Fort Bragg Set to Get More Soldiers

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 20, 2007 - Fort Bragg will receive about 1,400 more soldiers as part of the Army's "Grow the Army" stationing plan, base officials announced yesterday. The Army is using the president's January 2007 plan to increase the Army by 74,200 soldiers, and Fort Bragg will receive an additional 1,405 soldiers by the end of fiscal 2013.

The Army is adjusting its global footprint to support accelerated growth and force structure realignment and to improve readiness while complying with 2005 Base Realignment and Closure law, sustaining current global commitments, and preparing to meet future challenges, Army officials said.

"The Army's integrated approach to stationing is complex and requires the synchronization of many efforts, including growth, BRAC, global repositioning, and force structure realignment," said Tom McCollum, Fort Bragg's garrison public affairs officer. "When all is said and done, we should have an end strength here of more than 56,300 soldiers, which will continue to make us the Army's largest post worldwide.

"As the Army adjusts its global footprint to support accelerated growth and force structure realignment, as well as to improve readiness to meet future challenges, Fort Bragg will receive additional forces mainly in the areas of emergency ordnance disposal, signal, chemical, finance and quartermaster units," McCollum said. "Some of these units started arriving here this year."

To house and support this increase, Fort Bragg will receive $215 million in military construction funds for unit operations and maintenance facilities and barracks. In addition, $59.4 million will be provided for construction of an additional 446 homes on post for family housing.

"As highlighted at our Army Family Covenant ceremony last month, Fort Bragg is committed to accomplishing stationing actions and building a campaign-quality Army while simultaneously working to ensure that our soldiers and families enjoy the benefits of installation improvements and subsequently contribute to our surrounding communities," McCollum said.

Soldier Missing in Action From Korean War is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Cpl. Robert S. Ferrell, U.S. Army, of Dallas, Texas. His burial date is being set by his family.

Representatives from the Army met with Ferrell's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.

On Feb. 12, 1951, Ferrell was assigned to Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, then occupying a position about 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea. The 503rd was providing artillery support for friendly units coming under heavy attack by Chinese Communist Forces. In danger of being overrun, the 503rd was forced to withdraw to the south. Records indicate that Ferrell was captured near Hoengsong, South Korea, during the fighting. He later died in captivity at the Suan Mining POW camp located about 40 miles southeast of Pyongyang, North Korea.

Between 1990 and 1994, the North Korean government repatriated what they claimed to be 208 sets of remains, including a 1991 turnover of several servicemen recovered near the Suan Mining POW camp. Ferrell's remains, along with cold-weather clothing and uniform buttons worn by U.S. infantry, were included in the 1991 repatriation.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Ferrell's remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Task Force 12 Soldiers Continue Traditions From Home

By Sgt. Brandon Little, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

Dec. 20, 2007 - As the holiday season approaches, many soldiers would like more than anything to receive just one simple present. It isn't a video game system, an MP3 player, or a new digital anything -- it's the chance to be with family and loved ones.

Instead of having a case of humbugs because they are away from home, some soldiers have decided to get together to spread some holiday cheer and help lift the spirits of those around them.

"Back home, my family would get together and take time to decorate our whole house," said Army Pfc. Heather McKinnon, a supply specialist in Task Force 12 and a native of Biddeford, Maine. "That's why (we) decided it would be a good idea to decorate a tree and put it somewhere everybody could see it."

"I'm new to the unit, so helping set up decorations was a good opportunity for me to get to know some of the soldiers I'm going to be working with a little better," said 1st Lt. Adam Samiof, executive officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company. "I guess I'm just trying to get into the holiday spirit."

Decorating this tree, donated by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, is just one of the ways Task Force 12 soldiers plan to cope with being deployed during this holiday season.

"My husband and I decorated our room," said Sgt. Lisa Riat, a communications security custodian from Lumberton, N.C. "Having my husband (Chief Warrant Officer Jasbir Riat) here makes it a little easier to be away from home during the holidays."

The Riats are one of several married couples in Task Force 12. "This is our first deployment together," said Riat, a three-combat-tour veteran. "We plan to have dinner together, but we have decided not to exchange gifts this year."

Many soldiers have found ways to enjoy this holiday season without their loved ones.

"I just plan to be around some friends that I have, just like I did for Thanksgiving Day this year and last year," said Samiof, a native of Albany, N.Y. "Some of the friends you make in the military can become a different kind of family for you when you're not with your real family."

"Being away from close friends and family members back home during the holiday season can really make you miss and appreciate the things you might have taken for granted," Riat said. "I really miss being getting ready to cook a big dinner for me and my family."

Whether it's hanging decorations on a tree or having a home-cooked meal with family members, soldiers in Iraq have found ways to adjust to the things they will miss this holiday season.

"This is my first holiday season away from home, and I think what I will miss most is being around friends and family and having a home-cooked meal," Samiof said. "I know that being away from home this year will make everybody appreciate being with their families much more next year."

(Army Sgt. Brandon Little is assigned to Task Force 12 Public Affairs Office.)

Gates Reflects on Highlights, Challenges of First Year in Office

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 20, 2007 - One year into the job, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he's particularly proud of his role in helping create a turnaround in Iraq, speeding up the timetable for getting mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to deployed troops, and setting into motion major changes in how the military treats its wounded troops. Gates looked back today over a whirlwind year at the helm of the Defense Department, reflecting on high and low points, progress made and challenges he hopes to tackle in the year ahead as he serves out his term.

"I feel good about the past year," Gates said during a joint interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel in his Pentagon dining room. "I think we've made some real progress in the war on terror," both in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When he testified at his Senate confirmation hearing in late 2006, Gates vowed to keep the war in Iraq his top priority. Exactly one year after paying his first visit to Baghdad just two days after his swearing-in, he cited a laundry list of positive developments and said he's proud to have played a part "in putting Iraq in a better place than it was a year ago."

"I would say we have made good progress in Iraq this year, but I would also describe it as fragile," he said.

The new U.S. strategy in Iraq that rolled out less than a month after Gates took office is paying off in reduced violence and U.S. casualties. At the same time, Iraqi army and police forces increasingly are moving into the lead in security operations. This is laying groundwork for progress in other realms, although Gates is quick to acknowledge it hasn't been across the board or necessarily as expected.

"There has been a degree of political and economic development from the ground up in Iraq that frankly we did not anticipate, but (that) is creating pressures at the national level to get on with some of the reconciliation measures that are necessary," he said.

"As there has been greater security at the local and provincial level, there has been a reconciliation, there has been good political development," he said. Gates cited growth of the "tribal awakening" movement in which Sunni and Shiite sheiks are reaching out to each other and to the Iraqi government and coalition.

Less than two weeks after returning from his sixth visit to Iraq since taking office, Gates conceded he's "disappointed" in the pace of legislative progress at Iraq's national level.

But he noted today that Iraqis already are doing some of the things this legislation would accomplish, but simply haven't yet set it down in law. He pointed to the way oil revenues are being distributed throughout the country -- at percentages called for in the yet-unpassed hydrocarbon law. And while the government hasn't yet passed a deBaathification law, Gates noted that deBaathification is, in fact, taking place.

"We are hoping they will move on these key pieces of legislation," he said. "They are not going to solve the problems in Iraq, but I think they will symbolize to the Iraqis that their national leadership has come together and is prepared to work together to make these things happen."

Gates also reported "a good year in Afghanistan against the Taliban," noting that Taliban no longer control territory anywhere in the country. "Our security efforts in Afghanistan have gone very well," he said, but he conceded he has concerns that, as in Iraq, progress in other areas isn't moving along in Afghanistan as quickly or smoothly as hoped.

"I am concerned that the civil side of the effort -- the economic reconstruction, building institutions, getting rid of corruption, going after the narcotics problem – ... these are challenges where we have not had a lot of success, and where a lot more effort needs to be put in," he said.

Accomplishing that will require a continued coalition effort, said Gates, who has repeatedly throughout his first year as defense secretary called on NATO to live up to its commitments in Afghanistan.

Gates acknowledged that sustaining the mission is a harder sell in Europe and NATO than in the United States. "One of the reasons why our mission in Afghanistan has continued to enjoy broad bipartisan support from Congress and among the American people is that Americans remember it was out of Afghanistan that we were attacked on Sept. 11th," he said.

As operations continue in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Gates said, he's optimistic about measures being taken under his leadership to better protect and increase the capabilities of troops carrying them out.

He said he's proud of the speed in which mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles are reaching the theater. Gates began championing the program this summer after reading about MRAPs in a U.S. News and World Report article that described the protection they provide from roadside bombs and other explosives.

After Gates' call to action, the Defense Department began jumping through hoops to get the V-hulled vehicles to the theater as quickly as possible -- from fast-tracking the acquisition process to airlifting models as they rolled off the assembly line. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters yesterday that the Defense Department expects to top its year-end goal of delivering 1,500 MRAPs to the theater. Ultimately, the department plans to buy more than 15,000 MRAPs.

Gates cited other new initiatives under way to increase warfighters' capabilities, including more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support. "So I think there have been a number of specific, as well as broader areas where we have made some headway," he said.

One long-term measure that will have significant impact is the decision to expand both Army and Marine Corps end strengths. This expansion will help ease strain on the force and "let the troops know that help is on the way," he said. "It is not right around the corner, but it's coming."

Gates said he's also focused on other long-term efforts to improve the department, including the transformation that began under Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Gates said he and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England have identified about 20 areas they want to continue moving forward on or institutionalize so efforts continue after the two men's terms at the department end.

Another source of pride for Gates -- one that evolved from one of his biggest disappointments since taking office -- has been his role in reshaping the military medical system to make it more responsive to wounded troops and their families.

Gates said he remembered what it felt like to pick up the Washington Post and read about problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. "I was shocked at what I read in the newspaper, not only of conditions in which some of our wounded warriors were living, but the bureaucratic challenges that they were facing as outpatients," he said.

"I don't think anybody has ever had a single complaint about the medical care at Walter Reed; it's been about the living conditions, about the bureaucracy, about the way the outpatients have been treated," he said.

As disturbing as he found the news, Gates said, he was equally disturbed that some people wanted to downplay the allegations or sweep them under the carpet altogether rather than getting to the bottom of them. "So my immediate unhappiness was that I didn't feel that some people were taking the problem seriously," he said.

Gates jumped into high gear, declaring that after fighting the war itself, "fixing the problems associated with care for our wounded must be our highest priority."

He conceded today that the Defense Department and the entire military medical system "really hadn't adjusted to the reality of a long war and had not allocated the resources necessary."

Despite sweeping changes over the past 10 months, "the problem is not fixed," he said. "We still have a long way to go."

To this day, Gates calls his trips to military hospitals to visit wounded troops -- visits he admitted he initially was concerned about because he didn't know how they'd effect him -- a source of inspiration. "One of the most memorable things I will take away from this job is my visits to the hospitals and our wounded warriors and seeing the families and their spirit and their courage," he said. "Every visit is uplifting to me just because of the kind of people they are."

As he travels around the world – visiting 50 countries so far with more already being slated for the new year -- Gates said a high point has been the time he gets to spend with the country's men and women in uniform. "They are just awesome," he said.

Gates said he particularly enjoys sitting down with them to solicit their views. "Usually I start the meetings by saying this may be the only time in your entire career you get a chance to give advice to the secretary of defense directly, so let me have it," Gates said. "And one of the things I marvel at that I think is unique in the American armed forces is that nobody from the E-1 on up has any difficulty telling the secretary of defense exactly what he or she thinks."

After a year in office, Gates said, there's no question of American support for the country's armed forces. He said he knows the troops, particularly those deployed, read news accounts about political debates in Washington.

"But I will tell you, there is unanimity in this city in one thing and in one thing only," he said, "and that is the love and support of our men and women in uniform."

Dust-up at COB Speicher

Dec. 19, 2007 -- The Chairman's USO Holiday Show has a grueling schedule, and it's at the mercy of the weather. Today was a good example. The performers woke up in Taqqadum, moved to Ramadi for a show, then to Contingency Operating Base Speicher, and were scheduled to perform at night at Contingency Operating Base Liberty near Baghdad.

Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen broke off form the group to tour downtown Ramadi to see progress with his own eyes and then flew to Baghdad for meetings with Multinational Force Iraq Commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Multinational Corps Iraq commander.

The USO performers made it to Contingency Operating Base Speicher and performed, but a sandstorm moved in and grounded all aircraft.

At the same time, more than 750 servicemembers had gathered at Camp Liberty to see the show. Once it became clear that the troupe could not make it to Baghdad, Mullen rushed to the stage to deliver the news personally.

He broke the bad news, conveyed the performers' regrets and stayed to pass out his chairman's coin to every one of the young men and women who came. His staff also distributed gifts that the USO had collected -- movies, video games, etc. -- from companies and individuals. No one went away empty-handed.

The next morning, the weather cleared, and the troupe reunited at Balad Air Base, northeast of Baghdad. Robin Williams went up to Mullen and thanked him for standing in for the performers. "I tried to convey to them how disappointed you were to not be there and how much they mean to all of you," Mullen told Williams.

Kid Rock on Entertaining Troops

Dec. 20, 2007 -- Kid Rock is devoted to entertaining American troops as part of the USO. The Detroit-based singer makes an immediate connection to American servicemembers. When he sings, the young servicemen and women sing along with "Cowboy," "Sweet Home Alabama" and many other anthemic hits.

Rock said the question is not why he does it, "but how can you not?"

He said that every second with the troops is overwhelming. "They give their best every day, ... and we absolutely must give them our best," he said.

Being with the troops puts life in perspective, the rocker said, adding that he is proud of what the servicemembers do and wants to pay them back for their sacrifices. "The whole experience has been incredible," he said. "I'll do it to the day I die, so long as I am needed."

Show in the Snow

CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan, Dec. 20, 2007 -- It was the "Show in the Snow" for the USO performers here today. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen brought the Chairman's USO Holiday Tour to Afghanistan today. A C-17 carrying Robin Williams, Kid Rock, Lewis Black, Lance Armstrong and Miss USA Rachel Smith landed in snow at Kabul International Airport.

The temperature was right around freezing, and snow was falling. After shows in Kuwait and Iraq, the change in the weather came as something of a shock to all.

The show was sticking to cars and the grass, but not to the road as the motorcade moved to Camp Phoenix. More than 2,000 servicemembers from all U.S. services and many of the 14 countries that mentor and train the Afghan National Army and Afghan police gathered in the snow to see the performers.
"This crowd is up," Williams said as he watched Black perform. The snow and the wet didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm, and the show was one of the best so far in the trip.

Military Works to Improve Personality Disorder-Based Discharge Process

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 20, 2007 - The military is working to improve the way it implements a policy of discharging troops based on pre-existing personality disorders, Defense Department health officials said today. Several articles in summer 2007 claimed that some 22,500 troops had been discharged -- in some instances, wrongly discharged -- after being diagnosed as having personality disorders. In response, the Defense Department launched a "secondary review."

In the ongoing investigation thus far, officials have reconfirmed that 85 percent of servicemembers initially determined to have personality disorders were correctly diagnosed. Roughly 1.5 percent, however, were misdiagnosed, officials said.

"We have looked at most of them, and some, on review, have been incorrect diagnoses," Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, told reporters at the Pentagon today.

Casscells denied the most inflammatory claim made in the articles: that the military was shirking its responsibility to those affected. "When the articles first came out, the tenor was, 'Military is labeling people (with) personality disorders so they don't have to pay benefits,'" he said. "We did not find any evidence of that."

Echoing Casscells' comments, Air Force Col. Joyce Adkins, director of psychological health and strategic operations, defended the policy, but acknowledged possible flaws in implementation.

Adkins clarified that a personality disorder does not necessarily bar an individual from serving in the armed forces. "Certainly there are many people who have personality traits that we would characterize as a disorder who have stayed in the military," she said. "It's only when their personality doesn't fit well with the job that they are separated."

Moreover, Adkins said a "separation," or discharge, on the basis of a personality disorder can benefit the discharged servicemember because it serves as a "safety valve," freeing the servicemember from further obligation to military service.

"If you have a job and you don't fit well with that job, you can quit," she said. "In the military, you can't just quit that easily. This is a way to say that this person doesn't fit well with this job and to allow them to pursue other employments."

Adkins added that the "large majority" of such discharges occur within the first two years of military service.

The difficulty of assessing a dormant personality disorder underscores the complexity of the issue highlighted by media attention and subsequent hearings on Capitol Hill.

In most cases, no psychological evaluation can determine whether a personality disorder is apparent at the time of enlistment, as many signs of a latent disorder are undetectable. But despite difficulties in detecting pre-existing personality disorders, Adkins said, the military could improve the way it evaluates servicemembers returning from combat who are suspecting of suffering from such disorders.

"We are really stepping up on specifying the clinical criteria for what that evaluation should include," she said. "We want to make sure that (misdiagnoses) do not happen, that when a person is supposed to get a thorough evaluation, they do get a thorough evaluation.

"If you have a clinical condition, such as (post-traumatic stress disorder), major depressive disorder, an anxiety disorder, that certainly is treatable," she continued. "And we want to know if the problems with your behavior are related to one of these treatable conditions ... or if it is related to a personality disorder, which is not easily treated."

With regard to inaccurate evaluations, Adkins called it "disturbing to think that that might not be implemented in the way that it was intended." She added that in large systems, like military health care, there are bound to be some issues with "quality control."

Adkins said that $900 million appropriated by Congress to increase the number of mental health personnel will help efforts to improve the current process.

Casscells lamented troops whose personality disorders become manifest during the course of military service, and emphasized a continuing obligation to these individuals.

"The military doesn't bring out the best in them, like it does in most people. In their case, it uncovered something else," he said. "There are some people who want to serve but shouldn't serve because it's not the right culture for them.

"I feel our responsibility is to not blame them for the fact that they wanted to serve," he said.

Arizona City Helps Get Military News to State

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 19, 2007 - Arizona cable subscribers will soon have access to the latest military news from the comfort of their living rooms, thanks to an agreement between an Arizona city and a national cable provider. The Peoria City Council amended its cable franchise agreement with Cox Communications during a city council meeting last night. The change will allow the cable provider to share the city's Pentagon Channel broadcast with Cox digital customers in the state.

Peoria was the first city in the state to offer the Pentagon Channel 24 hours a day to Cox cable customers, Peoria Mayor Bob Barrett said.

"We're not aware of ... (another) exchange of a PEG channel, a public education and government channel, for a systemwide broadcast of the Pentagon Channel," said John Schell, director of intergovernmental affairs, who was instrumental in bring about the agreement between Peoria and Cox. "From that respect, it's certainly historic for the city of Peoria and the state of Arizona, and it probably is for the rest of the country."

Schell was instrumental in bring about the agreement between Peoria and Cox Communications.

Ivan Johnson, vice president of public affairs and business development for Cox Communications, said the cable provider was excited about the agreement with Peoria.

"We're actually taking it from channel 98 up to channel 122. In being able to do that, we're going to take it statewide," he said. "We will get it to Tucson, ... all of the Phoenix area, and then, by the end of next year if we finish rebuilding some of our network, will be down to Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca."

While Johnson said his company offers the troops support in many ways, the agreement to provide the Pentagon Channel to all its digital cable subscribers just makes sense, he said.

The Pentagon Channel currently is available in 178 countries to 2.6 million active-duty, National Guard and reserve troops, and 650,000 Defense Department civilians. Sailors and Marines on 185 Navy vessels at sea also have access to Pentagon Channel programming. When Cox extends its broadcast of the Pentagon Channel to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., it will reach 600,000 homes, Johnson said.

Servicemembers and their families, whether serving at home or abroad, especially value the military news channel, Peoria's mayor said. He found positive proof of this while visiting relatives serving in Germany.

"They did with the Pentagon Channel what most of us here in the states do with CNN: You turn it on, and you leave it on in the background," Barrett said. "If a point of interest comes up, you turn it up and watch it, and then you turn it back down.

"It's the only way for people in the military to get unbiased, clean, clear news that's not filtered through any other news organization or any other country's news organization," he added.

With Arizona's large military presence, the channel also is important to the state's many civilians working at military installations, Barrett said. The Pentagon Channel provides a way to keep up with what's happening to them.

Barrett said he hopes his city's agreement with Cox Communications will have other states following suit and finding a way to provide the news station to its residents. "I'm really hoping the Cox system will understand what they're doing and how important this is, and in all the states where they have service, hopefully the same thing will happen," he said.

The evening also included recognition of city employees who are serving or have served in the military. About 50 of the 200 employees the city identified were on hand to stand and be recognized for their service and sacrifice. They had received dog tags featuring Peoria's insignia on one side and the America Supports You logo on the other prior to the ceremony.

"When I came back from Vietnam, it was a different world than it is now. We can't do that to our people again," Barrett said. "I don't care what you think about the war in terms of the politics of it. I don't care if you think it's right or wrong. Don't treat our people like that.

"That's why America Supports You is such a wonderful program," he added, referencing the Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with military personnel serving at home and abroad.

Earlier, Pro Tem Mayor Joan Evans had said the night's recognition was a great way to display the city's support of the troops. She directed individuals looking for ways to support the troops to the America Supports You Web site, which features links to troop-support groups.

Arizona Rep. John Nelson, who chairs the state's Military Affairs Committee, said people's opinions of the war don't seem to be influencing their support of the troops.

"What I've seen in the last three or four years is just an outpouring (of support)," Nelson said. "I don't care what their opinions are if they get involved and work to help the military."

'Gunfighters' Keep Apache Helicopters Flying in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 19, 2007 - In today's world of technologically advanced aviation, Army pilots alone cannot keep AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters operational without ground crews. Sustaining the intricate workings of digital and complex avionics requires proficient ground crews and technical personnel. Soldiers of 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, known as the Gunfighters, work diligently around the clock maintaining, testing and sustaining the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division's battalion of Apache attack and reconnaissance gunships in northern Iraq.

Preventive maintenance is a major facet of success for the Apache ground crews, officials said.

"We do preventive maintenance services, which is a basic teardown of the aircraft, checking for common things that are broken," said Army Spc. Jedediah Cooke, an Apache crew chief with the battalion's Company C. "In addition, we do 50-hour inspections to check out the major flight controls."

Not all the work the ground crews perform on the Apaches is routine or scheduled.

"If aircraft were to come back (from a combat sortie) with possible flaws or a deficiency, it is our mission to ensure maintenance is conducted and aircraft are repaired, put back in the air and remain flyable at all times," said Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Ruiz, maintenance platoon sergeant with Company C.

"As the platoon sergeant, I oversee maintenance on the flight line. I have my crew (mechanic section) along with the armament section that I utilize. When aircraft return broken in any way, I go ahead and look at the aircraft, and take a look at the fault the pilots give me," Ruiz said.

"I go ahead and hand it out or delegate the fault to the back shops so they are repaired in a timely manner. There are a lot of eyes looking at the aircraft. There is the soldier, the supervisor and the technical inspector," Ruiz said.

"Everybody takes this job really serious because you want to do the best you can; you don't want any birds going down, especially out there during a mission," said Army Spc. Christopher Lara, an Apache repair mechanic with Company C.

"We are supporting ground units in northern Iraq, providing coverage from the air. It makes you feel good, (because) without air support, the ground troops would not have that (added protection)," Lara said.

Cooke said he also takes pride in his job. He knows if an Apache takes off from the tarmac, it is heading out to support American, Iraqi and coalition forces.

"I think I do help those guys out there kicking in doors. I have been told by infantrymen that they love to see these aircraft fly over. This is why we work as hard as we can," said Sgt. Chris Martin, another Apache repair mechanic with Company C.

Pilots appreciate the hard work that goes into a stringent aircraft maintenance program.

"These guys are working on $30 million aircraft. They keep track of numerous moving pieces, working six days a week, sometimes even working on their days off. It is very impressive to see what they do on a daily basis," said Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Thompson, a maintenance test pilot with Company C.

Teamwork and everybody knowing their job also contribute to the complete aircrafts' safety and effectiveness.

"When aircraft land, they may have avionics or electrical problems, and there are separate shops to deal with each; we also work with production control," Martin said. "I trust armament, and I trust my shops."

"Depending what the maintenance issue is, we are out there working with the armament section. They know their job, and they want us helping them, and we are out there getting them what they need," Lara said. "Everybody knows their jobs. ... It all works together, and it ensures we all know what it takes to keep the birds flying."

(From a Multinational Corps Iraq news release.)

Vet Receives Hero's Welcome, New Home

By Devin L. Fisher
Special to American Forces Press Service

Dec. 19, 2007 - A disabled Iraq war veteran thought he came here Dec. 14 to pick out colors and tiles for a bathroom remodel, but instead was surprised with the keys to a new home. Brandon Burke, a U.S. Army combat medic permanently disabled during a 2005 mortar attack in Baghdad, was speechless when presented the 1,500-square-foot mobile home, not a check for $5,000 as anticipated.

"It was so unexpected, ... I didn't know what to say," said the 30-year-old who enlisted in the Army in June 2002 in nearby Aurora. "All I could think about was how this was going to change my life."

Burke was presented the keys to his new home during a live radio broadcast in front of more than 100 people who weathered the snow and bitter cold to show their appreciation.

The call to assist the wounded warrior by providing supplies and labor free of charge was met with an overwhelming response. In fact, people had to be turned away, said Tom Tarver, a partner with Greiner Electric, who said he donated his time to give back to those who fight for the freedoms he enjoys every day.

"I met a young man with one leg trying to make his home (handicap) accessible," Tarver said. "I knew I would not let him pick up another nail."

"You just want to do what's right," echoed Tim White, founder of White Construction.

The project was a compilation of efforts as 30 contractors "rose to the occasion" to help the wounded warrior, said Debbie Quackenbush, founder of American Military Family Inc., a nonprofit organization established in January 2005 to assist members of the U.S. military and their families in times of need.

American Military Family is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.

After a five-month recovery at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Burke returned to Colorado and purchased a mobile home in the town of Watkins. With the assistance of his friends, Burke began to remodel the mobile home in late 2006, but he ran low on money, and his friends were sidetracked with personal issues, he explained.

What started as a request for a grant to remodel a bathroom turned into much more after contractors determined it was not cost-effective to make the existing home handicap-accessible. The $5,000 grant -- from money raised through the American Military Family's "Support the Troops" Colorado license plate program -- was then used to purchase a mobile home in foreclosure, offered at a reduced price by Castle Park, Inc. owner Jerry Hall.

It was then that the "passion and hard work" of many transformed the once abandoned unit into a fully functional home with many upgrades and conveniences to including widened corridors and handicap-accessible granite countertops and faucets. The inside of the home was fully furnished by Sam's Club, and King Soopers stocked the refrigerator.

"A gift of a few weeks (of your time) ultimately became a gift of a lifetime," Tarver said.

But, White hopes this project reaches further than Burke. "There are more Brandons out there. If we all help a little, we'll all be better off."

Burke said he misses the camaraderie of the Army. Fellow soldiers are "like family," he said. "You live with them; ... you fight with them."

He said he knows he must now focus on his new future, continuing his love of the medical field. Burke is pursuing his bachelor's degree and then plans to apply for the medical scientist program at the University of Colorado Denver.

Burke was all smiles when he talked about his new office.

"No more going to the library or local bookstore to study," he said.

Burke wasn't the only one overwhelmed by the generosity. "It's phenomenal; ... we never could have imaged this in our wildest dreams," said Tom Burke, Brandon's father.

Brandon agreed. "It's going to be great. It's nice to call something home; ... I can't wait to settle in."

(Devin L. Fisher works for the U.S. Army Recruiting Denver Battalion.)