U.S. 7th Fleet Holds Change of Command Ceremony

By U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S. 7th Fleet held a change of command ceremony on board the command flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) Sept. 7.

Vice Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk was relieved by Vice Adm. Scott H. Swift at the ceremony.

"It has been the thrill of my career to briefly command in the best job of our Navy and watch this fleet in action. My heartfelt appreciation for the wonderful dedicated service, friendship, and support you all have provided," said Van Buskirk. "There is no better leader to guide 7th Fleet than Vice Adm. Scott Swift. His operational experience is unmatched, and his most recent job as the Pacific Command Operations Officer means that he is already attuned to all of the complex issues in this region."

Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, praised Van Buskirk for his outstanding leadership of the U.S. 7th Fleet during the past year.

Van Buskirk oversaw U.S. naval operations in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility, encompassing more than 48 million square miles from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south, and from the International Date Line to the Indian Ocean. The area includes 35 maritime countries and the world's five largest foreign armed forces - China, Russia, India, North Korea and Republic of Korea (ROK). Five of the seven U.S. Mutual Defense Treaties are with countries in the area - Republic of the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, ROK, Japan and Thailand.

During his tenure, Van Buskirk led U.S. 7th Fleet forces in the largest humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation in history, Operation Tomodachi. At its peak the Navy had 22 ships, 132 aircraft and more than 15,000 personnel dedicated to assisting Japan's Self Defense Forces in the search and recovery efforts.

Walsh presented Van Buskirk with the Distinguished Service Medal for his service.

"When I stood on this deck almost a year ago, my guidance to the Fleet was simple - maintain course and speed and execute the three persistent priorities that had served the Fleet so well: maximizing warfighting readiness, maritime partnerships, and force posture," said Van Buskirk. "I can say with complete confidence that our forces are ready, our forces are present throughout the theater, and our partnerships are stronger than they have ever been."

Swift, a native of San Diego, Calif., assumed command of 7th Fleet, following a tour as Director of Operations, U.S. Pacific Command.

"I assume command today full of confidence, born in the knowledge of how well 7th Fleet has been led by Adm. Walsh and Vice Adm. Van Buskirk," said Swift. "We are a global force for good. That truth is born out by Vice Adm. Van Buskirk as he has left the 7th Fleet area of responsibility a better place than what he found. I am confident we will do the same."

Van Buskirk's next assignment will be as deputy chief of Naval Operations for manpower, personnel, training and education in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and Chief of Naval Personnel, in Arlington, Va.

There are 60-70 ships, 200-300 aircraft and more than 40,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel assigned to the 7th Fleet. This includes forces operating from bases in Japan and Guam and rotationally-deployed forces based in the United States. Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, is embarked aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. The flagship commands and controls the fleet and fosters military-to-military relationships through scheduled port visits and military exercises.

Bureau Seeks Financial Products Info to Protect Troops

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2011 – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today announced that it is seeking public input on consumer financial products and services tailored to service members and their families.

The information provided will help the CFPB’s Office of Servicemember Affairs to develop financial education and outreach initiatives for military families.

“Military families face unique challenges especially when it comes to their finances,” said Holly Petraeus, the assistant director for the Office of Servicemember Affairs. “We believe that open dialogue is key to addressing these challenges.

“By identifying the products and services that aim to assist their particular needs,” Petraeus continued, “our office will be able to better-serve service members and their families.”

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act charged the CFPB with, among other things, educating and empowering service members and their families to make better informed decisions when choosing financial services and products.

In keeping with this commitment, the CFPB is asking consumers, financial service providers, organizations, and other members of the public to provide information on consumer financial products and services aimed at service members.

The OSA is seeking information on:

-- Products and Services: The consumer financial products and services that are currently offered to or used by service members and their families, including those that are specifically tailored to their unique financial needs.

-- Education: The financial education opportunities that are offered to service members and their families, both in person and online.

-- Programs: The types of programs, policies, accommodations, and benefits that financial service providers currently provide to service members and their families that may exceed those required by statute.

-- Homeowner Assistance: The types of unique assistance offered by financial service providers to service members and their families who are distressed homeowners, such as: mortgage modifications; accommodations for service members with permanent change of station orders; and assistance for wounded, ill or injured service members or surviving spouses of deceased service members.

-- Marketing and Communication: The marketing and communication strategies that are currently used to inform service members and their families of consumer financial products and services, and those that are the most and least effective.

Public comments are due by Sept. 20, 2011, and may be submitted to:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=CFPB_FRDOC_0001-0013 or MilitaryResponse@cfpb.gov .

Panetta Visits 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today toured the National September 11 Memorial and Museum site here.

“This Sunday, the nation marks the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in the history of the United States,” the secretary told reporters. “We will honor those who died at the Pentagon, 184 of them, but I thought it was also appropriate to come here and honor those, nearly 3,000, who died here in New York City.”

Panetta is the first Cabinet officer to visit the site. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed the secretary to the site and accompanied him during his visit.

Lower Manhattan’s ground zero is still a construction zone, with hard-hatted workers, cranes and heavy equipment all busy on new buildings near the former site of the two towers.

The area where the towers stood, however, will open as part of the memorial to the public this Sept. 11, -- the tenth anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,996 people after terrorist hijackers crashed four passenger jets: one into each of the towers, one into the Pentagon, and one into a field near Shanksville, Pa., short of its likely Washington, D.C., target.

The 8-acre memorial centers on the sites of the former towers, now transformed to square, granite reflecting pools, each about an acre in size. Each pool is fed by 4 30-foot waterfalls that descend from ground level, and the pools drain into what memorial staff members describe as a “center void” at the bottom of each.

The theme the pools represent is “reflecting absence,” according to memorial officials.

The waterfalls are edged with bronze ledges about waist-high, inscribed with the names of all the victims who died in the 2001 attacks, as well as the six people killed during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The terrorist attacks of a decade ago brought the nation together in a commitment that such horror “will never happen again,” Panetta said.

“As tragic as 9/11 was, we have drawn tremendous inspiration [from it],” he said, adding that those who attacked the United States in an attempt to weaken the country actually made it stronger.

The day of the attacks, Panetta said, he was on Capitol Hill briefing members of Congress on ocean issues. After remaining in Washington for a few days, he rented a car and drove across the country to his home in California.

“It ... was an interesting drive,” Panetta said. “It gave me a chance to see how the rest of the country came together after 9/11.”

Driving through the Midwest, he saw “God bless America” signs. “It just told you a lot about what this country’s made of,” he said.

Contrasting ground zero today with the devastation he viewed shortly after the attacks, Panetta said, shows the resilience of the country and the city.

“I think this is going to be a special place,” he said of New York City’s 9/11 memorial and museum, “for people to … come to and remind themselves not only of the sacrifice that was made, but also the great strength the American people have in coming back.”

During his visit to ground zero, Panetta also toured the Memorial Museum, which is scheduled to open next year on Sept. 11. Seven of the museum’s 10 stories are underground, and part of the above-ground structure will display structural components recovered after the towers fell.

Sarah Lippman, a member of the memorial staff, told reporters the site will also feature 400 swamp white oak trees, more than 200 of which already are in place. The leaves of swamp white oaks typically start changing color around the time of the anniversary, she said, and the trees are expected to grow from their current height of about 25 feet to an eventual 60 feet.

Also on the site is the “survivor tree,” a pear tree found alive at the site after the attacks and nursed back to health at a nearby nursery, Lippman said.

Five service members who enlisted since 9/11 accompanied Panetta on today’s visit. They are:

-- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan M. Celko, who enlisted in the Army in 2004 and deployed twice with the 10th Mountain Division’s 4th Base Support Team Battalion out of Fort Polk, La. He is from Middlesex, N.J.

-- Navy Lt. Adam C. Jones enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in 2002 and earned his commission in 2006. His was the first class to enroll after 9/11. He is from Annapolis, Md.

-- Marine Corps Sgt. Carlos A. Tovar enlisted in March 2008. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, he became a U.S. citizen while serving in the Marine Corps. He is from Orlando, Fla.

-- Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr. enlisted in 2002 following graduation from Southwestern Community College. He was wounded by enemy fire on his second deployment. He is from Chula Vista, Calif.

-- Coast Guard Lt. Nikea L. Natteal graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2006 as part of the first class to enroll following 9/11. She is from Yuma, Ariz.

Gutierrez told reporters the visit to ground zero “reminded me why I enlisted.”

Gutierrez said he tried to enlist the day after the attacks, but the recruiting stations were closed. When they reopened, a waiting list quickly formed because of the rush of people wanting to sign up for the military, he said, and his own enlistment was final about six months after the attacks.

America’s greatest strength is highlighted by its service members, Panetta said. And the young people in uniform traveling with him today, he added, represent the service they and their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have given to the nation.

“Since 9/11, we have achieved significant success going after al-Qaida and …[its] leadership,” Panetta said, adding that, nevertheless, it’s critical to maintain pressure on the terrorist organization.

The secretary was scheduled to travel from New York to Shanksville, Pa., and the Flight 93 Memorial there, also set to open Sunday. That segment of his travel was cancelled due to weather.

Faces of Freedom concert reveals voices of wounded warriors

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – Austin based singer-songwriter and recording artist Darden Smith helped to give wounded warriors a voice with the Soldier Songwriting Project in July. Now, songs written during the three-day retreat will be performed at the Faces of Freedom concert at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 4 p.m.

“I’ve had this idea for some time,” says Smith. “To bring professional writers together with soldiers to help turn their stories into songs. This project was the first time we tried it at this level, and hopefully we’ll be doing more.”

The retreat, which was July 28-Aug. 1 in Edwards, Colo., aimed to help soldiers see validity and merit in telling their stories, and to inspire them to continue through songwriting. Ten servicemen and women participated in the retreat, ranging from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.

Smith, along with songwriters Radney Foster and Jay Clementi who joined him on the retreat, later recorded six of the songs in Nashville. The songs, which include “God Challenged Me” and “Hell On My Heart” among others, will be available on iTunes in time for the Faces of Freedom concert, where Smith, Foster and Clementi will be performing the songs.

“Over the course of that weekend retreat, collaboration happened in all sorts of combinations,” says Smith. “I even wrote a song with the wives of two of the soldiers.”

The concert is sponsored by LifeQuest Transitions, a non-profit offering transition programs to soldiers and families.

Visit and listen: www.be-an-artist.com and www.dardensmith.com

More about Darden Smith

Darden Smith is from central Texas. Throughout his 25-year career, he has released a dozen critically acclaimed albums that have achieved broad appeal in both the American and British music scenes. Praised by All Music Guide and Rolling Stone, his songs have climbed the charts in pop, country and rock genres. Hit singles include “Little Maggie” [1988-Darden Smith], “Midnight Train” [1990-Trouble No More], “Loving Arms” [1993-Little Victories] and “After All This Time” [2002-Sunflower]. Weaving together interests in music, education and community involvement, Smith promotes creativity through the art of songwriting through his “Be An Artist Program.” Expanding from a series of student workshops, he has adapted the program to be used for conflict resolution and cultural bonding, working with managers on corporate retreats, entrepreneurs at business schools, and U.S. combat soldiers. Smith continues to record under his own record label, Darden Music, his latest releases including After All This Time: The Best of Darden Smith (2009) and Marathon (2010). His latest collaboration with photographer Kate Breakey pairs the Marathon lyrics with stunning photographs in a 32-page, special edition book, now available for pre-order.

Media Contact:

BohlsenPR

Jessica Kiefer & Andy Wilson

Ph: 317-602-7137 ext. 228

E: jkiefer@bohlsenpr.com

Leap Frogs Jump to Support Cincinnati Navy Week

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (PJ) Michelle Turner

CINCINNATI (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy parachute demonstration team, the Leap Frogs, performed several aerial parachute demonstrations across Cincinnati in support of the city's Navy Week, Sept. 1-4.

Navy Weeks raise awareness about the Navy in cities that do not have a significant Navy presence. They give communities across America the chance to see the investment they have made in their Navy and the chance to talk to Sailors face to face.

Chief of Navy Reserve Vice Adm. Dirk Debbink and Rear Adm. Anatolio Cruz, III, deputy commander, U.S. 4th Fleet, also participated in Cincinnati Navy Week, in addition to the U.S. Navy Band Washington D.C. "Cruisers", Sailors from guided-missile submarine USS Ohio (SSGN 726), Navy divers, and personnel from Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Ohio and Naval Operational Support Center.

Sailors attended a Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies baseball game Sept. 1, giving spectators a chance to talk to them and ask questions about Navy life. Cmdr. Michael Hudson, commanding officer of NRD Ohio gave the oath of enlistment to 10 new Sailors on the field moments before the Leap Frogs began their performance.

A trail of smoke called an "early burn" indicated that the jumpers were ready to go and five jumpers launched themselves one by one from a Missouri Air National Guard C-130H cargo aircraft above the ballpark. Seconds later, their blue-and-gold canopies popped open and they began swirling colored smoke across the sky. The crowd cheered as each member approached the field wearing Cincinnati Reds jerseys.

With military members deployed worldwide, having the Leap Frogs participate in the opening ceremony was a huge honor, said Phillip J. Castellini, chief operating officer of the Cincinnati Reds.

"It's clearly one of the most interesting things we do in terms of pre-game ceremonies and we couldn't be more proud to have the SEALs here," said Castellini. "It's at the front of your mind more today than any time in my lifetime, how appreciative we are [of the military] and how many folks we have in harm's way all over the world. To be able to celebrate that before a game for us is special."

The team also performed at two high schools, Cincinnati Museum Center, Coney Island amusement park and River Fest Cincinnati, the cornerstone event for Cincinnati Navy Week.

"It's probably one of the cooler experiences I've ever had," said James Sansone, a spectator at River Fest. "You get shaky when you come up to someone who is this talented... I never thought I would ever meet a Navy SEAL, I never even thought I would see one! It was pretty incredible."

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

For more information about the Leap Frogs, visit: www.leapfrogs.navy.mil. For more information about NSW programs and opportunities visit: www.sealswcc.com. For more news from U.S. Navy Parachute Team, visit Navy.mil/local/usnpt/.

9/11 Teen Recalls Father With Pride

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2011 – Nine-year-old Zachary Laychak walked into his house after school one day to a house full of family and friends.

A fire had broken out at the Pentagon, they told him calmly, and they were waiting to hear from his father, who worked there as a civilian budget analyst for the Army. He felt a twinge of concern, but quickly dismissed the thought that something bad had happened.

“He’ll be fine,” Laychak thought. “He always is.”

Two days later, two men came to deliver the devastating news: 40-year-old David Laychak was one of the 184 people who had died Sept. 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. It was nearly a decade ago, he said, but the moment remains vivid.

His mother sat him and his 7-year-old sister down and told them their father had been killed. They screamed and sobbed as the news sunk in.

“I remember my mom saying it was the hardest thing she’d ever had to tell,” said Laychak, now a 19-year-old college student. “For me, at least initially, I felt disbelief. I couldn’t understand how it could happen.”

As Laychak struggled to come to terms with his loss, Americans struggled to comprehend the extent of damage to the nation. Terrorists had taken nearly 3,000 innocent lives here and in New York and Pennsylvania. They destroyed and damaged buildings and shook the nation’s sense of security to its core.

But to a 9-year-old who had just lost his dad, the attacks weren’t a national incident; they were a personal affront.

“I couldn’t understand what would make someone want to do this to my dad,” Laychak said. “I was just angry, so mad.” The attacks, he added, changed the course of his life forever.

He lost, not only his father, he said, but also his best friend. Bonded by a love of sports, his father, a former college football player, would rush home each day so they could toss a football out in the front yard. His dad coached every sport he played, he added, whether it was basketball, baseball or lacrosse.

Laychak could hardly believe his strong, capable father was gone, he said. He recalled leaving his house that afternoon and heading over to a friend’s house across the street for a sleepover. He woke up at around 6 a.m. and peeked out the window at his house. Relief washed over him when he saw his dad’s car parked in the driveway. He later found out his aunt had driven his dad’s car home.

In the wake of his dad’s death, Laychak tucked his feelings aside to focus on his family. He assumed the “man of the house” role to take care of his mother and sister, he said.

“It definitely made me mature a lot quicker,” he said. “I figured things out on my own and tried to just be there for my mom and sister.”

But along with this maturity came a growing sense of isolation. He felt like an oddity at school and was flooded with questions upon his return. Close friends shielded him, he said, in a surprising show of maturity for a group of 4th graders he had met less than a year earlier.

As time passed, his initial anger evolved into a deep sense of patriotism -- born of resentment against those who dared to attack his nation and his family.

“I became a fan of us fighting these battles overseas,” Laychak said. “It made me proud that America didn’t just let the attacks happen [without responding].”

He also focused on keeping his father’s memory alive. He bought a silver bracelet engraved with his father’s name, which he rarely takes off. And whatever sport he plays, he wears the No. 4 in honor of his father, who wore that number when he played football at Brown University.

His house is strewn with pictures of his dad in his college uniform, along with a framed No. 4 jersey given to him from his dad’s alma mater.

Laychak now is establishing college memories of his own. He’s studying communications at the University of Arizona and plans to pursue a job with a sports organization. He even chose the college in memory of his father, he said, who took him to sports events when they lived in the area.

He’s also heavily involved with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, an organization for military families of the fallen, as well as Tuesday’s Children, an organization that provides support for children of 9/11 and others impacted by global terrorism.

Laychak’s uncle, Jim Laychak, also is intent on keeping alive the memory of his brother, as well as all victims of the Pentagon attack. He spearheaded the fundraising and creation of the Pentagon Memorial, a serene spot next to the Pentagon that features an engraved bench for each of the 184 people killed there.

The years have soothed much of his anger related to that day, Zach Laychak said. Still, he rejoices in each victory in the war on terrorism.

One of the happiest moments he’s had since his father’s death, he said, was when Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was killed in May.

“I felt pure joy and happiness,” he said. “I had friends from high school calling me. Even they knew it was something important to me.”

As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 draws near, Laycheck said he’ll remember his father with love and pride.

“As terrible as this whole situation was, I know he was a very patriotic person and that he died serving his country,” he said. “That’s a way he would have been proud to go.”

Today in the Department of Defense, Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta delivers remarks at the change of responsibility ceremony at 9 a.m. EDT as Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, 37th Chief of Staff, United States Army, transitions responsibility to Gen. Raymond T. Odierno at Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be conducted in Conmy Hall. Media interested in covering the ceremony should report to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall’s main entrance, Hatfield Gate, between 7:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. EDT.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.

Incoming: Vietnam 1969

The September 22, 2011, episode of American Heroes Radio features a conversation with US Army Vietnam Veteran, Combat Medic and author Jack Manick.

Program Date: September 22, 2011
Program Time: 1500 hours, PACIFIC
Topic: Incoming: Vietnam 1969
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lawenforcement/2011/09/22/incoming-vietnam-1969

About the Guest
Jack Manick “volunteered for military service in 1968. He served one Tour of Duty in Vietnam as a Combat Medic with the remainder of his three year obligation spread among hospital and Infantry Duty in Germany and the US. His military service was with the 1'st and 24th Infantry Divisions, the 70th Combat Engineers and USAREUR (US Army Europe).


Jack Manick has written seven specialty Art Books documenting the life and times of artists who have shaped the destiny of the 20'th and 21'st Century, names like Michael Godard, John Kelly, James Coleman, David Garibaldi and others. Along with Richard Enfantino from Enfantino Publishing, they published their first ever book, "Don't Drink and Draw," the life story and art work of world famous artist Michael Godard. It won the "Best Art Book in 2006" Award by the "USA Book News." In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jack wrote a Veterans Column titled "Insights of a Veteran," for Comcast's "IntheGardenState.com" local content site in New Jersey and was awarded a "Best Military Site" by Military.com for it.


Jack believes that every day is a "Gift" from a higher power and that it should be lived with conviction and passion. Transforming what in the heart and soul to the "Printed Word" is Jack's passion and he plans to continue with it into the future.” Jack Manick is the author of Incoming.


According to the book description of Incoming, “1969 was a momentous year for the world and especially America. It was a year when man first set foot on the moon and in an equally amazing feat, the New York Mets won baseballs coveted World Series. While earth shaking events were happening two hundred thousand miles from home or deep within the confines of Shea Stadium, men of every race, education and age group were fighting and dying 12,000 miles from home in America’s most unpopular war, Vietnam.


Today, 40 years later, writer, husband and Veteran Jack Manick reaches into his soul and resurrects the fear, tension, foreboding, laughter and terror that he and his fellow "Band of Brothers" felt as they walked the jungles and forests of the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1969. While in the "Bush", he carried a pack, a medical aid bag, two knives, three grenades, a rifle, pistol and an unbreakable commitment to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, even at the cost of his own.


The story of Jack "Doc" Manick and his fellow soldiers is one of survival...survival in a country laden with malaria, crawling with venomous snakes, scorpions, rats, giant centipedes and tigers and dominated by an enemy determined "Not to lose the War!" The language is as tough as the enemy who fought against him, as unrelenting as the blistering heat of the Dry Season and as depressing as the endless mud and mold of the Monsoon Season. Incoming invites you to lace up your jungle boots and take a walk with Jack through the jungles and the fields of dry grass in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1969.”


About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.


About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lawenforcement/2011/09/22/incoming-vietnam-1969


Listen from the Archive:
http://www.hitechcj.com/americanheroesradio/incoming_vietnam_1969.html


Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Vermont Official Praises National Guard for Storm Help

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill

National Guard Bureau

RUTLAND, Vt., Sept. 6, 2011 – The National Guard is essential to Vermont’s recovery from Hurricane Irene, the director of the state’s crippled road system said here Sept. 4.

“I don’t believe we could do it without you,” said Brian Searles, Vermont’s secretary of transportation.

A week after post-Irene flooding crippled arterial roads through the state, the Vermont National Guard’s Task Force Green Mountain Spirit is leading a multi-state effort to support civil authorities who are helping affected residents and reconnecting cut-off communities with the rest of the world.

“We’re just so thrilled that the National Guard has come through [in] this way so quickly, and we’re looking forward to getting to the end of this,” Searles said.

More than 2,500 Guard members worked through the Labor Day weekend in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Vermont to assist residents and repair roads in the storm’s aftermath.

More than 700 members of the Vermont Army National Guard and Air National Guard are mobilized here, said Air Force Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow, state public affairs officer, and they have been joined by Guard members from supporting states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Maine and New Hampshire. More troops and equipment are en route from Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia.

“What began as a Vermont National Guard mission has now become a true multi-state National Guard mission, and that’s something we’re very proud of,” Goodrow said. “States continue to call to lend their hand. This is a time when, really, the National Guard shines.”

Late Sept. 3 and through the early morning hours the following day, a convoy of 118 military vehicles and about 200 National Guard members rolled in here after a 12-hour drive from Maine, bringing heavy equipment to speed the repair of Vermont’s roads.

“We need engineering units and construction units,” Searles said. “Everybody involved in Vermont has been working on this, but they really needed to be augmented.”

Vermont has its own equipment and its Guard members are at work -- including the 131st Engineers -- but widespread damage to the state’s road system has left many residents separated from jobs and outside services. The fall leaf season that normally draws thousands of tourists here and the winter ski season -- both important to the state’s economy -- are also imminent.

The Maine National Guard “feels incredibly honored to assist in the recovery operation to the people of Vermont, overcoming these serious infrastructure damages,” said Army Lt. Col. Normand Michaud, commander, 133rd Engineer Battalion.

The Maine Engineer Task Force -- about 200 Maine Army and Air National Guard members -- responded within 36 hours to the state of Vermont request, Michaud said, bringing 169 pieces of heavy engineering equipment -- including D7 bulldozers, 20-ton dump trucks and excavators -- to assist the people of Vermont.

While much of Vermont was spared the worst of Hurricane Irene and is open for business as usual, key east-west roads in the state’s famed central mountains are closed. Residents discuss agonizing work commutes that include detours into surrounding states to try to work around road closures. Important trucking corridors are impassable.

“It’s about reconnecting people to their jobs, to their groceries,” Searles said. “It’s also about commerce.”

The topography that gives Vermont its scenic beauty -- rugged mountains, steep valleys, narrow streams and low-lying pastures -- also brings the state’s greatest challenges. When four miles of Route 107 -- including one river-eaten stretch about a mile long -- were damaged by the flooding, it cut off some communities completely and added many hours and dozens of miles to the routine drives of even those who could get out of their towns.

“It’s the biggest event in my lifetime, for sure,” Searles said. “It’s been compared to the flood of 1927 and … there are a couple of rivers that have exceeded 1927 water levels,” which claimed 85 lives.

“We know a lot more about how to deal with these sorts of things and save lives than we did back then,” he said. But Irene wreaked havoc with essential infrastructure.

“The comparisons with 1927 are valid,” he said.

DOD Establishes School Attendance Policy

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2011 – A new Defense Department school policy underscores the importance of student attendance, while also considering military families’ unique needs, the acting director of the Department of Defense Education Activity said.

The policy, which went into effect Sept. 1, requires students attending DOD schools to be in attendance for 180 instructional days per academic year, barring illness and emergency situations. Most schools typically have 181-183 days scheduled per school year.

The policy also takes into account military parents’ requests for excused absences related to a military lifestyle, including those related to deployments and moves.

“We want to tighten up on discretionary leaves and absences,” Marilee Fitzgerald told American Forces Press Service. “We understand children will leave early when moving, and understand that a parent will be deployed and children will want to spend time with parents pre-or post-deployment.

“But, by and large, kids need to be in school,” she said.

Key components of the policy include:

-- Students who are absent will be expected to complete an educational plan consistent with regularly planned school work;

-- Increased communication with parents about the effect of absences on student performance;

-- Referral of students with five days of absences to a student support team, and referral of students with seven days of absences to the local command for intervention and support; and

-- Daily record-keeping, review and analysis of attendance.

The policy emphasizes the importance of attendance for students of all ages, from kindergarten on up, Fitzgerald said.

Children aren’t just playing in kindergarten, she noted, they’re learning. In fact, missing just 5 percent of kindergarten – about nine days – can be an indicator that a child will fall behind by the fifth grade, according to the education activity’s website.

This points to the important link between classroom attendance and academic success, Fitzgerald said. “Establishing good attendance habits in school makes you a more productive citizen,” she said. “You are informed and disciplined -- characteristics and traits you need for lifelong success.”

While mandatory school attendance always has been addressed in the education activity’s local, district and area policies, a single, comprehensive policy was needed to bring all DOD schools on the same page, education activity officials explained.

The policy also mirrors attendance standards in stateside school districts, officials said, which can help ease transitions from DOD to public schools.

While school officials will work to enforce the policy, Fitzgerald noted, they’ll also rely on parents to ensure the policy’s success. For example, when moving, parents should enroll their children into the new school as early as possible to minimize absences.

Officials work hard to ensure students attending DOD schools have state-of-the-art equipment at their fingertips, Fitzgerald said, but “all of our resources – whether it’s curriculum-related, ensuring the best teachers are in front of our kids, or making sure the technology is there -- is for naught if children aren’t coming to school.”

For more information on the attendance policy, including a list of excused absences, people can visit the back-to-school section of the education activity’s website at DODEA.edu.

Survivor Supports Families in Wake of 9/11

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2011 – It’s been a decade since American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, but Bonnie Carroll vividly recalls the aftermath.

As a family-support volunteer, she spent hours “listening and sharing” with families who were waiting to be notified about a missing loved one.

Carroll, president of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, was among a team of volunteers who responded in the wake of the devastating terrorist attack that took 184 lives at the Pentagon.

That day “changed everything about the world in which we live,” she said. “It gave every American an appreciation of those on the front line protecting freedom -- a renewed sense of appreciation.”

Carroll was at home in Anchorage, Alaska, when the news broke about the terrorist attacks here and in New York, and she immediately felt compelled to help -- both as an Air Force reservist and as the president of TAPS. She had founded this organization to offer support to survivors of fallen military loved ones after her husband, Army Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, died in an Army C-12 plane crash in 1992.

In her reserve capacity, she was assigned to the Pentagon’s office of national security and emergency preparedness and had just wrapped up reserve duty there and returned home. But when she heard the news, she put on her uniform and was on the first plane out of Alaska.

Carroll put a call out to her TAPS peer mentors to come to Washington at their own expense to help. More than 200 responded in a “tremendous response,” she said. She arranged to have them serve six to 10 at a time in weeklong shifts offering 24/7 support to family members in the Pentagon Family Assistance Center at Crystal City's Sheraton Hotel in Virginia.

The center opened the morning of Sept. 12 and remained open around the clock until Oct. 12, helping both Defense Department victims' families and families of the passengers aboard Flight 77. Along with TAPS volunteers, the center was staffed by military community and family policy specialists, plus thousands of volunteers.

“We had folks who were surviving family members there to just be a comfort, to sit and hold hands,” Carroll said. “We had really, really tremendous people who stepped forward.

“It was just beautiful,” she added. “So much healing took place in that little closed environment. So much love and care and support, and the bonds that were formed exist to this day.”

To avoid burnout, Carroll scheduled the volunteers in one-week blocks so the peer mentors and survivor support team were “alert, fresh and ready,” she said.

“A big part of the effort … was providing tremendous care to those 500 families at center, but also care to our team members who also were survivors,” she noted.

The organization also brought in grief and trauma experts from around the nation. “We were focused on getting the best, most appropriate support in place that would complement the support provided by the DOD,” she said.

In time and as reports rolled in, Carroll said, the atmosphere of hope shifted into a time of solace and support.

Twice a day, she recalled, now-retired Army Gen. John A. Van Alstyne, then deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy, briefed the families and take their questions.

The general offered families a fact-based, sometimes graphic briefing, and on some days, asked everyone to stand up and sing “God Bless America,” Carroll said. And then “he would remind everyone to breathe. People didn’t realize they were holding their breath.”

Carroll said the general often remarked, “Regardless of their job -- whether a contractor, DOD civilian or military member -- the day of their death, they were on duty for America.”

Carroll vividly recalls the family members she met and their reactions in the aftermath of the attack on the Pentagon.

She remembers standing in the hall with Pat Hogan, an Air Force doctor who lost her Army major husband in the Pentagon. They were talking, when then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Erik K. Shinseki and his wife, Patricia, walked up.

Carroll said Hogan looked Shinseki in the eye -- just days after her husband had been killed -- and said, “I have no children; I have no husband. Nothing is holding me back. I want to transfer to the Army and I want to go to the front lines.”

“I would have thought he would have patted her on the head and told her to take time to grieve,” Carroll said, choking up. “But he said, ‘You got it.’”

However, the Air Force chief of staff at the time, now-retired Gen. John P. Jumper, got wind of the conversation and asked her to stay in the Air Force. He said he’d send her with pararescue personnel to Afghanistan so she could serve as their doctor.

“She left soon after,” Carroll said. “She’s amazing.”

Carroll also recalls the Hemingway family from Kansas, who lost their son, a father of two.

“They hung in there all day every day for six weeks,” she said, “and then they were the last family to be told that nothing of their son could be identified. There was nothing found.”

After six weeks, the support center closed down, Carroll said, but TAPS volunteers continued to support the families of the fallen -- the same mission that continues today. The organization’s support includes peer-based emotional support, a 24/7 help line, support groups, seminars and one-on-one counseling.

In turn, many of the 9/11 surviving family members became staunch supporters of TAPS, she said. Lisa Dolan, whose Navy husband died in the Pentagon, started a therapy dog program for TAPS’ Good Grief Camp, which offers support to children of fallen service members.

Another survivor, Joyce Johnson, who lost her husband, works for TAPS as part of the adult survivor support team, which reaches out to those with newly lost loved ones.

Their contributions speak to their resilience, she said, as well as the resilience of the nation.

This year marks a decade since the tragedy occurred, but Carroll said Americans are reminded of the attacks every day.

“Every time we go through airport security or see a flag-draped coffin on the front page of the paper, every time we hear about security concerns,” she said, “we’re reminded of where this journey began and the precious nature of our freedom and the fragile world in which we live.”

50th Anniversary of the Berlin Crisis Mobilization!

Do you remember when World War III almost started?  These veterans do.  Check out this Berlin Crisis book written by a veteran who was there, facing down the Soviet Army.

In September 1961 about 10,000 32nd Infantry Division Soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard were alerted to an impending call-up and then ordered to report to active duty at Fort Lewis, Washington on October 15, 1961.

Berlin Crisis Veterans are invited to join us Saturday, October 15, 2011, in Camp Douglas, Wis., at the 32nd Infantry Brigade's headquarters for a special day to commemorate the selflessness, dedication and duty of these Wisconsin citizen-Soldiers 50 years ago. This event is NOT open to the general public.

October 15, 2011 at Volk Field, 12:00 - 16:00

Open House Museum & Equipment Displays, Brief Ceremony

Burgers Brats & Soft Drinks will be available

Veterans are encouraged to bring scrapbooks & memorabilia

If you are a Berlin Crisis Veteran and plan to attend this commemoration, please RSVP by September 21, 2011 to:

32ndBerlinCrisis@gmail.com OR

WI Army National Guard, JFHQ Public Affairs Office

Attn: Maj. Kurt Geifuss

2400 Wright St.

Madison, WI 53704-2572

Please send the following information:

Name

Mobilized Unit

Contact Phone

Bringing a Guest? Y/N