Law Enforcement Jobs

So, you’re seriously considering a job in law enforcement. But, you have questions – What’s the job really like? How do I apply? Where can I find openings? What is the process like? How can I score the highest possible?

These are important questions. Indeed, anyone who has gone through the application process for a law enforcement job knows it is critical to score as high as possible. It’s your score that gets you in the door. Remember – the highest scores are passed on to the next phase of the application process for a law enforcement job and they are the ones who ultimately become the cop on the beat, the homicide detective, SWAT or tactical officer; or, even a future chief of police.

But, those dreams never happen if you don’t score as well as possible. Every cop gets asked these questions and two of them have taken the time to write down the answers. First, the Police Officer Exam, 3rd Edition, was edited by Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA. Many of the questions were updated to reflect current testing. More importantly, entire passages were re-written or developed to give you practical, down-to-earth advice on the process. Detective Lieutenant Barry Baker, Baltimore Police Department (ret.), has written “Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement.” Lieutenant Baker’s book not only helps you with the process, but helps to visualize your career and to make that career happen.

Lieutenants Foster and Baker give you a coast-to-coast perspective on a career in law enforcement and the one-two punch you need to score high, get the job and begin your career. You need both books to be successful. Order both books today!

Click here for more information on the books

Police-Writers.com now hosts 420 police officers (representing 183 police departments) and their 894 books in six 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.

Ohio Police Writers

Editor's Note: One writer is Vietnam Veteran

March 27, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books, added three police writers from departments in the state of Ohio.

Drafted into the United States Army at age 19, and the height of the 1968 Tet offensive in Vietnam, Joseph Reass found himself suddenly transformed from a naïve teenager into a rifleman in the 25th Infantry Division, 9th Infantry Regiment. Arriving in Vietnam as a Private First Class, he survived a year of combat with the famed “Manchu” Regiment and returned to the United States with the rank of Sergeant. Back at home, he readjusted to civilian life by continuing his education. Earning a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Capital University and a master’s degree from Ohio University in Political Science, Joe put the war behind him and reentered the world.

After a 25 year career with Columbus Police Department (Ohio), including 13 years as a criminal investigator, he retired in 1997. Returning to Ohio University as a member of the faculty, he currently teaches in the Bachelor of Criminal Justice Program and is the director of the Southern Ohio Police Training Institute.

Joseph Reass’ first novel is Dragon Men. According to the book description, “In it he depicts real events pulled from long clouded memories of his combat experiences in Vietnam. Pieced together and told by a fictitious protagonist, David Reno, the story brings into perspective, true events, honest, tragic and even humorous that young men of Charlie Company, 4th Brigade, 9th Regiment, faced in the unconventional combat of the Vietnam War.

Along with graphic descriptions of combat and death, there are insights into men who served and how they coped with difficult situations of surviving not only the fighting, but the arduous life in the boonies. Live with young soldiers who deal with extreme situations of war, weather and military life.

It is an honest story that will interest anyone who served in combat, who want an unglorified glimpse of combat life or anyone who likes personal adventures told by real characters.”

David Swords is a retired Police Lieutenant, having served thirty years with the Springfield Police Department (Ohio). Nearly half of his police career was spent as an investigator, working on cases ranging from simple vandalisms to armed robberies and murders. His varied experience has given him a unique understanding of human nature; an understanding that brings the characters of “Shadows on the Soul” to life in the mind of the reader.

In David Swords’ book his proposes the questions what would have happened in the Nazis had won and the United States was occupied territory. According to his book description, “the story takes you with John as he tries his best to live a normal life as a government official in the 1960’s America that might have been - Nazi occupied America. John’s normal life is disrupted as he reluctantly helps a prisoner who has escaped from a labor camp; a man imprisoned for no crime, except the color of his skin.”

Edward A. Stein, Sr., a 35 year veteran of the Cleveland Police Department published an autobiography entitled My Badge is My Intergity.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 420 police officers (representing 183 police departments) and their 894 books in six 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.

Enlisted Advisor's Presence in China Visits Highlights NCO Importance

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 27, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized just how important U.S. military leaders believe noncommissioned officers are by including his senior enlisted advisor in all his talks with senior Japanese and Chinese leaders. Marine Gen. Peter Pace made sure that Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey was in on every meeting, dinner and exercise during the weeklong trip March 19-27.

"It raised some eyebrows, especially with the Chinese," a Joint Staff official traveling with Pace said. "They are not used to enlisted personnel being anything more than technicians."

The general sees Gainey's participation as a plus for all involved. He gets another set of eyes examining problems, and the foreign military leaders get a firsthand look at what NCOs bring to the table.

"I think the Chinese have a much better understanding (of the role of NCOs in the U.S. military)," Pace said during an interview. "But because they don't have that concept in their military, they still don't have a complete understanding of what our NCO corps is all about."

Pace took every opportunity to talk about the sergeant major and his place in the NCO corps and how important the U.S. NCO corps is to American military success.

"I think that resonated with the Chinese," he said. "Having him side by side with me was a projection to the Chinese of the whole cloth of the leadership of our armed forces."

The chairman wants more military-to-military contacts between the United States and China. For his part, Gainey wants to see that some of those contacts are between NCOs.

The sergeant major offered to sponsor a senior Chinese NCO during the next Chinese delegation to visit Washington. "I hope they will allow the NCO to visit me, and I will have him meet with a group of U.S. NCOs," Gainey said during an interview. "It's important we create understanding between the militaries. The NCO corps is basic to understanding the U.S. military."

In China, NCOs are not trainers as they are in the United States.

"I had a full briefing on their NCO and enlisted policies by their (chief of personnel)," he said. "The general and I talked about how he could establish an NCO corps. He was taken aback by how General Pace would allow me to have as much authority. They were very open about it. The general told me that he could not understand it.

"I explained to him that General Pace delegates authority, but he cannot delegate responsibility," Gainey continued.

Gainey accompanied Pace to a military exercise at Dalian Military Training Area. The sergeant major, an Army scout, noticed that every tank or armored personnel carrier was commanded by an officer. "In our tank platoon, we have one officer and the tank commanders are NCOs," he said.

Follow-up will be interesting, Gainey said. He said he plans to work with the chairman and the Joint Staff to promote military-to-military contacts.

"I think we learned a lot from each other, and I think we broke some new, very positive ground," he said of the Chinese. "We need to keep moving."

Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.

Arizona Group Honors One of State's Soldiers

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

March 27, 2007 – A letter from a soldier added bittersweet importance to Packages From Home's participation in Tucson Navy Week's weekend activities at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and an Arizona Diamondbacks preseason baseball game. Kathleen Lewis, founder of the Phoenix-based troop-support group, received a letter March 15 from Army Staff Sgt. Darrel Kasson thanking her for the last of the three care packages the group had sent him in Iraq. The letter touched Lewis, and she planned to send the soldier a "really, really great box" the following Saturday.

"Friday morning I got the call, and he had been killed in action with (a roadside bomb)," Lewis said. "What we decided to do was take our weekend -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- and dedicate it to him."

It seemed appropriate, since Kasson was from the Tucson area and the group would be spending March 16-18 there, she said. The group offered those who attended the Tucson Navy Week a chance to leave personal messages to Kasson's family at both venues.

"We had lines at our booth ... for people to sign their sentiments to both our troops and to Staff Sergeant Kasson and his family," she said. "The same was true at the Diamondbacks' game."

In addition, Packages From Home included a note in each box packed that weekend indicating the package was being sent in his honor and memory, Lewis said.

"It's never easy to hear when you lose one of your soldiers," she said. "With Sergeant Kasson, I had his letter ... on my counter and I had big plans for him.

"So we did things a little bit differently," she added.

Packages From Home is a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights what Americans and the corporate sector are doing to support the nation's military members and their families.

While honoring Kasson, Lewis said, she and her volunteers also got to spread the word about how others could help support servicemembers like him. At times, 10 to 20 people were at the booth, curious to learn more about Packages From Home and America Supports You.

With so many visitors to the state in the spring, it was a golden opportunity, she said

"Someone might come to our booth and (think Packages From Home is just an Arizona group)," she said. "We wanted to say, ... 'You can go to America Supports You and find out where in your state you can join a group like ours.'"

Packages From Home also was able to arrange a public service announcement about the group and America Supports You during a pre-season game. Lewis said the group hopes to work with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the state's hockey team, the Coyotes, in the future to help encourage fans to support the troops.

"As I've said a thousand times, the best of America is in Iraq and Afghanistan today," Lewis said. "That's where our best citizens are, and I love them so much."

That love is evident in the more than 85,000 packages the group has shipped to deployed servicemembers since March 2004, she said.

Tucson Navy Week, which took place March 14-20, is a weeklong series of awareness events held in conjunction with Major League Baseball Spring Training and Aerospace & Arizona Days. Twenty-six Navy weeks are planned across the country to show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy and increase awareness in cities that do not have a significant everyday Navy presence.

Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.

USS John C. Stennis Now Operating in Persian Gulf

American Forces Press Service

March 27, 2007 – The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis entered the Persian Gulf today escorted by the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam. While in the gulf, the flagship of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group and its air wing, Carrier Air Wing 9, will conduct a dual-carrier exercise with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. This marks the first time the Stennis and Eisenhower strike groups have operated together in a joint exercise while deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

"This exercise demonstrates the importance of both strike groups' ability to plan and conduct dual task force operations as part of the U.S. long-standing commitment to maintaining maritime security and stability in this region," officials said.

Two air wings from the aircraft carriers will conduct air warfare exercises, while the surface components will conduct exercises in three general disciplines: anti-submarine, anti-surface and mine warfare.

John C. Stennis left its homeport of Bremerton, Wash., on Jan. 16 for deployment and began operating alongside coalition maritime forces in the region Feb. 19. After arriving, the strike group began conducting maritime security operations and providing direct support to coalition ground forces participating in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. During the 33 days of operations over Afghanistan, Carrier Air Wing 9 provided close-air support and reconnaissance to International Security Assistance Force troops on the ground.

Maritime security operations help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations. These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material, officials said.

The Carrier Air Wing 9 squadrons include the "Black Knights" of Strike Fighter Squadron 154, "Blue Diamonds" of Strike Fighter Squadron 146, "Argonauts" of Strike Fighter Squadron 147, "Death Rattlers" of Marine Strike Fighter Squadron 323, "Yellowjackets" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 138, "Golden Hawks" of Carrier Early Warning Squadron 112, "Topcats" of Sea Control Squadron 31, "Eightballers" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 8, and "Providers" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30.

The John C. Stennis Strike Group includes John C. Stennis, Carrier Air Wing 9, Destroyer Squadron 21, USS Antietam, the guided-missile destroyers USS O'Kane and USS Preble, and the fast combat-support ship USNS Bridge. More than 6,500 sailors and Marines are assigned to the strike group.

Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.

U.S.-Turkey Relationship Vital to National Security, Gates Says

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

March 27, 2007 – The U.S. relationship with Turkey is "under valued and under appreciated" and the country's geographical position is vitally important to security challenges facing the U.S., Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today told the American-Turkish Council. Gates spoke to about 500 attendees at a D.C. luncheon during the council's annual conference. The ATC is a business association that promotes commercial, defense, technology and cultural relations between the two countries.

In the 20-minute speech, the defense secretary acknowledged that U.S.-Turkey relations have had struggles in recent years, but added, "Our military, economic, political and personal ties remain strong."

He heralded Turkey's $175 million role in the Joint Strike Fighter program. The country has agreed to buy 100 of the F-35 Lightning II supersonic stealth fighters in development.

Gates also commended the country for allowing 16 U.S. Navy ships to make port calls there in 2006.

In support of the war on terror, Turkey has commanded two rotations of NATO's International Security Assistance Force and a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan, and has provided the U.S. access to Iraq through an air base in Turkey. Without that access, Gates said, operations in Iraq would be "exceedingly more difficult and vastly more expensive."

Still, all relationships need work to remain strong, the secretary said.

"The two nations should oppose measures and rhetoric that needlessly and destructively antagonize each other. That includes symbolic resolutions by the United States Congress as well as the type of anti-American and extremist rhetoric that sometimes finds a home in Turkey's political discourse," Gates said.

Gates conceded that the war in Iraq is a point of contention for Turkey, as well as many of America's allies. Adding to the tension is fighting on the Turkey-Iraq border against fighters for the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as PKK.

"The situation on Turkey's border with Iraq's Kurdish region is of particular concern," Gates said. "Every Turkey citizen killed by the PKK is a setback for success in Iraq and a setback in our relationship with Turkey."

Gates said he has tapped former NATO supreme allied commander in Europe Air Force Gen. Joseph W. Ralston as special envoy for countering the PKK, but acknowledged, "We know more needs to be done."

Regarding the situation in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, the new Multinational Force Iraq commander, is applying "sound counterinsurgency principles" that are aimed at giving the newly established Iraqi government breathing room, Gates said. Coalition forces are securing and holding neighborhoods, and the Iraqi government has committed the forces need to secure its capitol, he added.

He said, though, that Iraq's disposition will not be finally determined by military action, but by the political influence of its neighbors in the region.

"Whatever disagreements we might have over how we got to this point in Iraq, the consequences of a failed state in Iraq, of chaos there, will adversely affect every member of the Atlantic alliance and none more so than Turkey," he said.

"Iraq's neighbors will need to play a constructive role going forward even if they haven't done so in the past -- especially in encouraging political reconciliation and a reduction in violence within Iraq. This is certainly the case with Syria and Iran. They have not been helpful," Gates said.

He called recent talks in Baghdad "a good start," but said that the U.S. is "open to higher level exchanges."

Finally, Gates called Iraq's future an interest and a responsibility "that we will not abandon."

"Abandoning Iraq and leaving regional chaos in the wake clearly would be an offense to our interests as well as our values and a set back for the cause of freedom as well as the goal of stability," Gates said.

"In this strategic environment we have to be willing to spend the resources, absorb the costs, take the risks and meet the commitments we make to one another. It means having the creditability, ingenuity and skill to dissuade and divide our potential adversaries while reassuring and uniting our friends."

Gates closed his remarks with the Turkish proverb, "A wise man remembers his friends at all times, a fool only when he has need of them."

"The United States and Turkey have wisely remembered our friendship at all times," he said.

Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.

Crime fiction and other police procedurals

Editor's Note: Two of the three are retired military

March 27, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books, added three writers of crime fiction.

Robert Ruble quit high school to join the United States Marine Corps (USMC), where he was hoping for Korea, but instead was selected to be a Drill Instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego. Later he changed his specialty to Tank Crewman. He left the Marine Corps and joined the Tampa Police Department. After a few years as a police officer he re-enlisted in the Marine Corps and served a 20 year career, including two tours in Vietnam.

After retirement from the USMC, he worked for a variety of law enforcement agencies culminating his law enforcement career as the Chief of Police of the Kennesaw Police Department (Georgia). He was their chief from 1980 through 1986. He has written two thrillers - Have No Mercy and Black Rosebud: Have No Mercy II

George Galjan was born in 1942 in Berlin, Germany. In 1956, he immigrated to the United States with his family. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy. He served two tours in Vietnam and later transferred to the Navy Reserves. He retired from the Reserves with the rank of senior chief. In 1969, George Galjan joined the Cleveland Police Department. He retired in 1998, at the rank of lieutenant.

George Galjan’s book, Cops, Donuts and Murder, is a mystery set in the City of Cleveland. As one reviewer/reader remarked, “This is the best mystery book I've read for quite sometime. It is filled with twists and interesting characters. The ending was a total surprise. The book is written using dialog and it is so true-to-life that I couldn't put it down.”

Earl Kratzer is a retired Detective Sergeant from the Cleveland Police Department. During his career he worked on a number of interesting cases and is the recipient of the Rotary Valor Award for Heroism Beyond the Call of Duty. His book, My Baby, My Baby, is a classic police procedural that follows “a fictional account of a child abduction that is set in Cleveland, Ohio. The twists and turns that develop while the detectives are investigating this case, show the reader what actually occurs while following leads a criminal investigation.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 417 police officers (representing 182 police departments) and their 891 books in six 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.

'First Response' Helps Wounded Troops

By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service

March 26, 2007 – The soldier's eyelids fluttered as he heard his mother's voice over the phone. In a coma, it was the first time there had been any response from Army Spc. Jerry De La Cruz since he had arrived to Germany's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center from the combat zone in Iraq.

By holding a cell phone to his ear, a perfect stranger made it possible for Cathy Holcomb to whisper words of encouragement to her son from the other side of the world, telling him that she loved him and wanted him to make it home alive.

Tears ran down Carolyn Crossley's checks as she held the phone to his ear and tenderly grasped his hand that day.

An Army wife whose son had been a Marine, Crossley understood this mother's agony in not being by her son's side. At the same time, her heart went out to all the war-torn troops in the hospital ward who didn't have families with them in their time of need.

It was on that day that she silently promised herself that she would be by their sides when their own families could not and she would be there to help support those families who were.

Only two days before, Crossley had linked up with Peggy Baker to offer her assistance in helping troops after coming across Baker's name on the Internet. Baker, whose son was in the Army, had been visiting the wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here for more than a year, but she wanted to do more.

Baker, in Culpeper, Va., was the one who initially received the phone call from the desperate mother and contacted her new-found counterpart in Germany for assistance.

Crossley said she was hooked from the very beginning. Her obvious love for the troops and previous medical experience led hospital leadership to immediately ask her to join their ranks by working as a nurse on the ward, and the groundwork for Operation First Response was laid.

Operation First Response is one of the first members of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, a program helping connect home-front groups with servicemembers and their families.

Initially, the nonprofit group focused on supplying patients with backpacks filled with a new set of clothes, personal hygiene items, a phone card and a handmade blanket upon their arrival to medical centers. The group since has branched out to assist servicemembers with financial needs, such as helping to provide airfare for families or offsetting living costs when spouses or parents miss work to stay by a wounded relative's bedside.

Since the duo joined forces in 2004, they have touched the lives of more than 2,000 families who have come through Landstuhl and Walter Reed, in addition to other medical facilities.

The Operation First Response staff has grown to five members who work around the clock to help servicemembers. Crossley's husband has since been stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. She said she hopes to continue her outreach efforts for wounded troops at the installation's Womack Army Medical Center.

"It's an honor to be making an impact on these heroes' lives," Baker said. "The mere fact that these young men and women step up to the plate and putting their lives on the line for the country is ... well, more than words can express."

More than offering tangible donations, the organization gives emotional support as well.

"My focus has always been working with families and offering a shoulder for them to cry on," Crossley said.

Many families are on emotional roller coasters when seeing their injured soldier for the first time, she said. The emotions usually go from anger, to grief, to sadness and, with the help of First Response volunteers, to hope.

Volunteers from the organization visit wounded troops weekly, bringing by their favorite soda, or food in case a patient misses a meal due to an appointment, or giving them a little cash to live off of while in the hospital.

Most importantly, Baker said, they bring friendship. She considers each one to be part of her extended family.

"When you do that every week, you become very close with a family," she said. "You develop a bond. I can't find the words to describe how this has impacted me."

"It comforts me to know that there is an organization like yours out there to give families like mine comfort when they need it most," an Army wife said on the organization's Web site. "There is nothing like an organization that can give you love and emotional support."

In cases when their organization can't meet the requests of families, Baker and Crossley are quick to point them in the direction of support groups who can. By networking with other America Supports You members, Operation First Response can help fulfill the needs of a soldier or their family.

"The (Defense Department) support is invaluable," Baker said. "(Each home-front group's) scope is a slightly different, so if I can't help a troop, I know someone who can."

This article sponsored by military and police personnel who have written books as well as criminal justice online leadership.

Marines to Alert 1,800 Individual Ready Reservists for Reactivation

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

March 26, 2007 – Over the next week, 1,800 Individual Ready Reserve Marines will receive notice from the Marine Corps that they are needed in Iraq, an official announced today. Marine Lt. Col. Jeff Riehl, Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon today that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved the notification March 23, and the letters are being mailed today.

All enlistees in all services incur an eight-year commitment in some capacity, generally a combination of active or reserve duty and then IRR service. The Marine Corps can call up to 2,500 Marines from its 60,000-member IRR pool to involuntary service at any one time, following a July 26 authorization from President Bush.

To date, the Corps has recalled 69 IRR members under this authorization, and today's announcement represents the largest involuntary recall in the Marine Corps since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

From the 1,800 IRR members notified, Riehl said, Marine Corps officials expect 1,200 to re-enter active duty, including 1,067 sergeants and 133 captains. The ratio of notified IRR Marines to those expected to reactivate is 1 and a half to 1, as some Marines will be unable to fulfill their orders due to various mitigating circumstances, he said.

"We've adopted the philosophy of 'do no harm to the Marine,'" Riehl said. "So if a Marine comes aboard during the muster and they have family issues, medical issues (or) they cannot be activated for that timeframe, we have a delay, deferment or exemption process."

In addition, the service is excluding Marines who are in their first year of IRR service. Only Marines in their second or third year of IRR service are being involuntarily recalled, Riehl said.

The service is targeting Marines in aviation maintenance, logistics support, combat arms, motor transportation, communications, intelligence and military police -- career fields that are experiencing personnel shortages, he said.

"We're doing this to help beef up the forces in the shortfalls that we have," Riehl said. "Marines who receive notifications will be instructed to muster April 10-30 at the Mobility Command in Kansas City, Mo., and they will report between Oct. 9 and Oct. 20 for one year of additional active duty, Riehl said. Unit deployment dates will be in early 2008, he added.

The service has set up a Web site, https://mcmps.manpower.usmc.mil/MCMPS/GIDA/, to allow IRR Marines and recent retirees to volunteer for war on terror assignments.

The breakdown of military occupational specialties for the 1,200 IRR members is:

-- 361 Aviation Maintenance
-- 225 Logistics and Support
-- 223 Infantry, Tanks and Artillery
-- 178 Motor Transport
-- 97 Communications
-- 95 Intelligence
-- 21 Military Police

This article sponsored by military and police personnel who have written books as well as criminal justice online leadership.

Home-front Group Draws Accolades

By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service

March 26, 2007 – A home-front group that alters clothing for wounded servicemembers received accolades for its efforts on an evening news show last week. "ABC's World News Tonight" named Ginger Dosedel, founder of Sew Much Comfort, as being the news organization's "Person of the Week" during its March 23 broadcast.

"It was wonderful of ABC to nominate us, and I truly look at that as an 'us,'" Dosedel said. "I am only one small part of this organization. For them to take time to recognize everything America is doing to support the troops -- I think that is incredibly important."

President Bush invited the Dosedel family for a visit to the White House today so he could meet the inspiration for the nonprofit organization - Dosedel's son, Michael.

When the 13-year-old was younger, he had to undergo multiple surgeries on his legs that prohibited his wearing of regular clothing. His mom started making him clothing to accommodate the casts and large metal braces while he recuperated.

Dosedel applied her knowledge of adaptive clothing to help wounded troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan when she formed her organization in 2004.

She now heads up more than 1,000 volunteer seamstresses throughout the nation to sew adaptive clothing to help wounded troops who have difficulty wearing normal clothing due to amputations, burns or cumbersome medical devices.

"It's nice that I can help all these people," Michael said. "It can benefit a lot of people not only because it can give them a sense of dignity, but they can also go out on the street and feel good about themselves."

Sew Much Comfort is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program helping grassroots groups show their support for members of the armed forces and their families.

"I know the volunteers work so hard doing something that is not easy," she said, as she described the difficulty the organization's volunteer seamstresses overcome in changing the way they think about making and adapting clothes for their recipients.

"It's important to them to get this recognition," she said.

The group's seamstresses stretch across the nation, and include prison inmates who put their skills to use to thank the men and women in uniform.

"It's huge for the inmates," Dosedel said. She added that sewing for troops gives inmates life skills that are a tremendous increase to their self-esteem, as it allows them to do something for the men and women in uniform.

"It's humbling to be part of something that does something that's really, really good," Dosedel said.

The adaptive clothing not only minimizes the visual impact of servicemembers' wounds, she said, but it allows them to feel more independent, more comfortable and more dignified.

Hospital staff members also play a big role in the organization's success at meeting the needs of wounded troops. They have frequently made recommendations on how to better adapt clothing for their patients.

Dosedel said small things like increasing the opening of a shirt to include the shoulder helps burn patients to more easily don clothing over the tender skin of their wounds. Amputees have difficulty with buttons, so she and her seamstresses make buttons decorative objects with fabric fasteners instead.

Dosedel said one servicemember who lost his arm in combat stands out in her mind. While he was going through the surgery amputating his right arm, she gave his wife a shirt made specifically for him. The next day she stopped by to see how he was doing.

"It's a good day," he said. "I got dressed by myself today."

This article sponsored by military and police personnel who have written books as well as criminal justice online leadership.

Keating Becomes Commander of U.S. Pacific Command

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Hawaii, March 26, 2007 – Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating will bring the same good judgment and decisiveness to the U.S. Pacific Command that he demonstrated as commander of U.S. Northern Command, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke at a ceremony in which Keating assumed command of the largest U.S. combatant command, which encompasses 51 percent of the Earth's surface and includes 43 countries.

Gates said the admiral has demonstrated being able to handle a wide variety of complex and challenging assignments.

"He commanded a carrier group based in Japan, and later the Navy's 5th Fleet during Operation Iraqi Freedom," Gates said.

As the commander of U.S. Northern Command, he was responsible for guarding the United States "against a range of threats and means of attack from weapons of all kinds - some so small that they could even fit inside a thimble. His area of responsibility ranged from our nation's cities and coastlines to outer space and everything in between."

Keating, whose father served in World War II, assumed command under a cloud-studded Hawaiian sky. Flags snapped in the tradewinds as he accepted the flag signifying the change of command. He said he believes in the "power of the Pacific," and that PACOM servicemembers and civilian employees will work collaboratively with other agencies and ambassadors to perform the missions needed to protect the United States, its allies and American interests in the region.

"We are going to work hard to minimize internal staff churn and 'self-licking ice cream cone' assessments and instead concentrate on working with our ambassadors and our forward troops throughout this theater," the admiral said.

Gates thanked the men and women of U.S. Pacific Command. "I know that Admiral Keating would agree that much of what has been accomplished in this region is due to your dedication and professionalism," he said. "You and your families have our appreciation and thanks for everything you do for our nation."

Representatives from many countries in the Pacific Command area of operations - including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand -- attended the ceremony.

"I suspect that Admiral Keating may be visiting many of your countries in the coming months," Gates said.

The secretary said the sheer size of the command demands any country's attention. "But more than that, the scope of relationships and challenges encompassed in this area of responsibility are key to the security and continued welfare of the United States," he said.

The area is home to some of America's oldest allies on one hand and some of its emerging relationships on the other, Gates said.

"A great many partnerships across this command - old and new - have grown considerably stronger in recent years," the secretary said. "The restoration of military relations with Indonesia comes to mind, as does the strengthening of our long-standing ties with Japan and Australia."

Gates said the nations of the region must face both the newest and oldest threats to security. Missile and nuclear proliferation are problems, as is the threat of piracy. But there are other uncertainties as well, he said.

"Countries with limited transparency are taking actions that seem contrary to international stability - causing other countries to question their intentions," the secretary said. "And violent jihadists are trying to undermine the foundations of free society that have allowed many countries in this region to prosper."

Keating understands today's challenges and opportunities, Gates said. "He is fully prepared to continue the record of accomplishments that the countries of this region have built together," Gates said.

"The opportunities are immense. They are profound," Keating said. "We are going to capitalize on that."

He said the command and all its members will work hard to ensure a better quality of life for people throughout the region, free lines of communication, and the development of free and democratic societies throughout the Pacific Command area of responsibility.

Keating succeeds Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, who took command of U.S. Central Command on March 16. Air Force Lt. Gen. Daniel P. Leaf, PACOM's deputy commander, served as interim commander until today's ceremony.

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DoD, Army Conclude Tillman's Death Was Accidental

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

March 26, 2007 – Army Spc. Patrick D. Tillman was accidentally shot and killed by members of his divided Ranger unit after part of it had been ambushed by enemy fighters in a canyon in Afghanistan, senior Defense Department and Army officials told reporters here today. An early unit-level report listed Tillman as being killed by hostile fire, acting DoD Inspector General Thomas Gimble told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.

However, findings of follow-on investigations showed that Tillman was the accidental victim of friendly fire, Gimble said. Yet, Tillman's parents weren't told that their son had died in that manner, he said, until a memorial service held weeks after his death.

"What should have happened (is) the moment that they'd suspected fratricide, there should have been a supplemental notification that processed through (the chain of command and to Tillman's family)," Gimble said.

This situation represents "a failure to follow the directives," and it's inexplicable at this point as to why the supplemental notification wasn't made, Gimble said.

Follow-up investigations will determine why the proper notification was delayed, Gimble said. At least nine individuals, including a general, have been identified for further questioning involving this and other administrative aspects surrounding the reporting of Tillman's death, he added.

Tillman, who was posthumously promoted to corporal, died at age 27 on April 22, 2004, on a hillside located not far from Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Gimble and Army Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson, commander of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, briefed reporters on the findings of two separate investigations into Tillman's death initiated by the DoD IG and Army investigators in 2005.

There was no criminal intent involved in the former National Football League player's death, Johnson said, noting that was the focus of his investigation. Soldiers in Tillman's unit bore him no ill will, he said.

Prior to the enemy attack, Tillman's company commander had divided the unit into two groups, Johnson said, and the command was towing a disabled vehicle. Tillman's section had just passed through a canyon, Johnson said, when enemy fighters engaged the trailing group.

Tillman requested and received permission to go back on foot with another American and an Afghan soldier to try to help the ambushed convoy, Johnson said. As the besieged Americans passed through the canyon in their vehicles, some of its soldiers mistook Tillman, standing midway on a hill overlooking the scene, for an enemy soldier. The American troops fired on Tillman, killing him, the Afghan soldier, and wounding the other U.S. soldier, Johnson said.

The DoD IG and Army investigations each performed a ground survey of the site where Tillman died, Gimble said. Investigators working the two investigations interviewed hundreds of people, he said, including eye-witnesses.

The DoD IG was focused on discovering if the proper administrative processes were followed surrounding reporting of Tillman's death, including the notification of his next of kin, as well as award processing, Gimble said. Not all of the information in Tillman's Silver Star Medal paperwork was accurate, he said, noting further investigation of this matter will be performed.

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Pace Visit Paves Way for Better Relations With China

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 25, 2007 – By their words and deeds, Chinese military leaders made Marine Gen. Peter Pace welcome in their country and showed their desire to find common ground. Pace and his staff arrived in Beijing March 22 and left from Nanjing today. In between, there were a number of "firsts" for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Every single Chinese leader I met with went out of their way to make sure that our needs were accommodated," Pace said during an interview on his way back to the United States. "They made it abundantly clear to me both in the way they treated us person-to-person and in the things that we saw that they were interested in this being a successful trip."

The trip was a way to continue dialogue between senior U.S. and Chinese leaders and to build military-to-military relations. During the first meeting with his Chinese counterpart, People's Liberation Army Gen. Liang Guanglie listed a number of suggestions to move the relationship forward.

Liang suggested exchanges of students at the cadet level, more junior officer level exchanges and more senior officer meetings, Pace said. The two military leaders said they would also like to do more search and rescue exercises and find ways to cooperate on humanitarian relief exercises.

"All of the proposals they offered were well-within the realm of the possible based on the current restrictions under which we both operate," Pace said.

The general will work with the services, U.S. Pacific Command, the Joint Staff and the office of the secretary of defense staff to quickly implement the proposals, "because they all made good sense," Pace said.

Both men want a hotline running between Beijing and the Pentagon set up quickly.

"Now that I have had a chance to visit with my counterpart and I can put a face to a name, and a personality to that name and face, being able to pick up a phone and say to General Liang ... 'we have an issue we need to talk about' is possible now," Pace said. "You can reduce considerably the confusion and miscalculation, if you can pick up the phone and say, 'this is what I'm seeing. What are you seeing?'"

Pace visited the PLA's University of Science and Technology - akin to the U.S. service academies - today before leaving Nanjing. "I told the cadets at their military academy that when I was graduating from our Naval Academy it was inconceivable that a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would do the things that I did on this trip," Pace said.

The Chinese let the chairman visit and get into their top-of-the-line air superiority fighter, the Su-27, during a visit to Anshan Air Base. They also let him examine and drive around in their state-of-the-art T-99 tank after he observed a military exercise at Dalian military training area. Both were firsts for U.S. officers, Chinese officials said.

"It was indicative the lengths which the Chinese wanted to indicate to me their willingness to find common ground," Pace said.

Pace said he would like to see continued visits at his level on a yearly basis. He would like to see visits by other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, staff visits by senior members of the Joint Staff with their Chinese counterparts and would like to see the leaders of the military academies visiting their counterparts.

"That's the kind of recurring dialogue that opens pathways for better understanding," Pace said.

A military force is by nature command driven, and now the leaders of both militaries have given their blessings to the continued cooperation. "You've got to have senior decision-makers deciding it's the right thing to do, that it's okay to do more," Pace said.

He said the Chinese clearly understand the U.S. position on military transparency. "I think they believe a lot of what they are doing is a head nod in the direction of transparency on their part," Pace said, alluding to being allowed to go to the Su-27 and T-99 tank.

Chinese leaders also took time to talk about the details of their newest defense budget. Chinese military spending jumped almost 18 percent this year to around $44 billion. "I think they want to be more transparent, but like anything else that we do together, there's a difference between the things that we would want to know and the things they want to show us," Pace said. "We have to close that gap."

Pace understand that no military is going to share everything. "It's not as important how much money they are spending on the budget, as it is what capabilities they are buying and why they want those capabilities," he said.

Pace used the example of the U.S. Quadrennial Defense Review. He said that document is important because it details where the United States wants to go in military development and why. "If we had the same kind of transparency from the Chinese, it would go a long way towards reducing misunderstandings," he said.

And understanding each other was at the heart of the trip to China. "It was amply clear to me that they wanted me to feel welcome and they wanted to show me things they had never shown anybody else to make the point that they wanted to move closer," he said.

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President Requests Spending Bill Without Deployment Restrictions, Deadlines

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

March 25, 2007 – President Bush yesterday urged Congress to send him an emergency war-spending bill that funds overseas troop operations, but contains no deployment restrictions or deadlines for a withdrawal of forces from Iraq. "One of the most urgent legislative priorities is to fund our troops fighting the war on terror," Bush said during his weekly national radio address. "I've asked Congress to pass an emergency war spending bill that gives our troops what they need, without strings and without delay."

The Defense Department's emergency fiscal 2007 supplemental requests includes $93.4 billion to help fund U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the global war on terror. The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a defense funding bill that includes some domestic spending measures and requires U.S. combat troops to depart Iraq by Aug. 31, 2008.

The House war-spending bill "would cut the number of troops below the level our military commanders say they need to accomplish the mission," Bush pointed out. "It would set an artificial timetable for withdrawal that would allow the enemy to wait us out."

And, military deployment restrictions outlined in the House bill "would take an army of lawyers" to sort out, the president said.

The president has been adamant that he would not support such legislation.

"I have made it clear that I will veto any such bill, and it is clear that my veto would be sustained," Bush said, noting time is running short for Congress to send him a favorable bill.

If the supplemental funding bill is not passed by April 15, the Army will be compelled to consider curtailing and suspending training for Reserve and National Guard units, slow up training of units scheduled to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan, and possibly cut funding for the upgrade and renovation of barracks and other facilities, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters during a March 22 news conference at the Pentagon.

"This kind of disruption to key programs will have a genuinely adverse effect on the readiness of the Army and quality of life for soldiers and their families," Gates said at the news conference.

Bush concurred with Gates' assessment, noting that implementation of the U.S. House of Representatives' war spending bill in its present form would hurt the military.

"Our men and women in uniform will face significant disruptions - and so will their families," the president said.

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Top U.S. Officer Gives Young Chinese Troops Career Advice

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 24, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had some career advice here today for junior members of the Chinese Peoples' Liberation Army. A PLA television crew asked Marine Gen. Peter Pace how people build successful careers in the military. Pace had just finished observing a PLA military exercise. Standing in front of a Chinese T-99 main battle tank, Pace said it was important to understand the job that servicemembers have, "and do your job to the best of your ability."

Pace said servicemembers must know what those two levels below them are supposed to be doing, and to understand the intent of those two levels above them. "So that as you do your job to the best of your ability, you can take care of those who look to you for leadership and respond properly to those who look to you to follow," he said.

Troops should not think any job is beneath them or that any job deserves less than their best efforts. "We have an expression that says, 'Grow where you are planted,'" Pace said. "So what ever job you are given, do your best, and you will get another good job."

Pace also spoke about the military exercise he had just seen and an earlier visit to Anshan air base. He said the visit hasn't changed his attitude toward the Chinese military, "because I came here with great respect for the Peoples' Liberation Army, Navy and Air Force," he said.

The chairman said his visit reinforced his belief that the Chinese military is "world-class." It also reinforces the idea that there is much that the armed forces of the United States and China can do together to promote world peace, he said.

The PLA reporter asked the general if he considered China a threat to the United States.

"I believe a threat has two parts to it: One part is capability and the other part is intent," Pace replied. "Both the armed forces of the United States and China have great capabilities or capacities. But neither country has the intent to attack the other country. Because of that we are not a threat to each other."

He said exchanges between the Chinese and American militaries are key to bringing the two countries closer together.

"What we do need to do is have more opportunities to work together, to understand each other better, so we can build trust and confidence that will allow our two countries to go forward together," Pace said.

Pace listed some of the many new proposals to encourage these military-to-military contacts. He said his Chinese counterpart Gen. Liang Guanglie had suggested some of these proposals during Pace's first meeting with Chinese leaders in Beijing March 22.

"I agreed with the proposals immediately," Pace said. "There were such things as having our cadets at our academies trade experiences with each other. (Another would) have our junior officers trade places at some of our educational institutions."

Still another is to boost maritime search and rescue exercises and to find ways to cooperate on humanitarian missions.

"We need to just to seek ways to allow our armed forces to get to know each other better, to understand each other better," he said. "That will allow us, then, to build trust and confidence then that will allow us to work more closely together in the future."

He said there are 300 million Americans and 1.3 billion Chinese. Those men and women who serve in the respective militaries "can help both countries provide a better future for all 1.6 billion of those people," Pace said.

Pace moved to Nanjing, China where he will speak to the members of the PLA University of Science and Technology.

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Pace Visits Chinese Air Base, Checks Out Su-27 Fighter-Bomber

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 24, 2007 – In a move toward openness, Chinese military officials let the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff examine their top-of-the-line combat aircraft and allowed him to speak with pilots and ground personnel here. Marine Gen. Peter Pace and his party toured Anshan Air Base, home of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force's 1st Air Division, and he examined a Chinese-built Su-27 fighter-bomber. The base was part of a visit to the Shenyang Military Region.

The 1st Air Division has three flying regiments and has Su-27s, F-8s and F-7Es. The Su-27 is the top of the food chain for the PLA Air Force, and Pace was the first American to get such a close look at the aircraft, senior Chinese officials said.

NATO pilots know the aircraft by the code name Flanker, and former Soviet Union engineers designed it to counter the American F-15 Eagle. The Su-27 was engineered to be an air superiority fighter and the Chinese still use it in that role, but they also can use it as a precision ground-attack aircraft. The Russians licensed the Chinese to build the plane in China.

The Su-27 does have some drawbacks. Some of the avionic packages are Russian, and the "warranty isn't the best," said a U.S. military official speaking on background. There is no air-to-air refueling capability for the Su-27, and that limits the Flanker to a range of about 1,500 kilometers.

Pace, Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman, and Air Force Brig. Gen. Ralph Jodice, the defense attache at the American embassy in Beijing, climbed into the cockpit of the aircraft. In addition, Chinese pilots flew four aircraft around the airfield to give the chairman and his party a small look at what the aircraft can do in the air.

While he said examining the aircraft was good, Pace said he was even more interested in the PLA Air Force personnel. The chairman spoke to pilots and enlisted men about their service, the qualities of their aircraft and their training and experience of the personnel. He said they were highly motivated and impressed him with their professionalism.

Chinese officials said all their pilots are college graduates and that 96 percent of them are capable of handling complex air operations. The officials said pilots average 120 hours of flying time per year with most of their training centered on tactical considerations. Roughly 35 percent of pilot training is at night. They said they had about 130 pilots for the 100 aircraft in the unit.

In comparison, U.S. Air Force pilots average about 250 flying hours per year and there are roughly 120 pilots per 100 aircraft.

Pace thanked the Chinese personnel for their work. He said their efforts are helping to bring China and the United States closer together. Pace told the airmen that the United States and China have many common national interests and that it is in Asia's and the world's interest for the two countries to cooperate.

During the visit, the base commander pinned a set of Chinese pilot wings on Pace's uniform. Pace told the commander, and all the pilots he met, that, "while I did not earn the wings, I will wear them as a compliment to your professionalism."

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Chairman Observes Chinese Land Combat Exercise

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 24, 2007 – Artillery and mortar fire poured in on one impact area, while attack helicopters launched strikes that absolutely pulverized another. Tanks and armored personnel carriers raced down tank trails, firing main guns and disgorging soldiers who immediately went on the attack with small arms. All this - and more - went on under the watchful eyes of Gen. Peter Pace. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a Marine for 40 years, Pace has participated in countless exercises like this one.

But this one was different for the chairman. The troops, tanks, aircraft and armored vehicles were Chinese. Pace observed the exercise at the Dalian Training Area here at the invitation of the leaders of the People's Liberation Army.

Pace came here to increase understanding and military-to-military cooperation between the United States and China. He met with senior Chinese defense and foreign affairs leaders in Beijing March 22 and 23. After the meetings, he flew to Shenyang, China and was hosted by soldiers of the Military Region. Today, he visited airmen of the 1st Air Division at Anshan Air Base and then flew in a PLA Air Force Boeing 737-300 here to observe the exercise conducted by soldiers of the 39th Army Corps.

Fog on the peninsula jutting out into the Yellow Sea almost cancelled the trip. But it cleared enough to continue. Pace and his staff ate lunch with the leaders of the unit and then climbed a steep hill to observe the exercise. A Chinese senior colonel described what would take place through an interpreter.

And then the crack of artillery began.

The Chinese military ran the exercise without mistake or mishap, even though banks of fog sometimes obscured the terrain. Pace watched as state-of-the-art T-99 tanks rumbled into view and he could hear the squeal of the tracks as they went over the roadwheels.

Chinese soldiers ran out of BMPs - armored personnel carriers - to open lanes through simulated minefields. Some vehicles were "hit" and large clouds of red smoke billowed from them. The follow on forces drove on to the battlefield in older T-80 tanks.

The sights, the noise, the smells, the orders pouring over the radio net were familiar to seasoned U.S. military professionals observing the exercise. Even the feeling as the overpressure of an explosion a mile away reaches the observation point seemed normal. One difference was that in the United States, the friendly forces are called the "blue forces." In China, the friendly forces are called "red forces."

Following the exercise, Pace spoke with PLA leaders and then met with the soldiers who put on the demonstration. Pace thanked the soldiers for the extra work they had to put in to make the demonstration so successful. He told them he was honored to be with them, and said the free and truthful exchange of ideas by military professionals can make the world a safer place.

After a group photo, Pace and Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey shook hands with each of the soldiers involved.

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Medal of Honor Heroes Set the Standard, England Says

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

March 22, 2007 – Medal of Honor recipients are heroes, despite their many humble objections to the label, and are important to the fabric of our society, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told those gathered yesterday to celebrate the official naming of March 25 as National Medal of Honor Day. Medal of Honor recipients and their families, politicians, senior military members and others packed the historic caucus room in the Russell Senate Office Building to honor those wearing the nation's highest military award for bravery.

Congress this month designated March 25 each year as National Medal of Honor Day. The day is significant as the day the first Medal of Honor was presented in 1863.

At last night's ceremony, England highlighted the importance of the honor and its recipients to the nation and its military.

"Heroes are important. They are important to our military. But they are also important to every citizen and to every person in the world who enjoys and yearns for freedom and liberty," England said.

"Heroes set standards for the rest of us to aspire to. And by their example they encourage others to excel," he said.

England also recognized at the ceremony the two most recent recipients of the award, Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham and Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith, both recognized posthumously for bravery in the war in Iraq.

"They are an example of this generation of Americans who volunteer to serve and who serve today in sacrifice for all of us," England said. "In performing these acts, the recipients have demonstrated resolve, commitment, determination, will and raw courage to prevail. Those qualities are the underpinning of our nation."

England read a letter from President Bush to the group. In the letter, Bush said the country owes Medal of Honor recipients a debt for their service and, for many, the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.

"Our country is in debt to these great warriors and that debt is one that we can never fully pay," Bush wrote. "The courage and leadership of the men and women who are honored on this day represent the highest ideals in military service and each of them has set a fine example of what it means to be a fine American."

Retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. and Medal of Honor recipient Gary L. Littrell took the podium following the evening's longest ovation for a speaker.

Littrell said that during the past two years he has visited troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that such visits help him appreciate the freedom we have in America.

"When we get complacent -- which I do quite often, and I forget the freedom that we have -- all you have to do is visit a third-world country, and how quickly will you appreciate what the young men and women in uniform are doing for the freedoms that we have today," he said.

Littrell said that during his visits he likes to ask the servicemembers if they know why they are serving and fighting.

"I get a stern look," he said.

"They look at me and they say, 'Sergeant Major, I am here because I am fighting this global war on terrorism on their land and in their country to keep them from bringing it back to ours,'" Littrell said.

Littrell said he views National Medal of Honor Day as a call to action for its living recipients to help perpetuate the purpose of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.

"I do not view 25 March for the years to come as a day to honor 'we' the Medal of Honor recipients," he said. "I view the 25th of March as a day that we the Medal of Honor recipients can give back to our youth."

Littrell said he plans to spend the day each year speaking to groups such as the Boy or Girl Scouts, or at schools.

"Let's educate our youth. Let's give to our kids -- the future leaders of this great nation," Littrell said.

Littrell is the current president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Littrell was a sergeant first class in Vietnam in 1970 when his actions earned him the Medal of Honor.

Since 1863, 3,444 servicemembers have received the nation's highest military honor for courage under fire.

There are 112 recipients living today.

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Pace Calls for Closer Military Ties Between China, U.S.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – Military-to-military contacts will help China and the United States avoid misunderstandings and help build greater stability and prosperity in Asia, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said here today. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke during a news conference at the American embassy. He arrived in China yesterday and went into a full plate of meetings with Chinese military and foreign ministry officials.

Pace said military transparency is key to helping Chinese and American military leaders build understanding. "The biggest fear I have for the future (of U.S.-Chinese relations) is miscalculation and misunderstanding based on misinformation," he said during the news conference.

The American and Chinese military leaders also spoke about establishing a hotline between Beijing and the Pentagon. This would be another tool to help avoid miscalculations, Pace said.

The chairman said he came to listen to Chinese military leaders and work with them "to find better ways to provide for the security and prosperity of 1.3 billion Chinese and 300 million Americans."

"Basically, what I am looking for it to find ways that the military in China and the military in U.S. can foster understanding between our militaries in a way that will help foster understanding between our countries," Pace said. "(This will allow) us to become partners for the future."

He said the meetings were candid and cordial, with a good, open dialogue. He said his Chinese counterpart, Army Gen. Liang Guanglie, made a number of suggestions for military-to-military measures that could help build trust and confidence between the two nations.

The chairman said he enthusiastically supports Liang's proposals and will work with Chinese officials to speed their implementation. One is an exchange program for young officers and military academy cadets and midshipmen. Another proposal will expand search-and-rescue exercises between the nations. A third looks toward cooperating in humanitarian operations.

Chinese officials brought up the subject of Taiwan in each of the meetings with the chairman. The Chinese fear that Taiwan will seek independence. "It's clearly a fundamental issue for the Chinese government, and we should respect the fundamental nature of that issue," Pace said.

President Bush has succinctly expressed American policy in regard to Taiwan, and the chairman reaffirmed that policy for the Chinese leaders. "As a nation, we support a One China policy, the Three Communiques, the Taiwan Relations Act and a peaceful resolution to the issue," he said. "President Bush has also said he does not support Taiwan's independence."

The United States is determined to find "the proper, peaceful solution to the Taiwan issue," Pace said.

Pace called on Chinese leaders to foster transparency. He used the Chinese anti-satellite test as an example for the need. He said the test surprised the international community and caused confusion.

"It wasn't clear what their intent (with the test) was," the chairman said. "When the intent isn't clear, and when there are surprises and you confuse people, you raise suspicions. I think that is one area where we can work harder between the two militaries to make sure ... we tell each other what we're doing, why we're doing it, how we're doing it (and) what our intents are, so that it is clear."

The chairman said that when he assesses any nation militarily, he looks at the country's capacity and intent.

"Clearly, both China and the United States have enormous military capacity," he said. "But equally clearly, neither country has the intent to go to war with the other country. So absent intent, I don't find threat."

The danger is a miscalculation on either side, he said. He said China and the United States need to focus on fostering information flows that allow individuals, institutions and countries to understand each other better. Individuals and nations need to understand what motivates others.

Understanding why a country puts a policy in place is just as important as what that policy is, he noted. "Over time, you build up trust and confidence that allows, then, for more transparency," Pace said.

All nations will continue to have military secrets, and not every program is explained in a military budget. "Even best friends keep something from each other," he said. "This is not about being completely open about everything."

The Chinese military budget for 2007 will grow 17 percent, and that has caused critics to questions Chinese motives. "It is not only about how (many) resources are being put into the budget, but what is that money buying, and what is the intent of that capability," Pace said. "The more we are able to share the more comfortable we will all be."

Pace said there were no tensions in his talks with Chinese leaders. "I have been welcomed as a friend and I have been treated as a friend, to include speaking very openly and candidly, as you would to a friend, about things you agree on and things that are obstacles," he said. "Then we talked about how, as military men, we can help our countries work our way through those obstacles."

Pace's next stop is Shenyang, east of Beijing, where he will view Chinese air and ground capabilities.

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Keating Recaps Tenure at NORTHCOM, NORAD

By Petty Officer 1st Class Joaquin Juatai, USN
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – The outgoing commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command reflected on his tenure at a news conference here yesterday. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, who will take command of U.S. Pacific Command, noted that NORTHCOM was created to bolster homeland defense in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

"I think NORTHCOM represents a significant improvement in our nation's ability to defend itself," Keating said. "We are better prepared today by far to defend our homeland because of the existence of Northern Command."

During Keating's two-and-a-half-year tenure as commander of NORAD and NORTHCOM, many improvements and upgrades to the way both commands perform their missions were enacted, including realignment to the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, the traditional command center of NORAD.

"It is beneficial to improved combat efficiency and effectiveness," Keating said. "It will provide increased combat effectiveness for NORAD and USNORTHCOM."

Keating praised the personnel assigned to NORAD and NORTHCOM, stating that the United States and Canada have provided both commands with the "quality personnel and first-rate equipment" required to fulfill their respective missions.

"I am confident that we have the systems in place that will continue to deter those who would seek to attack us," Keating said. "I think the fact that there hasn't been an attack for five and a half years now is not accidental."

NORAD is a binational U.S. and Canadian command charged with aerospace and maritime warning for North America. NORTHCOM is responsible for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.

Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart will accept command from Keating in a ceremony here today.

(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joaquin Juatai is assigned to NORAD and NORTHCOM Public Affairs.)

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