New Pentagon Channel Show Helps Make Troops 'Fit for Duty'

By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service

June 4, 2007 – Hosts of a new show coming to the Pentagon Channel want to make troops hurt. They want to make them sweat. They want to push servicemembers' limits. Above all, they want to ensure members of the U.S. military are "Fit for Duty." "Fitness is as much a part of the military as the uniform," said retired Air Force Master Sgt. Jim Langdon, who serves as the Pentagon Channel's director of operations and programming as well as executive producer of "Fit for Duty."

"All the services go to great lengths to entice their troops to stay fit," Langdon said. "We wanted to help too."

"Fit for Duty" takes viewers through a high-energy 30-minute workout led by servicemembers with expertise in fitness training. The show makes it simple to follow along and complete exercises demonstrated by the instructors. A military sports medicine physician also offers tips for preventing injuries and avoiding career-ending accidents during each episode of the show.

Fitness instructors on the show represent each branch of the military and were selected after a nation-wide call for auditions was launched through advertisement on the Pentagon Channel's Web site, e-mails to public affairs officers across the country, and word of mouth with the goal of appealing to a military audience.

"We hope they'll identify with our hosts and join us for a daily workout," Langdon said.

"I thought it sounded like fun and a good idea because it isn't built around just one service or one absolute fitness nut," said Marine Corps Sgt. Clint Reynolds, a martial arts instructor selected for the show. "I feel fitness should be part of everyone's life. Now I am not saying you have to run a billion miles every week, live off of grass and bark or anything, but you should keep yourself healthy so that you feel better physically and emotionally, live longer, and enjoy life more."

In developing exercise routines for the show, Reynolds faced some hurdles. "The most challenging part (was) trying to come up with routines that will keep someone motivated and is actually enjoyable to do, and is able to be watched and done in less than 30 minutes," he said. "I hope that it will show that there are many different ways of working out and staying fit and that it will make my own fitness better."

"I enjoy working out," said Air Force Master Sgt. Sandifer Temeria, another "Fit for Duty" instructor. "I also like helping individuals obtain their personal goals in fitness, but I tell them all that it starts with them and positive attitude. Fitness only works when you're having fun, and enjoy what you're doing."

"The Pentagon Channel realizes the need to provide programming that entices our audience to watch," Langdon said. "If you're into fitness, you'll not only improve some exercise techniques, you'll learn some valuable information about your military rights and benefits during our spot breaks -- two good reasons to watch."

"I hope that servicemembers and civilians alike watch the show so they can see all the services in action and the difference between them all, but in the same light see that regardless of those differences we are working as one team to make sure we are up to the challenge to protecting our great nation," Reynolds said.

Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Dave Keblish, an orthopedic surgeon and head of sports medicine at the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md., hosts a "Fit for Duty" segment called "Train Smart Stay Strong" that teaches servicemembers highly effective methods to prevent career-ending injuries.

"I tend to think of fitness as having three main pillars: aerobic conditioning, flexibility and strength," said Keblish, who believes proper fitness workout habits learned early in a military career are paramount.

"If more servicemembers looked at fitness this way and learned a bit more about avoiding common orthopedic injuries, I feel we would have a healthier and less disabled work force," he added. "I have counseled many active-duty members about the severity of their condition after it was too late. There is much truth in the old saying that 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.'"

But much like the instructors on "Fit for Duty," servicemembers shouldn't expect the doctor to go easy on slackers.

"I am tired of the cliche of the washed-up sports jock with a dozen aches and pains from old sports injuries and surgeries," Keblish said. "I was a stoic athlete myself, and I don't relate well to patients who are too lazy to get in shape or too whiny to endure a bit of pain along the way. However, I strongly believe that we work hard, we play hard, and when we're injured we need to rest hard."

"Fit for Duty" is one of the most technically challenging productions the Pentagon Channel has undertaken. A crew of 10 set up an elaborate field studio at Bolling Air Force Base, in Washington, D.C., to shoot the first dozen shows over a hectic three-day shoot schedule. In the future, "Fit for Duty" producers hope to take the show to military installations across the country and around the world.

"The Pentagon Channel is breaking new ground with this original program," Langdon said. "Our channel has many news and information programs, but this is the first interactive program."

"Fit for Duty" is just one of many lifestyle shows the Pentagon Channel plans to present soon. An upcoming military cooking show, "Combat Kitchen," will introduce viewers to the "Grill Sergeant" who will "get you locked and loaded with some tasty meals," Langdon said. "We will continue to develop programming deserving of those who keep and protect our freedom."

"Fit for Duty" debuts June 18 on the Pentagon Channel. It will also be available via podcast and video on demand. For complete program schedule, check www.pentagonchannel.mil.

(David Mays works for the Pentagon Channel.)

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Servicemembers Missing From WWII Now Listed In Electronic Database

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that an electronic database listing the names of servicemembers still unaccounted for from World War II is now available for family members and researchers.

This new listing will aid researchers and analysts in WWII remains recovery operations. Prior to this three-year effort, no comprehensive list of those missing from WWII has existed.

This database, listing nearly 78,000 names, was compiled by researchers from DPMO and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. They used hard-copy sources including "The American Graves Registration Service Rosters of Military Personnel Whose Remains were not Recovered" from the National Archives II repository in College Park, Md., and "The World War II Rosters of the Dead." Once transferred into electronic formats, they used computer programs to compare the two lists and determined possible discrepancies among the entries. These differences were then resolved using additional sources from the National Archives and thousands of personnel files from the Washington National Records Center.

After more than three years of research and coordination to transfer information into an electronic format, efforts to gather more data on unaccounted-for WWII servicemembers continue. New names and information will be added as historical documents and personnel files are located. The names of servicemen whose remains are recovered and identified in the future will be removed as families accept the identification and inter their loved ones in cemeteries of their choice.

This WWII database, along with databases listing the missing from the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War and Gulf War, are available on DPMO's Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo. For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site or call (703) 699-1169.

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Pace Promotes Future Cooperation with Malaysia

By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

June 4, 2007 – The United States and Malaysia have had "a long, very strong and prosperous relationship," Marine Gen. Peter Pace said here today, noting that Malaysia is the United States' 10th largest trade partner. Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he came to Malaysia to "listen and learn how the two nations' militaries can work together in the future." He met with Prime Minister Abdullah bin Amad Badawi in Putrajaya, the new federal government center a half hour's drive from the capital. He also met with senior defense officials at the Ministry of Defense to discuss U.S.-Malaysia relations.

Pace arrived here yesterday after attending the Institute for Strategic Studies' Asia Security Conference in Singapore. Shortly after arriving, Pace visited the capital city's Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest freestanding twin towers at 451.9 meters, and toured the Islamic Arts Museum.

Today, Pace discussed security issues with of Defense Minister Mohamed Najib Abdul Razak and Chief of Defense Gen. Abdul Aziz Zainal before addressing about 200 students at the Malaysia Armed Forces Staff College. Military officials said the audience included students from 37 armed services from 29 countries.

The hour-long event was closed to the media, but at a luncheon afterwards, students said they found Pace to be "very open and direct" in answering their questions about regional and global security issues. The students also said they would like to see more U.S. senior leaders visit the moderate Islamic country.

Malaysian military officials briefed the chairman on their plans to establish a joint forces headquarters. Pace invited the senior officers to visit the Pentagon to meet with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to share the U.S. experience of setting up a joint headquarters.

During a joint news conference with Aziz at the Ministry of Defense, Pace responded to local reporters' questions on Malaysia's role in peacekeeping and countering piracy, Iraq, China, and the war on terrorism.

In response to a query on the day's talks on military cooperation, Pace said: "Malaysia has been a world leader in peacekeeping operations for many years.

"As we sit here now, there are 10 or so peacekeeping operations Malaysia is involved in," he said. "Malaysia also has a world-class peacekeeping center here that is available to your friends and neighbors. Peacekeeping is certainly an area where we'd like to continue to facilitate cooperation."

As a result of the "terrific cooperation" between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, he said, piracy in the Strait of Malacca has dropped drastically. "We're eager to continue to provide whatever information we can to assist in those kinds of activities."

"We're eager to find ways we can cooperate, that we can learn from each other, and that we can assist the region and the United States in being good partners and friends in a way that can help all the countries," Pace said.

In terms of military-to-military ties, Aziz said, the U.S.-Malaysian relationship has been strong. "In terms of enhancing security, our objective is the same: maintaining and ensuring peace in this part of the world. We always consider the United States as the security provider."

Asked about a recent International Herald Tribune article saying that the United States is considering using Korea as a model for Iraq, Pace said he had not had a chance to read the report. He said that he had, however, participated in very open discussions with Iraqi government officials in Washington.

"Clearly, as a sovereign nation, Iraq will determine who it wants to invite to be guests in their country for the long term," he said.

Pace said that he'd heard discussion about the Korea model, where the Iraqi government officials would determine the kind of long-term assistance they would like to have and then the two governments determining together how best to meet those requirements by having some U.S. forces present in the country. "Again, that would be after a thorough dialogue with respect to Iraq's sovereignty," the chairman said.

Asked about the U.S. military buildup on Guam, Pace said the island has been "a strategic location for the United States and for our support for our friends in the region" for many years.

Pace said he is delighted that U.S. officials and the government of Japan have come to an agreement that will reduce the number of U.S. Marines in Okinawa and move them to U.S. territory on Guam.

"This is just a continuation on American soil of the U.S. commitment to this region in a way that will signal to our friends that we are here as a Pacific nation and that we intend to remain here as a Pacific nation," he said.

"This part of the world is vital to the prosperity of the United States and, collectively, we can do things that will provide for dependable security for all the nations in the region so they can continue to trade with each other and prosper," he said.

Regarding threats in the region, the chairman told reporters that a threat is based on capacity and intent. "I don't ascribe to any nation intent to attack neighbors in this region or to attack the United States," he said. "But we need to have the capacity to respond should intent change."

Pace said he is optimistic about continuing good relations with China. "China is a very important part of the global community. They continue to grow and to prosper. They are modernizing their military, for sure. We in the United States are encouraging them to be as transparent as possible so we can understand what they intend to do and how much money they're spending on modernizing.

"I see much more probability of trade between all the nations in the Pacific than I do any kind of conflict," he said.

The general said he was glad China sent representatives to the Asia Security Conference because it is a terrific forum for dialogue that can help further understanding.

With regard to terrorist threats, Pace said that he and the Malaysian officials spent their time discussing how they can better understand each other.

"Understandably, different cultures have different ways of looking at problems, not only Malaysia and the United States, but all countries," he said. "How might we collectively get together and share our ideas, understand what we see as a terrorist threat, what we see that is the same and what we see as different so that as friends we can understand the perspective from which we all see the current threat so we can find the best way forward that respects each other's sovereignty and views on how to deal with the problem?"

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Positive Attitude, Physical Therapy Turns Things Around for Amputees

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

June 4, 2007 – Working with Army Pfc. Randy Gollinger is, to say the least, challenging.
When asked, his physical therapist, Bunnie Wyckoff, used the words "challenging" and "challenge" at least four times to describe her work with Gollinger. "He's challenging. He was very difficult to motivate in the beginning. He turned around like most of the guys do. He's doing fine now. But he likes to challenge me all the way. I'm up for the challenge. I enjoy it," she said.

"He's a challenge," she said again, and laughed.

"I'm a pain in the butt," Gollinger corrected her, and then he laughed.

To be sure, if laughter is the best medicine, Gollinger, a military policeman injured by an explosive device while patrolling in Baghdad, is well on his way to a speedy recovery. An amputee who lost a leg and an eye, Gollinger is recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. He keeps Wyckoff on her toes and in stitches at the same time. The two go back and forth like kin, verbally poking and picking.

Wyckoff has been on staff at the center for more than three years and has personally worked with nearly half of the amputees who've received care there. She meets them bedside when they are first brought to the center and follows them through their care -- from being wheeled into the therapy room to, hopefully, walking out on their own.

"I love it here. I love to see the fact that people improve and they get back to living a life that's meaningful to them," Wyckoff said.

Wyckoff works with seven to 10 patients daily. Some are more independent and work through much of their therapy on their own, she said.

The physical therapy room is large, white and full of commotion. Low, padded tables cut through the center of the room providing areas for patients to lie, sit, exercise or rest. Amputees at various stages of therapy go about their recovery in a deliberate, although sometimes frustrating, fashion. Some work on upper body strength with familiar exercises like push ups; others practice walking; and some get help stretching from family members.

Exercise machines are stationed for walking and biking in the physical therapy room. Peer amputee visitors mingle and encourage, and there is even a therapy dog, Troy, who drops a tennis ball at the base of patients' wheelchairs in hopes that it will get thrown and he will get to chase. Some do, some don't, but eventually Troy finds someone who is willing to give the ball a fling across the room.

During this therapy session, Gollinger literally pulled Wyckoff around the outside of the main hospital building. Using a rubber band connected to a belt at Gollinger's waist, Wyckoff held and resisted as Gollinger stepped around the building in a race against fellow amputee Army Sgt. Kevin Brown. Gollinger lost.

Using the same resistance, Gollinger followed up his loss with an indoor race against Brown, maneuvering down a row of colored cones, stopping to squat using his prosthetic leg and touching the cone with his other leg. This race he won, although Wyckoff jokingly accused him of cheating. Friendly competition keeps the therapy fun, Gollinger said.

But the exercises have purpose, each targeting specific areas and concentrating on particular elements of recovery.

The exercises in this session help with balance and confidence using the prosthetic leg, Wyckoff said.

"We want them to be able to control the knee prosthetic, while they are squatting down. They need to be able to learn to pick things up off the floor," she said.

Gollinger has served in the Army for one and a half years, and he has spent nearly half of that time at Walter Reed. Therapy wasn't always as fun for him as it is now.

"At first I was very bitter. I didn't really care. Now it's just kind of like my second home," he said.

"Medically I died twice. I'm pretty thankful to be here today at all, let alone just missing an eye and a leg. You can't really complain about that," he said.

A year-round athlete in high school, Gollinger said he joined the Army to "get out and see the world." He also hoped to get money for college and eventually play college sports.

The 20-year-old said he thought his life was over when he found out his leg was amputated. But therapy and a positive attitude turned it around for him. The New York state native said he plans to enroll in college there to become a teacher and hopes to eventually hit the athletic fields again.

"I went through a really hard time trying to adapt and find things that would interest me," he said. "I figured my life was pretty much over with as far as stuff I liked to do, but I've been reassured that, depending on how good I get, I'll be able to play softball."
Gollinger said his therapy improved when his attitude improved. "As soon as I was mentally prepared ... everything else just took off, and I've been going nowhere else but up," he said.

"How bad do you want it? I want it bad now. Before, I didn't want it bad at all. Riding a wheel chair, I figured, would be my first means of transportation," Gollinger said. "The more I see everybody else I know getting up and walking, the more I realize that I don't want to be in a wheelchair the rest of my life."

Gollinger offered simple advice to those who follow in his footsteps at the center.

"Don't wait for things to happen. Make them happen. Keep your head up. Others have been there. And we're going to help," he said.

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Vice Chairman Plans to Retire in August

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

June 4, 2007 – After 37 years of commissioned service, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. will retire in August. Giambastiani will retire after serving two years as America's second-highest ranking military officer. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1970 and is a career submariner who has spent an extensive amount of time in joint assignments and in experimentation and concept development.

During his career, the admiral has worked on every Quadrennial Defense Review, and has worked to implement the recommendations of those important documents.

Giambastiani spoke about his tenure as vice chairman during an interview today. He said he came back to the Pentagon in 2005 after serving as Commander Joint Forces Command and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation to work on the "business of business" of the Department of Defense. He teamed with Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England to refine management processes and change the way the department develops, acquires and maintains defense capabilities.

"Ed Giambastiani has given a lifetime for service to his Nation and he will be deeply missed," England said. "His strong, steady leadership has ensured that our military is prepared for any challenge it may face, both today and in the future.

"He has been a close partner and friend to me and a champion of the men and women of our armed forces and their families," England continued. "America will miss this great Naval Officer, and we wish Ed and his family every blessing in their future."

Giambastiani says that transforming the military will continue under Defense Secretary Gates. "You try to make yourself a learning institution, you want to embed a 'change culture,' and you want people to understand that a 'change culture' is good," the admiral said.

Giambastiani also talked about how the military needs to continue the process of change, identify and act on lessons learned and look at itself critically. "We've embedded some of this, but frankly this mindset, this culture and this process need to be reinforced continually," he said.

The military has developed institutions to do this, and developed leaders at all levels to continue this process, the admiral said.

He said that Deputy Defense Secretary England is a "national treasure" and a key person in the whole change process. Giambastiani said that it has been an honor to work with Secretary England.

"He is dedicated to the department, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he brings a focus to this that is really quite remarkable and healthy for the system," he said.

Giambastiani and England have been involved in making the Defense bureaucracy more agile and able to move quickly. The two have worked to include the combatant commanders and the Pentagon stakeholders in an expanded Joint Requirements Oversight Council, as well as working with civilian and uniformed leaders on the Defense Acquisition Board and the Deputies Advisory Working Group.

The refined, collaborative and transparent business processes being employed by these entities improve resource decisions that affect servicemembers serving in combat zones. Among these are the decision to get combat capabilities like the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle to troops faster. Other decisions include accelerating unmanned aerial vehicle acquisition and development of intelligence capabilities.

Establishing the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization is another example of working to develop comprehensive fixes to a problem - that of IEDs and car bombs - which cuts across the department and includes technology, tactics, techniques and procedures to combat the threat, he said.

Giambastiani said his most memorable time in the military has been "continuously working all these years with the fine young people. They are inspirational and remarkable. Getting up every morning and coming to work with them, working to help them be successful, and trying to provide them with the equipment and capabilities they need to get their job done has been the most rewarding part."

The admiral also said that meeting with servicemembers worldwide and "seeing how they apply themselves to the mission at hand" has been inspiring.

The admiral, from Canastota, N.Y., has not given any thought to what he will do after retirement. "I'll decide that after I retire, I'm too busy now," he said.

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New Technology Tests for IEDs

Improvised explosive devices based on peroxide containing materials have increasingly been used in recent years by various terrorist organizations. The main reason is that such peroxide-based explosives can be easily “home-made” using inexpensive, readily available starting materials which can be purchased in most hardware and paint stores, even in bulk quantities.

A new patented peroxide explosive tester - ACRO-P.E.T., developed by Acro, Inc.(www.acrosec.com). The innovative pen-like tester is able to identify peroxide based explosives, such as Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which may appear in a variety of shapes and forms, including liquid explosives. Peroxide-based explosives are almost impossible to identify since they don't contain nitro groups and are colorless.

ACRO-P.E.T has been designed for rapid, on-site detection of peroxide-based explosives using three chemical solutions, through direct contact with the suspicious substance. Its main advantages are high sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response, simple operation, small size and cost effectiveness. For example, ACRO-P.E.T can detect less than 50 micrograms (0.00005 gram) of TATP.

ACRO-P.E.T. is based on an invention of Professor Ehud Keinan of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Prof. Keinan is the former Dean of the Technion's Faculty of Chemistry. He is a member of Acro's board of directors and the company's chief scientific advisor. Prof. Keinan is one of the world’s foremost experts in the science of improvised explosives, winner of the Technion award for security science and technology, and consultant to many US and European government agencies in the area of improvised explosives.

Acro’s Advisory Board includes General (ret.) Ehud Barak, former IDF Chief of Staff and former Prime Minister of Israel, Prof. K. Barry Sharpless, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Prof. Richard A. Lerner, President and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, which is considered one of the most influential scientific institutes worldwide.

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