By Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Versus, the U.S. cable television home of the National Hockey League, has partnered with some troops deployed to Kosovo to give an early Christmas present to the peacekeepers and their families at home. At 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 11 , everyone watching the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Philadelphia Flyers on Versus will get to see some pictures of the American soldiers, airmen and sailors who are serving at Camps Film City and Bondsteel, Kosovo.
At the same time their pictures are being shown on television in the United States, the troops will be gathered at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center at Camp Film City to watch the game on the American Forces Network. Due to the time difference, the game starts in Kosovo at 1 a.m. Dec. 12, but the late start won't discourage people from showing up. According to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jay Valloric, one of the event coordinators, it's easy to stay up because he knows his kids will be watching for him at home in Ohio.
"Most of us will be here through Christmas and New Years," Valloric said. "I would rather be at home, but since that's just not possible, I think it's great that my kids will get to see me and know that I'm doing OK."
The idea for the game came about in an unusual way. A small group of troops gathered for the Oct. 24 game between the Penguins and Rangers. A story was written about the game and sent to Versus. Eventually, Michael Baker, coordinating producer of the National Hockey League for the cable network, received an e-mail with the story. Baker contacted the author of the story to thank the troops for watching the game.
"Mike was happy to hear that we watched the games," Army Sgt. Kai Tonti said. "He said if we wanted, he would try to show the photos that he received from the initial story during a future game we would be watching. Of course we were excited about it, so we said, 'Yes.' We were telling the other people here about it, and the idea just grew that it would be nice to do a live feed like they do sometimes during the Super Bowl."
Baker was onboard with the troops' idea, but mission requirements at Camp Film City trumped the valuable resources needed to pull off the transmission. The team putting the event together on the Kosovo side quickly started gathering troops for pictures that could be shown during breaks in the action.
"Our mission here doesn't make the headlines at home the way Iraq and Afghanistan do," Valloric said. "No one here is complaining, because the conditions aren't as bad as a lot of people have it, but we still miss our families, and to get some of our pictures on TV is a real morale booster."
In addition to American troops, other NATO and Partnership for Peace troops will be on hand at the MWR Center to cheer for their favorite team and watch the live broadcast. Camp Film City, which serves as the Kosovo Force Headquarters, is a deployed home to troops of 34 nations.
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith serves with the Kosovo Force Public Affairs Office.)
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Defense Department, VA Test New Disability Eval System
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have teamed to test a pilot disability evaluation program that officials hope will streamline the confusing and often frustrating process for servicemembers and their families. For the next year, officials will test the new system at military hospitals in the national capital region, officials announced today. Officials will then decide if or when to expand the system.
In contrast to the current system, the pilot program will be based on only one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating, instead of examinations and ratings from both departments separately. The hope is to transition servicemembers more smoothly to veteran benefits and compensation, officials said.
"The objectives of the pilot are to improve the timeliness, effectiveness, and transparency by integrating DoD and VA processes, eliminating duplication, and improving information provided to servicemembers and their families," according to a Defense Department news release.
The scope of the pilot program includes all nonclinical care and administrative activities, such as case management and counseling requirements, from the time the servicemember is referred to the board until veterans benefits are provided.
The test program is based on recommendations from reports including the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors and the Commission on Veterans' Disability Benefits.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have teamed to test a pilot disability evaluation program that officials hope will streamline the confusing and often frustrating process for servicemembers and their families. For the next year, officials will test the new system at military hospitals in the national capital region, officials announced today. Officials will then decide if or when to expand the system.
In contrast to the current system, the pilot program will be based on only one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating, instead of examinations and ratings from both departments separately. The hope is to transition servicemembers more smoothly to veteran benefits and compensation, officials said.
"The objectives of the pilot are to improve the timeliness, effectiveness, and transparency by integrating DoD and VA processes, eliminating duplication, and improving information provided to servicemembers and their families," according to a Defense Department news release.
The scope of the pilot program includes all nonclinical care and administrative activities, such as case management and counseling requirements, from the time the servicemember is referred to the board until veterans benefits are provided.
The test program is based on recommendations from reports including the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors and the Commission on Veterans' Disability Benefits.
Army Funds Crunch Would Affect Installations Worldwide
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Installation operations and quality of life programs for soldiers and their families would be affected worldwide if the Army doesn't receive additional funding from Congress soon, a senior officer said here today. "Absolutely, it's an urgent need," Maj. Gen. Edgar E. Stanton III, director of the Army's budget office, said of the necessity for the Army to obtain nearly $55 billion from Congress to fund operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The active Army is now using $26 billion in appropriations that were earmarked for base-support operations to fund its overseas global war on terrorism operations, Stanton said.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but the legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
The Army is now spending about $7 billion monthly to support worldwide installation operations and overseas war fighting requirements, Stanton said. Without additional funding, the Army will exhaust its base operations and maintenance accounts by mid-February, he said.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed that all Army commanders and agency directors begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"We are only in the prudent planning phase," Cody said in a statement released yesterday. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the Army and Marine Corps to begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
About 200,000 Army civilians and contractors worldwide could be furloughed or temporarily laid off if the funding isn't provided, according to senior Defense Department officials. Persons affected by potential furloughs would need to be notified by around mid-December, Stanton noted, since 60 days of notice is required.
Soldiers will receive their paychecks even if the additional funding doesn't come through by February, Stanton said. However, installation child care services and other quality of life programs likely would be adversely affected, he said.
Also, available soldiers at Army installations could be called upon to perform security duty and other key tasks previously performed by civilians and contractors, Stanton said.
In view of a potential budget crunch, the call out to Army commanders to review installation and agency spending is simply part of responsible planning, Stanton explained.
If the Army doesn't receive the needed funding by mid-February, "there will be impacts," Stanton predicted, and he said officials are working to identify the specific effects a budget crunch would have on quality of life and family programs.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Installation operations and quality of life programs for soldiers and their families would be affected worldwide if the Army doesn't receive additional funding from Congress soon, a senior officer said here today. "Absolutely, it's an urgent need," Maj. Gen. Edgar E. Stanton III, director of the Army's budget office, said of the necessity for the Army to obtain nearly $55 billion from Congress to fund operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The active Army is now using $26 billion in appropriations that were earmarked for base-support operations to fund its overseas global war on terrorism operations, Stanton said.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but the legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
The Army is now spending about $7 billion monthly to support worldwide installation operations and overseas war fighting requirements, Stanton said. Without additional funding, the Army will exhaust its base operations and maintenance accounts by mid-February, he said.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed that all Army commanders and agency directors begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"We are only in the prudent planning phase," Cody said in a statement released yesterday. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the Army and Marine Corps to begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
About 200,000 Army civilians and contractors worldwide could be furloughed or temporarily laid off if the funding isn't provided, according to senior Defense Department officials. Persons affected by potential furloughs would need to be notified by around mid-December, Stanton noted, since 60 days of notice is required.
Soldiers will receive their paychecks even if the additional funding doesn't come through by February, Stanton said. However, installation child care services and other quality of life programs likely would be adversely affected, he said.
Also, available soldiers at Army installations could be called upon to perform security duty and other key tasks previously performed by civilians and contractors, Stanton said.
In view of a potential budget crunch, the call out to Army commanders to review installation and agency spending is simply part of responsible planning, Stanton explained.
If the Army doesn't receive the needed funding by mid-February, "there will be impacts," Stanton predicted, and he said officials are working to identify the specific effects a budget crunch would have on quality of life and family programs.
Defense Department Outlines Recoupment Policies
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Defense Department policy prohibits services from recouping bonuses and other pay from servicemembers who do not complete their military contracts due to no fault of their own. "Repayment will not be sought if the member's inability to fulfill the eligibility requirements is due to circumstances determined reasonably beyond the member's control," the policy guidance put in place this year reads.
Pentagon officials re-stated their policy this week after a wounded soldier in Pennsylvania received a bill from the Army. Jordan Fox was an Army private first class wounded in an improvised explosive device explosion in Iraq. He was medically discharged and later received a letter demanding repayment of $2,800 of his $7,500 enlistment bonus. A second letter from the Army stated interest would be charged if a payment wasn't made within 30 days.
Army officials later said Fox will not be required to pay back any enlistment money he received.
According to the policy, circumstances could include a servicemember's death, injury, illness or other impairment which is not the result of the servicemember's misconduct.
It could also apply if the servicemember is forced to reclassify into a new military specialty or if the servicemember is separated due to hardship.
The policy also allows for the service secretary to make case-by-case determinations on repayment.
Policy guidance published earlier this year also prohibits any debt collection from combat-related bonuses or incentives paid to a servicemember after medical evacuation form a combat zone. For example, if a soldier receives additional monthly combat pay and those payments are not stopped in a timely manner after his evacuation, the combat pay he receives after leaving the combat zone cannot be recouped by the services.
"Therefore, ... the secretaries of the military departments, in coordination with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, will expeditiously remit or cancel all theater debt incurred by members of the U.S. armed forces who were medically evacuated from a combat zone due to battle injury or illness, nor non-battle injury or illness, except when misconduct on the part of the member contributed to the indebtedness," the guidance reads.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Defense Department policy prohibits services from recouping bonuses and other pay from servicemembers who do not complete their military contracts due to no fault of their own. "Repayment will not be sought if the member's inability to fulfill the eligibility requirements is due to circumstances determined reasonably beyond the member's control," the policy guidance put in place this year reads.
Pentagon officials re-stated their policy this week after a wounded soldier in Pennsylvania received a bill from the Army. Jordan Fox was an Army private first class wounded in an improvised explosive device explosion in Iraq. He was medically discharged and later received a letter demanding repayment of $2,800 of his $7,500 enlistment bonus. A second letter from the Army stated interest would be charged if a payment wasn't made within 30 days.
Army officials later said Fox will not be required to pay back any enlistment money he received.
According to the policy, circumstances could include a servicemember's death, injury, illness or other impairment which is not the result of the servicemember's misconduct.
It could also apply if the servicemember is forced to reclassify into a new military specialty or if the servicemember is separated due to hardship.
The policy also allows for the service secretary to make case-by-case determinations on repayment.
Policy guidance published earlier this year also prohibits any debt collection from combat-related bonuses or incentives paid to a servicemember after medical evacuation form a combat zone. For example, if a soldier receives additional monthly combat pay and those payments are not stopped in a timely manner after his evacuation, the combat pay he receives after leaving the combat zone cannot be recouped by the services.
"Therefore, ... the secretaries of the military departments, in coordination with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, will expeditiously remit or cancel all theater debt incurred by members of the U.S. armed forces who were medically evacuated from a combat zone due to battle injury or illness, nor non-battle injury or illness, except when misconduct on the part of the member contributed to the indebtedness," the guidance reads.
Pentagon Honors Business Leaders for Efforts in Iraq
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Twenty-one American business leaders were honored in a ceremony today for their efforts to revitalize Iraq's economy. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England honored the group -- mostly private defense industry executives and some former military members -- in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes for their role in adding stability to the war-torn nation.
"This is about security and economic development, and you can't have one without the other," England said. He praised the group for its role in reopening factories and making economic assessments in Iraq.
The honorees are the first volunteers to return from the Defense Department's Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Iraq. The task force was created in June 2006 under the direction of Paul Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business transformation. Thirty-five participants remain in Iraq.
"These business executives were under fire on a daily basis," Brinkley said. "Their contribution is really remarkable."
Honorees, though, said any hesitation they had about working in a war zone was overshadowed by their desire to improve conditions in Iraq.
"People are dying over there," William Duncan, a factory lead at Computer Sciences Corp. in St. Louis, said. "If we put people back to work, they won't plant (roadside bombs) for $200. These people, mostly, are just like us: they want to earn a living and feed their families."
Duncan signed on to the task force after receiving a call from Brinkley, with whom he worked at JDS Uniphase Corp. Duncan's role was to pull people from various sectors of American manufacturing to go into Iraq's closed, state-owned factories to determine what each needed to reopen.
"For every person I took over there, 80 people volunteered to go," Duncan said. "People don't realize how much the American people want to help out."
While the Iraqis initially distrusted the American workers, they soon came to realize that the American business people were helpful, Duncan said. "One man cried and kissed me on both cheeks when we got his factory reopened," he said.
Andrew Erdmann, a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in St. Louis, said he and other task force participants had the perfect backgrounds of public- and private-sector and military experience to improve the economic situation in Iraq. McKinsey required that its employees have military or war zone experience to participate on the task force. Erdmann worked for the State Department in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
"I have friends in Iraq, so this was a personal commitment for me," Erdmann said. "Everyone on the team was motivated by wanting to contribute to this 'greatest problem.'"
David Adams, a consultant with McKinsey in Chicago, agreed. "I was very excited to be part of the solution of the biggest problem on the planet."
The task force has caused a "tremendous turnaround" for Iraqis, some 60 percent of whom were unemployed when the task force was created, Brinkley said. The unemployment rate now is below 50 percent, he said.
England reiterated comments Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made last week in saying that "war is not strictly about the kinetics of warfare."
"You've been the nonmilitary instruments of power to make a difference in Iraq," he told the honorees. "You'll always be able to say, 'I did, personally, make a difference in Iraq."
England also declared that "the surge is working" and said Iraq is "coming back to a stable, rational state."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Twenty-one American business leaders were honored in a ceremony today for their efforts to revitalize Iraq's economy. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England honored the group -- mostly private defense industry executives and some former military members -- in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes for their role in adding stability to the war-torn nation.
"This is about security and economic development, and you can't have one without the other," England said. He praised the group for its role in reopening factories and making economic assessments in Iraq.
The honorees are the first volunteers to return from the Defense Department's Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Iraq. The task force was created in June 2006 under the direction of Paul Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business transformation. Thirty-five participants remain in Iraq.
"These business executives were under fire on a daily basis," Brinkley said. "Their contribution is really remarkable."
Honorees, though, said any hesitation they had about working in a war zone was overshadowed by their desire to improve conditions in Iraq.
"People are dying over there," William Duncan, a factory lead at Computer Sciences Corp. in St. Louis, said. "If we put people back to work, they won't plant (roadside bombs) for $200. These people, mostly, are just like us: they want to earn a living and feed their families."
Duncan signed on to the task force after receiving a call from Brinkley, with whom he worked at JDS Uniphase Corp. Duncan's role was to pull people from various sectors of American manufacturing to go into Iraq's closed, state-owned factories to determine what each needed to reopen.
"For every person I took over there, 80 people volunteered to go," Duncan said. "People don't realize how much the American people want to help out."
While the Iraqis initially distrusted the American workers, they soon came to realize that the American business people were helpful, Duncan said. "One man cried and kissed me on both cheeks when we got his factory reopened," he said.
Andrew Erdmann, a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in St. Louis, said he and other task force participants had the perfect backgrounds of public- and private-sector and military experience to improve the economic situation in Iraq. McKinsey required that its employees have military or war zone experience to participate on the task force. Erdmann worked for the State Department in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
"I have friends in Iraq, so this was a personal commitment for me," Erdmann said. "Everyone on the team was motivated by wanting to contribute to this 'greatest problem.'"
David Adams, a consultant with McKinsey in Chicago, agreed. "I was very excited to be part of the solution of the biggest problem on the planet."
The task force has caused a "tremendous turnaround" for Iraqis, some 60 percent of whom were unemployed when the task force was created, Brinkley said. The unemployment rate now is below 50 percent, he said.
England reiterated comments Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made last week in saying that "war is not strictly about the kinetics of warfare."
"You've been the nonmilitary instruments of power to make a difference in Iraq," he told the honorees. "You'll always be able to say, 'I did, personally, make a difference in Iraq."
England also declared that "the surge is working" and said Iraq is "coming back to a stable, rational state."
Holiday Support for Troops Easy as 1-2-3
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - As the holidays draw near and shopping lists get shorter, some may find they're still looking for the perfect way to thank "Any Servicemember" this year. The most popular ways to support the troops are through cards and letters, care packages and military family support. Hundreds of troop-support groups shared their holiday troop-support plans earlier this year.
Letters and cards are a simple, inexpensive way to show a servicemember they've got support back home, especially during such a family-oriented time of the year.
Marine Moms Online, www.marinemomsonline.net, based in Illinois, works to collect "letters, letters, letters," said Julie Callahan, a group representative. "(Marine Moms Online) members work with churches and schools collecting letters that are given to the recruits on Christmas morning," she said. "Encouraging letters from veterans, celebrities, sports teams, and politicians are collected and assembled into scrapbooks that are available to all recruits in the support battalions throughout the year."
The Military Support Group of Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Ind., www.cpmsglife.org, has a goal of sending 4,000 cards to men and women serving overseas. Those will accompany 18-inch decorated Christmas trees. "(We) have sent approximately 10,000 Christmas Cards," said Robert Leive, a representative of the group. Last year, the group sent 4,000 cards.
Many groups work hard to collect holiday greetings for the troops, and though it was common practice during past conflicts, sending a letter addressed to "Any Servicemember" is not a good idea. The Defense Department, citing security concerns, enforces a policy specifying mail not addressed to a specific individual will not be accepted. It's better to look to a troop-support organization that has established contacts to receive letters to the troops.
A box of goodies at the holidays is a sure way to brighten a deployed servicemember's day, and dozens of troop-support organizations are working to make sure no servicemember has a gloomy holiday.
"This will be our fifth year of sending holiday treats to our troops, as well as our weekly support care packages," said Meredith Kelly, chair of Illinois-based Operation Stars and Stripes, www.operationstars.com. "In November, we start sending new pre-lit 3- and 4-foot Christmas trees with all the trimmings to our units that we are supporting."
Those trees come complete with a DVD copy of the original "It's a Wonderful Life," she said. "We try to reach as many as we can to let them know they are not forgotten," Kelly added.
California's Operation Gratitude, www.opgratitude.com, has mastered the art of sending care packages, packing more than 34,000 boxes of goodies in the first four days of its 2007 Holiday Drive, which kicked off Veterans Day weekend. Group officials anticipate packing the 300,000th care package for a deployed servicemember on Dec. 15. That milestone package is expected to arrive on or around Christmas Eve and will contain a special gift for the recipient. "We will be sending 50,000 to 60,000 care packages to deployed troops," said Carolyn Blashek, the group's founder. "We welcome donations of items, letters, funds to pay for postage, and volunteers to help assemble the packages at our facility in Van Nuys, Calif."
Sometimes the best way to support the troops at any time of the year is to support their families back home. During the holidays, this can be especially powerful.
CRVA Charities, Inc.'s annual Toys for the Troops' Kids drive, www.toysforthetroopskids.org, began in 2003 with a goal of providing two toys for every child of a deployed military parent from the Sacramento, Calif. area. A booming success, the program has expanded, said William F. Stein, the group's president. "We will collect 50,000 toys for the kids of deployed troops (to be) distributed in four western states and Hawaii in December," he said.
The Homefront Cares, Inc., www.thehomefrontcares.org, which offers year-round support, will provide between 500 and 1,000 meals to families at Fort Carson, Colo.
Other organizations, like Our Military Kids, www.ourmilitarykids.org, operate year round, but having strong support during the holidays makes it easier for them to fulfill their missions. Our Military Kids provides grants to children of deployed and severely injured National Guardsman and reservists for enrichment activities and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the deployment.
Links to all of these groups and more than 300 others are available on the America Supports You Web site, www.AmericaSupportYou.com. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - As the holidays draw near and shopping lists get shorter, some may find they're still looking for the perfect way to thank "Any Servicemember" this year. The most popular ways to support the troops are through cards and letters, care packages and military family support. Hundreds of troop-support groups shared their holiday troop-support plans earlier this year.
Letters and cards are a simple, inexpensive way to show a servicemember they've got support back home, especially during such a family-oriented time of the year.
Marine Moms Online, www.marinemomsonline.net, based in Illinois, works to collect "letters, letters, letters," said Julie Callahan, a group representative. "(Marine Moms Online) members work with churches and schools collecting letters that are given to the recruits on Christmas morning," she said. "Encouraging letters from veterans, celebrities, sports teams, and politicians are collected and assembled into scrapbooks that are available to all recruits in the support battalions throughout the year."
The Military Support Group of Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Ind., www.cpmsglife.org, has a goal of sending 4,000 cards to men and women serving overseas. Those will accompany 18-inch decorated Christmas trees. "(We) have sent approximately 10,000 Christmas Cards," said Robert Leive, a representative of the group. Last year, the group sent 4,000 cards.
Many groups work hard to collect holiday greetings for the troops, and though it was common practice during past conflicts, sending a letter addressed to "Any Servicemember" is not a good idea. The Defense Department, citing security concerns, enforces a policy specifying mail not addressed to a specific individual will not be accepted. It's better to look to a troop-support organization that has established contacts to receive letters to the troops.
A box of goodies at the holidays is a sure way to brighten a deployed servicemember's day, and dozens of troop-support organizations are working to make sure no servicemember has a gloomy holiday.
"This will be our fifth year of sending holiday treats to our troops, as well as our weekly support care packages," said Meredith Kelly, chair of Illinois-based Operation Stars and Stripes, www.operationstars.com. "In November, we start sending new pre-lit 3- and 4-foot Christmas trees with all the trimmings to our units that we are supporting."
Those trees come complete with a DVD copy of the original "It's a Wonderful Life," she said. "We try to reach as many as we can to let them know they are not forgotten," Kelly added.
California's Operation Gratitude, www.opgratitude.com, has mastered the art of sending care packages, packing more than 34,000 boxes of goodies in the first four days of its 2007 Holiday Drive, which kicked off Veterans Day weekend. Group officials anticipate packing the 300,000th care package for a deployed servicemember on Dec. 15. That milestone package is expected to arrive on or around Christmas Eve and will contain a special gift for the recipient. "We will be sending 50,000 to 60,000 care packages to deployed troops," said Carolyn Blashek, the group's founder. "We welcome donations of items, letters, funds to pay for postage, and volunteers to help assemble the packages at our facility in Van Nuys, Calif."
Sometimes the best way to support the troops at any time of the year is to support their families back home. During the holidays, this can be especially powerful.
CRVA Charities, Inc.'s annual Toys for the Troops' Kids drive, www.toysforthetroopskids.org, began in 2003 with a goal of providing two toys for every child of a deployed military parent from the Sacramento, Calif. area. A booming success, the program has expanded, said William F. Stein, the group's president. "We will collect 50,000 toys for the kids of deployed troops (to be) distributed in four western states and Hawaii in December," he said.
The Homefront Cares, Inc., www.thehomefrontcares.org, which offers year-round support, will provide between 500 and 1,000 meals to families at Fort Carson, Colo.
Other organizations, like Our Military Kids, www.ourmilitarykids.org, operate year round, but having strong support during the holidays makes it easier for them to fulfill their missions. Our Military Kids provides grants to children of deployed and severely injured National Guardsman and reservists for enrichment activities and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the deployment.
Links to all of these groups and more than 300 others are available on the America Supports You Web site, www.AmericaSupportYou.com. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Bush Visits Pentagon, Weighs In on Defense Budget Shortfall
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - It's of paramount importance to the nation for Congress to provide money to the Pentagon for funding operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Bush told reporters at the Pentagon today. "The missions of this department are essential to saving Americans' lives," Bush told reporters after meeting with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior defense leaders to discuss the long-term needs of the military and of the need to continue modernization efforts.
The department's missions "are too important to be disrupted or delayed or put at risk," Bush emphasized. He then expressed his frustration that the military has "waited for months" for congressional funding to support overseas operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but such legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
Meanwhile, in anticipation of a shortfall of funds to support overseas military operations, Gates has directed that the Army and Marine Corps begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
"Pentagon officials have warned Congress that the continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of this department," Bush said.
The shortfall cannot be alleviated by shifting more money around Pentagon accounts, Bush explained, noting that Congress limits the amount of money that can be transferred.
"No more money can be moved" within DoD, Bush said.
Gates has asked the services, the Army and Marines in particular, to review their spending with an eye to cut installation operational costs. Soldiers and Marines constitute the bulk of U.S. ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued yesterday.
In addition, about 200,000 government civilians and contractors could be furloughed in coming months if the required funds aren't provided, senior defense officials have said.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"These are contingency steps that a prudent manager must take," Bush said.
Gates and other senior defense officials "have made a reasoned case to Congress for the funds they need to keep the military running," the president said.
The American people "do not want the government to create needless uncertainty for those defending our country" or uncertainty for servicemembers' families, Bush said.
People also expect the government not to disrupt the U.S. military's efforts in Iraq, which have helped to bring about reduced violence in that country.
"They do not want disputes in Washington to undermine our troops in Iraq, just as they're seeing clear signs of success," Bush said.
He added that U.S. political leaders "have a responsibility to send the right message to the rest of the world."
"Let us tell our enemies that America will do what it takes to defeat them," Bush said. "Let us tell Afghans and Iraqis that we will stand with them as they take the fight to our common enemies.
"Let us tell our men and women in uniform that we will give them what they need to succeed in their missions, without strings and without delay," Bush said.
Bush urged Congress to provide funding needed by the troops before members depart for the holiday recess. He also praised military members for their hard work, courage, sacrifice and dedication to peace.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - It's of paramount importance to the nation for Congress to provide money to the Pentagon for funding operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Bush told reporters at the Pentagon today. "The missions of this department are essential to saving Americans' lives," Bush told reporters after meeting with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior defense leaders to discuss the long-term needs of the military and of the need to continue modernization efforts.
The department's missions "are too important to be disrupted or delayed or put at risk," Bush emphasized. He then expressed his frustration that the military has "waited for months" for congressional funding to support overseas operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but such legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
Meanwhile, in anticipation of a shortfall of funds to support overseas military operations, Gates has directed that the Army and Marine Corps begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
"Pentagon officials have warned Congress that the continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of this department," Bush said.
The shortfall cannot be alleviated by shifting more money around Pentagon accounts, Bush explained, noting that Congress limits the amount of money that can be transferred.
"No more money can be moved" within DoD, Bush said.
Gates has asked the services, the Army and Marines in particular, to review their spending with an eye to cut installation operational costs. Soldiers and Marines constitute the bulk of U.S. ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued yesterday.
In addition, about 200,000 government civilians and contractors could be furloughed in coming months if the required funds aren't provided, senior defense officials have said.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"These are contingency steps that a prudent manager must take," Bush said.
Gates and other senior defense officials "have made a reasoned case to Congress for the funds they need to keep the military running," the president said.
The American people "do not want the government to create needless uncertainty for those defending our country" or uncertainty for servicemembers' families, Bush said.
People also expect the government not to disrupt the U.S. military's efforts in Iraq, which have helped to bring about reduced violence in that country.
"They do not want disputes in Washington to undermine our troops in Iraq, just as they're seeing clear signs of success," Bush said.
He added that U.S. political leaders "have a responsibility to send the right message to the rest of the world."
"Let us tell our enemies that America will do what it takes to defeat them," Bush said. "Let us tell Afghans and Iraqis that we will stand with them as they take the fight to our common enemies.
"Let us tell our men and women in uniform that we will give them what they need to succeed in their missions, without strings and without delay," Bush said.
Bush urged Congress to provide funding needed by the troops before members depart for the holiday recess. He also praised military members for their hard work, courage, sacrifice and dedication to peace.
England Emphasizes Importance of Internal Checks
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England donned a Santa hat today to remind Defense Department managers to take the red-suited fellow's lead by checking their lists twice to enforce internal controls within the department. Internal controls are critical as DoD manages a budget of more than $500 billion, not including war costs, England told attendees at the Manager's Internal Control Program and Check-It Campaign Conference at Fort McNair here.
The way the department enforces its internal controls has a direct impact on the men and women in uniform defending the United States and its friends and allies, England said. "We are the people behind the lines, and we make it possible for our men and women who serve on the front lines ... to do their jobs. They count on us every single day. They count on us doing this job, and they count on us doing it right.
"And we know that we do it right when we check it every day," he said.
England pointed to DoD's "Check-It" program, which he kicked off in July 2006, as a key to that goal. The campaign aims to remind everyone throughout DoD of the importance of their jobs to the overall mission and of double-checking themselves to make sure they're doing them right and not cutting corners.
"If you check things, then what should happen will happen," England said in introducing the program. "It's what we want to do every day in the jobs we do."
That has big implications for the military, where "getting it right" is the only real option, he said.
Tina Jonas, DoD's comptroller, said the Check It program is paying off through greater return on investments, hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and governmentwide recognition of the department's accomplishments. "You are the ones who are making it happen," she told the managers.
She noted an 84 percent reduction in self-identified internal control weaknesses since 2001 – from 116 to 19 today. "That's progress," she said.
Jonas also pointed to other measures of this forward momentum. She noted that in 2001, only two DoD entities had achieved a clean audit opinion on their financial statements. By 2006, that number had increased to six. The department's goal is to bring two-thirds of its entities to this standard by fiscal 2009, she said.
England thanked defense managers for the hard work that's brought about this progress and challenged them to get the remaining 19 internal control weaknesses cleared up before he leaves office in 417 days. "I ask for your energy and support," he said. "What you do is vitally important to the Department of Defense."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England donned a Santa hat today to remind Defense Department managers to take the red-suited fellow's lead by checking their lists twice to enforce internal controls within the department. Internal controls are critical as DoD manages a budget of more than $500 billion, not including war costs, England told attendees at the Manager's Internal Control Program and Check-It Campaign Conference at Fort McNair here.
The way the department enforces its internal controls has a direct impact on the men and women in uniform defending the United States and its friends and allies, England said. "We are the people behind the lines, and we make it possible for our men and women who serve on the front lines ... to do their jobs. They count on us every single day. They count on us doing this job, and they count on us doing it right.
"And we know that we do it right when we check it every day," he said.
England pointed to DoD's "Check-It" program, which he kicked off in July 2006, as a key to that goal. The campaign aims to remind everyone throughout DoD of the importance of their jobs to the overall mission and of double-checking themselves to make sure they're doing them right and not cutting corners.
"If you check things, then what should happen will happen," England said in introducing the program. "It's what we want to do every day in the jobs we do."
That has big implications for the military, where "getting it right" is the only real option, he said.
Tina Jonas, DoD's comptroller, said the Check It program is paying off through greater return on investments, hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and governmentwide recognition of the department's accomplishments. "You are the ones who are making it happen," she told the managers.
She noted an 84 percent reduction in self-identified internal control weaknesses since 2001 – from 116 to 19 today. "That's progress," she said.
Jonas also pointed to other measures of this forward momentum. She noted that in 2001, only two DoD entities had achieved a clean audit opinion on their financial statements. By 2006, that number had increased to six. The department's goal is to bring two-thirds of its entities to this standard by fiscal 2009, she said.
England thanked defense managers for the hard work that's brought about this progress and challenged them to get the remaining 19 internal control weaknesses cleared up before he leaves office in 417 days. "I ask for your energy and support," he said. "What you do is vitally important to the Department of Defense."
Army Reservists Support Conference, Gain Experience
By Capt. Steven Alvarez, USASpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - As the Humvee tumbled side over side, the soldiers inside shouted: "Rollover!" They braced themselves as sand and debris once on the floorboards now fell on them, sprinkling them with dust. After quickly assessing the situation, the soldiers quickly managed to get themselves out of the upside-down vehicle and pulled a wounded comrade out with them.
The unique thing about this rollover is that it didn't happen in Iraq or Afghanistan but inside the Orlando Convention Center, where members of the armed forces, government, defense industry and academia have gathered for the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference. The conference promotes cooperation between organizations to improve training and education programs and identify common training issues in the development of multiservice programs.
Soldiers from 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), an Army Reserve command, partnered with the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation Training and Instrumentation to support the conference since both organizations have their headquarters in Orlando.
PEO STRI provides interoperable training and testing solutions and program management as well as life-cycle support for the Army's advanced training systems. The 143rd ESC commands and controls units, provides logistical planning and support operations and provides combat service support forces capable of supporting full-spectrum logistics.
The partnership enabled soldiers to receive training and provided the defense industry with real soldiers to demonstrate and test emerging technology.
"We want to take advantage of doing some training as well as supporting," Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Segreaves, of the 143rd, said. "Repetition in demonstrating this stuff has its benefits. Being upside down and extracting yourself from a vehicle -- there are hardly any opportunities to get this type of training; (the conference) provides this opportunity," he said. "Rollover training is a hot item. We know soldiers are getting killed this way," Segreaves said.
The 16 soldiers supporting the conference are from the 143rd and from Florida. All are part-time warrior citizens from the 196th Transportation Company, the 1159th, 194th and the 76th Terminal Supervision Teams. Many of the soldiers supporting the conference have served as transporters in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
"This is really good training," Sgt. Laura Jordan said. Ordinarily she drives a palletized loading system truck with the 196th, but she insisted the Humvee training is still beneficial. "It gives you the idea of what it is really like."
About 100 feet from the rollover simulator, three soldiers were patrolling an Iraqi street. The scenario was simulated on a large color screen as the soldiers moved throughout the warren of streets carrying M-4 rifles at the ready.
Suddenly gunfire erupted, and the team leader shouted, "Sniper!" The soldiers assumed firing positions and opened fire, aiming and shooting their rifles at the screen. As the rifles cracked, rounds bounced off the building where the sniper was perched atop a roof.
"Reloading!" another soldier shouted as he knelt to reload his weapon. The other two kept a steady flow of rounds on the target to protect the soldier as he reloaded. Before he was done, the insurgent was killed.
On an adjacent roof in the simulation, a civilian peeked out at the firefight; one of the soldiers watched him carefully, but did nothing more. Below on the busy streets, villagers scrambled about on the street.
The simulator is an extension of the Army's marksmanship training program, but it introduces the added elements of non-combatants, an urban environment and other soldiers involved in the mission.
"This does help with unit cohesion," Staff Sgt. Scott Zeman, of the 76th TST, said after he and two other soldiers encountered a sniper ambush in the simulator. He also noted that the rifle's recoil was realistic, and his teammates added that not only did the scenario simulator training help prepare them for duty on the frontlines, but it also taught them to communicate with each other during hostile actions.
On the other side of the show hall, Spc. Richard Abreu stood near a driving simulator, waiting at another shot to drive the Stryker simulator. The simulator consists of a vehicle cab, instructor operator system, a visual system, freedom motion system all linked by computer systems.
The instructor selected visual and mechanical scenarios and monitored and scored each driver trainee. The instructor can introduce malfunctions and emergencies in both tactical and nontactical environments. "It feels real -- the movement, especially when off-roading; the bouncing seems so real," Abreu said.
Abreu served as a scout in Operation Iraqi Freedom with 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and said he believes simulators would help those entering vehicular professions. "It would be real good for people just coming into the military," Abreu said. "Giving them something like this to train in would be real good so they're more comfortable," he added.
Army Master Sgt. Daniel Lopez agreed that simulator training for new soldiers would be beneficial. He said he has been involved in rollover accidents and knows the value of simulators firsthand. With simulators, vehicles do not get damaged and, above all, soldiers do not get injured. "It's high-speed," Lopez said.
"I'm going to have these guys coming through it (the simulator) all night," he added about his soldiers.
Lopez said the simulators can indoctrinate soldiers into various conditions without traveling to actual locations. Desert, mountain and snowy environments can all be trained from one location when the simulator is programmed accordingly.
For his first try behind the wheel of the Stryker simulator, Lopez asked his instructor to introduce 100 mph winds into his scenario, as well as snow and hills. "I was trying to drive up a hill and didn't give it enough power, and I started to slide back down the hill," Lopez said smiling. "I also overcorrected with the wind."
(Army Capt. Steven Alvarez is the public affairs officer for 143rd Sustainment Command [Expeditionary], in Orlando, Fla.)
Bush to Visit Pentagon to Discuss Long-Range Plans for Military
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 28, 2007 - President Bush is slated to visit the Pentagon tomorrow afternoon to talk with senior leaders about long-term strategic plans for the military, the Pentagon press secretary told reporters today. Bush will meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Deputy Secretary Gordon England and other defense and military officials, Geoff Morrell said during a Pentagon briefing. Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, also is expected to participate.
The president's last Pentagon visit, on Aug. 31, focused primarily on the status of the Iraq war and the health of the force in light of more than four years of operations there. "This one is expected to take a longer-term, more strategic look at the military," Morrell said.
Among topics expected to top tomorrow's agenda will be "the need for sustained investment in our national defense long after the conflicts in which we are currently engaged have ended," he said.
Bush said in a statement released following the Aug. 31 Pentagon meeting that he had accepted Gates' recommendation to increase the overall strength of the Army and Marines by 92,000 over the next five years. The meeting included discussion about military and civilian coordination, noting that joint civilian and military teams currently are deployed in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines and Iraq.
Tomorrow's meeting comes days after Gates pressed during a speech in Kansas for the United States to strengthen all elements of its national power -- the "soft" power as well as "hard" military might -- to face challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan and others it will confront in the future. Speaking during a Nov. 26 Landon Lecture speech at Kansas State University, Gates encouraged better funding for the State Department and other non-military U.S. entities so they can serve a broader role working as partners with the military in overseas operations.
Bush's Pentagon visit tomorrow will come on the heels of the Annapolis conference that brought Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders together to discuss ways to advance peace in the Middle East.
Gates hosted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon last night. Barak was in Washington to attend the conference. Morrell told reporters the two defense leaders discussed "a range of issues" of mutual concern, taking advantage of Barak's time in Washington to "sit down face-to-face to discuss those issues."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 28, 2007 - President Bush is slated to visit the Pentagon tomorrow afternoon to talk with senior leaders about long-term strategic plans for the military, the Pentagon press secretary told reporters today. Bush will meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Deputy Secretary Gordon England and other defense and military officials, Geoff Morrell said during a Pentagon briefing. Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, also is expected to participate.
The president's last Pentagon visit, on Aug. 31, focused primarily on the status of the Iraq war and the health of the force in light of more than four years of operations there. "This one is expected to take a longer-term, more strategic look at the military," Morrell said.
Among topics expected to top tomorrow's agenda will be "the need for sustained investment in our national defense long after the conflicts in which we are currently engaged have ended," he said.
Bush said in a statement released following the Aug. 31 Pentagon meeting that he had accepted Gates' recommendation to increase the overall strength of the Army and Marines by 92,000 over the next five years. The meeting included discussion about military and civilian coordination, noting that joint civilian and military teams currently are deployed in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines and Iraq.
Tomorrow's meeting comes days after Gates pressed during a speech in Kansas for the United States to strengthen all elements of its national power -- the "soft" power as well as "hard" military might -- to face challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan and others it will confront in the future. Speaking during a Nov. 26 Landon Lecture speech at Kansas State University, Gates encouraged better funding for the State Department and other non-military U.S. entities so they can serve a broader role working as partners with the military in overseas operations.
Bush's Pentagon visit tomorrow will come on the heels of the Annapolis conference that brought Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders together to discuss ways to advance peace in the Middle East.
Gates hosted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon last night. Barak was in Washington to attend the conference. Morrell told reporters the two defense leaders discussed "a range of issues" of mutual concern, taking advantage of Barak's time in Washington to "sit down face-to-face to discuss those issues."
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