‘Team Mullen’ Highlights Troops’ Service, Sacrifices

Admiral Mullen is a Vietnam veteran.  Discover these Vietnam War books written by veterans who fought there.

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2011 – As “Team Mullen,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen and his wife, Deborah, have championed the needs of service members and their families during the admiral’s four years as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The chairman is the principal military advisor to the president, vice president, secretary of state and secretary of defense. Mullen turns over the chairmanship to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey tomorrow.

The Mullens have worked as a team to tell senior U.S. government officials, members of Congress, and influential business and civic leaders around the country about the efforts and sacrifices made by U.S. service members and their families, and how the public can connect with them. They also worked to improve military family programs, to improve care for wounded warriors, and, especially, to reach out to the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Much of this went on mostly behind the scenes as operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya captured the headlines. The chairman found time for these personnel issues, even as he wrestled with budgetary pressures, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, a change in administrations, the Quadrennial Defense Review and countless other programs that demanded his attention.

The admiral and his wife spoke about their interest in the well-being of service members, their families and veterans during a recent interview.

The Mullens are, of course, a military family -- the admiral was commissioned in 1968 after attending the U.S. Naval Academy and went on to serve in the Vietnam War. Their two sons are also serving in the Navy.

But understanding the stress the wars have put on families was key in elevating their interest. Early in his tenure, Mullen and his wife traveled to three Army posts and an Army event in Denver. At Denver, “I stood in front of my very first group of Army spouses and I told them that I knew next to nothing about the Army and I asked them to educate me about their lives -- tell me about being an Army spouse,” Deborah Mullen said.

They did, and Mrs. Mullen still corresponds with some of the spouses from that meeting.

“It was the beginning of a long time of learning about not just the Army, but the other services and what they had gone through up to that point,” she said.

In 2007, many military spouses already had seen their husbands or wives head off for one or two year-long deployments. The admiral’s wife said the other military spouses told her about what the strain of deployments meant to their families. They spoke of spouses learning new jobs, she said, which meant new uncertainties to their families. They spoke of the need for new programs and facilities to handle these new stresses.

“[What] these spouses were experiencing was something entirely different, and that was a year with their loved ones in harm’s way, every day,” Mrs. Mullen said.

The Mullens’ goal was to find ways to make differences for these families, but they did not want to step on the toes of the service military leaders. “We don’t see ourselves as activists, but as advocates for those who have carried the burden,” the admiral said. “This has been in our heart and soul forever. It’s frankly why we stayed in the military, because of the people.”

The two wars and the long deployments have highlighted the roles of military families. Ten years ago, few military or civilian leaders discussed family matters. Today, it is rare for a senior military or civilian leader to not mention families. First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, have been very involved in reaching out to military families.

“That’s critical,” Mullen said. “It has a way of focusing everybody and making it a priority and making it much more difficult to drop the money out of it.”

This is not to say there won’t be changes. “The Army is famous for if you’ve got a problem, generate a program,” the admiral said. “I have said in many forums: I don’t need more programs. I need the ones we have to work, and the ones that are not working to go away.”

Then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and current Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said they do not want to see family programs dry up for lack of funding.

“In a budget crunch, they are usually the first to go,” Mullen said. “I would argue that we keep the money the same and feed it in to programs that work and get rid of those that don’t.”

The Mullens have focused on the hand-off from DOD to the Veterans Affairs Department. DOD’s people, the admiral said, are its most precious asset. Yet, when their military terms end or when they are wounded, he noted, “we hand them off to another department that we really don’t know that much about.”

The admiral praised the Marine Corps for its Marine for Life program. The other services, he added, are also moving in that direction.

Mullen said the nation’s wounded warriors and veterans deserve prompt, quality services devoid of bureaucratic practices.

“These young ones who are in the wounded world, they want their lives back,” Mullen said. “They want to be as medically sound as they can be and continue to achieve the American dream. They deserve it.”

Mullen said early in his tenure as chairman that the money for wounded warriors and for the families of the fallen should come right off the top of the budget. “It’s a debt we can’t repay. These people deserve everything we can do for them,” he said.

The Mullens have visited wounded troops and their families, and have reached out to the families of the fallen. Both have visited Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., countless times. They have met with families and have formed bonds with them, and they tell Americans what the families of the fallen really want. “They ask us not to forget their loved ones and their service,” Mrs. Mullen said.

When the Mullens meet the families in Section 60 or other cemeteries around the country, the families carry pictures of their loved ones and tell stories about their service members, she said.

“They want you to know what happened to their loved ones, and they want to bring them alive to you,” she said. “They want to share the real person with you so when you walk through Section 60, you know that family and that person. Maybe we never met them, but we know who they are. For us that’s a sacred trust and promise we’ve made to the families who have lost someone.”

The admiral remembered meeting a family in Boise, Idaho.

“The mother came up to me and said, ‘We’ll never forget them, but please don’t you ever forget them,’” he said.

Mrs. Mullen had a family email her about a picture they saw online of their loved one’s headstone in Arlington. “They noticed right off that something that looked like a chip in the stone, and they asked me to look at it,” she said. “I went and it was a little spider web that was dark and looked like a chip. I brushed it off and sent them a picture to reassure them that it looked exactly as it was supposed to look.

“This is where their son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father is buried and it’s important to them that it’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Mrs. Mullen continued. “These requests are representative of the families. We need to honor their sacrifices.”

Getting the American public to understand the extent and scope of the sacrifices made by service members and military families is difficult. Less than 1 percent of Americans are serving in the military. Fewer and fewer Americans personally know of people who have served.

“It’s not that they don’t love and respect the troops, but they don’t know what the troops and their families have been through,” the admiral said.

As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mullen has often been in the news. He has appeared many times on Sunday morning talk shows, been the subject of a “60 Minutes” profile and has had a constant and two-way communication with the Pentagon press corps. But he and Deborah have reached out beyond the normal information conduits. They both appeared on “The View,” and the admiral appeared three times on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” They have traveled the length and breadth of the United States to speak with the American people, to meet with veterans groups and help families.

“The American people want to help their service members and their families,” the admiral said. “There is a sea of goodwill out there for them. They need to know how they can help.”

The Mullens will step back a bit after the admiral retires tomorrow. Earlier this month he spoke of “taking a long winter’s nap” following his retirement. But both said they want to remain involved with service members, veterans and their families.

And the couple said they’ll do their best to connect the American people with their military.

Face of Defense: Airman Improves Dust Storm Predictability

By Air Force Senior Airman Scott Saldukas

47th Flying Training Wing

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Sept. 28, 2011 – Air Force Staff Sgt. Thomas Jenkins refused to accept during his deployment in Iraq that the region’s dangerous dust storms could not be better predicted. As his squadron’s weather flight noncommissioned officer in charge, he took it upon himself to change that.

Jenkins, with the 47th Operations Support Squadron here, recently was deployed to Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, when he decided to give himself a research project before devising a plan to improve dust storm forecasts.

In the United States, he said, "we typically work with water-based weather such as rain, snow and thunderstorms. When you're out in [U.S. Central Command areas], you don't typically see that much. It's more blowing dust and sand storms. Because our models aren't built to work with that, it tends to be … more unreliable than what your typical weather forecast would be.”

That problem gave the military unit only about 10 to 15 percent accuracy in predicting dust storms, he said.

After about five months of research, Jenkins said, he devised a math formula that launched predictability to 80 percent accuracy for predicting dust storms. While the improved accuracy may not be needed much stateside, he said, it will be vital in many areas of Centcom.

"In the field, it will make sure [warfighters] will have air support for whatever immediate mission they are on, and have it more reliably," Jenkins said.

"Blowing dust and dust storms can provide huge impacts to missions and to ground personnel," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Aragon, the weather operations flight’s noncommissioned officer in charge. "Personnel can even be lost in an unforecasted event. So, having better tools to forecast these events can work to our advantage by being able to predict occurrences with the same accuracy as with forecasting rain and thunder, or even fog."

Every tool available is needed in a hostile location, Aragon said. "Everything we do is so time-sensitive and element-critical that we need every available tool, product and method that we can spare," he said. "It is something that is proven enough that the National Weather Service and Army research agencies are interested in its applications. This tells me that we need it in the field yesterday."

In the past year, Aragon helped Jenkins show his findings to people who would allow them to prosper and move toward implementation, including officials at the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

With the research completed and with the weather agency’s stamp of approval, training and field distribution is to begin next year, Jenkins said.

That accomplishment speaks volumes about Jenkins, Aragon said.

“When an airman comes up with an idea or concept and works to test its usefulness, it speaks highly of their dedication to the mission,” Aragon said. "When you have the mettle to push it further, to ensure that it reaches as many eyes as possible with the goal of making it commonplace for how we conduct standard [operations], that speaks volumes about character."

Check out the best Air Force books written by Air Force vets who made a difference!

Guam Sailors Volunteer to Clean Up Local Parks

By Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Claire Farin, USS Frank Cable Public Affairs

AGAT, Guam (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and various commands of Naval Base Guam (NBG) gathered together for the International Coastal Cleanup of Local Parks Sept. 24.

Sailors, along with their family members, picked up trash along the coastal line, cut bushes and trimmed invasive vegetation to clear the pathway while others planted tree seedlings in the area.

"It's a great opportunity to give back to the community," said Chief Navy Counselor John Jeffries, assigned to NBG, the overall volunteer coordinator for this local event. "It's a good time to go out and meet interesting people in the community and the different commands."

Along with Frank Cable and NBG, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC 25), the Naval Hospital and the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station (NCTS) also joined the coastal clean-up effort.

"I think everybody is pitching in no matter what their level of motivation is," said Construction Electrician 2nd Class Joel Glanz from HSC 25. "It's definitely been a positive outcome."

A major part of the clean up focused on maintenance of Asan Beach Parks and the War in the Pacific National Historical Park at Ga'am point. Located in the southern coast of the island of Guam, Ga'am point was one of the landing sites used by U.S. forces to liberate Guam during World War II.

"This site was a very significant point during the battle to liberate Guam in 1944 where the fiercest fighting of the battle was done," said Ben Hayes, the local park ranger. "There are pretty significant cultural resources here including guns and pillboxes, which we are helping to maintain today."

"I am really happy and honored that we have such a big turn out for the National Public Lands Day," said Hayes.

Frank Cable conducts maintenance and support of submarines and surface vessels deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

MOH Recipient Issues Scholarship Challenge

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2011 – Medal of Honor recipient Marine Corps Sgt. Dakota Meyer plans to raise $1 million in scholarship money for the children of wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen, and challenges the American public to match it.

Meyer announced his “Sergeant Dakota Meyer Scholarship,” a $2 million scholarship matching initiative, at the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation 2011 Ceremony and Reception, here, Sept. 13, two days before President Barack Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony.

“My entire Marine Corps career was about challenges and meeting that challenge,” Meyer said in an interview with MarinesTV. “So what I decided to do was challenge myself to raise $1 million for the scholarship fund initiative, and I’m challenging America to match -- dollar for dollar -- what I can bring into the fund.”

Meyer recently partnered with the foundation to form his initiative and raise the $1 million plus matching funds by the foundation’s 50th anniversary on May 28, 2012.

“I chose to partner with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation on this initiative because of our common mission of supporting Marines and Navy corpsmen families,” Meyer said. “Education paves the path for our future, and the money we raise will lead to a brighter future for the sons and daughters of many Marines.”

Meyer’s challenge to the public to raise a matching $1 million is to honor Marines and Navy corpsmen by educating their children, foundation officials said.

Outlining his call to the public for matching scholarship donations, Meyer set up the “Dakota Meyer Challenge” website.

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to U.S. military families, and has provided 26,500 scholarships valued at more than $65 million for the post-high school education of children of wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen, according to its website.

Meyer, the nation’s most recent recipient of the Medal of Honor, is credited with saving 37 lives in a six-hour firefight following an enemy ambush on U.S. and Afghan troops in the Ganjgal Valley of Kunar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2009, when he was a corporal. The nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor is awarded for risk of life in combat beyond the call of duty.

Meyer is the third living service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Sailors Support Caps for Kids during New England Navy Week

From USS Constitution Public Affairs

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (NNS) -- USS Constitution Sailors gave Navy ballcaps to children during a Caps for Kids visit at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. Sept. 27.

Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class (SW) John Campbell, Aviation Electrician's Mate 2nd Class (AW) Anthony Barnardo and Seaman Deidre Foster participated in the event as part of New England Navy Week, Sept. 25-Oct. 2.

"We all need support from time to time, and it was touching to support kids battling various illnesses," said Foster. "The kids really appreciated us visiting, and in return we appreciated their strength."

The Navy's Caps for Kids program is aimed toward children nationwide who are diagnosed and undergoing treatment for cancer, or receiving chemotherapy to treat other life-threatening illnesses. The program provides these children with a command ballcap in hopes of lifting children's spirits while they are required to stay in the hospital for extended periods of time.

"I'll never forget this Caps for Kids event," said Campbell. "Giving back to the community on a more personal level reminds me of the pride I have serving in the Navy."

Rear Adm. Walter E. Carter Jr., commander of Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, and Sailors from USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and Navy Recruiting District Springfield also took part in the event. Combined, Sailors gave more than 30 ballcaps.

"The event was phenomenal," said Carter. "With community programs like Caps for Kids, we have a chance to make a difference through the smiles on the children's faces. It has been rewarding, as is the chance to meet with Sailors from USS Constitution and USS Enterprise."

Constitution Sailors will also participate in a Caps for Kids visit at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, Sept. 30.

New England Navy Week is Constitution's fifth Navy Week this year. The primary purpose of Navy Week is to increase Navy awareness by presenting the Navy to Americans who live in cities that normally do not have a significant naval presence. New England Navy Week will showcase the mission, capabilities and achievements of the U.S. Navy and provide residents the opportunity to meet Sailors firsthand.

Constitution is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard of Boston Harbor and is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat. The ship defended the sea lanes against threat from 1797 to 1855, much like the mission of today's Navy. Constitution's mission today is to offer community outreach and education about the ship's history, as she welcomes more than 500,000 visitors per year.

Governor visits National Guard storm cleanup effort

Check out these Army National Guard books written by Guardsmen who fought in the wars and served their states during disasters.

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

Gov. Scott Walker got a first-hand look at storm cleanup efforts by the Wisconsin National Guard and other state agencies in two northern Wisconsin counties Sept. 23.

"After surveying the cleanup effort, I was truly amazed by the good work being done to repair the damage done by storms over the summer," Walker said. "I'd like to thank the local elected officials, hardworking state employees at numerous agencies, the Wisconsin National Guard, state legislators from the area and other interested parties for coming together to take decisive action to help deal with this massive blowdown."

Approximately 50 members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 724th Engineer Battalion have been working since Sept. 6 to clear branches, limbs and tree trunks from roadsides in Burnett and Douglas counties. The powerful July 1 storm toppled trees across 130,000 acres in six northern Wisconsin counties. The storm debris in the rights of ways poses a safety and fire hazard.

"This is really helping our local townships," Bobby Sichta, Burnett County Emergency Management director, said Sept. 19. "[Without the National Guard's assistance,] it would be more expensive to local townships. They've already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Sichta said that the storm damage for Burnett County was estimated at $1.8 million, and that many towns have taken out loans to pay for initial debris clearing efforts.

The Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers began the mission as an Innovative Readiness Training project, which allowed existing federal funds in the training budget to be used. The Department of Defense revoked its IRT approval Sept. 8, and Walker placed the Soldiers on state active duty. Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, engaged leaders at the National Guard Bureau to restore federal funding Sept. 9 via additional annual training orders.

The state Department of Corrections has approximately 30 inmates in three teams, two male and one female, assisting the National Guard in clearing storm debris. The state Department of Natural Resources and Department of Transportation are also involved in different aspects of storm recovery.

The 724th Engineer Battalion and local officials had identified more than 162 miles of road as having the greatest need of debris clearance. As of Sept. 22, the Guardsmen had cleared close to 86 miles, or just over 52 percent. Maj. Brandon Manglos, officer in charge of the cleanup effort, explained that weather and density of fallen timber in some work areas have hindered the cleanup pace somewhat.

"You've got six toppled logs on top of each other in some places," he said Sept. 19. "It takes a while to be safe."

However, Guard members have picked up the pace where possible, clearing more than eight miles of roadside Sept. 22. This was accomplished by working two teams in tandem, so that one team - with heavy equipment, wood chippers and chain saws - completes work at its area and "leapfrogs" the second team to begin work farther down the road.

"We adjust our tactics," Manglos said.

Dunbar praised the "Men of the North," many of whom just returned from a deployment to Iraq, for their efforts.

"This is the Guard at its best," he said. "Deployed overseas in support of contingency operations, and then responding to the needs of our community a few months later. It means an awful lot to the folks who live here."

The 724th cleanup mission, originally scheduled to conclude on Sept. 30, has been extended until Oct. 12. As of Sept. 24, the National Guard had begun cleanup efforts in all 11 townships.

Constitution Sailors Teach Naval History to Middle School Students

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Shannon Heavin, USS Constitution Public Affairs

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (NNS) -- USS Constitution Sailors taught more than 150 students naval history at Agawam Junior High School in Springfield, Mass. Sept. 26.

Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate (SW) Anthony Costa, Damage Controlman 1st Class (SW/AW) Jered Sasen, Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class (SW) John Campbell, Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Michael Fleck, Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Bryan Pickett, Operations Specialist Seaman Ashley West, Fireman Jessica Rodriguez and Seaman Jared Kercell gave their presentation as part of New England Navy Week, Sept. 24-Oct. 2.

"The students first came in the classroom wide-eyed, excited and unaware of the Navy," said Costa. "After the presentation they gained new insight to the Navy's mission in a fun, interactive lecture."

The history lesson included facts about Constitution's construction, her famous battle with HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812 and the ship in modern times. They finally answered questions from students about the Navy.

"The exposure of local history to our students is important and they were interested," said Karen Shugrue, the school's librarian and media director. "The presentation was contagious, as the kids are now looking forward to visiting USS Constitution."

Constitution Sailors undergo 20 weeks of naval history training, along with additional weekly training. They are also scheduled to give history presentations at Granite Valley Middle School in Monson, Mass. Sept. 27 and Converse Middle School, Sept. 29-30.

"It's important for our message to come across to people of all ages," said Kercell. "I always enjoy talking with students, and today I am thrilled I got to help students learn a new subject."

The primary purpose of Navy Week is to increase Navy awareness by presenting the Navy to Americans who live in cities that normally do not have a significant naval presence. New England Navy Week will showcase the mission, capabilities and achievements of the U.S. Navy and provide residents the opportunity to meet Sailors firsthand.

Constitution is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard of Boston Harbor and is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat. The ship defended the sea lanes against threat from 1797 to 1855, much like the mission of today's Navy. Constitution's mission today is to offer community outreach and education about the ship's history, as she welcomes more than 500,000 visitors per year.

Frontline Psych with Doc Bender: What’s the Difference between PTS, PTSD?

Discover these awe inspiring Second Gulf War books written by real-life veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.

By Dr. James Bender

Dr. James Bender is a former Army psychologist who deployed to Iraq as the brigade psychologist for the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Hood, Texas. During his deployment, he traveled through Southern Iraq, from Basra to Baghdad. He writes a monthly post for the DCoE Blog on psychological health concerns related to deployment and being in the military.

Hello. I was talking to our DCoE social media people a few weeks ago and they were saying that some people confuse post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with post-traumatic stress. It’s an easy mistake to make, especially for people who don’t spend a lot of time studying the topic. However, there are significant differences between the two and it’s useful for our nation’s warriors and the people who support them to know about them.

Post-traumatic stress is a common, normal and often adaptive response to experiencing a traumatic or stressful event. If you’ve ever been a bit shocked or rattled after a car accident or had a close call with a physical injury (falling off a ladder, nearly drowning or being in a combat situation) you may have noticed your heart racing and maybe your hands shook for a while. You might find yourself leery about engaging in the activity that almost injured you. Being more careful in a potentially dangerous situation is one of the positive outcomes of post-traumatic stress. Other experiences, like avoiding the activity that almost got you hurt or feeling scared, will subside in time.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a clinically-diagnosed condition. Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a situation involving the possibility of death or serious injury can develop PTSD (although many people who experience traumatic situations recover after a period of adjustment). PTSD symptoms include reliving the event through nightmares, flashbacks or constantly thinking about the incident. Other symptoms include avoiding situations or people that remind you of the event, trouble feeling positive emotions, and being constantly jittery, nervous, or “on edge.” These symptoms must be present for more than one month to qualify for a PTSD diagnoses.

Key differences:

■Post-traumatic stress symptoms resolve on their own and improve within a month. PTSD symptoms are more severe, numerous and interfere with normal life

■Post-traumatic stress is common and most people with post-traumatic stress do not develop PTSD

■PTSD is a medically-diagnosed condition

Those with PTSD have many effective treatments available to them. There are medications that are FDA-approved to treat PTSD and therapy techniques, like exposure therapy and cognitive therapy. If you have, or think you may have PTSD, the best thing for you to do is to educate yourself, download the PTSD Coach mobile app, visit the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, or contact the DCoE Outreach Center for material.

Thanks for reading and for your service. Please respond to this post if you have any questions or comments. Stay safe.

Germantown Works to Gain Amphibious Warfare Certification

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Mickler, Amphibious Squadron 11 Public Affairs

SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- Sailors aboard forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) worked toward amphibious warfare (AMW) certification Sept. 23.

Germantown must gain certification to perform amphibious operations, and is being tested by inspectors from Naval Beach Group 1.

"The amphibious warfare mission is our primary mission. Without that ability we can't be an asset to the U.S. Navy", said Cmdr. Jason Leach, Germantown executive officer. "That's the whole reason we are out here".

The certification process will take several days, in which inspectors will observe and test the crew in operationally critical areas.

"We're out here to check the preparedness of our forward-deployed assets," said Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Robert Saenz, of Naval Beach Group 1. "We assess the readiness and training of the crew in any area that involves the well deck operations including cranes, material conditions as well as small boat operations."

"So far they are doing great from top to bottom; this is what we see if the ship has good leadership and training," said Saenz.

Many of the crew members attribute their success during the certification thus far to the things they do on a daily basis.

"Train, train, train, even when we don't have any vehicles aboard we'll use a make-shift dummy so that we can keep training for an actual incident," said Damage Controlman Fireman Bryce Griffin. "That's why our team is getting the job done for this AMW certification".

"We deploy and operate a lot, and whenever we train we always go back to the basics," said Leach. "We always review and follow the instruction that way our Sailors know what to do."

Crew members aboard Germantown and inspectors will continue the certification process while embarking elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa.

Germantown is part of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, which reports to Commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet, Rear Adm. J. Scott Jones, who is headquartered in Okinawa, Japan.

Family, friends bid farewell to Kosovo bound Wisconsin Guard Soldiers

There was no shortage of support for approximately 30 deploying Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers during an official sendoff ceremony in West Bend Saturday (Sept. 24).

Gov. Scott Walker joined other state officials, family, friends and Wisconsin Guard leadership in honoring the Soldiers before a 12-month mobilization - which includes approximately two months of pre-deployment training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., followed by roughly 10 months in Kosovo in support of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission Kosovo Force, or KFOR.

Walker thanked the deploying Guard members on behalf of a "grateful state and nation" for the service they've already given and the sacrifice they'll give over the course of the next year.

The bulk of the Soldiers come from Company F, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment and will support the medevac mission as part of KFOR's Aviation Task Force. Twelve Soldiers, assigned to 248th Aviation Support Battalion, will join units from North Dakota, New Jersey and Wyoming to support the ATF's headquarters, lift and maintenance units, respectively.

"The Soldiers' experience is going to be perfect for this mission because the terrain and flying we do here is similar to what we'll be doing in Kosovo," said Capt. Joseph Bradley, commander of Detachment 1, Company B, 248th Aviation Battalion. "We'll do our peace sustainment mission and we'll do it well."

State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper spoke to the families in attendance and, by show of hands, polled the deploying Soldiers on deployment experience. He urged the Soldiers with prior deployment experience to guide newer Soldiers through the process.

Pfc. Alex Mumm, 238th flight operations specialist, is anxious to begin his first deployment.

"It'll be interesting to get over there and find out what a deployment is all about," Mumm said. "I'm definitely ready to be over there."

Kosovo Force - a cooperation between 30 countries, including 22 NATO nations - has worked to provide peace and stability in the area since 1999. Roughly 150 Soldiers of the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade are currently training at Camp Atterbury and will report to Kosovo in late November.

Kristi Dilley, Mumm's girlfriend, said she plans to use every means of communication available to stay in touch.

"Duty has called, but he'll always be in my heart," Dilley said. "He's worth the wait."

Pacom Commander: North Korea Remains Central Concern

Don't forget about these Korean War books written strictly by veterans!

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2011 – North Korea’s challenges to Asia-Pacific security and stability were most acute in 2010, but remain a central concern for U.S. Pacific Command, Pacom’s commander said today.

North Korea’s nuclear program and military objectives are a Pacom focus, and the command’s people work within the U.S. government and with regional partners to see North Korea “change trajectory,” Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here.

In March 2010, North Korean forces sank the South Korean ship Cheonan, killing 46 South Korean sailors. In November, North Korea launched an artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians. In the wake of those attacks, the attitude of South Korea’s leaders and people has “fundamentally changed,” Willard said.

“There is very strong … intolerance at this point for any further provocations,” he added.

Kim Jong-un’s rise to prominence as North Korea’s likely next ruler, following his father, Kim Jong-il, may mean further provocations will come, Willard said.

“In the past, succession has come with provocation as the new leadership has attempted to establish their bona fides with the North Korean military,” the admiral said.

Kim Jong-un’s prominence during the 2010 attacks “was not lost on us,” Willard said. “The prospects that he could be somehow accountable in a next provocation [are] important to understand as well,” he added.

Kim Jong-il’s health may largely determine the timing of future attacks, the admiral noted.

“We watch North Korea closely, as you would expect us to,” Willard said. “We try to determine the succession dynamics that are ongoing, especially as we approach 2012, which the North Koreans have declared as an auspicious year for themselves and what that may portend in terms of Kim Jong-un’s leadership position.”

North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. In January, then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he believed North Korea would develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that would be a “direct threat” to the United States within five years.

Willard said members of his command watch North Korea’s nuclear developments “very carefully.”

“We are concerned … that [Kim Jong-il] will continue to promote his ballistic missile programs, as well as his weapon programs,” the admiral said. “It’s very much the subject of the discussions that are going on right now between the United States and [North Korea], and I think South Korea and [North Korea] as well.”

In response to a question on a possible U.S. sale of Global Hawk surveillance vehicles to South Korea, Willard said he has frequent discussions with South Korean officials about their capabilities and “the potential for U.S. procurement of defense articles that can service their needs.”

“There are discussions ongoing with regard to surveillance capabilities in the South, and I think the United States, as you know, is very guarded about these high-tech capabilities being provided as defense articles. So that discussion is, in fact, occurring,” the admiral said, noting the countries’ strong alliance.

“When you consider … the fact that we have 30,000 troops in the Republic of Korea and we are very, very closely aligned with the Koreans in terms of all our military capabilities, the prospects that our highly technical capabilities could ultimately be part of a foreign military sale is a consideration,” he said.

Defense Intelligence Agency Celebrates 50-Year Legacy

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2011 – Since it began operations Oct. 1, 1961, the Defense Intelligence Agency has changed along with the nature of national security threats worldwide to become a key component of the U.S. intelligence community.

Today, according to agency officials, DIA is first in “all-source defense intelligence” – incorporating all sources of information -- to prevent strategic surprise and to support warfighters, defense planners and policymakers.

DIA manages and supplies all-source intelligence, and since the terrorist attacks in 2001, a growing number of DIA intelligence professionals have deployed globally alongside warfighters and interagency partners.

“We are more forward-deployed than ever, operating alongside our combat troops in harm’s way,” DIA Director Army Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr. said in a statement.

“DIA has an entire generation of intelligence professionals who know only wartime service. … They are very good at what they do, they’re committed to the mission, and they’re the best we’ve ever had,” he added.

The 9/11 attacks had a range of other effects on DIA and the rest of the intelligence community, including prompting the 2004 creation by Congress of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which assumed many functions of the positions of director and deputy director of central intelligence.

This and similar recommendations by the National Commission of the Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission, increased the practice of embedding analysts and other professionals from various agencies in each other’s operations.

“When you go forward, you find CIA, [the National Security Agency], [the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency], DIA -- everybody working together right there on the floor in a tactical operations center or supporting a command,” DIA Deputy Director for Analysis Jeffrey N. Rapp told American Forces Press Service. “It’s really pretty remarkable the kinds of collaboration and integration that’s going on to enable operations.”

Such integration has helped prepare DIA for the future, Rapp said. “We may not be poised immediately for every possible problem we’re going to run into,” he added, “but one thing I’ve found is that we’re pretty adaptive.”

An example this year was Operation Unified Protector, he said.

“[Libya] wasn’t the top target on our radar screen, let’s face it,” Rapp said. “Yet within a matter of three weeks, we were implementing a complete change in national policy through an air campaign supporting combat operations.”

The 9/ll Commission’s recommendations also prompted intelligence agencies to improve information sharing within the federal government and among federal, state, and local authorities and with allies.

An enabling technology for such sharing is Analytic Space, or A-Space, a project on a classified network on the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System that was initiated by the ODNI Office of Analytic Transformation and Technology as a collaborative space for intelligence community analysts.

DIA was the executive agent for building the network’s first phase.

“It is a place where analysts can go, and at the highest classification levels, collaborate on ideas, discuss analytic issues and exchange information,” Rapp said.

A-Space is cross-agency and cross-topic, he added. “Analysts can get together more easily than just through email contact or even telephone, and it’s more like what our younger folks are used to doing today.”

Another example is the Library of National Intelligence, created by the ODNI and the CIA as an authoritative intelligence community repository for all disseminated intelligence products, regardless of classification.

A key feature is a card catalog that has summary information for each report classified at the lowest possible level to allow analysts to discover nearly anything that has been published by the community regardless of document classification.

“All the production produced by the [intelligence community] every month goes to this Library of National Intelligence,” DIA Information Sharing Executive Roland P. Fabia told American Forces Press Service.

“There are probably 10 million holdings that analysts are accessing,” he added, “and it’s not only finished intelligence, it’s also raw intelligence.”

DIA’s first major challenge was in 1962, when the Soviet Union secretly placed nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in Cuba and DIA analysts played a key role in their discovery. Today, the agency’s work includes global terrorist movements, insurgencies and arms proliferation, along with the convergence of advanced technology, a complex and shifting international political environment, and increasing competition for global resources.

“If you look at where we came from and why DIA was created, it was an integrative agency to help pull military intelligence and military capabilities and defense analysis together for the department and for the nation,” Rapp said.

DIA, in collaboration with the services and the combatant commands, “helps focus and provide the best possible decision advantage to our senior-most policymakers,’ he added, “whether it’s the chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] and the secretary of defense, or the president. So, I think DIA is on a good path.”

“The nation has been understandably focused on current operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere since 9/11, [but] the rest of the world has not stood still. Other nations have used this period as their windows of opportunity,” Burgess said.

“While supporting troops in harm’s way,” the director added, “DIA must also maintain a sharp focus to ensure that our efforts to combat transnational terrorists do not blind us to strategic surprise elsewhere.”

Leap Frogs Race Into Coronado Speed Festival

Come and see the best Navy books written by Navy veterans to inspire you!

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (PJ) Michelle Turner, U.S. Navy Parachute Team Public Affairs

CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy parachute demonstration team, the Leap Frogs, performed during the opening ceremony of the 14th annual Coronado Speed Festival at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in Coronado, Sept. 24-25.

The festival was one of the flagship events of Fleet Week San Diego, which allows local residents and visitors to celebrate the spirit and achievements of Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen through a series of public events.

The event attracted nearly 20,000 people to the base, which is usually closed to civilians. More than 250 vintage cars raced on the runways at NASNI and around 1,500 classic cars were on display for spectators. Navy jets, helicopters, hovercraft and a rigid-hull inflatable boat were also on display to help commemorate the Centennial of Naval Aviation at the birthplace of Naval aviation - NASNI.

"The Leap Frogs are awesome," said Capt. Yancy B. Lindsey, commanding officer of Naval Base Coronado. "They really add a great dimension to Coronado Speed Festival. Navy SEALs - American people love them, they love to see them so it's really not the opening ceremonies without the Leap Frogs."

The sky opened up after a cloudy San Diego morning just in time for the Leap Frogs to perform. A trail of smoke indicated that the team was ready to jump out of the C-2A Greyhound, assigned to the Providers of Fleet Logistics Combat Support Squadron (VRC) 30, and seconds later five Leap Frogs were in freefall flight. Two jumpers stacked their canopies in a bi-plane maneuver while the other three jumpers flew a POW/MIA flag, a checkered flag and an American flag with different colored smoke.

Musician 3rd Class Spencer Haasenritter, assigned to the Navy Band Southwest, sang the national anthem, which concluded just as the last jumper came in to land with the American flag.

"The pageantry of the opening ceremony component to me is why everybody is here," said Alexandra Squires, executive director for the Fleet Week San Diego Foundation. "They're here to honor the military and by having the Leap Frogs come out of the sky from nowhere is amazing!"

Fleet Week is a great opportunity to open the gates of NASNI to the public, said Lindsey. People can come in and interact with Sailors and see what equipment they operate and maintain. The proceeds from the event support Naval Base Coronado's Morale, Welfare and Recreation funds.

The Leap Frogs are based in San Diego and perform aerial parachute demonstrations across America in support of Naval Special Warfare and Navy Recruiting as a global force for good. The team is composed of parachuting experts from Naval Special Warfare including Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant-craft crewmen, and an NSW parachute rigger, in addition to support personnel.

For more information about the Leap Frogs, visit leapfrogs.navy.mil.