By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - Servicemembers returning from deployment and their families can find help readjusting to their lives at home through traditional and holistic therapies offered by a long-established Colorado group. For more than 30 years, Lost and Found Inc. has specialized in providing intervention and rehabilitation treatment for families that have run out of options, said Linda Olson, the organization's development manager.
Recently, however, the organization developed a program geared toward military families.
"(We) launched a holistic mental health outreach to active military (personnel) and their families in fall 2007," she said.
The program focuses primarily on returning troops and their families before, during and after deployment, she added.
Among other issues, the program addresses post-traumatic stress disorder, grief and reintegration issues through a combination of traditional psychotherapy and "experiential" therapies, Olson said. Natural and alternative therapies also are employed.
Experiential therapies include art, music, poetry and play.
This "continuum of care" approach ensures clients receive the full compliment of services that will lead to full restoration, Olson said.
"Many military troops and their families are stationed far away from their families of origin. At Lost and Found Inc., these individuals will find a family spirit," she said. "By networking directly with Homefront Heroes, another military outreach nonprofit (organization), Lost and Found Inc. will make sure each troop and his (or) her family receives all the services they need."
In addition, the organization offers its services to servicemembers and their families regardless of Veterans Affairs disability status or the ability to pay.
Lost and Found Inc. is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"Exposure through (this affiliation) will mean that more individuals and families will access our services," Olson said. "Networking will benefit Lost and Found Inc. in several ways. We'll be able to support others who endeavor to help this population of military and their families, and we'll be able to share knowledge with fellow professionals."
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Navy Granted Authority To Use Sonar In Training Off California
The Navy announced today that two important steps have been taken under existing law and regulations to allow it to conduct effective, integrated training with sonar off the coast of southern California after a federal court earlier this month imposed untenable restrictions on such training.
In accordance with the provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and at the recommendation of the Secretary of Commerce, the President concluded that continuing these vital exercises without the restrictions imposed by the district court is in the paramount interests of the United States. He signed an exemption from the requirements of the CZMA for the Navy's continued use of mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar in a series of exercises scheduled to take place off the coast of California through January 2009. The Navy already applies twenty-nine mitigation measures approved by federal environmental regulators when using active sonar, and these will remain in place.
An exemption from the act was sought after an order was issued on Jan. 3 by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which created a significant and unreasonable risk that the Navy will not be able to conduct effective sonar training necessary to certify strike groups for deployment in support of world-wide operational and combat activities. Use of sonar is part of critical, integrated training that must be done in the Navy's operating area off the coast of San Diego to take advantage of Southern California's bathymetric features and its extensive ranges, airfields, and other infrastructure necessary for effective training. Approximately half the Navy's fleet will receive its most critical, "graduate level" training here before it deploys its forces around the world.
In a separate but related action, the Council on Environmental Quality approved the Navy's request for alternative arrangements for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, for these exercises until completion of the Southern California Range Complex environmental impact statement.
Following up on these actions, Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter signed a decision memorandum yesterday agreeing to those arrangements, which include adaptive management measures, more thorough reporting procedures, and increased public participation.
"We can protect our national security while simultaneously being good stewards of the environment," said Winter. "These alternative measures, in addition to the 29 protective measures already in place, will ensure our operating forces can train realistically without harming the environment."
"We are already taking extensive measures to protect marine mammals, and we have had positive results from those measures," said Winter. "We are furthermore committed to an extensive data collection effort to help inform our future efforts in this regard."
Even before the court's order, the Navy employed 29 protective measures, developed in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, any time sonar is used on Navy ranges, or in major exercises. The existing measures include, among other things, stationing specially trained lookouts to look for marine mammals, passive acoustic monitoring for marine mammals, establishing safety zones around ships where sonar power is reduced or shut down if marine mammals are sighted, and employing extra precautions during chokepoint exercises.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said that the actions were necessary in order to ensure the Navy's ability to train Sailors to detect quiet submarines that might threaten its ships.
"We cannot in good conscience send American men and women into potential trouble spots without adequate training to defend themselves," said Roughead.
"The southern California operating area provides unique training opportunities that are vital to preparing our forces, and the planned exercises cannot be postponed without impacting national security," said Roughead. "The steps that have been taken will allow our men and women to train realistically, while continuing the effective employment of proven mitigation measures that have been endorsed by the Council on Environmental Quality and our regulator, the National Marine Fisheries Service."
For additional information, contact the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342 or visit the Navy's Web site concerning sonar and marine mammals at http://www.whalesandsonar.navy.mil, or the Southern California Range Complex Environmental Impact Statement Web site at http://www.socalrangecomplexeis.com.
In accordance with the provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and at the recommendation of the Secretary of Commerce, the President concluded that continuing these vital exercises without the restrictions imposed by the district court is in the paramount interests of the United States. He signed an exemption from the requirements of the CZMA for the Navy's continued use of mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar in a series of exercises scheduled to take place off the coast of California through January 2009. The Navy already applies twenty-nine mitigation measures approved by federal environmental regulators when using active sonar, and these will remain in place.
An exemption from the act was sought after an order was issued on Jan. 3 by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which created a significant and unreasonable risk that the Navy will not be able to conduct effective sonar training necessary to certify strike groups for deployment in support of world-wide operational and combat activities. Use of sonar is part of critical, integrated training that must be done in the Navy's operating area off the coast of San Diego to take advantage of Southern California's bathymetric features and its extensive ranges, airfields, and other infrastructure necessary for effective training. Approximately half the Navy's fleet will receive its most critical, "graduate level" training here before it deploys its forces around the world.
In a separate but related action, the Council on Environmental Quality approved the Navy's request for alternative arrangements for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, for these exercises until completion of the Southern California Range Complex environmental impact statement.
Following up on these actions, Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter signed a decision memorandum yesterday agreeing to those arrangements, which include adaptive management measures, more thorough reporting procedures, and increased public participation.
"We can protect our national security while simultaneously being good stewards of the environment," said Winter. "These alternative measures, in addition to the 29 protective measures already in place, will ensure our operating forces can train realistically without harming the environment."
"We are already taking extensive measures to protect marine mammals, and we have had positive results from those measures," said Winter. "We are furthermore committed to an extensive data collection effort to help inform our future efforts in this regard."
Even before the court's order, the Navy employed 29 protective measures, developed in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, any time sonar is used on Navy ranges, or in major exercises. The existing measures include, among other things, stationing specially trained lookouts to look for marine mammals, passive acoustic monitoring for marine mammals, establishing safety zones around ships where sonar power is reduced or shut down if marine mammals are sighted, and employing extra precautions during chokepoint exercises.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said that the actions were necessary in order to ensure the Navy's ability to train Sailors to detect quiet submarines that might threaten its ships.
"We cannot in good conscience send American men and women into potential trouble spots without adequate training to defend themselves," said Roughead.
"The southern California operating area provides unique training opportunities that are vital to preparing our forces, and the planned exercises cannot be postponed without impacting national security," said Roughead. "The steps that have been taken will allow our men and women to train realistically, while continuing the effective employment of proven mitigation measures that have been endorsed by the Council on Environmental Quality and our regulator, the National Marine Fisheries Service."
For additional information, contact the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342 or visit the Navy's Web site concerning sonar and marine mammals at http://www.whalesandsonar.navy.mil, or the Southern California Range Complex Environmental Impact Statement Web site at http://www.socalrangecomplexeis.com.
Mirror Therapy Shows Promise in Amputee Treatment
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - When Army Sgt. Nicholas Paupore puts a mirror between his legs and looks down, he's whole again. The right leg that was destroyed when an explosively formed penetrator ripped through his Humvee just south of Kirkuk, Iraq, suddenly reappears before his eyes, reflecting the left leg that remains. Paupore, 32, admitted he was skeptical when Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Jack Tsao suggested using a mirror to help him deal with excruciating pain he continued feeling in his missing right leg.
The phenomenon, called "phantom limb pain," plagues as many as half of all amputees, likely the result of a faulty signal between the brain and the missing appendage, Tsao explained. Neurons in the brain continue sending out signals to a limb that's no longer there. As a result, amputees can feel discomfort or pain and, in some cases, the sense that their missing limb is stuck in an uncomfortable position.
For Paupore, a 101st Airborne Division artilleryman who was serving on a military transition team training Iraqi troops when he was wounded in July 2006, the pain felt like electric shocks or knives stabbing into his missing leg. "It felt like someone ... was putting an electrode on the back of my ankle," he said.
Paupore tried several different painkillers, including morphine, but none gave him relief.
Tsao, associate professor of neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md., thought he was on to something when he revisited literature he'd first seen while in graduate school. Vilayanur Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at the University of California San Diego, had come up with mirror therapy to treat phantom limb pain in upper extremities.
Ramachandran used mirrors so amputees could "see" and "move" their missing limbs to relieve the discomfort. Funding restrictions and lack of a steady stream of amputees prevented Ramachandran from testing his research through clinical trials.
Tsao, who treats military amputees wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, had no such restrictions. With huge Defense Department interest in caring for combat-wounded amputees, he had little trouble selling a treatment that involved little more than a $20 mirror.
He set up a clinical trial and recruited 18 combat-wounded amputees suffering from phantom limb pain to participate.
Paupore admitted he wasn't convinced when Tsao first proposed the trial, but said he figured he had nothing to lose. "I was really skeptical," he said. "But I figured, I'm not going anywhere, so I'll try it."
Tsao randomly assigned the participants into three groups. One group received mirror therapy as advocated by Ramachandran. One went through the same therapy, but with the mirror covered by a sheet so it didn't reflect the limb. The third group got no mirror and simply visualized seeing the missing limb in a mirror.
Paupore began the trial in the second group, with a covered mirror. After four weeks, he felt little change. But when Tsao switched him to the group using an uncovered mirror so he was able to "see" his missing leg, Paupore saw immediate improvement.
Sitting on a hospital bed with his legs fully extended, Paupore demonstrated the therapy. He put a standard 6-foot-long mirror lengthwise between his left leg and the residual stump on his right side, with the mirror reflecting the intact leg. He moved the leg, watching the movement in the mirror and imagining that his missing leg was making the movements.
The very first time he tried it, Paupore felt something happening. "The stump started firing off right away," he said. "It got a little uncomfortable."
Participants in the trial used the mirror therapy technique 15 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks. "Pain levels seemed to come down after the first week and keep diminishing," Tsao said.
Every single person who used the mirror experienced relief, and some reported that their phantom pain disappeared altogether.
Tsao continued administering the therapy for an additional four weeks, up to eight weeks, and saw more success in patients who still felt phantom pain. Many were able to get off their pain medicine altogether or bring their pain levels down to a point where it was manageable with low dosages of drugs, he said.
"The mirror works for most people who have tried it," Tsao said. "It doesn't work fully for everyone. Some people are left with some residual pain, but it is better than when they started. For the most part, if you talk to the amputees here, they have actually been able to get off the medications, some sooner than others."
Those who used the covered mirror or visualization had far less success, Tsao reported. Some said their phantom pain actually worsened until they began therapy with an actual mirror.
More than a year after completing his mirror therapy, Paupore said he still experiences occasional phantom pain, but "only once in a great while." The pain is far less severe than before the mirror therapy, and Paupore is off painkillers altogether.
"It tricks your brain into thinking your leg is still there, so it's not misfiring," he said. "I don't know how it works, but it works."
Paupore said he encourages other amputees suffering from phantom pain to give mirror therapy a try. "I've always recommended it to them," he said. "At least give it a try. Some people may get mild help out of it; some may get extraordinary help out of it."
Tsao is quick to say mirror therapy doesn't work for everybody. "It's not a cure-all for all kinds of phantom pain, but it's definitely a way to improve therapy," he said.
Even patients whose pain remains after the therapy reported less severe symptoms. "A lot of them are very surprised that they are actually able to get movement and then the pain seems to be going away."
Tsao published the results of the clinical trials this past fall in the New England Journal of Medicine. Based on the promise it's shown, he said, he hopes to get approval for two more studies.
One will test mirror therapy for treating phantom pain in missing arms; Tsao said he hopes to conduct that trial both at Walter Reed at the Center for the Intrepid military rehabilitation facility, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The second trial, called functional magnetic resonance imaging, will attempt to figure out precisely why mirror therapy works.
Overall, Tsao called the Defense Department's advances in treating amputees "nothing short of phenomenal" and said he's proud to be playing a part.
"I think the most gratifying part of this is that we are actually able to help in the rehabilitation process for the amputees here," he said. "I go home everyday knowing people are going to be getting better. It makes me feel great."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - When Army Sgt. Nicholas Paupore puts a mirror between his legs and looks down, he's whole again. The right leg that was destroyed when an explosively formed penetrator ripped through his Humvee just south of Kirkuk, Iraq, suddenly reappears before his eyes, reflecting the left leg that remains. Paupore, 32, admitted he was skeptical when Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Jack Tsao suggested using a mirror to help him deal with excruciating pain he continued feeling in his missing right leg.
The phenomenon, called "phantom limb pain," plagues as many as half of all amputees, likely the result of a faulty signal between the brain and the missing appendage, Tsao explained. Neurons in the brain continue sending out signals to a limb that's no longer there. As a result, amputees can feel discomfort or pain and, in some cases, the sense that their missing limb is stuck in an uncomfortable position.
For Paupore, a 101st Airborne Division artilleryman who was serving on a military transition team training Iraqi troops when he was wounded in July 2006, the pain felt like electric shocks or knives stabbing into his missing leg. "It felt like someone ... was putting an electrode on the back of my ankle," he said.
Paupore tried several different painkillers, including morphine, but none gave him relief.
Tsao, associate professor of neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md., thought he was on to something when he revisited literature he'd first seen while in graduate school. Vilayanur Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at the University of California San Diego, had come up with mirror therapy to treat phantom limb pain in upper extremities.
Ramachandran used mirrors so amputees could "see" and "move" their missing limbs to relieve the discomfort. Funding restrictions and lack of a steady stream of amputees prevented Ramachandran from testing his research through clinical trials.
Tsao, who treats military amputees wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, had no such restrictions. With huge Defense Department interest in caring for combat-wounded amputees, he had little trouble selling a treatment that involved little more than a $20 mirror.
He set up a clinical trial and recruited 18 combat-wounded amputees suffering from phantom limb pain to participate.
Paupore admitted he wasn't convinced when Tsao first proposed the trial, but said he figured he had nothing to lose. "I was really skeptical," he said. "But I figured, I'm not going anywhere, so I'll try it."
Tsao randomly assigned the participants into three groups. One group received mirror therapy as advocated by Ramachandran. One went through the same therapy, but with the mirror covered by a sheet so it didn't reflect the limb. The third group got no mirror and simply visualized seeing the missing limb in a mirror.
Paupore began the trial in the second group, with a covered mirror. After four weeks, he felt little change. But when Tsao switched him to the group using an uncovered mirror so he was able to "see" his missing leg, Paupore saw immediate improvement.
Sitting on a hospital bed with his legs fully extended, Paupore demonstrated the therapy. He put a standard 6-foot-long mirror lengthwise between his left leg and the residual stump on his right side, with the mirror reflecting the intact leg. He moved the leg, watching the movement in the mirror and imagining that his missing leg was making the movements.
The very first time he tried it, Paupore felt something happening. "The stump started firing off right away," he said. "It got a little uncomfortable."
Participants in the trial used the mirror therapy technique 15 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks. "Pain levels seemed to come down after the first week and keep diminishing," Tsao said.
Every single person who used the mirror experienced relief, and some reported that their phantom pain disappeared altogether.
Tsao continued administering the therapy for an additional four weeks, up to eight weeks, and saw more success in patients who still felt phantom pain. Many were able to get off their pain medicine altogether or bring their pain levels down to a point where it was manageable with low dosages of drugs, he said.
"The mirror works for most people who have tried it," Tsao said. "It doesn't work fully for everyone. Some people are left with some residual pain, but it is better than when they started. For the most part, if you talk to the amputees here, they have actually been able to get off the medications, some sooner than others."
Those who used the covered mirror or visualization had far less success, Tsao reported. Some said their phantom pain actually worsened until they began therapy with an actual mirror.
More than a year after completing his mirror therapy, Paupore said he still experiences occasional phantom pain, but "only once in a great while." The pain is far less severe than before the mirror therapy, and Paupore is off painkillers altogether.
"It tricks your brain into thinking your leg is still there, so it's not misfiring," he said. "I don't know how it works, but it works."
Paupore said he encourages other amputees suffering from phantom pain to give mirror therapy a try. "I've always recommended it to them," he said. "At least give it a try. Some people may get mild help out of it; some may get extraordinary help out of it."
Tsao is quick to say mirror therapy doesn't work for everybody. "It's not a cure-all for all kinds of phantom pain, but it's definitely a way to improve therapy," he said.
Even patients whose pain remains after the therapy reported less severe symptoms. "A lot of them are very surprised that they are actually able to get movement and then the pain seems to be going away."
Tsao published the results of the clinical trials this past fall in the New England Journal of Medicine. Based on the promise it's shown, he said, he hopes to get approval for two more studies.
One will test mirror therapy for treating phantom pain in missing arms; Tsao said he hopes to conduct that trial both at Walter Reed at the Center for the Intrepid military rehabilitation facility, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The second trial, called functional magnetic resonance imaging, will attempt to figure out precisely why mirror therapy works.
Overall, Tsao called the Defense Department's advances in treating amputees "nothing short of phenomenal" and said he's proud to be playing a part.
"I think the most gratifying part of this is that we are actually able to help in the rehabilitation process for the amputees here," he said. "I go home everyday knowing people are going to be getting better. It makes me feel great."
Face of Defense: Biomedical Maintainers Ensure Medical Success
By Senior Airman Terri Barriere, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - The Air Force Theater Hospital here is the hub for military en-route patient care in Iraq, and the Tuskegee medics ensure proper preparation of patients prior to air evacuation from the theater of operations. For the hospital to succeed in its mission of saving lives, airmen of 332nd Medical Support Squadron Biomedical Maintenance Flight work behind the scenes to keep the facility's equipment up and running.
"In a nutshell, we maintain all medical equipment and facilities, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Cummings, a 332nd MDSS biomedical equipment technician, deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.
When equipment is brought in for maintenance, it's prioritized according to mission impact, he said.
"If a defibrillator is broken, we've got to get that working right away," Cummings said. "If someone was to have a heart attack, they'd have to go get a defibrillator from another area, and that's precious time that could cost someone their life."
Cummings said the evolution of technology in contemporary medicine has increased the need for biomedical equipment technicians.
"Modern patient care revolves around not just the skill of the doctor, but technology as well," he said. "When the equipment is running correctly, it allows the doc to do their job to the best of their ability. And with the most accurate diagnostic equipment at the doc's disposal, the patients have a better chance at survival and recovery."
When things are running smoothly around the facility and nothing is broken, the technicians use the time to perform routine preventive maintenance on all the equipment.
"When we do our routine maintenance, we look for things that will help prolong the life of the equipment and keep it running as well as possible," Cummings said.
They also use the time to train medics on proper use of new equipment to prevent user error.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Mathew Kurian, a biomedical equipment technician deployed from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, said that even though the technicians work behind the scenes, the work they do is rewarding. "It's really nice when you see the equipment you work on used to save a patient's life," he said.
As with any mission operating in a remote location, luxuries afforded biomedical equipment technicians at their home stations aren't always available here, forcing the technicians to become more resourceful and diverse in skill knowledge, said Staff Sgt. Orlando Ortega, a biomedical equipment craftsman deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
"Stateside, we don't handle all the facility work orders, such as plumbing and electrical issues," he said. "Also, stateside, manufacturers can come in and do the work on their broken equipment. Here, everyone depends on us. If we can't fix it, it has to be sent to the company, which completely takes the unit out of service for several weeks."
With technology constantly evolving, the technicians agree it's hard to know everything about every piece of equipment all the time.
"Equipment changes almost every day," Ortega said. "It's not realistic to think you can learn everything about every piece of equipment. Our technical school helps prepare us by giving us the foundation and framework -- the basics. We fill in the gaps as we go and sort of teach ourselves by using the literature and skills picked up along the way from co-workers."
biomedical equipment technicians consider themselves to be "Jacks of all trades."
"Plumbers work on pipes, carpenters work with wood, but we can work on everything in the hospital; we're not limited to one field," Cummings said. "When you work on medical equipment, you have to know how to fix everything -- and we do, because there's no telling what you're going to see."
(Air Force Senior Airman Terri Barriere serves with 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - The Air Force Theater Hospital here is the hub for military en-route patient care in Iraq, and the Tuskegee medics ensure proper preparation of patients prior to air evacuation from the theater of operations. For the hospital to succeed in its mission of saving lives, airmen of 332nd Medical Support Squadron Biomedical Maintenance Flight work behind the scenes to keep the facility's equipment up and running.
"In a nutshell, we maintain all medical equipment and facilities, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Cummings, a 332nd MDSS biomedical equipment technician, deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.
When equipment is brought in for maintenance, it's prioritized according to mission impact, he said.
"If a defibrillator is broken, we've got to get that working right away," Cummings said. "If someone was to have a heart attack, they'd have to go get a defibrillator from another area, and that's precious time that could cost someone their life."
Cummings said the evolution of technology in contemporary medicine has increased the need for biomedical equipment technicians.
"Modern patient care revolves around not just the skill of the doctor, but technology as well," he said. "When the equipment is running correctly, it allows the doc to do their job to the best of their ability. And with the most accurate diagnostic equipment at the doc's disposal, the patients have a better chance at survival and recovery."
When things are running smoothly around the facility and nothing is broken, the technicians use the time to perform routine preventive maintenance on all the equipment.
"When we do our routine maintenance, we look for things that will help prolong the life of the equipment and keep it running as well as possible," Cummings said.
They also use the time to train medics on proper use of new equipment to prevent user error.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Mathew Kurian, a biomedical equipment technician deployed from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, said that even though the technicians work behind the scenes, the work they do is rewarding. "It's really nice when you see the equipment you work on used to save a patient's life," he said.
As with any mission operating in a remote location, luxuries afforded biomedical equipment technicians at their home stations aren't always available here, forcing the technicians to become more resourceful and diverse in skill knowledge, said Staff Sgt. Orlando Ortega, a biomedical equipment craftsman deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
"Stateside, we don't handle all the facility work orders, such as plumbing and electrical issues," he said. "Also, stateside, manufacturers can come in and do the work on their broken equipment. Here, everyone depends on us. If we can't fix it, it has to be sent to the company, which completely takes the unit out of service for several weeks."
With technology constantly evolving, the technicians agree it's hard to know everything about every piece of equipment all the time.
"Equipment changes almost every day," Ortega said. "It's not realistic to think you can learn everything about every piece of equipment. Our technical school helps prepare us by giving us the foundation and framework -- the basics. We fill in the gaps as we go and sort of teach ourselves by using the literature and skills picked up along the way from co-workers."
biomedical equipment technicians consider themselves to be "Jacks of all trades."
"Plumbers work on pipes, carpenters work with wood, but we can work on everything in the hospital; we're not limited to one field," Cummings said. "When you work on medical equipment, you have to know how to fix everything -- and we do, because there's no telling what you're going to see."
(Air Force Senior Airman Terri Barriere serves with 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)
Joint Chiefs Chairman Visits U.S. Southern Command
By Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish, USN
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited U.S. Southern Command headquarters here yesterday, where he thanked servicemembers and staff for their work and stressed the importance of the security cooperation efforts the command oversees in Latin America and the Caribbean. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen told more than 1,000 command members during an outdoor "all hands" address that their efforts to build partnerships in the region will pay future dividends, especially in an ever-changing security environment.
"My long-term vision is to be in a position where we have relationships that we can depend on, if needed -- and that's so much about what goes on in this command," Mullen said. SOUTHCOM annually sponsors dozens of large and small-scale operations, exercises and engagements that focus on security issues in the region, including a slate of humanitarian assistance missions.
"It's an incredibly important command at an incredibly important time in our history," the nation's highest-ranking military officer said.
The visit was Mullen's first to SOUTHCOM since becoming chairman in October. In addition to his address, Mullen was briefed on the command's latest missions in preparation for his trip to Colombia and El Salvador later this week. He will meet with military leaders of both nations to discuss ongoing U.S. military cooperation efforts there, which include SOUTHCOM support to regional counterdrug missions.
Mullen's visit to the headquarters was part of a five-day tour of SOUTHCOM's area of operations.
Earlier yesterday, he visited the Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Fla., the SOUTHCOM component that oversees air and maritime counterdrug missions in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific. The task force, praised as a model of interagency success, helped interdict more than 200 metric tons of cocaine last year. On Jan. 13, Mullen stopped at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, touring detention facilities and addressing troops there.
During the "all hands" session at SOUTHCOM headquarters, Mullen reiterated his view in support of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities, but stressed that there are no plans in the works to do so.
"It not for me to make that decision," he said. "It's a very, very complex set of circumstances. So it is not in any way, shape or form as simple as saying, 'Let's just close it.'" The facility carries connotations that affect how people around the world view the United States, he noted.
"It's my judgment that Guantanamo Bay has hurt the United States of America from an image standpoint, having nothing to do with the justice side of this that I think needs to be carried out in a just, fair way," he explained.
Mullen commended the work of the U.S. troops conducting the mission there, saying they are carrying out their mission in way that "makes us all proud."
Also during his visit to SOUTHCOM, Mullen praised the command's recent humanitarian efforts in the region, including last summer's deployment of the hospital ship, USNS Comfort, which provided medical care to 98,000 people in 12 countries.
"I really believe that if we do (these types of missions), it goes a long way to preventing any kind of conflict or outbreak," he said. "And should we get to the point, tragically, that we have an outbreak or we have that kind of conflict, we'll have relationships in advance that we can leverage, as opposed to creating them in the heat of the battle."
SOUTHCOM is one of the military's nine unified combatant commands. It's responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America; the Caribbean, except U.S. commonwealths, territories and possessions; Cuba; and the Bahamas and their territorial waters. Its area of operations encompasses more than 450 million people in 32 countries and 13 territories and protectorates.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish serves with U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited U.S. Southern Command headquarters here yesterday, where he thanked servicemembers and staff for their work and stressed the importance of the security cooperation efforts the command oversees in Latin America and the Caribbean. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen told more than 1,000 command members during an outdoor "all hands" address that their efforts to build partnerships in the region will pay future dividends, especially in an ever-changing security environment.
"My long-term vision is to be in a position where we have relationships that we can depend on, if needed -- and that's so much about what goes on in this command," Mullen said. SOUTHCOM annually sponsors dozens of large and small-scale operations, exercises and engagements that focus on security issues in the region, including a slate of humanitarian assistance missions.
"It's an incredibly important command at an incredibly important time in our history," the nation's highest-ranking military officer said.
The visit was Mullen's first to SOUTHCOM since becoming chairman in October. In addition to his address, Mullen was briefed on the command's latest missions in preparation for his trip to Colombia and El Salvador later this week. He will meet with military leaders of both nations to discuss ongoing U.S. military cooperation efforts there, which include SOUTHCOM support to regional counterdrug missions.
Mullen's visit to the headquarters was part of a five-day tour of SOUTHCOM's area of operations.
Earlier yesterday, he visited the Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Fla., the SOUTHCOM component that oversees air and maritime counterdrug missions in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific. The task force, praised as a model of interagency success, helped interdict more than 200 metric tons of cocaine last year. On Jan. 13, Mullen stopped at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, touring detention facilities and addressing troops there.
During the "all hands" session at SOUTHCOM headquarters, Mullen reiterated his view in support of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities, but stressed that there are no plans in the works to do so.
"It not for me to make that decision," he said. "It's a very, very complex set of circumstances. So it is not in any way, shape or form as simple as saying, 'Let's just close it.'" The facility carries connotations that affect how people around the world view the United States, he noted.
"It's my judgment that Guantanamo Bay has hurt the United States of America from an image standpoint, having nothing to do with the justice side of this that I think needs to be carried out in a just, fair way," he explained.
Mullen commended the work of the U.S. troops conducting the mission there, saying they are carrying out their mission in way that "makes us all proud."
Also during his visit to SOUTHCOM, Mullen praised the command's recent humanitarian efforts in the region, including last summer's deployment of the hospital ship, USNS Comfort, which provided medical care to 98,000 people in 12 countries.
"I really believe that if we do (these types of missions), it goes a long way to preventing any kind of conflict or outbreak," he said. "And should we get to the point, tragically, that we have an outbreak or we have that kind of conflict, we'll have relationships in advance that we can leverage, as opposed to creating them in the heat of the battle."
SOUTHCOM is one of the military's nine unified combatant commands. It's responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America; the Caribbean, except U.S. commonwealths, territories and possessions; Cuba; and the Bahamas and their territorial waters. Its area of operations encompasses more than 450 million people in 32 countries and 13 territories and protectorates.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish serves with U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs.)
America Supports You: Fellowship Offers Spouses Portable Skills
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - Frequent military relocations can take a toll on spouses' careers unless they have a portable skill, which is exactly what one foundation has set out to provide them. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation has partnered with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education to offer military spouses a chance to earn the "accredited financial counselor" credential.
The credential gives spouses the ability to work in financial counseling, nationwide, either on or off military installations, said Gerri Walsh, associate vice president of authority's office of investor education. "It is a well regarded, nationally known credential," she said, "and it could be such a benefit."
The Military Spouse Fellowship Program, as it is known, is open to spouses of active duty servicemembers, reservists or retirees, with a couple of exceptions.
"We have an application that asks you to describe your previous counseling experience and your previous experience in finance," Walsh said. "We do checks to see whether or not people have had run-ins with regulators if they were in the industry before."
Someone who has had problems with a regulator would not be eligible, she said. The same is true of anyone who holds a securities license.
Since the program was launched in 2006, more than 4,800 applications have been fielded for the no-cost, 18-month program. A rigorous selection process, however, has narrowed that field down to just 200 fellows each year.
Representatives from the two partnering organizations, along with those from the National Military Family Association, another partner in the program, carefully review each application. Each applicant is evaluated on several points, including the drive to succeed, Walsh said.
"Then (we consider) how realistic is it that they'll be able to earn the credential?" she said. "We don't want to put people in this situation where they've gotten this fellowship but then they've got no real good way to earn the practicum hours that will allow them to get it."
Time spent working in financial counseling settings equates to practical experience, or the practicum hours to which Walsh referred. Fellows with experience get credit toward this portion of the program. The more experience, the fewer practicum hours are needed.
In fact, of the 2,000 practicum hours required to complete the program, most spouses have some credit and only end up needing to complete another 400 to 800 hours, Walsh said.
"Only single digit percentages – 6, 7, 8 percent – are required to go for the full 2,000," she said, adding that experience is not a significant determining factor in the selection process.
So far, 39 fellows in the 2006 class have completed the entire program, including the Web-based seminars and the practicum requirements. That group is scheduled to finish in August, and several more fellows are expected to earn their credential, Walsh said.
National Military Family Association will start accepting applications for the 2008 Military Spouse Fellowship Program in late March with a deadline of late Aril, Walsh said.
The new slate of fellows is scheduled to be announced in late June or early July.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - Frequent military relocations can take a toll on spouses' careers unless they have a portable skill, which is exactly what one foundation has set out to provide them. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation has partnered with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education to offer military spouses a chance to earn the "accredited financial counselor" credential.
The credential gives spouses the ability to work in financial counseling, nationwide, either on or off military installations, said Gerri Walsh, associate vice president of authority's office of investor education. "It is a well regarded, nationally known credential," she said, "and it could be such a benefit."
The Military Spouse Fellowship Program, as it is known, is open to spouses of active duty servicemembers, reservists or retirees, with a couple of exceptions.
"We have an application that asks you to describe your previous counseling experience and your previous experience in finance," Walsh said. "We do checks to see whether or not people have had run-ins with regulators if they were in the industry before."
Someone who has had problems with a regulator would not be eligible, she said. The same is true of anyone who holds a securities license.
Since the program was launched in 2006, more than 4,800 applications have been fielded for the no-cost, 18-month program. A rigorous selection process, however, has narrowed that field down to just 200 fellows each year.
Representatives from the two partnering organizations, along with those from the National Military Family Association, another partner in the program, carefully review each application. Each applicant is evaluated on several points, including the drive to succeed, Walsh said.
"Then (we consider) how realistic is it that they'll be able to earn the credential?" she said. "We don't want to put people in this situation where they've gotten this fellowship but then they've got no real good way to earn the practicum hours that will allow them to get it."
Time spent working in financial counseling settings equates to practical experience, or the practicum hours to which Walsh referred. Fellows with experience get credit toward this portion of the program. The more experience, the fewer practicum hours are needed.
In fact, of the 2,000 practicum hours required to complete the program, most spouses have some credit and only end up needing to complete another 400 to 800 hours, Walsh said.
"Only single digit percentages – 6, 7, 8 percent – are required to go for the full 2,000," she said, adding that experience is not a significant determining factor in the selection process.
So far, 39 fellows in the 2006 class have completed the entire program, including the Web-based seminars and the practicum requirements. That group is scheduled to finish in August, and several more fellows are expected to earn their credential, Walsh said.
National Military Family Association will start accepting applications for the 2008 Military Spouse Fellowship Program in late March with a deadline of late Aril, Walsh said.
The new slate of fellows is scheduled to be announced in late June or early July.
Bush Discusses Iran With Middle East Leaders
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - President Bush told reporters today he has discussed Iran with leaders of the nations he is visiting during his trip to the Middle East. During a media availability today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the president said he spoke specifically about the most-recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, which said the country had discontinued a military program to build an atomic bomb.
Bush said Iranian leaders may have stopped their military program, but the enrichment of uranium remains a problem. "They were a threat, they are a threat, and they will be a threat if we don't work together to stop their enrichment," Bush told reporters.
Bush also discussed Iranian harassment of U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The Jan. 6 incident in which five Iranian military speedboats buzzed three U.S. Navy ships transiting into the Persian Gulf was provocative and dangerous, the president said. The president said the actions of U.S. commanders and crews during the incident were exactly right.
"This is one of these moments where there's no time to be spending a lot time on the phone trying to figure out what to do," Bush said. "These are highly trained professionals who I thought dealt with it in a very professional way."
The incident ended with no shots being fired.
Whether the harassment of the warships was directed by the Iranian government, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Council or the Iranian navy is immaterial, Bush said. "It's not going to matter to me one way or the other if they hit our ships, and the Iranian government has got to understand that," he said. "This is serious business."
Bush brought up the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, that killed 19 sailors. "It's not going to matter who (in the Iranian government) made the decision. If they hit our ships, we will hold Iran responsible," he said.
Bush stressed that the United States wants to solve any problem with Iran diplomatically, but said all options -- even military actions -- are on the table.
"But I'd like to solve this diplomatically and think we can," he said.
He said he spoke to Middle East leaders about making sure consistent messages emanate from all parts of the world to the Iranians.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - President Bush told reporters today he has discussed Iran with leaders of the nations he is visiting during his trip to the Middle East. During a media availability today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the president said he spoke specifically about the most-recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, which said the country had discontinued a military program to build an atomic bomb.
Bush said Iranian leaders may have stopped their military program, but the enrichment of uranium remains a problem. "They were a threat, they are a threat, and they will be a threat if we don't work together to stop their enrichment," Bush told reporters.
Bush also discussed Iranian harassment of U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The Jan. 6 incident in which five Iranian military speedboats buzzed three U.S. Navy ships transiting into the Persian Gulf was provocative and dangerous, the president said. The president said the actions of U.S. commanders and crews during the incident were exactly right.
"This is one of these moments where there's no time to be spending a lot time on the phone trying to figure out what to do," Bush said. "These are highly trained professionals who I thought dealt with it in a very professional way."
The incident ended with no shots being fired.
Whether the harassment of the warships was directed by the Iranian government, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Council or the Iranian navy is immaterial, Bush said. "It's not going to matter to me one way or the other if they hit our ships, and the Iranian government has got to understand that," he said. "This is serious business."
Bush brought up the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, that killed 19 sailors. "It's not going to matter who (in the Iranian government) made the decision. If they hit our ships, we will hold Iran responsible," he said.
Bush stressed that the United States wants to solve any problem with Iran diplomatically, but said all options -- even military actions -- are on the table.
"But I'd like to solve this diplomatically and think we can," he said.
He said he spoke to Middle East leaders about making sure consistent messages emanate from all parts of the world to the Iranians.
TLC Program to Feature Guard's 'Patriot Chopper'
By Staff Sgt. Mary Flynn, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - Episodes of "American Chopper" airing on The Learning Channel on Jan. 17 and 24 will feature the first of three bikes to be built by Orange County Choppers for the National Guard. Hundreds of soldiers gathered in front of the Army National Guard Readiness Center here in late September to witness the unveiling of the first "Patriot Chopper." The American Chopper production crew filmed the ceremony, and the two episodes will feature the bike's construction.
Metalworker Paul Teutul Sr. and his son, Paul Teutul Jr. -- known as "Paulie" by his fans -- founded Orange County Choppers in New York after introducing their first bike, "True Blue," at the Daytona Biketoberfest in 1999.
The Teutuls quickly became famous among chopper enthusiasts, and the family, including the youngest son, Mikey, shot to wider fame when "American Chopper" made its debut on the Discovery Channel in 2002.
The Teutuls have a history of building patriotic bikes, and they have produced multiple theme bikes for several branches of the military.
The Patriot Chopper was the result of a collaborative effort between the Orange County Choppers and four National Guard soldiers. In early 2007, the Army Guard invited soldiers around the country to submit their ideas for the custom design of the Guard-sponsored bike. Four winners were chosen: Chief Warrant Officer David Vasquez, of Colorado; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Billet, of Georgia; Sgt. 1st Class Richard Crawford, of Illinois; and Pfc. Joseph Scheibe, of Ohio.
Maj. Gen. James Nuttall, deputy director of the Army National Guard, presented certificates to the four winning soldiers during the unveiling ceremony. He congratulated them on a job well done and a bike well designed.
The highlight of the ceremony was when Paul Sr. made his grand entrance on the bike, coasting in coolly and revving the engine to enthusiastic cheers of the crowd.
The winning soldiers were in awe.
"To be a part of something like this is pretty cool stuff," Scheibe said. "We went to the OCC shop in New York last month, and we saw pieces and parts of the bike. But to see it finished was just really cool."
The finished bike showcases a minuteman air cleaner. The blade spokes of the wheels feature 3-D inlaid spearheads representing the seven Army values, and an ammunition belt lines the handlebars. Chromed M-4 magazines serve as the struts, and an M-4 rifle is mounted on the side of the rear wheel.
The bike is red, white and blue with an Army combat uniform pattern used throughout. A list on top of the bike includes every war and conflict the National Guard has been involved in since its founding in 1636.
"We took (the soldiers') ideas and put them to work," Paulie explained. "I think, for them, it really is their bike. It was a bike they designed and that we fabricated. I think it made it that much more special."
The Patriot Chopper is the first of three bikes commissioned by the Army National Guard. The purpose is twofold, officials said. First, the bikes are intended to be a recruiting tool. Army Guard recruiters will display them at rallies across the country to entice potential soldiers to talk with them. Second, the bikes can also convey important messages about safety.
Despite the television program's tough-guy image, the "American Chopper" stars remain extremely conscious about safety. The stars wear helmets and other protective gear religiously, a practice they hope to impress upon soldiers.
"They're very willing to help us out in terms of safety awareness and wearing the proper gear for our soldiers," Nuttall said. "The bike is one part of it -- the build. But the safety is really what we're trying to get after."
Before the ceremony in September, Paul Sr. joined Nuttall to record a public service announcement about motorcycle safety aimed at National Guard members.
(Army Staff Sgt. Mary Flynn serves with the National Guard Bureau.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - Episodes of "American Chopper" airing on The Learning Channel on Jan. 17 and 24 will feature the first of three bikes to be built by Orange County Choppers for the National Guard. Hundreds of soldiers gathered in front of the Army National Guard Readiness Center here in late September to witness the unveiling of the first "Patriot Chopper." The American Chopper production crew filmed the ceremony, and the two episodes will feature the bike's construction.
Metalworker Paul Teutul Sr. and his son, Paul Teutul Jr. -- known as "Paulie" by his fans -- founded Orange County Choppers in New York after introducing their first bike, "True Blue," at the Daytona Biketoberfest in 1999.
The Teutuls quickly became famous among chopper enthusiasts, and the family, including the youngest son, Mikey, shot to wider fame when "American Chopper" made its debut on the Discovery Channel in 2002.
The Teutuls have a history of building patriotic bikes, and they have produced multiple theme bikes for several branches of the military.
The Patriot Chopper was the result of a collaborative effort between the Orange County Choppers and four National Guard soldiers. In early 2007, the Army Guard invited soldiers around the country to submit their ideas for the custom design of the Guard-sponsored bike. Four winners were chosen: Chief Warrant Officer David Vasquez, of Colorado; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Billet, of Georgia; Sgt. 1st Class Richard Crawford, of Illinois; and Pfc. Joseph Scheibe, of Ohio.
Maj. Gen. James Nuttall, deputy director of the Army National Guard, presented certificates to the four winning soldiers during the unveiling ceremony. He congratulated them on a job well done and a bike well designed.
The highlight of the ceremony was when Paul Sr. made his grand entrance on the bike, coasting in coolly and revving the engine to enthusiastic cheers of the crowd.
The winning soldiers were in awe.
"To be a part of something like this is pretty cool stuff," Scheibe said. "We went to the OCC shop in New York last month, and we saw pieces and parts of the bike. But to see it finished was just really cool."
The finished bike showcases a minuteman air cleaner. The blade spokes of the wheels feature 3-D inlaid spearheads representing the seven Army values, and an ammunition belt lines the handlebars. Chromed M-4 magazines serve as the struts, and an M-4 rifle is mounted on the side of the rear wheel.
The bike is red, white and blue with an Army combat uniform pattern used throughout. A list on top of the bike includes every war and conflict the National Guard has been involved in since its founding in 1636.
"We took (the soldiers') ideas and put them to work," Paulie explained. "I think, for them, it really is their bike. It was a bike they designed and that we fabricated. I think it made it that much more special."
The Patriot Chopper is the first of three bikes commissioned by the Army National Guard. The purpose is twofold, officials said. First, the bikes are intended to be a recruiting tool. Army Guard recruiters will display them at rallies across the country to entice potential soldiers to talk with them. Second, the bikes can also convey important messages about safety.
Despite the television program's tough-guy image, the "American Chopper" stars remain extremely conscious about safety. The stars wear helmets and other protective gear religiously, a practice they hope to impress upon soldiers.
"They're very willing to help us out in terms of safety awareness and wearing the proper gear for our soldiers," Nuttall said. "The bike is one part of it -- the build. But the safety is really what we're trying to get after."
Before the ceremony in September, Paul Sr. joined Nuttall to record a public service announcement about motorcycle safety aimed at National Guard members.
(Army Staff Sgt. Mary Flynn serves with the National Guard Bureau.)
Fort Bragg Celebrates King's Birthday
By Michelle Butzgy
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - Soldiers and civilians gathered at the Fort Bragg Officers' Club here this morning to remember a man whose service and dedication to the civil rights movement had directly or indirectly touched each person attending. The 44th Medical Command and the post's Equal Opportunity Office hosted a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observance on the slain civil rights leaders' birthday. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the primary leaders of the American civil rights movement, was born Jan. 15, 1929, and was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. President Ronald Reagan designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday in 1983. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year.
While guests ate breakfast during the observance, they were entertained by a video tribute about King's life made by the 82nd Airborne Division with excerpts of some of his famous speeches. Civilians and soldiers created a human "timeline" of King's life, each one talking about a period in King's life.
After breakfast was served, Patricia Timmons-Goodson, a North Carolina Supreme Court justice, told the audience how King had touched her life. One of the longest-serving judges in the state, Timmons-Goodson talked about justice, but not just any kind of justice.
"I'm talking about a social justice that allowed me to pursue a legal education and become a judge. I'm talking about the social justice that allowed many of you to pursue your interests," Timmons-Goodson said.
"One of the greatest tributes that I ever heard paid to Dr. King was during (the ground breaking ceremony at the National Mall November 13, 2006.) That came from (former) President (Bill) Clinton," she said. "He remarked that it was entirely fitting that Dr. King's memorial would be located between the Jefferson and the Lincoln monuments because in his mind, the three great men built upon each other's life work."
The judge challenged the audience to take action to promote justice in their own lives.
"So, yes it's easy for President Clinton and for others to talk each year as we celebrate Dr. King's birthday, to talk about picking up the torch and carrying on the work of Dr. King, about acting. But is that something we can really do?" she asked.
Timmons-Goodson also spoke about the great accomplishments of King, highlighting how he went to college at age 15, and how he later went on to win the Nobel Peace prize. She questioned the audience how he could achieve so much without being some sort of a superhero.
"The answer lies in his sermons, his writings and how he lived much of his life," she said. "I believe it was his willingness to serve. Serving is something he did and it's something we can all do; that many of us do now in some capacity, in some way, even if we're not aware. That's the new measure of excellence. Everybody can be great because everybody can serve."
She related the act of serving to what the Armed Forces does every day — serve the country. As a daughter of a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division, Timmons-Goodson said she felt she was "preaching to the choir" to the audience made up mostly of soldiers and civilians.
"You simply look outside of yourself. You help others. You lend a hand and serve your community. Everybody's community is different. For you, as Soldiers and civilians that assist our military, your community is the entire world and you're out there serving mankind, I would say," she said. "As the late Coretta Scott-King requested of us, 'make this a day on, not a day off.'"
After Timmons-Goodson's speech, Brig. Gen. Arthur M. Bartell, XVIII Airborne Corps deputy commander, recognized her with a coin.
"I'm overwhelmed by the number of people who have turned out this morning for this very important observance. I challenge you to remember the messages that you heard here today from Judge Timmons-Goodson ... as we remember what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told us, (when he gave the world) his message of love, his message of brotherhood and of service," said Bartell.
(Michelle Butzgy writes for the Fort Bragg Paraglide newspaper.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - Soldiers and civilians gathered at the Fort Bragg Officers' Club here this morning to remember a man whose service and dedication to the civil rights movement had directly or indirectly touched each person attending. The 44th Medical Command and the post's Equal Opportunity Office hosted a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observance on the slain civil rights leaders' birthday. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the primary leaders of the American civil rights movement, was born Jan. 15, 1929, and was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. President Ronald Reagan designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday in 1983. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year.
While guests ate breakfast during the observance, they were entertained by a video tribute about King's life made by the 82nd Airborne Division with excerpts of some of his famous speeches. Civilians and soldiers created a human "timeline" of King's life, each one talking about a period in King's life.
After breakfast was served, Patricia Timmons-Goodson, a North Carolina Supreme Court justice, told the audience how King had touched her life. One of the longest-serving judges in the state, Timmons-Goodson talked about justice, but not just any kind of justice.
"I'm talking about a social justice that allowed me to pursue a legal education and become a judge. I'm talking about the social justice that allowed many of you to pursue your interests," Timmons-Goodson said.
"One of the greatest tributes that I ever heard paid to Dr. King was during (the ground breaking ceremony at the National Mall November 13, 2006.) That came from (former) President (Bill) Clinton," she said. "He remarked that it was entirely fitting that Dr. King's memorial would be located between the Jefferson and the Lincoln monuments because in his mind, the three great men built upon each other's life work."
The judge challenged the audience to take action to promote justice in their own lives.
"So, yes it's easy for President Clinton and for others to talk each year as we celebrate Dr. King's birthday, to talk about picking up the torch and carrying on the work of Dr. King, about acting. But is that something we can really do?" she asked.
Timmons-Goodson also spoke about the great accomplishments of King, highlighting how he went to college at age 15, and how he later went on to win the Nobel Peace prize. She questioned the audience how he could achieve so much without being some sort of a superhero.
"The answer lies in his sermons, his writings and how he lived much of his life," she said. "I believe it was his willingness to serve. Serving is something he did and it's something we can all do; that many of us do now in some capacity, in some way, even if we're not aware. That's the new measure of excellence. Everybody can be great because everybody can serve."
She related the act of serving to what the Armed Forces does every day — serve the country. As a daughter of a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division, Timmons-Goodson said she felt she was "preaching to the choir" to the audience made up mostly of soldiers and civilians.
"You simply look outside of yourself. You help others. You lend a hand and serve your community. Everybody's community is different. For you, as Soldiers and civilians that assist our military, your community is the entire world and you're out there serving mankind, I would say," she said. "As the late Coretta Scott-King requested of us, 'make this a day on, not a day off.'"
After Timmons-Goodson's speech, Brig. Gen. Arthur M. Bartell, XVIII Airborne Corps deputy commander, recognized her with a coin.
"I'm overwhelmed by the number of people who have turned out this morning for this very important observance. I challenge you to remember the messages that you heard here today from Judge Timmons-Goodson ... as we remember what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told us, (when he gave the world) his message of love, his message of brotherhood and of service," said Bartell.
(Michelle Butzgy writes for the Fort Bragg Paraglide newspaper.)
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