By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 18, 2008 - President Bush voiced his support for Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia during an interview today with NBC in Arusha, Tanzania. "We'll watch and see how the events unfold today," Bush said about the Balkan state. "But, the Kosovars are now independent. It's something that I have advocated, along with my government."
Yesterday, U.S. and NATO officials urged restraint following Kosovo's declaration of independence. Kosovo, a 90-percent ethnic Albanian enclave, has been under the sovereignty of Serbia, where officials in the capital of Belgrade refused to relinquish the province.
As Albanian Kosovars celebrated yesterday's declaration with fireworks and parades, Serbia's prime minister dismissed Kosovo as a "false state" while protesters
converged on the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade and rioting occurred elsewhere, according to reports.
Kosovo has been under United Nations administration and policed by 16,000 NATO peacekeepers, known as KFOR, following a U.S.-led bombing campaign in 1999 that expelled the Serb army and prevented "ethnic cleansing" of the region's Albanians. Some 1,500 U.S. forces are stationed in the province as part of KFOR.
"During this sensitive period, KFOR will respond swiftly and firmly against anyone who might resort to violence in Kosovo," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a statement yesterday. "NATO urges all parties involved to exercise the maximum restraint and moderation."
"On Kosovo, our position is that its status must be resolved in order for the Balkans to be stable," Bush said yesterday during a visit to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. "The United States will continue to work with our allies to do the very best we can to make sure there's no violence."
UN Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari has drawn up a plan for Kosovo's "supervised independence," that has been widely accepted by leaders in the U.S. and European nations.
"We have strongly supported the Ahtisaari plan," Bush said yesterday, adding that he is encouraged that Kosovo's leaders have shown its willingness and desire to support the rights of the province's Serb minority.
"We also believe it's in Serbia's interests to be aligned with Europe, and the Serbian people can know that they have a friend in America," he said.
A statement issued yesterday by the U.S. State Department called on all parties to "exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any provocative act," according to a Reuters report.
"The United States is now reviewing the issue and discussing the matter with its European partners," the statement said. "We expect to issue a statement shortly."
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
America Supports You: Group Packs Laughter in Care Packages
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2008 - If laughter is the best medicine, deployed troops are getting huge doses when they open care packages full of red clown noses. "The mission of The Red Nose Institute is to share the art of clowning, spread joy and laughter to our military, and perhaps boost their morale by the distribution of red foam noses," said Cheryl Herrington, the institute's president and a professional clown known as "Sweet Pea."
Clowning is a sideline for Herrington, who works as a psychiatric nurse and knows the value of a simple smile. She grew up as an Air Force "brat" and lost a brother in Vietnam.
"We mean no disrespect whatsoever to our military. Our only intent is to help improve their mental health by giving them something to smile about," she said. "And you have to admit, a red clown nose is pretty unexpected!"
If the photos on the Missouri-based institute's Web site are any indication, the noses are accomplishing their goal. In fact, families and friends who request the noses on behalf of servicemembers seem to have as much fun sending them as the servicemembers do receiving them, Herrington said.
Since the program began in July, Herrington and "Pappy," her partner in laughter and in this endeavor, have sent 10,000 red foam noses to troops. Recently, 525 of those went to a Coast Guard unit at the request of its commanding officer. He wanted to give the unit's members something to laugh about -- their deployment to patrol frigid waters during the holidays certainly wasn't doing that, according to the group's Web site.
Sweet Pea and Pappy -- a former Marine and also a professional clown -- can fill requests as small as 25 noses for an individual and up to 1,000 or more. There's no charge to the requestor or the recipients.
Though the duo's main intent is to brighten the troops' days, their secondary goal is no laughing matter.
"It is our hope that some noses will be given to children in communities where the troops are stationed," Herrington said. "We believe that by sharing the art of clowning, our servicemembers will have an opportunity to interact with the children and ... perhaps gain more understanding and awareness of them."
The flip side of that is that perhaps the children will begin to trust the servicemembers, Herrington said.
A new supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, The Red Nose Institute is looking forward to the networking opportunities and exposure the affiliation will bring.
Herrington said the credibility of being associated with the Defense Department's program perhaps will be the greatest benefit, however.
"We are well aware that this project is not for everyone," she said. "Some folks see it as demeaning and totally miss the focus of The Red Nose Institute, which is only to put smiles on the face of our troops!"
The America Supports You program connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2008 - If laughter is the best medicine, deployed troops are getting huge doses when they open care packages full of red clown noses. "The mission of The Red Nose Institute is to share the art of clowning, spread joy and laughter to our military, and perhaps boost their morale by the distribution of red foam noses," said Cheryl Herrington, the institute's president and a professional clown known as "Sweet Pea."
Clowning is a sideline for Herrington, who works as a psychiatric nurse and knows the value of a simple smile. She grew up as an Air Force "brat" and lost a brother in Vietnam.
"We mean no disrespect whatsoever to our military. Our only intent is to help improve their mental health by giving them something to smile about," she said. "And you have to admit, a red clown nose is pretty unexpected!"
If the photos on the Missouri-based institute's Web site are any indication, the noses are accomplishing their goal. In fact, families and friends who request the noses on behalf of servicemembers seem to have as much fun sending them as the servicemembers do receiving them, Herrington said.
Since the program began in July, Herrington and "Pappy," her partner in laughter and in this endeavor, have sent 10,000 red foam noses to troops. Recently, 525 of those went to a Coast Guard unit at the request of its commanding officer. He wanted to give the unit's members something to laugh about -- their deployment to patrol frigid waters during the holidays certainly wasn't doing that, according to the group's Web site.
Sweet Pea and Pappy -- a former Marine and also a professional clown -- can fill requests as small as 25 noses for an individual and up to 1,000 or more. There's no charge to the requestor or the recipients.
Though the duo's main intent is to brighten the troops' days, their secondary goal is no laughing matter.
"It is our hope that some noses will be given to children in communities where the troops are stationed," Herrington said. "We believe that by sharing the art of clowning, our servicemembers will have an opportunity to interact with the children and ... perhaps gain more understanding and awareness of them."
The flip side of that is that perhaps the children will begin to trust the servicemembers, Herrington said.
A new supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, The Red Nose Institute is looking forward to the networking opportunities and exposure the affiliation will bring.
Herrington said the credibility of being associated with the Defense Department's program perhaps will be the greatest benefit, however.
"We are well aware that this project is not for everyone," she said. "Some folks see it as demeaning and totally miss the focus of The Red Nose Institute, which is only to put smiles on the face of our troops!"
The America Supports You program connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
Bush Voices Support for Kosovo Independence
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 18, 2008 - President Bush voiced his support for Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia during an interview today with NBC in Arusha, Tanzania. "We'll watch and see how the events unfold today," Bush said about the Balkan state. "But, the Kosovars are now independent. It's something that I have advocated, along with my government."
Yesterday, U.S. and NATO officials urged restraint following Kosovo's declaration of independence. Kosovo, a 90-percent ethnic Albanian enclave, has been under the sovereignty of Serbia, where officials in the capital of Belgrade refused to relinquish the province.
As Albanian Kosovars celebrated yesterday's declaration with fireworks and parades, Serbia's prime minister dismissed Kosovo as a "false state" while protesters
converged on the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade and rioting occurred elsewhere, according to reports.
Kosovo has been under United Nations administration and policed by 16,000 NATO peacekeepers, known as KFOR, following a U.S.-led bombing campaign in 1999 that expelled the Serb army and prevented "ethnic cleansing" of the region's Albanians. Some 1,500 U.S. forces are stationed in the province as part of KFOR.
"During this sensitive period, KFOR will respond swiftly and firmly against anyone who might resort to violence in Kosovo," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a statement yesterday. "NATO urges all parties involved to exercise the maximum restraint and moderation."
"On Kosovo, our position is that its status must be resolved in order for the Balkans to be stable," Bush said yesterday during a visit to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. "The United States will continue to work with our allies to do the very best we can to make sure there's no violence."
UN Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari has drawn up a plan for Kosovo's "supervised independence," that has been widely accepted by leaders in the U.S. and European nations.
"We have strongly supported the Ahtisaari plan," Bush said yesterday, adding that he is encouraged that Kosovo's leaders have shown its willingness and desire to support the rights of the province's Serb minority.
"We also believe it's in Serbia's interests to be aligned with Europe, and the Serbian people can know that they have a friend in America," he said.
A statement issued yesterday by the U.S. State Department called on all parties to "exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any provocative act," according to a Reuters report.
"The United States is now reviewing the issue and discussing the matter with its European partners," the statement said. "We expect to issue a statement shortly."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 18, 2008 - President Bush voiced his support for Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia during an interview today with NBC in Arusha, Tanzania. "We'll watch and see how the events unfold today," Bush said about the Balkan state. "But, the Kosovars are now independent. It's something that I have advocated, along with my government."
Yesterday, U.S. and NATO officials urged restraint following Kosovo's declaration of independence. Kosovo, a 90-percent ethnic Albanian enclave, has been under the sovereignty of Serbia, where officials in the capital of Belgrade refused to relinquish the province.
As Albanian Kosovars celebrated yesterday's declaration with fireworks and parades, Serbia's prime minister dismissed Kosovo as a "false state" while protesters
converged on the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade and rioting occurred elsewhere, according to reports.
Kosovo has been under United Nations administration and policed by 16,000 NATO peacekeepers, known as KFOR, following a U.S.-led bombing campaign in 1999 that expelled the Serb army and prevented "ethnic cleansing" of the region's Albanians. Some 1,500 U.S. forces are stationed in the province as part of KFOR.
"During this sensitive period, KFOR will respond swiftly and firmly against anyone who might resort to violence in Kosovo," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a statement yesterday. "NATO urges all parties involved to exercise the maximum restraint and moderation."
"On Kosovo, our position is that its status must be resolved in order for the Balkans to be stable," Bush said yesterday during a visit to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. "The United States will continue to work with our allies to do the very best we can to make sure there's no violence."
UN Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari has drawn up a plan for Kosovo's "supervised independence," that has been widely accepted by leaders in the U.S. and European nations.
"We have strongly supported the Ahtisaari plan," Bush said yesterday, adding that he is encouraged that Kosovo's leaders have shown its willingness and desire to support the rights of the province's Serb minority.
"We also believe it's in Serbia's interests to be aligned with Europe, and the Serbian people can know that they have a friend in America," he said.
A statement issued yesterday by the U.S. State Department called on all parties to "exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any provocative act," according to a Reuters report.
"The United States is now reviewing the issue and discussing the matter with its European partners," the statement said. "We expect to issue a statement shortly."
Window to Open for Satellite Shoot-Down, Gates to Issue Order
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2008 - The anticipated landing tomorrow of the space shuttle Atlantis will open the window of opportunity for the U.S. military to shoot down a dying intelligence satellite headed toward Earth, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. President Bush has authorized Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to give the shoot-down order, and the secretary received a briefing on the plan today, Morrell said. The secretary is prepared to make that call from the road, if necessary, during his nine-day, around-the-world trip that begins tomorrow, he said.
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters last week the window of opportunity for shooting down the satellite would last seven or eight days.
"We have a pretty wide aperture with which to take this shot," Morrell said today. "I think the commanders that are evaluating this are looking at all the conditions that could impact this to make sure that when we do take this shot, it can be as successful as possible."
Cartwright, Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, and other experts across the military and U.S. government "are evaluating the situation and will advise the secretary when they have a shot to take," Morrell said.
Pentagon officials began studying the situation in early January when it become clear that a malfunctioning U.S. spy satellite could cause death or injury if it fell in a populated area. Of particular concern is that the satellite could release hydrazine, a toxic chemical used as a maneuvering fuel.
A Pentagon plan was put together to strike the incoming satellite just above the atmosphere, rupturing the hydrazine tank in the process.
All systems appear to be "go" for the launch order. The Navy has prepared for the mission by modifying three SM-3 missiles aboard Aegis ships to strike the satellite, Cartwright said last week.
The international community has been informed of the mission and why it's being conducted, Morrell said. "So I think everybody is up to date on what our thinking is and what our course of action is going to be, and we will keep them apprised of how it develops over the coming days," he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration today issued a 24-hour notice warning aircraft and ships to steer clear of the projected shoot-down zone in the Pacific. New warnings will be issued every 24 hours during the anticipated shoot-down window, Morrell said.
The Pentagon will issue a written statement within an hour of the launch and will hold a news conference regarding the effort within the following hours, Morrell told reporters. "We can probably tell you at that point whether or not there has been an intercept," but not necessarily if it destroyed the fuel tank, he said. "That may require some additional time," he acknowledged.
Cartwright and other commanders associated with the mission "have a high confidence this engagement will indeed be successful, and I think Secretary Gates shares that confidence," Morrell told reporters.
Morrell emphasized that the mission isn't designed to test U.S. anti-satellite capabilities. "We did that in 1985. Been there, done that," he said.
"This operation is designed to alleviate a threat to human beings on this planet. There is a large tank of hydrazine fuel onboard that satellite that would pose a significant threat to people within the immediate vicinity of it if it were to hit land," Morrell said. "So not wishing to take that risk, the president has asked -- ordered -- this department to shoot down that satellite.
"And that is what we are now evaluating," he continued, "and that is what the secretary will decide to do, based upon the advice of the commanders."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2008 - The anticipated landing tomorrow of the space shuttle Atlantis will open the window of opportunity for the U.S. military to shoot down a dying intelligence satellite headed toward Earth, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. President Bush has authorized Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to give the shoot-down order, and the secretary received a briefing on the plan today, Morrell said. The secretary is prepared to make that call from the road, if necessary, during his nine-day, around-the-world trip that begins tomorrow, he said.
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters last week the window of opportunity for shooting down the satellite would last seven or eight days.
"We have a pretty wide aperture with which to take this shot," Morrell said today. "I think the commanders that are evaluating this are looking at all the conditions that could impact this to make sure that when we do take this shot, it can be as successful as possible."
Cartwright, Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, and other experts across the military and U.S. government "are evaluating the situation and will advise the secretary when they have a shot to take," Morrell said.
Pentagon officials began studying the situation in early January when it become clear that a malfunctioning U.S. spy satellite could cause death or injury if it fell in a populated area. Of particular concern is that the satellite could release hydrazine, a toxic chemical used as a maneuvering fuel.
A Pentagon plan was put together to strike the incoming satellite just above the atmosphere, rupturing the hydrazine tank in the process.
All systems appear to be "go" for the launch order. The Navy has prepared for the mission by modifying three SM-3 missiles aboard Aegis ships to strike the satellite, Cartwright said last week.
The international community has been informed of the mission and why it's being conducted, Morrell said. "So I think everybody is up to date on what our thinking is and what our course of action is going to be, and we will keep them apprised of how it develops over the coming days," he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration today issued a 24-hour notice warning aircraft and ships to steer clear of the projected shoot-down zone in the Pacific. New warnings will be issued every 24 hours during the anticipated shoot-down window, Morrell said.
The Pentagon will issue a written statement within an hour of the launch and will hold a news conference regarding the effort within the following hours, Morrell told reporters. "We can probably tell you at that point whether or not there has been an intercept," but not necessarily if it destroyed the fuel tank, he said. "That may require some additional time," he acknowledged.
Cartwright and other commanders associated with the mission "have a high confidence this engagement will indeed be successful, and I think Secretary Gates shares that confidence," Morrell told reporters.
Morrell emphasized that the mission isn't designed to test U.S. anti-satellite capabilities. "We did that in 1985. Been there, done that," he said.
"This operation is designed to alleviate a threat to human beings on this planet. There is a large tank of hydrazine fuel onboard that satellite that would pose a significant threat to people within the immediate vicinity of it if it were to hit land," Morrell said. "So not wishing to take that risk, the president has asked -- ordered -- this department to shoot down that satellite.
"And that is what we are now evaluating," he continued, "and that is what the secretary will decide to do, based upon the advice of the commanders."
Gates Discusses Adriatic Charter Defense Ministers' NATO Aspirations
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met today with the defense ministers of Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to discuss their progress in making the reforms required for them to join NATO, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters. Gates hosted Albanian Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, Croatian Defense Minister Branko Vukelic and Macedonian Defense Minister Lazar Elenovski as part of the fourth annual U.S.-Adriatic Charter defense ministerial conference.
This year's conference is the first to be held in the United States, and today's secretary-level session kicked off lower-level sessions slated to start tomorrow and wrap up early Feb. 21, Morrell said.
The Adriatic Charter was formed in May 2003 to help Albania, Croatia and Macedonia work toward becoming NATO members. The United States, which signed on as a partner in the charter, agreed to continue helping the three NATO aspirants make the reforms required to join the alliance.
During today's meeting, the leaders discussed relations among their countries, NATO enlargement and the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Morrell said. In August 2005, the Adriatic Charter sent a joint 12-person medical team to NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, marking its first jointly conducted international mission. In addition, both Albania and Macedonia are members of the coalition in Iraq.
"These are all countries that are certainly punching above their weight class when it comes to their contributions to those respective wars," Morrell said.
The issue of Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia Feb. 17, also arose during the discussions, Morrell said. However, the talks did not venture into discussions about the Kosovo Force mission, which Morrell emphasized is not affected by the Kosovars' declaration of independence. That mission "remains as it has been, to provide a safe and secure environment, and to do so in an impartial and fair way," he said.
U.S. forces, which make up about 10 percent of the 16,000 KFOR troops, "will remain there for at least the foreseeable future," Morrell said.
The Adriatic Charter agreement reaffirms the parties' shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions, civil society, rule of law, market economies and NATO-compatible militaries. The countries also agree to fight corruption and crime and promote human rights and civil liberties in Albania, Croatia, Macedonia and other southeastern European countries.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met today with the defense ministers of Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to discuss their progress in making the reforms required for them to join NATO, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters. Gates hosted Albanian Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, Croatian Defense Minister Branko Vukelic and Macedonian Defense Minister Lazar Elenovski as part of the fourth annual U.S.-Adriatic Charter defense ministerial conference.
This year's conference is the first to be held in the United States, and today's secretary-level session kicked off lower-level sessions slated to start tomorrow and wrap up early Feb. 21, Morrell said.
The Adriatic Charter was formed in May 2003 to help Albania, Croatia and Macedonia work toward becoming NATO members. The United States, which signed on as a partner in the charter, agreed to continue helping the three NATO aspirants make the reforms required to join the alliance.
During today's meeting, the leaders discussed relations among their countries, NATO enlargement and the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Morrell said. In August 2005, the Adriatic Charter sent a joint 12-person medical team to NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, marking its first jointly conducted international mission. In addition, both Albania and Macedonia are members of the coalition in Iraq.
"These are all countries that are certainly punching above their weight class when it comes to their contributions to those respective wars," Morrell said.
The issue of Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia Feb. 17, also arose during the discussions, Morrell said. However, the talks did not venture into discussions about the Kosovo Force mission, which Morrell emphasized is not affected by the Kosovars' declaration of independence. That mission "remains as it has been, to provide a safe and secure environment, and to do so in an impartial and fair way," he said.
U.S. forces, which make up about 10 percent of the 16,000 KFOR troops, "will remain there for at least the foreseeable future," Morrell said.
The Adriatic Charter agreement reaffirms the parties' shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions, civil society, rule of law, market economies and NATO-compatible militaries. The countries also agree to fight corruption and crime and promote human rights and civil liberties in Albania, Croatia, Macedonia and other southeastern European countries.
Combating Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material
The IAEA released a reference manual that details how to prevent, detect, and respond to an incidence of nuclear terrorism. Combating Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material serves as a how-to booklet on several topics related to criminal acts involving nuclear and radioactive material. The 150+ page text is intended for a broad audience, including law enforcement agencies, legislators, customs and border patrol personnel, intelligence officials, emergency response teams and users of nuclear technology.
More Information
http://terrorism-online.blogspot.com/2008/02/combating-illicit-trafficking-in.html
More Information
http://terrorism-online.blogspot.com/2008/02/combating-illicit-trafficking-in.html
Monday, February 18, 2008
MANHUNTING
February 18, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Military-Writers.com is a website committed to listing servicemembers who have authored books. The website added former U.S. Air Force servicemember George Crawford to the growing list of military personnel who have authored books.
George Crawford served over 22 years in the most sensitive, trusted positions in intelligence, special operations and ballistic missiles. His highly decorated Air Force military career includes “boots-on-the-ground” operational experience ranging from hostile-fire zones in the Balkans, Central Asia and Afghanistan to key command positions in the United States, Europe and Asia. George Crawford is the author of Manhunting: Reversing the Polarity of Warfare.
According to the description of Manhunting: Reversing the Polarity of Warfare, “Six years after terrorist attacks shocked the world, news headlines portray petty politics, backstabbing bureaucrats and a mired military. How did a small group of extremists frustrate the most powerful nation on the planet? The author, a seasoned special operations intelligence officer, answers the question. America is fighting a twenty-first-century conflict with a national security establishment that was created for the middle of the twentieth century.
Examining trends in military history, the author traces America’s gradual shift toward a new national security strategy. Setting outdated war fighting concepts on their head, he proposes a solution. We can influence, capture, or if necessary kill those who would harm our people. Manhunting, a radical new form of warfare, promises to solve not only the terrorist dilemma. By adopting Manhunting doctrine, we could make warfare personal to our enemies, reverse the polarity of warfare and ensure U.S. security for the next century.”
Military-Writers.com currently lists 74 current or former military servicemembers and their 152 books.
George Crawford served over 22 years in the most sensitive, trusted positions in intelligence, special operations and ballistic missiles. His highly decorated Air Force military career includes “boots-on-the-ground” operational experience ranging from hostile-fire zones in the Balkans, Central Asia and Afghanistan to key command positions in the United States, Europe and Asia. George Crawford is the author of Manhunting: Reversing the Polarity of Warfare.
According to the description of Manhunting: Reversing the Polarity of Warfare, “Six years after terrorist attacks shocked the world, news headlines portray petty politics, backstabbing bureaucrats and a mired military. How did a small group of extremists frustrate the most powerful nation on the planet? The author, a seasoned special operations intelligence officer, answers the question. America is fighting a twenty-first-century conflict with a national security establishment that was created for the middle of the twentieth century.
Examining trends in military history, the author traces America’s gradual shift toward a new national security strategy. Setting outdated war fighting concepts on their head, he proposes a solution. We can influence, capture, or if necessary kill those who would harm our people. Manhunting, a radical new form of warfare, promises to solve not only the terrorist dilemma. By adopting Manhunting doctrine, we could make warfare personal to our enemies, reverse the polarity of warfare and ensure U.S. security for the next century.”
Military-Writers.com currently lists 74 current or former military servicemembers and their 152 books.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Marine Barracks Holds Valentine Lunch for Wounded Warriors
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 17, 2008 - It was a Valentine's Day lunch, and there was a lot of love in the air for wounded warriors at the Marine Barracks here yesterday. Retired Marine Gen. Peter Pace and his wife, Lynne, continued a tradition they started during his service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Paces hosted picnics at their quarters for wounded warriors and their families, and hosted this at historic Crawford Hall – a beautifully restored section of the Marine Barracks founded in 1801. The Marine Band's "Free Country Quartet" – down to a trio due to sickness – provided the entertainment.
"This is quite simply to say that we love you," Pace told the warriors. "(This event) is in some small way a chance to tell you your fellow countrymen respect you and what you've done for all of us."
Pace told the servicemembers and their families, "There are no rules: just relax and enjoy yourselves."
And they did. More than 30 wounded personnel undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., enjoyed a meal donated by Franco Nuchese, owner of Café Milano – an A-list Georgetown restaurant.
"I'm not sure what I just ate," said Army Sgt. Brad Judd, a Utah National Guardsman undergoing treatment at Walter Reed. Told it was eggplant parmegian, he said, "Who'd have thought eggplant could taste so good?"
Vice President Richard B. Cheney's daughters Mary and Elizabeth turned out to help serve and to speak with the servicemembers and their families, and the Marine Corps leadership turned out in force. Marine Commandant Gen. James T. Conway, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, Assistant Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Magnus and Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, the Joint Staff's strategy chief, and their ladies came to meet and mingle with the wounded servicemembers.
Enlisted aides from all services donated their time and expertise to the event. "We sent a e-mail out asking for volunteers, and everyone responded," said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Patrick Modreski, an enlisted aide who works with the Cartwrights.
Three of the wounded warriors had one leg among them – and that one had just had an operation.
"I was doing well; I was up and walking, but had a setback. They had to do the operation," said Marine Cpl. Chad Watson. "But that was it. I'll be up and walking again in no time." Watson's goal is to walk down the aisle in August for his marriage to his fiancée, Jillian.
Family was a big part of the lunch, and children soon hit a sugar high with the candied hearts and chocolate that decorated each of the 17 tables. Three-year-old Kelsey Hennagin was a perpetual motion machine, running between the tables and charming everyone in sight. When she finally ran down, she sat in her father's lap in his motorized wheelchair – he lost both legs to an improvised explosive device in June 2007. Marine Cpl. Ray Hennagin showed one and all a cell-phone picture of him standing on his new legs. "Just got fitted two days ago," he said. "Looks pretty good, huh?"
"None of these young men or women see themselves as victims," said Ambassador Lloyd Hand, who also attended. "They all want to get through recovery and move on."
In fact, Hand told Marine 1st Lt. Andrew Kinnard, a severely wounded platoon leader who is working in DoD's general counsel's office, to give him a call after he gets his law degree.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 17, 2008 - It was a Valentine's Day lunch, and there was a lot of love in the air for wounded warriors at the Marine Barracks here yesterday. Retired Marine Gen. Peter Pace and his wife, Lynne, continued a tradition they started during his service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Paces hosted picnics at their quarters for wounded warriors and their families, and hosted this at historic Crawford Hall – a beautifully restored section of the Marine Barracks founded in 1801. The Marine Band's "Free Country Quartet" – down to a trio due to sickness – provided the entertainment.
"This is quite simply to say that we love you," Pace told the warriors. "(This event) is in some small way a chance to tell you your fellow countrymen respect you and what you've done for all of us."
Pace told the servicemembers and their families, "There are no rules: just relax and enjoy yourselves."
And they did. More than 30 wounded personnel undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., enjoyed a meal donated by Franco Nuchese, owner of Café Milano – an A-list Georgetown restaurant.
"I'm not sure what I just ate," said Army Sgt. Brad Judd, a Utah National Guardsman undergoing treatment at Walter Reed. Told it was eggplant parmegian, he said, "Who'd have thought eggplant could taste so good?"
Vice President Richard B. Cheney's daughters Mary and Elizabeth turned out to help serve and to speak with the servicemembers and their families, and the Marine Corps leadership turned out in force. Marine Commandant Gen. James T. Conway, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, Assistant Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Magnus and Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, the Joint Staff's strategy chief, and their ladies came to meet and mingle with the wounded servicemembers.
Enlisted aides from all services donated their time and expertise to the event. "We sent a e-mail out asking for volunteers, and everyone responded," said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Patrick Modreski, an enlisted aide who works with the Cartwrights.
Three of the wounded warriors had one leg among them – and that one had just had an operation.
"I was doing well; I was up and walking, but had a setback. They had to do the operation," said Marine Cpl. Chad Watson. "But that was it. I'll be up and walking again in no time." Watson's goal is to walk down the aisle in August for his marriage to his fiancée, Jillian.
Family was a big part of the lunch, and children soon hit a sugar high with the candied hearts and chocolate that decorated each of the 17 tables. Three-year-old Kelsey Hennagin was a perpetual motion machine, running between the tables and charming everyone in sight. When she finally ran down, she sat in her father's lap in his motorized wheelchair – he lost both legs to an improvised explosive device in June 2007. Marine Cpl. Ray Hennagin showed one and all a cell-phone picture of him standing on his new legs. "Just got fitted two days ago," he said. "Looks pretty good, huh?"
"None of these young men or women see themselves as victims," said Ambassador Lloyd Hand, who also attended. "They all want to get through recovery and move on."
In fact, Hand told Marine 1st Lt. Andrew Kinnard, a severely wounded platoon leader who is working in DoD's general counsel's office, to give him a call after he gets his law degree.
America Supports You: Troops Battle Pro Athletes Via Xbox
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - Deployed troops have no doubt been in fights they'd rather have avoided, but thanks to a new program, they can now pick their battles, and have some fun doing it. "Pros vs. GI Joes" is a California-based troop-support group that's offering servicemembers deployed throughout the Middle East the chance to challenge professional athletes on their favorite Electronic Arts game via Xbox Live.
"(It's) not your typical 'support the troops' nonprofit organization that packages up all the good stuff that our troops miss when they're deployed," said Greg Zinone, founder of Pros vs. GI Joes. "I created (the program) with my wife, who's a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and currently serving her second tour in Iraq, for the simple reason of wanting to give a little something to our troops that they can only get because they are ... overseas."
At United Service Organizations centers throughout the Middle East, selected troops will sit in ultimate game chairs and play their favorite games against their favorite pro athletes back home. The games will play on a big-screen TV. Two additional sets will allow for live interaction between the two competitors, Zinone said.
Matches will be held on a rolling basis as the athletes make themselves available. Additionally, Pros vs. GI Joes plans to hold three five-week, cross-country tours that will coincide with major league sports seasons as well as special-event matches throughout the year, he added.
"Supporting our troops is a no-brainer," Zinone said. "Pros vs. GI Joes gives those people that love sports and video games, or those that just feel that it's a heck of an idea, a chance to do something for the troops that they ... would love to do while, at the same time, feeling a personal connection."
Pros vs. GI Joes recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
The group hopes to gain some exposure from the affiliation, exposure they would gladly share with other troop-support groups, Zinone said. "There are a lot of amazing (troop-support) organizations out there, and each one deserves all the attention it can get," he said. "If some of that attention can run through Pros vs. GI Joes, well, then let it flow!"
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - Deployed troops have no doubt been in fights they'd rather have avoided, but thanks to a new program, they can now pick their battles, and have some fun doing it. "Pros vs. GI Joes" is a California-based troop-support group that's offering servicemembers deployed throughout the Middle East the chance to challenge professional athletes on their favorite Electronic Arts game via Xbox Live.
"(It's) not your typical 'support the troops' nonprofit organization that packages up all the good stuff that our troops miss when they're deployed," said Greg Zinone, founder of Pros vs. GI Joes. "I created (the program) with my wife, who's a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and currently serving her second tour in Iraq, for the simple reason of wanting to give a little something to our troops that they can only get because they are ... overseas."
At United Service Organizations centers throughout the Middle East, selected troops will sit in ultimate game chairs and play their favorite games against their favorite pro athletes back home. The games will play on a big-screen TV. Two additional sets will allow for live interaction between the two competitors, Zinone said.
Matches will be held on a rolling basis as the athletes make themselves available. Additionally, Pros vs. GI Joes plans to hold three five-week, cross-country tours that will coincide with major league sports seasons as well as special-event matches throughout the year, he added.
"Supporting our troops is a no-brainer," Zinone said. "Pros vs. GI Joes gives those people that love sports and video games, or those that just feel that it's a heck of an idea, a chance to do something for the troops that they ... would love to do while, at the same time, feeling a personal connection."
Pros vs. GI Joes recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
The group hopes to gain some exposure from the affiliation, exposure they would gladly share with other troop-support groups, Zinone said. "There are a lot of amazing (troop-support) organizations out there, and each one deserves all the attention it can get," he said. "If some of that attention can run through Pros vs. GI Joes, well, then let it flow!"
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Top Army Doc Cites Progress One Year After Walter Reed Revelations
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - The Army has made huge improvements in the way it cares for combat-wounded troops during the year since news reports brought problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to light, the Army surgeon general told Congress today. Army Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric Schoomaker, who also commands U.S. Army Medical Command, told the House Armed Service Committee's Military Personnel Subcommittee the Army's medical action plan "is continuing to move forward" and making steady progress in improving care for wounded warriors.
"We as an Army are committed to getting this right and providing a level of care and support to our warriors and families that's equal to the quality of their service," he said.
Navy Vice Adm. (Dr.) Adam Robinson and Air Force Lt. Gen. (Dr.) James Roudebush, their services' surgeons general, joined Schoomaker at the table during today's hearing. However, one year after a Washington Post series outlined serious gaps in care at the Army's premier medical center, the bulk of the discussion focused on the Army's efforts through its medical action plan.
Schoomaker called the day the first of those articles appeared "a painful day" for Army medicine, but one he said has strengthened the Army's collective resolve to do better. Because of those revelations and the Army leadership's response, "we truly are a better Army today with respect to how we care for our soldiers," he told the panel.
Schoomaker called new warrior transition units the backbone of the Army medical action plan designed to address the problem.
More than 2,400 soldier-leaders -- up from fewer than 400 this time last year -- now are assigned as cadre to 35 of these units, he told the panel.
The warrior transition units, collocated Army-wide with medical treatment facilities, offer a "triad" that includes a soldier's primary-care physician, nurse case manager and squad leader, he explained. All work together to attend to the needs of wounded soldiers and their families.
The triad provides "a web of overlapping responsibility" to ensure no soldiers ever fall between bureaucratic cracks for the duration of their treatment, recovery, rehabilitation and transition back to military service or to civilian life, Schoomaker said.
A new Medical Command-wide ombudsman program is another improvement in the care provided to wounded, ill or injured troops, he said. Ombudsman at 26 installations work outside the chain of command but have direct access to the hospital, garrison and installation commanders "to get problems fixed," Schoomaker said.
The Army also has established a toll-free hotline for wounded soldiers and their families, he said. The Department of Veterans Affairs has expressed interest in setting up a similar hotline, which gives wounded soldiers and family members 24-hour access to assistance regarding their care or administrative concerns.
"We have fielded in excess of 7,000 calls to date, and we answer that call and find a solution for them and get the process going to get it ultimately fixed within 24 hours," Schoomaker said.
Schoomaker pointed to the hotline and ombudsman programs as examples of multiple feedback mechanisms now in place to ensure Army leaders are "seeing the full picture" in ways they didn't a year ago. The Army is now able to monitor and evaluate its performance through 18 internal and external means, including patient surveys. These "provide a very granular view of how our patients and families feel we're doing for them," Schoomaker said.
Despite these successes, he said, there's much still to be done. More research is needed into psychological health and traumatic brain injury, he said. The physical disability and evaluation system needs to be changed to make it less antagonistic, more understandable, more user-friendly and more equitable.
A good start, he said, is a pilot program under way in the Washington, D.C., area designed to bring the Defense Department's and VA's programs more in line. "I want to continue to pursue changes in the disability evaluation system as aggressively as possible and to get legislative relief for a single system of adjudication," he said.
Schoomaker thanked the panel for its support for these and other initiatives to help wounded warriors and their families, and he reiterated the Army's resolve in ensuring they're treated fairly.
"The Army's unwavering commitment and a key element of our warrior ethos is that we never leave a soldier behind on the battlefield or lost in a bureaucracy," he said. "We are doing a better job of honoring that commitment today than we were at this date last year. ... We have turned the corner."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - The Army has made huge improvements in the way it cares for combat-wounded troops during the year since news reports brought problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to light, the Army surgeon general told Congress today. Army Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric Schoomaker, who also commands U.S. Army Medical Command, told the House Armed Service Committee's Military Personnel Subcommittee the Army's medical action plan "is continuing to move forward" and making steady progress in improving care for wounded warriors.
"We as an Army are committed to getting this right and providing a level of care and support to our warriors and families that's equal to the quality of their service," he said.
Navy Vice Adm. (Dr.) Adam Robinson and Air Force Lt. Gen. (Dr.) James Roudebush, their services' surgeons general, joined Schoomaker at the table during today's hearing. However, one year after a Washington Post series outlined serious gaps in care at the Army's premier medical center, the bulk of the discussion focused on the Army's efforts through its medical action plan.
Schoomaker called the day the first of those articles appeared "a painful day" for Army medicine, but one he said has strengthened the Army's collective resolve to do better. Because of those revelations and the Army leadership's response, "we truly are a better Army today with respect to how we care for our soldiers," he told the panel.
Schoomaker called new warrior transition units the backbone of the Army medical action plan designed to address the problem.
More than 2,400 soldier-leaders -- up from fewer than 400 this time last year -- now are assigned as cadre to 35 of these units, he told the panel.
The warrior transition units, collocated Army-wide with medical treatment facilities, offer a "triad" that includes a soldier's primary-care physician, nurse case manager and squad leader, he explained. All work together to attend to the needs of wounded soldiers and their families.
The triad provides "a web of overlapping responsibility" to ensure no soldiers ever fall between bureaucratic cracks for the duration of their treatment, recovery, rehabilitation and transition back to military service or to civilian life, Schoomaker said.
A new Medical Command-wide ombudsman program is another improvement in the care provided to wounded, ill or injured troops, he said. Ombudsman at 26 installations work outside the chain of command but have direct access to the hospital, garrison and installation commanders "to get problems fixed," Schoomaker said.
The Army also has established a toll-free hotline for wounded soldiers and their families, he said. The Department of Veterans Affairs has expressed interest in setting up a similar hotline, which gives wounded soldiers and family members 24-hour access to assistance regarding their care or administrative concerns.
"We have fielded in excess of 7,000 calls to date, and we answer that call and find a solution for them and get the process going to get it ultimately fixed within 24 hours," Schoomaker said.
Schoomaker pointed to the hotline and ombudsman programs as examples of multiple feedback mechanisms now in place to ensure Army leaders are "seeing the full picture" in ways they didn't a year ago. The Army is now able to monitor and evaluate its performance through 18 internal and external means, including patient surveys. These "provide a very granular view of how our patients and families feel we're doing for them," Schoomaker said.
Despite these successes, he said, there's much still to be done. More research is needed into psychological health and traumatic brain injury, he said. The physical disability and evaluation system needs to be changed to make it less antagonistic, more understandable, more user-friendly and more equitable.
A good start, he said, is a pilot program under way in the Washington, D.C., area designed to bring the Defense Department's and VA's programs more in line. "I want to continue to pursue changes in the disability evaluation system as aggressively as possible and to get legislative relief for a single system of adjudication," he said.
Schoomaker thanked the panel for its support for these and other initiatives to help wounded warriors and their families, and he reiterated the Army's resolve in ensuring they're treated fairly.
"The Army's unwavering commitment and a key element of our warrior ethos is that we never leave a soldier behind on the battlefield or lost in a bureaucracy," he said. "We are doing a better job of honoring that commitment today than we were at this date last year. ... We have turned the corner."
Face of Defense: Real Estate Agent Chooses to Serve
By Sgt. Brandon Little, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2008 - A little more than two years ago, Juliana Rizzo was a real estate agent living in Long Island, N.Y., with her two children, Angelo and Amanda, when she decided it was time to fulfill her childhood dream. That dream was to join the United States Army.
"As a little girl, I always wanted to join the Army, because my father and grandfather spent several years in the military and served their country proudly," said Rizzo, a supply specialist in Company E, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, Task Force 12, Multinational Division Baghdad.
"I don't know if my father ever deployed, but my grandfather served in the Korean War and Vietnam," she said. "They've both become very successful (in jobs outside the military), but they started their education in the Army."
Rizzo, the daughter of an airplane mechanic and granddaughter of a NASA radio communications transmitter, also has achieved plenty of her own success in the short time she's been in the military.
"When (Rizzo) arrived to unit, only three days after the unit was established, she was a private fresh out of advanced individual training and she had a hip problem that really bothered her," said Army 1st Sgt. Foy Dix, of Company E. "I had a talk with her and told her that being in the Army means sometimes you have to overcome pain. Within 60 days, she nearly scored (the maximum) 300 points on her physical fitness test."
In addition to overcoming physical adversity, the new private also had to learn her job quickly and with little supervision.
"Her supply sergeant went to the basic noncommissioned officer course while the unit was still being set up, so she had to set up the unit supply office by herself," said Dix, a native of Ventura, Calif. "She also helped run a company that had no commander -- just a first sergeant and three flight lieutenants."
Even though her leaders said they already were impressed by her work ethic and determination in keeping track of more than $3.5 million worth of unit equipment, Rizzo's most attention-grabbing performance was yet to come.
"When we were in (Hohenfels, Germany) going through 'Iron Warrior' training, she went up to the Iraqi role players and started talking to them in their own language," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Cuomo, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, a native of Troy, N.Y. "Nobody knew that she spoke Arabic, and it especially shocked the role players; she was definitely the hero of the battle out there."
"I learned Arabic in my Long Island neighborhood, and I pretty much taught myself a lot of the (words and phrases) I didn't know," Rizzo said. "I'm not very fluent in Arabic, but I do know enough to communicate. I also speak Spanish, and I know some phrases in Hindu."
Rizzo does a lot more than just handle unit supplies; she operates the company arms room, does public affairs for Company E, and she takes time to listen to some of the issues her fellow soldiers are having, Dix said.
She made such a strong impression throughout the battalion that she was sent to the Warrior Leadership Course as a private first class, Cuomo said. Soldiers usually attend the course at the rank of specialist or sergeant.
"I went down and talked with the WLC sergeant major two days after the course started, and I asked him, 'If I had a high-speed private first class, would you take that person?'" he said. "The course was a little rough for her, because she was the only private first class there, but she made it through and graduated in the top 17 percent of her class."
Rizzo was promoted to specialist shortly after arriving in Iraq and went to the sergeant's promotion board four months later. She received 150 points in the promotion board, and was recently laterally promoted to corporal. She continues to set the standard and then to exceed that standard, Dix said.
"I just try to give 100 percent in everything I do," Rizzo said, "and I always try to do above what is expected of me."
The soon-to-be sergeant is taking online classes toward a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. She said she hopes to one day be an Army career counselor or an Arabic linguist.
Dix said he won't be surprised if Rizzo is selected to be a staff sergeant by the end of her deployment.
"If she continues to do what she's doing know, I see her being a sergeant promotable before we leave Iraq," Dix said. "I know I couldn't do as much she does and continue to smile. I have no doubt that if I had five of her, I could run an entire platoon."
(Army Sgt. Brandon Little serves with Task Force 12 Public Affairs in Multinational Division Baghdad.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2008 - A little more than two years ago, Juliana Rizzo was a real estate agent living in Long Island, N.Y., with her two children, Angelo and Amanda, when she decided it was time to fulfill her childhood dream. That dream was to join the United States Army.
"As a little girl, I always wanted to join the Army, because my father and grandfather spent several years in the military and served their country proudly," said Rizzo, a supply specialist in Company E, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, Task Force 12, Multinational Division Baghdad.
"I don't know if my father ever deployed, but my grandfather served in the Korean War and Vietnam," she said. "They've both become very successful (in jobs outside the military), but they started their education in the Army."
Rizzo, the daughter of an airplane mechanic and granddaughter of a NASA radio communications transmitter, also has achieved plenty of her own success in the short time she's been in the military.
"When (Rizzo) arrived to unit, only three days after the unit was established, she was a private fresh out of advanced individual training and she had a hip problem that really bothered her," said Army 1st Sgt. Foy Dix, of Company E. "I had a talk with her and told her that being in the Army means sometimes you have to overcome pain. Within 60 days, she nearly scored (the maximum) 300 points on her physical fitness test."
In addition to overcoming physical adversity, the new private also had to learn her job quickly and with little supervision.
"Her supply sergeant went to the basic noncommissioned officer course while the unit was still being set up, so she had to set up the unit supply office by herself," said Dix, a native of Ventura, Calif. "She also helped run a company that had no commander -- just a first sergeant and three flight lieutenants."
Even though her leaders said they already were impressed by her work ethic and determination in keeping track of more than $3.5 million worth of unit equipment, Rizzo's most attention-grabbing performance was yet to come.
"When we were in (Hohenfels, Germany) going through 'Iron Warrior' training, she went up to the Iraqi role players and started talking to them in their own language," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Cuomo, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, a native of Troy, N.Y. "Nobody knew that she spoke Arabic, and it especially shocked the role players; she was definitely the hero of the battle out there."
"I learned Arabic in my Long Island neighborhood, and I pretty much taught myself a lot of the (words and phrases) I didn't know," Rizzo said. "I'm not very fluent in Arabic, but I do know enough to communicate. I also speak Spanish, and I know some phrases in Hindu."
Rizzo does a lot more than just handle unit supplies; she operates the company arms room, does public affairs for Company E, and she takes time to listen to some of the issues her fellow soldiers are having, Dix said.
She made such a strong impression throughout the battalion that she was sent to the Warrior Leadership Course as a private first class, Cuomo said. Soldiers usually attend the course at the rank of specialist or sergeant.
"I went down and talked with the WLC sergeant major two days after the course started, and I asked him, 'If I had a high-speed private first class, would you take that person?'" he said. "The course was a little rough for her, because she was the only private first class there, but she made it through and graduated in the top 17 percent of her class."
Rizzo was promoted to specialist shortly after arriving in Iraq and went to the sergeant's promotion board four months later. She received 150 points in the promotion board, and was recently laterally promoted to corporal. She continues to set the standard and then to exceed that standard, Dix said.
"I just try to give 100 percent in everything I do," Rizzo said, "and I always try to do above what is expected of me."
The soon-to-be sergeant is taking online classes toward a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. She said she hopes to one day be an Army career counselor or an Arabic linguist.
Dix said he won't be surprised if Rizzo is selected to be a staff sergeant by the end of her deployment.
"If she continues to do what she's doing know, I see her being a sergeant promotable before we leave Iraq," Dix said. "I know I couldn't do as much she does and continue to smile. I have no doubt that if I had five of her, I could run an entire platoon."
(Army Sgt. Brandon Little serves with Task Force 12 Public Affairs in Multinational Division Baghdad.)
Reserve-Component Units Cited for Superb Family Support
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - Seven reserve-component units were recognized for their superlative support of families of deployed servicemembers during an award ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes today. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, hosted the annual Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Awards presentation, which highlighted the best National Guard and reserve unit family readiness support programs in 2007.
"You know, you recruit individuals and retain families," Hall said before presenting the awards. "It is so important that we emphasize families, and we're going to continue to do that."
The seven awardees are recognized as "the best of the best" in providing readiness and deployment-support programs for reserve-component servicemembers and their families, Hall said.
Each recognized unit received an engraved wood Defense Department plaque and a certificate signed by Hall. Award recipients also received a certificate and $1,000 from the Military Officers Association of America.
Sharon M. Semrow is a volunteer family-support coordinator for the award-winning Marine Corps Reserve 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Chicago. Semrow works with families of Marines assigned to the battalion's Fox Company, which is located in Milwaukee.
"It is an honor to receive this award, and the whole battalion worked hard," Semrow said. Marines assigned to Fox Company are currently deployed to Iraq, she said.
"We pass information from the command to the family members," Semrow explained. Semrow's husband, Jeffrey, is a Marine gunnery sergeant in the reserve who served a duty tour in Iraq.
Family support is important, she said, "So the Marines can focus on the job that they're doing and not worry about us back at home."
Maintaining communications between deployed servicemembers and their families is important for morale, said Leslie B. Holland, a family-support coordinator for the award-winning Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit 308 based in Gulfport, Miss. PSU 308 personnel have deployed for duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she said.
Holland maintains a list of phone numbers that can be used to quickly contact deployed servicemembers' commands in case of family emergencies or other contingencies back home.
"Within a matter of minutes, we can get a message out" to servicemembers at Guantanamo asking them to contact their families, Holland explained.
The Coast Guard members and spouses feel "relieved there is an extra group of people that are helping their families," Holland said.
Other units recognized at the ceremony include:
-- Air Force Reserve: 944th Mission Support Flight, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.;
-- Air National Guard: 144th Fighter Wing, Fresno, Calif.;
-- Army National Guard: 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery, Milwaukee;
-- Army Reserve: 108th Training Command, Charlotte, N.C., and;
-- Navy Reserve: Naval Air Systems Command 6066, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
The department's Reserve Family Readiness Awards program was established in 2000. Robust family support programs are important and vital to mission success, officials said, as significant numbers of servicemembers have deployed overseas in support of the global war on terrorism.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - Seven reserve-component units were recognized for their superlative support of families of deployed servicemembers during an award ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes today. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, hosted the annual Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Awards presentation, which highlighted the best National Guard and reserve unit family readiness support programs in 2007.
"You know, you recruit individuals and retain families," Hall said before presenting the awards. "It is so important that we emphasize families, and we're going to continue to do that."
The seven awardees are recognized as "the best of the best" in providing readiness and deployment-support programs for reserve-component servicemembers and their families, Hall said.
Each recognized unit received an engraved wood Defense Department plaque and a certificate signed by Hall. Award recipients also received a certificate and $1,000 from the Military Officers Association of America.
Sharon M. Semrow is a volunteer family-support coordinator for the award-winning Marine Corps Reserve 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Chicago. Semrow works with families of Marines assigned to the battalion's Fox Company, which is located in Milwaukee.
"It is an honor to receive this award, and the whole battalion worked hard," Semrow said. Marines assigned to Fox Company are currently deployed to Iraq, she said.
"We pass information from the command to the family members," Semrow explained. Semrow's husband, Jeffrey, is a Marine gunnery sergeant in the reserve who served a duty tour in Iraq.
Family support is important, she said, "So the Marines can focus on the job that they're doing and not worry about us back at home."
Maintaining communications between deployed servicemembers and their families is important for morale, said Leslie B. Holland, a family-support coordinator for the award-winning Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit 308 based in Gulfport, Miss. PSU 308 personnel have deployed for duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she said.
Holland maintains a list of phone numbers that can be used to quickly contact deployed servicemembers' commands in case of family emergencies or other contingencies back home.
"Within a matter of minutes, we can get a message out" to servicemembers at Guantanamo asking them to contact their families, Holland explained.
The Coast Guard members and spouses feel "relieved there is an extra group of people that are helping their families," Holland said.
Other units recognized at the ceremony include:
-- Air Force Reserve: 944th Mission Support Flight, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.;
-- Air National Guard: 144th Fighter Wing, Fresno, Calif.;
-- Army National Guard: 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery, Milwaukee;
-- Army Reserve: 108th Training Command, Charlotte, N.C., and;
-- Navy Reserve: Naval Air Systems Command 6066, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
The department's Reserve Family Readiness Awards program was established in 2000. Robust family support programs are important and vital to mission success, officials said, as significant numbers of servicemembers have deployed overseas in support of the global war on terrorism.
Missing WWII Airmen Are Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three U.S. servicemen, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are 2nd Lt. John F. Lubben, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; Sgt. Albert A. Forgue, of North Providence, R.I.; and Sgt. Charles L. Spiegel, of Chicago, Ill.; all U.S. Army Air Forces. They will be buried on April 18 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men in their hometowns to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On Dec. 12, 1944, these men crewed an A-20J Havoc aircraft departing from Coullomiers, France, to bomb enemy targets near Wollseifen, Germany. The aircraft was last seen entering a steep dive near Cologne, Germany. Several searches and investigations of this area and reviews of wartime documents failed to provide information concerning the incident.
In 1975, a German company clearing wartime mines and unexploded ordnance near Simmerath, Germany, reported the discovery of a gravesite northeast of Simmerath where American servicemembers were buried. U.S. officials evaluated the remains and determined they represented three individuals, but they could not make identifications at that time. The remains were subsequently buried as unknowns in the Ardennes American Military Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium.
In 2003, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) was notified that a group of German citizens had information correlating the three servicemembers who were buried as unknowns with the crew from the 1944 A-20J crash. Based on that information, JPAC exhumed the three unknown graves from the Ardennes American Military Cemetery in 2005.
Among dental records, other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ or call (703) 699-1169
They are 2nd Lt. John F. Lubben, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; Sgt. Albert A. Forgue, of North Providence, R.I.; and Sgt. Charles L. Spiegel, of Chicago, Ill.; all U.S. Army Air Forces. They will be buried on April 18 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men in their hometowns to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On Dec. 12, 1944, these men crewed an A-20J Havoc aircraft departing from Coullomiers, France, to bomb enemy targets near Wollseifen, Germany. The aircraft was last seen entering a steep dive near Cologne, Germany. Several searches and investigations of this area and reviews of wartime documents failed to provide information concerning the incident.
In 1975, a German company clearing wartime mines and unexploded ordnance near Simmerath, Germany, reported the discovery of a gravesite northeast of Simmerath where American servicemembers were buried. U.S. officials evaluated the remains and determined they represented three individuals, but they could not make identifications at that time. The remains were subsequently buried as unknowns in the Ardennes American Military Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium.
In 2003, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) was notified that a group of German citizens had information correlating the three servicemembers who were buried as unknowns with the crew from the 1944 A-20J crash. Based on that information, JPAC exhumed the three unknown graves from the Ardennes American Military Cemetery in 2005.
Among dental records, other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ or call (703) 699-1169
Pentagon to Set Up Nationwide Troop, Family Support Network
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act provides for the establishment of a nationwide center of excellence network that will assist servicemembers of all components in readjusting and reintegrating with their families when they return from overseas deployments, a senior Defense Department official said here today. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, announced the new initiative today at the Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Awards ceremony that highlighted the best National Guard and reserve unit family readiness and support programs in 2007.
The new organization will be established quickly, Hall said, noting it will assist and coordinate efforts of more than 700 military family-support centers located across the country.
Efforts to obtain funding and staffing for the organization are under way, Hall said, adding it will have a central staff based in the Washington, D.C., area, and will have a board of directors.
The new support network will assist active duty, National Guard and reserve servicemembers, as well as their families, Hall pointed out.
"We've got to get that 'jointness' throughout (the system), and this is one of the things that this center for excellence is going to talk about," Hall said.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act provides for the establishment of a nationwide center of excellence network that will assist servicemembers of all components in readjusting and reintegrating with their families when they return from overseas deployments, a senior Defense Department official said here today. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, announced the new initiative today at the Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Awards ceremony that highlighted the best National Guard and reserve unit family readiness and support programs in 2007.
The new organization will be established quickly, Hall said, noting it will assist and coordinate efforts of more than 700 military family-support centers located across the country.
Efforts to obtain funding and staffing for the organization are under way, Hall said, adding it will have a central staff based in the Washington, D.C., area, and will have a board of directors.
The new support network will assist active duty, National Guard and reserve servicemembers, as well as their families, Hall pointed out.
"We've got to get that 'jointness' throughout (the system), and this is one of the things that this center for excellence is going to talk about," Hall said.
Defense Agency Makes Big Advances in Prosthetics Research
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - A Defense Department program is tapping into the realm of science fiction to develop life-like, functional prosthetic devices for wounded combat troops so they can go on to live normal lives. Army Col. Geoff Ling, manager of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Revolutionizing Prosthetics programs, said the agency is making tremendous headway in advancing technology considered unimaginable just a few years ago.
DARPA's initial prosthetics program, Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2007, "has done remarkably well" and is generating excitement among other federal agency heads that could someday lead to full-scale production, Ling said.
Researchers at DEKA Research and Development Corp. in Manchester, N.H., have developed what Ling calls a "strap-and-go-arm" that users activate with the flick of a switch.
"All you have to do is strap it on, and you're ready to go," he said. "It requires no surgery or any of that stuff. All you do is literally wake up in the morning and put it on like you could a jacket, and you just go."
Three volunteers in the test program reported strong acceptance for the device that comes in three models: one for amputees who have lost a complete arm and others for those with amputations above and below the elbow.
"These arms are working just beyond anyone's wildest imagination," Ling said, barely able to contain his enthusiasm.
Embedded electronics enable users to activate a switch, either with a foot or their chin, to activate it. By flicking the switch, they can cycle through five different gripping actions to match the task at hand, whether it's using a pen, picking up a key, lifting a coffee cup or using a power drill.
"It's very easy to master," Ling said. "Guys who have it will tell you they can master the use of the arm in an hour or two."
All were able to "perform remarkably" with the device, he said. One tester who lost his arm at the shoulder was able to field strip and reassemble an M-16 rifle using the prosthesis. An above-the-elbow amputee was able to grab a root beer bottle off a shelf, open it with a bottle opener and drink it. Another, who lost both hands in combat, reported he now feels able to take on a civilian job.
"When you watch it, you realize that what we have provided is not so much an arm, but really a functionality and a return to life," Ling said. "This is exactly what we had hoped for. It's tremendously gratifying."
The Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration have all shown interest in the program and are expected to join forces with the Defense Department in the months ahead to move it forward. "This is the government coming together, making things right for the right people," Ling said.
Getting a governmental agreement in place will be a big step forward to getting the devices mass-produced so they're available for wounded troops, veterans and ultimately, anyone else who might need them, he said.
As this effort advances, DARPA is pushing forward its even more ambitious Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 program that will enable a user to control the prosthesis through thought. The limb, as envisioned, would enable users to move as they normally do, without having to think about the actual process to make it happen.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore are exploring this technology, and Ling said he hopes to see a contract moving the project into its second phase finalized in the coming months.
The device connects directly into the peripheral and central nervous system so users can operate it naturally, just as they move their biological arm. "It will look as natural and smooth as you possibly can imagine, because it will be controlled directly by your nervous system," Ling said. "When you think about moving your arm to reach out and grab a coffee cup, that's exactly what you will do."
The prosthetic will provide capabilities even beyond what the DEKA prosthesis delivers, even enabling people to play the piano, he said. "I don't necessarily expect users to play at the level of Tchaikovsky, but it will be a clear improvement, even over the DEKA arm," he said. "And the DEKA arm is clearly a dramatic improvement over what's available today.
"DARPA is pushing the future," he said.
DARPA's prosthetics programs represents the largest pool of funding for prosthetics in at least a decade in a field that advanced at a snail's pace for centuries. "If you look at the history of prosthetics, especially in the upper arm, it's been incredibly slow," Ling said.
The metal hook, introduced in the 1600s, didn't get its first major upgrade until the 1900s, when new technology enabled the hook to open and close, he said. "Today, you can go to the finest hospitals in the land, and what they will give you is a rubber arm with a hook at the end that opens and closes," he said.
Ling said the technology being developed through DARPA will have a broad impact, improving the lives of wounded warriors and all other amputees as well.
"Amputees everywhere in the country and possibly the world are going to benefit from this," he said. "This is not a secret government program. We have been as transparent as you can possibly be. We plan on sharing this with the world. Out of the tragedy of war comes an opportunity for a lot of people."
Ling said it's exciting to be a part of developing such cutting-edge technology.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see. It will blow your socks off," he said. "We are really shooting for the stars, and actually achieving it is amazing."
Adding to that excitement, he said, is knowing that the effort is helping wounded warfighters return to a normal life.
"I don't think any of us could have a better way of spending our time than being able to provide care and comfort to the most deserving Americans anyone could find," he said. "For me, it's a tremendous honor."
Entry sponsored by Police Books.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2008 - A Defense Department program is tapping into the realm of science fiction to develop life-like, functional prosthetic devices for wounded combat troops so they can go on to live normal lives. Army Col. Geoff Ling, manager of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Revolutionizing Prosthetics programs, said the agency is making tremendous headway in advancing technology considered unimaginable just a few years ago.
DARPA's initial prosthetics program, Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2007, "has done remarkably well" and is generating excitement among other federal agency heads that could someday lead to full-scale production, Ling said.
Researchers at DEKA Research and Development Corp. in Manchester, N.H., have developed what Ling calls a "strap-and-go-arm" that users activate with the flick of a switch.
"All you have to do is strap it on, and you're ready to go," he said. "It requires no surgery or any of that stuff. All you do is literally wake up in the morning and put it on like you could a jacket, and you just go."
Three volunteers in the test program reported strong acceptance for the device that comes in three models: one for amputees who have lost a complete arm and others for those with amputations above and below the elbow.
"These arms are working just beyond anyone's wildest imagination," Ling said, barely able to contain his enthusiasm.
Embedded electronics enable users to activate a switch, either with a foot or their chin, to activate it. By flicking the switch, they can cycle through five different gripping actions to match the task at hand, whether it's using a pen, picking up a key, lifting a coffee cup or using a power drill.
"It's very easy to master," Ling said. "Guys who have it will tell you they can master the use of the arm in an hour or two."
All were able to "perform remarkably" with the device, he said. One tester who lost his arm at the shoulder was able to field strip and reassemble an M-16 rifle using the prosthesis. An above-the-elbow amputee was able to grab a root beer bottle off a shelf, open it with a bottle opener and drink it. Another, who lost both hands in combat, reported he now feels able to take on a civilian job.
"When you watch it, you realize that what we have provided is not so much an arm, but really a functionality and a return to life," Ling said. "This is exactly what we had hoped for. It's tremendously gratifying."
The Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration have all shown interest in the program and are expected to join forces with the Defense Department in the months ahead to move it forward. "This is the government coming together, making things right for the right people," Ling said.
Getting a governmental agreement in place will be a big step forward to getting the devices mass-produced so they're available for wounded troops, veterans and ultimately, anyone else who might need them, he said.
As this effort advances, DARPA is pushing forward its even more ambitious Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 program that will enable a user to control the prosthesis through thought. The limb, as envisioned, would enable users to move as they normally do, without having to think about the actual process to make it happen.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore are exploring this technology, and Ling said he hopes to see a contract moving the project into its second phase finalized in the coming months.
The device connects directly into the peripheral and central nervous system so users can operate it naturally, just as they move their biological arm. "It will look as natural and smooth as you possibly can imagine, because it will be controlled directly by your nervous system," Ling said. "When you think about moving your arm to reach out and grab a coffee cup, that's exactly what you will do."
The prosthetic will provide capabilities even beyond what the DEKA prosthesis delivers, even enabling people to play the piano, he said. "I don't necessarily expect users to play at the level of Tchaikovsky, but it will be a clear improvement, even over the DEKA arm," he said. "And the DEKA arm is clearly a dramatic improvement over what's available today.
"DARPA is pushing the future," he said.
DARPA's prosthetics programs represents the largest pool of funding for prosthetics in at least a decade in a field that advanced at a snail's pace for centuries. "If you look at the history of prosthetics, especially in the upper arm, it's been incredibly slow," Ling said.
The metal hook, introduced in the 1600s, didn't get its first major upgrade until the 1900s, when new technology enabled the hook to open and close, he said. "Today, you can go to the finest hospitals in the land, and what they will give you is a rubber arm with a hook at the end that opens and closes," he said.
Ling said the technology being developed through DARPA will have a broad impact, improving the lives of wounded warriors and all other amputees as well.
"Amputees everywhere in the country and possibly the world are going to benefit from this," he said. "This is not a secret government program. We have been as transparent as you can possibly be. We plan on sharing this with the world. Out of the tragedy of war comes an opportunity for a lot of people."
Ling said it's exciting to be a part of developing such cutting-edge technology.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see. It will blow your socks off," he said. "We are really shooting for the stars, and actually achieving it is amazing."
Adding to that excitement, he said, is knowing that the effort is helping wounded warfighters return to a normal life.
"I don't think any of us could have a better way of spending our time than being able to provide care and comfort to the most deserving Americans anyone could find," he said. "For me, it's a tremendous honor."
Entry sponsored by Police Books.
Friday, February 15, 2008
MILITARY CONTRACTS
Missile Defense Agency
Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $1,015,601,310 cost-plus-incentive-fee sole source contract modification to manufacture seventy-five (75) Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) block IA for the United States, and twenty-seven (27) SM-3 Foreign Military Sales Block IA missiles in support of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. The principle place of performance is Tucson, Ariz. Work will also be performed in Elkton, Md., by a major subcontractor, Alliant Techsystems, Incorporated and is expected to be complete by Feb. 2012. The FY 07 research and development contract funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity (N00024-07-C-6119). FY 07 research and development and Japanese Foreign Military Sales funds will be used for the initial funding. The contract modification will be incrementally funded and at award will obligate $92,790,383 ($85.9M FMS and $6.9 FY 07).
NAVY
Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $13,171,418 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0008) to provide FY 2008 technical support for Lot 8 production AIM-9X Tactical Missiles for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($8,672,933; 66 percent) and the U.S. Air Force ($4,498,485; 34 percent). Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., (90 percent), Eglin Air Force Base, Eglin, Fla., (5 percent); and the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in Nov. 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $11,028,637 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
EG&G Technical Services, Inc., Dumfries, Va., was awarded $11,267,986 for task order #0060 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (M67854-02-A-9016) to provide on-going acquisition and technical support to the Joint Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Program (JMVP). This includes contractor support directly to the Joint Program Manager (JPM), product and functional team leaders and their deputies. This effort will include comprehensive Joint Program Management services for all MRAP vehicles and systems; systems engineering; production, test and evaluation, integration, transportation, logistics and acquisition management support. Key events include expedited testing, integration, fielding, and training for MRAP vehicles; concurrent integration of system and component improvements to both MRAP and related low density vehicles and comprehensive assessments, selection, and fielding of other Improvised Explosive Device countermeasure equipment, all in response to Urgent Universal Needs Statements (UUNS) generated by the Operating Forces (OPFORs). The Secretary of Defense designated the JMVP the highest priority DoD acquisition program. The program requires a highly competent and agile program management structure to respond to a myriad of urgent and priority requests for information and action. The program has transitioned from a component rapid deployment capability to an ACAT ID program that is currently producing, fielding, upgrading and sustaining life-saving vehicles for Warfighters. Work will be performed in Stafford, Va., and work is expected to be completed in Feb. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, R.I., is being awarded a $ 7,733,484 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-03-C-6310 for three Low Rate Initial Production units of the Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS). The purpose of the AMNS is to reacquire and neutralize mines after detection. The AMNS will be employed by the MH-60S helicopter to explosively neutralize unburied bottom, close tethered and moored sea mines that are impractical or unsafe to counter using existing minesweeping/mine neutralization techniques. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, R.I., (56 percent); Waterlooville, United Kingdom (23 percent); Claremont, N.H., (11 percent); Windber, Pa., (5 percent); West Wareham, Mass., (3 percent); Biddford, Maine (1%), and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (1 percent) and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
United Technologies, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a maximum $119,524,002.22 firm fixed price, indefinite quantity contract for engines. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Navy and Air Force. There were originally two proposals solicited with one response. This modification is to exercise the fourth option period of a ten year contract with a three-year base period and seven one-year option periods. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Feb. 15, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR), Richmond, Va., (SPM400-01-D-9405).
Tennier Industries, Pamona, N.Y., is being awarded a maximum $28,703,000.00 firm fixed price, total set aside contract for parkas and trousers. Other location of performance is Tenn. Using service is Air Force. This proposal was originally solicited on Dibbs with five responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Feb. 14, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.
Metals USA i-Solutions, Fort Washington, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $22,300,000.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, tailored vendor relationship contract for metals and metal products. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Federal Civilian Agencies. There were originally 63 proposals solicited with three responses. This is a five year contract with three one-year options. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Dec. 6, 2008. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM500-06-D-BP17).
Metals USA i-Solutions, Fort Washington, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $15,500,000.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, tailored vendor relationship contract for metals and metal products. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Federal Civilian Agencies. There were originally 63 proposals solicited with three responses. This is a fire year contract with three one-year options. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Nov. 16, 2008. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM500-06-D-BP16).
Mobile Energy Products, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo., is being awarded a maximum $5,039,807.43 firm fixed price, indefinite quantity contract for batteries. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There were originally five proposals solicited with one response. This contract consists of a two-year base with three one-year option periods. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Feb. 14, 2010. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va. (SPM4LG-08-D-0005).
AIR FORCE
Rockwell Collins, Inc., of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a contract modification for $116,467,023. This action exercises production options for the purchase of 52,039 Defense Advanced GPS Receivers (DAGRs) and accessories. The DAGR will provide authorized Department of Defense and Foreign Military Sales users of GPS User Equipment a Precise Positioning System, hand-held, dual-frequency (L1/L2), lightweight receiver (less than one pound) that incorporates the next generation, tamper-resistant GPS "SAASM" (Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module) security module. The DAGR will serve as a replacement for the Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver in integrated platforms as well as for the advanced and basic GPS user. At this time all funds have been obligated. GPSW/PK, El Segundo Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-02-C-0011; Modification P00059).
The Boeing Co., of Anaheim, Calif., is being awarded a contract modification for $49,780,000. This undefinitized contract action to incorporate Engineering Change Proposal 0034, New Platform Requirements and Advanced EHF System Interface Changes, into the Family of Advanced Beyond-Line-of-Sight Terminals. At this time $17,000,000 has been obligated. 653 ELSG/PKX, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (F19628-02-C-0048/P00138).
DeCA
Raymond Express International, 320 Harbor Way, San Francisco, CA., 94080-6900 is being awarded an indefinite delivery, requirements type contract on Feb. 14, 2008, to provide as needed, fresh fruits and vegetables for resale at 29 commissary store locations throughout South Korea, Guam, and Japan/Okinawa. The estimated award amount is $26,284,506. The contract is for a two year base period beginning Apr. 1, 2008, through Mar. 31, 2010. Two one-year option periods are available. If both option periods are exercised, the contract will be completed Mar. 31, 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Sixty-seven firms were solicited and seven offers were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Commissary Agency, Resale Contracting Division, Produce Support Branch, 1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800. (HDEC02-08-D-0001)
America Supports You: Postal Service Offers Discount
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2008 - Military families have long used the U.S. Postal Service's flat-rate shipping boxes to send care packages around the globe. Beginning March 3, they'll get a price break. The discount applies only to the new "Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box," which normally carries a $12.95 price tag for shipping. However, when the 12-by-12-by-5.5-inch box is sent to an AFO or FPO address, a $2 discount applies, dropping the cost to $10.95.
"This is the first time the Postal Service has offered a special price for our armed forces serving overseas," said Postmaster General John Potter. "We're proud that family and friends will be able to use the new, larger-sized box to send much-appreciated packages from home to our dedicated troops overseas."
The new boxes will be available in post offices nationwide on March 3. Those who can't wait to start packing the boxes, however, can order them from www.usps.com/supplies beginning Feb. 20. They're also available by calling 1-800-610-8734.
Some of the new boxes carry the America Supports You logo. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
"It's terrific that the Postal Service continues to think of ways to help Americans support our troops and their families," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication, community relations and public liaison. "Postage is always a concern when shipping care packages, and this new flat-rate box means our home-front groups and supportive citizens can do more with their resources.
"We're especially pleased that some of the boxes will bear the America Supports You logo, reminding our servicemembers that they have our nation's support," she added.
The boxes bearing the America Supports You logo will be available only online or at select post offices near military bases. All flat-rate boxes are available for international shipping, though the discount applies only to the large flat-rate box, and only if it's being shipped to an APO or FPO address.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2008 - Military families have long used the U.S. Postal Service's flat-rate shipping boxes to send care packages around the globe. Beginning March 3, they'll get a price break. The discount applies only to the new "Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box," which normally carries a $12.95 price tag for shipping. However, when the 12-by-12-by-5.5-inch box is sent to an AFO or FPO address, a $2 discount applies, dropping the cost to $10.95.
"This is the first time the Postal Service has offered a special price for our armed forces serving overseas," said Postmaster General John Potter. "We're proud that family and friends will be able to use the new, larger-sized box to send much-appreciated packages from home to our dedicated troops overseas."
The new boxes will be available in post offices nationwide on March 3. Those who can't wait to start packing the boxes, however, can order them from www.usps.com/supplies beginning Feb. 20. They're also available by calling 1-800-610-8734.
Some of the new boxes carry the America Supports You logo. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
"It's terrific that the Postal Service continues to think of ways to help Americans support our troops and their families," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication, community relations and public liaison. "Postage is always a concern when shipping care packages, and this new flat-rate box means our home-front groups and supportive citizens can do more with their resources.
"We're especially pleased that some of the boxes will bear the America Supports You logo, reminding our servicemembers that they have our nation's support," she added.
The boxes bearing the America Supports You logo will be available only online or at select post offices near military bases. All flat-rate boxes are available for international shipping, though the discount applies only to the large flat-rate box, and only if it's being shipped to an APO or FPO address.
DoD To Engage Decaying Satellite
An uncontrollable U.S. experimental satellite which was launched in December 2006 is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere between the end of February and early March. Because the satellite was never operational, analysis indicate that approximately 2,500 pounds (1134 kgs) of satellite mass will survive reentry, including 1,000 pounds (453 kgs) of propellant fuel (hydrazine), a hazardous material.
Although the chances of an impact in a populated area are small, the potential consequences would be of enough concern to consider mitigating actions. Therefore, the President has decided to take action to mitigate the risk to human lives by engaging the non-functioning satellite. Because our missile defense system is not designed to engage satellites, extraordinary measures have been taken to temporarily modify three sea-based tactical missiles and three ships to carry out the engagement.
Based on modeling and analysis, our officials have high confidence that the engagement will be successful. As for when this engagement will occur, we will determine the optimal time, location, and geometry for a successful engagement based on a number of factors. As the satellite's path continues to decay, there will be a window of opportunity between late February and early March to conduct this engagement. The decision to engage the satellite has to be made before a precise prediction of impact location is available.
Contact with hydrazine is hazardous. Direct contact with skin or eyes, ingestion or inhalations from hydrazine released from the tank upon impact could result in immediate danger. If this operation is successful, the hydrazine will then no longer pose a risk to humans.
The U.S. government has been and continues to track and monitor this satellite. Various government agencies are planning for the reentry of the satellite. In the event the engagement is not successful, all appropriate elements of the U.S. Government are working together to explore options to mitigate the danger to humans and to ensure that all parties are properly prepared to respond. In the unlikely event satellite pieces land in a populated area, people are strongly advised to avoid the impact area until trained hazardous materials (HAZMAT) teams are able to properly dispose of any remaining hydrazine.
Although the chances of an impact in a populated area are small, the potential consequences would be of enough concern to consider mitigating actions. Therefore, the President has decided to take action to mitigate the risk to human lives by engaging the non-functioning satellite. Because our missile defense system is not designed to engage satellites, extraordinary measures have been taken to temporarily modify three sea-based tactical missiles and three ships to carry out the engagement.
Based on modeling and analysis, our officials have high confidence that the engagement will be successful. As for when this engagement will occur, we will determine the optimal time, location, and geometry for a successful engagement based on a number of factors. As the satellite's path continues to decay, there will be a window of opportunity between late February and early March to conduct this engagement. The decision to engage the satellite has to be made before a precise prediction of impact location is available.
Contact with hydrazine is hazardous. Direct contact with skin or eyes, ingestion or inhalations from hydrazine released from the tank upon impact could result in immediate danger. If this operation is successful, the hydrazine will then no longer pose a risk to humans.
The U.S. government has been and continues to track and monitor this satellite. Various government agencies are planning for the reentry of the satellite. In the event the engagement is not successful, all appropriate elements of the U.S. Government are working together to explore options to mitigate the danger to humans and to ensure that all parties are properly prepared to respond. In the unlikely event satellite pieces land in a populated area, people are strongly advised to avoid the impact area until trained hazardous materials (HAZMAT) teams are able to properly dispose of any remaining hydrazine.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Marines Sign Up for Mission, Mystique, General Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2008 - The Marine Corps' mission and mystique continue to attract high-quality recruits who join up to fight America's enemies, that service's senior officer said here today. All of the military services continue to meet their recruiting quotas. Yet, while some services offer recruiting bonuses or other monetary enticements, the Marines' warrior image is the key factor that convinces sufficient numbers of young people to enlist in the Corps, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway said at a breakfast event hosted by Government Executive Magazine at the National Press Club.
"Our theme is that you are going to be a Marine if you get through training successfully," Conway explained. "You are going to fight for your country; you should not have any doubt about that."
The Marines are to add about 5,000 additional recruits each year as part of efforts over the next several years to bring up the service's total active-duty strength to around 202,000 members, Conway said. Last year, he noted, the Corps signed up 7,000 of these additional enlistees.
Asked about other services' practices of paying bonuses to attract recruits, Conway responded that the Marines "purposely are not doing it."
Recruiters in the field tell him bonuses aren't necessary to attract good recruits, Conway explained. In fact, he added, recruiters also said they tell prospects who want a signing bonus to inquire at the other military services.
The general said his staff noncommissioned officers are adamant in the advice they give him on the subject. They say, "Please Sir, don't start throwing money at people. One, we can't compete. And secondly, that's not the kind of individual we're looking for," the Marine Corps commandant said.
The general praised the Marines' sister services and emphasized that he wasn't disparaging their important contributions to the nation's defense.
It's just that the Marine Corps is different, he said.
Joining the Marines is a way of life and "an emblem" of duty to country, Conway said. The Marine Corp's fighting ability and its unique eagle, globe and anchor insignia are known worldwide.
A person who joins the Marines is required to provide an intense level of dedication to the Corps, Conway pointed out. In return, the Marine Corps strives to take good care of its members. For example, a Conway-championed initiative now provides the free-of-charge issue of the Corp's distinctive dress uniform to recruits at boot camp. Previously, Marines had to pay for the expensive uniform out of their own pockets.
Although recruiting bonuses aren't part of his service's lexicon, the Marines "are paying large amounts of money to keep people" in the Corps, Conway pointed out.
"Once we get a Marine in (and) we get to know him or her and like them, our re-enlistment bonuses probably compete with anybody's," the general said.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2008 - The Marine Corps' mission and mystique continue to attract high-quality recruits who join up to fight America's enemies, that service's senior officer said here today. All of the military services continue to meet their recruiting quotas. Yet, while some services offer recruiting bonuses or other monetary enticements, the Marines' warrior image is the key factor that convinces sufficient numbers of young people to enlist in the Corps, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway said at a breakfast event hosted by Government Executive Magazine at the National Press Club.
"Our theme is that you are going to be a Marine if you get through training successfully," Conway explained. "You are going to fight for your country; you should not have any doubt about that."
The Marines are to add about 5,000 additional recruits each year as part of efforts over the next several years to bring up the service's total active-duty strength to around 202,000 members, Conway said. Last year, he noted, the Corps signed up 7,000 of these additional enlistees.
Asked about other services' practices of paying bonuses to attract recruits, Conway responded that the Marines "purposely are not doing it."
Recruiters in the field tell him bonuses aren't necessary to attract good recruits, Conway explained. In fact, he added, recruiters also said they tell prospects who want a signing bonus to inquire at the other military services.
The general said his staff noncommissioned officers are adamant in the advice they give him on the subject. They say, "Please Sir, don't start throwing money at people. One, we can't compete. And secondly, that's not the kind of individual we're looking for," the Marine Corps commandant said.
The general praised the Marines' sister services and emphasized that he wasn't disparaging their important contributions to the nation's defense.
It's just that the Marine Corps is different, he said.
Joining the Marines is a way of life and "an emblem" of duty to country, Conway said. The Marine Corp's fighting ability and its unique eagle, globe and anchor insignia are known worldwide.
A person who joins the Marines is required to provide an intense level of dedication to the Corps, Conway pointed out. In return, the Marine Corps strives to take good care of its members. For example, a Conway-championed initiative now provides the free-of-charge issue of the Corp's distinctive dress uniform to recruits at boot camp. Previously, Marines had to pay for the expensive uniform out of their own pockets.
Although recruiting bonuses aren't part of his service's lexicon, the Marines "are paying large amounts of money to keep people" in the Corps, Conway pointed out.
"Once we get a Marine in (and) we get to know him or her and like them, our re-enlistment bonuses probably compete with anybody's," the general said.
Face of Defense: Sergeant Faces New 'Normal' After Injury
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 13, 2008 - "Normal" is a relative term, and for one former North Carolina Army National Guard sergeant, it's distinctly different today from what it was in 2004. On Nov. 15 of that year, Army Sgt. Andrew Butterworth was serving in Iraq. After patrolling in the northeastern part of the country, he and members of his unit were heading home.
"They were waiting for us," he said. "(We) had an RPG, a rocket-propelled grenade, hit our Bradley (fighting vehicle). It went right through the turret."
While the grenade caused some severe injuries, it could have been worse. Of the nine soldiers in the vehicle, Butterworth and his lieutenant were the only two seriously injured.
"I lost my right leg, and my lieutenant lost his left leg," he said. "Nobody was killed, except (the insurgents)."
Both Butterworth and his lieutenant got to Walter Reed Army Medical Center shortly after their injuries occurred. Their stays were short-lived, though.
"As far as I know, and unless somebody tells me different, I think we got out of there the fastest of all the amputees there," he said. "They were telling my family that I'd probably be there for six to eight months to a year or more."
But after only three and a half months, with the help of a cane, Butterworth walked out of Walter Reed on his good leg and a new prosthetic. The amazing progress was the result of friendly competition between Butterworth, also known as "Butter," and his lieutenant.
"It was who could do what first," he said. "That really helped both of us out."
On April 1, 2006, Butterworth was officially medically retired and began to embrace his new version of normal by attending a winter sports clinic in Aspen, Colo. During that trip he decided that life may be different, but he wouldn't let his injury shape the future.
"I threw the cane away and started waling without it," he said. "I knew if I didn't start walking without it, I never would, so I just got rid of it."
With that act, Butterworth began to make good on a promise he made. When he first saw his family after the injury, he told them he wasn't going to let it slow him down.
"I guess it's just the way I was raised," he said. "It was just something else for me to learn how to do.
"I just kind of took it in stride, no pun intended," he chuckled.
Butterworth, who used to do electrical work for a living, now works as the Wounded Warrior Project's benefits liaison for the southeast region of the country. The job means a lot of time on the road and away from Bonzo, the orange tabby cat he said helps him keep his sanity, but he calls it his dream job.
The former soldier has a couple other dreams as well: a family and a college education.
He's already learned some important lessons not taught in a classroom, including the fact that there are two types of amputees: "those that have fallen and those that are about to."
And he's taught a few along the way.
"(Wounded warriors) aren't done. There's nothing that they can't do," Butterworth said. "You just have to meet it head-on and take it for what it is and see it as a new challenge."
This shouldn't be anything new for servicemembers, he said.
"We've always got hard things to do, physically and mentally, emotionally," he said. "There's no reason to complain. We all have our days."
Some of those days leave him feeling like a 70-year-old man, he said. Some days that feeling wins out, and he can stay in bed. More often than not, though, he feels pretty good and enjoys some of his favorite activities, including hiking, camping, skiing and riding his motorcycle.
"People are like, 'You still ride a motorcycle? You're missing a leg,'" he said. "So what? Physically, I guess you would think I'm somewhat normal, besides the fact that I'm missing a leg.
"At some point you're going to be just as 'normal' as anybody else," he added.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 13, 2008 - "Normal" is a relative term, and for one former North Carolina Army National Guard sergeant, it's distinctly different today from what it was in 2004. On Nov. 15 of that year, Army Sgt. Andrew Butterworth was serving in Iraq. After patrolling in the northeastern part of the country, he and members of his unit were heading home.
"They were waiting for us," he said. "(We) had an RPG, a rocket-propelled grenade, hit our Bradley (fighting vehicle). It went right through the turret."
While the grenade caused some severe injuries, it could have been worse. Of the nine soldiers in the vehicle, Butterworth and his lieutenant were the only two seriously injured.
"I lost my right leg, and my lieutenant lost his left leg," he said. "Nobody was killed, except (the insurgents)."
Both Butterworth and his lieutenant got to Walter Reed Army Medical Center shortly after their injuries occurred. Their stays were short-lived, though.
"As far as I know, and unless somebody tells me different, I think we got out of there the fastest of all the amputees there," he said. "They were telling my family that I'd probably be there for six to eight months to a year or more."
But after only three and a half months, with the help of a cane, Butterworth walked out of Walter Reed on his good leg and a new prosthetic. The amazing progress was the result of friendly competition between Butterworth, also known as "Butter," and his lieutenant.
"It was who could do what first," he said. "That really helped both of us out."
On April 1, 2006, Butterworth was officially medically retired and began to embrace his new version of normal by attending a winter sports clinic in Aspen, Colo. During that trip he decided that life may be different, but he wouldn't let his injury shape the future.
"I threw the cane away and started waling without it," he said. "I knew if I didn't start walking without it, I never would, so I just got rid of it."
With that act, Butterworth began to make good on a promise he made. When he first saw his family after the injury, he told them he wasn't going to let it slow him down.
"I guess it's just the way I was raised," he said. "It was just something else for me to learn how to do.
"I just kind of took it in stride, no pun intended," he chuckled.
Butterworth, who used to do electrical work for a living, now works as the Wounded Warrior Project's benefits liaison for the southeast region of the country. The job means a lot of time on the road and away from Bonzo, the orange tabby cat he said helps him keep his sanity, but he calls it his dream job.
The former soldier has a couple other dreams as well: a family and a college education.
He's already learned some important lessons not taught in a classroom, including the fact that there are two types of amputees: "those that have fallen and those that are about to."
And he's taught a few along the way.
"(Wounded warriors) aren't done. There's nothing that they can't do," Butterworth said. "You just have to meet it head-on and take it for what it is and see it as a new challenge."
This shouldn't be anything new for servicemembers, he said.
"We've always got hard things to do, physically and mentally, emotionally," he said. "There's no reason to complain. We all have our days."
Some of those days leave him feeling like a 70-year-old man, he said. Some days that feeling wins out, and he can stay in bed. More often than not, though, he feels pretty good and enjoys some of his favorite activities, including hiking, camping, skiing and riding his motorcycle.
"People are like, 'You still ride a motorcycle? You're missing a leg,'" he said. "So what? Physically, I guess you would think I'm somewhat normal, besides the fact that I'm missing a leg.
"At some point you're going to be just as 'normal' as anybody else," he added.
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