By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 10, 2007 – More than 40 years after demonstrating the heroism immortalized in the bestselling book and movie, "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall will receive the Medal of Honor, the White House announced yesterday. Crandall will receive the nation's highest military award for actions during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in November 1965. The battle, at Landing Zone X-Ray near the Ia Drang River, was the first major ground battle of the war.
During the incident, Crandall, then a major and commander of Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), dodged intense enemy fire as he repeatedly flew to a landing zone to rescue and resupply besieged 1st Cavalry Division ground troops.
The narrative for Crandall's Medal of Honor credits him with displaying leadership by example and fearless courage as he "voluntarily flew his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire on flight after flight, delivering desperately needed ammunition, water and medical supplies into one of the most hotly contested landing zones of the war."
Crandall led a flight of 16 helicopters in support of the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, which was out of water, running dangerously low on ammunition and engaging about two regiments of North Vietnamese army infantry "determined to overrun and annihilate them," the narrative reads.
When the enemy fire got so intense that the infantry commander closed the landing zone, Crandall volunteered for the mission. He and his wingman, Maj. Ed Freeman, are credited with saving more than 70 wounded soldiers by transporting them to safety.
Freeman received the Medal of Honor for his efforts in July 2001.
Several books about the battle recognize Crandall and Freeman's contributions. Among the most well-known is the bestselling "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," coauthored by Lt. Gen. Harold Moore, commanding officer of infantry units in X-Ray, and Joseph Galloway, a combat reporter who was in the landing zone during the battle.
A major motion picture based on the book featured actor Greg Kinnear as Crandall.
Later during his Vietnam tour, Crandall demonstrated another act of heroism. While under enemy fire, using a flashlight to guide his UH-1 Huey helicopter, he dropped through dense jungle to rescue 12 wounded soldiers. For that action, he was awarded the first AVCO-Aviation/Space Writers Association Helicopter Heroism Award. This award is sponsored by the Aviation/Space Writers Association and AVCC Corporation, and is awarded to an individual for heroism efforts involving the use of helicopter..
During a second tour in Vietnam, in 1968, Crandall was downed during another rescue attempt and spent five months in the hospital. He resumed his military career, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1977.
Crandall was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 2004. He also was the seventh Army inductee into the "Gathering of Eagles," a U.S. Air Force organization that honors contributors to aviation.
Bush will present Crandall the Medal of Honor during a Feb. 26 White House ceremony.
After receiving the Medal of Honor, Crandall will join 111 other living recipients of the award, 60 of them awarded for actions in Vietnam, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
The Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration, is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." Since it was first awarded during the Civil War, the medal has been awarded 3,461 times.
The Medal of Honor was last presented to the family of 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who died using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade April 15, 2004. President Bush awarded Dunham's Medal of Honor posthumously during a Jan. 11 ceremony at the White House.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Craddock: More NATO Troops in Afghanistan Will Lead to Stability
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 10, 2007 – It will take more troops to conduct a combination of security and stability operations to end fighting in Afghanistan, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe said here today. To succeed, U.S. Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock said, "you must clear, you must hold, you must build."
Craddock spoke to reporters here at the start of the 43rd Munich Security Policy Conference. The annual international conference followed two days of informal NATO defense ministerial talks in Seville, Spain, where the force level of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan was a prime topic.
While the NATO meetings were not "a force-generation conference," Craddock said he was able to present his assessment of the Afghanistan situation and have "forthright, candid and fruitful" dialogue.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force needs "full sourcing" to provide the security level international "builders" need to provide the long-term, economic investment that will create jobs and, ultimately, stability, Craddock said.
Until then, fighting will continue, since the Taliban has an enormous recruiting ground for foot soldiers among the 2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said. Most of these refugees have no ideological ties, he said. They become Taliban soldiers to earn a wage to live.
"They feel there are no opportunities in life and they're looking for a way to feed their children or put a roof over their families' heads," Craddock said. "The key is driving a wedge between the foot soldiers and the hard core ideologues, the diehard extremists who will never change."
The international community can create a "wedge," he said, by creating jobs, providing social services, and building hospitals and schools for Afghan children.
Craddock said he has made two trips to Afghanistan since replacing U.S. Marine Gen. James L. Jones in December as commander at Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces in Europe. He said he came away from both trips encouraged by the progress he saw.
"I would be the first to admit there's much to be done," he said. "There are challenges. There are problems." But, he added, the comprehensive approach of concurrently employing military operations along with reconstruction and development operations is underway and moving forward.
Based on a review of the mission requirements, NATO officials have determined more troops are need for the dual-pronged approach. While acknowledging that more forces are needed in Afghanistan, Craddock would not provide numbers, which he said are operational in nature.
Earlier this week, Craddock released a combined joint statement of requirements on what's needed for the fight in Afghanistan in terms of troop levels, equipment and support personnel. NATO's ministers and chiefs of defense are being asked to review the requirements to see what each country could contribute.
NATO last reviewed the mission requirements 13 months ago, he said, and conditions have changed since then, he said.
"We do a great job of planning," Craddock said. "We don't do a great job at monitoring current, day to day activities, and reassessing and adjusting and revising where necessary to face the reality that the world changes."
Craddock thought it was essential to validate the original force level needed to meet the mission requirements and pointed out that those forces were never fully provided. "We never received all the forces that we deemed necessary to accomplish the mission required," he said.
"I broke it into three categories: priorities needed that have yet to be filled; new requirements; and revisions necessary," he said. "Over the period of time ISAF had operated, we've made adjustments and we've changed and operated so we had a better insight for what's needed for the future."
Since the mission in Afghanistan began, NATO progressively assumed responsibility for the country south, east and then all of Afghanistan.
There also have been new developments with regard to movement along the porous border with Pakistan. Craddock said he met with Pakistani officials two weeks ago to discuss better border control.
"They have to step up and play a greater role in the control of their border with Afghanistan," he said. "I received indications that they do feel that there is inadequate control, and they told me they're taking measures to address this and to provide greater control."
Right now, Craddock said, ISAF has the ability is to work security aspects throughout the country, particularly in the southeast where the security is less than in the north and west. "That's where the Taliban come in; that's the heartland and the homeland," he said.
What's needed, he said, is adequate numbers of troops to provide security and, at the same time, implement the stability operations, the "quick-impact projects" such as building schools and installing roads.
"Right now, the commanders are finding that, without adequate forces available, they have to move from one to the other, and they're continually shifting around," he said.
Once ISAF forces leave an area, the Taliban moves back in. "You must maintain presence, and with presence, the Taliban does not come back in," Craddock stressed.
Moving troops around to do both security and stability, he said limits flexibility, he said. "And it is causing us to have to retake lost ground."
Given a generous contribution by the United States, an additional contribution by the United Kingdom, and the current security situation, he said, "There are adequate forces right now to effect security. There are not adequate forces to do the other things that need to be done concurrently."
Craddock said ISAF is doing an excellent job on such quick-return projects as fixing problems in local communities. What's missing is the long-term investment and development of jobs and infrastructure.
This work must be "pushed out to the provincial governors, to the tribal elders," he said. "They are the ones who know what has to happen and what their priorities in terms of delivering these services and this infrastructure to the people."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 10, 2007 – It will take more troops to conduct a combination of security and stability operations to end fighting in Afghanistan, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe said here today. To succeed, U.S. Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock said, "you must clear, you must hold, you must build."
Craddock spoke to reporters here at the start of the 43rd Munich Security Policy Conference. The annual international conference followed two days of informal NATO defense ministerial talks in Seville, Spain, where the force level of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan was a prime topic.
While the NATO meetings were not "a force-generation conference," Craddock said he was able to present his assessment of the Afghanistan situation and have "forthright, candid and fruitful" dialogue.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force needs "full sourcing" to provide the security level international "builders" need to provide the long-term, economic investment that will create jobs and, ultimately, stability, Craddock said.
Until then, fighting will continue, since the Taliban has an enormous recruiting ground for foot soldiers among the 2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said. Most of these refugees have no ideological ties, he said. They become Taliban soldiers to earn a wage to live.
"They feel there are no opportunities in life and they're looking for a way to feed their children or put a roof over their families' heads," Craddock said. "The key is driving a wedge between the foot soldiers and the hard core ideologues, the diehard extremists who will never change."
The international community can create a "wedge," he said, by creating jobs, providing social services, and building hospitals and schools for Afghan children.
Craddock said he has made two trips to Afghanistan since replacing U.S. Marine Gen. James L. Jones in December as commander at Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces in Europe. He said he came away from both trips encouraged by the progress he saw.
"I would be the first to admit there's much to be done," he said. "There are challenges. There are problems." But, he added, the comprehensive approach of concurrently employing military operations along with reconstruction and development operations is underway and moving forward.
Based on a review of the mission requirements, NATO officials have determined more troops are need for the dual-pronged approach. While acknowledging that more forces are needed in Afghanistan, Craddock would not provide numbers, which he said are operational in nature.
Earlier this week, Craddock released a combined joint statement of requirements on what's needed for the fight in Afghanistan in terms of troop levels, equipment and support personnel. NATO's ministers and chiefs of defense are being asked to review the requirements to see what each country could contribute.
NATO last reviewed the mission requirements 13 months ago, he said, and conditions have changed since then, he said.
"We do a great job of planning," Craddock said. "We don't do a great job at monitoring current, day to day activities, and reassessing and adjusting and revising where necessary to face the reality that the world changes."
Craddock thought it was essential to validate the original force level needed to meet the mission requirements and pointed out that those forces were never fully provided. "We never received all the forces that we deemed necessary to accomplish the mission required," he said.
"I broke it into three categories: priorities needed that have yet to be filled; new requirements; and revisions necessary," he said. "Over the period of time ISAF had operated, we've made adjustments and we've changed and operated so we had a better insight for what's needed for the future."
Since the mission in Afghanistan began, NATO progressively assumed responsibility for the country south, east and then all of Afghanistan.
There also have been new developments with regard to movement along the porous border with Pakistan. Craddock said he met with Pakistani officials two weeks ago to discuss better border control.
"They have to step up and play a greater role in the control of their border with Afghanistan," he said. "I received indications that they do feel that there is inadequate control, and they told me they're taking measures to address this and to provide greater control."
Right now, Craddock said, ISAF has the ability is to work security aspects throughout the country, particularly in the southeast where the security is less than in the north and west. "That's where the Taliban come in; that's the heartland and the homeland," he said.
What's needed, he said, is adequate numbers of troops to provide security and, at the same time, implement the stability operations, the "quick-impact projects" such as building schools and installing roads.
"Right now, the commanders are finding that, without adequate forces available, they have to move from one to the other, and they're continually shifting around," he said.
Once ISAF forces leave an area, the Taliban moves back in. "You must maintain presence, and with presence, the Taliban does not come back in," Craddock stressed.
Moving troops around to do both security and stability, he said limits flexibility, he said. "And it is causing us to have to retake lost ground."
Given a generous contribution by the United States, an additional contribution by the United Kingdom, and the current security situation, he said, "There are adequate forces right now to effect security. There are not adequate forces to do the other things that need to be done concurrently."
Craddock said ISAF is doing an excellent job on such quick-return projects as fixing problems in local communities. What's missing is the long-term investment and development of jobs and infrastructure.
This work must be "pushed out to the provincial governors, to the tribal elders," he said. "They are the ones who know what has to happen and what their priorities in terms of delivering these services and this infrastructure to the people."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
IG Report: DoD Policy Office Acted Within Law, Authority
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Findings of a Defense Department Inspector General report sent to Congress today offer the third determination that activities within DoD's policy office regarding pre-war intelligence were both legal and authorized. The report, delivered today to the Senate Armed Services Committee by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, was based on an investigation ordered by Congress into the way former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and his staff treated the intelligence they received before the Iraq war.
The report concluded that activities by the office were both legal and authorized, but that some may have been inappropriate.
Feith's office developed, produced and then disseminated "alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the intelligence community, to senior decision makers," the report noted in its unclassified executive summary.
"While such actions were not illegal or unauthorized," it continued, "the actions were, in our opinion, inappropriate given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did not clearly show the variance with the consensus of the intelligence community."
Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, noted today that the IG report is the third in-depth review of Feith's office during the past three years by both bipartisan and nonpartisan groups. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued its report in July 2004, and the so-called "Silberman-Robb" Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission issued its evaluation in September 2006.
Whitman said the IG's findings "would seemingly run counter to other reviews of the office" about the value of debate over intelligence. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence review noted that "asking probing questions actually improved the intelligence process," he said.
Some intelligence analysts told the committee that policymakers' questions had forced them to go back and review the intelligence reporting, Whitman said, and that during this exercise, they came across information they had overlooked in the initial readings.
"No one would suggest that vigorous debate on issues of significant national security isn't important," he said. "Quite the contrary. Most people would agree that issues of ... important national security issues should be debated, and they should be debated vigorously."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who was attending a NATO defense ministers meeting in Seville, Spain, today, declined to comment on the IG report because he hadn't yet seen it. He also noted that he wasn't defense secretary when the activities covered in the report occurred.
"But I will just tell you, based on my whole career, that I believe that all intelligence activities need to be carried on through established institutions and where there is appropriate oversight," he said. "And if the intelligence isn't adequate, then changes need to be made in those institutions to improve the intelligence."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Findings of a Defense Department Inspector General report sent to Congress today offer the third determination that activities within DoD's policy office regarding pre-war intelligence were both legal and authorized. The report, delivered today to the Senate Armed Services Committee by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, was based on an investigation ordered by Congress into the way former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and his staff treated the intelligence they received before the Iraq war.
The report concluded that activities by the office were both legal and authorized, but that some may have been inappropriate.
Feith's office developed, produced and then disseminated "alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the intelligence community, to senior decision makers," the report noted in its unclassified executive summary.
"While such actions were not illegal or unauthorized," it continued, "the actions were, in our opinion, inappropriate given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did not clearly show the variance with the consensus of the intelligence community."
Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, noted today that the IG report is the third in-depth review of Feith's office during the past three years by both bipartisan and nonpartisan groups. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued its report in July 2004, and the so-called "Silberman-Robb" Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission issued its evaluation in September 2006.
Whitman said the IG's findings "would seemingly run counter to other reviews of the office" about the value of debate over intelligence. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence review noted that "asking probing questions actually improved the intelligence process," he said.
Some intelligence analysts told the committee that policymakers' questions had forced them to go back and review the intelligence reporting, Whitman said, and that during this exercise, they came across information they had overlooked in the initial readings.
"No one would suggest that vigorous debate on issues of significant national security isn't important," he said. "Quite the contrary. Most people would agree that issues of ... important national security issues should be debated, and they should be debated vigorously."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who was attending a NATO defense ministers meeting in Seville, Spain, today, declined to comment on the IG report because he hadn't yet seen it. He also noted that he wasn't defense secretary when the activities covered in the report occurred.
"But I will just tell you, based on my whole career, that I believe that all intelligence activities need to be carried on through established institutions and where there is appropriate oversight," he said. "And if the intelligence isn't adequate, then changes need to be made in those institutions to improve the intelligence."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Supplemental Funds Critical to Army Readiness, Officials Say
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – The Army is the best equipped, trained and led force it's ever been, but it needs continued funding to ensure it's ready to face future conflicts, the Army's top two leaders said in congressional testimony today. The fiscal 2007 war on terror supplemental funding request included in President Bush's budget is critical to improving breadth and depth of Army readiness, specifically in preparing units for deployment, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense.
"The solution to establishing the required breadth and depth of Army readiness ultimately rests in providing the required resources," Harvey said. "That in turn results in an Army force structure that can meet the current and projected operational demand."
The war supplemental request, submitted Feb. 5 with the fiscal 2008 defense budget request, is $93.4 billion. The supplemental funding is in addition to the $70 billion provided by Congress in September 2006 and the fiscal 2008 war on terror request of $141.7 billion.
In his testimony today, Harvey highlighted several areas that need continued funding as the Army grows, modernizes, and fights the war on terror.
Funding will be needed for the increase of 65,000 soldiers over the next five years that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Jan. 11, Harvey said. Army leaders also need to have recurrent, predictable and assured access to all components of the force to meet global commitments, he noted.
The Army is working on an aggressive program to restore battle losses and repair and recapitalize worn-out equipment, Harvey said. Modernization efforts, which are aimed at fixing holes in the force as the Army grows, are also critical, he said. The Army entered this war $56 billion short of the equipment it needed, he pointed out, and is still trying to make up for that lack.
Harvey also said that the Army's ability to grow the force to meet rotational requirements is jeopardized by the $2 billion reduction in the Base Realignment and Closure account in the fiscal 2007 appropriation process.
"Disruptions in resourcing our plans will in turn significantly hamper our capability to grow the Army, impede our capability to field cohesive, trained units, and degrade the quality of life for soldiers and their families," he said.
The timeliness of filling the Army's resource needs is critical, Harvey said. The Army will require access to supplemental funding by April to sustain efforts around the world, he said.
One of the issues highlighted by Harvey and Army Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, who also was at the hearing, was the equipment shortage for units in the U.S. The Army went into this war with an equipment shortage, and has since been growing the force, so that shortage has become even larger, Schoomaker pointed out. The Army has shifted its best equipment to the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan, so the units preparing to deploy often are short on training equipment, he explained.
Schoomaker said the situation is "less than satisfactory," but stressed that units are fully trained and equipped when they arrive in Afghanistan and Iraq. Harvey agreed, adding that it's in preparing the units for deployment that the Army has had to catch up.
"I think when a unit deploys, when a brigade combat team deploys ... it is the best trained, equipped, organized Army in the world with the best quality soldiers we've ever had," Harvey said.
Schoomaker noted that the government is spending less on defense than it historically has, and much of that money is needed for the war on terror. However, a good portion of the supplemental funding is needed to fix holes in the Army and expand the force to prepare for the future, he said.
"I am one that absolutely believes that there is no question that we are headed into fights in the future, beyond the current fight that we're in today," Schoomaker said. "There is going to be a requirement beyond this fight to continue to fix this force so that we don't enter the next fight in the condition that we entered this fight."
Both leaders said that the Army has made great progress over the years in expanding and equipping the force. However, they said, the focus should be on the future and what progress the Army needs to make to be successful in the 21st century.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – The Army is the best equipped, trained and led force it's ever been, but it needs continued funding to ensure it's ready to face future conflicts, the Army's top two leaders said in congressional testimony today. The fiscal 2007 war on terror supplemental funding request included in President Bush's budget is critical to improving breadth and depth of Army readiness, specifically in preparing units for deployment, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense.
"The solution to establishing the required breadth and depth of Army readiness ultimately rests in providing the required resources," Harvey said. "That in turn results in an Army force structure that can meet the current and projected operational demand."
The war supplemental request, submitted Feb. 5 with the fiscal 2008 defense budget request, is $93.4 billion. The supplemental funding is in addition to the $70 billion provided by Congress in September 2006 and the fiscal 2008 war on terror request of $141.7 billion.
In his testimony today, Harvey highlighted several areas that need continued funding as the Army grows, modernizes, and fights the war on terror.
Funding will be needed for the increase of 65,000 soldiers over the next five years that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Jan. 11, Harvey said. Army leaders also need to have recurrent, predictable and assured access to all components of the force to meet global commitments, he noted.
The Army is working on an aggressive program to restore battle losses and repair and recapitalize worn-out equipment, Harvey said. Modernization efforts, which are aimed at fixing holes in the force as the Army grows, are also critical, he said. The Army entered this war $56 billion short of the equipment it needed, he pointed out, and is still trying to make up for that lack.
Harvey also said that the Army's ability to grow the force to meet rotational requirements is jeopardized by the $2 billion reduction in the Base Realignment and Closure account in the fiscal 2007 appropriation process.
"Disruptions in resourcing our plans will in turn significantly hamper our capability to grow the Army, impede our capability to field cohesive, trained units, and degrade the quality of life for soldiers and their families," he said.
The timeliness of filling the Army's resource needs is critical, Harvey said. The Army will require access to supplemental funding by April to sustain efforts around the world, he said.
One of the issues highlighted by Harvey and Army Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, who also was at the hearing, was the equipment shortage for units in the U.S. The Army went into this war with an equipment shortage, and has since been growing the force, so that shortage has become even larger, Schoomaker pointed out. The Army has shifted its best equipment to the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan, so the units preparing to deploy often are short on training equipment, he explained.
Schoomaker said the situation is "less than satisfactory," but stressed that units are fully trained and equipped when they arrive in Afghanistan and Iraq. Harvey agreed, adding that it's in preparing the units for deployment that the Army has had to catch up.
"I think when a unit deploys, when a brigade combat team deploys ... it is the best trained, equipped, organized Army in the world with the best quality soldiers we've ever had," Harvey said.
Schoomaker noted that the government is spending less on defense than it historically has, and much of that money is needed for the war on terror. However, a good portion of the supplemental funding is needed to fix holes in the Army and expand the force to prepare for the future, he said.
"I am one that absolutely believes that there is no question that we are headed into fights in the future, beyond the current fight that we're in today," Schoomaker said. "There is going to be a requirement beyond this fight to continue to fix this force so that we don't enter the next fight in the condition that we entered this fight."
Both leaders said that the Army has made great progress over the years in expanding and equipping the force. However, they said, the focus should be on the future and what progress the Army needs to make to be successful in the 21st century.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
NHL Team Honors Troops, Families
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Servicemembers in the national capital region were honored by the Washington Capitals hockey team last night during a "Salute to the Military Night" at the Verizon Center. The National Hockey League's Capitals, along with 10 corporate sponsors, donated more than 6,000 tickets to troops and their families for the team's match-up against the Los Angeles Kings, which the Caps won 4-3 in overtime play.
This is the fifth time the club has hosted an event highlighting the men and women of the armed forces. With a 4-1 record on military nights, Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis said the team consistently plays well in front of their armed forces audiences.
"We're thinking of making it 'Military Season,'" he said with a laugh. "I'd like to do away with 'Military Night' and make every day a day we thank the military men and women who are keeping us safe."
At the start of the game he came onto the large screens at the center of the arena to express his thanks to the military-heavy audience. "We can't thank you and your family enough for what you do for our country and to keep us safe," Leonsis said as the audience broke out with cheering and applause.
The Capitals have further demonstrated their encouragement of the military by partnering with the America Supports You program. The team joined the Defense Department program in January 2006 as a way to vocalize its support to troops.
Last night the hockey club collected gift items at each entrance for "Comfort for America's Uniformed Services." CAUSE, an America Supports You team member, will distribute the hundreds of movies, video games and gift cards to recuperating troops in area military hospitals.
According to Debbie Wenner, CAUSE president, this is the second year the Capitals have named her organization as a beneficiary of the Salute to the Military Night. The outpouring of donations from fans will greatly benefit the troops she supports.
The dozens of bags her volunteers loaded with gifts will go directly to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.
Walter Reed patient Army Staff Sgt. Pamela Schmecht said she was "totally psyched" to attend the evening's event. The Texas National Guard member was injured in Iraq in November; this was her first time out of the hospital since coming back to the states.
Schmecht, who is originally from Dale City, Va., has been a long-time Capitals fan and said she was touched that the team cares so much about the military.
"I'm having a great time," she said, "but I have mixed feelings, because it's hard to be here having fun when my unit is still in Iraq."
Even though they are on the other side of the world, servicemembers in Iraq had a chance to participate in the game. Prerecorded words of encouragement from deployed fans were played on the arena screens while the audience applauded.
"I want to shout it out to the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin - go 08!" said Lt. Col. Kier-Kevin Curry on the "JumboTron."
Curry, who is stationed at Camp Victory, in Baghdad, has closely followed the Caps this season despite his deployment. During his mid-tour leave, he made it out to a home game to cheer on his favorite team.
His "shout out" was one of several videos and public service announcements honoring the military that played through the night. Each one resulted in cheers and applause throughout the arena.
In a pre-game reception, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said shows of support like this are important to the men and women who daily put their lives on the line.
He expressed his appreciation not only to the Capitals, but to the celebrities and professional athletes who visit troops overseas.
"It's this kind of things on a day-to-day basis that makes a difference to servicemembers," he said.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Servicemembers in the national capital region were honored by the Washington Capitals hockey team last night during a "Salute to the Military Night" at the Verizon Center. The National Hockey League's Capitals, along with 10 corporate sponsors, donated more than 6,000 tickets to troops and their families for the team's match-up against the Los Angeles Kings, which the Caps won 4-3 in overtime play.
This is the fifth time the club has hosted an event highlighting the men and women of the armed forces. With a 4-1 record on military nights, Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis said the team consistently plays well in front of their armed forces audiences.
"We're thinking of making it 'Military Season,'" he said with a laugh. "I'd like to do away with 'Military Night' and make every day a day we thank the military men and women who are keeping us safe."
At the start of the game he came onto the large screens at the center of the arena to express his thanks to the military-heavy audience. "We can't thank you and your family enough for what you do for our country and to keep us safe," Leonsis said as the audience broke out with cheering and applause.
The Capitals have further demonstrated their encouragement of the military by partnering with the America Supports You program. The team joined the Defense Department program in January 2006 as a way to vocalize its support to troops.
Last night the hockey club collected gift items at each entrance for "Comfort for America's Uniformed Services." CAUSE, an America Supports You team member, will distribute the hundreds of movies, video games and gift cards to recuperating troops in area military hospitals.
According to Debbie Wenner, CAUSE president, this is the second year the Capitals have named her organization as a beneficiary of the Salute to the Military Night. The outpouring of donations from fans will greatly benefit the troops she supports.
The dozens of bags her volunteers loaded with gifts will go directly to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.
Walter Reed patient Army Staff Sgt. Pamela Schmecht said she was "totally psyched" to attend the evening's event. The Texas National Guard member was injured in Iraq in November; this was her first time out of the hospital since coming back to the states.
Schmecht, who is originally from Dale City, Va., has been a long-time Capitals fan and said she was touched that the team cares so much about the military.
"I'm having a great time," she said, "but I have mixed feelings, because it's hard to be here having fun when my unit is still in Iraq."
Even though they are on the other side of the world, servicemembers in Iraq had a chance to participate in the game. Prerecorded words of encouragement from deployed fans were played on the arena screens while the audience applauded.
"I want to shout it out to the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin - go 08!" said Lt. Col. Kier-Kevin Curry on the "JumboTron."
Curry, who is stationed at Camp Victory, in Baghdad, has closely followed the Caps this season despite his deployment. During his mid-tour leave, he made it out to a home game to cheer on his favorite team.
His "shout out" was one of several videos and public service announcements honoring the military that played through the night. Each one resulted in cheers and applause throughout the arena.
In a pre-game reception, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said shows of support like this are important to the men and women who daily put their lives on the line.
He expressed his appreciation not only to the Capitals, but to the celebrities and professional athletes who visit troops overseas.
"It's this kind of things on a day-to-day basis that makes a difference to servicemembers," he said.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Mechanical Failure Suspected in Most Recent Iraq Chopper Crash
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – A Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that went down in Iraq's Anbar province Feb. 7 most likely experienced a mechanical failure, the director of operations for the Joint Staff told Pentagon reporters today. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said early indications show the crash, which killed seven crewmembers and passengers, resulted from a mechanical malfunction.
Lute said eyewitness accounts factored with considerations about the type of aircraft, its flight pattern and other early indicators, led to that conclusion. "So the response of the aircraft leads the people on the ground to believe, early in the investigation, that it was mechanical," he said.
The crash was the latest of six involving helicopters in Iraq recently, four of them U.S. military helicopters and two contractor helicopters.
Of these, Lute said, four appear to be attributable to enemy fire -- two while in close contact with the enemy and another two when not in enemy contact.
Another incident, involving a contractor aircraft, is likely the result of pilot error and involved a wire strike, he said.
Lute said it's too soon to tell if the crashes that resulted from enemy activity indicate any change in enemy capabilities. At this point, he said, there's no definite evidence that missiles were involved in the surface-to-air fire that likely brought down the four helicopters.
Other recent crashes of military helicopters include:
--A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed northeast of Baghdad on Jan. 20. Four crewmembers and eight others soldiers aboard as passengers were killed in the incident.
-- A Multinational Division Baghdad helicopter crashed north of Najaf on Jan. 28, killing two U.S. soldiers.
-- A U.S. Army helicopter crashed north of Baghdad on Feb. 2. Two crew members were killed in that crash.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – A Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that went down in Iraq's Anbar province Feb. 7 most likely experienced a mechanical failure, the director of operations for the Joint Staff told Pentagon reporters today. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said early indications show the crash, which killed seven crewmembers and passengers, resulted from a mechanical malfunction.
Lute said eyewitness accounts factored with considerations about the type of aircraft, its flight pattern and other early indicators, led to that conclusion. "So the response of the aircraft leads the people on the ground to believe, early in the investigation, that it was mechanical," he said.
The crash was the latest of six involving helicopters in Iraq recently, four of them U.S. military helicopters and two contractor helicopters.
Of these, Lute said, four appear to be attributable to enemy fire -- two while in close contact with the enemy and another two when not in enemy contact.
Another incident, involving a contractor aircraft, is likely the result of pilot error and involved a wire strike, he said.
Lute said it's too soon to tell if the crashes that resulted from enemy activity indicate any change in enemy capabilities. At this point, he said, there's no definite evidence that missiles were involved in the surface-to-air fire that likely brought down the four helicopters.
Other recent crashes of military helicopters include:
--A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed northeast of Baghdad on Jan. 20. Four crewmembers and eight others soldiers aboard as passengers were killed in the incident.
-- A Multinational Division Baghdad helicopter crashed north of Najaf on Jan. 28, killing two U.S. soldiers.
-- A U.S. Army helicopter crashed north of Baghdad on Feb. 2. Two crew members were killed in that crash.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Cops on Evidence
Editor's Note: One of the author is prior U.S. Army.
Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books, added two authors who have written extensively on the subjects of evidence collection and crime scenes.
Randal Davis has been an Investigator or Police Officer with departments in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas for 26 years. As a Police Officer and District Attorney Bureau of Investigation Investigator, he has conducted or participated in thousands of criminal investigations and arrests. He has received considerable police training and experience in Crime Scene Investigation, Homicide Investigation, the California Street Terrorism Act, Patrol Procedures, General Criminal Investigation, Narcotics, Sexual Assault, and Crimes Against Children.
Randal holds a Masters degree in Criminal Justice (with honors) and a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State University Long Beach. Davis is a Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society member. He has been an Adjunct Professor teaching Criminal Justice courses at Santa Ana and Santiago Canyon Colleges since 1997. He has also been a guest instructor at Western State Law School.
Since 1992 Randal has been a POST instructor for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, instructing courses in Homicide Investigation, Criminal Law, Ethics, Professionalism, Weapons Laws, Search and Seizure, Crimes Against Persons, Constitutional Law, and Civil Rights. Additionally, prior to his civilian law enforcement career he was a military police officer in the United States Army.
Randal Davis’ book, Evidence Collection and Presentation, is designed to introduce the concepts involved in collecting and presenting audio and visual evidence. The students will also be introduced to the documentation methods for preserving visual evidence. The text gives the student and understanding of the courtroom technology available for presentation methods utilizing audio and visual means. The disciplines include digital photography, film photography, video, voice and audio recordings.
Jon Lewis received his Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University in Orange California. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Speech Communication from Long Beach State University in California. He is a veteran officer with the Newport Beach Police Department, currently serving as a Sergeant and a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
Jon Lewis’, Biological Evidence, is an introduction to the types of biological evidence commonly found at crime scenes and how to collect it. This book is written in an easy to read and understand style for non-science majors and for professionals working in the criminal justice system. Specific biological evidence discussed includes blood, semen, saliva, urine, feces, hair, and fingernails. Additional topics include autopsy, the basic departments of the crime laboratory, toxicology, forensic entomology, and uncollectible biological evidence. Packaging, preservation, and care of biological evidence is discussed and chain of custody is explained. Additional topics include DNA, case studies, courtroom testimony, and exhibits for the courtroom.
Jon Lewis’ second book, Criminalistics for Crime Scene Investigators, is an introduction to the concepts involved in the field of Criminalistics from the professional and scientific disciplines dedicated to the recognition, collection, identification, and individualization of physical evidence and the application of the natural sciences to the matters of the law.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 315 police officers (representing 135 police departments) and their 736 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, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books, added two authors who have written extensively on the subjects of evidence collection and crime scenes.
Randal Davis has been an Investigator or Police Officer with departments in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas for 26 years. As a Police Officer and District Attorney Bureau of Investigation Investigator, he has conducted or participated in thousands of criminal investigations and arrests. He has received considerable police training and experience in Crime Scene Investigation, Homicide Investigation, the California Street Terrorism Act, Patrol Procedures, General Criminal Investigation, Narcotics, Sexual Assault, and Crimes Against Children.
Randal holds a Masters degree in Criminal Justice (with honors) and a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State University Long Beach. Davis is a Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society member. He has been an Adjunct Professor teaching Criminal Justice courses at Santa Ana and Santiago Canyon Colleges since 1997. He has also been a guest instructor at Western State Law School.
Since 1992 Randal has been a POST instructor for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, instructing courses in Homicide Investigation, Criminal Law, Ethics, Professionalism, Weapons Laws, Search and Seizure, Crimes Against Persons, Constitutional Law, and Civil Rights. Additionally, prior to his civilian law enforcement career he was a military police officer in the United States Army.
Randal Davis’ book, Evidence Collection and Presentation, is designed to introduce the concepts involved in collecting and presenting audio and visual evidence. The students will also be introduced to the documentation methods for preserving visual evidence. The text gives the student and understanding of the courtroom technology available for presentation methods utilizing audio and visual means. The disciplines include digital photography, film photography, video, voice and audio recordings.
Jon Lewis received his Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University in Orange California. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Speech Communication from Long Beach State University in California. He is a veteran officer with the Newport Beach Police Department, currently serving as a Sergeant and a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
Jon Lewis’, Biological Evidence, is an introduction to the types of biological evidence commonly found at crime scenes and how to collect it. This book is written in an easy to read and understand style for non-science majors and for professionals working in the criminal justice system. Specific biological evidence discussed includes blood, semen, saliva, urine, feces, hair, and fingernails. Additional topics include autopsy, the basic departments of the crime laboratory, toxicology, forensic entomology, and uncollectible biological evidence. Packaging, preservation, and care of biological evidence is discussed and chain of custody is explained. Additional topics include DNA, case studies, courtroom testimony, and exhibits for the courtroom.
Jon Lewis’ second book, Criminalistics for Crime Scene Investigators, is an introduction to the concepts involved in the field of Criminalistics from the professional and scientific disciplines dedicated to the recognition, collection, identification, and individualization of physical evidence and the application of the natural sciences to the matters of the law.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 315 police officers (representing 135 police departments) and their 736 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.
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