Company Steps Up When Military Employees Deploy

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - When a TriWest Healthcare Alliance nurse who serves in the Kansas Air National Guard got notice of an upcoming deployment in 2006, TriWest president David McIntyre ensured the company would see to her family's needs. "There was no hesitation when I said that I was going to deploy," said Janet Hanson, a colonel with 24 total years of active and Air Guard military service. "Mr. McIntyre personally said that if my family or I need anything during the deployment to contact him personally, which was great."

McIntyre's gesture is just one of the reasons TriWest was selected for a 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award recognizes public and private employers for going above and beyond what's required by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act for their reserve-component employees. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve manages the award.

TriWest goes above what the law requires by providing continued health benefits for three months and pay differential for the duration of the deployment, said Hanson, a clinical liaison nurse at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

That, in combination with several more personal efforts, spurred her to seek recognition for the company, she said.

"They have a 'We Care' program -- some things for the families, such as phone cards -- that's grown ever since I deployed," Hanson said. "If I have an employee whose spouse is coming back, ... they get an administrative day off for the homecoming."

She said she's thrilled that TriWest is receiving this recognition.

"I wouldn't have submitted them unless I thought they had a chance, but obviously we were going up against 3,200 good companies that [were] nominated," she said. "I see every day what TriWest does in supporting the military, and I think they do a lot.

"I'm very proud of the company I work for," said Hanson, who became commander of the 190th Medical Group in 2007.

Elizabeth Hillestad, a TriWest spokeswoman, said the company is very proud to receive the award.

"It's a high honor to be recognized by [Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve]," she said. "I think it demonstrates our commitment to doing whatever it takes, which is our company motto, to reach out to Guard and Reserve members and their families and show that we support them and honor their service."

Citing the benefits Hanson mentioned, Hillestad added to the list, noting the company's policy of continued 401(k) matching and accrual of paid time off.

"We have a 'Giving to the Guard' program where we help various local family emergency relief funds, and then we make sure that [families] have access to those in case they need that," she said. "We also provide a variety of tools to [families] which are deployment-related support tools."

Hillestad said the company is just as proud of Hanson as it is of the recognition she's brought TriWest.

"We're super proud that she thought enough of the company to nominate us for this award," she said. "I think that it also sort of validates the commitment that we've made to the Guard and Reserve in recent years."

With more than seven years of service to TriWest, Hanson exemplifies the company's culture of service to the military as both a civilian employee and Guardsman, Hillestad added. About half of TriWest's employees have a personal tie to the military.

TriWest is the western region administrator of the military's Tricare health care system.

Preventive Medicine Chief Cites Importance of Vaccinations

By Christen N. McCluney
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - August is National Immunization Month, and a senior Navy medical official encouraged servicemembers to be up to date on flu vaccines during a "Dot Mil Docs" interview yesterday on Pentagon Web Radio. "Anyone that is active duty should receive a vaccine," said Navy Capt. Neal A. Naito, director of clinical care and public health at the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. "We need to protect our servicemembers as they go about protecting our country."

As early as next week, military treatment facilities will start receiving the flu vaccine and will start rolling out their campaigns to encourage people to be vaccinated. Not all facilities will receive their vaccines at the same time, Naito noted, so beneficiaries should watch for local information.

The flu vaccines come in two types of formulations, Naito said: a nasal-spray vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu, and the so-called "flu shot," an inactivated vaccine containing killed virus that is given with a needle.

"There is no reason to avoid the [vaccinations] because of the two different formulations," Naito said. "The needle technology these days is so great that it is almost pain-free getting these injections."

Naito added that the seasonal flu vaccines may provide some slight protection against other influenza viruses such as H1N1, but he encouraged beneficiaries to get the individual shots for other strains as well. Vaccinations for H1NI and other infections can be received at the same time, he noted.

Navy Medicine has been in the forefront of flu surveillance activity for many years, Naito said. The Naval Health Research Center, part of the Defense Department's Global Emerging Infections System, picked up the initial presence of H1N1 flu in the United States in April and continues to monitor areas where influenza viruses typically show up first to protect the health of servicemembers and their families, he said.

"The reason why we are starting this seasonal influenza vaccine campaign early is because of the national strategy," Naito said. "The government asked manufacturers to make the seasonal vaccines early so that they then could also manufacture adequate stocks of the H1NI vaccines. So it's key to get the seasonal vaccine as early as possible, which allows us to roll out the H1N1 vaccines more efficiently."

Getting your vaccinated early helps not only the individual, but also the community, Naito said. "Immunization remains the primary method of reducing seasonal flu illness and its complications," he explained. "Seasonal influenza can be a disease that is problematic for people and can be severe."

Navy Medicine will monitor the seasonal influenza virus carefully over the coming weeks and months and will be proactive in developing contingency plans to address any public health issues, the captain said.

"The health and well-being of all our beneficiaries is our highest priority in Navy medicine," he said.

(Christen N. McCluney works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)

Caregivers Learn Importance of Caring for Selves

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - More than two dozen multidisciplinary professionals who usually work with very young children gathered here today to learn how to better care for themselves.
"These are unprecedented times for our families, and the department recognizes how much you are doing to mitigate the stressors in their lives," Barbara Thompson, director of the Defense Department's Office of Family Policy/Children and Youth Military Community and Family Policy, told the group. "This opportunity will provide you with the skills and resources to know how to refuel yourself in order for you to make the most out of your interventions with our military members and their families."

The group was provided with training on how to recognize stress in young children and how to avoid "compassion fatigue" and burnout. Throughout the day, attendees also were presented with some techniques to help make their jobs easier.

Today's training, provided by Zero to Three, a nonprofit group dedicated to helping parents and very young children to thrive, was aimed at helping professionals.

As part of its mission, Zero to Three offers resources for military parents and children.

"'Coming Together Around Military Families' is the program that Zero to Three has developed to train our professionals to build an awareness of those issues that impact babies and toddlers and their healthy developments," Thompson said. "We've deployed these resources to 12 military installations and two military treatment facilities, and we're expanding this program."

Defense officials recognize the challenges deployed servicemembers and military families with very young children face in regard to staying connected and involved in the children's lives, Thompson said.

"We know it's very difficult, because ... when you're away and you're experiencing it vicariously through the Internet, which is a wonderful tool to keep parents and children connected, it's not the same as holding your baby and seeing them go through their milestones," she said.

Zero to Three's resources help in these situations, she said. They help deployed parents keep themselves in the minds of their babies so that when they do reintegrate after a long deployment, it's not so scary, she explained.

Most of Zero to Three's resources are available on its Web site.

"We also have a wonderful relationship with [the Defense Department's] Military OneSource," said Lynette Fraga, Zero to Three's director of military projects. "Many of our materials are available through Military OneSource as well as on our Web site.

"We try to make as much information available digitally as we possibly can so that they can be readily accessible for anyone anywhere in the world," she added.

As interested as Fraga and her organization are in helping very young children reach their potential, they're just as interested in helping those who help the children.

"There's a board member at Zero to Three, ... and she often has been quoted as saying, 'How you are is as important as what you do,'" Fraga told the group. "In order to be available and present for our [military] families so that they can be available and present for their babies, we have to honor and take care of ourselves.

"The work that we're doing today by way of providing training for the military family and community is really around making sure that they are benefitting from professionals and families understanding the context of development, why it is that it's so critical to pay attention to the earliest years," she added in a later interview. "[They'll learn] what they can do, strategies around supporting them through difficult times and circumstance, such as deployment and reintegration."

The participants will take the lessons learned from today's training back to their respective installations in the greater national capital region, including Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., and Fort George G. Meade, Md. Similar training sessions are being held across the country.

MILITARY CONTRACTS August 21, 2009

AIR FORCE
Boeing Co., Long Beach, Calif., was awarded a $1,155,052,014 modified contract for the C-17 Globemaster III sustainment partnership fy09 to provide the total system support for the C-17 weapon system to include program management, sustaining logistics, material and equipment management, sustaining engineering, depot level aircraft maintenance, engine management, long term sustainment planning, air logistics center partnering support, depot activation, and support of Air Force and FMS Operators of the C-17. At this time, $1,147,859,462 has been obligated. 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing contracting flight is the contracting activity. (FA8614-04-C-2004, P00514)

Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $54,439,608 to provide production quantities of 266 Maverick missiles guidance andcontrol section for a Maverick missile. At this time, $60,189,608 has been obligated. Ogden Air Logistics Center/784CBSG.-PK, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity (FA8217-09-C-0046).

NAVY
VSE Corp., Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $248,999,750 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-D-4204) to add an option for continuous life cycle support of naval vessels that are bought, sold or otherwise transferred through the international fleet support (IFS) program to IFS customers. The services provided under this contract include design, configuration management, field engineering, maintenance planning, maintenance, spare parts support, training, casualty and depot level repair. The contractor provides engineering, technical, procurement, logistics, test, inspection, calibration, repair, maintenance, equipment upgrade installation, and overhaul support services, including reactivation to safe-to-sail status. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Va., and in various locations throughout the world as required by IFS customers, and is expected to be completed by August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., is being awarded an estimated $120,219,600 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the program support integrator (PSI) for the U.S. Marine Corps counter radio controlled improvised explosive device (CREW) program. The PSI is responsible for the installation, de-installation, contractor logistics support and daily operational and intermediate levels of maintenance for the USMC CREW systems supporting combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as deployment training within the United States. Work will be performed in various locations within the United States, Iraq and Afghanistan, and work is expected to be completed August 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $22,370,900 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via a Request for Proposal (No. M67854-09-R-7005), with three offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-D-7005).

Advanced Technology Institute, North Charleston, S.C., is being awarded a $99,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to operate and manage the Shipbuilding Technology Center of Excellence (STCOE) to develop shipbuilding-related manufacturing technologies and to implement them in America's shipyards. The STCOE will work closely with the Navy's acquisition community and the shipbuilding industry to identify manufacturing technology issues that negatively impact shipyard efficiency (cycle-time and cost). The STCOE will then solicit, select, and implement projects to improve these inefficiencies. Work will be performed in North Charleston, S.C., and work is expected to be completed August 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under a Request For Proposals (N00014-09-R-0004), with two offers received. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Va., is the contracting (N00014-09-D-0584).

Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $61,637,000 firm-fixed price construction contract for the design and construction of a joint regional correctional facility complex at Naval Support Activity, Northwest Annex. The new level II, medium security, 400 person detainment facility will meet American Corrections Association (ACA) standards. The contract also contains two unexercised options, which if exercised would increase the cumulative contract value to $69,262,000. The contract is incrementally funded with the first increment of $26,615,000 being allocated at the time of award. The second increment will be funded in FY 10 at $35,022,000. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Va., and is expected to be completed by May 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 13 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-5090).

American Systems, Chantilly, Va., is being awarded $23,458,999 for nine firm-fixed priced task orders under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62583-08-D-0136) to furnish and install advanced metering infrastructure at various locations throughout the Navy Region Southwest, Calif., (task order 0006, NB Coronado for $6,597,901; 0007, NB San Diego for $1,965,010; 0008, NB Point Loma for $2,609,487; 0009, MCAS Miramar for $2,837,377; 0010, NWS Seal Beach for $1,321,110; 0011, NAWS China Lake for $4,221,767; 0012, NAF El Centro for $1,217,843; 0014, NAS Lemoore for $2,246,322; and 0015, NPGS Monterey for $443,182). The nine task order awards are being awarded under an existing multiple award construction contract for design and installation of electric, gas, steam, and water metering to provide utility and energy monitoring throughout Navy locations world-wide. The work to be performed includes the design, procurement, installation, and testing of building level advanced metering solutions in support of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 at the Navy Region Southwest. This will allow the Navy to cost-effectively allocate and manage electricity, natural gas, and water commodities. Work will be performed world-wide, and is expected to be completed by August 20, 2011. Funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two proposals were received for the above task orders in response to a single task order solicitation. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Specialty Center Acquisitions, NAVFAC (SCAN), Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity.

General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $22,217,150 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for design and development of one release of Naval Integrated Tactical Environmental System-Next Generation (NITES-Next) software. SPAWAR awarded the contract on behalf of its organizational partner, the Navy's Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence systems. This contract includes options for a second NITES-Next software release, as well as options for deployment, operations, and support services, support for demonstrations and exercises, and AN/UMK operations and support, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $67,719,984. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va., (40 percent); Bellevue, Neb., (20 percent); Waterford, Conn., (9 percent); Manassas, Va., (7 percent); and Redlands, Calif., (7 percent), and is expected to be completed by August 2012. If all options are exercised, work could continue until February 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Commerce Business Daily's Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with two offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif. is the contracting activity (N00039-09-C-0127).

Archer-Western Contractors, Atlanta, Ga., is being awarded a $20,194,000 firm-fixed price construction contract for design and construction of a combined Navy aircraft intermediate maintenance department and Navy aviation supply department facility complex, Fort Dix, N.J. The work to be performed provides for a new building for a combined Navy Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment and Navy Aviation Supply Department facility complex. In addition to the building facilities, the contract will provide a concrete paved open supply equipment laydown yard, a canopy covered concrete paved storage area, and roadways. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which, if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $21,349,000. Work will be performed in Fort Dix, N.J., and is expected to be completed by February 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7006).

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $15,978,754 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-2302) to exercise options for the accomplishment of follow yard class services for the DDG 51 Class AEGIS destroyer program and will provide expert design, planning, and material support services for both DDG 51 ship construction and modernization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Manassas, Va., is being awarded an $8,119,625 firm-fixed-priced contract to advance the development of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technology system components and subsystems for Navy applications. The work will support the Naval Facilities Engineering Services Center (NAVFAC ESC) Ocean Facilities Department in the execution of ocean energy systems development to advance OTEC as a renewable ocean energy technology for future applications at Department of Navy facilities. The primary work to be performed includes identifying and supporting the most efficient and direct path to OTEC commercialization, and OTEC component and subsystem design, fabrication and validation tests. Work will be performed in Hawaii, California, Texas, and Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2010. Funds are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Specialty Center Acquisitions, NAVFAC, Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62583-09-C-0083).

John Bean Technologies Corp., Ogden, Utah, is being awarded a $7,503,300 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N68335-07-C-0459) to exercise an option for 50 landbased air conditioner production units in support of the C-130, C-40, C-9, P-8, E-2 and P-3 aircrafts. Work will be performed in Ogden, Utah, and is expected to be completed in March 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity.

ERAPSCO, Columbia City, Ind., is being awarded a $7,242,977 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the procurement of 500 AN/SSQ-125 engineering developmental model sonobuoys in support of Navy Antisubmarine Forces for the mission of detection, classification and localization of adversary submarines during peacetime and combat operations. Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, Fla., (55 percent) and Columbia City, Ind., (45 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-09-C-0073).

Terex Corp., Stafford, Va., is being awarded a $6,639,235 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N68335-06-C-0459) to exercise an option for 20 Heavy Maintenance Crane production units in support of the AV-8, C-130, CH-53, V-22, and H-46 aircrafts. Work will be performed in Waverly, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in October 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Petro Star Inc., Anchorage, Alaska*, is being awarded a maximum $93,246,657 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for fuel. Other location of performance is Valdez, Alaska. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. There were originally 72 proposals solicited with 19 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is October 30, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-0513).

ARMY
Rizzani de Eccher (USA) Inc., Miami Beach, Fla., was awarded on Aug. 20, 2009 a $44,833,179 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and build facility replacement Al Udeid Air Base Qatar. Work is to be performed in Qatar with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2010. Thirty-four (34) bids solicited with eight bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TAC, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-09-C-0033).

Walton Construction Co., LLC, Dallas, Texas was awarded on Aug. 20, 2009 a $30,395,693 firm-fixed-price contract for the Defense Logistics Agency general purpose warehouse, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. This project is for the construction of a 165,000 square foot DLA general purpose warehouse. Work is to be performed in Midwest City, Okla. with an estimated completion date of Apr. 30, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with thirteen bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Tulsa, Okla., is the contracting activity (W912BV-09-C-2019).

CH2M Hill Facilities and Infrastructure, Inc., Spartanburg, S.C., was awarded on Aug. 20, 2009 a $16,705,500 firm-fixed-price contract for repairs to Trainee Barracks Upgrade Program at Fort Benning, Ga., Building 2754 which is 80,790 sq ft, repairs include a new roofing system, exterior finishes, force protection, windows, fire protection, interior wall, doors, insulation, interior finishes, finish floors, ceilings, plumbing, heating ventilation and air conditioning, control, electrical upgrades, electrical services and distribution, hazardous material abatement and landscaping. Work is to be performed in Fort Benning, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 19, 2011. Four proposal solicited with three proposal received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0060).

Kinley Construction, Inc., Arlington, Texas was awarded on Aug. 20, 2009 a $10,315,650 firm-fixed-price contract for construction services to be performed under the firm fixed price contract will consist of replacing the existing offload facility with new equipment to offload four positions. New fuel pumps for the fillstands, new piping between the fuels offloads and the pump-house, and the receipt filter separators are to be replaced. Additionally, the two existing 25 MBBL fuel tanks will be demolished and two new 40 MBBL tanks will be built, and new piping installed to the pump house. System includes all sitework including containment, lighting, and roadwork around the tanks. Work is to be performed in Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 10, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with six bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District-CESPA-CT, Albuquerque, N.M., is the contracting activity (W912PP-09-C00025).

HHI Corp., Farming, Utah, was awarded on Aug. 19, 2009, a $10,274,669 firm-fixed-price contract for a child development center under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Ac. Work is to be performed in Hill Air Force Base, Utah with an estimated completion date of Sept. 2, 2011. Eight bids received with an unknow-100 percent Small Business Set Aside for bids solicited. U.S. Army Engineer District, Sacramento, Calif., is the contracting activity (W91238-09-C-0022).

Tepa EC, LLC. Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded on Aug. 19, 2009 a $8,664,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the 47th Power and Communications Infrastructure and utilities to support a standard infantry brigade combat team complex consisting of electrical and communication networks; electrical substation; exterior lighting; and information systems. Work is to be performed in Fort Carson, Colo., with an estimated completion dare of Sept. 1, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with four bid received. U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-09-C-0033).

American West Construction, LLC. Denver, Colo., was awarded on Aug. 19, 2009 a $5,891,600 firm-fixed-price contract to construct infrastructure and utilities to support a standard infantry brigade combat team complex which includes new 10, 12 and 16-inch waterlines, connect at Fort Carson Gate 1 to Gate 5 along the installation boundary fence, gate 5 to Gate 6 beneath the firebreak road inside the installation boundary fence to a new elevated water storage tank and finally to the intersection of Butts Road and Wilderness Road. Work is to be performed in Fort Carson, Colo., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 28, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with six bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-09-C-0033).

Kaiserslautern Earns Little League World Series Berth

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Voss
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - The Kaiserslautern Military Community American Little League all-star team begins its quest for the Little League World Series title today in Williamsport, Pa. The team earned the right to represent Europe in the tournament by beating Ukraine 10-0 in the European title game Aug. 11 in Kutno, Poland.

It's the first time since 1999, when a team from here represented Europe, that a Defense Department team has made it to Williamsport where the series is played every year.

The Kaiserslautern team is competing in the tournament's international bracket. That bracket's winner will play the United States bracket winner for the Little League World Series championship Aug. 30.

"These kids are on Cloud 9 right now," said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Daubert, father of center fielder Tylour Daubert, after the European championship game. "I don't think they really know or fully understand what it is they've just accomplished, but I'm sure it will sink in soon."

The Kaiserslautern all-stars will play China at 3 p.m. EDT today -- 9 p.m. Central European Time. The game will be telecast nationally on ESPN, as well as on American Forces Network's Family Channel.

"As a parent, I'm just so proud of my son and the rest of the team," Daubert said. "It really doesn't matter what happens from here on out. [It will be] a once-in-a-lifetime experience they will never forget. They have made us all extremely proud."

(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Voss serves in the Ramstein Air Base public affairs office.)

Obama, Gates Lead Defense Acquisition Reforms

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - President Barack Obama threw his weight behind the Defense Department's acquisition reform efforts earlier this week, emphasizing that unnecessary spending hurts not only taxpayers, but also warfighters on the front lines. "Every dollar wasted in our defense budget is a dollar we can't spend to care for our troops or protect America or prepare for the future," the president told participants at the Veterans of Foreign Wars' 110th convention, in Phoenix.

Obama made clear that he's 100 percent behind reforms Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made a top priority – second only to succeeding in Iraq and Afghanistan – the day he assumed his post two and a half years ago.

"We cannot build the 21st-century military we need and maintain the fiscal responsibility that America demands unless we fundamentally reform the way our Defense Department does business," Obama told the veterans. "It's a simple fact."

Talk about changing the way the Defense Department does business is nothing new. What's new, a senior Pentagon official told American Forces Press Service, is that the issue has percolated to the highest levels, turning rhetoric into action.

Gates, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III and other defense leaders have demonstrated that they're willing to make the difficult decisions about which programs to support and which to curtail, said Shay Assad, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and technology.

The president's fiscal 2010 defense budget proposal reflects some of those hard decisions. It proposes cutting or ending several conventional modernization programs that proved to be poor performers or simply weren't needed in light of real-world needs to free up funding for other, needed programs.

"The secretary has shown the courage to make those tough decisions, because in some quarters, they are not popular decisions," Assad said. "They are absolutely the right decisions to have been made for the warfighters and the taxpayers, but there are parochial interests involved."

Gates, backed up by the president, has demonstrated he's willing to stand up to those interests to make those decisions stick. In a pointed speech last month at the Economic Club of Chicago, he told Congress, the defense industry and the defense institution itself that it's time to put the "business-as-usual approach to national defense" aside.

Obama recognized some of that "business as usual" during his VFW address. "You've heard the stories: the indefensible no-bid contracts that cost taxpayers billions and make contractors rich, the special interests and their exotic projects that are years behind schedule and billions over budget, the entrenched lobbyists pushing weapons that even our military says it doesn't want," he said.

"The impulse in Washington to project jobs back home, building things we don't need, has a cost that we can't afford," Obama said. "This waste would be unacceptable at any time. But at a time when we're fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, it's inexcusable. It's an affront to the American people and to our troops. And it's time for it to stop."

Special interests, contractors and entrenched lobbyists invested in the status quo and are putting up a fight, Obama recognized.

"But make no mistake, so are we," he said. "If a project doesn't support our troops, if it does not make America safer, we will not fund it. If a system doesn't perform, we will terminate it. And if Congress sends me a defense bill loaded with a bunch of pork, I will veto it."

The decision to cancel the F-22 Raptor aircraft program shows this spirit in action.

Gates dug in his heels when Congress pushed the Pentagon to buy more than the 187 F-22s it needed or wanted. Obama threatened a presidential veto if Congress didn't eliminate the $1.75 billion in additional F-22 funding it had added to the budget request. The Senate ultimately relented and withdrew the funding.

Obama referenced the F-22 decision during his VFW address, questioning why the United States would consider spending nearly $2 billion to buy F-22s "when we can move ahead with a fleet of newer, more affordable aircraft."

But even that alternative aircraft – the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – has come under acquisition reformers' scrutiny. Obama called excessive costs in that program just one example of "tens of billions of dollars in waste we don't need" – that he vowed to cut.

"Think about it: Hundreds of millions of dollars for an alternate second engine for the Joint Strike Fighter when one reliable engine will do just fine," he said. "Tens of billions of dollars to put an anti-missile laser on a fleet of vulnerable 747s. And billions of dollars for a new presidential helicopter."

The Defense Department scrapped the VH-71 presidential helicopter development and demonstration program in June. That program, designed to replace the VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters that currently conduct presidential missions, had doubled in cost and was running six years behind schedule, Assad said.

Compounding the issue were questions about whether the helicopter offered the needed capability.

Obama poked fun during the VFW convention at some of the capabilities the VH-71 would have delivered. "Among other capabilities, it would let me cook a meal while under nuclear attack," he said, eliciting laughter from the audience. "Now let me tell you something: If the United States of America is under nuclear attack, the last thing on my mind will be whipping up a snack."

The decision to terminate the VH-71 program reflects a broader recognition of the need to overhaul the way the department buys weapons systems, Assad said. It's already making an impact through better-defined requirements up-front, more competitive bidding and increased program oversight, he said.

Obama touted some of that progress to the VFW. "I've already put an end to unnecessary no-bid contracts," he said. "I've signed bipartisan legislation to reform defense procurement so weapons systems don't spin out of control," a reference to the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act he signed into law in May.

"And even as we increase spending on the equipment and weapons our troops do need," he said, "we've proposed cutting tens of thousands of billions in dollars we don't need."

Obama underscored the importance of these initiatives for warfighters on the front lines today, as well as those who will defend against future threats.

"This is pretty straightforward: Cut the waste. Save taxpayer dollars. Support the troops. That's what we should be doing," Obama said. "We will do right by our troops and taxpayers, and we will build the 21st-century military that we need."

Face of Defense: Sergeant Volunteers for Recovery Effort

By Air Force Airman Ian Hoachlander
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - A senior noncommissioned officer assigned here recently returned from a recovery mission to find the remains of an American pilot in Laos. Air Force Master Sgt. Wesley Housel of the 437th Operations Support Squadron spent a 36-day deployment as a digger assigned to a 10-member Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command recovery team.

JPAC's mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. Housel volunteered for his team's mission to find and recover the remains of a lieutenant who was shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War.

JPAC teams include a forensic anthropologist, a field medic, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, a life-support investigator and a forensic photographer. A handful of Laotians helped the team members carry their equipment and built anything they needed, Housel said.

Recovery missions can last anywhere from 35 to 60 days, depending on location, terrain and the nature of the recovery, Housel explained. Crash sites are blocked off into 4-meter squares, and the soil is then sifted with a high-pressure hose and a quarter-inch screen. When JPAC members think they've found human remains or life-support equipment, the findings are sent back to the Central Identification Laboratory at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, for confirmation.

The Laotian climate made the team's work especially hard, Housel said. "After the rain rolled through, the humidity would kick in, and South Carolina would feel like a cold place compared to Laos," he said. But the rainy season was not the only hurdle the team had to overcome. The crash site was on steep terrain with thick vegetation.

Safety is paramount on the recovery missions, Housel said, and focusing on the mission's importance helps in dealing with the difficult conditions. "You have to remember that you are there for a fallen comrade, because the conditions you operate in will destroy your morale very quickly if you do not maintain focus," he said. "The average incline at our crash site was probably about 30 [degrees]."

To get to the crash site, the team took a 25-minute helicopter ride every morning from their hotel into the jungle. The morning of July 27 provided a harrowing experience, however, as the team boarded an aircraft they typically did not use and took off from a new area.

"We started to lift off, and the pilot set [the helicopter] back down ... and took right off again," Housel said, noting that witnesses said the helicopter slid back and the main rotor struck a tree behind it. When it struck the tree, the rotor stopped, and the helicopter spun and landed upside-down, witnesses said.

"The next thing I know, is I'm upside-down in my seat and [realized] that the importance of wearing a seat belt is true," Housel said. "I told my buddies to stay in their seatbelts -- not that politely -- because we didn't know if we were done rolling. We spun one and a half more times and rolled one and a half more times. The helicopter took off July 27 at 7:58 a.m. and we landed at 7:59 a.m. -- upside-down."

Everyone aboard the helicopter remained calm and exited the aircraft accordingly, Housel said. Then one simple word turned an orderly evacuation into everyone running for the hills.

"Each member on the helicopter was getting out cool and calm ... until someone yelled 'Fire!' Then, it was every man ... for themselves," he said with a smile.

(Air Force Airman Ian Hoachlander serves in the 437th Airlift Wing public affairs office.)

Air Guard Delivers Medical Care to Guatemala

By Air Force Maj. Keith Moore
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - About 40 medical personnel from the Arkansas Air National Guard are here performing a humanitarian medical readiness exercise as part of their annual training requirement. The medical team -- made up of general physicians, pediatricians, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, nurses and medical technicians from the 188th Fighter Wing and the 189th Airlift Wing -- are reaching out with their services while fulfilling their own training requirements as military medical professionals.

The value and need for medical services in these remote areas is reflected by the seemingly endless line that forms outside the clinic compound early each day of people waiting to be seen.

This humanitarian mission is made possible through an international cooperation agreement with the Guatemalan military and the country's public health department. It is sponsored by U.S. Southern Command and Air Force South.

On Aug. 7, senior commanders of the Arkansas National Guard visited the site and observed the operation of the clinical services being provided by the Air Guard team. As part of the visit, the commanding generals of the Arkansas Guard sat down for an impromptu meeting and news conference with the governor of the district of Baja Vera Paz and the mayor of San Miguel Chicaj.

"The members of the Arkansas Air National Guard are privileged to be here in San Miguel Chicaj to share our work and resources to help the people of Guatemala," said Army Maj. Gen. William Wofford, the Arkansas adjutant general. "This is a great opportunity for us to partner with the artillery brigade of the Guatemalan army, which is providing us local support while we are here."

Arkansas and Guatemala are partners in the National Guard's State Partnership Program.

Gov. Angela Flavia Reyes Larios and San Miguel Chicaj Mayor Emilio Bolvito both expressed gratitude for the work the Arkansas Guard was performing for the people of Guatemala.

The Guardsmen take the work seriously, and by only the fourth day of the planned 15-day mission, the team already had treated more than 2,000 people. The common impairments include limb and joint pain and severe arthritis among the adults, while gastrointestinal and bacterial infections are the leading maladies in young children; dental hygiene issues were prevalent across all age groups.

"We have been treating a lot of things that simply add to quality of life for the people," said Air Force Capt. Dorrie Staal, chief of immunizations at the 188th Fighter Wing's Medical Group. "The doctors are seeing adults with pain or difficulties related to long days working their crops. The kids have a variety of conditions. Some need antibiotics for infections, and others have worms or other gastrointestinal issues derived from their living conditions."

Many of the airmen noted a sense of satisfaction in having the opportunity to not only practice their medical specialty, but also the ability to do so with people who really need basic medical services.

"Things never stop in the pharmacy," said Air Force Senior Airman Kelli Reed, a pharmacy technician with the 188th. "We have been dispensing everything from aspirin to antibiotics, anti-gastrics like Maylox and even some mild pain medications for dental patients following tooth extractions.

"But everyone has been very good," she continued, "and they are so grateful and smiling when we give them the medications and directions for treatment."

On Day 2 in the village of San Miguel Chicaj, about 115 miles northeast of Guatemala City, the airmen worked in shifts to treat as many people as possible and keep the lines moving. By the end of the day, they had served nearly 700 people.

Air Force Master Sgt. Che Kinnard of the 188th Fighter Wing, one of the handful of bilingual members of the medical team, takes medications from the pharmacy and translates the dosing instructions and treatment guidance to the parents of children being treated by the team's pair of pediatricians. Between patients, he commented to the visiting commanders in English with a big grin, "We're doing the Lord's work and sharing the love."

Even in the stifling humidity of the Central American climate, the Guardsmen move with energized purpose as they go about treating as many Guatemalans as they can each day. Air Force Capt. Bridgette Scott said one delightful aspect of the mission is letting the parents know they can get treatment as well.

"The villagers hear that an American medical team is here or is coming, so they bring their children for treatment and care," she said. "At first, they only want to get the children seen. But it is so nice when we finally convince them that we are also here to treat adults, too."

In addition to San Miguel Chicaj, the mission will take the Air Guard team to several other locations, including Rabinal, Trapiche and San Jeronimo.

"Missions like this are a 'win–win' situation," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Riley Porter, commander of the Arkansas Air National Guard. "We capitalize on the training value for our team of airmen while improving the quality of life and concept of Americans for thousands of Guatemalans in the process."

(Air Force Maj. Keith Moore serves with the Arkansas National Guard.)

Army Announces Force Structure Actions

The Department of the Army announced today a series of planned unit activations, inactivations, relocations and conversions at four installations. These force structure actions will result in an increase of 2,440 soldiers at Fort Riley, Kan., an increase of 418 soldiers at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., a decrease of 295 soldiers at Fort Irwin, Calif.; and a decrease of 376 soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo. Implementation of these changes is expected to be completed in September 2011.

For unit relocations; the 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Brigade will move from Fort Carson to Fort Riley and the 70th Engineer Battalion will move from Fort Riley to White Sands Missile Range and be re-designated as the 2nd Engineer Battalion.

At Fort Riley, the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (1/1 ID), will convert to a modular, Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) formation. The 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, Delta Troop, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 5th Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, and 101st Combat Support Battalion will convert to modular force structure design to support 1/1 ID HBCT.

At Fort Irwin, the 79th Ordnance Company will activate, the 557th Maintenance Company will inactivate, and the 669th Maintenance Company will convert to a modular design.

These force structure actions are a part of the integrated force structure changes that support Army transformation. These actions are not expected to change Army civilian authorizations at each installation.

Point of contact for this notification is Lt. Col. Lee M. Packnett, (703) 614-2487, Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Army.

New Jersey Kicks Off Oral Military History Project

By Army Sgt. Wayne Woolley
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 21, 2009 - An Army National Guard colonel who led a brigade in Iraq and a Vietnam veteran who retired from the Guard as a brigadier general recently helped New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine launch an oral history project to preserve the Garden State's military legacy. Army Col. Steven Ferrari and retired Army Brig. Gen. Frank Carlini shared recollections about their time in war zones with Corzine on Aug. 17 after the governor signed a bill here creating the state Veterans' Oral History Foundation.

A board of nine representatives to be appointed by Army Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, New Jersey adjutant general, will guide the foundation's work. The foundation will raise money and publicize efforts to capture the oral histories of New Jersey veterans and preserve them at the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey.

Corzine, a former Marine reservist, said he wanted to conduct the first few interviews himself to underscore the foundation's importance.

"New Jersey's rich military history and centuries of contributions and sacrifices will be shared for generations," he said.

Ferrari told Corzine he was proud to have led the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during the handover of Baghdad's International Zone, a milestone of American involvement of Iraq.

"It was a historic time to be in Iraq," Ferrari said.
The brigade began its mission in August 2008 with total responsibility for security and logistics in the strategic and symbolic heart of Iraq's capital, an area also known as the Green Zone.

After several months of training their Iraqi counterparts, the brigade handed them responsibility for the area.
The brigade also was responsible for operating Iraq's two main detention centers and more than 20,000 detainees.

Carlini's military career spanned from Vietnam to the current conflicts. He retired last year as deputy commander of New Jersey's Joint Force Headquarters. But it's his memories of service as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 that will live on as an oral history.

Carlini's memories of the war are a blur of 28-day stints on patrol in the jungle and leading a unit that was authorized 44 men but never had more than two dozen. He said his platoon rarely got closer than two or three kilometers to another American unit.
"I was afraid because, here I am, 22 years old with a platoon out away from everybody," Carlini said. "I feared that I would do something stupid that would unnecessarily endanger my soldiers."

Carlini left the Army when his tour ended. Two years later, he joined the National Guard and stayed for more than three decades. He said he has nothing but respect for the soldiers now serving in the all-volunteer military.

"These young men and ladies are more professional and smarter than anything we ever saw in the past," he said.

(Army Sgt. Wayne Woolley serves with the New Jersey National Guard.)

As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses

Reuters – A veteran walks through the lobby at the last reunion for World War Two veterans of the 10th Mountain …

By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press Writer –

WASHINGTON – Outside the Veterans Affairs Department, severely wounded veterans have faced financial hardship waiting for their first disability payment. Inside, money has been flowing in the form of $24 million in bonuses.

In scathing reports this week, the VA's inspector general said thousands of technology office employees at the VA received the bonuses over a two-year period, some under questionable circumstances. It also detailed abuses ranging from nepotism to an inappropriate relationship between two VA employees.

The inspector general accused one recently retired VA official of acting "as if she was given a blank checkbook" as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008. In some cases the justification for the bonuses was inadequate or questionable, the IG said.

The official, Jennifer S. Duncan, also engaged in nepotism and got $60,000 in bonuses herself, the IG said. In addition, managers improperly authorized college tuition payments for VA employees, some of whom were Duncan's family members and friends. That cost taxpayers nearly $140,000.

Separately, a technology office employee became involved in an "inappropriate personal relationship" with a high-level VA official. The technology office employee flew 22 times from Florida to Washington, where the VA official lived. That travel cost $37,000.

The details on the alleged improprieties were in two IG reports issued this week. VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts said the agency was extremely concerned about the IG's findings and would pursue a thorough review.

"VA does not condone misconduct by its employees and will take the appropriate correction action for those who violate VA policy," Roberts said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The number of claims the VA needs to process has escalated, and the Information and Technology Office has a critical role in improving the technological infrastructure to handle the increase. President Barack Obama has said creating a seamless transition for records between the Pentagon and the VA could help eliminate a backlog that has left some veterans waiting months for a disability check.

Much of the IG's focus was on Duncan, the former executive assistant to the ex-assistant secretary for information and technology, Robert Howard.

In one situation, a part-time intern with connections to Duncan was allowed to convert to a full-time paid position even though the individual was working a part-time schedule 500 miles away at college, the IG said.

"We have never known of any other new VA employee provided such favorable treatment," the IG said.

The individual's name and relationship to Duncan was blacked out, as were many other names in the reports.

Investigators recommended that the employees who received the college money pay it back. The largest amount awarded was $33,000.

In addition to Duncan, three other high-level employees received $73,000, $58,000 and $59,000 in bonuses in 2007 and 2008, the IG said. In 2007 alone, 4,700 employees were awarded bonuses, on average $2,500 each.

Some employees were given cash awards for services that were supposedly provided before the employees started working at VA, the IG said.

A man who answered the phone at Duncan's residence in Rehoboth Beach, Del., said she was not available, and he said not to call back.

The IG also found that Katherine Adair Martinez, deputy assistant secretary for information protection and risk management in the Office of Information and Technology, misused her position, abused her authority and engaged in prohibited personnel practices when she influenced a VA contractor and later VA subordinates to employ a friend.

The IG also said Martinez "took advantage of an inappropriate personal relationship" with Howard to transfer her job to Florida. In the nine months after she moved, the IG said Martinez traveled to Washington 22 times "to accomplish tasks that she could easily do from Florida."

The relationship between Martinez and Howard started in April 2007 and continued several months after Howard left the VA in January of this year, the IG said.

Roberts' e-mail did not address a request from the AP to speak with Martinez. Howard could not be immediately located for comment.

Indiana Rep. Steve Buyer, top Republican on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, urged quick action to fix the problems. "VA must appoint honorable individuals to these critical positions," he said.

The VA has faced criticism before in its awarding of bonuses. In 2007, the AP reported that the then-VA secretary had approved a generous package of more than $3.8 million in bonus payments in 2006, citing a need to retain longtime VA executives.

___

On the Net:

Reports from VA Inspector General:

http://www.va.gov/oig/51/fy2009rpts/VAOIG-09-01123-196.pdf

http://www.va.gov/oig/51/fy2009rpts/VAOIG-09-01123-195.pdf

Home Sweet Home Campaign’s TShirts 4 Soldiers Helping People Connect with Their Deployed Family and Friends

Mesa AZ – The Home Sweet Home Campaign’s new program TShirts 4 Soldiers is helping people connect with their deployed loved ones. This unique and fun way to send a piece of your heart and home to a Service Member you love, is making a big splash in the military world. Spouses, children, mothers and more are designing “one of kind” TShirts and having them shipped directly to their loved one. In turn, Service Members are sending TShirts they have designed back home to their family and friends.

The TShirts 4 Soldiers program touches three very important groups of people; Military families and friends living stateside, deployed Service Members and post 9/11 veterans who have returned from the war. Photina Haumschilt, wife of a deployed sailor stated, “TShirts 4 Soldiers is a wonderful program. It gave my girls and me something special and different to do together that we could send to my husband. We had a great time making the design together as a family. My oldest daughter saw a picture of the TShirt and is so excited that her daddy will be able to wear it soon. Thank you for this program! We loved doing it.”

Nearly any design can be printed on the TShirts. The program has received hand drawn pictures, photographs, digital art and hand written messages. Beth Ann VanHoose, founder of the Home Sweet Home Campaign stated “The designs being submitted are incredible. Every time I receive a new order my heart just skips a beat. You can just tell how much love and thought has gone into the design”.

For every TShirt sold, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to USA Cares Warrior Treatment Today Program. This USA Cares program seeks to remove the financial barrier that prohibits veterans who have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), receive the treatment they need.
Deirdre, a wife of a deployed soldier and daughter of a Vietnam Vet who suffered from PTSD, was thrilled to support the cause and design a special TShirt for her husband. When asked about the program she said, “A soldier thousands and thousands of miles away in a foreign land will smile once again... upon receiving this TShirt! The Happiness is PRICELESS! I can’t thank the Home Sweet Home Campaign enough!”

About the Home Sweet Home Campaign
The Home Sweet Home Campaign was inspired by Tim Little; a US Army reservist who served two tours in the Middle East and currently suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Little and his family nearly lost their home while he was being evaluated by the VA, but thanks to USA Cares, they were able to stay in their home and focus on the future and healing. The Home Sweet Home Campaign has pledged to raise $1 million dollars for USA Cares Warrior Treatment Today Program. Raising funds through the TShirts 4 Soldiers and Groups That Care programs, the Campaign will be helping wounded veterans and their families keep their homes while the veteran receives the treatment he or she needs and deserves. For every product sold, a portion of the proceeds will be donated directly to USA Cares.

To learn more about the Campaign’s TShirts 4 Soldiers and USA Cares, go to www.OurSoldiers.org or contact Beth Ann VanHoose at 618-567-1384 or via e-mail at Beth@OurSoldiers.org.