By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – Jordan's King Abdallah today pledged his country's continued support to Iraq's fledgling democracy, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. In what he called a "really excellent visit," Gates today had wide-ranging discussions with King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country's defense chairman.
"His Majesty affirmed Jordan's support for (Iraqi) Prime Minister (Nouri al-) Maliki, and we talked about efforts that others could take to contribute to the reconciliation process in Iraq itself," the secretary said following a meeting with the king.
Jordan is a long-time U.S. ally in the Middle East. "This is a relationship that goes back a long way," Gates said, noting that the first time he visited Jordan was 20 years ago at the invitation of Abdallah's father, King Hussein, who died in 1999.
The secretary pointed out that the U.S. and Jordanian armed forces have strong military-to-military ties. "There are frequent exchanges, exercises and visits between the military officers of both sides," Gates said.
Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national police officers at the Joint International Police Training Center in Jordan.
"I thanked both His Majesty and the chairman for all of the things Jordan has done to help us, a great deal of training of Iraqi security forces, both police and army," Gates said.
Other topics discussed included Syria and its involvement in the Mid-East peace process and Iran. Gates said he reaffirmed President Bush's commitment to the Middle East peace process.
He added that he and Abdallah "agreed that diplomatic and economic pressures were the most profitable way to try and get the Iranians to change their behavior."
After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates is encouraging regional leaders to bring Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, a senior official said as Gates was en route to the region.
"I think that there is not yet confidence in the region that Iraq's government represents all Iraqis," Gates said today. "My own view is that (the Iraqi government is) working hard in that direction. ... And I think the more encouragement the neighbors can provide, the more support for the Iraqi government and with it encouragement of a broad-based government approach to governance, I think would be a positive contribution."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
12 Detained in Iraq, Coalition Forces Seize Truck Loaded With Explosives
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces captured 12 suspects and seized a dump truck transporting explosive materials during raids across Iraq the past two days. Also, an investigation into an operation yesterday revealed no Iraq police were killed or injured, as original reports indicated. In Baghdad, two individuals were detained for allegedly providing and transporting car bomb materials for a network operating in the area. In Karmah, a village northeast of Fallujah, coalition forces detained six men with suspected ties to al Qaeda.
"These captures are another step in disrupting the terrorist networks operating in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.
A preliminary investigation into a coalition forces raid yesterday in Ramadi revealed that three individuals killed and one wounded were not Iraqi policemen, as originally reported.
Actual Iraqi police operating in the area were notified by coalition forces while they were planning the raid. Iraqi police in the area were again notified immediately before coalition forces entered the target area, military officials said.
In the course of the operation, ground forces began receiving intense small-arms fire from armed men in two separate buildings. Using appropriate self-defense measures, coalition forces returned fire.
The wounded individual identified the group as Iraqi police, and the individuals used a vehicle that resembled local Iraqi police vehicles. But the investigation later revealed the armed individuals were dressed in dishdashas, which is traditional male Arabic garb, and not in Iraqi police uniforms.
Later in the operation, coalition forces cleared another targeted building and detained seven suspected terrorists with alleged ties to al Qaeda in Iraq.
During several early morning raids in the Iraqi capital yesterday, Iraqi special operations forces detained a target suspected of leading a rogue criminal cell operating in northeast Baghdad. Iraqi special operations forces, with coalition advisors, raided several buildings in Sadr City where they captured the terrorist leader, military officials reported.
As they left their second objective area, combined forces received enemy fire. Iraqi forces returned fire, immediately suppressing the enemy. Two other suspects were detained by Iraqiforces during this operation.
Combined forces primarily targeted a suspect with alleged links to a criminal network called "Abu Dura." He is responsible for leading a kidnapping cell, conducting attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces, killing many innocent Iraqi civilians and launching rockets into parts of Baghdad, military officials said.
In Mushada yesterday, a dump truck overturned while attempting to deliver its payload of explosives and nitric acid.
A coalition patrol approached the driver of the overturned dump truck and offered assistance and found the vehicle loaded with nitric acid containers and explosives. The driver was taken into custody and confessed that he was paid to attack the Joint Security Station in Mushada, which also houses the town's Iraqi police station.
An explosive ordnance team was called to analyze and dispose of the truck's contents. The team discovered eight containers of nitric acid, eight directional fragmentation explosives devices and two large ordnance rounds.
The explosives and munitions discovered will be disposed of once they are carefully removed from the site, and the driver is being held for further questioning.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
April 17, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces captured 12 suspects and seized a dump truck transporting explosive materials during raids across Iraq the past two days. Also, an investigation into an operation yesterday revealed no Iraq police were killed or injured, as original reports indicated. In Baghdad, two individuals were detained for allegedly providing and transporting car bomb materials for a network operating in the area. In Karmah, a village northeast of Fallujah, coalition forces detained six men with suspected ties to al Qaeda.
"These captures are another step in disrupting the terrorist networks operating in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.
A preliminary investigation into a coalition forces raid yesterday in Ramadi revealed that three individuals killed and one wounded were not Iraqi policemen, as originally reported.
Actual Iraqi police operating in the area were notified by coalition forces while they were planning the raid. Iraqi police in the area were again notified immediately before coalition forces entered the target area, military officials said.
In the course of the operation, ground forces began receiving intense small-arms fire from armed men in two separate buildings. Using appropriate self-defense measures, coalition forces returned fire.
The wounded individual identified the group as Iraqi police, and the individuals used a vehicle that resembled local Iraqi police vehicles. But the investigation later revealed the armed individuals were dressed in dishdashas, which is traditional male Arabic garb, and not in Iraqi police uniforms.
Later in the operation, coalition forces cleared another targeted building and detained seven suspected terrorists with alleged ties to al Qaeda in Iraq.
During several early morning raids in the Iraqi capital yesterday, Iraqi special operations forces detained a target suspected of leading a rogue criminal cell operating in northeast Baghdad. Iraqi special operations forces, with coalition advisors, raided several buildings in Sadr City where they captured the terrorist leader, military officials reported.
As they left their second objective area, combined forces received enemy fire. Iraqi forces returned fire, immediately suppressing the enemy. Two other suspects were detained by Iraqiforces during this operation.
Combined forces primarily targeted a suspect with alleged links to a criminal network called "Abu Dura." He is responsible for leading a kidnapping cell, conducting attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces, killing many innocent Iraqi civilians and launching rockets into parts of Baghdad, military officials said.
In Mushada yesterday, a dump truck overturned while attempting to deliver its payload of explosives and nitric acid.
A coalition patrol approached the driver of the overturned dump truck and offered assistance and found the vehicle loaded with nitric acid containers and explosives. The driver was taken into custody and confessed that he was paid to attack the Joint Security Station in Mushada, which also houses the town's Iraqi police station.
An explosive ordnance team was called to analyze and dispose of the truck's contents. The team discovered eight containers of nitric acid, eight directional fragmentation explosives devices and two large ordnance rounds.
The explosives and munitions discovered will be disposed of once they are carefully removed from the site, and the driver is being held for further questioning.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Education Key in Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – To prevent "Shaken Baby Syndrome," which can seriously harm or kill infants, mothers who deliver their babies at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., receive a series of mandatory briefings, a 15-year Navy nurse who works at the center said. "Every mother who delivers here will get educated on Shaken Baby Syndrome," Lt. Cmdr. Maile Kalinowski, who specializes in mother and infant care at the center, said during an April 10 interview with American Forces Press Service.
Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur when frustrated parents, especially fathers, negatively react to their baby's cries by shaking it. Each year between 10 to 20 infant deaths across the military are attributed to Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to Defense Department documents.
The mandatory briefings are provided to mothers before the birth of their baby, soon afterward, and later on during outpatient checkups, Kalinowski, a mother of three children, said.
"We call it an immunization, because we try to give (the briefings) at three different times," Kalinowski said. Probably one of the most effective briefings, she said, is provided to mothers around two months after their baby is born.
"Most incidents of Shaken Baby Syndrome happen between four-to-six months of age," Kalinowski said. "So, they've already experienced some of the irritating crying that goes on," which usually is what causes people to shake their baby.
"So they, hopefully, will listen up a little bit more on what they can do to prevent them (from) shaking their baby."
About 70 percent of shaken-baby cases are committed by fathers or other males, Kalinowski said, noting the majority of those incidents involve stepfathers, boyfriends or caregivers. Therefore, she said, it's preferable that mothers and their husbands or significant others attend Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention classes together.
"We have them view a 10-minute video together," Kalinowski explained. The video has a powerful impact, she said, noting it is based on three actual shaken-baby cases and includes interviews with the families involved.
"It is devastating to watch and it really gets their attention," Kalinowski said of viewers' reactions.
Also, servicemembers returning home after deployments are to receive Shaken Baby Syndrome information as part of their debriefing process, Kalinowski said.
All babies cry, Kalinowski said, noting that it's the only way they know how to communicate their discomfort, loneliness, hunger or diaper situation.
Babies at high risk for becoming victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome cry a lot, she said. This group includes prematurely-born babies and babies that don't feed well. Multiple-birth babies, she added, also ratchet up the volume when they communicate.
"These parents are under more stress, are getting less sleep and might act in an abnormal manner during those (crying) situations," Kalinowski said. Parents who are getting stressed or irritated by their baby's crying should place the baby in a safe place, like its crib, and take a time out, she said.
Or, "play some music, take your baby for a walk, take the baby for a ride in the car seat," Kalinowski suggested.
Shaking babies is dangerous to them, primarily because their brains are in the early stages of development, Kalinowski explained. Injuries can range from death to serious head trauma - meaning skull fractures, blindness, learning disabilities and stunted growth.
Whether it's done deliberately or accidentally, people who shake babies are committing child abuse and could go to jail, Kalinowski pointed out.
"Thirty-percent of these babies who get shaken will die," Kalinowski said. Another 30 percent, she added, suffer brain damage and develop other long-term disabilities. She said the other 30 percent or so develop no adverse symptoms at all.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is preventable, Kalinowski said.
"It's never ok to shake a baby," she emphasized.
This year, DoD is partnering with the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, headquartered in Ogden, Utah, to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. National Shaken Baby Prevention Week is being held this week, in conjunction with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is observed each April.
Military parents cancall a 24-hour, counseling line at 1-800-342-9647 to surface their questions about Shaken Baby Syndrome and other issues.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – To prevent "Shaken Baby Syndrome," which can seriously harm or kill infants, mothers who deliver their babies at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., receive a series of mandatory briefings, a 15-year Navy nurse who works at the center said. "Every mother who delivers here will get educated on Shaken Baby Syndrome," Lt. Cmdr. Maile Kalinowski, who specializes in mother and infant care at the center, said during an April 10 interview with American Forces Press Service.
Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur when frustrated parents, especially fathers, negatively react to their baby's cries by shaking it. Each year between 10 to 20 infant deaths across the military are attributed to Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to Defense Department documents.
The mandatory briefings are provided to mothers before the birth of their baby, soon afterward, and later on during outpatient checkups, Kalinowski, a mother of three children, said.
"We call it an immunization, because we try to give (the briefings) at three different times," Kalinowski said. Probably one of the most effective briefings, she said, is provided to mothers around two months after their baby is born.
"Most incidents of Shaken Baby Syndrome happen between four-to-six months of age," Kalinowski said. "So, they've already experienced some of the irritating crying that goes on," which usually is what causes people to shake their baby.
"So they, hopefully, will listen up a little bit more on what they can do to prevent them (from) shaking their baby."
About 70 percent of shaken-baby cases are committed by fathers or other males, Kalinowski said, noting the majority of those incidents involve stepfathers, boyfriends or caregivers. Therefore, she said, it's preferable that mothers and their husbands or significant others attend Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention classes together.
"We have them view a 10-minute video together," Kalinowski explained. The video has a powerful impact, she said, noting it is based on three actual shaken-baby cases and includes interviews with the families involved.
"It is devastating to watch and it really gets their attention," Kalinowski said of viewers' reactions.
Also, servicemembers returning home after deployments are to receive Shaken Baby Syndrome information as part of their debriefing process, Kalinowski said.
All babies cry, Kalinowski said, noting that it's the only way they know how to communicate their discomfort, loneliness, hunger or diaper situation.
Babies at high risk for becoming victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome cry a lot, she said. This group includes prematurely-born babies and babies that don't feed well. Multiple-birth babies, she added, also ratchet up the volume when they communicate.
"These parents are under more stress, are getting less sleep and might act in an abnormal manner during those (crying) situations," Kalinowski said. Parents who are getting stressed or irritated by their baby's crying should place the baby in a safe place, like its crib, and take a time out, she said.
Or, "play some music, take your baby for a walk, take the baby for a ride in the car seat," Kalinowski suggested.
Shaking babies is dangerous to them, primarily because their brains are in the early stages of development, Kalinowski explained. Injuries can range from death to serious head trauma - meaning skull fractures, blindness, learning disabilities and stunted growth.
Whether it's done deliberately or accidentally, people who shake babies are committing child abuse and could go to jail, Kalinowski pointed out.
"Thirty-percent of these babies who get shaken will die," Kalinowski said. Another 30 percent, she added, suffer brain damage and develop other long-term disabilities. She said the other 30 percent or so develop no adverse symptoms at all.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is preventable, Kalinowski said.
"It's never ok to shake a baby," she emphasized.
This year, DoD is partnering with the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, headquartered in Ogden, Utah, to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. National Shaken Baby Prevention Week is being held this week, in conjunction with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is observed each April.
Military parents cancall a 24-hour, counseling line at 1-800-342-9647 to surface their questions about Shaken Baby Syndrome and other issues.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Military Runners Conquer Boston Marathon Far From Home
By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – While thousands of runners braved the remnants of a late spring storm to run the Boston Marathon, servicemembers deployed overseas, and one in space, joined in to participate in the prestigious race. So-called "satellite" races are nothing new to servicemembers deployed overseas. These running events, which are held on forward operating bases, are designed to coincide with massive stateside races like the Marine Corps Marathon and the Army Ten Miler.
For the third year in a row, servicemembers at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, marked off a 26.2 mile course and lined up to participate as official entrants in the Boston Marathon, which was held April 16, Patriot's Day in Massachusetts. Race officials waived stringent qualifying times for servicemembers racing in Iraq.
Runners in Boston were pummeled with rain, wind and much colder-than-average temperatures, resulting in much slower winning times for elite athletes. Conditions were also strange for runners in Iraq.
"The morning of the race was not what you would consider weather perfect," said Army Capt. Andrew Heymann, who organized this year's Boston Marathon in Iraq. "Although in light of what was going on in Boston, I'll take it."
Runners at Tallil started their voyage at 5 a.m. local time to avoid temperatures that typically soar to 100-plus this time of year. But like their counterparts in Boston, Iraq participants had to endure nature's fury.
"The morning had 20 mph gusts, which kicked a lot of dust into the air," Heymann said. "Add to that a rain which fell sideways and a lightning storm."
Army 1st Lt. Elias Gonzales, who is deployed to Iraq with the Florida National Guard, won the Tallil event in 2:35:50, a time that would have easily qualified him for the actual Boston Marathon. Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Yurczk, a Minnesota National Guard member, was the first woman in the Tallil event with a swift 3:34:39, also well under the official Boston qualifying mark. Both were crowned with olive wreaths, as is the famous tradition for winners at Boston.
Seventy-eight other servicemembers followed a course that took runners outside the base and past one of Iraq's best preserved historical features, a 50-foot tall Sumerian ziggurat, which is a massive, stepped pyramid, part of an ancient temple complex built in 2100 B.C. Runners took a final long lap around the base perimeter to the finish line. Although Tallil runners were not required to meet Boston's rigorous qualifying times, they were offered official bib numbers, finisher's medals, participant T-shirts and other goodies supplied by the Boston Athletic Association, which has organized the storied New England marathon since its inception in 1897.
Last year's winner of the Iraq race, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matt Simms, who has since rotated home to Washington, ran the actual Boston course this year in 2:44:23, a time that placed him 186th overall in the 111th edition of America's oldest continuously run marathon.
For the first time, coalition forces in Kosovo ran their first "satellite" Boston Marathon.
"The course was four laps, plus a small add-on loop of hilly terrain around Camp Bondsteel," said Army Staff. Sgt. Richard Fortuna, one of the inaugural event's organizers. "The race went on time and as planned. We had a great day. The day started with the national anthem , and then a flyover by two Apache attack helicopters."
Meanwhile, Navy Cmdr. Sunita "Sunni" Williams ran her own "satellite" Boston Marathon aboard an actual satellite. Williams had qualified to run at Boston with a 3:29:57 finish at January's Houston Marathon. She planned to run it with her sister, Dina Pandya, and colleague, Karen Nyberg. But Williams is a NASA astronaut, and she realized she would be working inside the International Space Station on race day. So she decided to attempt something no other astronaut had done before: complete the 26.2 mile run while orbiting the earth.
Williams was strapped to a specially designed treadmill with bungee cords, an uncomfortable process that puts strain on a runner's hips and shoulders. NASA said Williams' treadmill speed registered as fast as eight miles per hour during her "satellite" Boston race, but in actuality, she was traveling more than five miles per second as the space station completed two laps around Earth during the marathon.
Williams, who is a native of Needham, Mass., wore Boston Red Sox socks for her race in space. She finished the arduous journey in 4:23:10, well off her times on terra firma.
Williams told her NASA colleagues the motivation for running this historic marathon was simple.
"I would like to encourage kids to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives," she said. "I thought a big goal like a marathon would help get this message out there."
Boston Marathon organizers told NASA they have a different take on this historic achievement. "Suni running 26.2 miles in space on Patriots' Day is really a tribute to the thousands of marathoners who are running here on Earth," said Jack Fleming, a Boston Athletic Association spokesman. "She is pioneering new frontiers in the running world."
(David Mays works for the Pentagon Channel.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – While thousands of runners braved the remnants of a late spring storm to run the Boston Marathon, servicemembers deployed overseas, and one in space, joined in to participate in the prestigious race. So-called "satellite" races are nothing new to servicemembers deployed overseas. These running events, which are held on forward operating bases, are designed to coincide with massive stateside races like the Marine Corps Marathon and the Army Ten Miler.
For the third year in a row, servicemembers at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, marked off a 26.2 mile course and lined up to participate as official entrants in the Boston Marathon, which was held April 16, Patriot's Day in Massachusetts. Race officials waived stringent qualifying times for servicemembers racing in Iraq.
Runners in Boston were pummeled with rain, wind and much colder-than-average temperatures, resulting in much slower winning times for elite athletes. Conditions were also strange for runners in Iraq.
"The morning of the race was not what you would consider weather perfect," said Army Capt. Andrew Heymann, who organized this year's Boston Marathon in Iraq. "Although in light of what was going on in Boston, I'll take it."
Runners at Tallil started their voyage at 5 a.m. local time to avoid temperatures that typically soar to 100-plus this time of year. But like their counterparts in Boston, Iraq participants had to endure nature's fury.
"The morning had 20 mph gusts, which kicked a lot of dust into the air," Heymann said. "Add to that a rain which fell sideways and a lightning storm."
Army 1st Lt. Elias Gonzales, who is deployed to Iraq with the Florida National Guard, won the Tallil event in 2:35:50, a time that would have easily qualified him for the actual Boston Marathon. Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Yurczk, a Minnesota National Guard member, was the first woman in the Tallil event with a swift 3:34:39, also well under the official Boston qualifying mark. Both were crowned with olive wreaths, as is the famous tradition for winners at Boston.
Seventy-eight other servicemembers followed a course that took runners outside the base and past one of Iraq's best preserved historical features, a 50-foot tall Sumerian ziggurat, which is a massive, stepped pyramid, part of an ancient temple complex built in 2100 B.C. Runners took a final long lap around the base perimeter to the finish line. Although Tallil runners were not required to meet Boston's rigorous qualifying times, they were offered official bib numbers, finisher's medals, participant T-shirts and other goodies supplied by the Boston Athletic Association, which has organized the storied New England marathon since its inception in 1897.
Last year's winner of the Iraq race, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matt Simms, who has since rotated home to Washington, ran the actual Boston course this year in 2:44:23, a time that placed him 186th overall in the 111th edition of America's oldest continuously run marathon.
For the first time, coalition forces in Kosovo ran their first "satellite" Boston Marathon.
"The course was four laps, plus a small add-on loop of hilly terrain around Camp Bondsteel," said Army Staff. Sgt. Richard Fortuna, one of the inaugural event's organizers. "The race went on time and as planned. We had a great day. The day started with the national anthem , and then a flyover by two Apache attack helicopters."
Meanwhile, Navy Cmdr. Sunita "Sunni" Williams ran her own "satellite" Boston Marathon aboard an actual satellite. Williams had qualified to run at Boston with a 3:29:57 finish at January's Houston Marathon. She planned to run it with her sister, Dina Pandya, and colleague, Karen Nyberg. But Williams is a NASA astronaut, and she realized she would be working inside the International Space Station on race day. So she decided to attempt something no other astronaut had done before: complete the 26.2 mile run while orbiting the earth.
Williams was strapped to a specially designed treadmill with bungee cords, an uncomfortable process that puts strain on a runner's hips and shoulders. NASA said Williams' treadmill speed registered as fast as eight miles per hour during her "satellite" Boston race, but in actuality, she was traveling more than five miles per second as the space station completed two laps around Earth during the marathon.
Williams, who is a native of Needham, Mass., wore Boston Red Sox socks for her race in space. She finished the arduous journey in 4:23:10, well off her times on terra firma.
Williams told her NASA colleagues the motivation for running this historic marathon was simple.
"I would like to encourage kids to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives," she said. "I thought a big goal like a marathon would help get this message out there."
Boston Marathon organizers told NASA they have a different take on this historic achievement. "Suni running 26.2 miles in space on Patriots' Day is really a tribute to the thousands of marathoners who are running here on Earth," said Jack Fleming, a Boston Athletic Association spokesman. "She is pioneering new frontiers in the running world."
(David Mays works for the Pentagon Channel.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Policy Change Boosts G.I. Bill Eligibility for Some Guard, Reserve Members
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – A recent Defense Department policy change widens the eligibility window for some Reserve-component troops who want to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits, a senior DoD official said here today. The DoD policy now aligns with Department of Veterans Affairs rules, which say National Guard members and reservists are eligible to receive Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits for the period covering the amount of time they served on active duty, plus four months, said Tom Bush, principal director for manpower and personnel within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
After studying the matter over the past few months, DoD agreed to align its policy with the VA's, Bush said during a joint Pentagon Channel/American Forces Press Service interview. DoD's previous policy, he said, only recognized the amount of active-duty time as applied to the G.I. Bill coverage period for reserve component members but still required the member to continue to serve in the Selected Reserve.
"The change, from the DoD perspective, is that the benefit now can be used by somebody that leaves the selected reserve for the amount of time that they've served on active duty, plus four months," Bush said. Guard and reserve members who attend regular drill training and meetings are considered part of the selected reserve.
The total amount of G.I. Bill coverage for reservists is still 36 months, Bush said. "So, if you've used part of that (G.I. Bill benefit) it may eat into that 36 months," he noted.
Bush said reservists normally have 14 years to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits. However, that time might also be extended, he noted, by the amount of time Guard or Reserve members serve on active duty, plus four months.
Senior Guard and Reserve officials, as well as demobilization sites, have been alerted to the policy change, Bush said.
About 370,000 Guard and Reserve members on drill or active-duty status have signed up to use Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Bush said.
The Reserve Education Assistance Program, established by the 2005 National Defense Authorization Act, is another DoD education initiative for members of the Guard and Reserve, Bush noted. To be eligible, servicemembers must have served at least 90 consecutive days of active service after Sept. 11, 2001, in response to a Presidential or Congressional call-up of military forces for wartime or other emergency service.
Guard and Reserve members who served for two continuous years on active duty in support of a contingency operation would qualify for both the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP and could select which program they want to use, Bush noted.
Servicemembers can determine if they qualify for the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP by contacting their local education office.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – A recent Defense Department policy change widens the eligibility window for some Reserve-component troops who want to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits, a senior DoD official said here today. The DoD policy now aligns with Department of Veterans Affairs rules, which say National Guard members and reservists are eligible to receive Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits for the period covering the amount of time they served on active duty, plus four months, said Tom Bush, principal director for manpower and personnel within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
After studying the matter over the past few months, DoD agreed to align its policy with the VA's, Bush said during a joint Pentagon Channel/American Forces Press Service interview. DoD's previous policy, he said, only recognized the amount of active-duty time as applied to the G.I. Bill coverage period for reserve component members but still required the member to continue to serve in the Selected Reserve.
"The change, from the DoD perspective, is that the benefit now can be used by somebody that leaves the selected reserve for the amount of time that they've served on active duty, plus four months," Bush said. Guard and reserve members who attend regular drill training and meetings are considered part of the selected reserve.
The total amount of G.I. Bill coverage for reservists is still 36 months, Bush said. "So, if you've used part of that (G.I. Bill benefit) it may eat into that 36 months," he noted.
Bush said reservists normally have 14 years to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits. However, that time might also be extended, he noted, by the amount of time Guard or Reserve members serve on active duty, plus four months.
Senior Guard and Reserve officials, as well as demobilization sites, have been alerted to the policy change, Bush said.
About 370,000 Guard and Reserve members on drill or active-duty status have signed up to use Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Bush said.
The Reserve Education Assistance Program, established by the 2005 National Defense Authorization Act, is another DoD education initiative for members of the Guard and Reserve, Bush noted. To be eligible, servicemembers must have served at least 90 consecutive days of active service after Sept. 11, 2001, in response to a Presidential or Congressional call-up of military forces for wartime or other emergency service.
Guard and Reserve members who served for two continuous years on active duty in support of a contingency operation would qualify for both the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP and could select which program they want to use, Bush noted.
Servicemembers can determine if they qualify for the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP by contacting their local education office.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Group Provides Stars for Stripes
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Stars for Stripes knows troops deployed to remote locations don't have the luxury of heading out to their favorite venue to take in a concert, so it takes the concerts to them. "Stars for Stripes' mission is to take celebrity - with the emphasis on celebrity - entertainment to remote areas," Judy Seale, the organization's founder, said. "That's why I focus more on Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea, because those seem to have the most remote locations."
Stars for Stripes is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Seale started providing entertainment to troops deployed overseas after a 1991 New Year's Eve show in Iceland with United Services Organization, Seal said.
"It takes such a little bit of effort on our part to go say, 'Thank you,'" she said. "So I never stopped."
Since its official beginning in 2003, Stars for Stripes has conducted at least 23 tours to remote and isolated military bases. And Seale said she gets the same response from the troops every time.
"They thank us too much," she said. "It's embarrassing, because we're there to thank them."
The troops say Seale and her tours don't have to be there, but she disagrees.
"They believe in what they're doing (and say) we didn't have to come over there," she said. "My response is, 'Yes we did. As long as you're here we do have to come over here because you need to be told that America supports you and we thank you.'"
As for the entertainers, which have included Chely Wright, Craig Morgan, Trick Pony and many others, Seale said participating in one of Stars for Stripes' tours has a positive impact on their lives. It's something she said can't be explained before the trips.
When it comes to finding personalities to make up a tour, Seale often draws on her America Supports You membership.
"It's connections when I need somebody," she said. "And not a day goes by that I don't refer somebody to (The America Supports You) Web site because I get so many e-mails from people who obviously read my Web site but don't understand what I'm doing."
When they ask her about sending a care package or whether her organization can help get items to a particular overseas military installation, she has a simple response: "Go to (America Supports You)."
But when she can help, she requests the name of the installation and works to take a show there, she said.
"If there's no security concerns ... then we get to go there and I give the person a hug and I take a picture with them and I e-mail it back to them," Seale said. "I've done that probably more than a dozen times."
These trips to out-of-the-way installations have helped nurture a partnership with another America Supports You member, SemperComm, a non-profit group that provides remote military bases with free communications and entertainment equipment, software and services.
"Through my partnership with SemperComm, they look at my ... journals. T hey look at those and go, 'Oh, there's a base we could adopt and get communications equipment in the field,'" Seale said.
Sometimes SemperComm finds a camp that rarely gets any entertainment and lets Seale know so she can try to organize a tour at that installation, she said.
The nation's commitments are many, and that load is shouldered by a proud and selfless few, Seale wrote on her Web site.
"We cannot repay their sacrifices or truly compensate them for their dedication," she wrote. "We can, however, honor them with a glimpse of life back home, with entertainment and with our mere presence, if only for a short while."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Stars for Stripes knows troops deployed to remote locations don't have the luxury of heading out to their favorite venue to take in a concert, so it takes the concerts to them. "Stars for Stripes' mission is to take celebrity - with the emphasis on celebrity - entertainment to remote areas," Judy Seale, the organization's founder, said. "That's why I focus more on Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea, because those seem to have the most remote locations."
Stars for Stripes is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Seale started providing entertainment to troops deployed overseas after a 1991 New Year's Eve show in Iceland with United Services Organization, Seal said.
"It takes such a little bit of effort on our part to go say, 'Thank you,'" she said. "So I never stopped."
Since its official beginning in 2003, Stars for Stripes has conducted at least 23 tours to remote and isolated military bases. And Seale said she gets the same response from the troops every time.
"They thank us too much," she said. "It's embarrassing, because we're there to thank them."
The troops say Seale and her tours don't have to be there, but she disagrees.
"They believe in what they're doing (and say) we didn't have to come over there," she said. "My response is, 'Yes we did. As long as you're here we do have to come over here because you need to be told that America supports you and we thank you.'"
As for the entertainers, which have included Chely Wright, Craig Morgan, Trick Pony and many others, Seale said participating in one of Stars for Stripes' tours has a positive impact on their lives. It's something she said can't be explained before the trips.
When it comes to finding personalities to make up a tour, Seale often draws on her America Supports You membership.
"It's connections when I need somebody," she said. "And not a day goes by that I don't refer somebody to (The America Supports You) Web site because I get so many e-mails from people who obviously read my Web site but don't understand what I'm doing."
When they ask her about sending a care package or whether her organization can help get items to a particular overseas military installation, she has a simple response: "Go to (America Supports You)."
But when she can help, she requests the name of the installation and works to take a show there, she said.
"If there's no security concerns ... then we get to go there and I give the person a hug and I take a picture with them and I e-mail it back to them," Seale said. "I've done that probably more than a dozen times."
These trips to out-of-the-way installations have helped nurture a partnership with another America Supports You member, SemperComm, a non-profit group that provides remote military bases with free communications and entertainment equipment, software and services.
"Through my partnership with SemperComm, they look at my ... journals. T hey look at those and go, 'Oh, there's a base we could adopt and get communications equipment in the field,'" Seale said.
Sometimes SemperComm finds a camp that rarely gets any entertainment and lets Seale know so she can try to organize a tour at that installation, she said.
The nation's commitments are many, and that load is shouldered by a proud and selfless few, Seale wrote on her Web site.
"We cannot repay their sacrifices or truly compensate them for their dedication," she wrote. "We can, however, honor them with a glimpse of life back home, with entertainment and with our mere presence, if only for a short while."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Department Shares Medical Record-Keeping Expertise With Tampa Hospitals
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The Defense Department will soon partner with private-sector hospitals in the Tampa, Fla., area to share electronic medical record-keeping expertise and technology. The pilot program is part of President Bush's initiative for the U.S. medical community to adopt computerized records within a decade, Stephen L. Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said during a joint Pentagon Channel-American Forces Press Service interview April 13.
The partnership will also enable DoD to gain expertise using electronic medical records for its inpatient customers, Jones added, noting that the program should be up and running within a year.
The Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application system houses the clinical data for DoD's medical outpatients and can be accessed at 136 military treatment facilities, Jones said.
"The next big step is to develop an (electronic) inpatient record," Jones said. DoD is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said, to establish an inpatient electronic medical record system that can be accessed by both organizations.
DoD's expertise with the AHLTA system will be shared with the Florida hospitals, Jones explained. These hospitals, in turn, will share their experiences using electronic record-keeping for inpatients.
Passwords, encryption and other computer-security tools will be employed to safeguard the personal medical information, Jones said.
The Defense Department already partners with the private-sector medical community, Jones pointed out, as many DoD beneficiaries obtain their medical care from commercial-sourced providers as part of the TRICARE program, the military's health maintenance organization system.
The Tampa area is considered ideal for the pilot program, Jones said, since there are about 700,000 beneficiaries who live full- or part-time in the area and access their care through military-run medical treatment facilities or TRICARE-contracted civilian clinics.
Speed and accuracy are two immediate advantages inherent in using electronic medical records over the old paper-based system, Jones said. Computerization enables medical records to be quickly transmitted anywhere in the world, he noted, and the indecipherable scrawls used by some doctors and pharmacists become moot.
Although servicemembers, their families and other beneficiaries will benefit through expanded use of electronic medical records, Jones pointed out that such a system is just one of many components required to provide quality, up-to-date medical care.
"I think electronic records are the way of the future," Jones said. "But, we still have to have well-qualified, well-trained professionals providing care."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The Defense Department will soon partner with private-sector hospitals in the Tampa, Fla., area to share electronic medical record-keeping expertise and technology. The pilot program is part of President Bush's initiative for the U.S. medical community to adopt computerized records within a decade, Stephen L. Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said during a joint Pentagon Channel-American Forces Press Service interview April 13.
The partnership will also enable DoD to gain expertise using electronic medical records for its inpatient customers, Jones added, noting that the program should be up and running within a year.
The Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application system houses the clinical data for DoD's medical outpatients and can be accessed at 136 military treatment facilities, Jones said.
"The next big step is to develop an (electronic) inpatient record," Jones said. DoD is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said, to establish an inpatient electronic medical record system that can be accessed by both organizations.
DoD's expertise with the AHLTA system will be shared with the Florida hospitals, Jones explained. These hospitals, in turn, will share their experiences using electronic record-keeping for inpatients.
Passwords, encryption and other computer-security tools will be employed to safeguard the personal medical information, Jones said.
The Defense Department already partners with the private-sector medical community, Jones pointed out, as many DoD beneficiaries obtain their medical care from commercial-sourced providers as part of the TRICARE program, the military's health maintenance organization system.
The Tampa area is considered ideal for the pilot program, Jones said, since there are about 700,000 beneficiaries who live full- or part-time in the area and access their care through military-run medical treatment facilities or TRICARE-contracted civilian clinics.
Speed and accuracy are two immediate advantages inherent in using electronic medical records over the old paper-based system, Jones said. Computerization enables medical records to be quickly transmitted anywhere in the world, he noted, and the indecipherable scrawls used by some doctors and pharmacists become moot.
Although servicemembers, their families and other beneficiaries will benefit through expanded use of electronic medical records, Jones pointed out that such a system is just one of many components required to provide quality, up-to-date medical care.
"I think electronic records are the way of the future," Jones said. "But, we still have to have well-qualified, well-trained professionals providing care."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates Visits Jordan to Thank Ally, Discuss Regional Concerns
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Iran and Iraq are set to be lead topics in discussions Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to have with Jordanian leaders during a visit here. Gates arrived here today to meet with leaders of this strong ally in the war on terror and thank them for the "incredible support that they're giving us both in Iraq and Afghanistan," a senior defense official traveling with Gates said.
Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national police officers at an Iraqi police academy in Jordan.
"Jordanians have for a long time been a very constructive influence (in the Middle East), and I look forward to continuing that," Gates said on the plane en route here from Washington.
During this visit, the secretary will meet with Jordan's King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country's chief of defense.
"I look forward to discussing with the King how we can contribute to his efforts and how the Jordanians can contribute to ours, not just in Iraq, but Lebanon, and the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and so on," Gates said.
Other topics of discussion for Gates and the Jordanian leaders are likely to include the half a million to 1 million Iraqi refugees Jordan is hosting that are posing a strain on the Jordanian people as well as its economic system, and the Jordanian-U.S. military-to-military relationship, the senior defense official said.
"The important message for the Jordanians is that regardless of what happens in Iraq, the United States is in the Middle East for the long term and has been for decades, and we will continue our strategic relationship with the military, as well as the Jordanian people," the official said.
The official also said Gates is interested in hearing Abdallah's take on recent Iranian activity, such as the detention of 15 British sailors and Marines and the impact of the March 24 U.N. Security Council vote imposing sanctions because Iran has refused to halt its uranium enrichment activities.
After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates intends to encourage regional leaders to bring Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, the official said.
Supporting Maliki's government is the best way to mitigate Iranian influence in the region, the official said. "We truly believe that's the most important way right now to mitigate Iranian pressure against not only us, but more importantly the Iraqi government and the coalition that's operating in Iraq," the official said.
The secretary will also be talking to the countries about how the United States can help them modify their defense strategies and "transition from the sort of post-Soviet dependency on conventional weaponry to something more expeditionary, something more related toward counterterrorism and the non-state actors that we are all working together against in the region," the official said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Iran and Iraq are set to be lead topics in discussions Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to have with Jordanian leaders during a visit here. Gates arrived here today to meet with leaders of this strong ally in the war on terror and thank them for the "incredible support that they're giving us both in Iraq and Afghanistan," a senior defense official traveling with Gates said.
Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national police officers at an Iraqi police academy in Jordan.
"Jordanians have for a long time been a very constructive influence (in the Middle East), and I look forward to continuing that," Gates said on the plane en route here from Washington.
During this visit, the secretary will meet with Jordan's King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country's chief of defense.
"I look forward to discussing with the King how we can contribute to his efforts and how the Jordanians can contribute to ours, not just in Iraq, but Lebanon, and the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and so on," Gates said.
Other topics of discussion for Gates and the Jordanian leaders are likely to include the half a million to 1 million Iraqi refugees Jordan is hosting that are posing a strain on the Jordanian people as well as its economic system, and the Jordanian-U.S. military-to-military relationship, the senior defense official said.
"The important message for the Jordanians is that regardless of what happens in Iraq, the United States is in the Middle East for the long term and has been for decades, and we will continue our strategic relationship with the military, as well as the Jordanian people," the official said.
The official also said Gates is interested in hearing Abdallah's take on recent Iranian activity, such as the detention of 15 British sailors and Marines and the impact of the March 24 U.N. Security Council vote imposing sanctions because Iran has refused to halt its uranium enrichment activities.
After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates intends to encourage regional leaders to bring Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, the official said.
Supporting Maliki's government is the best way to mitigate Iranian influence in the region, the official said. "We truly believe that's the most important way right now to mitigate Iranian pressure against not only us, but more importantly the Iraqi government and the coalition that's operating in Iraq," the official said.
The secretary will also be talking to the countries about how the United States can help them modify their defense strategies and "transition from the sort of post-Soviet dependency on conventional weaponry to something more expeditionary, something more related toward counterterrorism and the non-state actors that we are all working together against in the region," the official said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
USO Opens Lounge at Dulles Airport
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The United Services Organization of Metropolitan Washington officially opened its much-anticipated lounge at Dulles International Airport here today. The USO is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad
More than 400 servicemembers and military family members took advantage of the lounge during its first week of business before it officially opened. With the airport seeing heavy military traffic, the USO is a welcome sight, said Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy.
"Up until the opening of this USO, Dulles was the airport most heavily used by uniformed personnel in the United States that did not have a (USO)," Winter said. "(Servicemembers) really do appreciate the type of support that they get from the USO.
"So having that capability here and being able to help, in particular many of the young kids that may be traveling for the first time in their lives ... it's important, it makes a difference, and quite frankly, it's the least we can do as a grateful nation," he added.
Winter was a Northrup-Grumman executive when Elaine Rogers, president of USO of Metropolitan Washington, talked to him about the possibility of a new USO at the airport. Nearly four years and more than $600,000 in donations from various corporate sponsors later, servicemembers will finally find a piece of home at Dulles.
"Our first two weeks of operation of the numbers that we have had go through this lounge ... this is huge," Rogerssaid of the lounge's "soft opening." "To these service personnel, this really is their home away from home."
Because one of the airlines that serves Dulles has a direct flight from Kuwait, Rogers said the lounge has seen a lot of "walking wounded." In addition to those returning with minor injuries, the Dulles USO also has been able to help the families of injured servicemembers flying into the area en route to Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md.
After the ribbon cutting officially opening the USO for business, Rogers thanked all the donors that made the lounge possible. Key donors included the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which donated what Rogers described as "prime real estate" for the lounge, Verizon Business and Cisco Systems Inc.
"From a very personal experience I can attest to what the USO means," said Chris Browne, vice president and airport manager for Dulles International Airport, Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority. The former Naval aviator recounted a story of a float in the Mediterranean lasting 93 days with no port calls.
"Somewhere in month two, the USO came out to the Eisenhower with some prominent entertainers of the time," he said. "To see Steven Stills play an acoustical version of 'Southern Cross' on the hangar deck ... was truly remarkable, and it would have not been if not for the USO and the supporters of the USO."
The new 770-square-foot facility at Dulles is located on the arrivals level across from baggage claim 12. Troops can get information and assistance, a snack, watch a movie and make unlimited domestic and international phone calls. Business services, including wireless Internet, photocopying and faxing, also are available.
Servicemembers who attended the ceremony were excited to see the facility open. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Alison Smith said the USO at Dulles will help young servicemembers the way it helped her.
"When I was a private 21 years ago, I needed the USO," said Smith, who serves as the senior enlisted soldier in Headquarters Battalion on Fort Belvoir, Va. "I was on assignment for Korea (and) I'd never been on a plane before in my life.
"They always told us if you have any problems, go to the USO," she said. "After my first flight ... I went straight to the USO. My next flight was the next morning, so at that time they provided us a place to stay right there at the USO."
She said the advice she received 21 years ago is still valid for servicemembers traveling today. With the opening of the new facility that advice is much easier for servicemembers to heed. Troops now have USOs in each of the three Washington metropolitan area airports, Baltimore-Washington International, Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International, if they're in need of assistance or just a place to relax, Rogers said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The United Services Organization of Metropolitan Washington officially opened its much-anticipated lounge at Dulles International Airport here today. The USO is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad
More than 400 servicemembers and military family members took advantage of the lounge during its first week of business before it officially opened. With the airport seeing heavy military traffic, the USO is a welcome sight, said Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy.
"Up until the opening of this USO, Dulles was the airport most heavily used by uniformed personnel in the United States that did not have a (USO)," Winter said. "(Servicemembers) really do appreciate the type of support that they get from the USO.
"So having that capability here and being able to help, in particular many of the young kids that may be traveling for the first time in their lives ... it's important, it makes a difference, and quite frankly, it's the least we can do as a grateful nation," he added.
Winter was a Northrup-Grumman executive when Elaine Rogers, president of USO of Metropolitan Washington, talked to him about the possibility of a new USO at the airport. Nearly four years and more than $600,000 in donations from various corporate sponsors later, servicemembers will finally find a piece of home at Dulles.
"Our first two weeks of operation of the numbers that we have had go through this lounge ... this is huge," Rogerssaid of the lounge's "soft opening." "To these service personnel, this really is their home away from home."
Because one of the airlines that serves Dulles has a direct flight from Kuwait, Rogers said the lounge has seen a lot of "walking wounded." In addition to those returning with minor injuries, the Dulles USO also has been able to help the families of injured servicemembers flying into the area en route to Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md.
After the ribbon cutting officially opening the USO for business, Rogers thanked all the donors that made the lounge possible. Key donors included the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which donated what Rogers described as "prime real estate" for the lounge, Verizon Business and Cisco Systems Inc.
"From a very personal experience I can attest to what the USO means," said Chris Browne, vice president and airport manager for Dulles International Airport, Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority. The former Naval aviator recounted a story of a float in the Mediterranean lasting 93 days with no port calls.
"Somewhere in month two, the USO came out to the Eisenhower with some prominent entertainers of the time," he said. "To see Steven Stills play an acoustical version of 'Southern Cross' on the hangar deck ... was truly remarkable, and it would have not been if not for the USO and the supporters of the USO."
The new 770-square-foot facility at Dulles is located on the arrivals level across from baggage claim 12. Troops can get information and assistance, a snack, watch a movie and make unlimited domestic and international phone calls. Business services, including wireless Internet, photocopying and faxing, also are available.
Servicemembers who attended the ceremony were excited to see the facility open. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Alison Smith said the USO at Dulles will help young servicemembers the way it helped her.
"When I was a private 21 years ago, I needed the USO," said Smith, who serves as the senior enlisted soldier in Headquarters Battalion on Fort Belvoir, Va. "I was on assignment for Korea (and) I'd never been on a plane before in my life.
"They always told us if you have any problems, go to the USO," she said. "After my first flight ... I went straight to the USO. My next flight was the next morning, so at that time they provided us a place to stay right there at the USO."
She said the advice she received 21 years ago is still valid for servicemembers traveling today. With the opening of the new facility that advice is much easier for servicemembers to heed. Troops now have USOs in each of the three Washington metropolitan area airports, Baltimore-Washington International, Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International, if they're in need of assistance or just a place to relax, Rogers said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Bush Thanks Military Families, Urges Congress to Pass War Spending Bill
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – President Bush thanked families of troops serving overseas for their sacrifices and praised organizations that support veterans and military families today at the White House. He also urged Congress to quickly pass an emergency war spending bill so that the troops can get the funding they need to accomplish their mission. "I appreciate very much to be in the presence of moms and dads, husbands and wives, sons and daughters of some of the finest citizens our nation has ever produced," Bush told military family members in the audience.
The president noted the challenges faced by military families during war.
"A time of war is a time of sacrifice for our nation, but especially for our military families. Being left behind when a loved one goes to war is one of the hardest jobs in our military," Bush said. "The families here today inspire our nation -- inspire them with their sense of duty and with their deep devotion to our country."
Bush also expressed his gratitude to representatives of troop-support organizations in the audience.
"I want to thank the leaders of organizations that support our military families. I appreciate your tireless work to send a clear signal that many in the United States of America support our troops," Bush said. "Each of you knows what is stake -- what is at stake in this war on terror. And I appreciate your efforts to rally our nation to support our troops, and to support the mission for which they have risked and, in some cases, have given their lives."
Bush said the troops must be given "the tools and resources they need to prevail," and he is looking forward to meeting with members of Congress April 18 to iron out differences between the administration and Congress.
The disagreement is over the fiscal 2007 Emergency Supplemental Request. The $93.4 billion request will fund operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other operations in the war on terror. Both the Senate and House versions of the supplemental have a timetable for the exit of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush said he will not sign any legislation with a withdrawal date.
"I think it is wrong for Congress to restrict our military commanders," Bush said. "I can understand having a difference of opinion about Iraq, but our commanders need the flexibility necessary to meet the mission. We should not be substituting political judgment for the judgment of those in our military."
Bush said honest differences over the best course in Iraq should be debated. "That's healthy," he said. "That's normal. ... But our troops should not be caught in the middle."
Bush said failure to fund the supplemental quickly will impact military readiness, and that "will mean that the readiness of our forces will suffer. This is unacceptable to me; it's unacceptable to you, and it's unacceptable to the vast majority of the American people."
The U.S. must provide its troops with the support they need to accomplish their mission, Bush said.
"We owe it to every sailor, soldier, airman, Marine in harm's way to give them the tools they need to prevail," Bush said. "That's what we owe them."
The president said he is open to trying to settle political differences in order to provide the military with the funding it needs.
"I am willing to discuss any way forward that does not hamstring our troops, set an artificial timetable for withdrawal and spend billions on projects not related to the war," he said.
Bush said the American people expect the White House and Congress to work together.
"Congress needs to put the partisanship on hold; it needs to get rid of all the politics right now and send me an emergency war spending bill that I can sign that gets our troops the support they need and gives our commanders the flexibility they need to complete this mission," he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – President Bush thanked families of troops serving overseas for their sacrifices and praised organizations that support veterans and military families today at the White House. He also urged Congress to quickly pass an emergency war spending bill so that the troops can get the funding they need to accomplish their mission. "I appreciate very much to be in the presence of moms and dads, husbands and wives, sons and daughters of some of the finest citizens our nation has ever produced," Bush told military family members in the audience.
The president noted the challenges faced by military families during war.
"A time of war is a time of sacrifice for our nation, but especially for our military families. Being left behind when a loved one goes to war is one of the hardest jobs in our military," Bush said. "The families here today inspire our nation -- inspire them with their sense of duty and with their deep devotion to our country."
Bush also expressed his gratitude to representatives of troop-support organizations in the audience.
"I want to thank the leaders of organizations that support our military families. I appreciate your tireless work to send a clear signal that many in the United States of America support our troops," Bush said. "Each of you knows what is stake -- what is at stake in this war on terror. And I appreciate your efforts to rally our nation to support our troops, and to support the mission for which they have risked and, in some cases, have given their lives."
Bush said the troops must be given "the tools and resources they need to prevail," and he is looking forward to meeting with members of Congress April 18 to iron out differences between the administration and Congress.
The disagreement is over the fiscal 2007 Emergency Supplemental Request. The $93.4 billion request will fund operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other operations in the war on terror. Both the Senate and House versions of the supplemental have a timetable for the exit of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush said he will not sign any legislation with a withdrawal date.
"I think it is wrong for Congress to restrict our military commanders," Bush said. "I can understand having a difference of opinion about Iraq, but our commanders need the flexibility necessary to meet the mission. We should not be substituting political judgment for the judgment of those in our military."
Bush said honest differences over the best course in Iraq should be debated. "That's healthy," he said. "That's normal. ... But our troops should not be caught in the middle."
Bush said failure to fund the supplemental quickly will impact military readiness, and that "will mean that the readiness of our forces will suffer. This is unacceptable to me; it's unacceptable to you, and it's unacceptable to the vast majority of the American people."
The U.S. must provide its troops with the support they need to accomplish their mission, Bush said.
"We owe it to every sailor, soldier, airman, Marine in harm's way to give them the tools they need to prevail," Bush said. "That's what we owe them."
The president said he is open to trying to settle political differences in order to provide the military with the funding it needs.
"I am willing to discuss any way forward that does not hamstring our troops, set an artificial timetable for withdrawal and spend billions on projects not related to the war," he said.
Bush said the American people expect the White House and Congress to work together.
"Congress needs to put the partisanship on hold; it needs to get rid of all the politics right now and send me an emergency war spending bill that I can sign that gets our troops the support they need and gives our commanders the flexibility they need to complete this mission," he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
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