January 8, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Dr. Andrew J. Harvey and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA announced that portions of their book, Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style, were available for public review using the “Search Inside” function on Amazon.com. Go to www.pokerleadership.com and click on the image of the book and you will be taken directly to the Amazon.com page.
About the Book:
Using poker as analogy for leadership, Captain Andrew J. Harvey, CPD (ret.), Ed.D. and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA found the right mix of practical experience and academic credentials to write a definitive book for leaders. Working together, Harvey and Foster have written Leadership: Texas Hold em Style. Most often leaders find they are given a set of resources people, equipment, funds, experience and a mission. As Foster noted, You are dealt a certain hand. How you play that hand as a leader determines your success
More than a book: A fun and entertaining journey through leadership that includes an interactive website to supplement knowledge gained from the book.
Proven and Tested: Not an academic approach to leadership, but rather a road-tested guide that has been developed through 50-years of author experience.
High Impact: Through the use of perspective, reflection, and knowledge, provides information that turns leadership potential into leadership practice.
Ease of Application: Theory is reinforced with real-life experience, which results in accessible and practical tools leaders can put to use immediately.
High Road Approach: Personal character and ethical beliefs are woven into each leadership approach, so leaders do the right thing for the right reasons.
Uses Game of Poker: Rather than a dry approach that is all fact and no flavor, the game of poker is used as a lens through which to view leadership concepts.
About the Authors:
Andrew J. Harvey served in law enforcement for 25 years, the last 12 as a captain with a Southern California police agency. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal State Los Angeles, and an educational doctorate in the field of organizational leadership from Pepperdine University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the California POST Command College, the West Point Leadership Program, and is recognized in California as a master instructor.
Dr. Andrew J. Harvey is an experienced college educator, currently serving as a professor at the University of Phoenix, and as a faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University. He has been published numerous times in national and international publications. He is a recognized expert in leadership and career development, and has served as an instructor in command leadership at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy.
Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton. He has completed the course work for his doctorate in Business Research. Raymond is a graduate of the West Point Leadership program and has attended law enforcement, technology and leadership programs such as the National Institute for Justice, Technology Institute, Washington, DC.
Raymond E. Foster is currently a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, technology and leadership. Raymond E. Foster is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.
For more information about the authors, send and email to editor@police-writers.com
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Defense Secretary Meets With Troops in California
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2008 - Sgt. Kevin Knight has been a Marine for four years. He has deployed three times to Iraq. The first was in 2004, when he was just out of his infantry training. He returned from his most recent deployment in November. With their commanders ushered from the room, Knight and about 50 other Marines fresh from deployment were able to sit across the table from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates here yesterday to ask straight questions and get straight answers on whatever was on their minds.
The Marines met the secretary in a small conference room in a building nestled in the sprawling, scraggly hills of these coastal training grounds about 35 miles north of San Diego. Like Knight, many of the Marines in the room had served multiple deployments.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said the meeting turned out to be anything but a gripe session, as questions ran the gamut from housing issues to educational benefits to politics. Most of the Marines were concerned not about their individual situations, but rather about what could be changed to benefit others, he said.
Fresh from his most recent deployment, Knight said he returned here to see a new urban assault training center being built. He wondered why such a training site was not built sooner, offering critical training for deploying troops.
"We lost a lot of Marines in urban combat that if we would have had these facilities two or three years ago, it could have helped prevent (that)," Knight said. The sergeant said he asked Gates why it seemed the military was "behind the curve" in funding training and facilities to prepare troops for urban combat.
The secretary's answer was straightforward and logical, Knight said: no one anticipated that U.S. forces would be in Iraq, fighting this kind of war for this long.
"He gave decisive answers," Knight said. "He actually talked to (us and) ... helped us understand what was going on with Iran, with Pakistan, Korea, Iraq in general.,"
Knight said the secretary helped the Marines understand some of the funding issues facing the military and gave them a "broader picture."
"I thought it went really well. All the questions that the secretary was asked, he was very knowledgeable about," he said. "I think it's incredible. Nobody would ever think that as young enlisted Marines we'd be able to talk to one of the senior members of our chain of command. I think it shows a lot about our nation caring about the opinions of the younger military forces -- not just looking at us as numbers, but wanting to hear our point of views on world matters."
In his first trip to the area as defense secretary, Gates visited Navy and Marine bases in southern California after spending the holidays at his home in Washington state. Morrell said officials try to fit in stops to bases in the United States as the defense secretary travels. Gates "derives a great deal of sustenance" from his meetings with servicemembers and goes back to the Pentagon "rejuvenated and confident" from the conversations, Morrell told reporters.
Gates started the morning touring the Naval Special Warfare Group 1 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where he met with sailors and SEALs. He viewed the latest in robotic devices that help detect and dismantle roadside bombs in Iraq. He also pinned Bronze Stars on the chests of about 20 sailors just coming back from combat in Iraq, and he meritoriously promoted two of them.
He met with the sailors in closed-door sessions, and publicly thanked them for their service and that of their families.
The secretary had awards and special praise for members of a mobile explosive ordnance detachment who set up an EOD compound in southern Baghdad and performed 400 missions, disabling more than 90 improvised explosive devices.
"One of my great honors as the secretary of defense is to participate in ceremonies like these," he said. "I am always humbled and inspired by what our troops accomplish under the most demanding and challenging conditions."
Others receiving awards were SEALs who had just returned from secret duties against what Gates called "some of the most ruthless killers" in Iraq. He noted most of the SEALs' duties are performed in the shadows and are rarely recognized.
"That's why I'm particularly grateful to be here today -- to have the opportunity to look them in the eye, and say 'thank you' from the bottom of my heart," Gates said.
A small group of families sat on the sidelines during the ceremonies, holding babies and toddlers who fidgeted as their fathers received the awards. Gates acknowledged that the secrecy and imminent danger of the SEALs' missions sometimes make the life especially hard for their families.
"Your loved ones are deployed most often to the most hostile places. You may know next to nothing about where your husband or son is serving, and when or whether he will return," Gates said. "To the families, to all of you here today, you have my deepest personal appreciation and respect."
As he was leaving, a small group of SEAL first-week recruits issued a customary greeting to the secretary. "Hoo-yah, Secretary Gates," they shouted in unison.
Gates went on to tour the latest San Antonio-class vessel, the USS New Orleans, docked in San Diego. Commissioned in March, it's an amphibious transport ship made to accommodate the latest in Marine equipment. It holds a crew of about 350 and can accommodate 800 Marines with gear and vehicles. It also has a complete hospital and can perform humanitarian aid missions. The ship is scheduled for its first deployment next year.
Gates lunched with sailors, again hearing concerns and fielding questions. In the afternoon, he went to Camp Pendleton for more meetings, and a quick stop to talk to some recruits in their 11th week of training, readying for their final field exercise before becoming full-fledged Marines.
He then boarded a flight to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., where he's scheduled to talk with commanders today about intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs in the combat theater and how to field more unmanned aerial vehicles there, Morrell said.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2008 - Sgt. Kevin Knight has been a Marine for four years. He has deployed three times to Iraq. The first was in 2004, when he was just out of his infantry training. He returned from his most recent deployment in November. With their commanders ushered from the room, Knight and about 50 other Marines fresh from deployment were able to sit across the table from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates here yesterday to ask straight questions and get straight answers on whatever was on their minds.
The Marines met the secretary in a small conference room in a building nestled in the sprawling, scraggly hills of these coastal training grounds about 35 miles north of San Diego. Like Knight, many of the Marines in the room had served multiple deployments.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said the meeting turned out to be anything but a gripe session, as questions ran the gamut from housing issues to educational benefits to politics. Most of the Marines were concerned not about their individual situations, but rather about what could be changed to benefit others, he said.
Fresh from his most recent deployment, Knight said he returned here to see a new urban assault training center being built. He wondered why such a training site was not built sooner, offering critical training for deploying troops.
"We lost a lot of Marines in urban combat that if we would have had these facilities two or three years ago, it could have helped prevent (that)," Knight said. The sergeant said he asked Gates why it seemed the military was "behind the curve" in funding training and facilities to prepare troops for urban combat.
The secretary's answer was straightforward and logical, Knight said: no one anticipated that U.S. forces would be in Iraq, fighting this kind of war for this long.
"He gave decisive answers," Knight said. "He actually talked to (us and) ... helped us understand what was going on with Iran, with Pakistan, Korea, Iraq in general.,"
Knight said the secretary helped the Marines understand some of the funding issues facing the military and gave them a "broader picture."
"I thought it went really well. All the questions that the secretary was asked, he was very knowledgeable about," he said. "I think it's incredible. Nobody would ever think that as young enlisted Marines we'd be able to talk to one of the senior members of our chain of command. I think it shows a lot about our nation caring about the opinions of the younger military forces -- not just looking at us as numbers, but wanting to hear our point of views on world matters."
In his first trip to the area as defense secretary, Gates visited Navy and Marine bases in southern California after spending the holidays at his home in Washington state. Morrell said officials try to fit in stops to bases in the United States as the defense secretary travels. Gates "derives a great deal of sustenance" from his meetings with servicemembers and goes back to the Pentagon "rejuvenated and confident" from the conversations, Morrell told reporters.
Gates started the morning touring the Naval Special Warfare Group 1 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where he met with sailors and SEALs. He viewed the latest in robotic devices that help detect and dismantle roadside bombs in Iraq. He also pinned Bronze Stars on the chests of about 20 sailors just coming back from combat in Iraq, and he meritoriously promoted two of them.
He met with the sailors in closed-door sessions, and publicly thanked them for their service and that of their families.
The secretary had awards and special praise for members of a mobile explosive ordnance detachment who set up an EOD compound in southern Baghdad and performed 400 missions, disabling more than 90 improvised explosive devices.
"One of my great honors as the secretary of defense is to participate in ceremonies like these," he said. "I am always humbled and inspired by what our troops accomplish under the most demanding and challenging conditions."
Others receiving awards were SEALs who had just returned from secret duties against what Gates called "some of the most ruthless killers" in Iraq. He noted most of the SEALs' duties are performed in the shadows and are rarely recognized.
"That's why I'm particularly grateful to be here today -- to have the opportunity to look them in the eye, and say 'thank you' from the bottom of my heart," Gates said.
A small group of families sat on the sidelines during the ceremonies, holding babies and toddlers who fidgeted as their fathers received the awards. Gates acknowledged that the secrecy and imminent danger of the SEALs' missions sometimes make the life especially hard for their families.
"Your loved ones are deployed most often to the most hostile places. You may know next to nothing about where your husband or son is serving, and when or whether he will return," Gates said. "To the families, to all of you here today, you have my deepest personal appreciation and respect."
As he was leaving, a small group of SEAL first-week recruits issued a customary greeting to the secretary. "Hoo-yah, Secretary Gates," they shouted in unison.
Gates went on to tour the latest San Antonio-class vessel, the USS New Orleans, docked in San Diego. Commissioned in March, it's an amphibious transport ship made to accommodate the latest in Marine equipment. It holds a crew of about 350 and can accommodate 800 Marines with gear and vehicles. It also has a complete hospital and can perform humanitarian aid missions. The ship is scheduled for its first deployment next year.
Gates lunched with sailors, again hearing concerns and fielding questions. In the afternoon, he went to Camp Pendleton for more meetings, and a quick stop to talk to some recruits in their 11th week of training, readying for their final field exercise before becoming full-fledged Marines.
He then boarded a flight to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., where he's scheduled to talk with commanders today about intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs in the combat theater and how to field more unmanned aerial vehicles there, Morrell said.
'Why We Serve' Program Connects Servicemembers, Civilians
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 7, 2008 - Media outlets portray a version of the U.S. military as seen from the outside, but Americans across the country can access the primary source: hearing the military experience described by a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who lives it. At universities, high schools and rotary clubs in scores of U.S. cities, "Why We Serve," a Defense Department outreach program, is connecting men and women in uniform to the American public they serve. Started in July 2006, the program provides a platform for servicemembers recently returned from operations in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Horn of Africa to discuss their experiences with the country at large.
"Americans want a way to hear directly from the men and women in uniform who have served. They want to hear personal stories and experiences first-hand," said Jennifer Giglio, the program's deputy director. "By providing the public one-on-one interaction with their military, Why We Serve creates that opportunity."
Now in its sixth quarterly iteration, the outreach program conceived by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace underscores an effort by the Defense Department to bridge gaps between military and civilian cultures. The program is apolitical by design, and speakers do not address department policies; rather, each member offers Americans a glimpse of military life as seen through the eyes of someone in uniform.
The current group of a dozen servicemember speakers comprises a diverse swath of the armed forces that includes a wide range of military branch and rank, and represents both sexes, as well as many races and creeds. Three members from each service branch make up this iteration, and together they account for 130 years of military experience.
The breadth of the speakers' backgrounds and experience is matched by the vast geography the tour encompasses: In January alone, participants will appear at 31 engagements in 15 cities, from Sarasota, Fla., to San Diego, in addition to three radio interviews with a station in Riverside, Iowa.
Community organizations, business associations, academic institutions, veterans groups, and other nonprofit or nonpartisan organizations may invite a Why We Serve speaker by making a request online at www.whyweserve.mil. The Defense Department provides speakers to approved host organizations anywhere in the country free of charge.
By hosting uniformed servicemembers to speak about their individual experiences in current U.S. operations, audiences around the country are offered a personal and relevant perspective on military service.
"No longer do Americans need to rely on the media alone for balanced coverage," Giglio said. "They can request a servicemember to speak in their local community, and have the opportunity to ask questions and hear answers from someone who has had their boots on the ground."
Speakers from the most recent iteration include Marine Staff Sgt. John Costa, a native of Somerville, Mass., who deployed to Iraq's Anbar province in August 2006, when the region was one of the country's most contentious.
During Why We Serve engagements, Costa, who decided as a boy to join the U.S. military to help the "greater good," told audiences how efforts by coalition forces tamped down violence in Ramadi, creating the political breathing room necessary to forge vital alliances between local tribal sheiks and coalition operators.
Though it was widely covered in the news media, Costa offered audiences a unique perspective on what was later dubbed the "Anbar Awakening," a societal purging of extremism by Anbaris that ushered in a level of stability unprecedented since U.S. operations in Iraq began.
"In the end, it turned out that Ramadi did a complete 180," Costa told American Forces Press Service during a November 2007 interview. "I got pictures in September from the unit that had relieved us, and I just couldn't believe it. I didn't think I was looking at the same city."
In conjunction with the speaking tour, American Forces Press Service will profile each Why We Serve participant in a feature article that will be available on www.defenselink.mil, the Defense Department's official Web site.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 7, 2008 - Media outlets portray a version of the U.S. military as seen from the outside, but Americans across the country can access the primary source: hearing the military experience described by a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who lives it. At universities, high schools and rotary clubs in scores of U.S. cities, "Why We Serve," a Defense Department outreach program, is connecting men and women in uniform to the American public they serve. Started in July 2006, the program provides a platform for servicemembers recently returned from operations in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Horn of Africa to discuss their experiences with the country at large.
"Americans want a way to hear directly from the men and women in uniform who have served. They want to hear personal stories and experiences first-hand," said Jennifer Giglio, the program's deputy director. "By providing the public one-on-one interaction with their military, Why We Serve creates that opportunity."
Now in its sixth quarterly iteration, the outreach program conceived by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace underscores an effort by the Defense Department to bridge gaps between military and civilian cultures. The program is apolitical by design, and speakers do not address department policies; rather, each member offers Americans a glimpse of military life as seen through the eyes of someone in uniform.
The current group of a dozen servicemember speakers comprises a diverse swath of the armed forces that includes a wide range of military branch and rank, and represents both sexes, as well as many races and creeds. Three members from each service branch make up this iteration, and together they account for 130 years of military experience.
The breadth of the speakers' backgrounds and experience is matched by the vast geography the tour encompasses: In January alone, participants will appear at 31 engagements in 15 cities, from Sarasota, Fla., to San Diego, in addition to three radio interviews with a station in Riverside, Iowa.
Community organizations, business associations, academic institutions, veterans groups, and other nonprofit or nonpartisan organizations may invite a Why We Serve speaker by making a request online at www.whyweserve.mil. The Defense Department provides speakers to approved host organizations anywhere in the country free of charge.
By hosting uniformed servicemembers to speak about their individual experiences in current U.S. operations, audiences around the country are offered a personal and relevant perspective on military service.
"No longer do Americans need to rely on the media alone for balanced coverage," Giglio said. "They can request a servicemember to speak in their local community, and have the opportunity to ask questions and hear answers from someone who has had their boots on the ground."
Speakers from the most recent iteration include Marine Staff Sgt. John Costa, a native of Somerville, Mass., who deployed to Iraq's Anbar province in August 2006, when the region was one of the country's most contentious.
During Why We Serve engagements, Costa, who decided as a boy to join the U.S. military to help the "greater good," told audiences how efforts by coalition forces tamped down violence in Ramadi, creating the political breathing room necessary to forge vital alliances between local tribal sheiks and coalition operators.
Though it was widely covered in the news media, Costa offered audiences a unique perspective on what was later dubbed the "Anbar Awakening," a societal purging of extremism by Anbaris that ushered in a level of stability unprecedented since U.S. operations in Iraq began.
"In the end, it turned out that Ramadi did a complete 180," Costa told American Forces Press Service during a November 2007 interview. "I got pictures in September from the unit that had relieved us, and I just couldn't believe it. I didn't think I was looking at the same city."
In conjunction with the speaking tour, American Forces Press Service will profile each Why We Serve participant in a feature article that will be available on www.defenselink.mil, the Defense Department's official Web site.
America Supports You: Wounded Fort Hood Troops Receive Laptops
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 7, 2008 - Wounded servicemembers at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center on Fort Hood, Texas, recently got some help staying connected with loved ones during their recovery. Operation Homelink, in collaboration with the Dell computer corporation, presented 30 refurbished laptops to wounded soldiers participating in the Army Wounded Warrior Program on Dec. 21.
The Army Wounded Warrior Program serves the most severely wounded, injured or ill soldiers and their families by helping them with their transition back into civilian or military life.
"This means a lot to us," said laptop recipient Leslie Mansur, a recently retired member of the Army's 4th Infantry Division and a participant in the Army program. "We cannot do our jobs as soldiers if it weren't for the support and faith of the American people and for programs like (Operation Homelink)."
Operation Homelink is 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.
Having e-mail access during recovery meets soldiers' desires to stay in contact with fellow soldiers and family members, said Dan Shannon, founder and president of Illinois-based Operation Homelink.
Internet access also allows management of medical and financial matters and provides entertainment, which helps boost morale during extended recovery periods. Laptops provided to the most severely injured soldiers in the program have expanded functionality to run adaptive software and accessories.
"We are extremely grateful for Dell's continuing support of our expanded efforts to support our wounded warriors," Shannon said.
Operation Homelink strives to assist military support programs like Army Wounded Warrior Program by providing refurbished computers, which are donated by sponsors such as Dell.
"Dell has a longstanding relationship with the U.S. military," said Troy West, vice president of Dell Federal. "We are proud to assist programs like Operation Homelink in providing technology that will help soldiers like those in the Army Wounded Warrior Program to not only keep in touch with family, friends and fellow soldiers, but to also assist in their recovery processes."
Formed in 2003, Operation Homelink also provides desktop computers to families of servicemembers so they can stay in touch with deployed loved ones.
With this latest laptop donation, Operation Homelink has provided more than 100 laptops to wounded servicemembers. To date, the organization has connected more than 2,500 military families through its donations of laptop or desktop computers.
"If we ask our closest family members and dearest friends if they would die for us, we will get many different answers: but a soldier will die for us without being asked," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Tucker, who attended the laptop distribution event. "They do not often hear thanks or praise for their efforts, so it is very much appreciated when organizations like Dell and volunteers from Operation Homelink show how much they value the sacrifices being made on their behalf."
(From an Operation Homelink news release.)
Jan. 7, 2008 - Wounded servicemembers at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center on Fort Hood, Texas, recently got some help staying connected with loved ones during their recovery. Operation Homelink, in collaboration with the Dell computer corporation, presented 30 refurbished laptops to wounded soldiers participating in the Army Wounded Warrior Program on Dec. 21.
The Army Wounded Warrior Program serves the most severely wounded, injured or ill soldiers and their families by helping them with their transition back into civilian or military life.
"This means a lot to us," said laptop recipient Leslie Mansur, a recently retired member of the Army's 4th Infantry Division and a participant in the Army program. "We cannot do our jobs as soldiers if it weren't for the support and faith of the American people and for programs like (Operation Homelink)."
Operation Homelink is 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.
Having e-mail access during recovery meets soldiers' desires to stay in contact with fellow soldiers and family members, said Dan Shannon, founder and president of Illinois-based Operation Homelink.
Internet access also allows management of medical and financial matters and provides entertainment, which helps boost morale during extended recovery periods. Laptops provided to the most severely injured soldiers in the program have expanded functionality to run adaptive software and accessories.
"We are extremely grateful for Dell's continuing support of our expanded efforts to support our wounded warriors," Shannon said.
Operation Homelink strives to assist military support programs like Army Wounded Warrior Program by providing refurbished computers, which are donated by sponsors such as Dell.
"Dell has a longstanding relationship with the U.S. military," said Troy West, vice president of Dell Federal. "We are proud to assist programs like Operation Homelink in providing technology that will help soldiers like those in the Army Wounded Warrior Program to not only keep in touch with family, friends and fellow soldiers, but to also assist in their recovery processes."
Formed in 2003, Operation Homelink also provides desktop computers to families of servicemembers so they can stay in touch with deployed loved ones.
With this latest laptop donation, Operation Homelink has provided more than 100 laptops to wounded servicemembers. To date, the organization has connected more than 2,500 military families through its donations of laptop or desktop computers.
"If we ask our closest family members and dearest friends if they would die for us, we will get many different answers: but a soldier will die for us without being asked," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Tucker, who attended the laptop distribution event. "They do not often hear thanks or praise for their efforts, so it is very much appreciated when organizations like Dell and volunteers from Operation Homelink show how much they value the sacrifices being made on their behalf."
(From an Operation Homelink news release.)
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