By John J. Kruzel
Dec. 21, 2006 – A ten-foot tall fir tree, ornamented with pictures of fallen U.S. war veterans and notes of support for today's troops, now stands proudly at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined about 50 veterans and family members on the Wall's east knoll today.
"Less than one-percent of the total population of the United States serves in the Armed Forces. You are all part of that one-percent club," Gainey told the veterans.
"Ninety-nine percent of Americans get their freedom from people like you veterans, the folks who are still serving, (and) the young men and women that are on this Wall," he said.
Gainey, along with his son, U.S. Army Capt. Ryan J. Gainey, and representatives of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., the American Red Cross, HBO Video, and Target Corp. attended the ninth annual Christmas Tree Ceremony.
On behalf of wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital, Gainey accepted 1,000 DVD sets of several popular HBO series donated by HBO and 100 portable DVD players donated by Target .
Working side by side with veterans and family members, the officials helped hang more than 6,000 notes on the tree. The elm trees surrounding the Wall created a leafless canopy under which they kneeled and climbed ladders to decorate the tree's hard-to-reach branches.
"Look behind me and you know why I'm here," Gainey said. "It's these young men and women, not only the ones putting the stuff on these trees, but the names of over 58,000 that did not ask to die for their country. They died because they knew (fighting for their country) was the right thing to do.
"From 1775 until the present, we have had veterans," Gainey said. "We have people who are willing to sacrifice their lives to give us something called freedom. Something a lot of people take for granted."
Gainey and his son, Army Capt. Ryan J. Gainey, and Vietnam veterans like Paul Stancliff reached into one of the seven stuffed boxes and selected note-ornaments to read aloud.
Sporting a USS Boston hat with American flag and Navy insignia pins, Stancliff, a former U.S. Navy sailor approached the east knoll's podium to read a note from Dennis Marseller.
"I don't know what relation he has to anyone on the wall," Stancliff said, looking at the note-ornament in his hand. "So many of these notes are from normal people across the country who send a message to current and past troops to let us know we are being remembered."
He then read the note.
"You are at rest my brothers and sisters," he read. "We will always remember the joys you gave to us, and forever mourn you being taken away from us all too soon. Until we meet again, may God give you peace."
As the seven boxes stuffed with the ornament notes began to empty, Jan Scruggs, the Wall's founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, shifted his thoughts to those servicemembers deployed overseas.
"This morning we take time out to remember our friends who are on the Memorial Wall and all who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War," Scruggs said. "But we also remember and pray for the many thousands of Americans serving our country all over the world right now."
"The empty space at the table is especially difficult during the holidays," he noted.
After each veteran had read and hung an ornament, Gainey, Stancliff and two other veterans slid two metal rods through the branches and wheeled the tree slowly down the east knoll ramp next to the marble wall engraved with the names of 58,249 troops killed in Vietnam.
Like pallbearers, the four men directed the fir as the wheels of the tree's base rolled next to freshly laid wreaths and flower bouquets. The procession of silent veterans made its way to the bottom of the ramp where the two marble walls meet. They set the tree in place. It will remain there through the holiday season.
Ceremonies like today's show that the community remembers "what we had to go through for freedom," said retired Army Master Sergeant Matt Daley.
Daley said Vietnam veterans share a very close kinship with today's active duty servicemembers. "It's all the same," he said. "They say it's a different war, but you're still laying your life on the line."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Friday, December 22, 2006
WWII Veteran Kicks Up His Heels for USO
By Samantha L. Quigley
Dec. 21, 2006 – For a few hours Tuesday night, the Sequoia restaurant here was transported back to the golden era of the 1940s. Dance legend 92-year-old Frankie Manning was the special guest as the Glenn Miller Orchestra played swinging tunes and 300 dancers hit the floor during a "Home for the Holidays" event to benefit the United Services Organization. A creator of the dance now know as "the Lindy Hop," Manning showed the crowd that he's still got what earned him the moniker "legend." But he didn't fly all the way from his New York home just to show off his fancy footwork, he also was supporting the USO.
"I just thought it would be a good thing to do," Manning said. "That's the good part ... when you can bring laughter to the other guys when there's so much fear and tension in their minds."
Manning said that, even in this age of iPods and the Internet, he still thinks the kind of live entertainment he enjoyed while serving in World War II is important for the morale of today's servicemembers.
"Because of this technology ... it's one form of entertainment and it's something you can listen to all the time," Manning said. "When you actually see a person performing, it's fantastic. It's much more entertaining the just listening to it on the iPod."
Melanie Carson, communications manager for USO-Metro, was pleased that Manning traveled from New York to support her organization.
"It's generous for him to make an appearance for this type of event for no personal gain, just to support the programs and services of the USO," she said.
Both Manning's appearance fee and the net proceeds of the event will benefit the USO of Metropolitan Washington.
Tom Koerner, an area dance instructor and one of the event organizers, said that he and Manning "both have abiding respect for the work they do. Anybody who grew up in the 70s, Vietnam, knows that (the country) treated the military pretty shabbily. I really think that (servicemembers make) unbelievable sacrifices, the least we can do is give them a few bucks."
Manning, a Florida native who moved to Harlem when he was 3 years old, is more than a dance legend, however. He's also a movie star, appearing in several films, including the 1937 "A Day at the Races" with the Marx Brothers.
He also has toured with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway, and from 1936 to 1941, he was a member of the professional dance group known as "Whitey's Lindy Hoppers."
With the onset of World War II, however, the dance group disbanded. Manning kept performing and, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1942, Manning was working in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"I got my draft papers while I was down there but couldn't get back to the United States for about 10 months after that," Manning said. "We went down by boat and we had return ticket by boat, but because of the situation - passenger ships or any other ships going from South America to America were being sunk by the Germans."
The alternative was to return by plane. That, however, was a slow process as everyone else wanting to return to the United States was in the same situation.
When he finally was able to report to join the Army, he saw combat in New Guinea.
Finding opportunities to dance during his service wasn't always easy, so Manning organized performances to entertain the men with whom he served. He had one golden opportunity to dance on stage with one of the era's best-loved starlets, as well, he said.
"When it became safe enough for (entertainers) to come down that way, then ... Jack Benny with his troupe, they came down and did a show," Manning said, a grin stretching into a wide smile as he remembered the show. "Fortunate enough, I got to dance with Betty Grable.
"It was quite a thrill," he added.
Having entertainers visit them while they were so far from home did wonders for the men, Manning said.
He was discharged from the Army in 1947 and formed his own dance group, The Congaroos, which performed for about seven years. Then rock-and-roll music grew in popularity and Manning started another profession as a civil servant working for the U.S. Post Office. He said he expected that to last no more than a year, until his style of dance regained its popularity.
"That year turned into about 30 years," Manning said. "I was getting ready to retire in '87 and the resurgence (of big band music and the Lindy Hop) came back and here I go again and I'm and I'm still at it.
"It was quite a surprise," he said, adding he'd never dreamed that it would come back after so many years. "And I can have some weird dreams."
He's been teaching his beloved dances all over the world to anyone who cares to learn since them.
"I love to go the dances and see these young kids out there dancing," Manning. "It's just a joy to watch other dancers doing the dance that I love so much."
And they love watching him, especially when he observes his annual birthday tradition that started when he was 75. Each year he dances with one woman for every year of his life.
"This next year, I've got to dance with 93 women," he laughed.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 21, 2006 – For a few hours Tuesday night, the Sequoia restaurant here was transported back to the golden era of the 1940s. Dance legend 92-year-old Frankie Manning was the special guest as the Glenn Miller Orchestra played swinging tunes and 300 dancers hit the floor during a "Home for the Holidays" event to benefit the United Services Organization. A creator of the dance now know as "the Lindy Hop," Manning showed the crowd that he's still got what earned him the moniker "legend." But he didn't fly all the way from his New York home just to show off his fancy footwork, he also was supporting the USO.
"I just thought it would be a good thing to do," Manning said. "That's the good part ... when you can bring laughter to the other guys when there's so much fear and tension in their minds."
Manning said that, even in this age of iPods and the Internet, he still thinks the kind of live entertainment he enjoyed while serving in World War II is important for the morale of today's servicemembers.
"Because of this technology ... it's one form of entertainment and it's something you can listen to all the time," Manning said. "When you actually see a person performing, it's fantastic. It's much more entertaining the just listening to it on the iPod."
Melanie Carson, communications manager for USO-Metro, was pleased that Manning traveled from New York to support her organization.
"It's generous for him to make an appearance for this type of event for no personal gain, just to support the programs and services of the USO," she said.
Both Manning's appearance fee and the net proceeds of the event will benefit the USO of Metropolitan Washington.
Tom Koerner, an area dance instructor and one of the event organizers, said that he and Manning "both have abiding respect for the work they do. Anybody who grew up in the 70s, Vietnam, knows that (the country) treated the military pretty shabbily. I really think that (servicemembers make) unbelievable sacrifices, the least we can do is give them a few bucks."
Manning, a Florida native who moved to Harlem when he was 3 years old, is more than a dance legend, however. He's also a movie star, appearing in several films, including the 1937 "A Day at the Races" with the Marx Brothers.
He also has toured with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway, and from 1936 to 1941, he was a member of the professional dance group known as "Whitey's Lindy Hoppers."
With the onset of World War II, however, the dance group disbanded. Manning kept performing and, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1942, Manning was working in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"I got my draft papers while I was down there but couldn't get back to the United States for about 10 months after that," Manning said. "We went down by boat and we had return ticket by boat, but because of the situation - passenger ships or any other ships going from South America to America were being sunk by the Germans."
The alternative was to return by plane. That, however, was a slow process as everyone else wanting to return to the United States was in the same situation.
When he finally was able to report to join the Army, he saw combat in New Guinea.
Finding opportunities to dance during his service wasn't always easy, so Manning organized performances to entertain the men with whom he served. He had one golden opportunity to dance on stage with one of the era's best-loved starlets, as well, he said.
"When it became safe enough for (entertainers) to come down that way, then ... Jack Benny with his troupe, they came down and did a show," Manning said, a grin stretching into a wide smile as he remembered the show. "Fortunate enough, I got to dance with Betty Grable.
"It was quite a thrill," he added.
Having entertainers visit them while they were so far from home did wonders for the men, Manning said.
He was discharged from the Army in 1947 and formed his own dance group, The Congaroos, which performed for about seven years. Then rock-and-roll music grew in popularity and Manning started another profession as a civil servant working for the U.S. Post Office. He said he expected that to last no more than a year, until his style of dance regained its popularity.
"That year turned into about 30 years," Manning said. "I was getting ready to retire in '87 and the resurgence (of big band music and the Lindy Hop) came back and here I go again and I'm and I'm still at it.
"It was quite a surprise," he said, adding he'd never dreamed that it would come back after so many years. "And I can have some weird dreams."
He's been teaching his beloved dances all over the world to anyone who cares to learn since them.
"I love to go the dances and see these young kids out there dancing," Manning. "It's just a joy to watch other dancers doing the dance that I love so much."
And they love watching him, especially when he observes his annual birthday tradition that started when he was 75. Each year he dances with one woman for every year of his life.
"This next year, I've got to dance with 93 women," he laughed.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Gates, Pace Laud Troops Serving Far From Home
By Kathleen T. Rhem
Dec. 22, 2006 – New Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today thanked American servicemembers and their families "for the sacrifices they're all making and for their bravery in pursuit of our nation's security." Gates, on his final day of a three-day visit to Iraq, said he's been very impressed with the American troops he's met.
"As we enter this holiday weekend, I'd simply like to express my admiration to the men and women in uniform and to their families," he said.
Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, who accompanied Gates on this trip, agreed.
"One of the things that I'm always impressed with whenever we visit here is the incredible dedication and focus of our men and women here in uniform," he said. "I continue to be impressed with our U.S. military from the privates first class to the generals. They get it; they're focused. They know what they're doing is worthwhile. They want to see this mission to a successful conclusion."
Pace acknowledged the troops are missing their families "more than ever" as the holidays approach. "We thank them for that sacrifice, and we thank their families too, because obviously the families miss their loved ones, and they worry about whether or not they're safe here.
"And our military families serve our country as well as anyone who's ever worn the uniform," the general added.
"To the folks at home and the folks here," Pace said. "We wish them a very happy and peaceful holiday season."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 22, 2006 – New Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today thanked American servicemembers and their families "for the sacrifices they're all making and for their bravery in pursuit of our nation's security." Gates, on his final day of a three-day visit to Iraq, said he's been very impressed with the American troops he's met.
"As we enter this holiday weekend, I'd simply like to express my admiration to the men and women in uniform and to their families," he said.
Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, who accompanied Gates on this trip, agreed.
"One of the things that I'm always impressed with whenever we visit here is the incredible dedication and focus of our men and women here in uniform," he said. "I continue to be impressed with our U.S. military from the privates first class to the generals. They get it; they're focused. They know what they're doing is worthwhile. They want to see this mission to a successful conclusion."
Pace acknowledged the troops are missing their families "more than ever" as the holidays approach. "We thank them for that sacrifice, and we thank their families too, because obviously the families miss their loved ones, and they worry about whether or not they're safe here.
"And our military families serve our country as well as anyone who's ever worn the uniform," the general added.
"To the folks at home and the folks here," Pace said. "We wish them a very happy and peaceful holiday season."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Task Force on Future of Military Healthcare Established
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England announced today the names of the 14-member future military healthcare task force; the task force will evaluate and recommend alternatives to ensure the stability of military medicine over the long term. As directed by Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2007, the task force will include seven members from within the department and seven experts from a variety of disciplines external to the department. Task force members are identified below.
"The military health program has many important challenges, the most critical being the rapidly growing costs of health benefit coverage," said England, "and the need to make adjustments so this great program can continue far into the future. We in the department and in the Congress look forward to the task force's recommendations."
The task force has a slate of objectives that includes assessment and recommendations on wellness initiatives, education programs, accurate cost accounting, universal enrollment, system command and control, procurement adequacy, military and civilian personnel mix, Medicare-eligible beneficiary needs, efficient and cost effective contracts, and the beneficiary-government cost share structure to sustain military health benefits over the long term. This cost sharing structure has significant priority in that the task force must report on this element in both the interim and the final reports.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Edmund Giambastiani Jr. stated, "Military medicine is unmatched anywhere in the world. Our troops know they have the best care should they need it, and they know their families at home have the same great care. As the leaders of this department, we have the responsibility to ensure this excellent healthcare continues for future generations of soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen and their families."
Task force membership resulted from considered coordination with the secretaries of the military services and interagency leaders. The defense secretary will receive the interim report of the task force in May 2007, and the final report in December 2007. Following review by the secretary, the report will go to the armed services committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
"The task force represents a broad group of individuals with outstanding expertise and knowledge of healthcare generally and also of military healthcare," saidWilliam Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "The group is bipartisan and includes recognized experts in quality, health benefit design, costs and actuarial projections, women's health, organization and delivery of healthcare, and national health policy. This is an impressive group of thoughtful and experienced people who care about military healthcare. We look forward to supporting their efforts, and I welcome their recommendations."
Task Force Members
Department of Defense Members:
Air Force Gen. John D. W. Corley, vice chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Nancy Adams, former commander Tripler Army Medical Center and acting director, TRICARE Regional Office, North
Navy Rear Adm. John Mateczun, Deputy Surgeon General
Air Force Lt. Gen. James Roudebush, Surgeon General
Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph Kelley, deputy director of logistics for medical readiness, the Joint Staff
Shay Assad, director of defense procurement and acquisition policy, Office of the Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
Retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Non Departmental Members:
Robert J. Henke, assistant secretary for management, Department of Veterans Affairs
Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services
Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.D., elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and its governing council
Robert F. Hale, senior fellow at the Logistics Management Institute and member of the Defense Business Board; formerly assistant secretary of the Air Force for financial management and comptroller
Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Robert Smith, past president and current member of the Board of the Reserve Officers Association, and global controller, Vehicle Service & Programs, Ford Motor Co.
Larry Lewin, founder of The Lewin Group and currently executive consultant on clinical and technology effectiveness, health promotion.
Dr. Robert Galvin, director of global healthcare for General Electric.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
"The military health program has many important challenges, the most critical being the rapidly growing costs of health benefit coverage," said England, "and the need to make adjustments so this great program can continue far into the future. We in the department and in the Congress look forward to the task force's recommendations."
The task force has a slate of objectives that includes assessment and recommendations on wellness initiatives, education programs, accurate cost accounting, universal enrollment, system command and control, procurement adequacy, military and civilian personnel mix, Medicare-eligible beneficiary needs, efficient and cost effective contracts, and the beneficiary-government cost share structure to sustain military health benefits over the long term. This cost sharing structure has significant priority in that the task force must report on this element in both the interim and the final reports.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Edmund Giambastiani Jr. stated, "Military medicine is unmatched anywhere in the world. Our troops know they have the best care should they need it, and they know their families at home have the same great care. As the leaders of this department, we have the responsibility to ensure this excellent healthcare continues for future generations of soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen and their families."
Task force membership resulted from considered coordination with the secretaries of the military services and interagency leaders. The defense secretary will receive the interim report of the task force in May 2007, and the final report in December 2007. Following review by the secretary, the report will go to the armed services committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
"The task force represents a broad group of individuals with outstanding expertise and knowledge of healthcare generally and also of military healthcare," saidWilliam Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "The group is bipartisan and includes recognized experts in quality, health benefit design, costs and actuarial projections, women's health, organization and delivery of healthcare, and national health policy. This is an impressive group of thoughtful and experienced people who care about military healthcare. We look forward to supporting their efforts, and I welcome their recommendations."
Task Force Members
Department of Defense Members:
Air Force Gen. John D. W. Corley, vice chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Nancy Adams, former commander Tripler Army Medical Center and acting director, TRICARE Regional Office, North
Navy Rear Adm. John Mateczun, Deputy Surgeon General
Air Force Lt. Gen. James Roudebush, Surgeon General
Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph Kelley, deputy director of logistics for medical readiness, the Joint Staff
Shay Assad, director of defense procurement and acquisition policy, Office of the Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
Retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Non Departmental Members:
Robert J. Henke, assistant secretary for management, Department of Veterans Affairs
Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services
Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.D., elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and its governing council
Robert F. Hale, senior fellow at the Logistics Management Institute and member of the Defense Business Board; formerly assistant secretary of the Air Force for financial management and comptroller
Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Robert Smith, past president and current member of the Board of the Reserve Officers Association, and global controller, Vehicle Service & Programs, Ford Motor Co.
Larry Lewin, founder of The Lewin Group and currently executive consultant on clinical and technology effectiveness, health promotion.
Dr. Robert Galvin, director of global healthcare for General Electric.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Armed Forces Bowl to Spotlight Troops
By Carmen L. Burgess
Dec. 22, 2006 – Members of the U.S. military will be honored during the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl to be held Dec. 23 in Fort Worth, Texas. The University of Tulsa and the University of Utah will square off for the fourth annual Armed Forces Bowl that will be aired at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN television and ESPN Radio to over 200 stations in 44 states.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, a Fort Worth native, will flip the coin at the start of the game and administer the oath of enlistment to recruits from each branch of service. At half-time, England will receive the Great American Patriot Award for his leadership in serving the United States in the Homeland Security, Navy and Defense departments.
Also at Half America Supports You corporate team member, Connect and Join, also will be presenting "The World's Largest, Now Greatest Scrapbook" to members of the military during half-time festivities. The company joined America Supports You in May 2006. The Defense Department program highlights ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers.
Fans attending the bowl at Texas Christian University's Amon G. Carter Stadium can participate in many pre-game festivities, collectively dubbed the Armed Forces Adventure, 3-7 p.m.
Jet and helicopter flyovers, skydiving demonstrations, static displays and military bands will be on site to give college football fans a taste of the diversity of U.S. military operations.
Each quarter of the game will highlight a different branch of service with live remotes appearing on the stadium's video board from troops stationed overseas.
Active-duty military are eligible for free tickets, and veterans are eligible for half-price tickets by calling the Bell Helicopter Ticket Office at (817) 810-0012
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 22, 2006 – Members of the U.S. military will be honored during the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl to be held Dec. 23 in Fort Worth, Texas. The University of Tulsa and the University of Utah will square off for the fourth annual Armed Forces Bowl that will be aired at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN television and ESPN Radio to over 200 stations in 44 states.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, a Fort Worth native, will flip the coin at the start of the game and administer the oath of enlistment to recruits from each branch of service. At half-time, England will receive the Great American Patriot Award for his leadership in serving the United States in the Homeland Security, Navy and Defense departments.
Also at Half America Supports You corporate team member, Connect and Join, also will be presenting "The World's Largest, Now Greatest Scrapbook" to members of the military during half-time festivities. The company joined America Supports You in May 2006. The Defense Department program highlights ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers.
Fans attending the bowl at Texas Christian University's Amon G. Carter Stadium can participate in many pre-game festivities, collectively dubbed the Armed Forces Adventure, 3-7 p.m.
Jet and helicopter flyovers, skydiving demonstrations, static displays and military bands will be on site to give college football fans a taste of the diversity of U.S. military operations.
Each quarter of the game will highlight a different branch of service with live remotes appearing on the stadium's video board from troops stationed overseas.
Active-duty military are eligible for free tickets, and veterans are eligible for half-price tickets by calling the Bell Helicopter Ticket Office at (817) 810-0012
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Soldiers Missing in Action from Vietnam War are Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Maj. Frederick J. Ransbottom, of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Staff Sgt. William E. Skivington Jr.; of Las Vegas, Nev.; both U.S. Army. Ransbottom will be buried in Edmond, Okla. on Jan. 13, and Skivington will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23.
Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On May 12, 1968, North Vietnamese forces overran the Kham Duc Special Forces camp and its surrounding observation posts in Quang Nam-Da Nang Province (formerly Quang Tin Province), South Vietnam. Ransbottom and Skivington were two of the 17 U.S. servicemen unaccounted-for after the survivors evacuated the camp. Search and recovery efforts at the site in 1970 succeeded in recovering remains of five of the 17 men. A sixth man was returned alive during Operation Homecoming in 1973 after having been captured and held prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese.
Between 1993 and 2006, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted eight investigations and four excavations in the vicinity of the camp site. The team interviewed former North Vietnamese officers and soldiers who participated in the battle. Some recalled seeing the bodies of U.S. servicemen near one of the observation posts, and U.S. eyewitness accounts placed Ransbottom and Skivington near the post.
During an excavation conducted in 1998, two U.S. servicemen who survived the battle accompanied JPAC to help locate the observation posts, but found no evidence of human remains. Later excavations conducted in the area yielded human remains, identification media and personal effects for Ransbottom, Skivington and several other soldiers.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons 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 www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
They are Maj. Frederick J. Ransbottom, of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Staff Sgt. William E. Skivington Jr.; of Las Vegas, Nev.; both U.S. Army. Ransbottom will be buried in Edmond, Okla. on Jan. 13, and Skivington will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23.
Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On May 12, 1968, North Vietnamese forces overran the Kham Duc Special Forces camp and its surrounding observation posts in Quang Nam-Da Nang Province (formerly Quang Tin Province), South Vietnam. Ransbottom and Skivington were two of the 17 U.S. servicemen unaccounted-for after the survivors evacuated the camp. Search and recovery efforts at the site in 1970 succeeded in recovering remains of five of the 17 men. A sixth man was returned alive during Operation Homecoming in 1973 after having been captured and held prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese.
Between 1993 and 2006, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted eight investigations and four excavations in the vicinity of the camp site. The team interviewed former North Vietnamese officers and soldiers who participated in the battle. Some recalled seeing the bodies of U.S. servicemen near one of the observation posts, and U.S. eyewitness accounts placed Ransbottom and Skivington near the post.
During an excavation conducted in 1998, two U.S. servicemen who survived the battle accompanied JPAC to help locate the observation posts, but found no evidence of human remains. Later excavations conducted in the area yielded human remains, identification media and personal effects for Ransbottom, Skivington and several other soldiers.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons 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 www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Retired Army General Praises Military Family Support Programs
By Gerry J. Gilmore
Dec. 22, 2006 – Military support programs like America Supports You are vitally important to servicemembers, their families and the nation, a celebrated retired Army general said recently. It is paramount "to recognize the [military] spouses and the children, and their part they play in our national defense," retired Army Lt. Gen. Claudia J. Kennedy said at the "Operation Christmas" event held Dec. 20 at the National Guard armory in Hinesville, Ga.
"Americans need to know that we are taking care of the families. And, sometimes, I think that they imagine these families are on their own, and they're not. They're part of a very warm and complete family, the bigger family of the military," Kennedy said.
In 1997, Kennedy became the first woman in the U.S. Army to attain the rank of lieutenant general and only the third woman in the military to hold three-star rank. She served in the Pentagon as the Army's top intelligence officer until her retirement in 2000.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program that showcases the efforts of American individuals, non-profit groups and corporations in supporting military men and women.
America Supports You corporate team member Wal-Mart partnered with non-profit member Operation Homefront, an organization that provides assistance to military families while servicemembers are deployed, to conduct Operation Christmas. The Hinesville, Ga., event was the last of a series of six Operation Christmases held this year.
Kennedy is a member of a three-person Wal-Mart panel that provides the corporation employment-practices advice. The worldwide retail chain and the U.S. Army, including its active, Guard and reserve components, both employ more than 1.5 million people, she said.
Kennedy said Wal-Mart not only supports the military, it also respects the military's personnel practices.
"We have systems in the Army that help make sure that selection for promotions, commands and schooling is done in a very fair way, based on merit," Kennedy said. "And, I think Wal-Mart is interested in some of that experience."
In Hinesville, Kennedy observed soldier-volunteers from nearby Fort Stewart doing their best to make children happy as they sat on Santa's lap and received Christmas gifts.
"If they see that a child looks a little disappointed, they keep trying new gifts until they bring the one that brings a smile," she said.
Kennedy also attended two other Operation Christmas events held earlier this month in Gulfport, Miss., and San Antonio, Texas. Other Operation Christmas events were held in November in communities near Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and the naval station in Norfolk, Va. Another Operation Christmas was held Dec. 2 near MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 22, 2006 – Military support programs like America Supports You are vitally important to servicemembers, their families and the nation, a celebrated retired Army general said recently. It is paramount "to recognize the [military] spouses and the children, and their part they play in our national defense," retired Army Lt. Gen. Claudia J. Kennedy said at the "Operation Christmas" event held Dec. 20 at the National Guard armory in Hinesville, Ga.
"Americans need to know that we are taking care of the families. And, sometimes, I think that they imagine these families are on their own, and they're not. They're part of a very warm and complete family, the bigger family of the military," Kennedy said.
In 1997, Kennedy became the first woman in the U.S. Army to attain the rank of lieutenant general and only the third woman in the military to hold three-star rank. She served in the Pentagon as the Army's top intelligence officer until her retirement in 2000.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program that showcases the efforts of American individuals, non-profit groups and corporations in supporting military men and women.
America Supports You corporate team member Wal-Mart partnered with non-profit member Operation Homefront, an organization that provides assistance to military families while servicemembers are deployed, to conduct Operation Christmas. The Hinesville, Ga., event was the last of a series of six Operation Christmases held this year.
Kennedy is a member of a three-person Wal-Mart panel that provides the corporation employment-practices advice. The worldwide retail chain and the U.S. Army, including its active, Guard and reserve components, both employ more than 1.5 million people, she said.
Kennedy said Wal-Mart not only supports the military, it also respects the military's personnel practices.
"We have systems in the Army that help make sure that selection for promotions, commands and schooling is done in a very fair way, based on merit," Kennedy said. "And, I think Wal-Mart is interested in some of that experience."
In Hinesville, Kennedy observed soldier-volunteers from nearby Fort Stewart doing their best to make children happy as they sat on Santa's lap and received Christmas gifts.
"If they see that a child looks a little disappointed, they keep trying new gifts until they bring the one that brings a smile," she said.
Kennedy also attended two other Operation Christmas events held earlier this month in Gulfport, Miss., and San Antonio, Texas. Other Operation Christmas events were held in November in communities near Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and the naval station in Norfolk, Va. Another Operation Christmas was held Dec. 2 near MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and police and military personnel who have become writers.
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