Carter Salutes Service Members During Africom Visit

By Terri Moon Cronk

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2015 – The people of the U.S. military are what make it the greatest fighting force the world has ever known, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during a troop talk at U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, today.

Following a 10-day trip to focus on the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, Carter told service members the United States’ many friends and allies around the world are “a great force multiplier,” … [but] it still comes down to the service members for their work to secure the nation.”

With one million spouses, three million family members and the civilian workforce also comprising the DoD family, Carter said he is proud to be part of a “wonderful” team.

‘You Come First’

“I advise the president about the use of force and our role in the world today,” he said, “and I make sure I keep the pledge to myself that you come first ... your safety, welfare and dignity are always respected.”

Carter said while he wishes Congress was “more generous” with the resources it provides DoD, the military strives to use them wisely, “so the total investment is the force the country and the world so desperately need -- and that’s you.”

The military mission is not a game, the secretary emphasized.

“It is serious business,” Carter said. “What we provide [to] people, which is security, allows them ... to do everything human beings want to do. They want to have dreams, raise children, [and] hand off a world and country to their children that’s better. None of that is possible without security. It’s the bedrock.”

Saluting Africom

The secretary said he wanted to “foot stomp” how important Africom’s mission is, and while it is the newest combatant command, it has “done so much and proven its worth so thoroughly.”

He told Africom’s members, “You have risen to the cause, whatever it’s been that affects the people of Africa, but ultimately, indirectly, our own security.”

The work of Africom personnel, such as helping to curb last year’s Ebola disease epidemic in West Africa, “made you and our country big heroes in the eyes of people,” Carter said.

“Showing what we stand for and who we are is important because we’ll need that in a pinch, when we need people to understand who we are,” he said.

Africom’s Significance

Why does DoD need Africom? Carter asked.

“We’re in a counterterrorism pinch and that’s no joke,” the secretary emphasized. “The evil of [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant], narcotics, corruption, organized crime … are rife in Africa and ultimately they will come home to roost if we don’t combat it there, and that’s what you’re doing so ably.”

The secretary spoke of the “American secret sauce,” defining it as, “Good people around the world like working with us.”

Bad people “fear us” and that’s a pretty good place to be, Carter said.

“That is very true in Africa,” the secretary told the Africom troop audience, “and you represent a hugely successful application of that strategic theory.”

JBER hosts military appreciation week

by Tech. Sgt. Robert Barnett
JBER Public Affairs

6/4/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Service members, families and Department of Defense civilian employees are honored for their services and sacrifices at the 2015 Military Appreciation Picnic on JBER Friday.

The annual picnic takes place at both Cottonwood and Paxton Parks from 11 a.m. to 2 pm. They will feature food, static displays, bounce houses, pony rides, games and more, sponsored by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and various JBER private organizations.

"It has been three months of planning, working with more than 12 different units and organizations. 17 committee members have worked countless hours coordinating and organizing different aspects of the picnic," said coordinator Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Thomas, 732nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent, and a native of Youngstown, Ohio. "We hope the military members and their families enjoy the day."

There is a petting zoo at Cottonwood Park, as well as a climbing wall, bounce house and football. Paxton Park will include a boxing ring, obstacle course and basketball. Balloon animals and face painting will take place at both parks.

The Arctic Warrior Olympics are also taking place across the installation, including events such as archery, bowling, a canoe race, softball, dodgeball, golf, paintball and more.

Please visit www.tinyurl.com/p4rukh3 for information on when and where the Olympic events are taking place throughout the day, or select the events calendar on the far right of JBER's homepage, choose June 5 on the calendar, and select the flyer.

Events also include the 2015 U.S. Army Alaska Combatives Tournament, sponsored by the Arctic Warrior Combatives Academy. Intermediate, semi-finals and finals begin at 9 a.m. at Buckner Physical Fitness Center.

"We're doing this to hone warrior skills, exhibit the warrior ethos and further the warrior's mindset across USARAK," said Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Jones, senior instructor and interim chief of training at the combatives academy, as well as the tournament director, and a native of Dewitt, Nebraska.

"People will watch everything starting from standard bouts on up. Soldiers will compete in their weight class with first place, second place or third place medals for individual weight classes; the team will receive a 2015 Combatives Tournament trophy. This will help people see Soldiers demonstrating their techniques in the crucible of combat showing our superiority in hand-to-hand combat."

For more information about the tournament, please contact the Arctic Warrior Combatives Academy 384-0292 or the Buckner Physical Fitness Center at 384-1308.

The activities are a chance for service members to get out and enjoy some time with their families, away from work.

The picnics are part of Military Appreciation Week, during which various establishments throughout the community offer specials, discounts and other events in support of the military.

"This is the state's largest military appreciation event, bringing together local citizens in an effort to support and celebrate our military community and to say 'thank you' for their sacrifice and commitment for freedom," said Anchorage Chamber of Commerce president Bruce Bustamante.

"Events like [this] truly demonstrate what it means to be a community and support each other. It's heart-warming to see Anchorage Chamber members come together to thank those who do so much for our country and our community."

The Chamber's Military Appreciation Week is designed to give local businesses and community leaders an opportunity to show support to service members in the Anchorage area, representatives said.

"It is awesome to be at a base where the community wants to do something for the military," Thomas said. "Before coming to JBER I hadn't been at a base that would do that, so having the community come in and do something for us is an awesome thing."

Do you know where your finances are going?

By Senior Airman Tammie Ramsouer
JBER Public Affairs

6/4/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- It's a sunny Friday afternoon and a service member just got paid. What is the first thing he is likely to do? Spend it or save it?

For those who could use some assistance with this common decision point, a program on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson highlights reliable ways to manage and understand finances.

The 673d Force Support Squadron provides a monthly finance seminar in Building 600 on JBER-Richardson, and at the Log Cabin on JBER-Elmendorf.

The seminars are open to all service members, and first-term Airmen and Soldiers receive this information at the outset of their service here.

According to Army Regulation 608-1, it is a mandatory class for first-term Soldiers within 60 days of their arrival at JBER.

First-term Airmen receive the same information during a one-week course at the First Term Airmen Center soon after arrival.

"First-term service members do not make much money," said Martin Rivera, 673d FSS financial counselor.

"There are quite a few things they can become financially involved with, such as buying a new car, and [thus find] themselves in financial trouble with large payments."

If service members become overwhelmed with their finances and do not seek help, the issue can escalate to their chain of command, Rivera said, adding that financial issues left unchecked might have career implications - including a general discharge from the military for failure to adapt.

During the seminar, Rivera covers topics such as car buying, credit reports and scores, investment strategies and other useful tools to enhance or maintain financial stability.

This type of training can easily help not only single service members, but families too, get on track to start a good lifestyle, according to recent attendees.

"We have some financial goals we want to accomplish while we are here in Alaska," said Lacey Jones, wife of a paratrooper Spc. Dillon Jones, assigned to the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment.

"I have student loan debt that has accumulated and some medical bills that need to be paid off, so I wanted to come to this seminar to figure out how we could budget better. We are both still pretty young so it would be nice to start saving early," said Mrs. Jones.

For her husband, this seminar has been something he has been familiar with in the past.

"I have gone through this seminar before when I was a first-term Soldier with the Iowa Army National Guard in 2012," Dillon Jones said.

"As a new active-duty Soldier I had a choice to go to the seminar since I had done it before. I decided I would so I could refresh my memory of the briefing."

After going through the seminar, the couple has a new outlook on how to proceed with their finances.

"The most helpful portion of the seminar was finding out different ways of investing our money," Lacey said.

"I don't have a job right now, so we are just budgeting based off my husband's paycheck, but I think we will start with a Thrift Savings Plan once I do start earning an income."

In addition to classes, Rivera provides one-on-one appointments with service members to help them make a plan if they feel they are in too tight a budget.

"When I do one-on-one counseling with service members who have been here for two to three years, they are surprised at how their finances have changed," Rivera said.

"This is why I believe it is important to give them this information from the beginning to have a solid understanding of what finances can do to your life."

Rivera said he plans to continue helping as many people as he can.

"This information is critical for their lives," Rivera said. "I just want them to understand what they do financially will affect them long-term later in life."

For more information about the financial seminar and counseling sessions offered by the 673d FSS, call 384-7687 or 552-0630.

Battle of Midway Commemoration at NSA Mechanicsburg

By Peggy Hoffman, NAVSUP Corporate Communications

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (NNS) -- Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Chief of Staff, Capt. Rudy Geisler, was guest speaker at the commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway on June 3 at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

During his remarks, Capt. Geisler stated, "This battle is what Admiral Nimitz called, 'a glorious page in our history' and it was. Although there are no Midway survivors here today, with us are veterans who fought in a time of war that was a turning point for our nation, and we are forever grateful for their selfless service."

Regarded as a critical turning point in the Pacific during World War II, U.S. Navy carrier strike forces, augmented by shore-based bombers and torpedo planes, decisively defeated an Imperial Japanese Navy carrier task force during the June 4 to 7, 1942 battle.

"The Battle of Midway was one of the greatest naval battles the world had ever seen. It was a battle that witnessed an impenetrable human spirit and innovative risk taking," said Capt. Geisler.

Capt. Jeff Rathbun, NSA commanding officer, stated in his opening remarks, "I want to express with great solemnity the absence of any Battle of Midway veterans. Today in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania we know of only one survivor. Henry Kudzik of Northampton is in Washington today and will meet with the Secretary of the Navy tomorrow. Hank represents the last of a great generation in Pennsylvania who fought in the Battle of Midway." Capt. Rathbun added, "May these great warriors never be forgotten."

The Battle of Midway, fought near the Central Pacific island of Midway, is considered the decisive battle of the war in the Pacific. Before this battle the Japanese were on the offensive, capturing territory throughout Asia and the Pacific. By their attack, the Japanese had planned to capture Midway to use as an advance base, as well as to entrap and destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Because of communication intelligence successes, the U.S. Pacific Fleet surprised the Japanese forces, sinking the four Japanese carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor only six months before, while only losing one carrier. After Midway, the Americans and their allies took the offensive in the Pacific.

"The Battle of Midway is an incredible page in our history books, written through valor, honor, courage and commitment," continued Capt. Geisler, reminding us that "we have Midway as our marker to serve as a strong example of who we are, and why we exist, so that well into the future, Sailors will continue to stop during the week of June 4 to 7 each year and consider how naval legacies are made, and why they are timelessly cherished, generation after generation." Capt. Geisler added, "Admiral Nimitz believed in our warfighter. And, though he called Midway a 'page' in our history, the impenetrable spirit of our warfighter certainly warrants a chapter."

The NAVSUP and Navy Supply Corps team share one mission--to deliver sustained global logistics capabilities to the Navy and Joint warfighter. NAVSUP/Navy Supply Corps' diverse team of more than 25,000 civilian and military personnel oversee a diverse portfolio including supply chain management for material support to Navy, Marine Corps, joint and coalition partners, supply operations, conventional ordnance, contracting, resale, fuel, transportation, security assistance, and quality of life issues for the naval forces, including food service, postal services, Navy Exchanges, and movement of household goods. The NAVSUP/Navy Supply Corps team forms a vast network of professionals who deliver unparalleled products and services to customers in the fleet and across the world.