By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
April 4, 2007 – The U.S. Marine Corps has created a new regiment focused on tracking and assisting wounded Marines and sailors across the nation, the regiment's first commander announced at a Pentagon news conference today. "The mission of the Wounded Warrior Regiment is to provide and facilitate assistance to wounded, ill and injured Marines, sailors and their families throughout the phases of their recovery," said Marine Col. Gregory Boyle.
The Marine Corps has taken care of its own since 1775, Boyle said, and the way the Corps does it is through "caring and concerned leadership - from the commandant down to the individual Marine."
Although taking care of their fellow Marines isn't a new concept, Boyle said, the establishment of the regiment marks the first time the Marine Corps has given oversight in tracking wounded troops to one command.
He said a single data base and tracking system will help streamline the transition process and help Marines cut through red tape.
The Wounded Warrior Regiment plans to support troops as they navigate through medical evaluation boards and assist in the processing of traumatic life insurance claims, Boyle said. Regiment leaders will provide information on charitable organizations to family members and will ensure accountability in the management of non-medical phases of transition.
Boyle also said the regiment will ensure the continuation of care without discrimination to the type of illness, whether it is physical or behavioral.
Leaders within the command will strive to make the transition seamless for wounded sailors and Marines as they go from Defense Department care to that of the Veterans Affairs Department.
Former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee established similar assistance under the "Marine for Life" program in 2005. Injured Marines and sailors used the nationwide network as a means to transition back to civilian life in their hometowns.
More emphasis was put on the existing program when current Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway made it one of his top priorities March 23 to establish a regiment with battalion headquarters on both the East and West coasts.
The regiment, with headquarters in Quantico, Va., is spending $53 million in new construction for its two battalions -- one on Camp Lejeune, N.C., and one on Camp Pendleton, Calif. Each battalion will have a barracks facility to house outpatient Marines who are recovering before returning to their units or who are transitioning out of the military to civilian life.
The two locations will help eliminate possible seams and cracks for Marines to fall through, Boyle said. Marines will receive the same level of support regardless of their location.
Efforts will first focus on the 370 Marines who are currently on inpatient and outpatient status at military medical centers across the country. After addressing these cases, Boyle said, he plans to widen his efforts.
"My vision is to get in touch with Marines from (Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom) efforts as far back as 2001 on a monthly basis," the colonel said. "The new organization will allow us to give a personal touch to former Marines."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Top Enlisted Soldier at Walter Reed Gets Back to Basics of Soldier Care
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2007 – During the past three weeks, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Althea Green Dixon has done a lot of walking and talking. She's also done a lot of listening. As well as much inspecting, checking, moving and shaking. Sitting in her new office in the command section of the red-bricked Building 1 on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus, Dixon is surrounded by blank walls and bare cabinets. Her office is adorned with only the American and Army flags. All of her "stuff" is still in her old office on Fort Detrick, Md., she said.
But that's OK, because the new top NCO over the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command hasn't spent a lot of time in her office since being handpicked for the job at Walter Reed.
"I believe in management by walking around. Just stop in on people and say, 'Hi.' See how they are doing. Check on things," Dixon said.
"I can get a lot done in this office sitting behind that computer, but I can get a lot more done by walking around and interacting with people and really seeing how things are going out there and hearing from folks directly," she said.
Army Maj. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, the new commander of Walter Reed and the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, chose the 29-year career medical soldier to lead the changes in wounded soldier care at the center and within the command. The center and its previous leadership have been under fire for the past month since media reports of poor outpatient soldier care caught national attention.
Dixon served as Schoomaker's "right hand" on Fort Detrick and Fort Gordon, Ga. She found out March 2 that Schoomaker wanted her to move to Walter Reed with him. The next day, when she was supposed to be packing her bags for a vacation in California, she was instead at the center helping coordinate the packing and moving of soldiers and their belongings out of Building 18. The building was spotlighted in the media for poor living conditions, including moldy walls, faulty plumbing and backed-up maintenance work orders.
"I needed to be here," Dixon said. "Our first priority that weekend was to move our soldiers out of Building 18 and into suitable quarters. And we got that done."
Dixon has taken only one day off since.
A native of Trinidad, Dixon speaks with a pleasant Caribbean accent, soft and sure about the basics of soldier care. Her passion for taking care of troops showed during an interview with American Forces Press Service.
"I hate to talk about the past. I probably shouldn't. But part of the reason that we have this situation that we're in right now is because noncommissioned officers failed to do their jobs," Dixon said.
"They're supposed to check on their soldiers," she added. "They are supposed to know how they are living, what problems they have.
"I'm sorry. I get a little emotional when I talk about that because that's basic stuff and they didn't do it," she said.
For the past three weeks, Dixon has spent countless hours making her rounds across the sprawling 113-acre campus reacquainting the center's NCOs with the basics of soldier care as she sees them.
"I'm about three things: basics, standards and accountability," she said. "Basic things like taking care of soldiers, basic things like checking soldiers' living quarters, basic things like keeping up with your soldiers' whereabouts. If you stick to the basics, you generally end up OK."
Probably the biggest effort she's taken on so far has been making sure all wounded warriors at Walter Reed are housed in "accommodations that are suitable for an American soldier," she said.
Wounded soldiers in outpatient care with families at the center now live in the 280-room Mologne House, which boasts all the amenities of a luxury hotel, as well as Delano Hall and the two popular Fisher Houses.
The 274-room Abrams Hall became the primary facility for unaccompanied soldiers in outpatient care. Each room offers a private bath -- some with tubs -- kitchenette, walk-in closet, a large, flat-screen television mounted on the wall, and a brand new 17-inch iMac computers. Ten of the rooms there are fitted for wheel-chair access. Brightly lit dayrooms sport large-screen televisions and pool, foosball and ping pong tables.
"It's the nicest set of barracks that I've ever seen since I've been in the Army, ... and I've been in a lot of barracks," Dixon said with a laugh as she walked from her office toward Abrams Hall to finish her room inspections.
Abrams Hall is across the street and only a short walk from Dixon's office. The grounds look more like an apartment complex than an Army barracks.
Walking down bright white halls with waxed floors, past the security desk, Dixon lightly quizzed a handful of soldiers on duty about an upcoming town hall meeting.
They told her they knew about it, but not the time or the place.
She kindly set them straight. "Looking forward to seeing you there," Dixon said.
To make room in Abrams hall, some permanent party and student soldiers living there were moved into furnished, two-bedroom apartments off the campus. Each has walk-in closets and private baths. A shuttle is provided for transportation. The Army paid all relocation, utility transfer and hook-up fees, Dixon said.
"We don't want our young soldiers to be subject to any financial liabilities because of decisions that their leadership has made," Dixon said. "I don't think any soldier lost anything in this shuffle."
Both Dixon and her boss have talked regularly to the student soldiers and have received nothing but positive feedback, she said. "I haven't heard any major complaints so far. But we're keeping those lines of communication open. We want to make sure we're doing right by all of our soldiers," she said.
Regular barracks checks help keep her in touch with the soldiers and the NCOs who lead them, Dixon said.
"When a new face comes in they tend to open up a little bit," she said. "When I go over there, ... I try to have a dialogue with them, just to see how they're doing, get an azimuth check on how we're doing and if there are any issues."
Face-to-face communication is a recurring theme in many of the changes that Dixon and Schoomaker have made.
The center now has a weekly orientation for every new soldier-patient and family. On March 21 Schoomaker held his first town hall meeting with the soldier-patients, and more are planned. Schoomaker and Dixon also have held sensing sessions with NCOs and other leaders.
"We are here for the soldier. That's our job. They ought to not feel they are imposing on us if they come to us with an issue. We are here to deal with those issues," Dixon said.
In light of recent changes, Dixon said, morale for wounded soldiers is on an "upswing."
At the same time, Dixon must also focus on the morale of her staff of soldiers. She said that the negative publicity has had an effect on those in uniform serving there. She said she is meeting with staff members to "get their thoughts on how they are doing and what can be done to improve their quality of life," she said.
"Although a lot of the scrutiny has been on the (care of the) patient-soldiers, I want our employees to know that we still care for them," she said. "We are here to take care of them the same as we are here to take care of our patient-soldiers."
Dixon said she is pleased with the changes made already, but acknowledged much work ahead. She said she is receiving support, both from top-level leaders across the Army and DoD, as well as from her NCOs and staff.
The next step is to stand up the Wounded Warrior Transition Brigade, charged with overseeing the health, welfare and morale of patients as they recover. Army combat veterans have been chosen to stand up brigade. Its new top NCO, Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Hartless, has spent time recovering at the center from wounds he suffered while serving in Afghanistan.
About 600 soldiers will make up the three companies in the new brigade. Many officers and NCOs have been given only 30 days notice to report to their new assignments at the center, but haven't complained about the sudden change. There has been "no whining," Dixon said.
"They are just stepping up to the plate," she said.
The three company commanders for the new transition brigade are already on the ground working through issues of furniture, space, personnel restructuring, offices and so forth.
By the end of this month, half of the staff is set to be in place, three-quarters by the end of April, and full staffing for the brigade should be in place by the end of May, Dixon said.
In the meantime, the sergeant major makes no apologies for the standards she sets and said she will continue taking care of soldiers with "high standards with a big heart."
"I can be pretty easy going. But I'm often not, because I have high standards, because I really like people and I really care about people," she said. "Sometimes I have to correct people. I try to be nice about it. Sometimes I'm not so nice about it."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2007 – During the past three weeks, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Althea Green Dixon has done a lot of walking and talking. She's also done a lot of listening. As well as much inspecting, checking, moving and shaking. Sitting in her new office in the command section of the red-bricked Building 1 on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus, Dixon is surrounded by blank walls and bare cabinets. Her office is adorned with only the American and Army flags. All of her "stuff" is still in her old office on Fort Detrick, Md., she said.
But that's OK, because the new top NCO over the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command hasn't spent a lot of time in her office since being handpicked for the job at Walter Reed.
"I believe in management by walking around. Just stop in on people and say, 'Hi.' See how they are doing. Check on things," Dixon said.
"I can get a lot done in this office sitting behind that computer, but I can get a lot more done by walking around and interacting with people and really seeing how things are going out there and hearing from folks directly," she said.
Army Maj. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, the new commander of Walter Reed and the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, chose the 29-year career medical soldier to lead the changes in wounded soldier care at the center and within the command. The center and its previous leadership have been under fire for the past month since media reports of poor outpatient soldier care caught national attention.
Dixon served as Schoomaker's "right hand" on Fort Detrick and Fort Gordon, Ga. She found out March 2 that Schoomaker wanted her to move to Walter Reed with him. The next day, when she was supposed to be packing her bags for a vacation in California, she was instead at the center helping coordinate the packing and moving of soldiers and their belongings out of Building 18. The building was spotlighted in the media for poor living conditions, including moldy walls, faulty plumbing and backed-up maintenance work orders.
"I needed to be here," Dixon said. "Our first priority that weekend was to move our soldiers out of Building 18 and into suitable quarters. And we got that done."
Dixon has taken only one day off since.
A native of Trinidad, Dixon speaks with a pleasant Caribbean accent, soft and sure about the basics of soldier care. Her passion for taking care of troops showed during an interview with American Forces Press Service.
"I hate to talk about the past. I probably shouldn't. But part of the reason that we have this situation that we're in right now is because noncommissioned officers failed to do their jobs," Dixon said.
"They're supposed to check on their soldiers," she added. "They are supposed to know how they are living, what problems they have.
"I'm sorry. I get a little emotional when I talk about that because that's basic stuff and they didn't do it," she said.
For the past three weeks, Dixon has spent countless hours making her rounds across the sprawling 113-acre campus reacquainting the center's NCOs with the basics of soldier care as she sees them.
"I'm about three things: basics, standards and accountability," she said. "Basic things like taking care of soldiers, basic things like checking soldiers' living quarters, basic things like keeping up with your soldiers' whereabouts. If you stick to the basics, you generally end up OK."
Probably the biggest effort she's taken on so far has been making sure all wounded warriors at Walter Reed are housed in "accommodations that are suitable for an American soldier," she said.
Wounded soldiers in outpatient care with families at the center now live in the 280-room Mologne House, which boasts all the amenities of a luxury hotel, as well as Delano Hall and the two popular Fisher Houses.
The 274-room Abrams Hall became the primary facility for unaccompanied soldiers in outpatient care. Each room offers a private bath -- some with tubs -- kitchenette, walk-in closet, a large, flat-screen television mounted on the wall, and a brand new 17-inch iMac computers. Ten of the rooms there are fitted for wheel-chair access. Brightly lit dayrooms sport large-screen televisions and pool, foosball and ping pong tables.
"It's the nicest set of barracks that I've ever seen since I've been in the Army, ... and I've been in a lot of barracks," Dixon said with a laugh as she walked from her office toward Abrams Hall to finish her room inspections.
Abrams Hall is across the street and only a short walk from Dixon's office. The grounds look more like an apartment complex than an Army barracks.
Walking down bright white halls with waxed floors, past the security desk, Dixon lightly quizzed a handful of soldiers on duty about an upcoming town hall meeting.
They told her they knew about it, but not the time or the place.
She kindly set them straight. "Looking forward to seeing you there," Dixon said.
To make room in Abrams hall, some permanent party and student soldiers living there were moved into furnished, two-bedroom apartments off the campus. Each has walk-in closets and private baths. A shuttle is provided for transportation. The Army paid all relocation, utility transfer and hook-up fees, Dixon said.
"We don't want our young soldiers to be subject to any financial liabilities because of decisions that their leadership has made," Dixon said. "I don't think any soldier lost anything in this shuffle."
Both Dixon and her boss have talked regularly to the student soldiers and have received nothing but positive feedback, she said. "I haven't heard any major complaints so far. But we're keeping those lines of communication open. We want to make sure we're doing right by all of our soldiers," she said.
Regular barracks checks help keep her in touch with the soldiers and the NCOs who lead them, Dixon said.
"When a new face comes in they tend to open up a little bit," she said. "When I go over there, ... I try to have a dialogue with them, just to see how they're doing, get an azimuth check on how we're doing and if there are any issues."
Face-to-face communication is a recurring theme in many of the changes that Dixon and Schoomaker have made.
The center now has a weekly orientation for every new soldier-patient and family. On March 21 Schoomaker held his first town hall meeting with the soldier-patients, and more are planned. Schoomaker and Dixon also have held sensing sessions with NCOs and other leaders.
"We are here for the soldier. That's our job. They ought to not feel they are imposing on us if they come to us with an issue. We are here to deal with those issues," Dixon said.
In light of recent changes, Dixon said, morale for wounded soldiers is on an "upswing."
At the same time, Dixon must also focus on the morale of her staff of soldiers. She said that the negative publicity has had an effect on those in uniform serving there. She said she is meeting with staff members to "get their thoughts on how they are doing and what can be done to improve their quality of life," she said.
"Although a lot of the scrutiny has been on the (care of the) patient-soldiers, I want our employees to know that we still care for them," she said. "We are here to take care of them the same as we are here to take care of our patient-soldiers."
Dixon said she is pleased with the changes made already, but acknowledged much work ahead. She said she is receiving support, both from top-level leaders across the Army and DoD, as well as from her NCOs and staff.
The next step is to stand up the Wounded Warrior Transition Brigade, charged with overseeing the health, welfare and morale of patients as they recover. Army combat veterans have been chosen to stand up brigade. Its new top NCO, Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Hartless, has spent time recovering at the center from wounds he suffered while serving in Afghanistan.
About 600 soldiers will make up the three companies in the new brigade. Many officers and NCOs have been given only 30 days notice to report to their new assignments at the center, but haven't complained about the sudden change. There has been "no whining," Dixon said.
"They are just stepping up to the plate," she said.
The three company commanders for the new transition brigade are already on the ground working through issues of furniture, space, personnel restructuring, offices and so forth.
By the end of this month, half of the staff is set to be in place, three-quarters by the end of April, and full staffing for the brigade should be in place by the end of May, Dixon said.
In the meantime, the sergeant major makes no apologies for the standards she sets and said she will continue taking care of soldiers with "high standards with a big heart."
"I can be pretty easy going. But I'm often not, because I have high standards, because I really like people and I really care about people," she said. "Sometimes I have to correct people. I try to be nice about it. Sometimes I'm not so nice about it."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
President Congratulates Navy Midshipmen for Gridiron Glory
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2007 – President Bush today congratulated the U.S. Naval Academy football team for its feats on the gridiron, and thanked members for their service to America. Navy ended the season with a 9-3 record, capped off by a Meineke Car Care Bowl appearance against Boston College. The team led the nation in rushing yards, had the highest graduation rate, and for the fourth straight year, the Midshipmen beat Army and Air Force during its season and earned the Commander in Chief's Trophy.
"It seems to me that this is becoming a spring tradition," the president quipped during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
"I appreciate the fact that your class is the first in school history to win four straight Commander in Chief trophies, the first to go 8 and 0 against Army and Air Force, and the first to play in four straight bowl games," Bush told the Navy gridders. "That's a lot of firsts."
Bush said that when the Midshipmen signed up for the Naval Academy, they signed up for more than playing football. "You signed up to become officers in the finest military the world has ever known," he said.
But the finest military the world has ever known can't exist without men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform, the president said.
"You volunteered after Sept. 11, 2001. That's a remarkable decision you have made," Bush said. "I vowed after Sept. 11, 2001, that I would use the full power of our government to protect the American people from harm. And I meant what I said."
Bush said that therefore, anyone who signed up after the Sept. 11 attacks knew what they were getting into.
"It's a remarkable country when people make such a noble decision to serve their country in a time of war," he said. "And I'm proud to be the commander in chief of such decent, honorable, sacrificing men and women."
Lessons that the Midshipmen have learned on the football field and at the Naval Academy, including the importance of teamwork and leadership and having strong personal character, will serve them well on the battlefield, the president said.
"You're going to put those qualities to the highest possible use, and that is to protect the American people and to lay the foundation of peace for generations to come," he said. "The Navy and Marine Corps are on the front line of fighting and winning the war against the extremists (and) radicals who would do this country harm. Every day we're on the offense against an enemy."
The president said he would rather defeat enemy combatants "over there" so that U.S. servicemembers do not have to face them here. "And the Marine Corps and the Navy are helping to lead that charge," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2007 – President Bush today congratulated the U.S. Naval Academy football team for its feats on the gridiron, and thanked members for their service to America. Navy ended the season with a 9-3 record, capped off by a Meineke Car Care Bowl appearance against Boston College. The team led the nation in rushing yards, had the highest graduation rate, and for the fourth straight year, the Midshipmen beat Army and Air Force during its season and earned the Commander in Chief's Trophy.
"It seems to me that this is becoming a spring tradition," the president quipped during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
"I appreciate the fact that your class is the first in school history to win four straight Commander in Chief trophies, the first to go 8 and 0 against Army and Air Force, and the first to play in four straight bowl games," Bush told the Navy gridders. "That's a lot of firsts."
Bush said that when the Midshipmen signed up for the Naval Academy, they signed up for more than playing football. "You signed up to become officers in the finest military the world has ever known," he said.
But the finest military the world has ever known can't exist without men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform, the president said.
"You volunteered after Sept. 11, 2001. That's a remarkable decision you have made," Bush said. "I vowed after Sept. 11, 2001, that I would use the full power of our government to protect the American people from harm. And I meant what I said."
Bush said that therefore, anyone who signed up after the Sept. 11 attacks knew what they were getting into.
"It's a remarkable country when people make such a noble decision to serve their country in a time of war," he said. "And I'm proud to be the commander in chief of such decent, honorable, sacrificing men and women."
Lessons that the Midshipmen have learned on the football field and at the Naval Academy, including the importance of teamwork and leadership and having strong personal character, will serve them well on the battlefield, the president said.
"You're going to put those qualities to the highest possible use, and that is to protect the American people and to lay the foundation of peace for generations to come," he said. "The Navy and Marine Corps are on the front line of fighting and winning the war against the extremists (and) radicals who would do this country harm. Every day we're on the offense against an enemy."
The president said he would rather defeat enemy combatants "over there" so that U.S. servicemembers do not have to face them here. "And the Marine Corps and the Navy are helping to lead that charge," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Heroes in the Global War on Terror
The Department of Defense Office of Public Affairs has recently updated its "Heroes in the Global War on Terror" website, which includes profiles of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have received medals of distinction for their bravery and contributions to fighting the Global War on Terror.
Some of the heroes include Maj. Kim Campbell, aka "Killer Chick," who flew her bullet-riddled Warthog 300 miles back to base after a close engagement with Iraqi Republican Guard soldiers; 1st Lt. Elliott Ackerman, who led his Marines through a series of ambushes and attacks during the battle of Fallujah; and Staff Sgt. Jo Turner and Spc. Cheryl Ivanov, combat medics who, through their skills, eventually earned respect from the Afghan soldiers they served with.
You can find all of our heroes at: http://www.defenselink.mil/home/dodupdate/heroes/index.html.
Some of the heroes include Maj. Kim Campbell, aka "Killer Chick," who flew her bullet-riddled Warthog 300 miles back to base after a close engagement with Iraqi Republican Guard soldiers; 1st Lt. Elliott Ackerman, who led his Marines through a series of ambushes and attacks during the battle of Fallujah; and Staff Sgt. Jo Turner and Spc. Cheryl Ivanov, combat medics who, through their skills, eventually earned respect from the Afghan soldiers they served with.
You can find all of our heroes at: http://www.defenselink.mil/home/dodupdate/heroes/index.html.
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