By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 7, 2007 - Transitioning from military to civilian life can be daunting for some, but one group is helping to streamline the process. Fast Forward Community Technology Center, in Columbia, S.C., provides access to technology and technology education to people who might otherwise have access. Recently, however, the group has created a program to provide veterans with tools necessary to successfully transition into civilian employment.
"The main effort of the 'Homefront Readiness' program is to help military veterans find good, secure jobs within the civilian sector," said Becca Smith, the program's director.
Veterans meet with Smith to decide on a course of action, which can include anything from getting help with technology and job skills to networking. She can help them create or edit a resume or find military-friendly employers in the area.
"We have been incredibly successful thus far," Smith said. "Currently, 69 veterans are enrolled in the program, and 16 have secured civilian jobs."
She said more than half of veterans participating in Homefront Readiness have increased their technology skills. "I believe it's the personalized attention and individualized plan that makes our program different and that helps veterans achieve success in the civilian sector," she said.
Homefront Readiness recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"I'm excited about the networking aspect of being on the (America Support You) Web site," Smith said. "We are actively looking for funding and support to help us keep the programs running." Homefront Readiness, which began in January, is funded through a grant by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Smith said. That grant will expire in January 2009.
By Sgt. Sara Moore, USA
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 7, 2007 - The Army is getting ready to launch a new pay and personnel system next year that will streamline personnel processes and integrate the active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve components, the Army representative for the new program said today. The Army Defense Integrated Human Resources System, which is part of a Defense Department initiative, will be implemented Oct. 1, 2008, at all Army installations and within all service components, Army Col. Patrick Devine, program director of DIMHRS, told online journalists and "bloggers" during a conference call.
DIMHRS is a commercial product that will take the pay and personnel data from all three components of the Army and put it in a single database accessible online 24 hours a day. A key feature of DIMHRS is that it integrates the pay and personnel systems, which means that when a personnel action is taken, the system automatically will trigger any associated pay change, Devine said.
DIMHRS goes toward solving the problem of multi-component units, or those units made up of soldiers from the active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve, Devine said. In the past, these units had to deal with six different personnel systems and three pay systems, he noted, and DIMHRS will consolidate those into one system.
A big benefit that DIMHRS will give National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers is continuity of pay when they are mobilized, Devine said. In the current environment, National Guard soldiers go through five different sites from mobilization to deployment and have to complete paperwork and be certified at each location, he said. When DIMHRS is launched, all military pay will be handled in the one system, and is coordinated with personnel data, so problems can be avoided.
"In a DIMHRS environment, it's one record per soldier for military personnel and pay, so all that information is shared and it further expedites his entitlements and getting his compensation," Devine said.
A unique aspect of DIMHRS is that it will allow soldiers to access their records and make certain self-service changes, such as a change of address or requesting a personnel action, Devine said. In this way, every soldier will be a user of the system, and all supervisors, including Army civilians who supervise soldiers, will be required to know the system so they can process leave requests, awards and evaluations, he said.
To prepare for the implementation of this new system, the Army is launching an ambitious training program designed to reach all installations, Devine said. The training team starts by briefing senior leadership on the program, he said, then moves to battalion- and brigade-level leadership, and then briefs the human resources personnel who will be using the system the most.
The Army also is making distance-learning materials available for DIMHRS, and will be training soldiers to be instructors on the system, Devine said. The DIMHRS Web site, at www.armydimhrs.army.mil, also will have all the training materials available to soldiers, he said.
The Web site also includes other helpful materials, such as a universal translator to help with commercial terms soldiers may not be familiar with, and work force readiness packages, which describe how each action was done under the old system and how it will be done under DIMHRS.
The Air Force also is set to launch DIMHRS in February 2009, and although the Navy has not set a date for implementation, Navy officials have appointed a program director.
The Department of Defense today released key findings from this year's Military Service Academy Assessment report. The report is the first such assessment to combine an evaluation of the academies' new sexual assault prevention and response programs, an evaluation of sexual harassment programs, and feedback from cadet and midshipmen focus groups.
DoD officials met with academy personnel, reviewed academy policies and procedures, conducted an extensive data-call for reports and investigative files, and held focus groups with cadets and midshipmen. Based on information obtained during site visits, DoD found that the academies' programs fulfilled the requirements of existing DoD policies and directives.
Key findings of the report include:
The new DoD sexual assault prevention and response policy is fully implemented at each institution.
Comprehensive and consistent response structures for victim support and care are present and functioning.
All programs ensured every cadet and midshipman receives sexual harassment and violence prevention training as part of their preparation to become military leaders.
Cadet and midshipmen focus group members provided a great deal of frank information, including the following:
A significant amount of time is dedicated to sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention training. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are taken very seriously by leadership and staff at the academies.
Cadets and midshipmen felt safe on academy grounds and believed that sexual assault occurred infrequently at their schools.
In order to enhance academy programs, the DoD report made several recommendations, including:
Victims of sexual assault should be connected with legal resources as soon as possible.
Academy staff who work with the sexual assault prevention and response programs should increase their training, communication, and cooperation between each other and with off-base resources that support the criminal justice system.
Cooperation agreements with local community resources should be updated to provide greater information sharing and to resolve jurisdictional problems with civilian authorities.
The assessment also found there were a total of 40 reports of sexual assault at the academies during the evaluation period. Of those 40 reports, 20 cadets and midshipmen took advantage of the new confidential reporting option that was enacted across the DoD in 2005-2006. Under this option, military members may choose to obtain medical, mental health care and other services without becoming involved in the criminal justice process. The other 20 sexual assault victims who desired to participate in the military justice process were also provided with support and care. All cadets who reported a sexual assault were able to access services 24 hours a day, seven days a week through their installation's sexual assault response coordinator.
The 2007 National Defense Authorization Act directed DoD to assess the effectiveness of the three academies' related policies and programs on an annual basis. The report released today includes data from the last academic program year, from June 1, 2006 through May 31, 2007. The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Col., were included in the assessment.
The complete report is available at http://www.sapr.mil . For specific information contact the individual military services at (703) 697-2564 for Army, (703) 695-0640 for Air Force, and (703) 697-5342 for Navy.
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 7, 2007 - It's been 66 years, and tears still well up in the eyes of Robert Bishop when he thinks of that day. He was a 20-year-old sailor aboard the USS Tennessee when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. Some images are burned into his mind that he will never forget, he said.
"It was just an unbelievable sight. I couldn't believe it. How could this thing happen? But it did," Bishop said today outside the U.S. Capitol.
He had gathered with 13 other survivors and about 100 others including family, friends, servicemembers and members of Congress for a remembrance ceremony sponsored by the White House Commission on Remembrance and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund in partnership with the AMVETS and the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. The event was synchronized and satellite-linked to a ceremony in Hawaii at the USS Arizona memorial.
During the attack, Bishop's duty station was in the heart of the ship, preparing to fire the ship's main battery of guns. For four hours, the horrors of that day were relayed through his radio.
"I couldn't believe what I was hearing about ships blowing up, catching on fire, rolling over. It was about four hours later before I got to go topside to see what actually happened," he said.
When he finally went topside, he couldn't believe what he saw. Bishop said he doesn't remember what he did the rest of that day.
Now, Bishop lives in Youngstown, Ohio, with his wife. At 87, he still works every day, getting up at 5 a.m. to put in eight hours working at a nearby steel mill, where he orders maintenance equipment.
Married for 65 years, Bishop jokes that he will retire when his wife quits getting up with him in the mornings and fixing his breakfast and packing his lunch.
The two meet on the third Saturday of every month with a local Pearl Harbor survivor chapter. It's the reading of the official minutes and a meal, sometimes a game of cards. There were once about 22 members. Now there are about eight who come regularly, Doris said. They try to make it to the anniversary ceremonies held in Hawaii every five years. Other years, they attend a Pearl Harbor commemorative Mass near their home.
Bishop said it is important that Americans remember the attack at Pearl Harbor and not become overconfident or too secure.
"I think we need to be more alert. It seemed that most people thought that nothing like this could happen to us. But because we were not alert enough as a nation, it did happen. We need to know what's going on around us," Bishop said.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead spoke at the event and said that today's military is stronger because of those who served then.
"Because of your example, your service, your sacrifice, we are stronger, we are better and we see the importance of a strong military to carry on that which you began: To ensure the safety and the security and the prosperity of our great country. To be able to go forward wherever it may be and serve our nation proudly as you did and to do that which is right and be mindful of that which has gone before, and be an example for the next generation that will follow us," Roughead said. "We walk in your footsteps. We honor what you have done. We have the highest respect for your service and your sacrifice."
The admiral, who once commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet based in Hawaii, said the harbor is hallowed ground for the Navy.
"In the 13 years that I was there sailing in and out of Pearl Harbor, commanding the fleet ... I never stopped looking out on that harbor without a sense of awe, without a sense of great respect, without a sense of reverence. ...The sacrifice, the service, the camaraderie that is embodied there is palpable," Roughead said. "You feel it every day that you're on the water."
Pearl Harbor serves as a memorial for those who fought and died there, but it also is a source of inspiration for those still in uniform, he said.
"We draw our inspiration, we draw our strength, we draw our commitment from that which has gone on before. And there is no greater example than what took place that day in Pearl Harbor," Roughead said.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 6, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made his first visit to a U.S. Navy warship, the USS Vicksburg, today to tour the vessel, meet its crew and thank them for their service in the Persian Gulf region. Arriving here for bilateral talks at a regional security meeting that opens tomorrow night, Gates took advantage of the Vicksburg's port call in Bahrain to pay it and its crew a visit.
Navy Capt. Chip Swicker, Vicksburg's commanding officer, greeted the secretary at the Mina Salman Pier and joined him as he climbed aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile vessel.
As the secretary climbed the steps toward the ship -- steps he later joked to reporters challenged his "64-year-old knees" -- the crew rendered a traditional Navy welcome. The sound of eight bells, the highest honor afforded any visitor, including the president, rang out, along with the call, "Defense arriving."
Swicker led the secretary around the vessel, pointing out its vertical-launch missile system, rapid-fire cannons and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.
This mix of weapons provides "a wonderful capability" to face threats in the air, ashore and on and underneath the sea. "It's big and very, very heavily armed," Swicker said, noting the ship helps provide security through its mere presence.
As he awaited Gates' arrival, Swicker said he was looking forward to showing Gates the vessel's hardware and weaponry, but wanted even more to show him the quality of his crew. "This is an awesome piece of technology," he said of the ship. "But it's those 350 young sailors who make it all happen."
The crew has been conducting maritime security operations in the Central Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman since leaving their homeport of Mayport, Fla., on Aug. 2. They are slated to return home in late January.
While touring the ship, Gates expressed thanks to crewmembers, then administered the oath of re-enlistment to Senior Chief Petty Officer Johnny Taylor. Taylor, a 23-year Navy veteran who signed on for another three years of service, specifically requested that Gates perform the honors.
Swicker said Gates' visit reaffirms the importance of Vicksburg's mission as its crew works with coalition partners "to keep the maritime environment secure for everybody."
Crewmembers have no doubt they're playing an important role in the Gulf region. "We're policing the seas, and preventing and deterring, just by projecting our image," said Petty Officer 1st Class Dominic Bills, a fire controlman. "We're here to do everyone good and to ensure the seas are safe. In this part of the world, it's something that needs to be done."
"I see it as bringing security to everyone," agreed Petty Officer 1st Class Adrix Wyatt, an electrician who's served in the Navy for 12 years. "We're making a difference through our presence in this region."
The visit was a highlight for Swicker, who will turn over Vicksburg's command to Capt. Chuck Nygaard during a ceremony at sea Dec. 10. "It's always bittersweet leaving a ship," he said. "But to be able to host the secretary of defense and show him the quality of the men and women who make up its crew, well, that's a real opportunity."
Gates told reporters he had a great experience on the ship and was "just very impressed with the young people that are on the crew and by the ship."
He said he was intrigued by the types of questions the crewmembers asked him. "It was really interesting. Most of the questions were about Russia, China, Iran," he said.
Alluding to his past as a dean, then president of Texas A&M University, Gates added with a smile, "I felt like I was teaching a political science course."
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 6, 2007 - Defense officials this week lauded 16 everyday heroes for overcoming disabilities. Among them is an aspiring young gymnast left paralyzed from the chest down by a car accident after high school who is now a college graduate working as a human resources specialist, a senior accountant born with muscular dystrophy, and a career civil servant with dwarfism who started 22 years ago using a desk and chair much too large for her small frame.
The disabilities varied, but their stories are similar, and each demonstrated the stuff heroes are made of, Army Maj. Daniel M. Gade said at the Dec. 4 event. Gade works for the White House as associate director for domestic policy and is responsible for disability and health care issues related to servicemembers and veterans. The major also is an amputee who lost his right leg to a bomb in Iraq.
"Being a hero does not necessarily mean grabbing a rifle and manning a post. It simply means doing your best and choosing to do right," he said.
"The people we honor today are great examples of everyday heroes, and so we celebrate them. Many have overcome debilitating disease and trauma and inspire us by their daily devotion to doing the right thing -- their best, despite their circumstances. The agencies and organization leaders represented here today are also everyday heroes, because they choose to employ and empower people with disabilities," he said.
The purpose of the annual ceremony is to increase awareness of contributions to national security made by those with mental and physical disabilities. The awards program began in 1981, and recipients are nominated by their respective agencies. The program also recognizes three DoD components with outstanding affirmative action programs for people with disabilities.
The Defense Department now employs more than 5,000 people with severe disabilities, or nearly 1 percent of its work force. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates wants to increase that to 2 percent, officials said.
A shift in attitudes and developing technology have opened more doors to disabled people, David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at the ceremony.
Chu cited the governmentwide Computer/Electronic Accommodation Program, which provides assistive technology for federal employees with disabilities at no cost to the employing agency. The program began in 1990 to help break down barriers for people with disabilities, Chu said. Congress has since expanded the program to include all federal agencies, and in 2006 expanded it to include wounded servicemembers. This will help as the military begins to retain more wounded servicemembers on active duty.
"I think it is important to note that today we have a shift within our military structure in attitudes, too. Our military organizations realize that putting aside personnel with disabilities is a wasteful loss of valuable human resources," Chu said.
Thanks to advancements in technology and rehabilitation programs, "it has become common practice (for) military personnel who so desire and can demonstrate their ability to return to military duty and certainly to pursue rewarding careers in civil society," he said.
Gade was able to stay on active duty and is heading to a teaching position at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He said that after his injury, people often referred to him as a hero. But to those at the ceremony, he offered a different definition.
"A hero by my way of thinking is not captured by a dictionary search or (an Internet) search. Most heroes simply live their lives unnoticed and uncelebrated," Gade said. "Perhaps the best definition of a hero is one who chooses a harder right over an easier wrong. You may be thinking that the warfighters are the heroes, and some are. You may think the military families are the heroes, and some are. You may even think that you are not a hero, but aren't you, or couldn't you be?
"Those of you with disabilities who are working despite those disabilities and employees who empower them are my heroes today, and I applaud you," Gade said.
Nicole Richards has worked two years for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Indianapolis. A car accident after high school left the aspiring gymnast paralyzed. She went on to college and wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Her grandfather was a retired civil servant and told her of the benefits. Now, she said, she plans to make civil service a career.
"The two short years that I've been there have been great, and I can see myself there for a very long time. Anything I need or have needed, they seem to get right away," she said.
For Richards, the awards show that disabled employees work as hard as those without disabilities.
"It means a lot really. ... It shows me that the government really does care about people with disabilities," she said. "We are working just as hard and sometimes harder as able-bodied people to get our mission accomplished."
Rocco Arizzi, an electrical engineer with the Navy in Bethesda, Md., said the awards send a message to young people with disabilities who may be wondering what they are going to do with their lives or who will employ them. Arizzi was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease.
"I like for younger people and students with disabilities to see people accomplishing things and serving their country so that they know they can do the same," he said. "The more they see people not only just existing and working, but achieving great things, the more that they believe that they can do it themselves."
Arizzi's grandfather and brother both served in the Navy. He would like to see disabled people eventually deploy in support of the war. "There's a lot of front-line work that can be done by people with disabilities -- people who are sitting at desks or controlling unmanned aerial vehicles or running logistics. I would like to see more opportunities for (disabled) people in those types of areas," he said. "I believe they can contribute in the war directly."
Kane Urban, a senior auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency, at Fort Worth, Texas, was born with muscular dystrophy. He said he is happy with accommodations the Defense Department makes to hire disabled people, but he would like to see the day when special recognition is no longer needed because such hiring practices are commonplace.
"They have these types of awards and ceremonies and conferences to highlight improvements that are made, ... and their goal is total integration and equality. Once you reach that, you don't need conferences and awards, because you met the goal," he said.
Urban said he believes more managers would hire disabled people but are held back by misperceptions of additional costs and difficult accommodations. "We bring the same things to the table as anyone else does, with minimal increased costs when you compare it to what employees cost anyway. I think ... that managers don't realize how marginal the cost is," he said.
Linda Keel, an administrative assistant a Redstone Arsenal, Ala., component of Defense Intelligence Agency, began federal service more than two decades ago, before many of today's accommodations were in place.
Keel, who has dwarfism, showed up on her first day of work to a full-sized desk and chair. But she didn't let it intimidate her, she said. Her only complaint was that it was sometimes hard to reach things.
Now she works in a cubicle that fits her size and is delivering big dividends for her employers. Last week, she was named Outstanding DIA Employee with a Disability. This award means a lot to her, she said, because it means that she makes a difference.
Keel serves up tall advice for those following in her tiny footprints. "Don't give up. Go after it with the attitude that you can do it and with the determination that you can do it, and just put being disabled behind you," she said.
Other award recipients were:
-- Bruce E. Beyer, Department of the Army;
-- Ronald B. Greenfield, Department of the Air Force;
-- Steven R. Clark, Office of the Secretary of Defense/Washington Headquarters Service;
-- Maria T. Andrade, Army and Air Force Exchange Service;
-- Anthony Green, Defense Commissary Agency;
-- Joseph P. Higginbotham, Defense Contract Management Agency;
-- Kimberly J. Pare, Defense Information Systems Agency;
-- Constance Gardener, Defense Logistics Agency;
-- Jennifer L. Perry, Defense Threat Reduction Agency;
-- Michael J. Morgan Jr., National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;
-- Michael P. Herron, National Guard Bureau; and
-- John H. Loftis Jr., National Security Agency.
DoD organizations honored were: the Department of the Air Force, the Defense Logistics Agency, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Washington Headquarters Service.
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 6, 2007 - The National Fatherhood Initiative is looking for a few good military fathers for the 2008 NFI Lockheed Martin Military Fatherhood Award. "The purpose of the award is to recognize the outstanding efforts of military fathers to stay engaged with their families while meeting the military missions, even through deployments," said Jim Knotts, Lockheed Martin Corp.'s director of corporate citizenship. "(It) helps bring attention to those sacrifices and celebrates the efforts above and beyond the call of duty to balance military duty with family obligations."
Though the award is given to the father, he added the National Fatherhood Initiative's first guideline for being a good father is to respect the children's mother; therefore, he said, it recognizes the whole family.
The first award was presented in 2007 to Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Andrade.
Nominations for the 2008 award are being accepted through Jan. 4, Knott said. Nominations in the form of a one- to two-page explanation of how the nominated father meets established contest criteria can be e-mailed through the National Fatherhood Initiative Web site, www.fatherhood.org/mfa.asp.
Any father serving on active duty or in the National Guard or reserves is eligible for the award. It is not required that he be deployed.
The winner will be announced Feb. 28 and honored at an April 29 gala in Washington.
Nomination information must include name, rank, and service affiliation of the nominee, as well as information about his family, number and ages of children, marital status, and his contact information. The nominator also should include his or her name, contact information and connection to the nominee.
Knott said the award is part of Lockheed Martin's "United in Gratitude" initiative to provide support to servicemembers in many different areas.
"With a large number of employees who are veterans, and employees who are activated and deployed, we understand the challenges faced by our military families," he said. "Outstanding military fathers take extraordinary efforts to father from a distance during military separation and go to great lengths to successfully balance mission requirements and their fathering role.
"They also are active to help other military fathers or military children who are separated from their fathers," he said.
Knotts, a father and veteran, also gave a nod to the moms. "It simply would not be possible (to be good military fathers) without the steadfast dedication and support of our military moms," he added.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals, groups and organizations that are helping support the troops, visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America Supports You directly connects military members to support from the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their quest to find meaningful ways to support the military community.
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 6, 2007 - The visit of the USS Essex to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Nov. 26 to Dec. 4 is a concrete example of the importance of military-to-military ties between countries. The Essex and the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit was part of a "friendship-building event" with the Kingdom of Cambodia, said Chief Petty Officer Tyler A. Swartz, the public affairs officer for the effort.
The 2,400 sailors and Marines learned about Cambodian history and trained with members of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
Cambodia is a desperately poor country struggling to recover from war and genocide. It was a battleground in the latter stages of the Vietnam War, and in the 1970s the Khmer Rouge ruled the nation. During the regime of Pol Pot, between 1.7 million and 3 million Cambodians died, including hundreds of thousands of people who were executed. The era brought the term "Killing Fields" into the world's vocabulary.
The government is now a constitutional monarchy and is working to be a full member of the community of nations. Cambodia is working with other nations on counterterrorism initiatives and overcoming transnational problems, such as the flow of narcotics and crime.
But the government is weak, and government control in many areas of the country is tenuous, DoD officials said. The United States military wants to work with the Cambodian armed forces to help them face the challenges in their country.
The Essex visit is the latest U.S. Defense Department effort to reach out to the Cambodians. During the port visit, Essex medical personnel working with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and non-governmental organizations were able to see more than 5,000 patients at Kulen and Kampong Cham, Swartz said. Medical and dental services in Cambodia included eye surgery, dispensing drugs, pulling teeth and oral hygiene education.
During the port visit, sailors and Marines engaged, taught and attended classes at the Cambodian National Defense University. Marines provided anti-terrorism training for Cambodia's national counterterrorism task force, Swartz said. The training enhanced the force's ability to conduct sustained counter terrorism training and gave Cambodia capabilities to participate in future military exchange programs.
The Essex crew also distributed several pallets of Project Handclasp material. Project Handclasp is a U.S. Navy program that provides donated items like books, clothes, toys and medical items to agencies and organizations in countries that could benefit from those materials.
The next step is to increase the number of Navy port visits to Cambodia, defense officials said.
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