By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 24, 2008 - In the Pentagon, "U2" usually refers to an Air Force high-altitude spy plane, but this week it referred to the rock group, as lead singer Bono met with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Jan. 22. "It's a matter of age that I thought U2 was an airplane," Gates told a Pentagon news conference today.
For years, the Irish rocker has championed relief to Africa, the world's poorest continent. Bono took advantage of a trip to Washington to meet with Gates.
The secretary said today that he was very impressed with Bono and his knowledge of the situation in Africa.
The singer had read a speech Gates delivered at Kansas State University in November "and had liked a lot what I said about also strengthening the non-military side of the U.S. face abroad," Gates said.
During that speech, Gates said that one of the most important lessons from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is that military success is not sufficient to win the war on terror. A soft-power approach -- using all aspects of government -- is needed. This include economic development, nation-building, establishing the rule of law, promoting internal reconciliation, good governance, providing basic services, training and equipping indigenous military and police forces, and strategic communications.
The secretary spoke with Bono about establishing U.S. Africa Command. "He did share some of the concerns that he has heard," Gates said. "We gave him some information on AFRICOM, and he was not ... hostile to it. I would say that he was open-minded about it and just recommended that we take care in how we proceeded."
The meeting went for about 20 minutes, Pentagon officials said. The singer was not wearing his trademark sun glasses, according to Pentagon employees who saw the singer arrive.
Gates said the singer seemed very well informed.
The secretary also said his daughter "nearly had an aneurysm when I told her who I was meeting with."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Missile Destroyer Dewey
The Navy will christen the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Dewey, Saturday, Jan. 26, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss.
Designated DDG 105, the new destroyer honors Adm. George Dewey (1837-1917) who commanded the Asiatic Station from the cruiser Olympia. Shortly after the onset of the Spanish-American War, Dewey led his squadron of warships into Manila Bay on April 30, 1898. The next morning, his squadron destroyed the Spanish fleet in only two hours without a single American loss. A widely popular hero of his day, Dewey was commissioned admiral of the Navy, a rank created for him, in March 1903. Two previous ships have proudly carried his name. The first was a destroyer (DD 349) that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and went on to receive 13 battle stars for World War II service. The second was a destroyer commissioned as a guided-missile frigate (DLG 14) before being reclassified as a guided-missile destroyer (DDG 45).
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. His wife, Deborah, will serve as sponsor of the ship. In accordance with Navy tradition, she will break a bottle of champagne across the ship's bow and christen the ship.
Dewey is the 55th of 62 Arleigh Burke class destroyers. The ship will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Dewey will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense. This is in keeping with "A Cooperative Strategy of 21st Century Seapower," the new maritime strategy that postures the sea services to apply maritime power to protect U.S. vital interests in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world
Cmdr. Warren R. Buller, of Concord, Mass., is the prospective commanding officer of the ship and will lead the crew of 292 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Dewey is being built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Pascagoula, Miss.
For more information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers, visit http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4.
Designated DDG 105, the new destroyer honors Adm. George Dewey (1837-1917) who commanded the Asiatic Station from the cruiser Olympia. Shortly after the onset of the Spanish-American War, Dewey led his squadron of warships into Manila Bay on April 30, 1898. The next morning, his squadron destroyed the Spanish fleet in only two hours without a single American loss. A widely popular hero of his day, Dewey was commissioned admiral of the Navy, a rank created for him, in March 1903. Two previous ships have proudly carried his name. The first was a destroyer (DD 349) that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and went on to receive 13 battle stars for World War II service. The second was a destroyer commissioned as a guided-missile frigate (DLG 14) before being reclassified as a guided-missile destroyer (DDG 45).
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. His wife, Deborah, will serve as sponsor of the ship. In accordance with Navy tradition, she will break a bottle of champagne across the ship's bow and christen the ship.
Dewey is the 55th of 62 Arleigh Burke class destroyers. The ship will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Dewey will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense. This is in keeping with "A Cooperative Strategy of 21st Century Seapower," the new maritime strategy that postures the sea services to apply maritime power to protect U.S. vital interests in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world
Cmdr. Warren R. Buller, of Concord, Mass., is the prospective commanding officer of the ship and will lead the crew of 292 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Dewey is being built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Pascagoula, Miss.
For more information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers, visit http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4.
Police Officer Takes Writing Career Full-time
January 23, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Best selling author and award-winning Police Officer Shane Moore announced his retirement from law enforcement and to pursue his writing career full-time.
Shane Moore grew up poor in rural Illinois. In his youth, he wore Salvation Army clothes and never owned more than two pairs of pants for school. Before began preschool, Shane tested off the charts and was moved to kindergarten at age three. Shane was sixteen when he entered his senior year of High School. After High School, Shane Moore enlisted in the United States Navy.
During his military service, Shane Moore served in campaigns Provide Hope and Secure Democracy, during the Bosnian civil conflict. After his discharge from the Navy, Shane Moore attended classes to become a police officer. At the time of his retirement he was a detective for the Gillespie Police Department (Illinois).
During his law enforcement career Shane Moore received: Over 30 letters of commendation from various supervisors, departments, and State's Attorneys; Two citations for bravery; One citation for life saving; One medal for life saving; and, Officer of the year in 2005.
In January 2007 Shane's first fantasy novel titled; "A Prisoner's Welcome" was released. Since then he has been taken on a whirlwind ride across the country signing books in Canada and many states, quickly becoming one of his publisher's best selling books of 2007. Shane Moore has gathered praise from many other authors of his genre, including Robert Fanney, John Beachem, and Joe Lawson. In addition, several professional artists liked his work so much they voluntarily have began series of artwork depicting characters from his debut novel. Of these artist, the most notable is; "Billy Tackett." Shane has recently met with several companies to produce products from his book.
Shane Moore has recently finished his second book; "The Breach of Crowns" and is working in his third; "Exodus of the Strong." He lives with his wife Alicia Moore, and his son, Dakota Moore.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 833 police officers (representing 379 police departments) and their 1759 law enforcement books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Shane Moore grew up poor in rural Illinois. In his youth, he wore Salvation Army clothes and never owned more than two pairs of pants for school. Before began preschool, Shane tested off the charts and was moved to kindergarten at age three. Shane was sixteen when he entered his senior year of High School. After High School, Shane Moore enlisted in the United States Navy.
During his military service, Shane Moore served in campaigns Provide Hope and Secure Democracy, during the Bosnian civil conflict. After his discharge from the Navy, Shane Moore attended classes to become a police officer. At the time of his retirement he was a detective for the Gillespie Police Department (Illinois).
During his law enforcement career Shane Moore received: Over 30 letters of commendation from various supervisors, departments, and State's Attorneys; Two citations for bravery; One citation for life saving; One medal for life saving; and, Officer of the year in 2005.
In January 2007 Shane's first fantasy novel titled; "A Prisoner's Welcome" was released. Since then he has been taken on a whirlwind ride across the country signing books in Canada and many states, quickly becoming one of his publisher's best selling books of 2007. Shane Moore has gathered praise from many other authors of his genre, including Robert Fanney, John Beachem, and Joe Lawson. In addition, several professional artists liked his work so much they voluntarily have began series of artwork depicting characters from his debut novel. Of these artist, the most notable is; "Billy Tackett." Shane has recently met with several companies to produce products from his book.
Shane Moore has recently finished his second book; "The Breach of Crowns" and is working in his third; "Exodus of the Strong." He lives with his wife Alicia Moore, and his son, Dakota Moore.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 833 police officers (representing 379 police departments) and their 1759 law enforcement books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
America Supports You: National Group Helps Wounded Troops Buy Homes
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - A recent study that estimates nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night has spurred Operation Homefront, a national troop-support group, to action. The study, titled "Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans," estimated that on any given night in 2006, 195,827 veterans were homeless. The number represents nearly 25 percent of the nation's homeless population.
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance and promotes morale for troops and their families. The organization is connecting wounded veterans, who can face financial trials during recovery, with home builders and mortgage lenders to make home ownership easier.
The group is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"When the statistics came out about one in four homeless is a veteran, that was when we said, 'That's it,'" said Meredith Leyva, founder of Operation Homefront. "That's exactly what's going to happen to our guys if we don't have a long-term vision here and implement it now.
"(We are working with) ... home builders to basically sell their excess inventory to wounded warriors," Leyva said, explaining that her organization's role is to make connections and help negotiate the best deals possible. "These are good homes, and (the builders) are dropping the price by $30,000 to $50,000."
The goal is to sell entire swaths of neighborhoods, ideally near Veterans Affairs medical facilities, to wounded warriors, she said. This creates an understanding community.
"It's a community that's going to look out for each other," Leyva said. "And even in the worst of times, they've still got their house."
To sweeten the deal further, Operation Homefront is working with mortgage lenders to negotiate lower interest rates on 30-year home loans.
The group also is asking lenders for a little compassion if a new homeowner should miss mortgage payments because of medical issues, Leyva said. That would require a statement from the doctor and a repayment plan, however, and there is no guarantee that the original lender won't sell the loan to another company who might not be so understanding.
As excited as Operation Homefront is about the program, its officials are realistic about how long it will take to get up a head of steam.
"This is going to take months, because people just can't make a commitment of hundreds of thousands of dollars on either the builders' or the lenders' side without some serious thought as to how they're going to do it," she said. "It'll take a good three to six months to build up some really solid commitments from builders and lenders."
Home builders in Arizona, as well as the Houston Housing Authority in Texas, have given the program a good start by committing a number of homes, Leyva said.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - A recent study that estimates nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night has spurred Operation Homefront, a national troop-support group, to action. The study, titled "Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans," estimated that on any given night in 2006, 195,827 veterans were homeless. The number represents nearly 25 percent of the nation's homeless population.
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance and promotes morale for troops and their families. The organization is connecting wounded veterans, who can face financial trials during recovery, with home builders and mortgage lenders to make home ownership easier.
The group is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"When the statistics came out about one in four homeless is a veteran, that was when we said, 'That's it,'" said Meredith Leyva, founder of Operation Homefront. "That's exactly what's going to happen to our guys if we don't have a long-term vision here and implement it now.
"(We are working with) ... home builders to basically sell their excess inventory to wounded warriors," Leyva said, explaining that her organization's role is to make connections and help negotiate the best deals possible. "These are good homes, and (the builders) are dropping the price by $30,000 to $50,000."
The goal is to sell entire swaths of neighborhoods, ideally near Veterans Affairs medical facilities, to wounded warriors, she said. This creates an understanding community.
"It's a community that's going to look out for each other," Leyva said. "And even in the worst of times, they've still got their house."
To sweeten the deal further, Operation Homefront is working with mortgage lenders to negotiate lower interest rates on 30-year home loans.
The group also is asking lenders for a little compassion if a new homeowner should miss mortgage payments because of medical issues, Leyva said. That would require a statement from the doctor and a repayment plan, however, and there is no guarantee that the original lender won't sell the loan to another company who might not be so understanding.
As excited as Operation Homefront is about the program, its officials are realistic about how long it will take to get up a head of steam.
"This is going to take months, because people just can't make a commitment of hundreds of thousands of dollars on either the builders' or the lenders' side without some serious thought as to how they're going to do it," she said. "It'll take a good three to six months to build up some really solid commitments from builders and lenders."
Home builders in Arizona, as well as the Houston Housing Authority in Texas, have given the program a good start by committing a number of homes, Leyva said.
Face of Defense: Paratrooper Learns the Ropes in Baghdad
By Staff Sgt. Mike Pryor, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - As a fresh-out-of-basic training addition to a company of paratroopers who have already been in combat for 13 months, Army Pfc. Kyle Canamore is finding out that he still has a lot to learn. Helping his new platoon search a house recently, Canamore found it an effort just to keep up. Everything sped up into a blur as he charged up and down stairs and in and out of rooms, his mind racing to make split-second adjustments, look for hidden danger areas, and cover every angle with his M249 squad automatic weapon. In a room on the second floor, he paused for a moment, the sweat running down his face, but there was no time to rest.
"Canamore. Hey, Canamore!" shouted his team leader, Spc. Bryce Bourland, who was busy searching through a closet. "You think I'm talking because it lowers my cholesterol? Get over here and look through these drawers!"
Canamore drew a breath and snapped back into action.
As the newest member of 2nd Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, Canamore, 19, is in a tough position. After basic training and airborne school, Canamore figured he'd have time to train with his new unit before he deployed. Instead, he received orders sending him straight to Iraq. Seemingly overnight, he found himself at a combat outpost in Baghdad, eating field rations with the battle-hardened veterans of Company B. As a SAW gunner, he goes out three or four times a day on patrols, where the learning curve has been steep.
"It's a lot of pressure, because you really want to do well and make a good impression," said Canamore, a Pekin, Ill., native. "Every time I make a mistake, I make a mental check and try to improve that," he said.
Canamore said he's always looking for advice from the more experienced soldiers in his unit, especially the noncommissioned officers.
"You ask them anything, any time, and they usually know the answer," he said.
That's the way it has always been, said Staff Sgt. William Weinburgh, of Wrentham, Mass., a squad leader with 2nd Platoon. While drill sergeants teach raw recruits the basics, it's up to the team leaders and squad leaders at their assigned units to push new soldiers like Canamore to the next level, Weinburgh said.
"New guys are going to be a reflection of you," he said. "Either you set them up for success or you set them up for failure."
In a combat environment, it becomes even more important to make sure new troops know their jobs, Weinburgh said. "There's no safety net out here," he said.
Bourland, Canamore's team leader, said he definitely feels the weight of that responsibility. He has two new soldiers on his team, both with young children back home. Bourland said it's up to him to make sure those kids see their dads again. If he is tough on his team, it is for that reason, he said.
"It's for a purpose. It's so they understand what it takes, so they can go home and see their wife or their daughter," said Bourland, a Fairfax, Va., native.
Out in sector, Bourland is constantly telling his new guys what to do, where to go, and what to look for. Occasionally, he has to use some undiplomatic language to make sure his point gets across. But even when he is on the receiving end of one of Bourland's verbal smackdowns, Canamore said, he appreciates his team leader's gift for language.
"It can be pretty funny," he said. "Of course, I'm not going to laugh," he quickly added.
Bourland said he'll do whatever it takes to get through to his new soldiers.
"You have to find ways of reaching them," he said. One of his methods is a variation on the power of positive thinking. Like a motivational guru, Bourland often suggests warrior or sports role models for Canamore to follow, always finishing with the Zen exclamation, "Be that!"
"Be Brian Urlacher!" Bourland shouted as Canamore struggled to move a heavy gate out of the way on one patrol, evoking the name of the Chicago Bears' star linebacker. "Brian Urlacher, be that!"
For the most part, Canamore said, he just keeps his mouth shut and his eyes and ears open. He said he is trying to absorb as much knowledge as he can, as quickly as he can.
"It's a lot of information, and you can never get enough of it," he said. "Sometimes it feels like you can't win, but you just have to suck it up."
Still, he's learning new things every day, and someday, he said, he'll be in a position to pass that knowledge on.
"Hopefully I'll be showing the new guys everything I'm being taught now," he said.
(Army Staff Sgt. Mike Pryor serves in public affairs with the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - As a fresh-out-of-basic training addition to a company of paratroopers who have already been in combat for 13 months, Army Pfc. Kyle Canamore is finding out that he still has a lot to learn. Helping his new platoon search a house recently, Canamore found it an effort just to keep up. Everything sped up into a blur as he charged up and down stairs and in and out of rooms, his mind racing to make split-second adjustments, look for hidden danger areas, and cover every angle with his M249 squad automatic weapon. In a room on the second floor, he paused for a moment, the sweat running down his face, but there was no time to rest.
"Canamore. Hey, Canamore!" shouted his team leader, Spc. Bryce Bourland, who was busy searching through a closet. "You think I'm talking because it lowers my cholesterol? Get over here and look through these drawers!"
Canamore drew a breath and snapped back into action.
As the newest member of 2nd Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, Canamore, 19, is in a tough position. After basic training and airborne school, Canamore figured he'd have time to train with his new unit before he deployed. Instead, he received orders sending him straight to Iraq. Seemingly overnight, he found himself at a combat outpost in Baghdad, eating field rations with the battle-hardened veterans of Company B. As a SAW gunner, he goes out three or four times a day on patrols, where the learning curve has been steep.
"It's a lot of pressure, because you really want to do well and make a good impression," said Canamore, a Pekin, Ill., native. "Every time I make a mistake, I make a mental check and try to improve that," he said.
Canamore said he's always looking for advice from the more experienced soldiers in his unit, especially the noncommissioned officers.
"You ask them anything, any time, and they usually know the answer," he said.
That's the way it has always been, said Staff Sgt. William Weinburgh, of Wrentham, Mass., a squad leader with 2nd Platoon. While drill sergeants teach raw recruits the basics, it's up to the team leaders and squad leaders at their assigned units to push new soldiers like Canamore to the next level, Weinburgh said.
"New guys are going to be a reflection of you," he said. "Either you set them up for success or you set them up for failure."
In a combat environment, it becomes even more important to make sure new troops know their jobs, Weinburgh said. "There's no safety net out here," he said.
Bourland, Canamore's team leader, said he definitely feels the weight of that responsibility. He has two new soldiers on his team, both with young children back home. Bourland said it's up to him to make sure those kids see their dads again. If he is tough on his team, it is for that reason, he said.
"It's for a purpose. It's so they understand what it takes, so they can go home and see their wife or their daughter," said Bourland, a Fairfax, Va., native.
Out in sector, Bourland is constantly telling his new guys what to do, where to go, and what to look for. Occasionally, he has to use some undiplomatic language to make sure his point gets across. But even when he is on the receiving end of one of Bourland's verbal smackdowns, Canamore said, he appreciates his team leader's gift for language.
"It can be pretty funny," he said. "Of course, I'm not going to laugh," he quickly added.
Bourland said he'll do whatever it takes to get through to his new soldiers.
"You have to find ways of reaching them," he said. One of his methods is a variation on the power of positive thinking. Like a motivational guru, Bourland often suggests warrior or sports role models for Canamore to follow, always finishing with the Zen exclamation, "Be that!"
"Be Brian Urlacher!" Bourland shouted as Canamore struggled to move a heavy gate out of the way on one patrol, evoking the name of the Chicago Bears' star linebacker. "Brian Urlacher, be that!"
For the most part, Canamore said, he just keeps his mouth shut and his eyes and ears open. He said he is trying to absorb as much knowledge as he can, as quickly as he can.
"It's a lot of information, and you can never get enough of it," he said. "Sometimes it feels like you can't win, but you just have to suck it up."
Still, he's learning new things every day, and someday, he said, he'll be in a position to pass that knowledge on.
"Hopefully I'll be showing the new guys everything I'm being taught now," he said.
(Army Staff Sgt. Mike Pryor serves in public affairs with the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team.)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
CONTRACTS
ARMY
Textron Marine & Land Systems, Textron Inc., New Orleans, La., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, a $227,798,613 firm-fixed-price contract for armored security vehicles. Work will be performed in New Orleans, La., and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on May 9, 2005, and one bid was received. U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-05-C-0470.
Walsh Construction Co., Chicago Ill., was awarded on Jan. 14, 2008, a $61,707,000 firm-fixed-price contract for military housing. Work will be performed in Whitman Air Force Base, Mo., and is expected to be completed by Feb. 9, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Aug. 17, 2007, and two bids were received. Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity W912DQ-08-C-0015.
Global Fleet Sales, Charlottesville, Va., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, $39,924,303 firm-fixed-price contract for 383 dump trucks. Work will be performed in Turkey, and is expected to be completed by June 1, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Aug. 15, 2007, and four bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-08-D-G096.
General Dynamics Lands Systems Division, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, a $17,638,923 firm-fixed-price contract for 204 RESET Abrams Integrated Management vehicles. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by April 1, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Sept. 25, 2007, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-06-G-0006.
IDSC Holding LLC, Kenosha, Wis., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, a $7,770,431 firm-fixed-price contract for shop equipment, contact maintenance lightweight tool load and sustainment items. Work will be performed in Kenosha, Wis., and is expected to be completed by March 15, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Ten bids were solicited on Nov. 19, 2007, and three bids were received. TACOM, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity DAAE20-03-D-0087.
AIR FORCE
APM, LLC of Yorba Linda, Calif. is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for $50,000,000 (Maximum). This contract is for broad range of maintenance, repair, alteration, and minor construction projects. The Government shall require contractor delivery of specific construction projects by issuance of delivery orders. At this time no funds have been obligated. 20th Contracting Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base S.C., is the contracting activity (FA4803-08-D-0002).
NAVY
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded an $18,672,992 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5437) for engineering and technical services in support of the MK15 Phalanx Close-In-Weapon System. PHALANX Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) is a fast reaction terminal defense against low and high flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other ships' defenses. The CIWS is an integral element of the Fleet Defense In-Depth concept and the Ship Self-Defense Program. Operating either autonomously or integrated with a combat system, it is an automatic terminal defense weapon system designed to detect, track, engage, and destroy anti-ship missile threats penetrating other defense envelopes. PHALANX CIWS is currently installed on approximately 187 USN ships and is in use in 20 foreign navies. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by September 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $3,624,660 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $12,476,160 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0014). This modification provides for the procurement of ancillary mission equipment for the F/A-18 E/F and E/A-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla. (89 percent); and St. Louis, Mo. (11 percent) and is expected to be completed in November 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Intermat, Biddeford, Maine, is being awarded a $12,177,959 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for further research and development to identify materials for use in Shape Stable Nose Tips (SSNT) for the Reentry Systems Applications Program. This contract is for the development of replacement and alternative SSNT materials for both existing Navy Submarine Launch Ballistic Missile Reentry Systems (MK4 & MK5) and the development and fabrication of thermal protection system materials and components (including nose tips, heat shields, control surfaces and antenna windows) for new/advanced Navy reentry systems and flight test experiments. The performance efforts include engineering studies, material analysis, material fabrication, material processing, and testing. Work will be performed in Biddeford, Maine, and is expected to be completed in January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity (N00178-08-C-3004).
Textron Marine & Land Systems, Textron Inc., New Orleans, La., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, a $227,798,613 firm-fixed-price contract for armored security vehicles. Work will be performed in New Orleans, La., and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on May 9, 2005, and one bid was received. U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-05-C-0470.
Walsh Construction Co., Chicago Ill., was awarded on Jan. 14, 2008, a $61,707,000 firm-fixed-price contract for military housing. Work will be performed in Whitman Air Force Base, Mo., and is expected to be completed by Feb. 9, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Aug. 17, 2007, and two bids were received. Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity W912DQ-08-C-0015.
Global Fleet Sales, Charlottesville, Va., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, $39,924,303 firm-fixed-price contract for 383 dump trucks. Work will be performed in Turkey, and is expected to be completed by June 1, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Aug. 15, 2007, and four bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-08-D-G096.
General Dynamics Lands Systems Division, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, a $17,638,923 firm-fixed-price contract for 204 RESET Abrams Integrated Management vehicles. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by April 1, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Sept. 25, 2007, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-06-G-0006.
IDSC Holding LLC, Kenosha, Wis., was awarded on Jan. 18, 2008, a $7,770,431 firm-fixed-price contract for shop equipment, contact maintenance lightweight tool load and sustainment items. Work will be performed in Kenosha, Wis., and is expected to be completed by March 15, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Ten bids were solicited on Nov. 19, 2007, and three bids were received. TACOM, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity DAAE20-03-D-0087.
AIR FORCE
APM, LLC of Yorba Linda, Calif. is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for $50,000,000 (Maximum). This contract is for broad range of maintenance, repair, alteration, and minor construction projects. The Government shall require contractor delivery of specific construction projects by issuance of delivery orders. At this time no funds have been obligated. 20th Contracting Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base S.C., is the contracting activity (FA4803-08-D-0002).
NAVY
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded an $18,672,992 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5437) for engineering and technical services in support of the MK15 Phalanx Close-In-Weapon System. PHALANX Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) is a fast reaction terminal defense against low and high flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other ships' defenses. The CIWS is an integral element of the Fleet Defense In-Depth concept and the Ship Self-Defense Program. Operating either autonomously or integrated with a combat system, it is an automatic terminal defense weapon system designed to detect, track, engage, and destroy anti-ship missile threats penetrating other defense envelopes. PHALANX CIWS is currently installed on approximately 187 USN ships and is in use in 20 foreign navies. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by September 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $3,624,660 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $12,476,160 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0014). This modification provides for the procurement of ancillary mission equipment for the F/A-18 E/F and E/A-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla. (89 percent); and St. Louis, Mo. (11 percent) and is expected to be completed in November 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Intermat, Biddeford, Maine, is being awarded a $12,177,959 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for further research and development to identify materials for use in Shape Stable Nose Tips (SSNT) for the Reentry Systems Applications Program. This contract is for the development of replacement and alternative SSNT materials for both existing Navy Submarine Launch Ballistic Missile Reentry Systems (MK4 & MK5) and the development and fabrication of thermal protection system materials and components (including nose tips, heat shields, control surfaces and antenna windows) for new/advanced Navy reentry systems and flight test experiments. The performance efforts include engineering studies, material analysis, material fabrication, material processing, and testing. Work will be performed in Biddeford, Maine, and is expected to be completed in January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity (N00178-08-C-3004).
Defense Department Works to Eliminate Gaps in Medical Care
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - The trauma care that U.S. servicemembers receive is the best in the world, but the Defense Department must continue to eliminate gaps in the medical process as patients move from DoD facilities to the Department of Veterans Affairs and to private hospitals, a senior Pentagon medical official said. Dr. Stephen L. Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said the military health system's future hinges on how it will become more efficient and how it will be more transparent to patients and families.
The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs are working closely together to share medical records, Jones said.
"We have been working to ensure we have secure, global reach of electronic health records," he explained. "The DoD and VA records would be integrated so when you saw that health provider in the VA, he would have access to the records from when the patient first entered the system."
Groups appointed to study the system identified the need to fix seams between military and VA medical care, Jones said.
"All of the task forces and commissions said we needed more integration and cooperation between the DoD and VA, and we've made tremendous strides," he said. "Are we where we need to be? No, because health records are a bit more complicated than financial institutions or airlines and such. Many more components have to be included – radiology, nutrition, provider nodes – all of the various aspects that touch you when you are in the health care field."
Record-sharing may be only the beginning, Jones said. "We are looking, for example, at whether it would behoove us to have one in-patient system that would be used by DoD and the VA," he said. "That study is under way now, and we will have recommendations in March."
Another gap that needs to be closed is between government and private-sector health officials, Jones said. Many private health care providers are not as far along as DoD and VA in keeping electronic patient records, he explained, so the records from a beneficiary's visit to a private physician may not make it into his or her military medical record.
"We need to build a system that will allow the folks working with patients and military families access to the records – whether it be DoD, VA, the state or a private institution," Jones said. Private-sector health care providers and the government are working to set information technology standards for health care records, he added.
Improved efficiency in Tricare and other third-party insurance payments is another goal for the military health system, Jones said. He also pointed out that Congress has told the Defense Department to address changes in Tricare cost shares. While private insurance plans are indexed to keep pace with inflation, the cost-share portion of Tricare has not changed since 1996, he explained.
As military medicine moves forward, more and more work is going into how the system treats traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorders. The department is moving out on these and other aspects of psychological health, Jones said, and Congress has funded additional research into these disorders. "Exciting things are happening and will happen in that area," he said.
The department has added specialists closer to the front to help warriors with psychological wounds. Jones said the military has come a long way toward eliminating the stigma associated with seeking mental health help, but more needs to be done.
"Let's erase the stigma associated with psychological wounds," he said. "Whether it's a wound to your body or a wound to your mind, it's the same thing. You need to get assistance."
Jones said substandard conditions found at Walter Reed Army Medical Center last year gave the department "a black eye." He noted that the problems at Walter Reed were not in trauma care, but in follow-on care and administrative processes.
"The department has made tremendous strides in trying to improve the care around the wounded warriors and their families," he said.
At the Military Health Services annual conference here next week, Jones will host a discussion on the future of military health care. This year's conference theme is "Caring for America's Heroes." More than 3,000 attendees are expected.
The conference is an attempt to communicate ideas throughout the force, and also provides an opportunity for DoD leaders to get input from the field, Jones said.
But it all begins with people, Jones said, and the nation's wounded warriors are in the best possible hands. From the medics and corpsmen on the ground to the doctors at the combat support hospitals to the specialists at Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., all are providing the best trauma care in the world, he said.
"Without that team, without that system, we would not be able to do the job that we are doing," Jones said. Servicemembers who would have died of their injuries in the past are now surviving, thanks to the commitment, training and medical know-how of those personnel, he said.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - The trauma care that U.S. servicemembers receive is the best in the world, but the Defense Department must continue to eliminate gaps in the medical process as patients move from DoD facilities to the Department of Veterans Affairs and to private hospitals, a senior Pentagon medical official said. Dr. Stephen L. Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said the military health system's future hinges on how it will become more efficient and how it will be more transparent to patients and families.
The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs are working closely together to share medical records, Jones said.
"We have been working to ensure we have secure, global reach of electronic health records," he explained. "The DoD and VA records would be integrated so when you saw that health provider in the VA, he would have access to the records from when the patient first entered the system."
Groups appointed to study the system identified the need to fix seams between military and VA medical care, Jones said.
"All of the task forces and commissions said we needed more integration and cooperation between the DoD and VA, and we've made tremendous strides," he said. "Are we where we need to be? No, because health records are a bit more complicated than financial institutions or airlines and such. Many more components have to be included – radiology, nutrition, provider nodes – all of the various aspects that touch you when you are in the health care field."
Record-sharing may be only the beginning, Jones said. "We are looking, for example, at whether it would behoove us to have one in-patient system that would be used by DoD and the VA," he said. "That study is under way now, and we will have recommendations in March."
Another gap that needs to be closed is between government and private-sector health officials, Jones said. Many private health care providers are not as far along as DoD and VA in keeping electronic patient records, he explained, so the records from a beneficiary's visit to a private physician may not make it into his or her military medical record.
"We need to build a system that will allow the folks working with patients and military families access to the records – whether it be DoD, VA, the state or a private institution," Jones said. Private-sector health care providers and the government are working to set information technology standards for health care records, he added.
Improved efficiency in Tricare and other third-party insurance payments is another goal for the military health system, Jones said. He also pointed out that Congress has told the Defense Department to address changes in Tricare cost shares. While private insurance plans are indexed to keep pace with inflation, the cost-share portion of Tricare has not changed since 1996, he explained.
As military medicine moves forward, more and more work is going into how the system treats traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorders. The department is moving out on these and other aspects of psychological health, Jones said, and Congress has funded additional research into these disorders. "Exciting things are happening and will happen in that area," he said.
The department has added specialists closer to the front to help warriors with psychological wounds. Jones said the military has come a long way toward eliminating the stigma associated with seeking mental health help, but more needs to be done.
"Let's erase the stigma associated with psychological wounds," he said. "Whether it's a wound to your body or a wound to your mind, it's the same thing. You need to get assistance."
Jones said substandard conditions found at Walter Reed Army Medical Center last year gave the department "a black eye." He noted that the problems at Walter Reed were not in trauma care, but in follow-on care and administrative processes.
"The department has made tremendous strides in trying to improve the care around the wounded warriors and their families," he said.
At the Military Health Services annual conference here next week, Jones will host a discussion on the future of military health care. This year's conference theme is "Caring for America's Heroes." More than 3,000 attendees are expected.
The conference is an attempt to communicate ideas throughout the force, and also provides an opportunity for DoD leaders to get input from the field, Jones said.
But it all begins with people, Jones said, and the nation's wounded warriors are in the best possible hands. From the medics and corpsmen on the ground to the doctors at the combat support hospitals to the specialists at Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., all are providing the best trauma care in the world, he said.
"Without that team, without that system, we would not be able to do the job that we are doing," Jones said. Servicemembers who would have died of their injuries in the past are now surviving, thanks to the commitment, training and medical know-how of those personnel, he said.
MRAP Production Facility Demonstrates Industry's Commitment
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - As Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was just a few miles away in Charleston last week, praising American industry for galvanizing to support deployed troops, modern-day "Rosie the Riveters" here were working around the clock moving mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles through the production line. The factory floor at Force Protection Industries, one of the biggest MRAP producers, buzzed with activity keeping up with demand for the vehicles Gates called "a proven lifesaver on the battlefield."
The secretary spent Jan. 18 touring the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, where teams install radios, sensors, jammers and other equipment in MRAPs fresh off the assembly lines before shipping them to Iraq and Afghanistan. Gates compared workers there, who like those at Force Protection Industries are working 24-7 to speed MRAP deliveries to the combat theater, to their World War II-era predecessors and praised the nearly unprecedented cooperation he said is enabling the MRAP acquisition effort he moved to the fast track to succeed.
"This has been a team effort, with many moving parts in the military and industry (and) elsewhere in the private sector," he said. "Suppliers of steel, tires and other materials have stepped up, as have manufacturers – firms in the United States and in 10 foreign countries."
"Since World War II, this really is the largest mobilization of industry to support the military that anyone has ever seen," agreed Tommy Pruitt, public relations director at Force Protection Industries.
Pruitt pointed to the broad range of players involved: steel mills, automotive component manufacturers, parts fabricators and others. "They really have mobilized the country to do what's best for the troops," he said.
Support for deployed warfighters supersedes political beliefs about the war, Pruitt said.
"There's an understanding that if we're going to send these folks to do a job, we have to make sure they have the equipment they need to do it," he said. "When it's time for them to come home, let them come home. But we need to make sure they come home the way we sent them. So there's a sense of urgency about getting MRAPs into the hands of the people who need them."
One would be pressed to find more concrete evidence of that collaboration or sense of purpose than on the production lines at Force Protection Industries.
Since the company's founding in 2001, when it began building Buffalo route-clearing vehicles and Cougar engineer vehicles – the first MRAPs – its work force has grown exponentially and its output has skyrocketed, Pruitt said.
Production began picking up in 2005 and "really ramped up in 2006," when the company produced about 300 MRAPs. By 2007, that number had increased more than three-fold. Force Protection Industries celebrated the roll-out of its 1,000th Cougar vehicle in November. And while he hasn't yet seen fourth-quarter production numbers for 2007, Pruitt said, the year's overall MRAP production figures will reach "well over 1,000."
Pruitt said he expects that trend to continue. Force Protection Industries, along with two other major MRAP manufacturers -- International Military and Government and BAE Systems Land and Armaments, are under contract to produce almost 12,000 more MRAPs.
Churning out those vehicles at Force Protection Industries is a work force that's grown from about 10 in 2001 to more than 1,500 today. In addition to ramping up its work force and production capabilities, Force Protection Industries did something almost unheard-of among competing defense contractors to ensure it could keep up with demand, he said. It entered into a partnership with General Dynamics so the two companies could share resources and technical know-how to speed up production.
"That's not always normal for defense contractors to work together like that," Pruitt said. "But in this case, everything that's being done is for the benefit of that soldier or Marine or sailor or airman. We're all working together because we want people to be able to come home to their families, ... and we want them to be able to come back in one piece to the same quality of life they had before they deployed."
The MRAP's distinctive V-shaped hull that deflects underbelly blasts has proven to be a lifesaver in protecting troops from improvised explosive devices. Until this past weekend, not a single servicemember in an MRAP had been lost to an IED. That perfect track record was broken Jan. 19 when an MRAP operating south of Baghdad was attacked by a powerful, deeply-buried IED, and its gunner was killed. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters today the attack only reaffirmed the MRAP's survivability.
"The powerful blast did not penetrate the crew compartment, but the force of the explosion blew the MRAP into the air and caused it to overturn," Morrell said. It's not yet known whether the gunner, who was perched atop the vehicle, died from the explosion or the rollover.
What is clear, Morrell said, is that the three soldiers inside the vehicle escaped without life-threatening injuries. "Commanders on the ground estimate they would not have been so fortunate had they been traveling in a less-armored vehicle," he said. Stories like this motivate workers at Force Protection Industries as they work two shifts a day, six and sometimes seven days a week to keep up with the demand for MRAPs, Pruitt said.
"We love hearing back from Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen who write to thank us saying, 'This vehicle saved my life,'" he said. The company circulates e-mails it gets from deployed troops and posts notes they send in the break room. "We share these stories with every employee who works here," Pruitt said.
Earlier this month, a military medic just back from Iraq who was passing through Charleston gave the factory a call and asked if he could stop by to thank the workers personally. "He said the Buffalo had saved his life 13 times," Pruitt said. "His call just came out of the blue, but that happens a lot with this company.
"That's really why we're here," Pruitt said. "And that's why industry has mobilized the way it has, because of stories like that."
Workers on the production line said they get genuine satisfaction knowing they're making a difference for troops in harm's way. Rachel Blouch, a 21st-century version of World War II's Rosie the Riveter, put her welding torch aside to say she feels a personal connection to deployed troops.
"It feels good working here, knowing that I'm helping make safe vehicles for them," said Blouch, who's married to Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Bradley Blouch.
"There's a big sense of pride in this job," agreed Ryan Griffin, a former Marine who joined the Force Protection Industries work force about six months ago. "I've got a few friends over there. The work we're doing here could save my buddies. And even if I don't know them, they're still family."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - As Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was just a few miles away in Charleston last week, praising American industry for galvanizing to support deployed troops, modern-day "Rosie the Riveters" here were working around the clock moving mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles through the production line. The factory floor at Force Protection Industries, one of the biggest MRAP producers, buzzed with activity keeping up with demand for the vehicles Gates called "a proven lifesaver on the battlefield."
The secretary spent Jan. 18 touring the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, where teams install radios, sensors, jammers and other equipment in MRAPs fresh off the assembly lines before shipping them to Iraq and Afghanistan. Gates compared workers there, who like those at Force Protection Industries are working 24-7 to speed MRAP deliveries to the combat theater, to their World War II-era predecessors and praised the nearly unprecedented cooperation he said is enabling the MRAP acquisition effort he moved to the fast track to succeed.
"This has been a team effort, with many moving parts in the military and industry (and) elsewhere in the private sector," he said. "Suppliers of steel, tires and other materials have stepped up, as have manufacturers – firms in the United States and in 10 foreign countries."
"Since World War II, this really is the largest mobilization of industry to support the military that anyone has ever seen," agreed Tommy Pruitt, public relations director at Force Protection Industries.
Pruitt pointed to the broad range of players involved: steel mills, automotive component manufacturers, parts fabricators and others. "They really have mobilized the country to do what's best for the troops," he said.
Support for deployed warfighters supersedes political beliefs about the war, Pruitt said.
"There's an understanding that if we're going to send these folks to do a job, we have to make sure they have the equipment they need to do it," he said. "When it's time for them to come home, let them come home. But we need to make sure they come home the way we sent them. So there's a sense of urgency about getting MRAPs into the hands of the people who need them."
One would be pressed to find more concrete evidence of that collaboration or sense of purpose than on the production lines at Force Protection Industries.
Since the company's founding in 2001, when it began building Buffalo route-clearing vehicles and Cougar engineer vehicles – the first MRAPs – its work force has grown exponentially and its output has skyrocketed, Pruitt said.
Production began picking up in 2005 and "really ramped up in 2006," when the company produced about 300 MRAPs. By 2007, that number had increased more than three-fold. Force Protection Industries celebrated the roll-out of its 1,000th Cougar vehicle in November. And while he hasn't yet seen fourth-quarter production numbers for 2007, Pruitt said, the year's overall MRAP production figures will reach "well over 1,000."
Pruitt said he expects that trend to continue. Force Protection Industries, along with two other major MRAP manufacturers -- International Military and Government and BAE Systems Land and Armaments, are under contract to produce almost 12,000 more MRAPs.
Churning out those vehicles at Force Protection Industries is a work force that's grown from about 10 in 2001 to more than 1,500 today. In addition to ramping up its work force and production capabilities, Force Protection Industries did something almost unheard-of among competing defense contractors to ensure it could keep up with demand, he said. It entered into a partnership with General Dynamics so the two companies could share resources and technical know-how to speed up production.
"That's not always normal for defense contractors to work together like that," Pruitt said. "But in this case, everything that's being done is for the benefit of that soldier or Marine or sailor or airman. We're all working together because we want people to be able to come home to their families, ... and we want them to be able to come back in one piece to the same quality of life they had before they deployed."
The MRAP's distinctive V-shaped hull that deflects underbelly blasts has proven to be a lifesaver in protecting troops from improvised explosive devices. Until this past weekend, not a single servicemember in an MRAP had been lost to an IED. That perfect track record was broken Jan. 19 when an MRAP operating south of Baghdad was attacked by a powerful, deeply-buried IED, and its gunner was killed. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters today the attack only reaffirmed the MRAP's survivability.
"The powerful blast did not penetrate the crew compartment, but the force of the explosion blew the MRAP into the air and caused it to overturn," Morrell said. It's not yet known whether the gunner, who was perched atop the vehicle, died from the explosion or the rollover.
What is clear, Morrell said, is that the three soldiers inside the vehicle escaped without life-threatening injuries. "Commanders on the ground estimate they would not have been so fortunate had they been traveling in a less-armored vehicle," he said. Stories like this motivate workers at Force Protection Industries as they work two shifts a day, six and sometimes seven days a week to keep up with the demand for MRAPs, Pruitt said.
"We love hearing back from Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen who write to thank us saying, 'This vehicle saved my life,'" he said. The company circulates e-mails it gets from deployed troops and posts notes they send in the break room. "We share these stories with every employee who works here," Pruitt said.
Earlier this month, a military medic just back from Iraq who was passing through Charleston gave the factory a call and asked if he could stop by to thank the workers personally. "He said the Buffalo had saved his life 13 times," Pruitt said. "His call just came out of the blue, but that happens a lot with this company.
"That's really why we're here," Pruitt said. "And that's why industry has mobilized the way it has, because of stories like that."
Workers on the production line said they get genuine satisfaction knowing they're making a difference for troops in harm's way. Rachel Blouch, a 21st-century version of World War II's Rosie the Riveter, put her welding torch aside to say she feels a personal connection to deployed troops.
"It feels good working here, knowing that I'm helping make safe vehicles for them," said Blouch, who's married to Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Bradley Blouch.
"There's a big sense of pride in this job," agreed Ryan Griffin, a former Marine who joined the Force Protection Industries work force about six months ago. "I've got a few friends over there. The work we're doing here could save my buddies. And even if I don't know them, they're still family."
Monday, January 21, 2008
32 Categories of Cop Books
Editor's Note: One of the authors if a former servicemember and Vietnam Veteran.
January 21, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three police officers, adding to the over 800 police officers, 1700 books which are classified in 32 categories.
Anthony Smith is a Georgia State University Police Department police officer. A gifted motivational speaker and youth mentor; he serves as an assistant to his Pastor at the Forest Chapel Baptist Church in Forest Park, Georgia. He is a native of Columbus, Ga. and now resides with his family in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. Anthony Smith is the author of Heaven’s Bouquet: Planted and Picked by God.
According to the book description of Heaven’s Bouquet, it “is not just a regular book of encouragement but also a book of enlightenment. We often forget that God is the creator and sustainer of this world. Society will forever miss the mark when it comes to the understanding of life and death.”
Martin A. Gonzalez is a member of the Public Safety Writer’s Association, a graduate of SUNY Empire State, and a Navy veteran. He was born and raised in New York, and a retired New York City Police Department police officer. Martin Gonzalez is the author of WereWolves Among Us.
According to the description of WereWolves Among Us, “One chilly early October morning, the body of a newspaper carrier is found brutally mutilated. He’s the first of more killing to baffle the detectives of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department. NYC police officer, Mike Serrano, decides to visit his sister in the small town of Liberty, NY for some peace and quiet after the death of his fiancée. Mike inadvertently becomes involved in the investigation along with his brother-in-law, Marty Pietri, a Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputy - Mike’s former partner with the NYPD.”
Thomas R. Randall entered the United States Army in 1966. He served until 1969, including a tour in Vietnam. In 1970, Thomas Randall joined the Elmira Police Department, serving until 1977. Since leaving the Elmira Police Department, Thomas Randall has working in law enforcement as a Federal Police Officer and INS Inspector.
Thomas Randall has a Masters Degree in education from Elmira College and graduated from New York State Police Officers Training Academy. He also graduated from the Federal Agents Academy, at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Thomas Randall is the author of The Badge and Stripes of Honor; Horse Soldiers; Hot Rods; Car Crazy; and, Angels With Whirly Wings "Dust Off": Vietnam '67.
According to the book description, The Book The Badge and Stripes of Honor “is written about the authors' life including a tour of duty in Vietnam 1966-1967 as a machine gunner.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 833 police officers (representing 379 police departments) and their 1759 law enforcement books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
January 21, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three police officers, adding to the over 800 police officers, 1700 books which are classified in 32 categories.
Anthony Smith is a Georgia State University Police Department police officer. A gifted motivational speaker and youth mentor; he serves as an assistant to his Pastor at the Forest Chapel Baptist Church in Forest Park, Georgia. He is a native of Columbus, Ga. and now resides with his family in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. Anthony Smith is the author of Heaven’s Bouquet: Planted and Picked by God.
According to the book description of Heaven’s Bouquet, it “is not just a regular book of encouragement but also a book of enlightenment. We often forget that God is the creator and sustainer of this world. Society will forever miss the mark when it comes to the understanding of life and death.”
Martin A. Gonzalez is a member of the Public Safety Writer’s Association, a graduate of SUNY Empire State, and a Navy veteran. He was born and raised in New York, and a retired New York City Police Department police officer. Martin Gonzalez is the author of WereWolves Among Us.
According to the description of WereWolves Among Us, “One chilly early October morning, the body of a newspaper carrier is found brutally mutilated. He’s the first of more killing to baffle the detectives of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department. NYC police officer, Mike Serrano, decides to visit his sister in the small town of Liberty, NY for some peace and quiet after the death of his fiancée. Mike inadvertently becomes involved in the investigation along with his brother-in-law, Marty Pietri, a Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputy - Mike’s former partner with the NYPD.”
Thomas R. Randall entered the United States Army in 1966. He served until 1969, including a tour in Vietnam. In 1970, Thomas Randall joined the Elmira Police Department, serving until 1977. Since leaving the Elmira Police Department, Thomas Randall has working in law enforcement as a Federal Police Officer and INS Inspector.
Thomas Randall has a Masters Degree in education from Elmira College and graduated from New York State Police Officers Training Academy. He also graduated from the Federal Agents Academy, at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Thomas Randall is the author of The Badge and Stripes of Honor; Horse Soldiers; Hot Rods; Car Crazy; and, Angels With Whirly Wings "Dust Off": Vietnam '67.
According to the book description, The Book The Badge and Stripes of Honor “is written about the authors' life including a tour of duty in Vietnam 1966-1967 as a machine gunner.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 833 police officers (representing 379 police departments) and their 1759 law enforcement books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
1978: Clandestine Operation of Argentine Military Intelligence in Mexico
January 20, 2008 - Documents published today by the National Security Archive reveal that Mexico’s secret service captured a squad of Argentine military intelligence operatives and expelled them for spying on [exiled rebel] Montoneros living in Mexico" in January 1978. At the time, the Mexican press denounced the presence of foreigners attempting to target and assassinate the leadership of the Argentine Montonero insurgents. Today, the documents of the now dismantled Mexican Federal Security Directorate confirm that agents of Intelligence Area 121 in Rosario, Argentina, "were sent [to Mexico] by the authorities in their country."
http://www.nsarchive.org
http://www.nsarchive.org
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- January 21, 2008
BWC [Biological Weapons Convention] States Tackle National Implementation
“A Dec. 10-14 meeting of member states of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) offered rhetorical support for stepping up national implementation measures to bring domestic laws, administrative procedures, and regulations into conformity with the bioweapons ban. But the meeting also showcased transatlantic differences that have stymied attempts for more binding measures since the beginning of the Bush administration. Following up on a meeting of experts last August, the final report from the meeting of states-parties agreed on the ‘fundamental importance’ of national measures to implement the BWC. Such measures include controls on transfers of biological agents, biosafety and biosecurity regulations, and penal legislation. However, the meeting did not agree on any joint standards or collective measures. The meeting’s chair, Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan, pointed out in his opening statement that the task of the meeting was to ‘promote common understanding and effective action,’
not to negotiate binding agreements.” (Arms Control Today, January/February 2008, Oliver Meier) http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008_01-02/bwc.asp
India claims to have destroyed 93 % of its chemical weapons
“India has claimed to destroy its 93 per cent of chemical weapon stockpile and the remaining weapons will be eliminated by April, 2009. Media reports quoting official sources here [in New Dehli] said India had assured the international community [that it will] complete the process of total destruction of chemical weapons by April next year.” (Associated Press of Pakistan, 20Jan08)
http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26753&Itemid=2
Deadly chemicals hidden in war cache
“For more than 60 years RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] veterans Geoff Burn and Arthur Lewis kept silent about the terrible secret hidden in a disused railway tunnel at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Thousands of barrels filled with chemical weapons, including mustard gas, were stored in the tunnel at Glenbrook and other sites around Australia during the Second World War. The men were part of a secret unit formed to look after the deadly stockpile, kept for use against Japanese troops - a fact the Defence Department refused to admit until the late 1980s. And for decades successive governments refused to disclose that the Australian wartime command had conducted chemical warfare experiments on its own soldiers. […] Now, after decades of denials, the military is about to recognise the unit's contribution to the war effort. Next month the Defence Department will publish a book - Chemical Warfare In Australia - detailing the unit's story, including how they and army volunteers were used as guinea pigs by their own commanders.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 20Jan08, Frank Walker) http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/deadly-chemicals-hidden-in-war-cache/2008/01/19/1200620272396.html
Guinea pig’ sailor set for pay-out after 50 years
“A former sailor from York [England] who claims he was used as a guinea pig in chemical warfare experiments finally looks set to receive compensation - half a century later. Sam Smith says he has suffered from chest problems and watering eyes ever since he took part in research in the 1950s at the Ministry of Defence's chemical research centre at Porton Down, Wiltshire, after being led to believe he was helping to find a cure for the common cold.” (York Press, 21Jan08, Richard harris) http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/display.var.1980827.0.guinea_pig_sailor_set_for_payout_after_50_years.php
Porton Down veteran awaits compensation
“A war veteran who says he was duped into having chemical weapons tested on him is waiting with bated breath to see if he has been granted a slice of £3 million compensation. When former Royal Marine Jim Booth (63) agreed to take part in a two-week medical trial at Porton Down research centre in Wiltshire in the ’60s, he thought he would be trialling medication to treat the common cold. Instead, the Market Deeping man claims, he was subjected to mustard gas and was injected with unknown drugs before being made to take part in tests to assess his reactions.” (Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 18Jan08, Kirsty Nicolson) http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Porton-Down-veteran-awaits-compensation.3686704.jp
Plan for chemical security is delayed
“Homeland Security officials have delayed a requirement that farmers register with the agency if they have certain amounts of certain chemicals. Farmers and ranchers had been facing a Tuesday deadline to come up with a security plan and register it. ‘Most producers knew nothing about either the requirements or the deadline; most state agriculture departments had not been told of them,’ said North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who is president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Homeland Security, in announcing the delay, said the agency is gathering more information on the issue to see if changes to the requirements are warranted, especially in light of a new law that gives the agency authority to regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Johnson said anhydrous ammonia, another popular farm fertilizer in North Dakota, also is included in Homeland Security's list of chemicals. The association Johnson heads brought its worries to Homeland Security, and ‘It appears the problem is at least temporarily resolved,’ he said.” (The Bismark Tribune, 21Jan08, AP) http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/01/21/news/local/147054.txt
N.J. [New Jersey] security chief says state needs boost in federal funding
“New Jersey's mass transit system remains a potential target for a terrorist attack and needs additional federal funding to ensure safe passage for thousands of daily commuters, the state's top security official said yesterday. ‘Anything that happens here has implications for New York City,’ said Richard Cañas, director of the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. ‘Yet every year we feel like deadbeats asking for federal handouts to protect ourselves against what we all agree is a national threat.’ Cañas' remarks came during a visit from U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, which controls how funds are distributed to states. Thompson visited the State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center in West Trenton before taking a helicopter tour of potential terror targets in North Jersey. Those sites included Newark Liberty International Airport, the Lincoln Tunnel, the chemical facilities and oil refineries along the New Jersey Turnpike and Port Newark.” (The Star-Ledger, 20Jan08, John Holl)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1200807357158880.xml&coll=1
Students learn to be prepared for crises
“About 20 sophomores donned protective mesh vests, each with a piece of paper attached containing the title of an emergency worker. They gathered around a 20-by-6-foot table with a miniature city displayed on it and played roles. Their job was to evaluate a stream that reportedly had a contaminant in it. […] The students were answering […] questions during a homeland security and emergency preparedness class being piloted at Joppatowne High School [in Maryland] this school year. […] The students take the second part of the program during their junior year, when they select a specialty area of study from one of three topics: homeland security sciences, law enforcement and criminal justice, and information and communications technology. Depending on which area the students select, they study such topics as chemical and biological warfare, research methods, the justice system, law processes, first responders to emergency scenes, and evidence collection and analysis, and even learn how to use a geographic information system.” (Baltimore Sun, 20Jan08, Cassandra A. Fortin) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.homeland20jan20,0,703936.story
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
CNS presents these keywords and links for the convenience of the recipients of ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News, but CNS does not endorse these sites or the veracity of their information and cannot be responsible for the maintenance of the links listed here. For a searchable archive of the CBR-WMD Terrorism News listserv, please visit the Nuclear Threat Initiative's website, at http://www.nti.org/db/cbw/index.htm
“A Dec. 10-14 meeting of member states of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) offered rhetorical support for stepping up national implementation measures to bring domestic laws, administrative procedures, and regulations into conformity with the bioweapons ban. But the meeting also showcased transatlantic differences that have stymied attempts for more binding measures since the beginning of the Bush administration. Following up on a meeting of experts last August, the final report from the meeting of states-parties agreed on the ‘fundamental importance’ of national measures to implement the BWC. Such measures include controls on transfers of biological agents, biosafety and biosecurity regulations, and penal legislation. However, the meeting did not agree on any joint standards or collective measures. The meeting’s chair, Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan, pointed out in his opening statement that the task of the meeting was to ‘promote common understanding and effective action,’
not to negotiate binding agreements.” (Arms Control Today, January/February 2008, Oliver Meier) http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008_01-02/bwc.asp
India claims to have destroyed 93 % of its chemical weapons
“India has claimed to destroy its 93 per cent of chemical weapon stockpile and the remaining weapons will be eliminated by April, 2009. Media reports quoting official sources here [in New Dehli] said India had assured the international community [that it will] complete the process of total destruction of chemical weapons by April next year.” (Associated Press of Pakistan, 20Jan08)
http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26753&Itemid=2
Deadly chemicals hidden in war cache
“For more than 60 years RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] veterans Geoff Burn and Arthur Lewis kept silent about the terrible secret hidden in a disused railway tunnel at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Thousands of barrels filled with chemical weapons, including mustard gas, were stored in the tunnel at Glenbrook and other sites around Australia during the Second World War. The men were part of a secret unit formed to look after the deadly stockpile, kept for use against Japanese troops - a fact the Defence Department refused to admit until the late 1980s. And for decades successive governments refused to disclose that the Australian wartime command had conducted chemical warfare experiments on its own soldiers. […] Now, after decades of denials, the military is about to recognise the unit's contribution to the war effort. Next month the Defence Department will publish a book - Chemical Warfare In Australia - detailing the unit's story, including how they and army volunteers were used as guinea pigs by their own commanders.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 20Jan08, Frank Walker) http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/deadly-chemicals-hidden-in-war-cache/2008/01/19/1200620272396.html
Guinea pig’ sailor set for pay-out after 50 years
“A former sailor from York [England] who claims he was used as a guinea pig in chemical warfare experiments finally looks set to receive compensation - half a century later. Sam Smith says he has suffered from chest problems and watering eyes ever since he took part in research in the 1950s at the Ministry of Defence's chemical research centre at Porton Down, Wiltshire, after being led to believe he was helping to find a cure for the common cold.” (York Press, 21Jan08, Richard harris) http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/display.var.1980827.0.guinea_pig_sailor_set_for_payout_after_50_years.php
Porton Down veteran awaits compensation
“A war veteran who says he was duped into having chemical weapons tested on him is waiting with bated breath to see if he has been granted a slice of £3 million compensation. When former Royal Marine Jim Booth (63) agreed to take part in a two-week medical trial at Porton Down research centre in Wiltshire in the ’60s, he thought he would be trialling medication to treat the common cold. Instead, the Market Deeping man claims, he was subjected to mustard gas and was injected with unknown drugs before being made to take part in tests to assess his reactions.” (Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 18Jan08, Kirsty Nicolson) http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Porton-Down-veteran-awaits-compensation.3686704.jp
Plan for chemical security is delayed
“Homeland Security officials have delayed a requirement that farmers register with the agency if they have certain amounts of certain chemicals. Farmers and ranchers had been facing a Tuesday deadline to come up with a security plan and register it. ‘Most producers knew nothing about either the requirements or the deadline; most state agriculture departments had not been told of them,’ said North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who is president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Homeland Security, in announcing the delay, said the agency is gathering more information on the issue to see if changes to the requirements are warranted, especially in light of a new law that gives the agency authority to regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Johnson said anhydrous ammonia, another popular farm fertilizer in North Dakota, also is included in Homeland Security's list of chemicals. The association Johnson heads brought its worries to Homeland Security, and ‘It appears the problem is at least temporarily resolved,’ he said.” (The Bismark Tribune, 21Jan08, AP) http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/01/21/news/local/147054.txt
N.J. [New Jersey] security chief says state needs boost in federal funding
“New Jersey's mass transit system remains a potential target for a terrorist attack and needs additional federal funding to ensure safe passage for thousands of daily commuters, the state's top security official said yesterday. ‘Anything that happens here has implications for New York City,’ said Richard Cañas, director of the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. ‘Yet every year we feel like deadbeats asking for federal handouts to protect ourselves against what we all agree is a national threat.’ Cañas' remarks came during a visit from U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, which controls how funds are distributed to states. Thompson visited the State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center in West Trenton before taking a helicopter tour of potential terror targets in North Jersey. Those sites included Newark Liberty International Airport, the Lincoln Tunnel, the chemical facilities and oil refineries along the New Jersey Turnpike and Port Newark.” (The Star-Ledger, 20Jan08, John Holl)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1200807357158880.xml&coll=1
Students learn to be prepared for crises
“About 20 sophomores donned protective mesh vests, each with a piece of paper attached containing the title of an emergency worker. They gathered around a 20-by-6-foot table with a miniature city displayed on it and played roles. Their job was to evaluate a stream that reportedly had a contaminant in it. […] The students were answering […] questions during a homeland security and emergency preparedness class being piloted at Joppatowne High School [in Maryland] this school year. […] The students take the second part of the program during their junior year, when they select a specialty area of study from one of three topics: homeland security sciences, law enforcement and criminal justice, and information and communications technology. Depending on which area the students select, they study such topics as chemical and biological warfare, research methods, the justice system, law processes, first responders to emergency scenes, and evidence collection and analysis, and even learn how to use a geographic information system.” (Baltimore Sun, 20Jan08, Cassandra A. Fortin) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.homeland20jan20,0,703936.story
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
CNS presents these keywords and links for the convenience of the recipients of ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News, but CNS does not endorse these sites or the veracity of their information and cannot be responsible for the maintenance of the links listed here. For a searchable archive of the CBR-WMD Terrorism News listserv, please visit the Nuclear Threat Initiative's website, at http://www.nti.org/db/cbw/index.htm
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Why We Serve: Deployment Gives Sailor Message to Public
By Sgt. Sara Moore, USA
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Ralph Chavez volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan, he didn't really know what he was getting himself into. It ended up being one of the best experiences of his military career. Chavez, a yeoman, or administrative specialist, decided to volunteer for an individual augmentation deployment in 2006 while stationed in California. He said it was important for him to volunteer because he knew soldiers and Marines who were on their second or third deployments. He felt it was his duty to go.
"I just felt that as a chief, in order for me to lead my sailors by example, I wanted to do my part," Chavez said. "How can I tell my sailors one day that they need to volunteer if I had never done that?"
Chavez went to Afghanistan in February 2006 as part of a four-man civil affairs team supporting the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Initially, he didn't know what civil affairs was, but four months of training with the Army prepared him. Once Chavez and his team got to Afghanistan's Paktiya province and began working with local leaders and citizens to facilitate reconstruction projects, he was amazed at how fulfilling the mission was.
"Our goal was to try to build the trust in each village that we visited and just improve security. It was very rewarding," Chavez said. "The locals welcomed us into their homes, shared their food, and we got to hear their stories."
Chavez is now touring the country as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program. The program, now in its sixth iteration, takes servicemembers who have recently deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and sends them to various community, business and veterans groups to tell their stories.
One message Chavez would like to convey to the American public is that there are many "good news" stories happening in the war on terror, and in Afghanistan, local citizens are very appreciative of the coalition's mission.
"In each case, they always expressed gratitude and appreciation for the Americans being over there, far away from their homes, far away from their families, and helping them," Chavez said of his meetings with Afghans during his deployment. "They knew why we were there, and they appreciated the sacrifices that we made to help them."
The Afghan people also appreciated the sacrifices of the American public, Chavez said, as many of the humanitarian supplies his team distributed were donated from corporations and private citizens. His team helped rebuild water wells and schools, delivered supplies and set up temporary housing and aid after natural disasters.
Chavez, an 18-year Navy veteran, was raised in San Antonio, a city with strong military traditions. He had several relatives who served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, and growing up hearing their stories instilled in him a sense of duty, he said.
After high school, Chavez went to college for about three years. Before he enlisted, he was working three jobs, but didn't have a sense of job accomplishment, he said. Also, he was craving adventure and remembered his good experiences in junior Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps and Air Force ROTC.
"I developed an affinity toward the structure and the discipline that the military offered," he said. "So I went to talk to recruiters. I liked what the Navy recruiter had to offer, and 18 years later, I'm still enjoying it."
Chavez has enjoyed the opportunities to move to different commands throughout the Navy and the military's system of rewarding people for good performance. He's also enjoyed the different challenges he's faced during his career and the educational opportunities, such as finishing his bachelor's degree and working on his master's, he said.
Chavez plans to stay in the Navy and is hoping to be selected for a warrant officer program soon. He said he doesn't know if he'll have the chance to deploy again, but he is more than willing. For now, he said, he feels honored to be part of the Why We Serve program and hopes he can bring the American public a different perspective about the war on terror.
"It's not all doom and gloom like they see in the news; there are a lot of success stories out there, and we are helping to change attitudes and perceptions of Americans, one generation at a time," Chavez said. "I think that that's going a long way toward winning the war against terrorism in Afghanistan."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Ralph Chavez volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan, he didn't really know what he was getting himself into. It ended up being one of the best experiences of his military career. Chavez, a yeoman, or administrative specialist, decided to volunteer for an individual augmentation deployment in 2006 while stationed in California. He said it was important for him to volunteer because he knew soldiers and Marines who were on their second or third deployments. He felt it was his duty to go.
"I just felt that as a chief, in order for me to lead my sailors by example, I wanted to do my part," Chavez said. "How can I tell my sailors one day that they need to volunteer if I had never done that?"
Chavez went to Afghanistan in February 2006 as part of a four-man civil affairs team supporting the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Initially, he didn't know what civil affairs was, but four months of training with the Army prepared him. Once Chavez and his team got to Afghanistan's Paktiya province and began working with local leaders and citizens to facilitate reconstruction projects, he was amazed at how fulfilling the mission was.
"Our goal was to try to build the trust in each village that we visited and just improve security. It was very rewarding," Chavez said. "The locals welcomed us into their homes, shared their food, and we got to hear their stories."
Chavez is now touring the country as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program. The program, now in its sixth iteration, takes servicemembers who have recently deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and sends them to various community, business and veterans groups to tell their stories.
One message Chavez would like to convey to the American public is that there are many "good news" stories happening in the war on terror, and in Afghanistan, local citizens are very appreciative of the coalition's mission.
"In each case, they always expressed gratitude and appreciation for the Americans being over there, far away from their homes, far away from their families, and helping them," Chavez said of his meetings with Afghans during his deployment. "They knew why we were there, and they appreciated the sacrifices that we made to help them."
The Afghan people also appreciated the sacrifices of the American public, Chavez said, as many of the humanitarian supplies his team distributed were donated from corporations and private citizens. His team helped rebuild water wells and schools, delivered supplies and set up temporary housing and aid after natural disasters.
Chavez, an 18-year Navy veteran, was raised in San Antonio, a city with strong military traditions. He had several relatives who served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, and growing up hearing their stories instilled in him a sense of duty, he said.
After high school, Chavez went to college for about three years. Before he enlisted, he was working three jobs, but didn't have a sense of job accomplishment, he said. Also, he was craving adventure and remembered his good experiences in junior Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps and Air Force ROTC.
"I developed an affinity toward the structure and the discipline that the military offered," he said. "So I went to talk to recruiters. I liked what the Navy recruiter had to offer, and 18 years later, I'm still enjoying it."
Chavez has enjoyed the opportunities to move to different commands throughout the Navy and the military's system of rewarding people for good performance. He's also enjoyed the different challenges he's faced during his career and the educational opportunities, such as finishing his bachelor's degree and working on his master's, he said.
Chavez plans to stay in the Navy and is hoping to be selected for a warrant officer program soon. He said he doesn't know if he'll have the chance to deploy again, but he is more than willing. For now, he said, he feels honored to be part of the Why We Serve program and hopes he can bring the American public a different perspective about the war on terror.
"It's not all doom and gloom like they see in the news; there are a lot of success stories out there, and we are helping to change attitudes and perceptions of Americans, one generation at a time," Chavez said. "I think that that's going a long way toward winning the war against terrorism in Afghanistan."
Friday, January 18, 2008
America Supports You: Sibling Group Helps Others With Loss
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - For decades, mothers and wives who lost a loved one in combat had a community of others who faced similar feelings to turn to for support. Today, brothers and sisters of those killed in action have a similar support network.
Karen A. Hickman, of Indiana, founded Gold Star Siblings, Inc., so that siblings of deceased servicemembers had someone to lean on who understands what they're going through. "There has never been an organization just for siblings," she said. "Our goal is to become one voice, to reach out and help the ones trying to deal with such a traumatic loss."
That was something she didn't have when her brother was killed while serving in Vietnam.
"When the funeral took place, I felt like an outsider," Hickman said. "I had to grieve alone and where my parents couldn't see me because I had to be strong for them and my younger brother.
"I have never felt so alone," she added.
Gold Star Siblings grew from those feelings of isolation and Hickman's desire to never let another sibling suffer in silence. And while the members of her organization are not professional counselors, they certainly can understand what many siblings are facing today.
"We are just like (them): confused, angry, sad and always wondering, 'Why him or her, and not me? Why was our world turned upside down?'" she said. "We have been there, and everyday the thought is always with us."
Helping each other through grief, in part, means presenting a Gold Star flag to the oldest sibling, Hickman said. If there are other siblings, they receive Gold Star lapel pins.
If the family requests, Gold Star Sibling members also will stay with them during a servicemember's funeral.
Gold Star Siblings is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Hickman said she hopes the affiliation will offer her organization exposure and the networking opportunities to let everyone know she and other Gold Star Siblings are there for those who need their help.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - For decades, mothers and wives who lost a loved one in combat had a community of others who faced similar feelings to turn to for support. Today, brothers and sisters of those killed in action have a similar support network.
Karen A. Hickman, of Indiana, founded Gold Star Siblings, Inc., so that siblings of deceased servicemembers had someone to lean on who understands what they're going through. "There has never been an organization just for siblings," she said. "Our goal is to become one voice, to reach out and help the ones trying to deal with such a traumatic loss."
That was something she didn't have when her brother was killed while serving in Vietnam.
"When the funeral took place, I felt like an outsider," Hickman said. "I had to grieve alone and where my parents couldn't see me because I had to be strong for them and my younger brother.
"I have never felt so alone," she added.
Gold Star Siblings grew from those feelings of isolation and Hickman's desire to never let another sibling suffer in silence. And while the members of her organization are not professional counselors, they certainly can understand what many siblings are facing today.
"We are just like (them): confused, angry, sad and always wondering, 'Why him or her, and not me? Why was our world turned upside down?'" she said. "We have been there, and everyday the thought is always with us."
Helping each other through grief, in part, means presenting a Gold Star flag to the oldest sibling, Hickman said. If there are other siblings, they receive Gold Star lapel pins.
If the family requests, Gold Star Sibling members also will stay with them during a servicemember's funeral.
Gold Star Siblings is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Hickman said she hopes the affiliation will offer her organization exposure and the networking opportunities to let everyone know she and other Gold Star Siblings are there for those who need their help.
Contracts
NAVY
Radant Technologies, Incorporated, Stow, Mass., is being awarded a $14,114,142 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee provisions for submarine communication antenna radomes and related engineering services. This contract allows for the procurement of up to 20 radomes per year for the five year life of this contract along with the procurement of special tooling needed for the manufacturing of these radomes. This contract includes services for the testing, inspection and evaluation of damaged radomes, engineering services to include studies, upgrades, technical improvements, and life cycle refurbishment. Work will be performed in Stow, Mass., and work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $177,191 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-08-D-0660).
L3 Communications, Communication Systems - West, Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $13,847,222 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract to provide for continued life cycle sustainment of the Deployable Multi-Channel Satellite Communications System. Equipment available under the proposed contract includes quad band satellite terminals, terminal IP upgrades, IP baseband interface modules, Ka band upgrades, critical spares, and replacement components. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $65,758,336. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, and work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The request for proposals was issued directly to L3 Communications, Communication Systems - West. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity (N65236-08-D-5137).
General Dynamics Land Systems, under its operating unit General Dynamics Amphibious Systems, Woodbridge, Va., is being awarded an $11,960,776 modification to previously awarded contract (M67854-05-C-0072) for the advanced procurement of long lead materials for Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) 2 phase of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program. Work will be performed in Michigan (37 percent), Indiana (20 percent), Arizona (13 percent), Maryland (5 percent), Louisiana (3 percent), Florida (2 percent), Mississippi (2 percent), New Jersey (2 percent), New York (2 percent), Ohio (2 percent), and Germany (12 percent), and work is expected to be completed by November 2009. The contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Chemical Specialists and Development, Inc., Conroe, Texas, is being awarded a minimum $11,619,400 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for fuel system icing inhibitor. Other locations of performance are Georgia, New Jersey, California, and Washington. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. The proposals were originally solicited by FBO with 3 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a 12 month contract with a 30-day carryover period. Date of performance completion is January 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-08-D-0752).
Falcon Fuels Inc., Paramount, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $2,080,350.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for regular unleaded gasoline. Other location of performance located in California. Using services are federal civilian agencies. There were originally 28 proposals solicited with 21 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is August 31, 2009. The contracting activity is the contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-05-D-4526).
AIR FORCE
ITT Industries, Systems Division of Cape Canaveral, Fla. is being awarded a contract modification for $6,792,630. This action will provide spares and interim supply for the Space Lift Range Systems contract. It addresses the continued wholesale supply sustainment for previously fielded spares following the tenants of interim supply support. The project also provides additional initial spares procurement, initial spares fielding, and interim supply support sustainment in support of Prime Mission Equipment projected to be field by the Space Lift Range Systems contract. At this time all funds have been obligated. SMC SLG/PK, Peterson Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (F04701-01-C-0001, P00465).
International Business Machines Corporation of N.Y. is being awarded a contract option for $6,375,674. The objective of the Sub-threshold-slope Transistors for electronics with extremely-low power program is to develop, novel transistor technologies that will enable high-performance logic circuits with extremely low power consumption. This program will develop transistors based on on-thermionic switching that will result in extremely low power consumption. At this time $4,462,051 has been obligated. Det 1 AFRL/PKDA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-08-C-7806).
ARMY
Kidde Technologies, Inc., Goleta, Calif., was awarded on Jan. 16, 2008, a $5,715,150 firm-fixed-price contract for Stryker tire fire suppression kits. Work will be performed in Goleta, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Oct. 1, 2007, and one bid was received. The Tank Automotive and Armaments Command, is the contracting activity W56HZV-08-C-B001.
Army Aims to Better Identify Soldiers with Brain Injuries
By C. Todd Lopez
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - An Army report released yesterday outlines how the service can better identify and help soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. The report contains some 47 recommendations to help the Army better prevent, screen, diagnose, treat and research traumatic brain injury, said Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw, who led the task force charged with investigating TBI. Bradshaw is commander of Southeast Regional Medical Command and Eisenhower Regional Medical Center, at Fort Gordon, Ga.
"Our report indicates that, like our civilian counterparts, the Army has done well in the identifying and treatment of severe or penetrating traumatic brain injury, but is challenged to understand, diagnose and treat personnel who have suffered short-term or persistent symptoms of mild TBI," he said. "The task force identified opportunities for improvement as well as best-practice guidelines."
The general said 80 percent of those who suffer from mild TBI, commonly known as a concussion, recover completely. Some 10 to 20 percent of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with experience in combat may have suffered symptoms consistent with mild TBI.
Today, eight of the recommendations made by the task force have already been implemented, said Col. Judith Ruiz, deputy director for rehabilitation and reintegration with the Office of the Surgeon General.
"We have made significant progress to take care of soldiers and to standardize practices across the Army medical department," she said.
Some of the recommendations that have already been implemented include:
-- Working with interagency and civilian groups to better define TBI;
-- Implementing in-theater TBI screening and documentation for all soldiers exposed to brain injury-inducing trauma;
-- Adding TBI-specific questions to deployment-related health assessments;
-- Developing a proposal on the appropriate functions of a "TBI center of excellence";
-- Proposing the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center as the core of the new center of excellence;
-- Optimizing the positioning of clinical, educational and research activities;
-- Centralizing the evaluation of the scientific merit, clinical utility, and priority of new treatment strategies, devices or interventions; and
-- Adapting the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation overprint as an approved Department of the Army form to document mild TBI closest to the point of injury.
Ruiz said 31 additional recommendations are in progress, four are planned, and four are in the process of being transferred to other agencies.
For soldiers in theater, the most common cause of brain injury is a blast, such as from an improvised explosive device. But sometimes such blasts do not cause visible external injuries.
"Brain injury does not have to have outside symptoms, such as bleeding," Bradshaw said. "It may, but doesn't have to. That is one of the compounding things; folks may look totally normal, but be dazed."
Because some victims of IEDs or other blasts do not have external injures, they may feel they have not been injured at all -- even if they did sustain a mild TBI.
"It's hard to identify TBI when soldiers don't come forward and don't identify," Bradshaw said. "Some of the actions that have been taken (include) a very big ongoing education process for leaders, soldiers and family members."
The Army launched the post-traumatic stress disorder/mild traumatic brain injury chain teaching program in 2007 to help soldiers better identify signs and symptoms of these conditions and to reinforce the collective responsibility to take care of each other.
The Army is also working to educate the civilian medical community about mild TBI so that soldiers in the reserve components, who may not have full-time access to military medical care, also can be identified, said Col. (Dr.) Jonathan Jaffin, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command.
"One of the things we are concerned with and ... one of the points behind the whole chain teaching was trying to get the message out to the country, not just the active-duty force, Guard and reserve," he said. "(We wanted) the country, including providers throughout the country, to be aware of mild TBI and concussions and the long-term symptoms that some people may be having."
Bradshaw said Army leaders at all levels are committed to the good health and well-being of all soldiers and are proactively addressing the issue of TBI. "Continued research in this area can only help us more clearly understand the medical impacts of the war and the best ways to prevent, recognize and treat soldiers with TBI," he said.
(C. Todd Lopez works for the Army News Service.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - An Army report released yesterday outlines how the service can better identify and help soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. The report contains some 47 recommendations to help the Army better prevent, screen, diagnose, treat and research traumatic brain injury, said Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw, who led the task force charged with investigating TBI. Bradshaw is commander of Southeast Regional Medical Command and Eisenhower Regional Medical Center, at Fort Gordon, Ga.
"Our report indicates that, like our civilian counterparts, the Army has done well in the identifying and treatment of severe or penetrating traumatic brain injury, but is challenged to understand, diagnose and treat personnel who have suffered short-term or persistent symptoms of mild TBI," he said. "The task force identified opportunities for improvement as well as best-practice guidelines."
The general said 80 percent of those who suffer from mild TBI, commonly known as a concussion, recover completely. Some 10 to 20 percent of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with experience in combat may have suffered symptoms consistent with mild TBI.
Today, eight of the recommendations made by the task force have already been implemented, said Col. Judith Ruiz, deputy director for rehabilitation and reintegration with the Office of the Surgeon General.
"We have made significant progress to take care of soldiers and to standardize practices across the Army medical department," she said.
Some of the recommendations that have already been implemented include:
-- Working with interagency and civilian groups to better define TBI;
-- Implementing in-theater TBI screening and documentation for all soldiers exposed to brain injury-inducing trauma;
-- Adding TBI-specific questions to deployment-related health assessments;
-- Developing a proposal on the appropriate functions of a "TBI center of excellence";
-- Proposing the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center as the core of the new center of excellence;
-- Optimizing the positioning of clinical, educational and research activities;
-- Centralizing the evaluation of the scientific merit, clinical utility, and priority of new treatment strategies, devices or interventions; and
-- Adapting the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation overprint as an approved Department of the Army form to document mild TBI closest to the point of injury.
Ruiz said 31 additional recommendations are in progress, four are planned, and four are in the process of being transferred to other agencies.
For soldiers in theater, the most common cause of brain injury is a blast, such as from an improvised explosive device. But sometimes such blasts do not cause visible external injuries.
"Brain injury does not have to have outside symptoms, such as bleeding," Bradshaw said. "It may, but doesn't have to. That is one of the compounding things; folks may look totally normal, but be dazed."
Because some victims of IEDs or other blasts do not have external injures, they may feel they have not been injured at all -- even if they did sustain a mild TBI.
"It's hard to identify TBI when soldiers don't come forward and don't identify," Bradshaw said. "Some of the actions that have been taken (include) a very big ongoing education process for leaders, soldiers and family members."
The Army launched the post-traumatic stress disorder/mild traumatic brain injury chain teaching program in 2007 to help soldiers better identify signs and symptoms of these conditions and to reinforce the collective responsibility to take care of each other.
The Army is also working to educate the civilian medical community about mild TBI so that soldiers in the reserve components, who may not have full-time access to military medical care, also can be identified, said Col. (Dr.) Jonathan Jaffin, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command.
"One of the things we are concerned with and ... one of the points behind the whole chain teaching was trying to get the message out to the country, not just the active-duty force, Guard and reserve," he said. "(We wanted) the country, including providers throughout the country, to be aware of mild TBI and concussions and the long-term symptoms that some people may be having."
Bradshaw said Army leaders at all levels are committed to the good health and well-being of all soldiers and are proactively addressing the issue of TBI. "Continued research in this area can only help us more clearly understand the medical impacts of the war and the best ways to prevent, recognize and treat soldiers with TBI," he said.
(C. Todd Lopez works for the Army News Service.)
Aviation Support Soldiers Keep Helicopters Flying in Iraq
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Command Sgt. Maj. Keith C. Dawson sees a formation of Army helicopters pass overhead in Baghdad, he knows it is likely that some of his soldiers are working to keep those aircraft aloft. After AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk or CH-47 Chinook helicopters sustain battle damage or are submitted for routine maintenance, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion mechanics "turn those repairs around quickly to get those aircraft back into the fight," Dawson said today from Iraq during a telephone interview.
Dawson is the 603rd's senior noncommissioned officer. The battalion is a component of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade posted at Baghdad International Airport. Dawson and his combat support troops deployed to Iraq in May 2007 as part of the "surge" of troops design to disrupt insurgent activity.
Other soldiers in Dawson's supply and service battalion fix or drive trucks laden with fuel, food, ammunition, parts and other supplies, stock and administer warehouses, cook food, and provide medical treatment, calibration and other services, he said.
These soldiers' jobs are just as important as the work performed by the rotary-wing mechanics, Dawson pointed out, noting the Army depends upon its logistics system in order to be able to function. Since their arrival in Baghdad in May, Dawson said his soldiers have performed about 115 extensive helicopter inspections.
The rotary-wing mechanics also have completed more than 5,300 work orders of different types, he said.
"Of course, some of that (work) does include the battle-damage repair," he noted.
Dawson said his soldiers have pumped more than 5 million gallons of aviation fuel and handled more than 818 tons of ammunition.
"And, my transportation people have already logged over 37,000 miles" during fuel- and parts-delivery runs since May, Dawson said. The 603rd's supply-parts warehouse has handled more than 92,000 supply-request orders, he added.
Dawson said his support soldiers sometimes feel forgotten amid copious news reports highlighting the actions of infantry soldiers fighting and chasing al Qaeda and other insurgents across the Iraqi landscape.
Infantry soldiers deserve all the publicity they get, Dawson pointed out. Yet, he noted, "It takes my folks to maintain those Apaches to keep that air cover overhead" for the infantry.
Morale in the 603rd is good, Dawson said, noting the unit's reenlistment rate is running between 75 to 85 percent. About 15 soldiers, he said, are waiting to reenlist.
Many junior enlisted soldiers in his unit have performed previous tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, noted Dawson, who is himself a 26-year Army veteran.
"We have (privates first class) and very young specialists who came to this deployment with a combat patch," Dawson pointed out.
Some junior enlisted soldiers and younger NCOs in his unit are mulling leaving the Army, Dawson said, citing their stated desire to start a family without the distraction of deployments.
Dawson said he tells his soldiers the Army offers a good, solid career with a generous retirement package.
Staying Army provides other important benefits, the command sergeant major pointed out.
"If they do get out and they go to work in some civilian organization, although they may very well like their job, they will never feel a bond to coworkers as they do here in the military," Dawson explained. "They'll never get this kind of a 'connection' in any other job that they choose to do."
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Command Sgt. Maj. Keith C. Dawson sees a formation of Army helicopters pass overhead in Baghdad, he knows it is likely that some of his soldiers are working to keep those aircraft aloft. After AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk or CH-47 Chinook helicopters sustain battle damage or are submitted for routine maintenance, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion mechanics "turn those repairs around quickly to get those aircraft back into the fight," Dawson said today from Iraq during a telephone interview.
Dawson is the 603rd's senior noncommissioned officer. The battalion is a component of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade posted at Baghdad International Airport. Dawson and his combat support troops deployed to Iraq in May 2007 as part of the "surge" of troops design to disrupt insurgent activity.
Other soldiers in Dawson's supply and service battalion fix or drive trucks laden with fuel, food, ammunition, parts and other supplies, stock and administer warehouses, cook food, and provide medical treatment, calibration and other services, he said.
These soldiers' jobs are just as important as the work performed by the rotary-wing mechanics, Dawson pointed out, noting the Army depends upon its logistics system in order to be able to function. Since their arrival in Baghdad in May, Dawson said his soldiers have performed about 115 extensive helicopter inspections.
The rotary-wing mechanics also have completed more than 5,300 work orders of different types, he said.
"Of course, some of that (work) does include the battle-damage repair," he noted.
Dawson said his soldiers have pumped more than 5 million gallons of aviation fuel and handled more than 818 tons of ammunition.
"And, my transportation people have already logged over 37,000 miles" during fuel- and parts-delivery runs since May, Dawson said. The 603rd's supply-parts warehouse has handled more than 92,000 supply-request orders, he added.
Dawson said his support soldiers sometimes feel forgotten amid copious news reports highlighting the actions of infantry soldiers fighting and chasing al Qaeda and other insurgents across the Iraqi landscape.
Infantry soldiers deserve all the publicity they get, Dawson pointed out. Yet, he noted, "It takes my folks to maintain those Apaches to keep that air cover overhead" for the infantry.
Morale in the 603rd is good, Dawson said, noting the unit's reenlistment rate is running between 75 to 85 percent. About 15 soldiers, he said, are waiting to reenlist.
Many junior enlisted soldiers in his unit have performed previous tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, noted Dawson, who is himself a 26-year Army veteran.
"We have (privates first class) and very young specialists who came to this deployment with a combat patch," Dawson pointed out.
Some junior enlisted soldiers and younger NCOs in his unit are mulling leaving the Army, Dawson said, citing their stated desire to start a family without the distraction of deployments.
Dawson said he tells his soldiers the Army offers a good, solid career with a generous retirement package.
Staying Army provides other important benefits, the command sergeant major pointed out.
"If they do get out and they go to work in some civilian organization, although they may very well like their job, they will never feel a bond to coworkers as they do here in the military," Dawson explained. "They'll never get this kind of a 'connection' in any other job that they choose to do."
Dedication Runs High at MRAP Equipping Facility
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - Just before rolling the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle they've spent the last several hours configuring with electronics for shipment to Iraq or Afghanistan, crews at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command here slip a simple 8-and-a-half-by-11-inch certificate onto the dashboard. "The SPAWAR Charleston MRAP Team has integrated the electronics capabilities on this MRAP with care and pride," the certificate reads. "We have done our job so you can do yours. Our goal is your safe tour of duty and return home."
Beneath the words are some 40 signatures of the people -- about half of them veterans themselves -- who had a hand in installing radios, sensors, jammers and other government-issued equipment into the vehicles.
It's the final step before the vehicles, with their distinctive V-shaped hulls and beefy profile, get loaded onto aircraft or ships and sent to combat troops whose lives they're designed to help save from improvised explosive devices and other underbelly blasts.
"I get tingles when I see it," said Barbara Holliway, whose job is to improve efficiency in the operation by outfitting the MRAPs with sensitive gear that makes them combat-ready.
"A lot of people here are veterans themselves or have relatives in Iraq, so putting their names on that piece of paper means a lot to them," she said. "It's a thumbprint that we stand behind our equipment. It's a warranty. It says that the person signing it stands behind their work and feels a personal connection to the people who are going to rely on it."
Holliway isn't unique to the sprawling Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command facility here at the old Charleston Naval Base. The once-vacant warehouse building hums with activity 24-7 as workers pull 10-hour shifts in the rush to keep up with demand for the MRAPs.
As quickly as the vehicles roll off the assembly lines at four major production facilities, they roll into this riverfront facility. Crews crawl in, on and around them over the course of the next several hours, readying them for deployment.
The facility reached its goal of equipping 50 MRAPs a day on Dec. 5 and is now up to 62, with hopes of becoming even more efficient, said Joe Rodgers, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command branch chief for Marine Corps Expeditionary Systems who served 30 years in the Navy.
A full "integration," as the staff calls it, takes five to 10 hours, depending on the particular model. "Some trucks are more difficult than others, but regardless of which one it is, the work we do here is pretty doggone fast," said Jim Thigpen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and vice president for the contractor that provides most of the workforce here.
Brian Burger, a former Marine corporal who's been chief engineer here for the past three years, is credited with coming up with the prototypes required to outfit MRAPs with gear that ,initially, was destined for up-armored Humvees.
"Our job is to figure out a way to get everything in (it) in a way that works, that's ergonomic and that's field-friendly," he said. "We make sure that everything doesn't just fit, but that it works."
As a Marine sniper, Burger has an appreciation of the conditions the MRAPs will operate under, and he's incorporated that know-how into his design prototypes. "I wear two hats here, one as an engineer and one as a Marine," he said. "I know what gets broken and how hard they are on things, so I make them tougher and able to withstand the rigors."
One of the big challenges, Burger said, is that there's no single MRAP design to work with. Several manufacturers churn out a wide range of vehicle variants and continually improve on their products. So, installing C4I gear -- command, control, communications, computers and intelligence equipment – requires constant adaptation.
"(Manufacturers) can move one little thing on the vehicle, and it means we have to make rapid decisions on the line to keep them moving," he said.
Manufacturers aren't the only ones making changes. The crews here get feedback from the field, and respond as quickly as possible. "It can be as simple as moving a cable so somebody doesn't trip," said Thigpen.
"This definitely isn't one-size-fits-all where there's one standard way of doing things that everybody follows," said Thigpen. "General Motors couldn't do what we do here running its production lines. For them, when you change horses, it's a major evolution. We change horses 50 times a day."
Throughout the factory floor, there's an appreciation of the importance of the work under way. A large banner stretched out where they enter the building each day reminds them: "Your work is directly supporting the war on terror."
"People here know, deep down, the kind of vehicle we're working on," Burger said. "They know they are the last stop before it gets to Iraq."
"This is a very energetic workforce," said Rodgers. "Well into the neighborhood of 54 percent of them are veterans, so the people working the floor here know their brothers are fighting the war. I can't think of a better motivator."
Christopher Collins, a retired Marine staff sergeant, oversees a section that works nonstop equipping six MRAPs at a time on three different production lines. "This is a team effort," he said. "It's like a Band of Brothers. We work together, learn each other's habits. It's just like a platoon.
"We put in long hours and the demand is high, but there's a lot of dedication and commitment and pride here. You feel it in this building," he said. "We all understand the cost of freedom and that we have to stay focused on the main issue: our men and women in uniform."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited the facility today to see progress being made and to thank the people working behind the scenes to bring it about. In addition to his own appreciation, the secretary offered that of "countless moms and dads, husbands and wives and sons and daughters of U.S. troops deployed abroad."
"I don't think it will surprise you to hear me say you must keep pressing on," Gates told the workers. "The need for these vehicles will not soon go away," he said.
"So keep raising your sights. Keep these vehicles rolling off the line," he said. "Your efforts are saving lives."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - Just before rolling the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle they've spent the last several hours configuring with electronics for shipment to Iraq or Afghanistan, crews at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command here slip a simple 8-and-a-half-by-11-inch certificate onto the dashboard. "The SPAWAR Charleston MRAP Team has integrated the electronics capabilities on this MRAP with care and pride," the certificate reads. "We have done our job so you can do yours. Our goal is your safe tour of duty and return home."
Beneath the words are some 40 signatures of the people -- about half of them veterans themselves -- who had a hand in installing radios, sensors, jammers and other government-issued equipment into the vehicles.
It's the final step before the vehicles, with their distinctive V-shaped hulls and beefy profile, get loaded onto aircraft or ships and sent to combat troops whose lives they're designed to help save from improvised explosive devices and other underbelly blasts.
"I get tingles when I see it," said Barbara Holliway, whose job is to improve efficiency in the operation by outfitting the MRAPs with sensitive gear that makes them combat-ready.
"A lot of people here are veterans themselves or have relatives in Iraq, so putting their names on that piece of paper means a lot to them," she said. "It's a thumbprint that we stand behind our equipment. It's a warranty. It says that the person signing it stands behind their work and feels a personal connection to the people who are going to rely on it."
Holliway isn't unique to the sprawling Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command facility here at the old Charleston Naval Base. The once-vacant warehouse building hums with activity 24-7 as workers pull 10-hour shifts in the rush to keep up with demand for the MRAPs.
As quickly as the vehicles roll off the assembly lines at four major production facilities, they roll into this riverfront facility. Crews crawl in, on and around them over the course of the next several hours, readying them for deployment.
The facility reached its goal of equipping 50 MRAPs a day on Dec. 5 and is now up to 62, with hopes of becoming even more efficient, said Joe Rodgers, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command branch chief for Marine Corps Expeditionary Systems who served 30 years in the Navy.
A full "integration," as the staff calls it, takes five to 10 hours, depending on the particular model. "Some trucks are more difficult than others, but regardless of which one it is, the work we do here is pretty doggone fast," said Jim Thigpen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and vice president for the contractor that provides most of the workforce here.
Brian Burger, a former Marine corporal who's been chief engineer here for the past three years, is credited with coming up with the prototypes required to outfit MRAPs with gear that ,initially, was destined for up-armored Humvees.
"Our job is to figure out a way to get everything in (it) in a way that works, that's ergonomic and that's field-friendly," he said. "We make sure that everything doesn't just fit, but that it works."
As a Marine sniper, Burger has an appreciation of the conditions the MRAPs will operate under, and he's incorporated that know-how into his design prototypes. "I wear two hats here, one as an engineer and one as a Marine," he said. "I know what gets broken and how hard they are on things, so I make them tougher and able to withstand the rigors."
One of the big challenges, Burger said, is that there's no single MRAP design to work with. Several manufacturers churn out a wide range of vehicle variants and continually improve on their products. So, installing C4I gear -- command, control, communications, computers and intelligence equipment – requires constant adaptation.
"(Manufacturers) can move one little thing on the vehicle, and it means we have to make rapid decisions on the line to keep them moving," he said.
Manufacturers aren't the only ones making changes. The crews here get feedback from the field, and respond as quickly as possible. "It can be as simple as moving a cable so somebody doesn't trip," said Thigpen.
"This definitely isn't one-size-fits-all where there's one standard way of doing things that everybody follows," said Thigpen. "General Motors couldn't do what we do here running its production lines. For them, when you change horses, it's a major evolution. We change horses 50 times a day."
Throughout the factory floor, there's an appreciation of the importance of the work under way. A large banner stretched out where they enter the building each day reminds them: "Your work is directly supporting the war on terror."
"People here know, deep down, the kind of vehicle we're working on," Burger said. "They know they are the last stop before it gets to Iraq."
"This is a very energetic workforce," said Rodgers. "Well into the neighborhood of 54 percent of them are veterans, so the people working the floor here know their brothers are fighting the war. I can't think of a better motivator."
Christopher Collins, a retired Marine staff sergeant, oversees a section that works nonstop equipping six MRAPs at a time on three different production lines. "This is a team effort," he said. "It's like a Band of Brothers. We work together, learn each other's habits. It's just like a platoon.
"We put in long hours and the demand is high, but there's a lot of dedication and commitment and pride here. You feel it in this building," he said. "We all understand the cost of freedom and that we have to stay focused on the main issue: our men and women in uniform."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited the facility today to see progress being made and to thank the people working behind the scenes to bring it about. In addition to his own appreciation, the secretary offered that of "countless moms and dads, husbands and wives and sons and daughters of U.S. troops deployed abroad."
"I don't think it will surprise you to hear me say you must keep pressing on," Gates told the workers. "The need for these vehicles will not soon go away," he said.
"So keep raising your sights. Keep these vehicles rolling off the line," he said. "Your efforts are saving lives."
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