the overall success and feeling that you got by breaking that barrier, so we all had that commonality amongst us all."
The other Female Trailblazer award recipients were Army Lt. Col. Vivian T. Hudson; Navy Command Master Chief Petty Officer Jacqueline L. K. DiRosa; Navy Command Master Chief Petty Officer Beth L. Lambert; Marine Cpl. Sandy Vital; Marine Sgt. Cortnie B. Jozsa; Marine 1st Lt. Stephanie P. Drake; Air Force Brig. Gen. Lori J. Robinson; Air Force Capt. Allison K. Black; and Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Cheryl L. Gordon.
Other trailblazer recipients were Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall; Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Anne T. Rice; and Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Wanda P. Wawruck.
Recipients of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Role Model Award include Fourth Estate STEM Winner Pamela J. McCue; Fourth Estate STEM Winner Dr. Beth H. Driver; Coast Guard Civilian STEM Winner Angela Owens Waller; Army Military STEM Winner Lt. Col. Lynn Byers; Army Civilian STEM Winner Kimberly Brooks-Hall; Coast Guard Military STEM Winner Lt. Cmdr. Gabrielle McGrath; and National Guard Bureau Civilian STEM Winner Barbara Koscak.
Other recipients were Navy Military Winner Lt. j.g. Onege Bateagborsangaya; Navy Civilian Winner Maria V. Thorpe; National Guard Bureau Military STEM Winner Maj. Teresa Morrell-Riech; Air Force Civilian Winner Dr. Gail J. Brown; Marine Corps Military STEM Winner Chief Warrant Officer 3 Melissa A. Tafoya; Marine Corps Civilian STEM Winner Robin Thomas; and Air Force Military STEM Winner Lt. Col. Lynnane E. George.
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