By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - A military sales package for Arab countries estimated at $20 billion represents a tangible symbol of the United States' commitment to the region and its long-term security, a senior defense official said today on background. The arms, the bulk to be sold to Saudi Arabia, are expected to help promote stability in the Persian Gulf, including Iraq.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who released a statement about the plan before leaving for a trip here with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, said the package "will help bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran."
"We are helping to strengthen the defensive capabilities of our partners and we plan to initiate discussions with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states on a proposed package of military technology that will help support their ability to secure peace and stability in the Gulf region," the statement said.
The nature of the package, including dollar figures attached to it, will be on the table here as Rice and Gates meet in Sharm el-Sheikh with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Congress must approve the sales package before it is formalized.
The package will consist of missile defenses, including early-warning and air capabilities; maritime capabilities, with enhancements to Saudi Arabia's eastern fleet; weaponry to counter unconventional threats; and enhanced counter-proliferation capabilities. "It's a very broad package," an official said.
Arms deals demonstrate that the United States values its long-term relationships in the region and has a long-term interest in its security, the senior official said. "We have been here 60 years and we're going to be here a lot longer, and one of the reasons for these arms deals is to reaffirm that long-term shared interest in the shared security and stability of the region," he said.
Saudi Arabia, the biggest buyer, has been a close ally of the United States for decade, he noted. "They have been in important partner in the war on terror. They have been especially effective in going after al Qaeda, particularly after the attacks within Saudi Arabia itself," he said.
That's not to say, he emphasized, that the Saudis – or anyone else in the region -- is "doing all the things we would like them to do" and can't contribute more toward regional stability.
"But they are doing some things that are very important to us," he said. "And I think that, plus the long-term relationship and the key role Saudi Arabia plays in all these other issues ... are a manifestation of why the kind of long term relationship represented by the arms deal is important."
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Gates, Rice to Reaffirm U.S. Ties to Gulf Region
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said his rare and possibly unprecedented joint trip here with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sends a message that the United States has no intention of cutting long-term ties in the region. "I think that it is a statement, first of all, of the importance of this region in terms of U.S. vital interests and the importance we attach to reassuring our friends out here of our staying power," Gates told reporters traveling with him.
The two Cabinet members will meet tomorrow in Sharm el-Sheikh with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The council includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and works to strengthen their cooperation in broad areas, including security. Jordan and Egypt will send representatives to the meeting, too.
Gates told reporters he has four goals for the conference. First and foremost, he said, is "to reaffirm that the Persian Gulf and the Middle East are an enduring vital interest to the United States and that we will continue to have a strong presence in the region, as we have for decades," he said.
The secretary said he also seeks "to intensify our dialog with friends on long-term regional political and security issues." Unlike his previous visits to the region, which centered heavily on Iraq, Gates said he expects a much broader dialog this time that will include Iran, al Qaeda, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Syria, Lebanon, proliferation and other issues.
Gates also said he hopes "to explore new initiatives to strengthen and expand existing security relationships and opportunities for further cooperation among states in the region." He said he intends to see if there's an interest in pursuing dialog on ways to strengthen existing bilateral security relationships.
Finally, he said he wants to reassure regional countries that U.S. policies in Iraq "have had and will continue to have regional stability and security as a very high priority," he said.
A senior defense official speaking on background told reporters the talks are expected to focus heavily on Iraq and encouraging its neighbors to do more to support its new government.
"Instability in Iraq will negatively affect the stability of the region as a whole, and so it is in these countries' own interest to try to bring about stabilization of the political and security situation in Iraq," he said. "And that is a message we will be carrying."
Concerns about Iranian interference in Iraq, its nuclear programs and its ambitions in the region also are expected to weigh heavily in the discussions. There's "broad concern" about Iran, particularly now that two forces that previously countered its ambitions, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq, are both gone, the official said.
"So I would be one to argue it is in your interest to strengthen the government in Baghdad and embrace it in the Arab would so that it is an obstacle to Iranian influence and not a bridge," the official said he will tell participants at the conference.
But the visit is not what the official called "a Johnny-one-note trip" that will be limited to Iraq and Iran. "We also are going to be talking quite straightforwardly about how we can enhance cooperation bilaterally and maybe even multilaterally in terms of defense capabilities," the official said.
American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said his rare and possibly unprecedented joint trip here with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sends a message that the United States has no intention of cutting long-term ties in the region. "I think that it is a statement, first of all, of the importance of this region in terms of U.S. vital interests and the importance we attach to reassuring our friends out here of our staying power," Gates told reporters traveling with him.
The two Cabinet members will meet tomorrow in Sharm el-Sheikh with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The council includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and works to strengthen their cooperation in broad areas, including security. Jordan and Egypt will send representatives to the meeting, too.
Gates told reporters he has four goals for the conference. First and foremost, he said, is "to reaffirm that the Persian Gulf and the Middle East are an enduring vital interest to the United States and that we will continue to have a strong presence in the region, as we have for decades," he said.
The secretary said he also seeks "to intensify our dialog with friends on long-term regional political and security issues." Unlike his previous visits to the region, which centered heavily on Iraq, Gates said he expects a much broader dialog this time that will include Iran, al Qaeda, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Syria, Lebanon, proliferation and other issues.
Gates also said he hopes "to explore new initiatives to strengthen and expand existing security relationships and opportunities for further cooperation among states in the region." He said he intends to see if there's an interest in pursuing dialog on ways to strengthen existing bilateral security relationships.
Finally, he said he wants to reassure regional countries that U.S. policies in Iraq "have had and will continue to have regional stability and security as a very high priority," he said.
A senior defense official speaking on background told reporters the talks are expected to focus heavily on Iraq and encouraging its neighbors to do more to support its new government.
"Instability in Iraq will negatively affect the stability of the region as a whole, and so it is in these countries' own interest to try to bring about stabilization of the political and security situation in Iraq," he said. "And that is a message we will be carrying."
Concerns about Iranian interference in Iraq, its nuclear programs and its ambitions in the region also are expected to weigh heavily in the discussions. There's "broad concern" about Iran, particularly now that two forces that previously countered its ambitions, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq, are both gone, the official said.
"So I would be one to argue it is in your interest to strengthen the government in Baghdad and embrace it in the Arab would so that it is an obstacle to Iranian influence and not a bridge," the official said he will tell participants at the conference.
But the visit is not what the official called "a Johnny-one-note trip" that will be limited to Iraq and Iran. "We also are going to be talking quite straightforwardly about how we can enhance cooperation bilaterally and maybe even multilaterally in terms of defense capabilities," the official said.
2007 Maintenance Award Winners Announced
The Department of Defense today announced the 2007 winners of the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards at the depot and field levels. These awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in military equipment and weapon systems maintenance.
The Robert T. Mason Depot Maintenance Excellence Award recipient is the Dedicated Design and Prototype Effort Team at the U.S. Marine Corps Maintenance Center, Albany, Ga. The team provided exceptional and responsive maintenance support to our warfighters by demonstrating the ability to be responsive, resourceful, agile, and creative by designing and prototyping multiple systems in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The depot-level award is named in recognition of Robert T. Mason, a former assistant deputy under secretary of defense for maintenance policy, programs, and resources. Mason served as the champion of organic depot maintenance for three decades, while helping to transform DoD organic depot-level operations.
There are six field-level awards presented in the categories of large, medium, and small units (two each). The recipients of this year's Secretary of Defense Field-level Maintenance Awards are as follows: for the large category, the 1st Maintenance Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, Calif. and the 56th Maintenance Group at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Winners in the medium category include the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, Marine Corps Air Station. Miramar, Calif. and the 1st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va. Small category winners includes the Navy's Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment, Mayport, Fla. and Army's Charlie Company, 501st Military Intelligence Battalion, Wackernheim, Germany.
The awards will be presented to the winners at the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards banquet on Nov. 15, 2007, during the 2007 DoD Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Additional information regarding the 2007 DoD Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition can be found at http://www.sae.org/dod.
The Department of Defense today announced the 2007 winners of the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards at the depot and field levels. These awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in military equipment and weapon systems maintenance.
The Robert T. Mason Depot Maintenance Excellence Award recipient is the Dedicated Design and Prototype Effort Team at the U.S. Marine Corps Maintenance Center, Albany, Ga. The team provided exceptional and responsive maintenance support to our warfighters by demonstrating the ability to be responsive, resourceful, agile, and creative by designing and prototyping multiple systems in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The depot-level award is named in recognition of Robert T. Mason, a former assistant deputy under secretary of defense for maintenance policy, programs, and resources. Mason served as the champion of organic depot maintenance for three decades, while helping to transform DoD organic depot-level operations.
There are six field-level awards presented in the categories of large, medium, and small units (two each). The recipients of this year's Secretary of Defense Field-level Maintenance Awards are as follows: for the large category, the 1st Maintenance Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, Calif. and the 56th Maintenance Group at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Winners in the medium category include the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, Marine Corps Air Station. Miramar, Calif. and the 1st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va. Small category winners includes the Navy's Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment, Mayport, Fla. and Army's Charlie Company, 501st Military Intelligence Battalion, Wackernheim, Germany.
The awards will be presented to the winners at the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards banquet on Nov. 15, 2007, during the 2007 DoD Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Additional information regarding the 2007 DoD Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition can be found at http://www.sae.org/dod.
Monday, July 30, 2007
ApNano Materials Establishes Nano Armor Subsidiary to Produce Ultra-Strong Bullet-Proof Products
July 30, 2007. ApNano Materials, Inc.(www.apnano.com), a provider of nanotechnology-based products, today announced the establishment of a subsidiary of ApNano Materials that will develop and manufacture the company's new NanoArmor™ line of nanotechnology-based bullet-proof products. The new subsidiary will start with products that enhance the performance of personal safety items such as bullet proof vests and helmets, and will continue with protection products for vehicles and aircraft.
"The company has already started negotiations with investors," said Aharon Feuerstein, ApNano Materials' Chairman and CFO. "In addition, NanoArmor potential products have already attracted huge interest from military, law enforcement and homeland security organizations and agencies in various countries."
The Nano Armor products will be based on ApNano’s proprietary nanospheres and nanotubes, which are excellent shock absorbing materials and among the most impact resistant substances known in the world today. These revolutionary nanoparticles of inorganic compounds provide exceptional shock absorbing capabilities. ApNano's nanomaterials have up to twice the strength of today’s best impact resistant protective armor materials such as boron carbide and silicon carbide used in hard armor plates, and is 4-5 times stronger than steel.
The Nano Armor products will be made of tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanoparticles, currently manufactured by ApNano Materials, under the trade name NanoArmor™. In addition, the subsidiary will develop multi-walled titanium-based nanoparticles which will enable it to produce over 50% lighter weight armor products.
NanoArmor will provide multi-hit protection as well as enhanced ballistic and blast resistance. It will enable the development of special trauma layers behind the armor, reducing the level of blunt force trauma injuries.
ApNano's nanospheres were tested by a research group headed by Dr. Yan Qiu Zhu of the School of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, at the University of Nottingham, England. The material was subjected to severe shocks generated by firing shots at it at impact velocities of up to 1.5 km/second. The nanospheres withstood the shock pressures generated by the impacts of up to 250 tons per square centimeter. The nanospheres are so strong that after the impact the samples remained essentially identical compared to the starting material. In contrast, similarly structured hollow spheres of carbon, fail under much lower pressures of less than one tenth of those that the nanospheres can survive. Apnano's nanospheres are termed inorganic fullerene-like nanostructures, or IF for short. Fullerenes are soccer ball-like clusters of atoms, named after R. Buckminster Fuller, architect of the geodesic dome that he designed for the 1967 Montreal World Exhibition.
ApNano's nanotubes were also found as ultra-strong impact resistant material. "The unique nanotubes of ApNano Materials are up to 4-5 times stronger than steel and about 6 times stronger than Kevlar, a popular material today for bullet proof vests," said Professor Reshef Tenne, The Drake Family Chair in Nanotechnology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, and the Director of Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science, who co-discovered the unique nanoparticles.
"Laboratory experiments conducted by Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Harold Kroto and his colleagues have demonstrated that ApNano’s nanotubes are strong enough to withstand a pressure of 21 GPa (Gigapascal) – the equivalent of 210 tons per square centimeter,” said Dr. Menachem Genut, President and CEO of ApNano Materials. Dr. Genut was a research fellow in the original research group which discovered the IF nanoparticles at the Weizmann Institute and first to synthesize the new materials.
Recently ApNano Materials opened a new 1,000 square meter manufacturing facility in Israel. The facility houses a semi-industrial reactor with a production capacity of tons of the company's nanomaterial. The new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility meets international guidelines for health, safety and manufacturing of nanomaterials.
ApNano has already launched another product, NanoLub®, the world's first commercial nanotechnology-based solid lubricant. “NanoLub has been shown in numerous independent tests worldwide to reduce friction and wear significantly better than conventional lubricants, especially under extreme conditions such as very high loads,” said Dr. Niles Fleischer, Vice President of Business Development and Vice President of Product Development of ApNano Materials.
About ApNano Materials
ApNano Materials (www.apnano.com ), is a private nanotechnology company founded in 2002 by Dr. Menachem Genut, President and CEO and Mr. Aharon Feuerstein, Chairman and CFO. ApNano Materials was incorporated in the US and is headquartered in New York, USA. Its fully-owned Israeli subsidiary - NanoMaterials, Ltd., is located in the high tech science park adjacent to the Weizmann Institute campus in Nes Ziona, Israel. The company was granted an exclusive license by Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd, the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, to manufacture, commercialize and sell a new class of nanomaterials based on inorganic compounds that were discovered at the Institute. The shareholders of ApNano Materials, besides the founders, are Newton Technology VC Fund, Yeda Research and Development Co. LTD. (the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science), AYYT LTD. (the commercial arm of HIT, Israel), and private European investors.
NanoLub and NanoArmor, green, environmentally friendly materials, are trademarks of ApNano Materials, Inc.
"The company has already started negotiations with investors," said Aharon Feuerstein, ApNano Materials' Chairman and CFO. "In addition, NanoArmor potential products have already attracted huge interest from military, law enforcement and homeland security organizations and agencies in various countries."
The Nano Armor products will be based on ApNano’s proprietary nanospheres and nanotubes, which are excellent shock absorbing materials and among the most impact resistant substances known in the world today. These revolutionary nanoparticles of inorganic compounds provide exceptional shock absorbing capabilities. ApNano's nanomaterials have up to twice the strength of today’s best impact resistant protective armor materials such as boron carbide and silicon carbide used in hard armor plates, and is 4-5 times stronger than steel.
The Nano Armor products will be made of tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanoparticles, currently manufactured by ApNano Materials, under the trade name NanoArmor™. In addition, the subsidiary will develop multi-walled titanium-based nanoparticles which will enable it to produce over 50% lighter weight armor products.
NanoArmor will provide multi-hit protection as well as enhanced ballistic and blast resistance. It will enable the development of special trauma layers behind the armor, reducing the level of blunt force trauma injuries.
ApNano's nanospheres were tested by a research group headed by Dr. Yan Qiu Zhu of the School of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, at the University of Nottingham, England. The material was subjected to severe shocks generated by firing shots at it at impact velocities of up to 1.5 km/second. The nanospheres withstood the shock pressures generated by the impacts of up to 250 tons per square centimeter. The nanospheres are so strong that after the impact the samples remained essentially identical compared to the starting material. In contrast, similarly structured hollow spheres of carbon, fail under much lower pressures of less than one tenth of those that the nanospheres can survive. Apnano's nanospheres are termed inorganic fullerene-like nanostructures, or IF for short. Fullerenes are soccer ball-like clusters of atoms, named after R. Buckminster Fuller, architect of the geodesic dome that he designed for the 1967 Montreal World Exhibition.
ApNano's nanotubes were also found as ultra-strong impact resistant material. "The unique nanotubes of ApNano Materials are up to 4-5 times stronger than steel and about 6 times stronger than Kevlar, a popular material today for bullet proof vests," said Professor Reshef Tenne, The Drake Family Chair in Nanotechnology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, and the Director of Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science, who co-discovered the unique nanoparticles.
"Laboratory experiments conducted by Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Harold Kroto and his colleagues have demonstrated that ApNano’s nanotubes are strong enough to withstand a pressure of 21 GPa (Gigapascal) – the equivalent of 210 tons per square centimeter,” said Dr. Menachem Genut, President and CEO of ApNano Materials. Dr. Genut was a research fellow in the original research group which discovered the IF nanoparticles at the Weizmann Institute and first to synthesize the new materials.
Recently ApNano Materials opened a new 1,000 square meter manufacturing facility in Israel. The facility houses a semi-industrial reactor with a production capacity of tons of the company's nanomaterial. The new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility meets international guidelines for health, safety and manufacturing of nanomaterials.
ApNano has already launched another product, NanoLub®, the world's first commercial nanotechnology-based solid lubricant. “NanoLub has been shown in numerous independent tests worldwide to reduce friction and wear significantly better than conventional lubricants, especially under extreme conditions such as very high loads,” said Dr. Niles Fleischer, Vice President of Business Development and Vice President of Product Development of ApNano Materials.
About ApNano Materials
ApNano Materials (www.apnano.com ), is a private nanotechnology company founded in 2002 by Dr. Menachem Genut, President and CEO and Mr. Aharon Feuerstein, Chairman and CFO. ApNano Materials was incorporated in the US and is headquartered in New York, USA. Its fully-owned Israeli subsidiary - NanoMaterials, Ltd., is located in the high tech science park adjacent to the Weizmann Institute campus in Nes Ziona, Israel. The company was granted an exclusive license by Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd, the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, to manufacture, commercialize and sell a new class of nanomaterials based on inorganic compounds that were discovered at the Institute. The shareholders of ApNano Materials, besides the founders, are Newton Technology VC Fund, Yeda Research and Development Co. LTD. (the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science), AYYT LTD. (the commercial arm of HIT, Israel), and private European investors.
NanoLub and NanoArmor, green, environmentally friendly materials, are trademarks of ApNano Materials, Inc.
Connects Heroes, Employers
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - An online nonprofit group is helping servicemembers preparing to transition to the civilian work world connect with solid job opportunities. "Our mission is accomplished through online networking, and the key to our success is our volunteers," said Vikki Skrypez, volunteer coordinator for the group, "Hire a Hero."
Dan Caulfield, a former Marine, started the group's Web site, www.HireaHero.org, in January. It currently has 5,000 former servicemembers signed up for help with job hunting.
Participants are asked to complete a profile about their situation -- for example, what skills they have, how close they are to separating, and where they hope to live once they've left the military. Those who register with Hire a Hero also can search and apply for jobs with "military-friendly employers" on the site.
"As these three groups connect and network, there are benefits for all," Skrypez said. "Members from the military community find meaningful employment opportunities. Employers obtain quality (employees), and volunteers expand their network and become more established in their communities by ... helping veterans."
Hire a Hero is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"We are excited about the exposure and networking opportunities through America Supports You," Skrypez said. "We hope to get our message out to like-minded individuals who want to help.
"This is a great opportunity for those that want to give back and say thank you to our military," she added.
American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - An online nonprofit group is helping servicemembers preparing to transition to the civilian work world connect with solid job opportunities. "Our mission is accomplished through online networking, and the key to our success is our volunteers," said Vikki Skrypez, volunteer coordinator for the group, "Hire a Hero."
Dan Caulfield, a former Marine, started the group's Web site, www.HireaHero.org, in January. It currently has 5,000 former servicemembers signed up for help with job hunting.
Participants are asked to complete a profile about their situation -- for example, what skills they have, how close they are to separating, and where they hope to live once they've left the military. Those who register with Hire a Hero also can search and apply for jobs with "military-friendly employers" on the site.
"As these three groups connect and network, there are benefits for all," Skrypez said. "Members from the military community find meaningful employment opportunities. Employers obtain quality (employees), and volunteers expand their network and become more established in their communities by ... helping veterans."
Hire a Hero is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"We are excited about the exposure and networking opportunities through America Supports You," Skrypez said. "We hope to get our message out to like-minded individuals who want to help.
"This is a great opportunity for those that want to give back and say thank you to our military," she added.
Major Leaguers Tour Pentagon
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - Three pitchers from Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals and about 20 others associated with the team spent their day off at the Pentagon today, exploring the Defense Department's nerve center and signing autographs for fans. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, a self-described baseball fan, invited the major league visitors here this morning to strengthen the relationship between baseball and the U.S. military.
"We love to support the Nationals, and we appreciate your great support for the Department of Defense and all the people and their families who serve America, and I want to say 'Thank you,'" England said.
England was accompanied by Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato, who collected several autographs to add to his massive memorabilia collection.
Today's tour came a day after the Nationals completed and tied a hard-fought series against the New York Mets, currently the National League's top team. Mike Bacsik, Chad Cordero and Chris Schroder, among the visitors, pitched during the series. Bacsik picked up his fourth win this season in the first showdown against the Mets, allowing only two runs in seven innings. Cordero, better known as "Chief," threw a perfect ninth inning and earned his 21st save.
Cordero noted that Cal Ripken Jr., who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday, played in 2,632 straight games, and said baseball players and servicemembers are similar because both commit themselves to performing hard work on a daily basis.
But baseball players simply offer a diversion for fans, as opposed U.S. military members who serve to protect Americans' freedom, the Nationals' closer said.
"They're out there maintaining our freedom. They're out there making sure we still have all of our rights that we know and love," he said. "And for us, we just go out there (and) we're trying to basically give everybody a place to go to have fun."
Cordero said it's an honor to play before servicemembers during the various military appreciation events that occur throughout the season at RFK Stadium, the Nationals' home field.
"For the troops, I want get a chance to (let them) not think about what their job is for a day," he said. "We go out there to entertain them, so any time we can do that for them, it's good, because they're the ones doing all the fighting for us."
Meeting the visitors as they arrived by bus from RFK Stadium was Navy Vice Adm. John G. Morgan Jr., deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy.
"There is nothing more emblematic of what the American way of life is than baseball," Morgan told the group.
While participating in the first post-9/11 strikes in Afghanistan, Morgan said, he and fellow servicemembers looked to baseball as a "noble distraction" between missions.
"The men and women in combat, a lot of whom are baseball fans, wanted to know what you were doing back here in the United States, to sort of to get our lives back together," he said. "(They) would go on combat patrols, fly combat missions, then want to get on the Internet and see what the box score was.
"They wanted to know if their home team was winning or losing," said Morgan, a loyal New York Yankees supporter.
Visitors got a rare glimpse inside the secretive National Military Command Center, as guides ushered them into the Navy's Service Watch Cell for a nonsensitive peek at how the branch conducts operations from a "macro view," using GPS and satellite technology to monitor and direct naval elements.
Inquisitive guests tossed questions after their briefing: "What does that map do?" "How did you respond to Sept. 11 attacks?" "How about Hurricane Katrina?"
A tour guide, walking backward, snaked the group around the second story A-ring through Corridor 4, which commemorates the "Soldier Signers of the Constitution." These 25 men, who led the charge in combat and politics against British colonizers, are commemorated in a series of oil paintings by John Trumball, the tour guide explained as he identified key characters in Trumball's compositions that hang on the corridor's walls.
During a somber stretch of the tour, guests learned in detail how roughly 20 percent of the Pentagon was destroyed in the Sept. 11 attack. Inside the point of impact, a room commemorates the 125 Pentagon workers and 59 passengers who died when American Airlines Flight 77 barreled into the building's western wall.
Later, as visitors filed into the Pentagon briefing room -- the familiar setting portrayed on news broadcasts and recreated in scores of films -- they posed behind the podium affixed with the Defense Department emblem, displaying resolute hand gestures and projecting mock bravado as flashbulbs flicked.
Visitor Alphonso Maldon Jr., senior vice president of external affairs for the Washington Nationals, once knew the briefing room intimately. As assistant secretary of defense for force management Policy from 1998 to 2000, Maldon appeared in the briefing room regularly.
"We really have a great partnership with the Department of Defense, and we're proud of that partnership," he told the group. "I know our players, and I know our Nationals front office really have great appreciation for the contribution and the sacrifices that the military make every day."
Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, also keyed in on the importance of the partnership. She encouraged players to film "shout outs" to deployed troops, expressing the Nationals' collective support of military members. Later, all three players present gladly complied.
"We do research all the time on our military members and what keeps them going, ... and the morale of our military is really based on support they feel from the folks back home," she said. "And so for them to hear from you, for them to know you're thinking about them ... it really keeps the morale of our troops high."
American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - Three pitchers from Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals and about 20 others associated with the team spent their day off at the Pentagon today, exploring the Defense Department's nerve center and signing autographs for fans. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, a self-described baseball fan, invited the major league visitors here this morning to strengthen the relationship between baseball and the U.S. military.
"We love to support the Nationals, and we appreciate your great support for the Department of Defense and all the people and their families who serve America, and I want to say 'Thank you,'" England said.
England was accompanied by Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato, who collected several autographs to add to his massive memorabilia collection.
Today's tour came a day after the Nationals completed and tied a hard-fought series against the New York Mets, currently the National League's top team. Mike Bacsik, Chad Cordero and Chris Schroder, among the visitors, pitched during the series. Bacsik picked up his fourth win this season in the first showdown against the Mets, allowing only two runs in seven innings. Cordero, better known as "Chief," threw a perfect ninth inning and earned his 21st save.
Cordero noted that Cal Ripken Jr., who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday, played in 2,632 straight games, and said baseball players and servicemembers are similar because both commit themselves to performing hard work on a daily basis.
But baseball players simply offer a diversion for fans, as opposed U.S. military members who serve to protect Americans' freedom, the Nationals' closer said.
"They're out there maintaining our freedom. They're out there making sure we still have all of our rights that we know and love," he said. "And for us, we just go out there (and) we're trying to basically give everybody a place to go to have fun."
Cordero said it's an honor to play before servicemembers during the various military appreciation events that occur throughout the season at RFK Stadium, the Nationals' home field.
"For the troops, I want get a chance to (let them) not think about what their job is for a day," he said. "We go out there to entertain them, so any time we can do that for them, it's good, because they're the ones doing all the fighting for us."
Meeting the visitors as they arrived by bus from RFK Stadium was Navy Vice Adm. John G. Morgan Jr., deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy.
"There is nothing more emblematic of what the American way of life is than baseball," Morgan told the group.
While participating in the first post-9/11 strikes in Afghanistan, Morgan said, he and fellow servicemembers looked to baseball as a "noble distraction" between missions.
"The men and women in combat, a lot of whom are baseball fans, wanted to know what you were doing back here in the United States, to sort of to get our lives back together," he said. "(They) would go on combat patrols, fly combat missions, then want to get on the Internet and see what the box score was.
"They wanted to know if their home team was winning or losing," said Morgan, a loyal New York Yankees supporter.
Visitors got a rare glimpse inside the secretive National Military Command Center, as guides ushered them into the Navy's Service Watch Cell for a nonsensitive peek at how the branch conducts operations from a "macro view," using GPS and satellite technology to monitor and direct naval elements.
Inquisitive guests tossed questions after their briefing: "What does that map do?" "How did you respond to Sept. 11 attacks?" "How about Hurricane Katrina?"
A tour guide, walking backward, snaked the group around the second story A-ring through Corridor 4, which commemorates the "Soldier Signers of the Constitution." These 25 men, who led the charge in combat and politics against British colonizers, are commemorated in a series of oil paintings by John Trumball, the tour guide explained as he identified key characters in Trumball's compositions that hang on the corridor's walls.
During a somber stretch of the tour, guests learned in detail how roughly 20 percent of the Pentagon was destroyed in the Sept. 11 attack. Inside the point of impact, a room commemorates the 125 Pentagon workers and 59 passengers who died when American Airlines Flight 77 barreled into the building's western wall.
Later, as visitors filed into the Pentagon briefing room -- the familiar setting portrayed on news broadcasts and recreated in scores of films -- they posed behind the podium affixed with the Defense Department emblem, displaying resolute hand gestures and projecting mock bravado as flashbulbs flicked.
Visitor Alphonso Maldon Jr., senior vice president of external affairs for the Washington Nationals, once knew the briefing room intimately. As assistant secretary of defense for force management Policy from 1998 to 2000, Maldon appeared in the briefing room regularly.
"We really have a great partnership with the Department of Defense, and we're proud of that partnership," he told the group. "I know our players, and I know our Nationals front office really have great appreciation for the contribution and the sacrifices that the military make every day."
Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, also keyed in on the importance of the partnership. She encouraged players to film "shout outs" to deployed troops, expressing the Nationals' collective support of military members. Later, all three players present gladly complied.
"We do research all the time on our military members and what keeps them going, ... and the morale of our military is really based on support they feel from the folks back home," she said. "And so for them to hear from you, for them to know you're thinking about them ... it really keeps the morale of our troops high."
SEAL Recruiter Finishes Strong in Badwater Ultramarathon
By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - A Navy SEAL recruiter went the extra mile – or extra 135 miles, to be exact – to reach athletes who may have the fitness and drive to make it through the notoriously difficult SEAL training course. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Goggins, assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Recruiting Directorate in Coronado, Calif., competed in and finished third place in the Badwater Ultramarathon by running 135 miles across Death Valley and up the side of Mount Whitney in California last week.
Goggins was on orders from his directorate to compete in Badwater. He and fellow recruiters are sent to "extreme" events across the country in an effort to reach out to athletes who may be good candidates for SEAL training.
Because the Navy refuses to lower its standards for passing SEAL training, it must attract already highly trained candidates. The Navy aims to graduate 500 SEALs during the next three years, said Lt. David Hecht, a spokesman for the directorate.
"The kids who swim, the kids who bike, the kids who run, they have a higher success rate making it through the program," Hecht said.
Fallen comrades were especially on Goggins' mind as he prepared to conquer Badwater. His participation in the event this year and last helped raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college scholarship grants, based on need, along with financial aid and educational counseling to the children of Special Operations personnel who are killed in an operational mission or training accident.
The Navy SEAL, who is also a former Army Ranger, took 25 hours and 49 minutes to complete what is considered the most grueling event of its type in the world. The course begins at 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere in California's remote southwestern interior near the Nevada border and ends 8,360 feet above sea level on the base of the continental United States' tallest mountain.
"In all these races you stay up a long time," Goggins said. "And to train to be a SEAL you're up for hours and days, so that helps out quite a bit knowing that you can go the distance."
Badwater participants frequently face temperatures approaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit. During the blazing daylight portion of their journeys, participants run on the white lane markers painted onto the right of the road as opposed to the asphalt itself. That way the soles of their shoes are less likely to literally melt from the heat.
Race directors intentionally hold Badwater in the middle of July so that runners will experience the very hottest weather Death Valley has to offer. Unlike most marathons and shorter organized races, Badwater offers no official aid stations. Instead, runners must bring their own support crew, all their own food and any other supplies they may need to survive the trek across Death Valley and up Mount Whitney.
Participants become so spread out over the course of the race that many complete most of the 135-mile event completely alone. Many participants stop to catch a few hours sleep along the way, and some have actually fallen asleep while running the race.
Goggins attributes his extraordinary performance on his crew, who would drive alongside in a support vehicle. "They worked their butt off for me out there, and it showed by the time I had, he said. "I mean you saw them out there on that mountain, they were coming off the car and sponging me down."
It was a specially designed sock, with individual compartments for each toe, that saved Goggins the agony of last year's race, when his feet became so mangled from 30 hours of pounding pavement that they were photographed and posted on Badwater's Web site, a sort of twisted badge of honor appreciated by the event's close-knit community.
"Last year I wore some thin socks, and it was just killing me," Goggins said. "This year the pain is not too bad, just on the front of my feet from going downhill."
This year's event featured unexpectedly cooler weather, with daytime highs only in the 112- to 117-degree range. Because of this, predictions of a possible new course record abounded before the start.
While many participants thought of the 24-hour mark as a mythical time that could never be bested, first-time Badwater participant Valmir Nunes, a 43-year-old from of Brazil, smashed the previous record by nearly two hours, finishing in 22 hours and 51 minutes. Nunes spent more than a week living in the Death Valley town of Stovepipe Wells to train on the course and acclimatize to the brutal conditions.
Goggins had no such luxury. He lives in Chula Vista, Calif., where daytime high temperatures hover in the comfortable 70s year round. That's perfect for recreational running, but not for Badwater preparation.
Goggins dressed in heavy layers of clothing to simulate the heat he would face in the desert and ran for hours at a time. He even turned the heater full blast in his car to experience sweltering conditions when he drove.
Only 90 athletes are allowed to compete in Badwater each year, although hundreds apply. The bare minimum requirement to even be considered for entry into the event is to have officially finished a running race of at least 100 continuous miles in length. Goggins surprised everybody when he placed fifth last year in his first Badwater attempt. He finished nearly four hours faster this year.
"I've run a few more hundred-mile races this year," he said. "It gets your legs used to the distance."
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - A Navy SEAL recruiter went the extra mile – or extra 135 miles, to be exact – to reach athletes who may have the fitness and drive to make it through the notoriously difficult SEAL training course. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Goggins, assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Recruiting Directorate in Coronado, Calif., competed in and finished third place in the Badwater Ultramarathon by running 135 miles across Death Valley and up the side of Mount Whitney in California last week.
Goggins was on orders from his directorate to compete in Badwater. He and fellow recruiters are sent to "extreme" events across the country in an effort to reach out to athletes who may be good candidates for SEAL training.
Because the Navy refuses to lower its standards for passing SEAL training, it must attract already highly trained candidates. The Navy aims to graduate 500 SEALs during the next three years, said Lt. David Hecht, a spokesman for the directorate.
"The kids who swim, the kids who bike, the kids who run, they have a higher success rate making it through the program," Hecht said.
Fallen comrades were especially on Goggins' mind as he prepared to conquer Badwater. His participation in the event this year and last helped raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college scholarship grants, based on need, along with financial aid and educational counseling to the children of Special Operations personnel who are killed in an operational mission or training accident.
The Navy SEAL, who is also a former Army Ranger, took 25 hours and 49 minutes to complete what is considered the most grueling event of its type in the world. The course begins at 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere in California's remote southwestern interior near the Nevada border and ends 8,360 feet above sea level on the base of the continental United States' tallest mountain.
"In all these races you stay up a long time," Goggins said. "And to train to be a SEAL you're up for hours and days, so that helps out quite a bit knowing that you can go the distance."
Badwater participants frequently face temperatures approaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit. During the blazing daylight portion of their journeys, participants run on the white lane markers painted onto the right of the road as opposed to the asphalt itself. That way the soles of their shoes are less likely to literally melt from the heat.
Race directors intentionally hold Badwater in the middle of July so that runners will experience the very hottest weather Death Valley has to offer. Unlike most marathons and shorter organized races, Badwater offers no official aid stations. Instead, runners must bring their own support crew, all their own food and any other supplies they may need to survive the trek across Death Valley and up Mount Whitney.
Participants become so spread out over the course of the race that many complete most of the 135-mile event completely alone. Many participants stop to catch a few hours sleep along the way, and some have actually fallen asleep while running the race.
Goggins attributes his extraordinary performance on his crew, who would drive alongside in a support vehicle. "They worked their butt off for me out there, and it showed by the time I had, he said. "I mean you saw them out there on that mountain, they were coming off the car and sponging me down."
It was a specially designed sock, with individual compartments for each toe, that saved Goggins the agony of last year's race, when his feet became so mangled from 30 hours of pounding pavement that they were photographed and posted on Badwater's Web site, a sort of twisted badge of honor appreciated by the event's close-knit community.
"Last year I wore some thin socks, and it was just killing me," Goggins said. "This year the pain is not too bad, just on the front of my feet from going downhill."
This year's event featured unexpectedly cooler weather, with daytime highs only in the 112- to 117-degree range. Because of this, predictions of a possible new course record abounded before the start.
While many participants thought of the 24-hour mark as a mythical time that could never be bested, first-time Badwater participant Valmir Nunes, a 43-year-old from of Brazil, smashed the previous record by nearly two hours, finishing in 22 hours and 51 minutes. Nunes spent more than a week living in the Death Valley town of Stovepipe Wells to train on the course and acclimatize to the brutal conditions.
Goggins had no such luxury. He lives in Chula Vista, Calif., where daytime high temperatures hover in the comfortable 70s year round. That's perfect for recreational running, but not for Badwater preparation.
Goggins dressed in heavy layers of clothing to simulate the heat he would face in the desert and ran for hours at a time. He even turned the heater full blast in his car to experience sweltering conditions when he drove.
Only 90 athletes are allowed to compete in Badwater each year, although hundreds apply. The bare minimum requirement to even be considered for entry into the event is to have officially finished a running race of at least 100 continuous miles in length. Goggins surprised everybody when he placed fifth last year in his first Badwater attempt. He finished nearly four hours faster this year.
"I've run a few more hundred-mile races this year," he said. "It gets your legs used to the distance."
Department Honors Radio's 'Dr. Laura'
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
30, 2007 - Radio talk-show host Laura Schlessinger is used to millions of people listening to her. Today, however, it was her turn to listen, as Defense Department officials acknowledged her support of America's servicemembers. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England thanked "Dr. Laura" as he presented Schlessinger with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in a brief ceremony at the Pentagon. The award cited her work to raise awareness of and financial support for a California-based nonprofit group, "Operation Family Fund."
"On behalf of the Department of Defense and everybody who serves in the Department of Defense and the American people, I just want to say, 'thank you for your great work,'" England said.
England also thanked Operation Family Fund's founder, Mike Cash, for his work supporting military families. "Thank you also for your great work directly benefiting these great men and women who need help, deserve help and appreciate (what you do)," he said.
Operation Family Fund provides financial assistance to families of military personnel severely injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group also is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Schlessinger said she was touched to receive the honor, but that her actions were simply to offer "support, morally and physically, ... to these people with this extraordinary attitude."
"But it's nice to get some recognition, ... and hopefully it motivates other people when they see how involved I am," she added. "Normally, you do what you need to do, and you don't' give a lot of thought to, 'Gee, I'm going to get a ribbon for it.'"
Schlessinger has another reason to support the troops that's even nearer to her heart.
"My kidlet's in Afghanistan," she said of her who son, is deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division. "I wouldn't have understood as much as I do now (if it weren't for him). So I've taken it as my personal responsibility to get everybody up to speed."
The radio personality's troop-support efforts include ensuring her nearly 8 million listeners know about Operation Family Fund. She also has raised more than a half million dollars for the organization.
She also has spoken with managers at the newspaper for which she writes a twice-weekly column, the Santa Barbara News-Press, in Santa Barbara, Calif., about hiring former servicemembers. "These are smart people, mature people, focused people, disciplined people who should be hired as reporters," Schlessinger said. "So if anybody's interested in coming to Santa Barbara, Calif., ... there's a job waiting for you."
Cash, who represented Operation Family Fund at the ceremony, offered his praise for Schlessinger's work on behalf of his organization. When Schlessinger talks, people listen, he said. And lately, that has equated to more help for the families the organization serves, he added.
"There (are) a lot of great people out there that want to help but don't know how to help," he said. "Dr. Laura has been able to channel those people into Operation Family Fund and say, 'Look, you want to help a great cause? Here's what you do.'"
American Forces Press Service
30, 2007 - Radio talk-show host Laura Schlessinger is used to millions of people listening to her. Today, however, it was her turn to listen, as Defense Department officials acknowledged her support of America's servicemembers. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England thanked "Dr. Laura" as he presented Schlessinger with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in a brief ceremony at the Pentagon. The award cited her work to raise awareness of and financial support for a California-based nonprofit group, "Operation Family Fund."
"On behalf of the Department of Defense and everybody who serves in the Department of Defense and the American people, I just want to say, 'thank you for your great work,'" England said.
England also thanked Operation Family Fund's founder, Mike Cash, for his work supporting military families. "Thank you also for your great work directly benefiting these great men and women who need help, deserve help and appreciate (what you do)," he said.
Operation Family Fund provides financial assistance to families of military personnel severely injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group also is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Schlessinger said she was touched to receive the honor, but that her actions were simply to offer "support, morally and physically, ... to these people with this extraordinary attitude."
"But it's nice to get some recognition, ... and hopefully it motivates other people when they see how involved I am," she added. "Normally, you do what you need to do, and you don't' give a lot of thought to, 'Gee, I'm going to get a ribbon for it.'"
Schlessinger has another reason to support the troops that's even nearer to her heart.
"My kidlet's in Afghanistan," she said of her who son, is deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division. "I wouldn't have understood as much as I do now (if it weren't for him). So I've taken it as my personal responsibility to get everybody up to speed."
The radio personality's troop-support efforts include ensuring her nearly 8 million listeners know about Operation Family Fund. She also has raised more than a half million dollars for the organization.
She also has spoken with managers at the newspaper for which she writes a twice-weekly column, the Santa Barbara News-Press, in Santa Barbara, Calif., about hiring former servicemembers. "These are smart people, mature people, focused people, disciplined people who should be hired as reporters," Schlessinger said. "So if anybody's interested in coming to Santa Barbara, Calif., ... there's a job waiting for you."
Cash, who represented Operation Family Fund at the ceremony, offered his praise for Schlessinger's work on behalf of his organization. When Schlessinger talks, people listen, he said. And lately, that has equated to more help for the families the organization serves, he added.
"There (are) a lot of great people out there that want to help but don't know how to help," he said. "Dr. Laura has been able to channel those people into Operation Family Fund and say, 'Look, you want to help a great cause? Here's what you do.'"
New Joint Qualification System Enhances Officer Management
The Department of Defense announced today the details of a new joint qualification system (JQS), which will help to identify military personnel who possess the abilities needed to achieve success in the joint/interagency environment. This new program will allow DoD to better incorporate an officer's joint experiences and qualifications into assignment, promotion and development decisions.
Inherent in this new system is the ability to recognize the skills that aid U.S. military efforts to respond to national security threats, as well as interagency, combat operations and humanitarian crises at home and abroad. A four-level system serves to enhance the tenets of jointness set forth in the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act (GNA) of 1986 and will be implemented for all services on Oct. 1, 2007.
While officers may still earn designation as a Joint Qualified Officer, formerly known as a Joint Specialty Officer, by completing the requisite joint professional military education and a standard-joint duty assignment, officers may also earn qualifications by accumulating equivalent levels of joint experience, education, and training. The experience-based system awards points in tracking the progression through successive qualification levels, while accounting for the intensity, environment, and duration/frequency of each joint activity.
The system encourages officers' career-long development of joint expertise because it recognizes experiences earned from commissioning to retirement. Earning these joint qualifications is vital for officers who wish to advance their careers to the highest level. As of Oct. 1, 2008, active component officers must have completed a full joint duty assignment and be designated a joint qualified officer in order to be appointed to the rank of general or flag officer.
The JQS also represents a "total force" approach that allows active and reserve component (RC) officers to earn the same joint qualifications. Recognizing that the reserve components lacked the opportunity to receive joint credit since the inception of the GNA in 1986, RC officers who served in qualifying joint assignments under provisions of title 10 U.S.C., chapter 38 that were in effect from Oct. 1, 1986, until Sep. 30, 2007, may be awarded joint duty credit. Additionally, all officers may self-nominate their joint activities for point recognition dating back to Sep. 11, 2001, enabling the recognition of joint experience outside of traditional joint duty assignment positions.
Inherent in this new system is the ability to recognize the skills that aid U.S. military efforts to respond to national security threats, as well as interagency, combat operations and humanitarian crises at home and abroad. A four-level system serves to enhance the tenets of jointness set forth in the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act (GNA) of 1986 and will be implemented for all services on Oct. 1, 2007.
While officers may still earn designation as a Joint Qualified Officer, formerly known as a Joint Specialty Officer, by completing the requisite joint professional military education and a standard-joint duty assignment, officers may also earn qualifications by accumulating equivalent levels of joint experience, education, and training. The experience-based system awards points in tracking the progression through successive qualification levels, while accounting for the intensity, environment, and duration/frequency of each joint activity.
The system encourages officers' career-long development of joint expertise because it recognizes experiences earned from commissioning to retirement. Earning these joint qualifications is vital for officers who wish to advance their careers to the highest level. As of Oct. 1, 2008, active component officers must have completed a full joint duty assignment and be designated a joint qualified officer in order to be appointed to the rank of general or flag officer.
The JQS also represents a "total force" approach that allows active and reserve component (RC) officers to earn the same joint qualifications. Recognizing that the reserve components lacked the opportunity to receive joint credit since the inception of the GNA in 1986, RC officers who served in qualifying joint assignments under provisions of title 10 U.S.C., chapter 38 that were in effect from Oct. 1, 1986, until Sep. 30, 2007, may be awarded joint duty credit. Additionally, all officers may self-nominate their joint activities for point recognition dating back to Sep. 11, 2001, enabling the recognition of joint experience outside of traditional joint duty assignment positions.
Multi-Service Teams Provide Dental Care Aboard USNS Comfort
By Petty Officer 2nd Class Joan E. Kretschmer, USN
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - Servicemembers from different branches of the U.S. military and Canadian forces have united to provide dentistry services aboard hospital ship USNS Comfort. The ship arrived in El Salvador on July 25 during a four-month humanitarian deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean after caring for patients in Belize, Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua.
As in other sites and countries, the dental specialists are working on routine dentistry such as extractions, cleanings and fillings. They also educate children as a preventive measure of future dental problems.
"My job here is to assist the doctors and work the patient flow outside," said Air Force Master Sgt. Faith Elmore. "Our job here is important, some (the countries' citizens) don't have the ability to receive dental care, and we are able to come here with the professionals and take care of them."
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sarah Boyll, also assigned to Comfort, is working at Unidad de Salud Health Center in Acajutla, assisting the Dental Department by applying fluoride to patients' teeth and helping them learn how to take care of their teeth properly.
"Fluoride treatments are very important for the population; it definitely helps prevents cavities," Boyll said. "So it is something we want to make sure everyone receives."
The dental teams provide preventive measures against cavities that can last up to 10 to 12 years, said Navy Capt. Joseph Rusz, the head of Comfort's Dental Department. They strive to do a lot of dental work, but more importantly, they devote strong effort toward a footprint of care for patients to follow.
Along with the humanitarian aspect of Comfort's mission, it is a unique deployment because of the diversity of participating organizations.
"This is my first time having multiple services working together here, it's very exciting," Rusz said.
Rusz's department is typical of other multi-service departments on the ship, with members from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Air National Guard and Canadian forces.
"We find it very exciting working together, if anything it has increased the motivation of the people," Rusz said. "We want to make this work and we find everything to be very successful. I hope this may be a model for future deployments."
For Boyll, her excitement for this mission is equally matched by the reward she found when teaching children how to clean their teeth and the importance of oral hygiene.
"It will have such an impact on their lives," Boyll said. "I don't think that a lot of them have been taught that skill."
The dental team is very excited to aid the countries, Rusz said.
"We are very happy to be here, and from what we can tell they are happy to have us here."
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 30, 2007 - Servicemembers from different branches of the U.S. military and Canadian forces have united to provide dentistry services aboard hospital ship USNS Comfort. The ship arrived in El Salvador on July 25 during a four-month humanitarian deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean after caring for patients in Belize, Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua.
As in other sites and countries, the dental specialists are working on routine dentistry such as extractions, cleanings and fillings. They also educate children as a preventive measure of future dental problems.
"My job here is to assist the doctors and work the patient flow outside," said Air Force Master Sgt. Faith Elmore. "Our job here is important, some (the countries' citizens) don't have the ability to receive dental care, and we are able to come here with the professionals and take care of them."
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sarah Boyll, also assigned to Comfort, is working at Unidad de Salud Health Center in Acajutla, assisting the Dental Department by applying fluoride to patients' teeth and helping them learn how to take care of their teeth properly.
"Fluoride treatments are very important for the population; it definitely helps prevents cavities," Boyll said. "So it is something we want to make sure everyone receives."
The dental teams provide preventive measures against cavities that can last up to 10 to 12 years, said Navy Capt. Joseph Rusz, the head of Comfort's Dental Department. They strive to do a lot of dental work, but more importantly, they devote strong effort toward a footprint of care for patients to follow.
Along with the humanitarian aspect of Comfort's mission, it is a unique deployment because of the diversity of participating organizations.
"This is my first time having multiple services working together here, it's very exciting," Rusz said.
Rusz's department is typical of other multi-service departments on the ship, with members from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Air National Guard and Canadian forces.
"We find it very exciting working together, if anything it has increased the motivation of the people," Rusz said. "We want to make this work and we find everything to be very successful. I hope this may be a model for future deployments."
For Boyll, her excitement for this mission is equally matched by the reward she found when teaching children how to clean their teeth and the importance of oral hygiene.
"It will have such an impact on their lives," Boyll said. "I don't think that a lot of them have been taught that skill."
The dental team is very excited to aid the countries, Rusz said.
"We are very happy to be here, and from what we can tell they are happy to have us here."
Sunday, July 29, 2007
California and Oregon
Editor's Note: One of the authors is a Vietnam Veteran.
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added police officer authors from California and Oregon: Kent Anderson; Bernard K. Smith; and, Robert Dent.
At the age of 19 Kent Anderson joined the Merchant Marines and traveled the world for two years. By his 23 birthday, he was a Special Forces sergeant in Vietnam, where he was awarded two bronze stars. In 1973, he joined the Portland Police Bureau, and worked as a street cop for 4 years before taking a leave of absence to earn an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Montana in Missoula. At the age of 37, he returned to police work and joined the Oakland Police Department (California). After two years on the Oakland Police Department he resigned because he was, “sick of making unnecessary arrests to fill out the monthly quotas.
According to Kent Anderson, “that winter, broke and jobless, out of sheer terror” he wrote the first complete draft of Sympathy for the Devil. Shortly thereafter, he obtained a teaching job in El Paso at the University of Texas and rewrote the book several times during his four-year stay on the border. He is also the author of Night Dogs and Liquor, Guns and Ammo: The Collected Short Fiction and Non-Fiction of Kent Anderson.
According to one reader/reviewer of Night Dogs, it “is a tough, gritty view of life on the streets and the way police officers deal with their constant exposure to this madness. It is very realistic and presents a variety of characters, some of which you might encounter in any big city.”
Bernard K. Smith as a police officer for the Portland Police Bureau (Oregon) for eleven years. He then continued with his career in criminal justice as a trial attorney. He is the author of seven fiction and or/science fiction books: Chris’s Cross; Hair Lock; Red Hats; Shark; Bear; Argo; and, Islands in the Sky. According to the book description of his most recent book, Islands in the Sky, “In a world with a great gulf between the haves and have-nots, one strong willed and resourceful man fights for his future. Cord is a man that is trying to survive and thrive. He finds a woman to love and protect to share in a battle to find a better place in a frightening world.”
Robert Dent is a 29 year law enforcement veteran and a recently retired Oregon State Police Senior Trooper. He has served in the Criminal, Narcotic and Patrol divisions of the Oregon State Police and is the Founder and President of the Constable Group, Inc. which is a privately held corporation that conducts training seminars and publishes language and communication training manuals, videos and educational materials for public safety and educational facilities, as well as private companies and corporations involved with executive protection, counter-terrorism and industrial security. He is also the author of: The Complete Spanish Field Reference Manual for Public Safety Professionals; The Multi-Lingual Field Manual for Public Safety Professionals; and, Silent Universal Signals for Public Safety and Education Professionals. He is also the co-author of 18 Silent Universal Signals for School Safety.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 674 police officers (representing 302 police departments) and their 1447 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added police officer authors from California and Oregon: Kent Anderson; Bernard K. Smith; and, Robert Dent.
At the age of 19 Kent Anderson joined the Merchant Marines and traveled the world for two years. By his 23 birthday, he was a Special Forces sergeant in Vietnam, where he was awarded two bronze stars. In 1973, he joined the Portland Police Bureau, and worked as a street cop for 4 years before taking a leave of absence to earn an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Montana in Missoula. At the age of 37, he returned to police work and joined the Oakland Police Department (California). After two years on the Oakland Police Department he resigned because he was, “sick of making unnecessary arrests to fill out the monthly quotas.
According to Kent Anderson, “that winter, broke and jobless, out of sheer terror” he wrote the first complete draft of Sympathy for the Devil. Shortly thereafter, he obtained a teaching job in El Paso at the University of Texas and rewrote the book several times during his four-year stay on the border. He is also the author of Night Dogs and Liquor, Guns and Ammo: The Collected Short Fiction and Non-Fiction of Kent Anderson.
According to one reader/reviewer of Night Dogs, it “is a tough, gritty view of life on the streets and the way police officers deal with their constant exposure to this madness. It is very realistic and presents a variety of characters, some of which you might encounter in any big city.”
Bernard K. Smith as a police officer for the Portland Police Bureau (Oregon) for eleven years. He then continued with his career in criminal justice as a trial attorney. He is the author of seven fiction and or/science fiction books: Chris’s Cross; Hair Lock; Red Hats; Shark; Bear; Argo; and, Islands in the Sky. According to the book description of his most recent book, Islands in the Sky, “In a world with a great gulf between the haves and have-nots, one strong willed and resourceful man fights for his future. Cord is a man that is trying to survive and thrive. He finds a woman to love and protect to share in a battle to find a better place in a frightening world.”
Robert Dent is a 29 year law enforcement veteran and a recently retired Oregon State Police Senior Trooper. He has served in the Criminal, Narcotic and Patrol divisions of the Oregon State Police and is the Founder and President of the Constable Group, Inc. which is a privately held corporation that conducts training seminars and publishes language and communication training manuals, videos and educational materials for public safety and educational facilities, as well as private companies and corporations involved with executive protection, counter-terrorism and industrial security. He is also the author of: The Complete Spanish Field Reference Manual for Public Safety Professionals; The Multi-Lingual Field Manual for Public Safety Professionals; and, Silent Universal Signals for Public Safety and Education Professionals. He is also the co-author of 18 Silent Universal Signals for School Safety.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 674 police officers (representing 302 police departments) and their 1447 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Military Books
Military-Writers.com is a website committed to listing military personnel who have authored books. The website added three former servicemembers who have written books: Ronald Kay Rawlings; Michael A. Crane; and, Kent Anderson.
Ronald Kaye Rawlings honorably ended a tour of the US Army as a Military Policeman and began his career as a Clayton Police Department (North Carolina) Police Officer. After four and a half years as a Clayton Police Officer, he would pursue his life long dream of being a North Carolina State Trooper. Although he was turned down three times by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Ronald Rawlings would ultimately preserve in his goal and complete a 26 year career. Ronald K. Rawlings retired from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol as a District First Sergeant and with a Master's Degree in Administration.
Ronald Kaye Rawlings is the author of A Black Cop in the South. According to the book description, “it is about a fascinating true story involving a young black man who was raised in a large single parent, southern family home in North Carolina. Ronald Kaye Rawlings is the author and his dream as a young child was to be a North Carolina State Trooper. He was able to achieve that goal and even more, but the road was filled with pitfalls, disappointments, racism, and tragedy.”
Michael A. Crane after serving in the United States Marine Corps, he was an attorney, a prosecutor and police officer, with the Oakland Police Department. He has published numerous articles on the western peace officer and related topics in various publications over the past several years. Crane has a J.D. Degree and a Master's in History. His unique career experiences have placed him face to face with much of the same political corruption and violence that animates his novel, A Fistful of Thorns. His novel details remarkable and violent lives of gunfighter Doc Holliday and his volcanic consort, Kate Elder.
At the age of 19 Kent Anderson joined the Merchant Marines and traveled the world for two years. By his 23 birthday, he was a Special Forces sergeant in Vietnam, where he was awarded two bronze stars. In 1973, he joined the Portland Police Bureau, and worked as a street cop for 4 years before taking a leave of absence to earn an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Montana in Missoula. At the age of 37, he returned to police work and joined the Oakland Police Department (California). After two years on the Oakland Police Department he resigned because he was, “sick of making unnecessary arrests to fill out the monthly quotas.
According to Kent Anderson, “that winter, broke and jobless, out of sheer terror” he wrote the first complete draft of Sympathy for the Devil. Shortly thereafter, he obtained a teaching job in El Paso at the University of Texas and rewrote the book several times during his four-year stay on the border. He is also the author of Night Dogs and Liquor, Guns and Ammo: The Collected Short Fiction and Non-Fiction of Kent Anderson.
Military-Writers.com currently lists 36 current or former military servicemembers and their 76 books.
Ronald Kaye Rawlings honorably ended a tour of the US Army as a Military Policeman and began his career as a Clayton Police Department (North Carolina) Police Officer. After four and a half years as a Clayton Police Officer, he would pursue his life long dream of being a North Carolina State Trooper. Although he was turned down three times by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Ronald Rawlings would ultimately preserve in his goal and complete a 26 year career. Ronald K. Rawlings retired from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol as a District First Sergeant and with a Master's Degree in Administration.
Ronald Kaye Rawlings is the author of A Black Cop in the South. According to the book description, “it is about a fascinating true story involving a young black man who was raised in a large single parent, southern family home in North Carolina. Ronald Kaye Rawlings is the author and his dream as a young child was to be a North Carolina State Trooper. He was able to achieve that goal and even more, but the road was filled with pitfalls, disappointments, racism, and tragedy.”
Michael A. Crane after serving in the United States Marine Corps, he was an attorney, a prosecutor and police officer, with the Oakland Police Department. He has published numerous articles on the western peace officer and related topics in various publications over the past several years. Crane has a J.D. Degree and a Master's in History. His unique career experiences have placed him face to face with much of the same political corruption and violence that animates his novel, A Fistful of Thorns. His novel details remarkable and violent lives of gunfighter Doc Holliday and his volcanic consort, Kate Elder.
At the age of 19 Kent Anderson joined the Merchant Marines and traveled the world for two years. By his 23 birthday, he was a Special Forces sergeant in Vietnam, where he was awarded two bronze stars. In 1973, he joined the Portland Police Bureau, and worked as a street cop for 4 years before taking a leave of absence to earn an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Montana in Missoula. At the age of 37, he returned to police work and joined the Oakland Police Department (California). After two years on the Oakland Police Department he resigned because he was, “sick of making unnecessary arrests to fill out the monthly quotas.
According to Kent Anderson, “that winter, broke and jobless, out of sheer terror” he wrote the first complete draft of Sympathy for the Devil. Shortly thereafter, he obtained a teaching job in El Paso at the University of Texas and rewrote the book several times during his four-year stay on the border. He is also the author of Night Dogs and Liquor, Guns and Ammo: The Collected Short Fiction and Non-Fiction of Kent Anderson.
Military-Writers.com currently lists 36 current or former military servicemembers and their 76 books.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Adamchik Recognized as Certified Speaking Professional
(July 28, 2007) (San Dimas, CA). Military-Writers.com is a website committed to listing military personnel who have authored books. The website announced that one of the writers, Wally Adamchik, a former tank command with the United States Marine Corps President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting, a Raleigh, NC based Leadership Consulting firm has earned the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation. Established in 1980, the CSP is the speaking profession’s international measure of speaking experience and skill. Fewer than 10 percent of the speakers worldwide who belong to the International Federation for Professional Speakers hold this professional designation.
The CSP designation is conferred by the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the International Federation of Professional Speakers only on accomplished professional speakers who have earned it by meeting strict criteria. CSP’s must document a proven track record of continuing service and ethical behavior. Wally Adamchik is one of 26 professionals to earn the CSP in the class of 2007. He was honored during a ceremony on July 10, 2007 at the NSA National Convention in San Diego, California.
Wally focuses on helping firms improve the ability of their leaders to succeed in an increasingly complex and competitive market. He is the author of NO YELLING: The Nine Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You MUST Know To WIN In Business which was selected by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the best business books for summer 2007 and is a regular contributor to national print and trade publications. He is a Non-Resident Fellow with Marine Corps University helping the Marines define and refine leadership doctrine for the 21st century.
Contact Information:
Wally Adamchik, CSP
President
FireStarter Speaking and Consulting
919-673-9499
wally@beafirestarter.com
www.beafirestarter.com
Military-Writers.com currently lists 33 current or former military servicemembers and their 71 books.
The CSP designation is conferred by the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the International Federation of Professional Speakers only on accomplished professional speakers who have earned it by meeting strict criteria. CSP’s must document a proven track record of continuing service and ethical behavior. Wally Adamchik is one of 26 professionals to earn the CSP in the class of 2007. He was honored during a ceremony on July 10, 2007 at the NSA National Convention in San Diego, California.
Wally focuses on helping firms improve the ability of their leaders to succeed in an increasingly complex and competitive market. He is the author of NO YELLING: The Nine Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You MUST Know To WIN In Business which was selected by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the best business books for summer 2007 and is a regular contributor to national print and trade publications. He is a Non-Resident Fellow with Marine Corps University helping the Marines define and refine leadership doctrine for the 21st century.
Contact Information:
Wally Adamchik, CSP
President
FireStarter Speaking and Consulting
919-673-9499
wally@beafirestarter.com
www.beafirestarter.com
Military-Writers.com currently lists 33 current or former military servicemembers and their 71 books.
Friday, July 27, 2007
'Admiral G' Urges Force to Embrace Change, Stay True to Fundamentals
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - Ask the second-highest military officer to reflect on his 37-year Navy career and he doesn't talk about fascinating assignments or the challenges of modern warfare. Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani talks about people. As he approached his retirement today, "Admiral G," as he's known throughout the ranks, said his relationships with his fellow servicemembers boil down to an expression he learned as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy here: "Every day is a holiday; every meal is a banquet; and every formation is a family gathering," he said.
"We're all a family," he said, noting that sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines celebrate each others' successes and grieve each others' losses. "That is what the military is all about."
It's a constant Giambastiani said has remained with him through his career -- from his "incredibly bewildering first day" as a midshipman here until he returned 41 years later to retire as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Change has been the other constant in his career. Gone are the days when changes in the military came in bursts, followed by periods of relative calm, he said. "Today, the world turns over so rapidly that you have to build in a culture of change and innovation on a day-to-day basis," he said. "Innovation is an every-single-day part of a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine or Coast Guardsman's life."
Giambastiani encourages servicemembers to embrace change, but he acknowledged that not all changes he's witnessed during his career have been so well-received. He recalled the angst that surrounded two of the most sweeping changes of his career: the advent of the all-volunteer force in the early 1970s and passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986.
While initially unpopular among many people within the ranks, both measures set the stage for revolutionary improvements in the force, he said.
Giambastiani was an enlisted program manager at the Navy Recruiting Command headquarters in the early days of the all-volunteer force, when many in the military were convinced the system would fail.
Yet today, he credits it with creating a military that's second to none and a model that other countries around the world seek to emulate. "It is remarkable what that has done for the U.S. military and how professional our forces are today," he said. "The quality of the people and what we do today in this all-volunteer force is quite remarkable."
Similarly, he said, the Goldwater-Nichols Act ushered in a new level of cooperation and interoperability never before imagined within the military. As commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command from 2002 to 2005, Giambastiani advanced this concept to ensure all U.S. troops were trained, equipped and led as members of a joint team.
At the same time, as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, he led the transformation of NATO's military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines to improve its military effectiveness.
Nowhere is the impact of that effort more striking than in Afghanistan, where NATO forces are helping Afghan authorities provide security and stability and helping pave the way for reconstruction and effective governance.
Giambastiani observed firsthand during his most recent visit to Iraq and Afghanistan, in June, how U.S. and NATO forces on the battlefield are applying groundwork he helped lay. He said he takes great pride seeing U.S. servicemembers in action, inspired not just by their skills, but also by their can-do attitude. "They are focused on their goals and what missions they have been given (and) they want to complete them," he said.
Giambastiani said he came away from the visit feeling "rejuvenated" and confident in the state of the U.S. military. "You feel good because they are doing what they know how to do, and they do it so exceptionally well," he said.
He said he's impressed by the quality of their leaders, too. Giambastiani traces his own leadership style to the Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1970 with leadership distinction, and to his early years in the Navy's elite submarine force.
He encapsulates his leadership philosophy into a list of four basic qualities he said all good leaders possess: confidence, competence, integrity and stamina. "I don't think those change with time. I don't think those change with technology," he said. "I think they are very, very important to how you work with your people."
And if there's a single leadership lesson he said he's learned during his military career, it's the importance of looking out for those under your charge. "I have learned that you take care of your people and they'll take care of you and they'll take care of this country," he said. "And they do."
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - Ask the second-highest military officer to reflect on his 37-year Navy career and he doesn't talk about fascinating assignments or the challenges of modern warfare. Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani talks about people. As he approached his retirement today, "Admiral G," as he's known throughout the ranks, said his relationships with his fellow servicemembers boil down to an expression he learned as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy here: "Every day is a holiday; every meal is a banquet; and every formation is a family gathering," he said.
"We're all a family," he said, noting that sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines celebrate each others' successes and grieve each others' losses. "That is what the military is all about."
It's a constant Giambastiani said has remained with him through his career -- from his "incredibly bewildering first day" as a midshipman here until he returned 41 years later to retire as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Change has been the other constant in his career. Gone are the days when changes in the military came in bursts, followed by periods of relative calm, he said. "Today, the world turns over so rapidly that you have to build in a culture of change and innovation on a day-to-day basis," he said. "Innovation is an every-single-day part of a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine or Coast Guardsman's life."
Giambastiani encourages servicemembers to embrace change, but he acknowledged that not all changes he's witnessed during his career have been so well-received. He recalled the angst that surrounded two of the most sweeping changes of his career: the advent of the all-volunteer force in the early 1970s and passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986.
While initially unpopular among many people within the ranks, both measures set the stage for revolutionary improvements in the force, he said.
Giambastiani was an enlisted program manager at the Navy Recruiting Command headquarters in the early days of the all-volunteer force, when many in the military were convinced the system would fail.
Yet today, he credits it with creating a military that's second to none and a model that other countries around the world seek to emulate. "It is remarkable what that has done for the U.S. military and how professional our forces are today," he said. "The quality of the people and what we do today in this all-volunteer force is quite remarkable."
Similarly, he said, the Goldwater-Nichols Act ushered in a new level of cooperation and interoperability never before imagined within the military. As commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command from 2002 to 2005, Giambastiani advanced this concept to ensure all U.S. troops were trained, equipped and led as members of a joint team.
At the same time, as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, he led the transformation of NATO's military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines to improve its military effectiveness.
Nowhere is the impact of that effort more striking than in Afghanistan, where NATO forces are helping Afghan authorities provide security and stability and helping pave the way for reconstruction and effective governance.
Giambastiani observed firsthand during his most recent visit to Iraq and Afghanistan, in June, how U.S. and NATO forces on the battlefield are applying groundwork he helped lay. He said he takes great pride seeing U.S. servicemembers in action, inspired not just by their skills, but also by their can-do attitude. "They are focused on their goals and what missions they have been given (and) they want to complete them," he said.
Giambastiani said he came away from the visit feeling "rejuvenated" and confident in the state of the U.S. military. "You feel good because they are doing what they know how to do, and they do it so exceptionally well," he said.
He said he's impressed by the quality of their leaders, too. Giambastiani traces his own leadership style to the Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1970 with leadership distinction, and to his early years in the Navy's elite submarine force.
He encapsulates his leadership philosophy into a list of four basic qualities he said all good leaders possess: confidence, competence, integrity and stamina. "I don't think those change with time. I don't think those change with technology," he said. "I think they are very, very important to how you work with your people."
And if there's a single leadership lesson he said he's learned during his military career, it's the importance of looking out for those under your charge. "I have learned that you take care of your people and they'll take care of you and they'll take care of this country," he said. "And they do."
Group's 'Horseplay' Benefits Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - There's no horsing around when it comes to helping servicemembers down the road to recovery, as far as one troop-support group is concerned. "'Back in the Saddle Bit by Bit' ... helps wounded military heroes and their families regain physical and mental fitness by riding and working with horses," Jeanie Clifford, the organization's founder, said. "BITS is a (nonprofit) entity and operates as a clearinghouse that identifies qualified programs around the country so that these heroes can participate in these programs close to home."
Case studies have proven that equine therapy helps improve self-esteem, coordination, problem-solving skills, balance and strength, according to the organization's Web site.
"Equine therapy techniques have achieved great success in cases of individuals suffering severe physical injuries and brain trauma," Clifford said on the group's Web site. "These individuals have succeeded in reaching goals that others would take for granted, such as sitting unaided, standing for extended periods of time, and the ability to move a body part at will."
BITS, a supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, makes sure these newly minted "cowboys" have a chance to show their stuff, as well. Servicemembers working with BITS have been invited to participate in local equine events.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
BITS, a Colorado-based group, also works to help veterans in its program find employment. The organization's members are turning to a network of corporations, local companies and nonprofit groups.
The group's officials hope to expand its program to reach as many servicemembers as possible through fundraising efforts. The money raised will allow programs across the country to provide the unique therapy to servicemembers at little or no cost, Clifford said.
BITS recently launched its first national fundraiser. Those wishing to participate need do nothing more than flip open their cell phones and text message the word "BITS" to the number 90999. Each message costs $9.99, with the net proceeds benefiting the organization. Each entry also puts the participant in the running to win a new truck. The final drawing will be Dec. 15.
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - There's no horsing around when it comes to helping servicemembers down the road to recovery, as far as one troop-support group is concerned. "'Back in the Saddle Bit by Bit' ... helps wounded military heroes and their families regain physical and mental fitness by riding and working with horses," Jeanie Clifford, the organization's founder, said. "BITS is a (nonprofit) entity and operates as a clearinghouse that identifies qualified programs around the country so that these heroes can participate in these programs close to home."
Case studies have proven that equine therapy helps improve self-esteem, coordination, problem-solving skills, balance and strength, according to the organization's Web site.
"Equine therapy techniques have achieved great success in cases of individuals suffering severe physical injuries and brain trauma," Clifford said on the group's Web site. "These individuals have succeeded in reaching goals that others would take for granted, such as sitting unaided, standing for extended periods of time, and the ability to move a body part at will."
BITS, a supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, makes sure these newly minted "cowboys" have a chance to show their stuff, as well. Servicemembers working with BITS have been invited to participate in local equine events.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
BITS, a Colorado-based group, also works to help veterans in its program find employment. The organization's members are turning to a network of corporations, local companies and nonprofit groups.
The group's officials hope to expand its program to reach as many servicemembers as possible through fundraising efforts. The money raised will allow programs across the country to provide the unique therapy to servicemembers at little or no cost, Clifford said.
BITS recently launched its first national fundraiser. Those wishing to participate need do nothing more than flip open their cell phones and text message the word "BITS" to the number 90999. Each message costs $9.99, with the net proceeds benefiting the organization. Each entry also puts the participant in the running to win a new truck. The final drawing will be Dec. 15.
Vice Chairman Lauded for Vision, Service During Retirement Ceremony
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - Cannons boomed, honor guards marched -- their multicolored flags rippling in the wind -- and a Macaw parrot made a surprise appearance today as defense, military and U.S. leaders gathered here to honor the retiring vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pageantry reigned at today's ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy for Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, who retired after 37 years of commissioned service.
Hosted by Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the event attracted a virtual "Who's Who" of well-wishers who feted Giambastiani and honored his service and contributions. Among them were Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor Stephen Hadley, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders from around the world, and foreign ambassadors.
Pace led the four speakers who took the podium in the "yard" of the Naval Academy -- where not only Giambastiani, but also his late brother Chick and his son Pete earned their Navy commissions -- to praise his vice chairman. But before uttering a single accolade, Pace let it be known that "if you put together all that we say (about Giambastiani), we still will have only scratched the surface."
Pace said he took great confidence knowing that he could always turn to Giambastiani to do the hard jobs and that he could always count on him for straight-forward, clear-sighted guidance.
"It has been a blessing to know that no matter how short a timeline I gave you or how short the notice, that if I turned to you and said, 'Ed, could you do this?"... you never blinked, (and) you always did it with a smile on your face," Pace said.
"You always made me feel that whatever I had just dumped on you was a privilege for you to receive," he added, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Pace said he most valued the counsel Giambastiani offered him. "You always looked me in the eye and told me what you believed, what should be done next and how it should be done," he said. "To have you side by side ... (and) to know that your brain and your energy has been available to this country has been a blessing."
Cheney praised Pace and Giambastiani as "a remarkable team" that has given the Defense Department and the nation "extraordinary leadership and accomplishment."
He called Giambastiani "a man of ability, a man of discernment and a man of character" who could be counted on "time and time again to accept the most demanding assignments."
Cheney noted some of those assignments: commanding a nuclear-powered deep-research submarine, a fast-attack sub, a submarine-development squadron, and the Atlantic submarine fleet. "In every station, he excelled, bringing competence, reliability, courage and something more," the vice president said.
But Cheney had special praise for Giambastiani's ability to look ahead, recognize what's needed and help forge the path to getting there. "This is a man who gets to where he is going by virtue of perseverance and clear-focused thinking," the vice president said.
He pointed to Giambastiani's insight in leading transformation as commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO's first supreme allied commander for transformation. From there, he went on to serve as vice chairman, leading the Joint Requirements Oversight Council and "making the decisions that design the armed forces of the future."
"Ed Giambastiani stands out as a visionary and a strategic thinker of the first order," Cheney said.
Gates offered high praise for Giambastiani's professionalism, remembering back to the days when they served together at the Central Intelligence Agency "in the middle of a virtual intelligence war."
He noted the direct impact Giambastiani has had on men and women and uniform. At Joint Forces Command, he worked closely with Army Gen. Tommy Franks, former commander of U.S. Central Command, and his successors to convert battlefield information into lessons learned "with unprecedented speed," Gates said.
But Giambastiani did more than get lessons learned to troops on the battlefield, he said. Leading the JROC committee, he "did an outstanding job of getting vital equipment to those on the front lines quickly," Gates said.
England, who worked closely with Giambastiani in "running the business of business" within the Defense Department, gave the most personal sendoff at today's ceremony.
Noting their strong friendship and the mutual respect they share, England called Giambastiani a smart, ethical, diplomatic leader who understands technology and defense programs as well as Pentagon and Washington, D.C., dynamics.
"And I am going to miss you in all those situations -- but I am really going to miss you at congressional hearings!" he joked.
England said he and Giambastiani laugh together all the time. "We share a philosophy that no matter how hard you work and no matter how hard the problem, you can have fun doing it," he said.
Part of that fun includes a story the two have shared for the past two years about a parrot, England said. In what he acknowledged was an unusual twist during a solemn retirement ceremony, England presented Giambastiani with his own Macaw parrot, "Sweetie Pie."
England closed his remarks with Morse code, a throwback to his and Giambastiani's earlier days as Ham radio operators. To those in the crowd who don't know Morse code, England read aloud his thanks to the Giambastianis for their service and his wish that the future holds fair winds and following seas.
"Today, their fantastic voyage is not ending," England concluded. "Rather, it is only tacking onto a new course as they run with the wind in the years ahead."
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - Cannons boomed, honor guards marched -- their multicolored flags rippling in the wind -- and a Macaw parrot made a surprise appearance today as defense, military and U.S. leaders gathered here to honor the retiring vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pageantry reigned at today's ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy for Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, who retired after 37 years of commissioned service.
Hosted by Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the event attracted a virtual "Who's Who" of well-wishers who feted Giambastiani and honored his service and contributions. Among them were Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor Stephen Hadley, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders from around the world, and foreign ambassadors.
Pace led the four speakers who took the podium in the "yard" of the Naval Academy -- where not only Giambastiani, but also his late brother Chick and his son Pete earned their Navy commissions -- to praise his vice chairman. But before uttering a single accolade, Pace let it be known that "if you put together all that we say (about Giambastiani), we still will have only scratched the surface."
Pace said he took great confidence knowing that he could always turn to Giambastiani to do the hard jobs and that he could always count on him for straight-forward, clear-sighted guidance.
"It has been a blessing to know that no matter how short a timeline I gave you or how short the notice, that if I turned to you and said, 'Ed, could you do this?"... you never blinked, (and) you always did it with a smile on your face," Pace said.
"You always made me feel that whatever I had just dumped on you was a privilege for you to receive," he added, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Pace said he most valued the counsel Giambastiani offered him. "You always looked me in the eye and told me what you believed, what should be done next and how it should be done," he said. "To have you side by side ... (and) to know that your brain and your energy has been available to this country has been a blessing."
Cheney praised Pace and Giambastiani as "a remarkable team" that has given the Defense Department and the nation "extraordinary leadership and accomplishment."
He called Giambastiani "a man of ability, a man of discernment and a man of character" who could be counted on "time and time again to accept the most demanding assignments."
Cheney noted some of those assignments: commanding a nuclear-powered deep-research submarine, a fast-attack sub, a submarine-development squadron, and the Atlantic submarine fleet. "In every station, he excelled, bringing competence, reliability, courage and something more," the vice president said.
But Cheney had special praise for Giambastiani's ability to look ahead, recognize what's needed and help forge the path to getting there. "This is a man who gets to where he is going by virtue of perseverance and clear-focused thinking," the vice president said.
He pointed to Giambastiani's insight in leading transformation as commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO's first supreme allied commander for transformation. From there, he went on to serve as vice chairman, leading the Joint Requirements Oversight Council and "making the decisions that design the armed forces of the future."
"Ed Giambastiani stands out as a visionary and a strategic thinker of the first order," Cheney said.
Gates offered high praise for Giambastiani's professionalism, remembering back to the days when they served together at the Central Intelligence Agency "in the middle of a virtual intelligence war."
He noted the direct impact Giambastiani has had on men and women and uniform. At Joint Forces Command, he worked closely with Army Gen. Tommy Franks, former commander of U.S. Central Command, and his successors to convert battlefield information into lessons learned "with unprecedented speed," Gates said.
But Giambastiani did more than get lessons learned to troops on the battlefield, he said. Leading the JROC committee, he "did an outstanding job of getting vital equipment to those on the front lines quickly," Gates said.
England, who worked closely with Giambastiani in "running the business of business" within the Defense Department, gave the most personal sendoff at today's ceremony.
Noting their strong friendship and the mutual respect they share, England called Giambastiani a smart, ethical, diplomatic leader who understands technology and defense programs as well as Pentagon and Washington, D.C., dynamics.
"And I am going to miss you in all those situations -- but I am really going to miss you at congressional hearings!" he joked.
England said he and Giambastiani laugh together all the time. "We share a philosophy that no matter how hard you work and no matter how hard the problem, you can have fun doing it," he said.
Part of that fun includes a story the two have shared for the past two years about a parrot, England said. In what he acknowledged was an unusual twist during a solemn retirement ceremony, England presented Giambastiani with his own Macaw parrot, "Sweetie Pie."
England closed his remarks with Morse code, a throwback to his and Giambastiani's earlier days as Ham radio operators. To those in the crowd who don't know Morse code, England read aloud his thanks to the Giambastianis for their service and his wish that the future holds fair winds and following seas.
"Today, their fantastic voyage is not ending," England concluded. "Rather, it is only tacking onto a new course as they run with the wind in the years ahead."
USNS Comfort Arrives in El Salvador After Completing Nicaragua Visit
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - USNS Comfort has arrived in El Salvador, the hospital ship's fifth port of call during a four-month humanitarian deployment to more than a dozen Latin American and Caribbean nations. Before arriving in El Salvador July 25, the ship provided medical and veterinary care in Belize, Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua. As of July 23, medical specialists aboard the Comfort had seen more than 83,000 patients, and veterinary specialists had seen 2,800 animals.
The Comfort set sail from Norfolk, Va., June 15, as part of U.S. Southern Command's "Partnership for the Americas," a training and readiness operation designed to strengthen multinational partnerships and improve interoperability. The floating hospital is also scheduled to visit Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago before completing its voyage in September.
In El Salvador, U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Public Health Service specialists, along with Canadian forces and non-government organizations like Project Hope, are providing free health care services -- adult and pediatric primary care, dentistry, optometry and veterinary services.
"Comfort's humanitarian mission has been a tremendous success so far and I know the men and women who work aboard Comfort will continue the outstanding job they've been doing by providing needed medical care to the people of El Salvador," said Capt. Bob Kapcio, Comfort's mission commander.
Comfort will be in El Salvador for seven days, treating patients at Unidad de Salud Acajutla, Caseria Costa Brava School, and Delfina Rivas School. Servicemembers from Comfort will also repair medical equipment at Hospital Sonsonate. Construction Battalion Maintenance 202 will renovate several of the work sites in El Salvador by repairing water systems, roofing, and re-building certain structures. Project Hope will train at Casa Comunal in Acajulta.
In Nicaragua, Vice President Jaime Morales and other local government officials visited the Comfort July 23 to tour the ship's facilities and meet crew members and patients.
"Having Vice President Morales here was a great honor," said Comfort's mission commander Capt. Bob Kapcio. "This really gave us a chance to show the Nicaraguan leadership our commitment to the people of Nicaragua and we hope that this visit strengthened the bond between us."
Following the tour, Morales and his party along with U.S. officials from the Comfort, visited the Realejo Health Care Center in Realejo, one of three Comfort work sites in Nicaragua. Comfort also provided medical assistance at the Jose Schendal Hospital in Corinto and the Quince de Julio Health Care Center in Chinandega.
U.S. Navy Seabees from aboard the Comfort spent July 20 to 24 repairing and restoring the water system at the 15 de Julio Health Care Center in Chinandega. For three years, the 15 de Julio Health Care Center, a facility that cares for 150 patients a day, has been without running potable water. All water used by the center comes from three 55-gallon drums, filled from a neighborhood water tank located down the road, then transported back by an aging pick-up truck.
"The water is vital for everything, most importantly sterilization and hygiene," said Eddy Artola Vasquez, director of the center. "It has to be rationed for the most serious patients that come to the clinic."
"The major city that supplies this village with water is 16 miles away. Ruptures and a lack of pressure have plagued the piping system. The people in charge have limited funds to provide an adequate water system with enough pressure to reach the center," he said.
The Seabees replaced a broken pump and created a piping system to take water from a newly-dug well to an elevated tank. The tank will provide running water with enough water pressure to accommodate the facility's needs.
"This job is important. It will better the lives and the living situation of these people that are trying to provide medical help to the people of Nicaragua," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Burton, with Construction Battalion Maintenance 202.
"By us completing our mission, the clinic staff can better complete their mission," continued Burton.
The veterinary team aboard Comfort provided services to more than 1,200 cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs at seven ranches in the Chinandega region of Nicaragua from July 20 to 23.
The team, comprised of U.S. Public Health Service officer Lt. Cmdr. Gregg Langham and Army Sgt. Leona Thomas, visited farms throughout the region providing preventive medicine including tetanus shots, deworming, flea and tick treatments, and anti-parasite vaccinations along with minor care for sick and injured animals.
"Since we've arrived here, we've been to several beef cattle farms and we've been deworming and vaccinating the cattle because either the people don't have access to these services or these services are too costly for the local people," Langham said.
Nicaraguan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry officials worked alongside the Comfort veterinarian team. The ministry, an organization partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provided instructors from a veterinary school in Managua, along with a veterinarian and fourth-year veterinary school students for this cooperative mission with Comfort.
"It's such a positive collection of so many different talents and we all came together," Langham said. "Fortunately we have veterinarian instructors and students -- that's been a tremendous help to us. They're hungry to learn and we're both hungry to pass along information."
"I am delighted with the impact the veterinarian team is making in just a matter of a few days in Nicaragua," said Capt. Craig A. Shepherd, USPHS chief environmental health officer and officer in charge of USPHS aboard Comfort. "In addition to deworming and vaccinating hundreds of farm animals, a great opportunity to train and work with local veterinarians and third- and fourth-year veterinarian students occurred as well, and we look forward to doing the same in other countries we will visit."
Nicaragua is the first location that Comfort staff treated cattle. The inspection of cattle plays a vital role in regional public health as the cattle is destined for human consumption.
"These cattle are going to be consumed by the people so I think that it's a great service for the people," Thomas said. "The Comfort mission is a great place to be. I think it's great that the Army is participating in this and providing humanitarian services for the people of Nicaragua."
"I think that this is one of the most satisfying missions I've been doing so far in my military career and I'm glad to be here," Thomas said.
(Petty Officers 2nd Class Brandon Shelander, Steven King and Joshua Karsten of USNS Comfort Public Affairs contributed to this article.)
July 27, 2007 - USNS Comfort has arrived in El Salvador, the hospital ship's fifth port of call during a four-month humanitarian deployment to more than a dozen Latin American and Caribbean nations. Before arriving in El Salvador July 25, the ship provided medical and veterinary care in Belize, Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua. As of July 23, medical specialists aboard the Comfort had seen more than 83,000 patients, and veterinary specialists had seen 2,800 animals.
The Comfort set sail from Norfolk, Va., June 15, as part of U.S. Southern Command's "Partnership for the Americas," a training and readiness operation designed to strengthen multinational partnerships and improve interoperability. The floating hospital is also scheduled to visit Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago before completing its voyage in September.
In El Salvador, U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Public Health Service specialists, along with Canadian forces and non-government organizations like Project Hope, are providing free health care services -- adult and pediatric primary care, dentistry, optometry and veterinary services.
"Comfort's humanitarian mission has been a tremendous success so far and I know the men and women who work aboard Comfort will continue the outstanding job they've been doing by providing needed medical care to the people of El Salvador," said Capt. Bob Kapcio, Comfort's mission commander.
Comfort will be in El Salvador for seven days, treating patients at Unidad de Salud Acajutla, Caseria Costa Brava School, and Delfina Rivas School. Servicemembers from Comfort will also repair medical equipment at Hospital Sonsonate. Construction Battalion Maintenance 202 will renovate several of the work sites in El Salvador by repairing water systems, roofing, and re-building certain structures. Project Hope will train at Casa Comunal in Acajulta.
In Nicaragua, Vice President Jaime Morales and other local government officials visited the Comfort July 23 to tour the ship's facilities and meet crew members and patients.
"Having Vice President Morales here was a great honor," said Comfort's mission commander Capt. Bob Kapcio. "This really gave us a chance to show the Nicaraguan leadership our commitment to the people of Nicaragua and we hope that this visit strengthened the bond between us."
Following the tour, Morales and his party along with U.S. officials from the Comfort, visited the Realejo Health Care Center in Realejo, one of three Comfort work sites in Nicaragua. Comfort also provided medical assistance at the Jose Schendal Hospital in Corinto and the Quince de Julio Health Care Center in Chinandega.
U.S. Navy Seabees from aboard the Comfort spent July 20 to 24 repairing and restoring the water system at the 15 de Julio Health Care Center in Chinandega. For three years, the 15 de Julio Health Care Center, a facility that cares for 150 patients a day, has been without running potable water. All water used by the center comes from three 55-gallon drums, filled from a neighborhood water tank located down the road, then transported back by an aging pick-up truck.
"The water is vital for everything, most importantly sterilization and hygiene," said Eddy Artola Vasquez, director of the center. "It has to be rationed for the most serious patients that come to the clinic."
"The major city that supplies this village with water is 16 miles away. Ruptures and a lack of pressure have plagued the piping system. The people in charge have limited funds to provide an adequate water system with enough pressure to reach the center," he said.
The Seabees replaced a broken pump and created a piping system to take water from a newly-dug well to an elevated tank. The tank will provide running water with enough water pressure to accommodate the facility's needs.
"This job is important. It will better the lives and the living situation of these people that are trying to provide medical help to the people of Nicaragua," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Burton, with Construction Battalion Maintenance 202.
"By us completing our mission, the clinic staff can better complete their mission," continued Burton.
The veterinary team aboard Comfort provided services to more than 1,200 cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs at seven ranches in the Chinandega region of Nicaragua from July 20 to 23.
The team, comprised of U.S. Public Health Service officer Lt. Cmdr. Gregg Langham and Army Sgt. Leona Thomas, visited farms throughout the region providing preventive medicine including tetanus shots, deworming, flea and tick treatments, and anti-parasite vaccinations along with minor care for sick and injured animals.
"Since we've arrived here, we've been to several beef cattle farms and we've been deworming and vaccinating the cattle because either the people don't have access to these services or these services are too costly for the local people," Langham said.
Nicaraguan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry officials worked alongside the Comfort veterinarian team. The ministry, an organization partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provided instructors from a veterinary school in Managua, along with a veterinarian and fourth-year veterinary school students for this cooperative mission with Comfort.
"It's such a positive collection of so many different talents and we all came together," Langham said. "Fortunately we have veterinarian instructors and students -- that's been a tremendous help to us. They're hungry to learn and we're both hungry to pass along information."
"I am delighted with the impact the veterinarian team is making in just a matter of a few days in Nicaragua," said Capt. Craig A. Shepherd, USPHS chief environmental health officer and officer in charge of USPHS aboard Comfort. "In addition to deworming and vaccinating hundreds of farm animals, a great opportunity to train and work with local veterinarians and third- and fourth-year veterinarian students occurred as well, and we look forward to doing the same in other countries we will visit."
Nicaragua is the first location that Comfort staff treated cattle. The inspection of cattle plays a vital role in regional public health as the cattle is destined for human consumption.
"These cattle are going to be consumed by the people so I think that it's a great service for the people," Thomas said. "The Comfort mission is a great place to be. I think it's great that the Army is participating in this and providing humanitarian services for the people of Nicaragua."
"I think that this is one of the most satisfying missions I've been doing so far in my military career and I'm glad to be here," Thomas said.
(Petty Officers 2nd Class Brandon Shelander, Steven King and Joshua Karsten of USNS Comfort Public Affairs contributed to this article.)
Why We Serve: Navy Lieutenant Promotes Volunteerism
By Meghan Vittrup
American Forces Press Service
July 26, 2007 - Growing up in Mobile, Ala., Judith L. Lemley never imagined being in the military. But after graduating with a bachelor's degree in secondary education, Lemley was inspired to follow in the footsteps of her father and enlisted in the Navy. "My father was proud of his time in the military, and he spoke highly of it," Lemley, now a Navy lieutenant, said.
Lemley enlisted 15 years ago and received her officer commission after completing the Limited Duty Officer Program.
Lemley has deployed four times on ships in the Persian Gulf and recently returned from a seven-month tour to Afghanistan, where she helped train Afghan National Army soldiers to use and maintain field radios.
The Afghan soldiers' training also incorporated cryptography to secure communications. It also established automatic link systems so soldiers could communicate without having to change wavelengths throughout the day.
After taking initiative and looking over program cost projections, Lemley was able to carve out $240 million, saving 41 percent over initial projections, when she realized things were being purchased haphazardly.
"I came in and said, 'Nope, I'm going to take this over," Lemley said. "And I carved it out, and I said, 'You know what? This is what we are going to do. We are not going to buy all this excess; we are going to trim the fat and make it happen.' And that's what we did; we stayed focused. What you save in one area someone can always use in another."
Lemley is one of eight servicemembers who served in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa selected to share their individual stories to Americans across the country through the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.
The "Why We Serve" program was initially the idea of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The program began in fall of 2006. Groups that comprise two military servicemembers from each branch are selected to participate in the program for about 90 days.
"My experience will only help other people grow and stir interest to support the troops, and that's what it's about," Lemley said.
Holding a leadership position in the military, where women only make up a small percentage, can be a challenge. But training Afghan soldiers in a country where women and men are not treated equally can be intimidating, she said.
"The part I find fulfilling is that I did have to meet with (Afghan National Army) generals and colonels on an almost daily basis, and I was the one who kept the key to the kingdom because I fielded all communication equipment," Lemley said. "They found out early on that they couldn't yell at me and order me around. But as a woman, I learned all you have to do is stand your ground and be logical. Women do have value and can make sound decisions."
Lemley said she wants Americans to know that job satisfaction and challenging work are key components of success. "Job satisfaction is the most critical thing," she said. "Respect yourself, and others will respect you."
Lemley also said she wants people to understand the importance of volunteerism and of supporting the troops.
"I want Americans to know that the servicemembers are trying to do as we've been directed, and we really need their support," Lemley said. "Whether they agree with the war or not, we are Americans trying to protect their safety and security in the United States, and we would greatly appreciate their support."
American Forces Press Service
July 26, 2007 - Growing up in Mobile, Ala., Judith L. Lemley never imagined being in the military. But after graduating with a bachelor's degree in secondary education, Lemley was inspired to follow in the footsteps of her father and enlisted in the Navy. "My father was proud of his time in the military, and he spoke highly of it," Lemley, now a Navy lieutenant, said.
Lemley enlisted 15 years ago and received her officer commission after completing the Limited Duty Officer Program.
Lemley has deployed four times on ships in the Persian Gulf and recently returned from a seven-month tour to Afghanistan, where she helped train Afghan National Army soldiers to use and maintain field radios.
The Afghan soldiers' training also incorporated cryptography to secure communications. It also established automatic link systems so soldiers could communicate without having to change wavelengths throughout the day.
After taking initiative and looking over program cost projections, Lemley was able to carve out $240 million, saving 41 percent over initial projections, when she realized things were being purchased haphazardly.
"I came in and said, 'Nope, I'm going to take this over," Lemley said. "And I carved it out, and I said, 'You know what? This is what we are going to do. We are not going to buy all this excess; we are going to trim the fat and make it happen.' And that's what we did; we stayed focused. What you save in one area someone can always use in another."
Lemley is one of eight servicemembers who served in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa selected to share their individual stories to Americans across the country through the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.
The "Why We Serve" program was initially the idea of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The program began in fall of 2006. Groups that comprise two military servicemembers from each branch are selected to participate in the program for about 90 days.
"My experience will only help other people grow and stir interest to support the troops, and that's what it's about," Lemley said.
Holding a leadership position in the military, where women only make up a small percentage, can be a challenge. But training Afghan soldiers in a country where women and men are not treated equally can be intimidating, she said.
"The part I find fulfilling is that I did have to meet with (Afghan National Army) generals and colonels on an almost daily basis, and I was the one who kept the key to the kingdom because I fielded all communication equipment," Lemley said. "They found out early on that they couldn't yell at me and order me around. But as a woman, I learned all you have to do is stand your ground and be logical. Women do have value and can make sound decisions."
Lemley said she wants Americans to know that job satisfaction and challenging work are key components of success. "Job satisfaction is the most critical thing," she said. "Respect yourself, and others will respect you."
Lemley also said she wants people to understand the importance of volunteerism and of supporting the troops.
"I want Americans to know that the servicemembers are trying to do as we've been directed, and we really need their support," Lemley said. "Whether they agree with the war or not, we are Americans trying to protect their safety and security in the United States, and we would greatly appreciate their support."
Course Offers 'Big Picture' Perspective for Future Guard, Reserve Leaders
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 26, 2007 - Recognizing that their missions are global in scope and often have strategic implications, about 140 reservists and National Guardsmen from every service are wrapping up a course here that's widening their operational apertures. The National Defense University here presents the Reserve Components National Security Course twice each year for senior reserve-component members moving on to joint command management and staff jobs in multinational, intergovernmental or joint national security settings, explained Army Col. Kashi Yatto, course director.
The current two-week class concludes tomorrow, with its graduates representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard reserves and the Army and Air National Guard. A small percentage of the group hails from other U.S. government agencies, as well as from Peru, Malta and Korea.
All have broad experience in the tactical and operational aspects of their missions. The vast majority have combat deployments under their belts.
Here, through a schedule chock-full of seminars, workshops and notional exercises, they're expanding their horizons to think strategically, said Col. Danny Bubp, a Marine Corps reservist who's serving as senior seminar leader.
"We're exposing the students to that next level" and preparing them to take on increasingly responsible positions within their organizations, he said.
Like Bubp, an Ohio state legislator, the students all bring civilian skills to their military jobs. They're teachers, farmers, doctors, lawyers and firemen, as well as reserve and Guard leaders. "We want to send them back to their communities with a broader perspective so they can take that knowledge with them when they're mobilized to be part of a staff," Bubp said.
Toward that end, the course takes a broad view of world affairs, helping students see the big picture and implications of military operations. "We're trying to produce more strategic leaders with a better grounding in what's going on in the world," Bubp said. "The smarter your people are, the better they are going to function, especially in a stressful environment."
Much of the course focuses on the importance of incorporating all aspects of national power, not just military power, into U.S. national strategy, Yatto said. Instructors here refer to it as the "DIME" principle -- diplomatic, informational, military and economic -- and say all play important and complementary roles.
"We're military, so the first option we think of is military," Yatto said. "But this course helps the students better appreciate the other entities, too."
Students at the course call it an eye-opening experience. "It gives you a whole different way of thinking about things," said Air Force Col. Chip Mattingly, a maintenance group commander for the Kansas Air National Guard. "I feel like a sponge here, and it's really giving me an appreciation of the bigger picture."
Mattingly said his military career, which hasn't yet exposed him to joint staff operations, has focused heavily on the "M" or "military" aspects of the DIME principle. "This course is great because it gives you an understanding that there are other ways to shape the world than boots on the ground -- and possibly more effectively," he said.
Navy Cmdr. Angela Brady, administrative officer for Florida's Volunteer Training Unit, said she sees great value in providing reservists and Guardsmen a strategic view of operations they could be called on to help lead.
"You definitely have to have a grasp of the big picture, and you don't always get that on the operational side," she said. "If everybody understands the overall objective, where you're headed and how they fit into it, you can get there a lot more effectively."
American Forces Press Service
July 26, 2007 - Recognizing that their missions are global in scope and often have strategic implications, about 140 reservists and National Guardsmen from every service are wrapping up a course here that's widening their operational apertures. The National Defense University here presents the Reserve Components National Security Course twice each year for senior reserve-component members moving on to joint command management and staff jobs in multinational, intergovernmental or joint national security settings, explained Army Col. Kashi Yatto, course director.
The current two-week class concludes tomorrow, with its graduates representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard reserves and the Army and Air National Guard. A small percentage of the group hails from other U.S. government agencies, as well as from Peru, Malta and Korea.
All have broad experience in the tactical and operational aspects of their missions. The vast majority have combat deployments under their belts.
Here, through a schedule chock-full of seminars, workshops and notional exercises, they're expanding their horizons to think strategically, said Col. Danny Bubp, a Marine Corps reservist who's serving as senior seminar leader.
"We're exposing the students to that next level" and preparing them to take on increasingly responsible positions within their organizations, he said.
Like Bubp, an Ohio state legislator, the students all bring civilian skills to their military jobs. They're teachers, farmers, doctors, lawyers and firemen, as well as reserve and Guard leaders. "We want to send them back to their communities with a broader perspective so they can take that knowledge with them when they're mobilized to be part of a staff," Bubp said.
Toward that end, the course takes a broad view of world affairs, helping students see the big picture and implications of military operations. "We're trying to produce more strategic leaders with a better grounding in what's going on in the world," Bubp said. "The smarter your people are, the better they are going to function, especially in a stressful environment."
Much of the course focuses on the importance of incorporating all aspects of national power, not just military power, into U.S. national strategy, Yatto said. Instructors here refer to it as the "DIME" principle -- diplomatic, informational, military and economic -- and say all play important and complementary roles.
"We're military, so the first option we think of is military," Yatto said. "But this course helps the students better appreciate the other entities, too."
Students at the course call it an eye-opening experience. "It gives you a whole different way of thinking about things," said Air Force Col. Chip Mattingly, a maintenance group commander for the Kansas Air National Guard. "I feel like a sponge here, and it's really giving me an appreciation of the bigger picture."
Mattingly said his military career, which hasn't yet exposed him to joint staff operations, has focused heavily on the "M" or "military" aspects of the DIME principle. "This course is great because it gives you an understanding that there are other ways to shape the world than boots on the ground -- and possibly more effectively," he said.
Navy Cmdr. Angela Brady, administrative officer for Florida's Volunteer Training Unit, said she sees great value in providing reservists and Guardsmen a strategic view of operations they could be called on to help lead.
"You definitely have to have a grasp of the big picture, and you don't always get that on the operational side," she said. "If everybody understands the overall objective, where you're headed and how they fit into it, you can get there a lot more effectively."
'Sesame Street' Deployment Show Nominated for Emmy
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 26, 2007 - A television special that looks closely at challenges military families face when a parent is deployed has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. Defense Department officials were thrilled to hear the program, called "When Parents Are Deployed" and produced by Sesame Workshop, received such recognition.
"We were delighted to hear of the Emmy nomination of Sesame Workshop's 'When Parents Are Deployed,'" said Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy. "For those who are not part of the military family, the impact of deployments and how families cope may be difficult to understand.
"The program ... helps bridge that gap in powerful ways and -- to borrow a phrase from 'Sesame Street' -- it shows that a servicemember and his or her family are 'people in your neighborhood,'" she added.
Of course, the program's creators were ecstatic about the recognition, as well. "It was really very exciting just to hear about it and the fact that it was nominated," said Jeanette Betancourt, the vice president for outreach and educational practices at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street."
The primetime special, hosted by actor Cuba Gooding Jr., evolved from the Sesame Workshop's initial outreach initiative, "Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment." The DVD was created and distributed to military families with the help of Wal-Mart and Military OneSource.
Military OneSource is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, toll-free information and referral telephone service, as well as a supporter of the America Supports You network. America Support You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"What started to happen is that a lot of families started to really open up to us," Betancourt said. "We had that sudden awareness that there was so much more that we can do. As a result, we created a separate primetime special through PBS."
"When Parents Are Deployed," geared toward parents, depicts the challenges of military families enduring deployments through the stories of those who have been there, some more than once. The program originally aired Dec. 29, 2006, on PBS and will continue to air periodically for two years from that date. PBS has scheduled the next airings for July 29 and Aug. 2.
"Its intent was for both military families, as well as the general public, to understand ... the challenges as well as the dedication military families have during this time of deployment," Betancourt said.
The program offers strategies for coping with the different stages of deployment. For example, some of the military parents who shared their stories also shared how they prepare their children for deployment.
A clip from the "Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment," DVD also appears in the primetime special. It shows how Elmo, a popular fuzzy, red Sesame Street character, and his dad, who is preparing to deploy, will keep up special routines while they're apart.
"This topic of military families and how they are impacted is so relevant right now. We're glad that we're able to at least fulfill a niche that I think was missing for quite a long time," Betancourt said.
She added that the military community responded very positively to the program.
"When Parents Are Deployed" is keeping good company as a primetime Emmy nominee. The Hallmark Channel's original movie "The Christmas Card" also received a nomination. The movie tells of a soldier who is home on leave visiting a small town where he falls for the woman who wrote an anonymous Christmas card that buoyed his morale while he was deployed overseas.
The Hallmark Channel is a corporate supporter of the America Supports You program
American Forces Press Service
July 26, 2007 - A television special that looks closely at challenges military families face when a parent is deployed has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. Defense Department officials were thrilled to hear the program, called "When Parents Are Deployed" and produced by Sesame Workshop, received such recognition.
"We were delighted to hear of the Emmy nomination of Sesame Workshop's 'When Parents Are Deployed,'" said Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy. "For those who are not part of the military family, the impact of deployments and how families cope may be difficult to understand.
"The program ... helps bridge that gap in powerful ways and -- to borrow a phrase from 'Sesame Street' -- it shows that a servicemember and his or her family are 'people in your neighborhood,'" she added.
Of course, the program's creators were ecstatic about the recognition, as well. "It was really very exciting just to hear about it and the fact that it was nominated," said Jeanette Betancourt, the vice president for outreach and educational practices at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street."
The primetime special, hosted by actor Cuba Gooding Jr., evolved from the Sesame Workshop's initial outreach initiative, "Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment." The DVD was created and distributed to military families with the help of Wal-Mart and Military OneSource.
Military OneSource is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, toll-free information and referral telephone service, as well as a supporter of the America Supports You network. America Support You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"What started to happen is that a lot of families started to really open up to us," Betancourt said. "We had that sudden awareness that there was so much more that we can do. As a result, we created a separate primetime special through PBS."
"When Parents Are Deployed," geared toward parents, depicts the challenges of military families enduring deployments through the stories of those who have been there, some more than once. The program originally aired Dec. 29, 2006, on PBS and will continue to air periodically for two years from that date. PBS has scheduled the next airings for July 29 and Aug. 2.
"Its intent was for both military families, as well as the general public, to understand ... the challenges as well as the dedication military families have during this time of deployment," Betancourt said.
The program offers strategies for coping with the different stages of deployment. For example, some of the military parents who shared their stories also shared how they prepare their children for deployment.
A clip from the "Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment," DVD also appears in the primetime special. It shows how Elmo, a popular fuzzy, red Sesame Street character, and his dad, who is preparing to deploy, will keep up special routines while they're apart.
"This topic of military families and how they are impacted is so relevant right now. We're glad that we're able to at least fulfill a niche that I think was missing for quite a long time," Betancourt said.
She added that the military community responded very positively to the program.
"When Parents Are Deployed" is keeping good company as a primetime Emmy nominee. The Hallmark Channel's original movie "The Christmas Card" also received a nomination. The movie tells of a soldier who is home on leave visiting a small town where he falls for the woman who wrote an anonymous Christmas card that buoyed his morale while he was deployed overseas.
The Hallmark Channel is a corporate supporter of the America Supports You program
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